library of heavens chapter 1250-1255 || number zero

Chapter 1250: - vipin Imparts an Ultimate Technique (1)

“You will assess me personally?” vipin liaoshi’s face paled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. He understood vipin’s intentions. He had injured those two young men and rendered them incapable of battle so that he would be able to take advantage of their weakness and obtain an easy pass for the Selection of Sages. 

But who would have thought that kundan would actually disregard his own standing as a senior and declare that he would conduct the test personally! Given how formidable those two listening-in students were, the guide was bound to be even more so. Against such an opponent, how could vipin liaoshi possibly stand a chance? Hearing kundan’s words, vipin frowned. “As a guide to the Sancutum of Sages, isn’t it inappropriate for you to make a move against your juniors?” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll suppress my cultivation down to your level, Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage,” kundan replied calmly. “This…” Hearing that, vipin pondered for a moment before asking, “As long as vipin liaoshi is able to withstand three moves from you, it’ll be considered a pass, right?” “That’s correct!” kundan nodded. Following which, the energy within his body began flurrying, and in the blink of an eye, his cultivation had already been suppressed to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, the same as the two challengers. 

vipin fell quiet. To be honest, even if kundan suppressed his cultivation, he still possessed an absolute advantage in terms of his experience and eye of discernment. It would be extremely difficult for vipin liaoshi to withstand three moves from him. Or to be more precise, it was impossible. “vipin, I appreciate your goodwill, but it’s fine. If I am unable to clear the test, it can only mean that my cultivation hasn’t met the mark yet, and I’m not fated with the Sanctum of Sages.” vipin liaoshi stepped forward and smiled. 

To be honest, he was rather touched to see vipin speaking on his behalf. However, since things had come to this point, there was nothing else that could be done. At the very most, it would just be a loss. It was not like it would be the end of the world. As an offspring of the shane kabila, he could at least take a defeat. Hong long! vipin liaoshi began furiously exerting the zhenqi within his body. 

While his aura paled in comparison to the collaboration between those two listening in students, it carried an unwavering and fearless intention behind it. “Good.” kundan nodded. Considering the overwhelming disparity between the both of them, vipin liaoshi could be said to be rather courageous to still be willing to step forward and face him. Of course, courage was not enough for one to become a student of the Sanctum of Sages. 

More importantly, one had to possess sufficient strength! Without strength, everything else would be for naught. Just as vipin liaoshi’s entire body tensed up, ready to face whatever kundan threw at him, vipin suddenly spoke once more. “Wait a moment!” “What’s wrong this time?” kundan frowned in impatience. This lad sure was a ton of trouble. You have already cleared the test yourself; do you really value whatever friendship you have with vipin liaoshi so much that you are determined to have him clear the test with you? 

Other master teachers would know to back down in such situations, especially since the matter does not concern their own interests. Do you really know what kind of figure you are attempting to haggle with? “I understand that kundan is in a rush, but surely it would be fine to spare us twenty minutes?” “Hmm?” kundan was not sure what vipin was getting at. “It’s like this. I have gained some insights from the previous battle with those two young men over there, and I would like to share them with vipin liaoshi.”

 vipin raised his gaze to stare intently at kundan. “kundan, as the guide, you should at least have some time to spare for us to trade some insights, right?” “… Fine.” kundan frowned in displeasure, clearly unhappy with this proposition. Nevertheless, he eventually nodded in agreement. 

Twenty minutes would not make a difference to the outcome of the test. If it was that easy to raise a person’s fighting prowess, everyone would have been an expert by then. “Thank you, kundan. vipin liaoshi, come over for a moment!” vipin gestured with a smile. Knowing that vipin was doing all of this for him, vipin liaoshi unhesitatingly headed over. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly caught sight of something that left his eyes widening in shock. A massive cauldron was plummeting from the sky, headed straight toward Kundan's head! Seeing this sight, vipin liaoshi nearly fainted from fright. Who was kundan?

 A guide of the Sanctum of Sages, a Saint 6-dan expert at the very least! Even if kundan had suppressed his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, such a crude assault would never work on him! Just as vipin liaoshi was about to scream out loud, he suddenly saw vipin’s figure blurring before him. With a powerful leap off, vipin dashed straight toward kundan, and in that moment, it seemed like his figure had warped into a sword itself, seemingly wanting to tear the latter into pieces. 

“It’s over…” vipin liaoshi felt that if there was an end to the world, this would likely be it. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he nearly burst into tears. Even if I can’t clear the test, you really don’t have to kill the guide for me! If you succeed, you will become a fugitive of the Master Teacher Pavilion, condemned to an entire life of escape! This sight did not just challenge the limits of vipin liaoshi’s rationality, even Pavilion Master Chandresh and prachi felt as if they were going insane.

 To make a move against kundan… Too reckless! If the other party got mad, putting aside the fact that vipin would not be doing vipin liaoshi any favors, he might even be stripped of his own slot. But everything had happened so fast that even they were unable to intervene in time. “Humph!” Noticing vipin’s assault, kundan’s eyebrows shot up. Driving his zhenqi, he raised his finger and stabbed it forward like a sword.

 Even though his cultivation was still suppressed at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, this simple maneuver amply displayed his superior eye of discernment, experience, and combat sense. The finger stab was directed straight toward the blind spot of vipin’s offense. Not only would it be able to keep vipin at bay, it would also allow him to fend off the cauldron above him at the same time.

 Two birds with a stone! To be able to make such sharp instantaneous judgement from the unprepared state he was in, there was no doubt that his combat experience was superior even in comparison to vipin. Hula! However, before the finger stab could strike vipin, the young man suddenly flitted to the side before raising his palm, thrusting it toward the cauldron above to neutralize the force behind its descent, and catching it with a single hand. His movements were actually not an assault against kundan but a maneuver to rescue!

 vipin swiftly shoved the Golden Origin Cauldron into his storage ring before apologizing awkwardly to kundan. “My apologies, kundan. I have really spoiled my cauldron. It never thinks before acting, and I never thought that it would suddenly make a move against you either. I was alarmed when I saw it earlier, and that’s why I leaped forward to save you. I hope that I didn’t scare you!” “You say that you were saving me?” kundan nearly choked on his saliva. 

To use your body as a sword and charge toward me with such frightening momentum, as if preparing to launch a lethal strike at any moment… Are you sure that you were trying to rescue me? That’s clearly attempted murder! If I hadn’t reacted fast enough, I would have been split in half by now! Not to mention, that vicious cauldron even wanted to smash my head. Do you really think that I will drop the matter with a simple ‘I didn’t know that it would do that’?

 vipin clasped his fist apologetically. “Indeed. I am the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and this cauldron is the Saint Guardian Artifact of the academy. As such, it’s constantly keeping a lookout for my safety and protecting me. It sensed the overwhelming strength that kundan was emanating, so it thought that you were planning to harm me. 

That’s why it would recklessly make a move against you. kundan, I hope that you will be as magnanimous as to let this matter go…” “Alright, alright! Hurry up and impart your insight. I’ll give you ten minutes!” Even though kundan still felt deeply indignant, he eventually decided to drop the issue. The other party had been pushing all of the blame to his artifact right from the start, and he could not stoop down to the level of venting his anger on a mere artifact.

 If the guide to the Sanctum of Sages were to pummel its owner out of fury toward an artifact… His peers would use that as a reason to mock him for many years to come! Not to mention, the cauldron was the Guardian Saint Artifact of a Master Teacher Academy, so it was bound to have contributed plenty to mankind. Even if he was an advanced master teacher, there would still be repercussions if he killed such an artifact that easily. Nodding in relief, vipin returned to vipin liaoshi’s side, and his face immediately turned grim as he sent a telepathic message over. 

“Even though kundan has suppressed his cultivation, given your current strength, it’ll be impossible for you to emerge victorious. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to withstand a few moves from him. I’ll teach you three maneuvers right now, and as long as you learn them seriously, no matter what kind of move kundan throws at you, you will be able to neutralize it by repeating them again and again… Got it?”

 “Yes!” vipin liaoshi nodded. Considering that the young man before him was a Celestial Master Teacher, and taking into account everything that the other party had done for him, vipin liaoshi no longer harbored any doubt toward him. “I’ll describe those movements to you in detail, so try to simulate them in your head. Don’t execute them, or else he will be prepared for them,” vipin instructed. 

These three maneuvers were directed toward kundan’s flaws, and their aim was just to catch him off guard. If he noticed their intentions in advance, given his strength and eye of discernment, these maneuvers would surely be rendered useless. Understanding this as well, vipin liaoshi listened earnestly as he pictured those movements in his mind. It did not take long before he grasped the zhenqi circulation method and the trajectory of each attack. 

As for the remaining time, he continued driving his zhenqi as he simulated those three moves in his mind in order to execute them perfectly when he faced kundan later on. These three moves were actually rather simple, much simpler than any battle techniques in fact. A couple of minutes was more than enough for him to hone them to perfection. Seeing that kundan’s complexion was still rather awful, Pavilion Master chandresh stepped forward to alleviate the situation.

 “kundan, please don’t take the matter to heart. vipin’s cauldron is indeed a little reckless. Just earlier this morning, an envoy from chong Empire, aalim, was turned into a eunuch by it.” He had no idea why vipin would attempt to assault kundan, only to stop at the crucial moment, but considering the relationship between them, he felt obliged to cover for the young man. “Someone has been turned into a eunuch?”

 kundan was unaware of the various affairs that had happened earlier in the morning, and he frowned upon hearing Pavilion Master chandresh’s words. “Indeed…” Pavilion Master chandresh proceeded to fill kundan in on the various matters that had happened earlier. Even though he had not been on the scene personally, he was still able to picture the situation through Pavilion Master chandresh’s descriptions. 

“That cauldron sure is reckless!” After hearing the full story, kundan could not help but shake his head. For an artifact to cripple the manhood of a quasi 8-star master teacher, even the word ‘brazen’ would be an understatement! Of course, that was even more so for vipin. To dare talk back to a quasi 8-star master teacher and even walk away from the conflict unscathed… yet it was the other party that had ended up being punished. 

Just as kundan wanted to inquire deeper into vipin’s history, the person in question suddenly spoke up from the side. “kundan, we are done trading insights. You can start the test now.” Turning his gaze over, he saw that vipin liaoshi was already standing at the center of the hall, his body conditioned to its peak, ready to face any opponent before him. kundan made a rough calculation of the time, but it seemed like five minutes had not even passed. 

Slightly perplexed, he stepped forward and said, “Very well, let me see just what kind of insight he has shared with you!” To haggle with him just to stall for a mere five minutes… what kind of valuable insight did vipin impart to vipin liaoshi within this short period of time? “kundan, please pardon me if my moves offend you later on!” vipin liaoshi clasped his fist and spoke apologetically. 

“Offend me? Worry not! Feel free to use whatever you have against me. As long as you can withstand three moves from me, I’ll consider allocating you another slot!” kundan replied calmly. “Thank you. I’ll be making my move then.” Hu la! Before finishing his words, vipin liaoshi had already leaped off the ground to dash furiously forward. His right leg shot up, traveling along a trajectory that would land perfectly in between kundan’s thighs. 

“You…” Not expecting that fellow to actually aim for Little Zhao right from the start, kundan’s face turned livid. It was just a moment ago that he had heard about how aalim’s manhood had been crippled by a cauldron, and then vipin liaoshi suddenly came at him with this move. Don’t tell me that the supposed insight that vipin imparted to you was to strike me there? 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1251: - vipin Imparts an Ultimate Technique (2)

kundan was fuming inside. However, no matter how angry he was, there was no way he could take that kick head on. Thus, he quickly sidestepped to avoid it. It was not that he was afraid that he would be crippled by that kick but because of how humiliating it would be if he were to be kicked there! Huala! However, as soon as kundan fled to the side, vipin liaoshi’s fingers immediately shot for his armpit. It turned out that the attack toward his crotch was only a feint—the young man’s real goal was this! 

“To deduce the movement technique I would use in reaction to your kick and assault my armpit, where one of the mingmens of my movement technique is located…” kundan narrowed his eyes in disbelief. The other party’s finger was accurately aimed at the point where the greatest mingmen of his movement technique was located! If he were to be struck, his entire body would be numbed, resulting in a complete loss in his fighting prowess! 

It was too much of a coincidence to think that the other party had found his mingmen by sheer luck in the middle of a battle. Rather, it was more likely that the other party had predicted this right from the start. At this point, kundan suddenly realized that he had been dragged into vipin liaoshi’s pace from the very first strike… The young man’s combat sense was really a little way too strong! 

“Such a cunning fellow! He has been using psychological warfare against me even before the start of the battle…” With his sharp eye of discernment as a Saint 6-dan master teacher, it didn’t take kundan too long to see through the crux of the matter. Prior to the battle, Pavilion Master chandresh had casually mentioned that aalim had his manhood crippled, and this had effectively planted a subconscious notion in his mind. As a result, when vipin liaoshi angled his attack between his crotch, he instinctively moved to avoid the attack, not doubting that it might be a feint at all due to the planted subconscious notion. 

To think that he had already lost in the psychological warfare prior to the battle… Impressive! “If it had been any other ordinary Primordial Spirit realm cultivator, he would have been cornered with this blow. Without expending at least ten moves, it would be impossible to resolve the situation and turn the tables around. Unfortunately for you, your opponent is me!” kundan twisted his body to avoid vipin liaoshi’s finger jab. At the same time, he raised his hand and jabbed his finger toward the latter as well. 

Finger against finger, kundan was intending to use his superior strength and comprehension of battle technique to forcefully overpower vipin liaoshi, and through doing so, he would be able to regain to turn the tides of the battle back to his side. Even though their cultivation were both at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, it was apparent that the might of kundan’s finger jab was far stronger than vipin liaoshi’s. 

Even before the finger arrived, the air was already groaning under the immense pressure, and vaguely, the sound of a storm could be heard. In face of the might of kundan’s finger jab, vipin liaoshi was visibly flustered. Knowing that he couldn’t face such an attack face on, he hurriedly retracted his finger. But perhaps because he was too anxious, his body ended up tilting to the side, placing his head in the trajectory of kundan’s finger jab. Seeing this, kundan frowned. 

With his strength, if his finger jab were to land, vipin liaoshi’s head would explode on the spot. In other words, vipin liaoshi would die! In the first place, as a Saint 6-dan expert, his choice of intervening in a duel between juniors was already one that many would frown upon. If he were to kill vipin liaoshi on top of that… without a doubt, he would be stripped of his position as a guide to the Sanctum of Sages. 

“Hmph!” Thus, kundan pulled back his might, and the sudden withdrawal of zhenqi left a groan escaping from his mouth, and his face reddened from the backlash. If he hadn’t suppressed his cultivation, this bit of backlash would have been nothing at all. However, with his current cultivation of Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, and given the fact that he had devoted his full strength into the finger jab on top of that, the sudden withdrawal of his attack inevitably left him with some injuries. 

Huala! But even though kundan had withdrawn his finger in order to avoid killing vipin liaoshi, the latter, seemingly having expected kundan to react in such a way, abruptly charged forward to knock kundan’s chest with his shoulder. With a deep frown between his brows, kundan swiftly struck his palm forward to ward off vipin liaoshi’s charge. That palm strike moved at an astonishing speed, such that it would land on vipin liaoshi before his charge could strike kundan. 

“My apologies…” kundan was still guessing that vipin liaoshi might retreat for the time being before launching another wave of attack when he suddenly heard a faint voice sounding in the air. Following which, he suddenly felt a piercing jab beneath his armpit. Unknowingly, vipin liaoshi’s fingers had already landed on his mingmen. Huala! kundan felt his strength receding swiftly from him as if a tide, and in an instant, numbness and powerlessness permeated his entire body. 

“You…” Hu! After landing his finger jab, vipin liaoshi didn’t continue his assault. Instead, he hurriedly leaped back before clasping his fist apologetically, “kundan, thank you for sparing me earlier…” “Hmph!” Driving his zhenqi, kundan was able to swiftly recover from his numbed state. However, the loss had left him so frustrated that he couldn’t speak a word. If vipin liaoshi were to continue his assault after his mingmen was struck, he would surely have been pummeled badly… And just thinking about the matter was enough to leave him stifled within. “If kundan intended to kill me, I would have died by the second blow. 

I apologize for using such a despicable trick against you…” Noticing kundan’s displeasure, vipin liaoshi lowered his head further and continued apologizing. In truth, in the second move, if kundan hadn’t retracted his finger for fear of endangering his life, he would have never been able to close in on him. It was only due to kundan’s forceful withdrawal of his finger jab that gave him an opportunity to strike. It could be said that he had played on the other party’s compassion to achieve victory. 

“Forget it. A victory is a victory, I have no excuses for my loss!” kundan waved his hand impassively. “I’ll allocate rosaat Empire with two slots, but note that this is only the preliminary selections. I hope that you will be able to retain your slot during the secondary selections, or else your effort would have gone to vain!” While vipin liaoshi did resort to underhanded tricks to achieve victory, he did mention beforehand that all tricks were allowed. 

Furthermore, vipin liaoshi had not just withstood three moves form him, he had subdued him even… Just from that in itself, it was undeniable that this battle was vipin liaoshi’s victory. Since that was the case, it wasn’t a big deal for him to give out another slot… However, whether they would be able to secure this slot would depend on their performance at chong Empire later on. 

“Is this the insight you have imparted to him?” kundan glanced at vipin and asked. Judging from vipin liaoshi’s reflexes, it was unlikely that he would be able to come up with such a plan in the middle of the battle. Since that was the case, this matter would have to be linked back to vipin, especially considering the bizarre five minutes break he had called for earlier. “Un.

 They are three maneuvers that I casually came up with earlier.” Knowing that there was no point hiding this from kundan, vipin clasped his fist and replied truthfully. “Casually?” kundan scoffed. “A maneuver you came up with casually is able to predict that I would use the [Steps of Stalling Leaves], which mingmen was located beneath my armpit. 

Not to mention, you were even able to take into account the fact that I wouldn’t kill vipin liaoshi, and after retracting my finger jab, I would have to take half a step back in order to ward off the momentum from the withdrawing energy, so you had vipin liaoshi to dash forward to strike my mingmen in this temporary opening… Do you expect me to believe that?” 

There was no such thing as a coincidence in battle. Of the three moves that vipin liaoshi had used earlier, the first one was psychological warfare, the second one had him putting his life on the line as a gamble, and the third one was a result of a careful calculation… Only one who had a thorough understanding of kundan’s habits in battle would be able to design such a battle plan to deal with him… Considering how every single step of the plan took advantage of his weaknesses, there was no way it could be something that was ‘casually came up with’. 

“I guess I was lucky then.” vipin replied. In truth, the reason why he had the Golden Origin Cauldron assault kundan earlier was to force him to execute a battle technique, thus allowing him to compile a book on him in the Library of Heaven’s Path. With a compiled book, he would be able to gain a thorough understanding of kundan’s strongest moves and flaws, thus making it easy for him to tailor a set of maneuvers to corner him. However, considering that the secret of the Library of Heaven’s Path was at stake here, he could only feign ignorance in this matter. 

“Lucky?” Seeing that vipin was unwilling to speak any further on this matter, kundan decided not to ask any further either. Shaking his head, he took a look at vipin and said, “Just a casual pointer from you can allow vipin liaoshi to defeat me within three moves… If I were to suppress my cultivation once more, would you be willing to face me in a battle?” “You want to have a duel with me?” 

vipin was taken aback. “That’s right.” kundan nodded. To be honest, he was really getting more and more interested in the young man before him. To subdue two listening in students of the Sanctum of Sages easily within three blows… To grant vipin liaoshi the strength to defeat him with just a casual pointer… If the young man before him were to utilize his full strength, just how powerful would he be?

 “Ah… That might not be a good idea. I’m afraid that there might be a fatality!” vipin shook his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll immediately release my seal as soon as I feel that you are in danger. You will be safe.” Seeing that vipin was slightly apprehensive at the idea of having a duel with him, kundan consoled. When two cultivators of equal strength fought with one another, it was indeed very easy for a fatality to occur as they would be unable to control their strength precisely in battle. 

However, kundan was a Saint 6-dan cultivator, so if they were to find themselves in the middle of a perilous situation during their duel, he would at least still be able to release his seal and take control over the situation. “I’m not referring to myself… I’m afraid that you will be unable to withstand my attacks…” Seeing that the other party had misunderstood his words, vipin explained awkwardly. 

“You…” kundan nearly exploded on the spot. It is one thing for you to remain unfrightened and fearless in a battle against a guide of the Sanctum of Sages, but to actually worry that you would hurt me… Ludicrous! “You don’t need to worry about hurting me. Given my cultivation realm, it’ll be difficult for you to inflict any damage on me!” kundan replied coldly with a livid face.

 “This…” vipin was still a little hesitant. “Feel free to make a move! I know that you possess exceptional strength, and your talent is superior to your peers too. However, all of these are nothing in the eyes of the true experts of the Sanctum of Sages!” kundan placed his hands behind his back as he spoke in an air unique to experts. The Sanctum of Sages was the highest academy in the Master Teacher Continent. Even the powerful Sage Clans would send their offspring there in order to study. 

From that in itself, it was apparent just how formidable the personnel there were. Do you really think that a countryside bumpkin like you would really be able to defeat me? The only reason why he fell from vipin liaoshi’s tricks was out of a moment of carelessness! Now that he was fully prepared, there was no way he would allow himself to be defeated that easily anymore! 

“Since that’s the case… I’ll give it a try then.” Seeing how confident kundan was, vipin’s eyes lit up in excitement. To be honest, as he had just achieved a breakthrough, he had been wanting to find someone to test out his newfound strength. The reason why he initially turned down kundan was because he was afraid that he might accidentally hurt the latter, considering that he still lacked precise control over his strength especially since he hadn’t really tried it out in battle yet. 

But since kundan was so confident about this matter, there was no longer any reason for him to turn down this precious opportunity. “Let’s begin then!” Taking a deep breath, kundan grasped his hands tightly together, and strength began flowing through his entire body. In his view, even though vipin’s talent was not too bad, he was simply too arrogant. This would be a good opportunity for him to striked down the young man’s conceit and have him understand that there was a world far larger than the one that he could see. “Alright, I’ll be making a move then…” vipin warned in advance. 

“Hmph.” Sneering coldly, kundan paid no heed to vipin’s words and dashed forward furiously. However, before he could make a move, he suddenly saw a palm print falling straight for him. In that instant, it felt as if the entire world was caving in on him. Pu! kundan felt as if his entire body had been frozen in place, rendering him unable to move at all. Before he could even begin to breathe, he was already struck squarely in the chest, causing his body to retreat swiftly into the distance. 

At the same time, a wild spurt of fresh blood colored the air crimson. Boom boom boom boom! kundan immediately drove his zhenqi, wanting to ward off the momentum from his retreat. However, in the next moment, his eyes narrowed. Countless palm prints abruptly appeared before his eyes. The other party’s follow up attack wasn’t just a single palm strike but thousands of them! Boom! His back crashed heavily into the walls of the hall, causing a deep depression behind him.

 Hu la! Unable to withstand the impact anymore, he swiftly unsealed his cultivation, and only then did he barely manage to fend off the attack. Just as he was heaving a sigh of relief, vipin’s forlorn voice suddenly sounded ahead of him. “I thought that he was really that formidable, but he was sent flying before I could even use a fifth of my strength… In the end, he was nothing more than a braggart…” 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1252: - You Said That I Am from the shane kabila?

Pu! A suffocating sensation assaulted kundan’s chest, and he spurted blood once more. Even though his standing as a guide was nothing in the Sanctum of Sages, in his many years of invigilating the candidates, there had never been any genius who had been able to defeat him in the same cultivation realm. But this time, not only had he been defeated, he was even being looked down upon. The immense frustration that he felt left him on the verge of explosion. 

“Hold it in, hold it in…” kundan took a few deep breaths to suppress that feeling of frustration in his chest before pushing himself out of the wall. As indignant as kundan felt from his loss, it would only be more embarrassing if he vehemently denied it. He would at least be able to retain some of his dignity if he accepted it graciously. At this point, he suddenly recalled the surnames of the duo, and a thought came to him. Looking at the young man before him, he said, “You are indeed an impressive individual. In the same cultivation realm, even I am no match for you. 

vipin and vipin liaoshi, are the both of you from the shane kabila, the Sage Clan?” If they were both geniuses from the shane kabila, it would make sense why he was not a match for them when fighting in the same cultivation realm. While the Sanctum of Sages had plenty of experts who could deal with such offspring of Sage Clans, a mere guide like him was not one of them. “vipin liaoshi is from the Sage shane kabila, but I am not…” vipin shook his head. “I am an orphan, born in the remote kareem nagar.”

 He had never really given this matter much thought before, but thinking about it once more, there was something quite suspicious about it. Logically speaking, it should not have been anything much for him to be born in the remote kareem nagar, but the fact that he was plagued with the Innate Fetal Poison was a huge anomaly in itself. According to the Sage Yuan Clan, kareem nagar was one of those ancient lands where descendants of Sage Clans could recover and awaken their bloodlines. 

For this reason, many Sage Clans had chosen to leave their offspring in such places, only taking them into the clan once their bloodline achieved a certain mark. Could it be that… he was also a member of the Sage shane kabila, just that he was one of those children who had been left in an ancient land to awaken his bloodline?

 If that was the case, it would explain why a humble nobody in kareem nagar would be plagued with such a fearsome poison. His current comprehension of poison had already reached the level of 7- star, but he still had no clue how the Innate Fetal Poison could be resolved. He had even attempted to use vani’s Innate Poison Body to curb it at one point, but its effectiveness was limited. 

From this, it was apparent that the Innate Poison Body was one of the most formidable poison, even when placed among grade-9 poisons! In other words, the person who had planted the poison on him was at least a 9-star poison master… and possibly one of the strongest ones at that! It was unthinkable for an expert of that caliber to travel to the small kareem nagar just to deal with a nobody like him. 

Could it really be that the person whom he had possessed was also a member of the Sage shane kabila, just like vipin liaoshi? It’s no wonder I always felt like pummeling vipin liaoshi whenever I met him… this might be a resonance in our bloodline! vipin stroked his lower jaw in deep contemplation.

 I really should find an opportunity to look into this matter. Knowing that this was not the time to be thinking such miscellaneous thoughts, vipin decided to put the matter aside for the moment. “I thought that you were from the Sage shane kabila too.” kundan looked at vipin in intrigue before falling silent. Since vipin had already said that he was not from the shane kabila, there was no point pressing on.

 It would only make things awkward. Thus, kundan changed the topic and said, “Alright, since the both of you have cleared the primary selection, I’ll bring you to the chong Empire for the secondary selection. The other chosen candidates should already be gathering there, so we must make haste.” “chong Empire?”

 “Yes. We will be heading there right now. You have two hours to prepare, make whatever arrangements you need to and bid farewell to others. Once the two hours are up, we’ll set off right away,” kundan said. The reason he had been in a rush earlier was because the semester for the Sanctum of Sages was about to start, so the secondary selection in the chong Empire had to be conducted soon. 

However, the rosaat Empire happened to be located the furthest away from the chong Empire, so there was a need for them to make haste. “Two hours?” Not expecting that they would be in such a rush, vipin was taken aback. He pondered for a brief moment before turning to kundan with a grim expression. 

“Right, kundan. There’s a matter that I would like to consult you on, and this matter is very important to me. Thus, I hope that you can give a precise answer to me.” “As long as it’s something I am aware of and the information isn’t confidential, I’ll answer your question,” kundan replied. vipin clenched his fists tightly and said, “I would like to ask if pratyusha… I mean the little princess of the sant kabila is currently in the Sanctum of Sages.”

 Initially, vipin had intended to ask using Pratyusha’s name, but after some thought, he realized that there was a good chance that Pratyusha might not be her real name. After all, as the little princess of the sant kabila, there were bound to be many who would want to claim her life or hold her hostage against the sant kabila, so it would not have been surprising if she adopted a pseudonym with that in mind.

 If Pratyusha was not in the Sanctum of Sages, it would be meaningless for him to head there. If that was the case, he would be better off heading straight to the Empire Alliance to raise his cultivation. After all, he already had the position of an honorary elder in that Master Teacher Pavilion, so it would be much more convenient for him to access precious cultivation resources there.

 “The little princess of the sant kabila?” kundan frowned upon hearing vipin’s question. “Why are you asking for her whereabouts?” “This matter is very important to me. kundan, I hope that you can answer my question.” vipin clasped his fist and bowed respectfully. “Alright then!” Seeing that vipin was serious about this matter, kundan briefly hesitated before shaking his head in resignation. 

“The little princess of the sant kabila was indeed studying in the Sanctum of Sages, and with her outstanding talent, she managed to enter the Inner Sanctum. However… a while back, for some unknown reason, she suddenly disappeared, and no one has seen her since then. But when I was coming here, I heard rumors that the sant kabila had managed to locate her, and they were intending on sending her back. 

Of course, I could not verify the authenticity of the rumors, so I can’t say for sure if she is truly returning to the Sanctum of Sages.” “She really is from the Sanctum of Sages?” vipin heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed like dilip guess was indeed correct. Since that was the case, he would have to head to the Sanctum of Sages. 

This was the only clue he had to find Pratyusha at the moment, and even if Pratyusha was not there, he might still be able to find some clues to her whereabouts. If he could find Pratyusha, he would be able to discuss with her how they should deal with her marriage with the young prodigy of the shane kabila on the third month next year. “You are acquainted with the little princess of the sant kabila?”

 kundan was taken aback. “According to what I know, the little princess has a cold personality…” “I guess we can be considered to be acquainted with one another.” vipin nodded in response. The other party would probably die of fright if he were to say that she was his girlfriend. 

Low profile, low profile! Even though vipin had attempted to conceal his emotions, kundan could still see traces of affection in the young man’s eyes. He fell silent for a moment before advising, “There’s an engagement between the sant kabila and shane kabila. Given that you aren’t from the shane kabila, I advise you not to disturb the little princess. Otherwise, I fear that you might find yourself in deep trouble. 

“The little princess of the sant kabila doesn’t just boast a high cultivation, she’s also known for her peerless beauty. There are none in the Sanctum of Sages that come close to matching her grace. For this reason, she has countless admirers among the younger generation. However, due to her ties with the shane kabila, all those who dare approach her have been viciously taught a lesson.” kundan’s words were roundabout, but vipin could still roughly understand the intentions behind them. 

He had seen Pratyusha’s true appearance through his Eye of Insight, and it was no exaggeration to say that even hashna, simmer, vidhi, and the others did not come close to comparing to her. Given so, it was inevitable that she would have countless admirers. It seemed like the shane kabila was quite domineering, teaching all of those who harbored any thoughts toward her a lesson. Well, that worked to his favor too. 

“Thank you for your advice.” Still immersed in his relief from learning that Pratyusha was likely in the Sanctum of Sages, vipin did not pay much heed to kundan’s advice. Instead, he began to plot his next move. Firstly, he should find a way to obtain vipin liaoshi’s blood. If he could induce a resonance with the latter’s blood, that would mean that he was a member of the shane kabila as well. 

If so, he could infiltrate into their ranks and secretly get rid of that unparalleled young prodigy that everyone had been talking so much about! If he was not… well, that might work out even better. He could do as he please without having to consider the shane kabila’s position. Anyone who dared stand between him and Pratyusha would be crippled! Of course, either way, he would have to possess sufficient strength first before he could do anything. “Return here in two hours sharp. We’ll be setting off together!” 

After saying all that should be said, kundan waved his hand, dismissing the two of them. Thus, vipin and vipin liaoshi clasped their fists before taking their leave. vipin headed straight to the Combat Master Hall and took mohan with him. After which, he bade farewell to Hall Master Jagdish and the members of the VIPI CLUB. Before he came to rosaat City, he had still had the accompaniment of roma and rohan. 

But now, only he and mohan were left. After spending so much time with one another, the departure of his direct disciples had really left him with an empty feeling inside. Following behind vipin, mohan suddenly recalled a matter and said, “Young Master, there was a messenger from vidhi earlier. She wished to relay the news that she has been recommended to cultivate at the Terpsichore Guild main headquarters due to her outstanding talent, and she will be leaving rosaat City in half a month’s time.”

 “I see.” vipin nodded. It was not for no reason that vidhi had been called a bewitching devil. She had a sensual figure and disposition that seemed to draw others to her helplessly. It was as if the terpsichore occupation had been created just for her. In view of that, it was not too surprising that the Terpsichore Guild main headquarters had taken her away. “Also, when Young Master was at the Master Teacher Pavilion, yash 1also dropped by earlier to relay his gratitude to you.

 He’s currently the regent of the rosaat Empire, and they are still deciding on the inauguration date. With the Master Teacher Pavilion and Combat Master Hall working in unison to push this through, there shouldn’t be any problems with the inauguration,” mohan said.

 It was due to vipin’s recommendation that Pavilion Master chandresh, Hall Master Jagdish, and the others nominated him to be the next emperor of the rosaat Empire. With two True Leaving Aperture realm experts backing him, the other rivaling factions would not dare to make any reckless moves. “As for the members of the VIPI CLUB, it seems like they are planning to remain at the Combat Master Hall for the time being to raise their cultivation as fast as possible, so they won’t be returning to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy for the time being.”

 As the cultivation of the members of the VIPI CLUB was still too low, they would only become a burden when heading to a higher tier empire. Nevertheless, they sought to become a source of strength for vipin, so they decided to remain in rosaat City for the time being and focus on their cultivation. vipin could roughly fathom their thoughts. Since they had already made their decision, he would not interfere in their choices. Nodding slightly, he turned to mohan and said, “Let’s go.”

 Returning to the Master Teacher Pavilion once more, vipin saw that kundan, vipin liaoshi, and the two listening in students were already prepared to depart from rosaat City. The aerial saint beast that kundan had prepared was at Saint 6-dan pinnacle, and the small house it carried on its back was extremely spacious. Even if they took more people along, there would not be any problem at all. 

After bidding Pavilion Master chandresh farewell, vipin leaped on the back of the aerial saint beast, and its massive wings began flapping powerfully. Before long, they were already well on their way toward the chong Empire. “The chong Empire is the strongest country among the Eight Conferred Empires, and the head of its regional Master Teacher Pavilion is a Half-Grand Dominion realm expert. 

He’s a real quasi 8-star master teacher, wielding strength far greater than aalim!” While the group was sitting around in the small house on the aerial saint beast, vipin liaoshi began introducing the various aspects of chong Empire to vipin. Naturally, in order to maximize his chances of entering the Sanctum of Sages, he had done his research on the Eight Conferred Empires before he chose the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. “Half-Grand Dominion realm?” vipin’s eyebrows shot up. 

The gap between each cultivation stage became more and more significant the higher one’s cultivation was. Similarly, there was also a huge disparity between a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle cultivator and a Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivator. It seemed like it was not without reason that the chong Empire was the leading power of the Eight Conferred Empires. Under the lead of such a powerful pavilion master, it was inevitable that its national power would be strong as well. 

“There will be a secondary selection in the chong Empire, so I’ll offer you some guidance on your cultivation over the next few days. Try to advance your cultivation as much as possible during this period of time, or else it might be difficult for you to clear the secondary selection,” vipin instructed sternly. Even on a Grand Dominion realm aerial saint beast, the journey from the rosaat Empire to the chong Empire would still take roughly six to seven days. 

This period of time should be enough for vipin liaoshi to make several breakthroughs in his cultivation. Otherwise, the slot that he had obtained with great difficulty would really go to waste. “Un. Thank you, vipin!” vipin liaoshi quickly nodded. With vipin’s eye of discernment and capability, if vipin liaoshi could obtain his personal guidance, his cultivation would surely be able to advance by leaps and bounds over the next few days. 

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony.” vipin waved his hand calmly. At this point, he suddenly recalled the matter that had been on his mind all this while, and he turned to vipin liaoshi and said, “vipin liaoshi, give me a droplet of your blood essence. I want to examine it closely to see if there’s any way I can raise the purity of your bloodline.” “A droplet of my blood essence? 

Sure!” Without any hesitation, vipin liaoshi flicked his forefinger, and a droplet of blood shot straight into vipin’s palm. 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1253: - chong Empire 

vipin’s eyes lit up upon seeing the blood essence. He quickly wrapped it within a layer of his zhenqi before he turned to vipin liaoshi and said, “I’ll take some time to examine it. For the time being, you should cultivate using the method that I imparted to you earlier.” After which, he turned around and returned to his room. With a grasp of his hand, he created an isolation barrier around him and leaped into the Myriad Anthive Nest. 

It would be best for him to be in an environment with absolute silence while studying vipin liaoshi’s blood essence. It would also be much safer as well. After finding a place to sit down, vipin had the droplet of blood essence float in front of him. With a tap of his finger, a droplet of blood essence was squeezed out of his fingertip, and he pushed it toward vipin liaoshi’s blood essence.

 After careful examination, vipin could only shake his head helplessly. There doesn’t seem to be any resonance between the two droplets of blood essence. It seems like I’m not from the Sage shane kabila after all. If the bloodline of the shane kabila was truly running through his veins, there would at least have been even the slightest reaction between his and vipin liaoshi’s blood essence, but even with his Eye of Insight, there was nothing of the sort.

 In other words, the body that he had transcended into had nothing to do with the Sage shane kabila. It seemed like he had really been thinking too much into it! How could there be such a coincidence in the world? But if I am not a member of the shane kabila, which freaking poison master was so bored as to travel all the way to kareem nagar just to plant the Innate Fetal Poison into me? 

That person had to be really sick in the mind! That person had better not let vipin catch him! In any case, whether he was from the shane kabila or not would not really affect his plans. If he was from the shane kabila, he would just have to hold back a little on that young prodigy, but since it was already confirmed that he was not… Well, he could not be blamed for being merciless! After confirming that he was not an offspring of the shane kabila, vipin began looking into whether he could refine unique bloodlines. 

It seems like it is really difficult to refine a person’s bloodline. It did not take long before vipin arrived at a conclusion—refining a person’s bloodline was a feat so difficult that it was nigh impossible. That was to be expected. If it was that easy to raise a person’s bloodline, every offspring of the Sage Clans would have been an inner member. Before leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, vipin suddenly recalled how much his cultivation had risen in recent days, so he confidently sought his clone for a battle. 

As usual, he ended up being viciously pummeled into the ground, nearly losing his life. Against others, there were none of the same cultivation realm who could possibly rival him. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he was still a long distance away from matching up to his clone. Ahhh, so stifling! After leaving the Myriad Anthive Nest, vipin continued offering pointers toward vipin liaoshi’s cultivation. 

As expected of a genius from the shane kabila. Despite the low purity of vipin liaoshi’s bloodline, the talent that he possessed was truly spectacular. His ability to learn was almost like a sponge; not even the most talented member in the VIPI CLUB could come close to him! In just six short days, it was as if he had undergone a metamorphosis. 

While his cultivation remained at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, his fighting prowess had risen to a level where even the two listening-in students were no longer necessarily a match for him. Thinking about the guidance that vipin had offered over the past six days, kundan was filled with nothing but shock. His pointers are really spot-on, especially on the details. 

Even I wouldn’t have noticed those aspects if he hadn’t pointed them out explicitly… vipin liaoshi had quite a handful of inconspicuous but nasty flaws that even he had failed to discern, but vipin was able to uncover them keenly without the slightest error in his analysis. Such an eye of discernment was nothing short of fearsome! Just with his eye of discernment and state of mind, it was no wonder he could successfully crash the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion! 

kundan had no doubt that even in the Sanctum of Sages, vipin would be able to rise through the ranks and glow brighter than everyone else. On the seventh day, a massive city came into sight. “We have finally arrived at the chong Empire!” Standing by the window, kundan said, “Judging from the timing, the candidates chosen from the other empires should have arrived as well. 

Let’s head straight to the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion.” On the journey there, vipin had learned that kundan was responsible for the primary selection phase of the Eight Conferred Empires. He had been to the other empires, and the rosaat Empire was the final stop for him. Those who had cleared the primary selections should have made their way over themselves, and judging from the current time, they should have all arrived. 

So, as soon as the candidates from the rosaat Empire arrived, they would be ready to start the secondary selection. “May I know how many people have cleared the primary selection, and how many slots are there for the secondary selections?” “The chong Empire has three slots, and the other three stronger Conferred Empires have two slots each. The remaining four, including rosaat, only have a slot each. 

All in all, the Eight Conferred Empires should have thirteen slots in total. Other than that, there are also the Ten Tier-3 Sage Clans, and each of them have two slots. Thus, all in all, there should be 33 people, and only 20 will remain after the secondary selection,” kundan said. “That’s still good.” vipin heaved a sigh of relief. 20 out of 33, it would be fine as long as they were not in the bottom half of the candidates.

 That should not be too difficult. Seeing how vipin’s expression had relaxed after hearing the rules, kundan warned, “Don’t let your guard down just because the proportion of candidates that are cleared for the secondary selection is high. Those who are able to obtain the candidacy to Sanctum of Sages are all topnotch geniuses in their regions, experts among experts. It won’t be easy to rise above the rest of them.”

 No matter what, the rosaat Empire was the weakest among the Conferred Empires. Even as top-notch geniuses from the rosaat Empire, there could still be plenty of geniuses outside of the rosaat Empire who were stronger than them. “I acknowledge that there’s no Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage cultivators who could possibly be your match—after all, even I lost to you.

 However, the requirement to entering the Sanctum of Sages is that the candidates must be a master teacher below thirty years old… There are some formidable geniuses who have already reached Leaving Aperture realm. In other words, you won’t just be facing Primordial Spirit realm experts!” “Leaving Aperture realm?” “That’s right. One genius of the chong Empire has already reached Leaving Aperture realm. Even though he hasn’t undergone the lightning tribulation yet, his fighting prowess is still not one to be underestimated. There are also quite a few from the Tier-3 Sage Clans who have reached that level as well. 

If you let your guard down before them, you could be done in before you know it.” kundan nodded. He was only saying this much because he had really high expectations for the young man before him. As powerful as the young man was, the problem was that he was not just faced with opponents of the same cultivation realm. Furthermore, the opponents would not be suppressing their cultivation to his level before fighting with him either… Thus, it would be no easy feat to get into the top twenty among the 33 people. 

“I see… Thank you for your warning. I’ll just have to deal with whatever comes my way then,” vipin replied calmly. Instead of leaving him on edge, kundan’s words had left vipin feeling slightly excited instead. While his cultivation was only at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, his fighting prowess was already on par with Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage cultivators.

 Previously, out of fear that he would accidentally hurt kundan, he had only used a fifth of his full strength. If the other candidates were really as powerful as kundan had said they were, he should be able to have some fun in the secondary selection! Seeing vipin’s expression, kundan knew that his warning had effectively fallen on deaf ears. Shaking his head, he decided to nag no more. At this point, the aerial saint beast beneath them suddenly began diving down, heading toward the middle of the majestic city beneath them. 

Not too long later, the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion came into sight. They landed on the square just in front of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and barely a moment after they had landed, a few old men immediately stepped forward to welcome them. “kundan!” The person leading the group was an elder who appeared to be in his sixties. There was no beard or moustache on his pale face, and his eyebrows were arched like crescents. Despite being dressed in a simple green robe, he carried an imposing disposition with him.

 Activating his Eye of Insight, vipin discreetly assessed the elder, and he realized that the latter’s cultivation had actually reached Half-Grand Dominion realm! The other old men following behind him were not weak either. Just like aalim, they were all Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle experts. 

As expected of the number one Conferred Empire. Just this group of men could easily bring about a complete change in the leadership of the rosaat Empire by themselves. kundan nodded impassively to the other party’s warm greeting before introducing the duo standing behind him. “Pavilion Master chirayu, these two young men are the candidates chosen from the rosaat Empire—vipin and vipin liaoshi.” After which, kundan turned around and said, “This elder over here is the head of the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, chirayu.” “Paying respects to Pavilion Master chirayu!” 

Hearing that the elder before them was the head of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion, vipin and vipin liaoshi swiftly clasped their fists and bowed respectfully. “kundan, this way please.” Pavilion Master chirayu shot the both of them a glance, but he did not bother responding to their greetings. He turned his attention back to kundan and began leading the way forward. 

“If I remember correctly, aalim seems to be his uncle. Most probably, the reason he was dispatched to the rosaat Empire was to have him accrue some contribution so that he could be promoted to the position of vice pavilion master, but…” vipin liaoshi sent a telepathic message over to vipin. vipin swiftly understood what vipin liaoshi was saying. That explained why Pavilion Master chirayu would even bypass the most basic of formalities with them. So, it was because the other party harbored enmity toward him. 

As an envoy dispatched by the Empire Alliance Master Teacher, aalim should have conducted a thorough investigation of the matter before passing judgement, even if he had to withstand immense pressure from the populace for that. Thus, his very act of sentencing mohan, elder manish, and the others to the death penalty rashly was a flawed judgement in itself. 

As such, there was no doubt that he had to be punished for his lapse in responsibility. And with aalim’s punishment, not only would aalim be no longer qualified to rise to the position of the vice pavilion master, even Pavilion Master chirayu’s reputation would take a blow as well, considering that he was the one who had chosen to send aalim over. Given so, it was inevitable that Pavilion Master chirayu would harbor some enmity toward vipin. “Let’s go!” vipin said. There was nothing he could do about the other party’s enmity toward him, and he couldn’t be bothered with it either. 

The chong Empire was just a temporary stop before he headed to the Sanctum of Sages. He wouldn’t be staying there for too long, so the other party’s attitude toward him meant nothing at all. At most, he would avoid encounters with Pavilion Master chirayu as much as possible. Perhaps because the Master Teacher Pavilion had been cleared in advance, there weren’t too many people along the corridors, except for those master teachers who had specially come to welcome them. 

Even the weakest of those master teachers were at 7-star pinnacle, and forming two rows by the side, there were at least several hundred of them. They sure have a steady foundation, vipin thought as he passed in between the two rows of master teachers. These master teachers possessed a cultivation of Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle at the very minimum. Experts of this caliber were truly limited in the chong Empire, but here, they were as numerous like the grass along the road. 

It was as if one would see them at every turn. Truly, as expected of the number one Conferred Empire. “The reason behind the chong Empire’s overwhelming strength is due to their proximity to a spirit mine. They are rich in spirit stones, and they have the Master Teacher Pavilion’s support as well. It was based on these two factors that they were able to grow so prosperous over the years!” 

Noticing vipin’s astonishment, vipin liaoshi sent a telepathic message over to explain. “Spirit mine?” vipin asked. “Un.” vipin liaoshi nodded. “According to the rumors, there’s a concentrated high-tier spirit stone mine in the chong Empire. It’s for this reason that they were able to attract countless experts to work for them, and this formed a virtuous cycle that furthered their development. 

As such, their national strength grew stronger and stronger.” Of the four necessary elements to cultivation—wealth, peers, method, and environment—wealth was indeed ranked at the very top. With sufficient money, a person would be able to attract talents to work for him, and once there were sufficient experts, cultivating a new generation of experts wouldn’t be too difficult either. Through this cycle, a country would be able to grow stronger and stronger. If an empire was utterly poor, lacking in precious cultivation resources, which expert would be willing to waste their time there?

 Naturally, it would be impossible to established a high-tier Master Teacher Pavilion either. “You said that… there is a concentrated high-tier spirit mine here?” vipin’s breathing hastened in agitation. “That’s right. Most of the concentrated high-tier spirit stones in circulation in the other empires all originate from here!” vipin liaoshi nodded. “If I wish to earn concentrated high-tier spirit stones here, where should I go?”

 vipin asked anxiously. He happened to require as many concentrated high-tier spirit stones as possible to raise his cultivation. Since there was a spirit mine here, there should be plenty of concentrated high-tier spirit stone in circulation as well. If he could just lay his hands on some of them, he would be able to push his cultivation forward! 

“I am not too sure about that either, but… according to rumors, there seem to be a black market in the chong Empire, and concentrated high-tier spirit stones are often traded there in high quantities. If you really do require concentrated high-tier spirit stones, it should be worth checking that out.” After which, vipin liaoshi pondered for a moment later before continuing. “However, this is second-hand information, so do take it with a pinch of salt.” 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1254: - Scapegoating

“I’ll take a look at it later on.” vipin nodded. Even though vipin liaoshi’s fighting prowess was subpar and his talent was not really worth a mention, he still had a redeemed trait—reliability. Since the other party was telling him this news, most likely, there should be some level of credibility to it. 

Besides, regardless of whether the chong Empire had spirit mines or not, as the number one Conferred Empire with many Leaving Aperture realm experts under its command, it was bound to have a rich supply of concentrated high-tier spirit stones. As long as he could find a channel to exchange or earn them, he should be able to raise his cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle there. With such thoughts in mind, the crowd arrived at a vast hall, and everyone swiftly took their seats. 

Pavilion Master chirayu waved his hand with a hearty laugh and said, “Invite the outstanding talents who have cleared the primary selection in!” A master teacher backed out of the room, and not too long later, a group of young men and women walked into the hall. Dressed in master teacher robes, there were seven conspicuous stars weaved onto the emblems pinned on their chests. vipin quickly scanned through the arriving crowd.

 Just as kundan had said, the cultivation of those who had cleared the primary selection was not too bad. The weakest ones were like him and vipin liaoshi, Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, whereas the strongest ones were at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. To be able to advance their cultivation to this level before they even reached thirty, there were indeed plenty of geniuses in this world who possessed talent that did not pale too much in comparison to his. 

“kundan, the candidates have come here in a rush after clearing the primary selection, and I reckon they are weary after the long journey they have taken here. Thus, I specially prepared a banquet to welcome you, as well as to allow a day of rest for all the candidates. Will it be fine if we conduct the secondary selection tomorrow?”

 Pavilion Master chirayu inquired with a smile. kundan pondered for a moment before nodding. “It’s fine.” Even though they were pushed for time, half a day’s delay would not do much harm. This would be a good opportunity for the young geniuses who had come for the secondary selection to let loose before facing the cruel challenges that lay ahead of them. Upon receiving kundan’s agreement, Pavilion Master Mo raised his hand and instructed, “Men, serve the wine and dishes!” 

Following which, a group of apprentice master teachers walked out and served plates of delicacies before the crowd. It seemed like Pavilion Master chirayu had roughly estimated when kundan would be arriving and made preparations in advance. As if to reflect their economic power as the number one Conferred Empire, the served dishes were the nourishing meat of saint beasts cooked along with various precious medicinal herbs.

 Judging from the cooking method, it seemed to have been prepared by a high ranked gourmet as well. Not only was the meat fresh and succulent, the spirit infused within was also incredibly rich. Just a bite of it would leave one’s zhenqi pulsating in excitement. Such food was extremely beneficial to the cultivation of one’s Primordial Spirit. “This entire table should be worth at least several thousand high-tier spirit stones!”

 vipin liaoshi remarked. “So expensive?” vipin was startled by the extravagance of the meal. Back then, he had to go through so much trouble just to earn a thousand high-tier spirit stone. But now, just a single meal already cost way more than that. Income disparity sure was frightening! “Just look at this Golden Tiger Beast Liver. 

On top of the Saint 1-dan Golden Tiger Beast, it’s also complemented with four saint herbs, Riverbreath Grass, Pipa Stem, Desolate Flower, and Five-flavored Beef Leaf! These four have a maturity of roughly fifty years, and every single one of them is individually worth a hundred high-tier spirit stones. 

Taking all of these ingredients into account, and factoring in the exceptional skills of the gourmet that has prepared this dish, one could say that even a thousand high-tier spirit stone would be a low cost for this dish!” vipin liaoshi analyzed. Hearing vipin liaoshi’s analysis, vipin took a look at the dish himself and realized that his analysis was spot-on. Thus, he could not help but ask, “You… have studied food before?”

 Gourmet was a Lower Nine Paths occupation, and it was not even qualified to be considered as a supporting occupation. For this reason, there were nearly no master teachers who would learn it. Despite this, vipin liaoshi knew a surprisingly great deal about food. “Well, I do love eating good food, so I spent my free time studying it.

 The shane kabila has employed a gourmet to take care of their meals, and back then, whenever I was free, I would tag along and learn from him, so… I guess I do have some understanding of it,” vipin liaoshi explained. To most master teachers, gourmet was viewed as a trivial field of study. However, if one could complement the ingredients well, the tonic broth a gourmet broiled could possibly harness medicinal effects on par with pills.

 In fact, the reason vipin liaoshi was able to advance his cultivation and capabilities so far despite being only twenty-seven this year and a mere member of the side family could be partly credited to his effective coordination of ingredients in his meals. “Incredible,” vipin complimented. vipin did know a thing or two about gourmet as well, but that was mostly limited to appraising. 

He had not collected many books about that occupation, so he could not be said to be too proficient in it. While the duo was talking to one another, Pavilion Master chirayu suddenly laughed heartily in the center of the room. “How can delicacies go without fine wine?” Flicking his wrist, he took out a gourd of wine. “This is the old man nikesh specially brewed by old man nikesh. I believe I need not explain how valuable it is to you.

 I happened to obtain a gourd of it a while back, and I stored it away for a whole three hundred years to allow it to mature beautifully. Since kundan is here today, I think it would be a good time to take it out and savor it. Is there anyone here who wishes to give it a try?” Chuckling softly, Pavilion Master chirayu uncorked the lid and gently poured out a cup. The transparent wine in the cup emanated a strong fragrance that swiftly permeated the entire hall. Just a single whiff was sufficient to whet one’s appetite for it. 

“Fine wine!” vipin nodded in approval. The wine fragrance could be clearly smelled even from a distance away. From that, it could be seen that the purity and taste of the old man nikesh were bound to be far superior to the other wines he had drunk in the past. vipin liaoshi’s eyes gleamed in agitation as his breathing hastened. “old man nikesh is a famous Wine Sage in the Empire Alliance. 

The wine that he brews is able to intoxicate even Saint 7-dan experts! old man nikesh is known to be the finest wine he has ever made, and the quantity of it is severely limited, making it an extremely precious commodity. Countless people would willingly sell their fortunes just to acquire a single cup of it, only to leave in disappointment. And yet, Pavilion Master chirayu is actually offering it to us?” “Is this wine very famous?” 

Seeing that vipin did not understand the value of the wine before him, vipin liaoshi exclaimed in agitation. “Of course it is! It’s a priceless commodity! Even ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones wouldn’t be able to buy you a single cup of it!” “Ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones… just to buy a cup of wine?” vipin’s lips twitched. Even the entire rosaat Empire Combat Master Hall only had ten of such concentrated high-tier spirit stones in its inventory, and to spend this sum of money just to buy a single cup of this wine… How insane must one be to do something like that? “It’s true! 

Even though concentrated high-tier spirit stones are rare, there are still channels through which one can obtain them. However, the old man nikesh of old man nikesh is not something that one can buy with just money. It takes a great deal of luck as well! Without sufficient luck, one might not even get to see it,” vipin liaoshi explained in agitation. Seeing how excited vipin liaoshi had become before the old man nikesh, vipin could only smile helplessly. To be honest, he really did not desire such fine wine. On the contrary, he even thought that drinking was a waste of time.

 Thus, unless he was really bored, he would never drink. But judging from vipin liaoshi’s response, it seemed that if he could really purchase a cup of old man nikesh with ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones, he would fork out that sum without any hesitation. Seeing this, vipin could not help but shake his head. Was this wine so delicious as to make so many people willingly fork a huge fortune just for an opportunity to try it? 

Seeing how vipin had no interest in the old man nikesh at all, vipin liaoshi sighed deeply and said, “I understand that vipin might not think much of the old man nikesh because you are neither a drinker nor a gourmet. However, if you just look at their reactions, you should be able to roughly understand how valuable the old man nikesh is.” “Their reactions?” vipin raised his head, and only then did he notice the heated atmosphere in the hall. 

Everyone was staring at the cup of old man nikesh in Pavilion Master chirayu’s hand with reddened eyes, and it felt as if they would even rush forward to snatch it if not for the disparity in strength between them. After a short moment of commotion, a young man spoke up. “Pavilion Master chirayu, there are so many of us here but only a cup of fine wine. So, it wouldn’t be too good to bestow it upon anyone here. Since that’s the case, why don’t we hold a competition, and the victor will be entitled to the cup of wine!”

 “paresh is right. The fine wine brewed by old man nikesh should only be awarded to those who are worthy of it. Otherwise, it would only be wasting it.” “Regardless of what competition it is, I shall be the one who drink that cup of wine!” “Stop bragging. It’s still not clear who will get the wine.” … The words of the first young man swiftly received the approval of the crowd. 

Considering how valuable the old man nikesh was, it was impossible for everyone to be given a cup of it. Since that was the case, the one who would be drinking the wine would have to display some kind of capability that others would have no choice but to submit to! “Quiet down.” Hearing the discussion among the crowd, Pavilion Master chirayu took a sweeping gaze at the crowd and smiled. 

“All of your words are indeed true. There’s only a cup of wine here, so naturally, it should only be awarded to the one who possesses the greatest capability. However, there’s no need for a competition. I have already made up my mind on who here is the most deserving of this cup of wine. In my opinion, he’s the strongest and most capable among all of you.” “Oh?” “Strongest? 

Pavilion Master chirayu, may we know whom the person you are referring to is?” “To have Pavilion Master chirayu offer such high praise for him, I sure am curious to see just who that person is!” … Pavilion Maser chirayu words caused the crowd to immediately begin scanning the faces in the hall in hopes to finding whom the mysterious person complimented by him was.

 They were all the top geniuses and experts in their own regions, so how could they possibly permit others to claim the title of the strongest without putting up a fight for it? “This person’s reputation is not too striking, but throughout his journey here from an Unranked Kingdom, he has crashed two pavilions in total, and both of them were successful. Furthermore, he brought about a change in the dynasty of the rosaat Empire and had almost all the master teachers there acknowledge him as their teacher.

 It has not been long since his name emerged on the Master Teacher Continent, but his every deed is nothing short of impressive. I have nothing but respect for that person,” Pavilion Master chirayu said. “Two successful pavilion crashes?” “Brought about a change in the dynasty of the rosaat Empire?”

 “Journey here from an Unranked Kingdom?” Everyone was taken aback for a moment before hurriedly turning their gazes toward vipin and vipin liaoshi. These two were the last to arrive, so there was no doubt that they were the candidates from the rosaat Empire. “Indeed. He’s no other than vipin!” Pavilion Master chirayu declared as he gestured at vipin grandly. This fellow sure has a bunch of boring tricks up his sleeves… vipin clicked his tongue in disdain.

 Pavilion Master chirayu first took out the fine wine to evoke everyone’s agitation before announcing that he would gift the cup of wine to him. On the surface, it might seem like a compliment, an attempt to raise his standing among the candidates. But in truth, Pavilion Master chirayu was ‘helping’ him draw hostility from the rest of the candidates, compelling them to spurn him.

 To make him the enemy of the crowd with just a cup of wine, that fellow sure had mastered politics. “vipin, you might be unaware of it, but aalim is actually my wife’s younger brother. His recklessness back in the rosaat Empire nearly caused a huge disaster, and we really owe you one for correcting him. Also, your flawless resolution of the crisis has prevented a potential uprising in the rosaat Empire and instilled confidence back into the Master Teacher Pavilion. This is something that I could have never done. 

Thus, allow me to propose a toast to you with this cup of wine!” With a chuckle, Pavilion Master chirayu tapped on the table, and the wine on the table immediately floated into the air. On the other hand, after hearing Pavilion Master chirayu’s words, vipin narrowed his eyes menacingly. 

To first acknowledge his relationship with aalim before expressing his respect toward vipin… To onlookers, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with his words. However, that was basically invalidating any possible accusation that he was intentionally putting vipin in a spot due to his conflict with aalim. 

To be able to make things difficult for vipin while staying perfectly clean by the sidelines… As expected of the head of the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he sure knew how to play games. Really, there was nothing more frightening than a despicable master teacher!

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1255: - How Can vipin Be That Weak?

If vipin rejected the cup of wine, it would make him appear weak, and he would be made a laughingstock as a result of that. However, if he accepted the cup of wine, there would surely be plenty of people who would stand up in opposition to it. Just thinking about the matter was enough to leave him with a splitting headache. As vipin was contemplating on how he should resolve this crisis, Pavilion Master chirayu suddenly smiled slightly. With a tap of his finger, the floating wine cup before him immediately flew toward vipin. 

It seemed like the other party had no intention of allowing him turn down his ‘goodwill’. “vipin, this is just a token of my sincerity. I hope that you can accept it!” Huala! The wine cup arrived before vipin. Just as vipin was about to catch it, a powerful pressure hidden amid the cup suddenly crushed down on vipin, threatening to tear his body apart. In the face of the pressure, vipin’s eyebrows shot up. 

The movement of the wine cup was not too fast, making the gesture appear amiable on the surface. But in truth, Pavilion Master chirayu had tampered with the wine cup so as to humiliate vipin publicly. If vipin failed to catch the wine cup and allowed the fine wine within to spill, it would make it seem as if he had a complete lack of respect for Pavilion Master chirayu, not even reciprocating the latter’s goodwill. 

Once that happened, the crowd in the area, already displeased and indignant by how Pavilion Master chirayu had chosen to bestow the wine upon vipin, would surely make use of this opportunity to defame and put him down. Through this, on top of getting back at vipin for the affairs with aalim, Pavilion Master chirayu would also be able to portray himself as a magnanimous and gracious man, further winning the respect of others. Truly two birds with one stone! Formidable! 

“I’ll be graciously thanking Pavilion Master chirayu for this cup of wine then!” If it had been anyone else, this abrupt trick would surely have caught them off guard, causing them to embarrass themselves. However, vipin was different. Through his Eye of Insight, he was able to sharply identify the flow of zhenqi around the cup. Without any exaggerated movement, he lightly lifted his chopstick and tapped the wine cup ahead of him. 

The movement of the chopstick was not too fast, but it carried the aura of an indomitable spear. In the blink of an eye, it struck the wine cup. Po! A hole was struck into the bundle of zhenqi shrouding the cup. The zhenqi immediately dissipated into the surroundings like a deflated balloon. At the same time, without the support of the zhenqi, the wine cup began falling to the ground. With a swift movement, the wine cup was caught in between the chopsticks. “Hmm?” 

The set of actions from vipin flowed fluidly, as if he was simply calmly catching Pavilion Master chirayu’s wine with his chopsticks. To an outsider, there was nothing incongruous about vipin’s actions at all, but Pavilion Master chirayu’s face froze for an instant. The energy he had shrouded around the wine cup was something that even Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivators would have been unable to withstand. Yet, the young man was actually able to neutralize his zhenqi so easily.

 From this, it could be seen that the other party’s grasp over his strength had already reached an astonishing level. Based on the intelligence he had received, vipin’s strength was mainly built upon a Saint intermediate-tier cauldron that he possessed. There was nothing in the intelligence that he had received that said that vipin possessed such powerful strength himself! 

Naturally, kundan would not speak of his humiliating defeat against vipin to another, and the others present in the room back then— Pavilion Master chandresh, prachi, vipin liaoshi, and the others—out of respect for the guide of the Sanctum of Sages, would never gossip about such a matter. 

As a result, even with the superior intelligence network that Pavilion Master chirayu commanded as the head of the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, there was no way he could have been aware of the surge in vipin’s cultivation and his near invincible fighting prowess in his cultivation realm. Most of the information he had was obtained from aalim’s account. And aalim, having suffered a huge setback in vipin’s hands, would naturally put him out to be as vile as possible, accusing the other party of using his artifact to launch a surprise assault on him.

 As for the rest, he was a little too ashamed to speak of it. As a result, there was a lapse in the information regarding vipin. Nevertheless, despite his shock, Pavilion Master chirayu did not allow it to show on his face. Instead, he covered it with a chuckle. “vipin, cheers!” After which, he raised his wine cup and gulped the wine down in a single mouthful. vipin replied with a polite smile and raised his wine cup as well. 

However, before he could drink it, the young man known as paresh abruptly stood up and yelled, “Hold it for a moment!” Everyone immediately turned their gazes over. “paresh, what’s wrong?” Pavilion Master chirayu asked in bewilderment. “Pavilion Master chirayu, everyone has agreed earlier that the cup of wine should go to the one who is most qualified to drink it. I know that you have said earlier that vipin is the strongest among us, but I can’t help but feel a little indignant about that. 

Thus, if it isn’t too much to ask, I would like to challenge him to a battle.” paresh clasped his fist toward Pavilion Master chirayu before directing a provocative gaze toward vipin. There was no one in this room who would willingly miss the opportunity to savor the old man nikesh from old man nikesh. For this opportunity to go to an unknown figure from the rosaat Empire… Putting aside him, there was no one in this room who did not feel indignant about that! “Indeed. 

I think that we should still hold a competition to decide the allocation of the wine!” “We are all aware of the circumstances surrounding the rosaat Empire. If I’m not mistaken, vipin over here is currently at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, the same cultivation realm as one of my students! I really don’t think that he’s qualified to enjoy this cup of wine from Pavilion Master chirayu!” “vipin, surely you won’t turn down our request to spar, will you? In any case, we will all be participating in the secondary selections tomorrow, so why don’t you give us a show of your strength first?”

 … All the candidates spoke up one after another, and they did not neglect to send looks of hostility toward vipin while they were at it. It seems like I have really underestimated the prowess of this cup of wine… Looking at how vehemently the crowd was speaking up against him, vipin could not help but sigh. Despite vipin liaoshi’s previous explanation, he had been hoping that the others would not go so far for a mere cup of wine, and he would have been spared this unnecessary trouble. 

However, it seemed like the allure of the wine was truly irresistible to them. Pavilion Master chirayu contemplated for a moment before nodding. “I have already bestowed the wine upon vipin, so I’ll leave him to decide its allocation. However, I don’t wish to see any acrimony arising out of this matter, understood?” He had already ignited the spark, and all that was left was to sit back and watch the show. “We understand, Pavilion Master chirayu.” Hearing those words, paresh’s eyes lit up. 

Those words could be taken as a silent consent to his proposal. Thus, with a cold sneer, paresh turned to vipin and said, “vipin, do you dare duel me? If I were to win, the wine shall be mine to savor!” Swirling the wine in the cup, vipin asked leisurely, “Oh? Then what if you lose?” “Lose?” paresh’s lips crept up in derision. “Don’t worry, I won’t lose.” “I don’t think your words can dictate whether you will win or not. Even if I’m on the weaker side, I still do have a chance at victory. Earning nothing when I win, losing a cup of fine wine when I lose—don’t you think that the bet you are proposing is too convenient?”

 vipin pointed out to paresh nonchalantly. paresh was silent for a moment before harrumphing coldly. “What do you propose then?” The cup of wine was bestowed upon the young man by Pavilion Master chirayu. From such a perspective, the bet was indeed a little unfair to the other party. “Simple. Both you and I know the value of this old man nikesh—a cup of it is worth at least ten concentrated high-tier spirit stone. However, I’ll give you a discount.

 As long as you take out five concentrated high-tier spirit stones, I’ll have the duel with you. If I lose, you can take the wine away with you. Otherwise, the spirit stones will be mine to take!” vipin said. That chirayu had intentionally come up with this show to embarrass him, but who was to say that this was not an opportunity for him? 

With just a bit of manipulation, he could make use of this opportunity to scrape this bunch of geniuses clean! It was unlikely that they would be able to take out ten concentrated high-tier spirit stones, but five… Considering their standing as the top-notch geniuses in their regions, they might have that many. “Five concentrated high-tier spirit stones?” Upon hearing the bet, paresh frowned in hesitation. 

He had not expected the bet to get so big. “If you do not dare to stake the spirit stones, I’m afraid that this wine will be mine to savor…” Unwilling to waste his breath, vipin began raising the wine cup, seemingly ready to gulp it down in a single mouthful. “Wait a moment!” someone bellowed at that moment, and another of the master teachers stood up. “paresh, if you don’t have the guts to challenge him to a duel, I’ll be taking your place. That wine shall be mine to take!”

 After saying those words, the master teacher flicked his wrist, and a jade container appeared before everyone’s eyes. He pried it open lightly, revealing five radiant spirit stones within. “Here are five concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Feel free to check if you want to!” The master teacher flicked his hand, and the spirit stones flew toward vipin. vipin caught those spirit stones and examined them closely. A moment later, he nodded. “These are indeed concentrated high-tier spirit stones.” 

Before this huge crowd, the master teacher was not worried that vipin would steal those spirit stones. He calmly walked into the center of the hall and said, “Good! The preliminary selection was a test of fighting prowess, so why don’t we compete on that as well? Do you dare to accept my challenge?” The hall was rather spacious. While 33 outstanding talents were seated around the room, there was still substantial empty ground in the center to carry out duels and the sort.

 “You want to have a duel with me?” vipin unconfidently looked at the master teacher before him, and after a moment of hesitation, he asked, “May I know what your cultivation is at the moment?” Seeing the fearful look on vipin’s face, the master teacher could not help but sneer coldly. “I am at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle… If you really are that afraid, I can suppress my cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage for the duel!” To already be losing out in terms of aura prior to the battle… Even before conducting the duel, it was apparent who the winner would be. 

“That would be for the best!” Heaving a sigh of relief, vipin placed the cup down before getting to his feet. He slowly walked over to the empty space in the middle of the hall. The master teacher introduced himself as vipin walked over. “I am jigar from Beiye Empire!” The next moment, jigar’s eyebrows shot up, and he began suppressing his cultivation. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had fallen to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, just like vipin. “rosaat Empire, vipin!” vipin nodded hesitantly before clasping his fist. 

“Please have mercy on me later on.” “Hehe, I will.” Seeing how the other party had suddenly turned so cowardly after challenging him arrogantly a moment ago, a contemptuous smirk emerged on jigar’s lips. With a flick of his hand, his palm began turning red. “Let’s begin!” After saying those words, he began dashing toward vipin with imposing momentum. “rohan’s movements may seem reckless on the surface, but these actions are actually carefully calculated. From the very first move, he is already using his Metalcore Palm!”

 “Those who have cleared kundan’s selection had to withstand three moves from those two listening-in students from the Sanctum of Sages. Given so, how could he be at all ordinary? rohan’s reckless exterior is just a performance to provoke his opponent into making a careless move. In truth, he’s in perfect control of the situation!” … The cultivators who were familiar with jigar began discussing discreetly. 

Those who were able to surpass countless other master teachers and clear the preliminary selections were all extraordinary geniuses. Even though vipin might have appeared weak on the surface, jigar still knew better than to underestimate his opponent. Huala! As soon as the palm fell, the surrounding air immediately began to redden, as if a coal that had lit up under intense heat. The Metalcore Palm was the ultimate technique of the Beiye Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. 

A Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, the might it harnessed was comparable to even the Grand Constellation Finger. “Interesting!” vipin seemed to have gotten into the fight as well. He raised his palm as well to meet the other party’s assault. The palm art he was using was also a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, Cloud Crane Palm! Despite its grand sounding name, the palm was centered around flexibility. Clearly, this was a sign that vipin was unwilling to face jigar’s Metalcore Palm directly, intending to use other means to bypass it. “Do you think that I’ll allow you to deflect my palm that easily?

 Dream on!” Sneering coldly, jigar intensified the pressure from his palm. All of a sudden, it was if the surrounding space had collapsed toward vipin, leaving only a single path for the Cloud Crane Palm to travel through, effectively preventing the Cloud Crane Palm from exploiting its flexibility to maneuver around the Metalcore Palm. He was trying to force a direct confrontation between them through his superior might! 

Peng! As soon as the two palms collided with one another, vipin’s face immediately paled, and he retreated several steps backward. At the same time, his arm bent slightly as well under the impact. Fearing that his opponent would notice his weakness, he hurriedly hid it beneath the sleeves of his robe. “And here I was still wondering how formidable you were. With just this bit of strength, you were still dreaming of drinking the old man nikesh?” 

Seeing that his assault was effective, jigar burst into a heart laughter. “This…” On the other hand, vipin liaoshi stared blankly at the unexpected sight before him. Slowly, realization dawned upon him, and sympathy seeped into his eyes. “vipin… can’t possibly be that weak. I guess it’s time to start praying for rohan over there…” Every time vipin behaved like that, someone would be in for a round of misfortune. 

He had undergone that many times himself, so he could be considered a veteran. 

------oOo-----