Chapter 135: Chapter 105: Alliance of Seventeen Nations
The intentions of the three disciples were unknown, but at this time, Zhang Xuan had once again arrived at the Book Collection Vault.
Student competitions held no allure for him, and whether he watched them or not was irrelevant. Now with the three Destiny Plates gifted by the Liu Clan head, he was not lacking in Heavenly Mandate Vital Energy. What he needed to do was figure out the situation of Empyrean Kong shi and quickly enhance his strength and cultivation.
The books in the Book Collection Vault were densely packed. This time, instead of heading straight for the cultivation methods, Zhang Xuan walked over to the geography and cultural area.
“An Overview of the Han Yuan Dynasty’s Terrain,” “Developmental History of the Ten Great Dynasties,” “General Discussion of Dynasties,” “The Love and Hatred Between the Han Yuan Dynasty and the Three Surrounding Kingdoms”…
Glancing over them, he saw numerous miscellaneous books.
Zhang Xuan was not in a hurry to collect them. Instead, he examined them one by one. After going down two rows of bookshelves without finding the content he sought, he couldn’t help but frown deeply.
Most of these books chronicled the Han Yuan Dynasty and the ten-plus countries in its vicinity, but they contained not a shred of information about the Zhou Yi Dynasty, as if it didn’t exist at all.
While he was still puzzled, Su Qiao approached him, “Teacher Zhang, may I know what kind of books you are looking for?”
As the manager of the Book Collection Vault, the memory of the man frantically absorbing Origin qi and causing such a huge commotion the last time was still deeply etched in his mind. He was genuinely concerned that Zhang Xuan might pull a similar stunt, so it was better to ask proactively.
“I am looking for books that introduce the entire mainland. Do we have any here?” Zhang Xuan inquired.
Su Qiao shook his head, “The mainland where the Han Yuan Dynasty is located is vast and boundless; its breadth is beyond measure. We are but a drop in the ocean, too insignificant to mention. How could there be such books! Probably only a grand power like the Heaven Mandate Hall, whose influence spreads across the entire mainland, would have them.”
Zhang Xuan came to a realization.
That was also true.
During his time in the Tianxuan Kingdom, no matter how many books he scoured, he would never know about the Sage Zhang Clan or the Otherworldly Demon Tribe. It wasn’t because they were backward, but because they were too remote, out of reach altogether.
The Han Yuan Dynasty was similar. The ten Great Dynasties around it were roughly the same size and had somewhat similar territories. It would be a formidable challenge for anyone trying to compile books to write about the entire mainland.
“Elder Su, having read so much, have you ever heard of the Zhou Yi Dynasty?” Qing Xu asked, understanding this.
“The Zhou Yi Dynasty?” Su Qiao pondered for a moment before shaking his head unconsciously, “Never heard of it! It probably doesn’t belong to the Alliance of Seventeen Dynasties.”
Zhang Xuan: “The Alliance of Seventeen Dynasties? What is that?”
Su Qiao smiled, “The dynasties on the mainland are divided into first, second, and third tiers, with the first tier being the highest and the third the lowest. Only after achieving a rank can one qualify to cultivate. The Han Yuan Dynasty doesn’t even count as third tier. In order to enable the people living there to find a Source Pool and become cultivators, it allied with sixteen other unranked dynasties in the vicinity to form the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.”
“In the alliance, they fight together against dangers, help each other through crises, standing together like brothers, advancing and retreating as one. That’s how they earned a spot as a third-tier dynasty and gained the opportunity to host a branch of the Heaven Mandate Hall…”
Zhang Xuan was taken aback, revealing a hint of confusion, “I don’t understand what Elder Su is talking about. Qualifications for cultivation? The opportunity to host a branch of the Heaven Mandate Hall… What do these mean?”
Cultivation required qualifications?
Wasn’t it enough to have access to a Source Pool in order to cultivate?
How could that be related to whether a dynasty was ranked or not?
“You don’t know?”
Su Qiao looked at him with curiosity. Although it seemed strange, he still explained, “To cultivate as an Origin warrior, one must first find a Source Pool. However, not everyone has access to one. Without the destiny to cultivate, you could search your whole life and still be unable to activate one, let alone cultivate. Just like in our Han Yuan Dynasty, previous cultivators spent their entire lives unable to find a Source Pool because they lacked the destiny. It’s what they mean when they say ‘What is predestined will come to you; what is not, won’t come no matter how hard you try’.”
“The Heaven Mandate Hall controls destiny, and only by setting up a Subordinate Hall here can the people gain the destined right and qualifications to cultivate, which allows them to open up a Source Pool.”
“This…” Zhang Xuan was shaken to his core.
All this time he had been wondering why he lacked a Source Pool, and it turned out that not being affiliated with any dynasty naturally meant he didn’t have the destiny to cultivate!
As a result, through the Suspended Realm, he had forcefully created a Source Pool for himself… Did this count as defying fate and altering destiny?
“Not only that, cultivation must also strictly adhere to fate!”
Su Qiao continued, “For example, no matter how many spirit herbs you consume or how powerful a cultivation method you practice, if your spiritual soul does not break through, 99 horsepower is your absolute limit; you cannot exceed it. This is the power of fate! That’s also why each realm of cultivators has roughly the same power difference.”
Zhang Xuan came to an understanding.
Even though he was in the late stage of the Viscera Realm, he already possessed the strength of 99 horsepower, while the peak was still, quite shockingly, 99 horsepower. So, it hadn’t been due to an issue with his cultivation, but for this reason instead.
Fate had decreed that unless one’s spiritual soul broke through, one couldn’t surpass 99 horsepower of strength, meaning even the Heaven’s Path Divine Art couldn’t break this limit.
“What are some examples of fate?” After being astonished, Zhang Xuan looked on curiously.
“There are many. Teacher Zhang, the beast taming you excel at is actually a kind of fate. Alchemy, forging cauldron, those are also part of it. Even birth, aging, sickness, death, marriage, mourning, opportunities, crises, all fall within the scope of fate,” Su Qiao explained.
“So doesn’t that mean… one’s entire life is constrained by fate?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
If that was the case, as long as one lived, there would always be limitations. What meaning would life then have?
“Even without fate, one would still face restrictions!”
Seeing he didn’t understand, Su Qiao explained, “Using chopsticks to eat, finding a bed to sleep, looking for a cup to drink water… even these most common activities have their rules. When arguing with others, holding your temper is considered magnanimous; when bullied, not fighting back is seen as having restraint; dating several girls at once makes one a scumbag; a widow who doesn’t remarry is considered chaste… These are all rules subtly ingrained in your mind. As long as you are alive, is there anyone who doesn’t follow them and does exactly as they please?”
“Indeed!”
Zhang Xuan fell silent.
Putting it that way, rules were indeed everywhere, and no one could escape them, not even someone like him who ruled over an entire realm.
Su Qiao continued, “Rules are the foundation of society, of dynasties, even of the entire world. Without them, everything would have descended into chaos long ago!”
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Without rules, there would be no standards; without them, humanity would be driven by pure desire, and the world would be filled with killing, rape, and bloodshed; no one would produce, no one would strive.
After asking a few more questions and gaining some understanding of Heaven Mandate Hall and Fate Masters, Zhang Xuan expressed his gratitude with clasped hands, “Thank you, Elder Su, for resolving my doubts!”
“You’re too polite, Teacher Zhang. I have spent decades in this Book Collection Vault. If you need to find any type of book, just tell me! As long as I know, I won’t hesitate to tell you everything.”
Su Qiao smiled.
“I’m in your debt, Elder Su. Now that you mention it, there’s something else I wish to inquire about. I would like to look for cultivation techniques pertaining to the Jade Bone Realm, but it seems this Book Collection Vault does not have them…”
Knowing that the books here did not contain information about the Zhou Yi Dynasty, Zhang Xuan didn’t bother to continue searching.
Having reached the pinnacle of the Viscera Realm, Sixfold of the Source Pool, it was time to aim for a higher realm. Only with sufficient strength could one leave the Han Yuan Dynasty, leave the Alliance of Seventeen Nations, find Empyrean Kong, and devise a plan for rescue.
“The cultivation technique for the Jade Bone Realm is only accessible to the elders of the academy. It is kept on the third floor above, and to learn it, one must first become an elder. Ordinary teachers are not qualified,” Su Qiao explained.
Zhang Xuan asked, “May I know how one can become an elder?”
Su Qiao replied, “That’s simple. As long as you possess the strength of the Six Layers of Viscera in the Source Pool and pass the school’s examination, you’ll be eligible to be employed by the academy. Over there is the Elder Council, where a teacher in charge will review your qualifications. Go and inquire, and they will tell you exactly what you need to do. However, Teacher Zhang… you just entered the Accumulative Phase a few days ago, didn’t you? Why ask about this?”
The incident with the Devouring Origin Dragon phenomenon that almost demolished the entire Book Collection Vault left a deep impression on him.
“Of course, I want to try to apply for the elder examination!” Zhang Xuan explained briefly and then strode towards the Elder Council.
“Apply for the elder examination? Could it be… has he already broken through to the Viscera Realm?”
Stunned for a moment, Su Qiao came to a realization, full of disbelief.
From the Accumulative Realm, Thirdfold of Source Pool three days ago, to the Viscera today… While he knew Zhang Xuan was a genius, this seemed excessively so…
“Hurry and inform School Head Lu…”
Knowing the significance of applying to become an elder and aware of what this genius meant to the academy, Su Qiao didn’t dare delay and rushed towards the training ground.
The academy head would definitely be presiding over the big student competition today.
Not far from the training ground, on an elevated platform, sat Lu Mingrong, Wu Yunzhou, and others, watching the many students competing and looking impressed.
For this competition, they had set up nine stages overnight and initiated contests on ten battlefields simultaneously to speed up the process. Otherwise, with tens of thousands of people competing, it wouldn’t be possible to finish in half a month.
And Lord Xu Xin, nearby, had only given them three days, which meant all contests had to be finished and results determined within that timeframe.
“School Head Lu, Yu Xiaoyu and Liu Mingyue have made quite some progress…”
Watching Yu Xiaoyu and others defeat a number of students in just a few moves without even taking a breath, Wu Yunzhou couldn’t help but comment.
Although they hadn’t demonstrated their full cultivation, the fact that they defeated dozens of people consecutively, without so much as a puff, was evidence enough that their cultivation had vastly improved since two days ago.
“Indeed, it seems that this Teacher Zhang is quite adept at imparting knowledge…” Lu Mingrong nodded, for he couldn’t mention the heavenly-tailed fate, but commending good teaching was permissible.
“I heard that he taught a cultivation technique he had researched on his own and not the academy’s Recovery and Energy Storage Technique!”
Wu Yunzhou couldn’t contain his amazement, “Just starting his cultivation and probably still in the Accumulative Phase, not even having reached the Physique Realm, yet he could create such a powerful cultivation technique. Teacher Zhang is not only good at teaching, but his understanding of cultivation techniques is astonishing… With this level of comprehension combined with supreme talent, perhaps he could reach the late stage or even the pinnacle of the Physique Realm in as short as a month…”
“A month? The Peak of Physique Realm?”
Ran Qingxu nearby shook his head, “It took me a full five years to break through from the Accumulative Phase to the Peak of Physique Realm. Cultivation requires steady progress; even a genius can’t be that fast…”
“That’s true…”
Wu Yunzhou nodded.
Cultivation is like building a tower from the ground up; no matter how high the talent, without a solid foundation, it’s like a rootless duckweed that can’t travel far.
Zhang Xuan’s ability to absorb Origin qi and manifest the phenomenon of the Devouring Origin Dragon proved his extraordinary talent, but even with that talent, he needed to progress step by step, level by level, rather than skyrocketing overnight.
“Even City Lord Yu, renowned as the once-in-a-century talent, took a full two years to advance his cultivation from the Accumulative Phase to the intermediate stage of the Physique Realm or above. Teacher Zhang has more talent than him, but without a year, it’s indeed difficult to accomplish that…” Lu Mingrong nodded, his words trailing off and then saw Su Qiao hurrying over earnestly, bowing with clasped hands, “School Head, Teacher Zhang Xuan… he’s gone to the Elder Council. It seems he’s qualified and wants to take the elder examination!”
“The elder examination?”
Lu Mingrong and Wu Yunzhou exchanged glances, stunned in place; then, voices of incredulous shock slowly rose.
“Sixfold of the Source Pool… the Viscera Realm?”