Chapter 1138: Departure

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The person who had just spoken was w.a.n.g Ying.

When Elder Wei and the others entered the room earlier, she and Liu Yang had still been in the midst of cultivating. Since it didn’t seem like anything confidential, they didn’t excuse themselves.

However, when Elder Wei took out the stone, she had felt a tingling sensation in her heart. It was a feeling reminiscent of… intimacy? Thus, she could not stop herself from asking for a go.

Zhang Xuan turned to his student and asked, “You wish to give it a try?”

At this moment, w.a.n.g Ying’s face was completely red, and her body was trembling slightly.

“Yes… Somehow, I feel a kind of attraction force between me and the stone…” w.a.n.g Ying nodded.

“Attraction force?” Noting the serious look on w.a.n.g Ying’s face, Zhang Xuan turned to Elder Wei and said, “Elder Wei, I might need to trouble you for this.”

“It’s fine.” Elder Wei nodded. With a flick of her finger, the Spirit Gauging Stone flew toward the young lady, landing accurately in the latter’s hand.

Without saying anything, w.a.n.g Ying placed the stone between her palms before slowly closing her eyes.

Weng!

A blinding light burst from the stone. It took a while before it dissipated, and a string of numbers slowly floated into appearance.

“This…” Upon seeing the number on the stone, Elder Wei’s body jolted. Even Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded.

“H-how can this be?”

Two digits sat quietly on top of the Spirit Gauging Stone—11!

“Didn’t you say that the tenth level is the highest level? Why does the result reflect 11?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“I-I have no idea!” Elder Wei was bewildered.

Based on what she knew, the tenth level was the highest level achievable. Only one who had reached this peak was qualified to enchant the Spirit Awakener Mountain and become the next Spirit Awakener Sovereign. For 11 to appear… what did this mean?

Suddenly, a thought came to Elder Wei’s mind, and she spoke with a quivering voice. “C-could it be… this is the level of apt.i.tude of the founder?”

“The level of apt.i.tude of the founder?” Zhang Xuan asked in incomprehension.

“According to the legends, the founder of our Spirit Awakener Guild, known to the world as the Fairy of Spirit Enchantment, possessed an apt.i.tude above ten in spirit enchantment, reaching a level beyond our imaginations. It’s for this reason that she was able to turn an entire mountain into a powerful artifact and enchant it. Back in that era, even Kong s.h.i.+ was fearful of her. It should have been impossible for an individual as talented as our founder to appear once more, but to think that I would meet such an individual in my lifetime!” Elder Wei’s breathing hastened as her face flushed crimson.

She had originally hoped to find a genius of the tenth level to restore glory to the guild, but to think that she would actually find a genius of the eleventh level instead!

She could hardly imagine what this represented!

As long as they groomed her well, she could potentially become a figure as powerful as their founder!

“Young lady, do you wish to follow me back to the Spirit Awakener Guild?” Elder Wei asked anxiously.

She had definitely found a treasure this time around! If she could get the other party to return with her, the Spirit Awakener Guild would reach greater heights in the near future, perhaps even ushering another era of greatness for them!

“I…” w.a.n.g Ying had not expected for her apt.i.tude in spirit enchantment to be so great, either. Panicked, she could not help but turn to the young man. “Teacher, I’ll listen to your will…”

No matter how good her apt.i.tude in spirit enchantment was, the will of her teacher was much more important.

“Princ.i.p.al Zhang!” Elder Wei glanced at Zhang Xuan anxiously.

“This…” Slightly hesitant, Zhang Xuan turned to w.a.n.g Ying and said, “Execute a punching routine for me.”

“Yes!” Nodding, w.a.n.g Ying swiftly executed an elegant but powerful set of punches.

Hu la!

Her punch tore through the air like a sharp spear, creating a sharp gust of wind.

This was a fist art that she had just learned from Zhang Xuan, but she had already achieved considerable mastery in it.

Hu!

A book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Zhang Xuan placed his finger on it, and the information concerning w.a.n.g Ying flowed into his mind.

Swiftly looking through it, a frown emerged on his forehead.

There was nothing concerning w.a.n.g Ying’s talent as a spirit awakener inside at all. To be more exact, there was not anything that hinted at it either.

Is the Library of Heaven’s Path no longer accurate? Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

The Library of Heaven’s Path had reflected information on Zhao Ya’s Pure Yin Body the first time he met her, and the same went for Yuan Tao and Wei Ruyan as well.

So, why was w.a.n.g Ying’s apt.i.tude in spirit enchantment not reflected in her Library of Heaven’s Path book?

Does the Library of Heaven’s Path not reflect acquired const.i.tutions? Back then, Lu Chong’s Combat Soul Const.i.tution wasn’t reflected in it either, Zhang Xuan wondered.

Back then, the Library of Heaven’s Path did not reflect the reason behind Lu Chong’s ma.s.sive soul. It was only through Mo Hunsheng that he learned of the Combat Soul Const.i.tution and that Lu Chong was suited to learn soul arts.

Most likely, the situation was the same with w.a.n.g Ying as well. It might not have been an ability she was born with, and perhaps due to certain conditions of the Library of Heaven’s Path, it wasn’t reflected in it.

w.a.n.g Ying has a conscientious personality, and she is far more meticulous than any of my other students in deciphering the simplified Heaven’s Path Divine Art that I impart to them. Perhaps it might be the work of her personality and the prowess of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art at work that resulted in a change in her const.i.tution, granting her such talents, Zhang Xuan deduced.

Fate is not something that is fixed. Not even the ma.s.sive hands of the heavens are capable of grasping everything.

In truth, whether it was Lu Chong or w.a.n.g Ying, their talent could only be considered average among countless others in the Master Teacher Continent. However, despite the deficiencies that fate had given them, they had still ended up meeting Zhang Xuan and cultivated the powerful Heaven’s Path Divine Art, thus changing their lives for good.

For better or for worse, destiny was a capricious power.

Perhaps, even the seemingly omnipotent Library of Heaven’s Path was not infallible before the capricious nature of the world.

In teaching a student, it’s important to a.s.sess their talents individually and cultivate their strengths. However, it is also important to a.s.sess their growth and make alterations accordingly. There are some who might not show apt.i.tude in a certain craft initially, but a sudden bout of enlightenment could bring about ma.s.sive growth in their capabilities in the field. When such a situation happens, it wouldn’t do to continue viewing them as a weaker student and teaching them as such…

A sudden enlightenment sprouted within Zhang Xuan’s mind. He felt as if he was on the verge of coming onto something important, but when he tried to grasp it, it seemed to elude him.

He tried to delve deeper, to grab hold of it, but at that moment, Elder Wei’s voice jolted him back to reality. “Princ.i.p.al Zhang!”

Raising his gaze, Zhang Xuan saw the middle-aged lady looking at him anxiously.

She really wanted to take w.a.n.g Ying away, but she could keenly sense the deep relations.h.i.+p between the teacher and student. If the latter was unwilling to go with her, it could create some feelings of aversion between w.a.n.g Ying and the Spirit Awakener Guild.

“Un.” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan knew that this wasn’t the time for him to be thinking about other matters. Turning back to w.a.n.g Ying, he asked, “Are you willing to head to the Spirit Awakener Guild?”

In such situations, what was important was not his opinion but his student’s. His role was only to help guide the latter along the road of life.

“I…” w.a.n.g Ying frowned in a dilemma.

“At the Spirit Awakener Guild, you will be ent.i.tled to a great pool of cultivation resources and a complete heritage. Naturally, you will also advance much quicker through the ranks. However, even if you choose to follow behind me, I am confident that I’ll be able to bring you to the same height eventually!” Zhang Xuan looked at w.a.n.g Ying calmly with deep confidence in his eyes.

Heading to the Spirit Awakener Guild was a good opportunity, but even if w.a.n.g Ying did not wish to take the opportunity, Zhang Xuan was still confident that he could groom her into becoming one of the strongest experts on the Master Teacher Continent.

The ultimate decision lay in the hands of the young lady before him.

A deeply conflicted look surfaced on w.a.n.g Ying’s little face. A moment later, she spoke up meekly. “Teacher, I… Just like Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, and the others, I wish to share your troubles as well. I don’t want to continue being a burden to you!”

If she opted to follow her teacher, she would surely reach incredible heights in the future. In fact, she did not think that the heritage of the Spirit Awakener Guild could compare with her teacher’s lectures. But… as her cultivation grew, the resources she required to advance through each realm would increase exponentially. Even though her teacher had never uttered a word of complaint about the matter, she could not bring herself to keep dragging her teacher back. She wanted to become a person worthy of standing beside her teacher to a.s.sist him, and not baggage that was dragging him down all the time.

If she headed to the Spirit Awakener Guild and became the Spirit Awakener Sovereign, she could gain power swiftly. With her newfound strength, she would able to help her teacher in his time of need.

She had not heard it from Zhao Ya herself, but she felt that it was with the same conviction that the latter had made the decision to join the Glacier Plain Court.

And the same went for Zheng Yang as well.

As the first student his teacher accepted, she could not bring herself to continue selfishly leeching off him.

On the other hand, upon hearing w.a.n.g Ying’s words, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. “You are my student, how can you possibly be a burden to me?”

They had only been together for a short year, but the experiences that they had gone through together were unforgettable. The bond between them was one that would never be severed.

w.a.n.g Ying might have thought that she was a burden, but to him, she was family. How could a family member possibly be a burden?

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, w.a.n.g Ying’s eyes reddened. She was silent for a moment before resolution filled her eyes, and she declared, “I want to head to the Spirit Awakener Guild!”

Teacher, I know that you view me as your family, but it’s the same for me as well!

This is an opportunity for me to grow and soar into the greater sky. In the past, you have sheltered me from the storm, and now, it should be my turn to protect you!

That’s because… we are a family!

Zhang Xuan lowered his head and nodded silently.

A long moment later, he said, “Since you have made your decision, go on then!”

All parties must eventually come to an end. Even though he knew that it was just a matter of time before his students would leave his side, separation was still difficult for him each time.

Of his seven direct disciples, Zhao Ya had gone to the Glacier Plain Court, Lu Chong had headed to the Ancient Domain of Soul Oracles, Yuan Tao had returned to his clan, Wei Ruyan had left for the Poison Hall, and Zheng Yang had departed for the Combat Master Hall headquarters…

Five had already left his side.

And now, the sixth was leaving him, too.

Of course, Zhang Xuan was glad to see that they were grasping the opportunities before them. With these opportunities, he had no doubt that they would reach incredible heights.

Just that… the rational mind and the sentimental heart were two separate organs in the body. He knew that it was better for them, but such rationality did little to alleviate the sorrow of separation.

“Teacher, you must take care of yourself…” Kneeling on the ground, w.a.n.g Ying spoke hoa.r.s.ely before making eight resounding kowtows.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded before placing a finger lightly on her forehead. A surge of Heaven’s Path zhenqi flowed into her body.

Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan said, “If you meet with any danger in the future, just activate this surge of zhenqi, and I’ll know, no matter how far away I am. If anyone dares bully you, even if the other party is the strongest sect on the continent or even the Master Teacher Pavilion itself, I’ll definitely redress your grievances!”

His tone was impa.s.sive, but the conviction in his voice was clear for all to hear.

“Un.” w.a.n.g Ying nodded as she flashed a smile at Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan turned to Elder Wei and said, “Elder Wei, I’ll leave my student to you. I hope that you will treat her properly. If I ever learn that she has suffered the slightest grievance in the Spirit Awakener Guild headquarters, know that I’ll visit there personally and demand an explanation.”

To be threatened by a mere Saint 2-dan cultivator, it was natural that Elder Wei was unhappy. However, knowing that the other party was standing up for his own student, her heart still softened a little. “Don’t worry. Our Spirit Awakener Guild will surely protect her with everything that we have; we won’t allow her to suffer the slightest grievance, so you need not worry!”

For five thousand years, there had not been a single spirit awakener whose apt.i.tude had reached the tenth level. It was not easy for one who possessed an apt.i.tude of the eleventh level to appear, so how could they allow anything to happen to her?

After all, the future of the Spirit Awakener Guild was at stake over here!

“That would be for the best.” Zhang Xuan could tell that there was not any falsehood in the other party’s words, and he nodded in satisfaction. Then, he turned around and waved his hand. “Since this matter is decided, it would be best for you to leave now!”

Unlike Zhao Ya’s decisiveness, w.a.n.g Ying had a soft heart. The longer they delay the matter, the more likely that w.a.n.g Ying would hesitate and change her mind.

“Teacher…”

How could w.a.n.g Ying not understand her teacher’s intention? Her body trembled, and tears trickled down her cheeks.

Elder Wei walked up to w.a.n.g Ying and said, “Let’s go.”

“Un.” w.a.n.g Ying wiped her tears and nodded.

Elder Wei then turned to Guild Leader Ruan and instructed, “It would be best for us to return to the headquarters as soon as possible, so we won’t be staying tonight.”

After finding such a genius, it would be safer to escort her back to the headquarters as soon as possible to prevent any mishaps from occurring.

Or else, if something really happened on the way, it would be too late for tears.

After which, she turned to look at Zhang Xuan one last time and said, “Princ.i.p.al Zhang, we’ll be taking our leave now.”

Hu!

Right after saying those words, Elder Wei drove her zhenqi and leaped into the sky together with w.a.n.g Ying. In the blink of an eye, the both of them had already disappeared over the horizon.

The very first student he had accepted ever since transcending over to this world, w.a.n.g Ying, had left.

A long time later, Zhang Xuan let out a deep sigh.