Chapter 178: Master of the Hidden Pavilion

Chapter 178: Master of the Hidden Pavilion

Li Xuan arrived at the Seven Stars Academy for the second time. He recalled the group of Martial Arts Scholars and a smile appeared on his face. Having shaken the Inner Realm with his prowess and defeated a peak Grand Master with his sword, they must have all heard of him by now.

They should also realize that he is not a Grand Master warrior, but a warrior of the Innate Realm.

The Martial Arts Scholars were all enthusiasts who were obsessed with the martial path. Now that the true martial path was presented before them, how could they not be moved?

"A true warrior is not a brute. This is what my master taught me, and I am a true warrior." Li Xuan thought with a smile.

The Evergreen Pavilion lacked warriors, and he couldn't possibly handle everything personally or disturb his master's tranquil and elegant life. Thus, the Martial Arts Scholars were an ideal choice.

They were single-minded, and once they had given their word, they would find their faith and dedication in the Evergreen Pavilion, defending it with their lives.

However, the Martial Arts Scholars were also the foundation of the Seven Stars Academy, and trying to poach them would not be an easy task. It might even create enmity between the academy and the Evergreen Pavilion.

There was no doubt that the Seven Stars Academy was powerful, and while Li Xuan was not afraid, it would still bring about a lot of trouble, and this trouble would persist for a while.

It might even disturb his master's leisurely life.

However, since Fu Yuntian had invited him to the Seven Stars Academy, and the master of the academy wanted to meet him, it was likely related to his previous martial arts discourse.

Perhaps they could reach some sort of cooperation.

After all, the Seven Stars Academy was different from other forces as its primary focus was on researching and spreading the martial path.

"Senior brother, I'm going to challenge the Battle Platform!" Meng Chong said excitedly.

"Go for it!" Li Xuan nodded.

With Meng Chong's strength, he could easily defeat a peak Grand Master, so it was a given that he would conquer the Battle Platform.

His strength was undeniable, and even if the ninth layer of the Battle Platform was guarded by a peak Grand Master, it would make no difference.

The Battle Platform of the Seven Stars Academy was as bustling as ever.

Today, a bald, burly man had arrived, and just like Li Xuan had done before, he was heading straight for the seventh layer and above.

This infuriated the students of the academy who were guarding the platform.

Meng Chong didn't even bother with the platform and simply flicked his fingers, sending the man flying with a single move.

This scene was all too familiar.

The crowd of warriors, including the students of the academy, looked on with strange expressions.

Could this bald brute be a disciple of the same master as Li Xuan? Why were they so similar?

Fu Yuntian felt helpless. These two disciples truly had the same attitude when it came to challenging the Battle Platform.

"Friend Li, your junior disciple need not challenge the platform. It holds no meaning for him," Fu Yuntian sighed.

"My junior disciple wants to enter the Archives Pavilion to study the martial arts classics, so he must challenge the Battle Platform," Li Xuan said seriously.

"Today, I will make an exception and allow your junior disciple to enter the Archives Pavilion without challenging the platform," Fu Yuntian said helplessly.

"That won't do," Li Xuan shook his head in refusal. "The rules of the Seven Stars Academy must be followed. We can't have people thinking that just because he's my junior disciple, he can skip the challenge.

"If word gets out, people might think my junior disciple doesn't have the ability to conquer the Battle Platform."

Fu Yuntian opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Weren't rules meant to be broken? And now you're talking about following the rules?

As expected, Meng Chong easily conquered the ninth layer of the Battle Platform, astonishing all the spectators.

"This is the Archives Pavilion. The ninth layer has also been opened for you," Fu Yuntian said as he led Li Xuan and Meng Chong to the Archives Pavilion.

"Junior disciple, go directly to the ninth layer. We'll check out the lower layers another time," Li Xuan said.

"Yes!" Meng Chong nodded and entered the Archives Pavilion, heading straight for the ninth layer.

"Friend Li, please come with me. The master of the academy would like to meet you," Fu Yuntian said, gesturing for Li Xuan to follow him.

Led by Fu Yuntian, Li Xuan made his way towards the core area of the Seven Stars Academy.

"Friend Li, you're a warrior of the Innate Realm, not the Grand Master Realm, right?" Fu Yuntian asked along the way.

"That's right, I've mentioned it before," Li Xuan nodded.

Fu Yuntian nodded, "May I ask where you learned your martial arts?"

"My master has transcended the mortal world. Even if I told you, you wouldn't know him," Li Xuan replied calmly.

The two men passed through a quaint courtyard and entered the rear of the Seven Stars Academy, where they arrived at a dilapidated small courtyard with an old house.

In the courtyard stood a seven-grade spirit tea tree, over ten meters tall, lush with branches and leaves, and adorned with verdant buds.

Under the tree was a stone table and a few stools.

An elderly man with white hair sat on one of the stools, brewing tea.

Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. The old man was incredibly powerful, far stronger than the Fire Slaughter Demon Venerable.

"This tea comes from the spirit tea tree right here. This tree is quite ancient, rumored to have been planted by the founder of the Seven Stars Academy..."

Elder Bai introduced the spirit tea tree beside him.

Fu Yuntian stood quietly to the side.

After taking a sip of tea, Xu Yan asked, "How should I address this senior?"

"Bai Yunkong. Some people call me Old Man Bai."

The master of the Seven Stars Academy, Bai Yunkong, laughed heartily.

Afterward, Bai Yunkong seemed to be making small talk, introducing the Seven Stars Academy while pouring tea for Xu Yan, rambling on for nearly half an hour.

Only then did he ask, "May I ask, young friend, what lies beyond the Innate Realm?"

At this moment, Bai Yunkong's expression finally turned solemn.

"Insight into the profound mysteries," Xu Yan replied, setting down his teacup. "To understand the profundity of the heavens and the earth."

"Insight into the profound mysteries?" Bai Yunkong murmured to himself.

"What are your thoughts on the Grand Master level of martial arts?" he asked.

Xu Yan was now in a difficult position.

Should he directly tell this old man that this was a false martial path? This old man before him was incredibly powerful, and if he couldn't take the blow to his pride and went insane, things could get tricky.

Moreover, his master had never said that this was a false martial path.

After some thought, Xu Yan replied, "I don't have any particular opinions. It's just a different method of cultivation; there is no true or false in martial arts."

Bai Yunkong let out a hollow laugh. Although Xu Yan said that there was no true or false in martial arts, in his eyes, the Grand Master level of martial arts was indeed a false path.

"Martial arts has no true or false," Bai Yunkong smiled. "The Seven Stars Academy was founded to research martial arts. Many of the martial arts techniques circulating in the Inner Realm today originated from our academy.

"The purpose of our academy is to explore the true meaning of martial arts, to delve into its profundity without prejudice toward any technique.

"Even bloodthirsty techniques, though they may go against the natural order and create sins, are not shunned from our research. There may be valuable insights within them, which could lead to the creation of new martial arts techniques.

"Our academy has contributed a great deal to the development of various martial arts secrets. Some of these secrets come at a tremendous cost and are derived from bloodthirsty techniques, meant to be used in life-or-death situations or to ensure mutual destruction with an enemy."

Xu Yan understood Bai Yunkong's intentions. The Seven Stars Academy was dedicated to exploring the true meaning of martial arts and would not harbor ill will simply because of a difference in martial paths.

Bai Yunkong continued, "However, no matter how our generations of scholars researched martial arts, created techniques, or developed secrets, the foundation remained unchanged.

"They are all built upon the existing framework of martial arts. There were scholars who tried to break free from this framework, but they all failed."

Xu Yan's appearance had caught the attention of many martial arts scholars in the Seven Stars Academy. This was a martial path different from those in the Inner Realm, one that transcended the existing framework.

A group of martial arts scholars were driven nearly mad with curiosity.

In their eyes, there was nothing more enticing than discovering a new realm.

"So, what do you mean by that?" Xu Yan blinked, asking a question.

"Would you be willing to become one of our senior scholars at the Seven Stars Academy? Rest assured, there are no other constraints. We only ask for an exchange of martial arts knowledge."

Bai Yunkong paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, you might feel that we are trying to steal your martial arts techniques, and it would be understandable if you refused."

Xu Yan laughed freely and said, "What's wrong with spreading my teachings in the world? I do have some requests, though."

Spread his martial arts?

Xu Yan had no objections to this. Ever since his master entered the world, he had always wanted to spread his teachings.

If he had already taught it in the borderlands, why not spread it in the Inner Realm as well?

"Oh? What requests do you have, young friend? Please, go ahead and ask," Bai Yunkong said, a little surprised.

Then he asked, "When you spread your martial arts, did you obtain your master's consent? I wouldn't want to cause any trouble for you by making this request."

"What kind of person is my master? He teaches without discrimination," Xu Yan said with a smile.

Bai Yunkong was stunned, and he asked in a deep voice, "May I have the honor of meeting your master and asking him a few questions in person?"

"I'll have to ask my master about that," Xu Yan shook his head.

"You old turtle, Bai! You're not being very considerate. Xu Yan is here, and you didn't even tell me. Sneaking around, are you afraid I'll find out?"

Suddenly, a disheveled old man with messy hair and dark circles under his eyes burst into the room.

Xu Yan immediately recognized him as a martial arts scholar, and a powerful one at that, possibly on par with Bai Yunkong.

Xu Yan secretly smiled. His visit to the Seven Stars Academy was turning out to be even smoother than he had expected. It wouldn't be a problem at all to convince a few martial arts scholars to return with him.

For the second batch of the Qi-Infusing Pills, the powerful figures from various major forces immediately used their connections to contact Tianbao Pavilion, gaining priority to purchase them.

On the other hand, Grand Master warriors without a powerful background could only watch helplessly as the Qi-Infusing Pills sold out once more.

As a result, they scoured the land for any clues about the location of the Evergreen Pavilion.

Naturally, the major forces were also continuously deploying their intelligence networks to gather information about the Evergreen Pavilion.

Iron Mountain County in Lanping County was under the jurisdiction of the Great Yue Kingdom. The county magistrate, being a subject of the Great Yue Kingdom, saw an opportunity to make a name for himself, as the Evergreen Pavilion was located within his county.

He personally traveled to the capital of the Great Yue Kingdom.

The emergence of the Qi-Infusing Pills stirred up undercurrents in the inner domain's martial world, with various forces waiting for something to happen.

In the capital of the Great Yue Kingdom, the current emperor held a Qi-Infusing Pill in his hand as he sat in his private study.

"Is there any news about the Evergreen Pavilion?" he asked.

A eunuch stepped out from the shadows and replied, "Your Majesty, no news has arrived yet."

Just then, another eunuch entered the study to report that important intelligence had been delivered through the Tianyi Guard, the personal guard of the royal family of the Great Yue Kingdom.

The emperor of the Great Yue Kingdom glanced at the intelligence, and his eyes lit up with excitement. The Evergreen Pavilion was in Iron Mountain County!

It seemed that they were not very strong!

"We must bring them under our control!"

The emperor immediately gave his orders: "Send a decree to the Tianyi Guard. We must bring the Evergreen Pavilion under our control. Since they are within the borders of our Great Yue Kingdom, they must submit to our rule. Make it quick!"

As per the emperor's orders, members of the Tianyi Guard discreetly left the capital that very day, carrying the imperial decree and avoiding the attention of the various forces.

In a remote and treacherous peak within the inner domain, a tall building stood in a dark mountain cave. Seven figures in black robes stood in the shadows of the corridor.

On the top floor of the tower, in a grand hall, seven black-robed figures stood, and at the head of the hall, an elderly man with a cane sat on a chair, appearing aged and frail.

His eyes were half-closed, and his white hair made him look ancient.

However, the seven people standing below, despite being peak Grand Masters, were tense and nervous, afraid that a single wrong word would bring punishment upon them.

Since entering the Hidden Pavilion, the old man had always been like this, and yet he never seemed to age or die.

The master of the Hidden Pavilion was shrouded in mystery, and his strength was unfathomable.

Even peak Grand Masters felt a sense of dread in his presence.

"Three peak Grand Masters have died, and we have no information at all?"

The master of the Hidden Pavilion spoke in a tone devoid of emotion.

The seven Grand Masters below couldn't even dare to breathe, and they all lowered their heads.

"Not a single clue from the Stone Treasure Land? Not even about the people who died there?"

The master of the Hidden Pavilion continued.

One of the black-robed figures replied in a low voice, "From some indications, the incident at the Stone Treasure Land seems to be related to Xu Yan!"

"Where is he now?"

The master of the Hidden Pavilion asked in a dull voice. Although his tone was unreadable, the seven people knew that he was preparing to take action himself.

"He went to the Seven Stars Academy."

One of them replied.

"He's not important. Su Lingxiu is the most important. Use all means necessary to find out her whereabouts, no matter the cost or method. Understood?"

Upon hearing that Xu Yan had gone to the Seven Stars Academy, the master of the Hidden Pavilion abandoned the idea of seeking him out.

The top priority was to find Su Lingxiu.

"Yes, master!"

The seven figures hastily replied.

One of them continued, "Master, Tianbao Pavilion is selling a pill called the Qi-Infusing Pill, which can greatly enhance the cultivation speed of Grand Master warriors. Could it be related to Su Lingxiu?

"She has been studying medicine and pharmacology since she was young and has received the true teachings of the Medicine King. Moreover, she is..."

The master of the Hidden Pavilion interrupted, "Then find the source of the Qi-Infusing Pills, no matter what it takes."

"Yes, master!"

The master of the Hidden Pavilion waved his hand. "Go."

The seven figures bowed and retreated, leaving the tower and quickly dispersing to gather information from various sources.

Alone in the tower, the master of the Hidden Pavilion opened his half-closed eyes, and the dull-looking eyes now shone with a terrifying light.

"No one can stand in my way. I've waited too long, and she is my only chance. Without entering the Spirit Realm, how can I hope to reach the legendary Heavenly Man's realm?

"Whether it's Xu Yan or anyone else, anyone who dares to block me will undoubtedly die!"

A chilling and murderous voice echoed from the master of the Hidden Pavilion.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end