Chapter 1433: Is It Not Him?

"Make this matter known to every member of our Zhang Clan?" Zhang Wuchen was taken aback for a moment before his eyes narrowed in realization. "You mean to... incite our clan members?"

As the entrance formation to the Zhang Clan, the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation could be said to be a symbol of the Zhang Clan's dignity. If it was made known that it had been destroyed by a twenty-year-old lad, the other clan members would surely be trembling with rage.

Hearing those words, the First Elder chuckled softly as he remarked with a deep look in his eyes, "The Zhang Clan has been in a high position for far too long. It's about time to stir the pot a little so as to get them riled up. Only when every single individual of the Zhang Clan is powerful can the Zhang Clan truly prosper and incite fear in others. In comparison to that, the destruction of the formation is nothing at all."

"I understand." Realizing the First Elder's intentions, Zhang Wuchen nodded in awe.

As expected of the First Elder. Every single move that he made was profound and meaningful, bringing the greatest benefit to the Zhang Clan.

The seeming infallibility of the Defense Formation had left the members of the Zhang Clan feeling so safe that they were beginning to lose their wariness. However, this was only a false sense of security, and this could pose a great danger to the Zhang Clan. If enemies were to assault the Zhang Clan, they would surely strive to swiftly uncover and exploit the flaws in the Defense Formation like Zhang Xuan did.

It would have been sheer foolishness if the members of the Zhang Clan were to stand idly and leave their fates up to the resilience of the Defense Formation.

On the contrary, without the formation, the members would be forced to constantly keep their guard up, ready for a battle at any time. It was exactly such an environment that would place the Zhang Clan in a much safer position.

In a sense, this was similar to learning how to swim. If one relied on swimming floats all the time, there was no guarantee that they would be there when one truly needed them. It was only by taking away the floats that would one be able to truly learn to swim.

If the Zhang Clan hoped to retain its position as the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent, it would do much better investing in its talents than its defense formations and whatnot. In crucial situations, it was always the people who made the difference.

"Go and have it done." Seeing that Zhang Wuchen understood what he was getting at, the First Elder also chose not to explain any further. He was silent for a brief moment before adding, "Also, I want you to look into Zhang Xuan's background."

"Yes, First Elder!" Zhang Wuchen nodded before turning around and leaving.

Not too long later, he returned with a jade token in hand.

As the number one Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent, their intelligence network was not to be underestimated. It was a walk in the park for them to uncover Zhang Xuan's profile, which was well detailed in the Master Teacher Pavilion's records.

"A new student of the Sanctum of Sages this year, and he successfully cleared the Tower of Master Teachers within fifteen minutes. On top of that, he pummeled Zhang Chun and Zhang Feng and is brothers with Luo Xuanqing. Wherever he steps, destruction follows." Reading the details on the records, the First Elder's lower jaw nearly fell to the ground.

Even the most talented genius of their Zhang Clan was incapable of such a fate, so how did the young man manage to pull it off?

"Yang shi's student... Yang shi has been in our Zhang Clan for more than half a year now, so when did he take in this student of his?" The First Elder frowned in thought.

Even though Yang shi's whereabouts remained a huge mystery to the world, as the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, he was still privy to some inside information.

Yang shi had been in seclusion in their Zhang Clan for half a year, and he had not left since then. Just when did the other party take in such a formidable student whose talent outshone even that of the geniuses of the Zhang Clan!

"Yang shi does have a student, and if I'm not mistaken, his name should be Feng Ziyi," Zhang Wuchen said.

"I know of Feng Ziyi—I have met him once. He's indeed quite a talented young lad, but even so, his aptitude is only slightly above that of Zhang Chun and the others. If Yang shi truly had such a talented disciple, why haven't I heard of him before?" The First Elder was deeply perplexed.

Yang Xuan had close relations with their Zhang Clan, and if he truly had such a talented disciple, there was no reason the Zhang Clan would be completely unaware of it!

"Possessing unparalleled talent and having the surname of Zhang, could he possibly be..." Suddenly recalling a matter, an excited glint flashed through Zhang Wuchen's eyes.

"Impossible," the First Elder interjected affirmatively. "I saw his soul lantern extinguishing with my own eyes a year ago. There's no way he could still be alive."

"But... the clan head and Sword Saint Meng have been reluctant to believe that news, and they are still searching for him even now. In fact, isn't the reason they left in such a hurry earlier because they obtained some news concerning him?" Zhang Wuchen said hesitantly.

"Even if they aren't able to divine the future, experts of their level still possess intuition far beyond that of ordinary cultivators. They are able to sense things just by their gut feeling, and given how certain they are that he isn't dead... there might be a good chance that he's really alive!"

Hearing those words, the First Elder pondered for a moment before replying, "The bond of blood is an inexplicable relationship. It is true that cultivators of their caliber are able to perceive the status of those who are closely related to them, but I was the one who was monitoring his soul lantern, and there's no doubt that it has extinguished. Considering that he was just an ordinary mortal, there's just no way he could have survived!"

At which point, the First Elder released a deep sigh filled with lamentation, and he stared at the sky above, deep in thought. A moment later, he muttered quietly, "I guess there's no harm trying.

Turning his gaze back to Zhang Wuchen, he continued. "Check where Zhang Xuan is from and whether he has any family members or not."

"Understood!" Zhang Wuchen clasped his fist politely before leaving.

This time, he was gone for a while longer. It took roughly four hours before he finally returned. "Reporting to the First Elder, Zhang shi comes from a remote kingdom in the Qingyuan Empire, where not a single master teacher exists. Furthermore, according to the records of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it appears that he's an orphan without any kin, and he happens to be twenty this year!"

"Remote kingdom... Ancient domains? Could it be..." The First Elder widened his eyes in astonishment, not daring to believe what he had just heard. "But that shouldn't be possible!"

He shook his head vehemently as he paced around the room. A moment later, he suddenly turned his gaze toward Zhang Wuchen and instructed, "Wuchen, I want you to find a way to get Zhang Xuan into the 'Blood Reservoir' and see if there's any resonance."

"The Blood Reservoir is a place where the offspring of the Zhang Clan are able to awaken their bloodline, but you should also know the circumstances surrounding that person. Even if he isn't dead, it's impossible for any resonance to occur between him and the Blood Reservoir," Zhang Wuchen said in incomprehension.

"I know that, but he's not a person whom we can gauge by normal standards. He's the most talented person our clan has seen in the past several dozen millenniums. His very presence in the Blood Reservoir should be able to trigger some kind of phenomenon. As long as there's the slightest reaction, we should be able to confirm his identity," the First Elder replied.

"I see... Consider it done." Zhang Wuchen nodded.

"Make sure to conduct this in utmost secrecy. Don't let anyone learn of it, and this is including Zhang Xuan. Observe him from the shadows, and report any movements he makes to me," the First Elder said.

Zhang Wuchen nodded once more before taking his leave.

The First Elder watched intently as Zhang Wuchen's figure disappeared into the distance. An unreadable light flickered in the First Elder's eyes as he seemed to muse over something of vast importance, and a moment later, he began making his way toward the depths of the Zhang Clan.

Not too long later, he arrived before a door.

It was an average-sized round door, and it was seamlessly shut with the rest of the chamber.

From the outside, it would appear that there was nothing extraordinary about this chamber, but when one tried to extend one's Spiritual Perception in, one would realize that it was completely impossible to perceive what was inside. It was as if the interior of the chamber was completely isolated from the rest of the world.

The First Elder paced outside the stone chamber for a while. He considered knocking on the door, but eventually, he held himself back.

According to what Yang shi said, he should be coming out in a few days' time. It would be unwise to interrupt him at this crucial moment. If something were to go wrong with his cultivation, not even I would be able to bear the consequences, the First Elder thought as he retracted his hand, shaking his head quietly.

Yang shi was currently in seclusion within the stone chamber before him. The First Elder intended to come over to see if Yang shi was out of his seclusion so that he could inquire about Zhang Xuan's background, but seeing that the doors were still tightly shut, he eventually gave up on the idea.

Yang shi's seclusion this time around was simply too important, such that even despite the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, he did not dare interrupt the other party abruptly. Otherwise, if the other party's efforts ended in failure due to him, he would become a sinner of mankind.

However, it was fortunate that Yang shi had said before that his seclusion would only last half a year at most, so the other party should be coming out very soon.

With such thoughts in mind, the First Elder turned around and slowly walked out.

...

Meanwhile, after receiving the orders from the First Elder, Zhang Wuchen immediately headed for the guest rooms.

After that speculation surfaced in his mind, he could not help but wonder about the capabilities that Zhang Xuan wielded.

Flitting swiftly ahead, before he reached his destination, he encountered the flustered Seventh Elder anxiously heading his way. As soon as the latter noticed him, the latter exclaimed in desperation, "Third Elder, a disaster has happened!"

Zhang Wuchen's heart skipped a beat as an ominous sensation loomed above his heart. "What happened?"