Library of Heaven's Path

"He's trying to connect with the soul oracles in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?" Zhang Xuan was getting a little confused.

If that person was truly the descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, the Seer Guild's betrayal might not necessarily be a true betrayal. The same went for the Master Teacher Pavilion as well. But still, it didn't make much sense for an expert of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers to have close ties with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

After all, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers were the direct descendants of Kong shi's 72 direct disciples, so it was unthinkable for them to betray mankind. Taking a step back, even if they were to betray mankind, would the Otherworldly Demon be willing to trust them?

Yet, at the Harvest Valley City Seer Guild, they were residing peacefully with the Otherworldly Demon Ancient Sages! This was truly inconceivable.

No matter how Zhang Xuan thought about the matter, he was unable to make sense out of it. After questioning a little longer, he found that Jiang Fangyou truly knew nothing about the scholarly young man at all. His responsibility simply stopped at forming connections between the soul oracles and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.

"Our ancestors have made such great sacrifices for mankind! As their descendants, how could we sully their heroism? Furthermore, our Jiang Clan is established upon the deaths of countless predecessors in the Subterranean Gallery over the past tens of thousands of years! We wouldn't be worthy of being called humans if we were to trample over their sacrifices and collude with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!" Upon realizing that Zhang Xuan was suspecting them of treachery, Jiang Fangyou stood up, clasped his fist, and declared indignantly.

"I apologize for my reckless behavior. I shouldn't have come to such a quick conclusion!" Zhang Xuan quickly rose to his feet and said.

The soul oracles had done so much for mankind, yet he still doubted the loyalty of their descendants. It was not to say that he regretted his decision. He would still do it again if he had to—when the fate of mankind was at stake, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Nevertheless, since it was proven that he had made a mistake, it was only right for him to offer an earnest apology.

"Considering the reputation of the soul oracles in the world, it's no surprise that you would come to this conclusion…" At this point, Jiang Fangyou suddenly widened his eyes in realization and asked, "Is that the reason why you emptied our treasure vault? You thought that we were in cahoots with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?"

"I'm afraid that's the case…" Zhang Xuan's face reddened in shame.

Hearing those words, Jiang Fangyou sighed deeply and said, "Well, I can at least understand why you did what you did. If we were truly in collusion with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it would be foolish to uphold propriety with us…"

Propriety only came in when the world was at peace. If extinction was on the line, it would be foolish to remain polite and courteous with one's enemies.

If there was truly a major human power in the world who had betrayed mankind for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, robbing it of its resources would indeed be a fair move.

"I'll return your treasures back to your treasure vault later on…" Zhang Xuan replied hurriedly.

Having learned that the Jiang Clan hadn't truly betrayed mankind and had even sacrificed a lot in order to protect it, no matter how thick-skinned Zhang Xuan was, there was no way he could continue to brazenly claim their treasures for his own.

On the other hand, seeing the look on Zhang Xuan's face, Jiang Fangyou couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Even though Zhang Xuan's actions might have seemed a little unprincipled here, he had to admit that it was indeed an effective move. If the Jiang Clan had truly betrayed mankind, this single move would have set them back by a great deal

After having cleared things up, the remaining issues weren't too much trouble.

Zhang Xuan agreed to be the stand-in head of the Jiang Clan for the time being. Until the matter with the soul oracles had been reviewed and resolved, they mustn't be shown to have any ties with the Jiang Clan. Otherwise, he would have surely recommended Lu Chong to the position instead.

Considering that his student had found the Ancient Domain of the Soul Oracles and obtained their heritage, he was bound to become a leading figure of the occupation in the future.

And speaking of the Ancient Domain of the Soul Oracles, the truth was that Zhang Xuan had been harboring some doubts about its existence for a long time now.

Considering that the Master Teacher Pavilion had gone all out to eradicate the soul oracles, how could they possibly spare the latter's ancient domain? From the looks of it now, it seemed like Kong shi helped to conceal its existence so as to preserve the lineage and heritage of the soul oracles.

Otherwise, with the prowess of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it would have surely rooted it out and destroyed it a long time ago.

By the time the inauguration ceremony concluded, it was already late at night.

Zhang Xuan quickly returned all of the treasures back to the treasure vault except for a couple of items which harnessed concentrated spiritual energy. After which, he called Jiang Feifei over and handed a book over to her.

"Recorded in here is my comprehension of the Soul Quintessence. As long as you cultivate in accordance with it, you should be able to comprehend it very quickly. You don't need to waste your time and effort at the Jiang Clan's Jade Hieroglyph anymore," he said.

"Your comprehension of the Soul Quintessence?" Jiang Feifei flipped the manual open uncertainly and swiftly flipped through it.

By the time her hand flipped over the final page, her eyes were already widened in disbelief.

Formless and intangible, it was much more difficult to cultivate the soul as compared to the physical body. Despite her aptitude toward soul arts, she still had no confidence that she would be able to comprehend the Soul Quintessence. In fact, she felt that even if she were to devote her entire life to it, the chances were that his efforts would be futile.

However, the manual which the newly inaugurated clan head had just given her harnessed the very crux of soul cultivation. It wasn't needlessly complex, and it was structured in a logical manner which first reinforced her fundamental understanding of what a soul was before moving on to the more complex aspects… With such a manual, she was confident that she would be able to comprehend the Soul Quintessence with a month of hard work!

One must know that this was a feat which countless predecessors had tried but failed at!

"T-this… It's too valuable!" Jiang Feifei exclaimed with trembling hands. She bit her lips tightly, seemingly resolving herself to some important decision, before raising her gaze to look at Zhang Xuan, "How can I ever repay you for this valuable manual… If you really wish to, I'll agree to an engagement with you…"

She still didn't like the young man before her, but she knew how important he was to the Jiang Clan. It would be a blessing if the young man were to be bound to the Jiang Clan, even if through a political marriage.

At the very most, she would just have to sacrifice herself for this cause.

Even though the young man said that there was someone whom he liked, in the worst-case scenario, she would just have to become his concubine.

With her looks and standing, she believed that there was no reason for the young man to turn her down.

"Engagement? You are thinking too much. Even though the manual I have just imparted to you may seem easy to cultivate, there's a high chance your cultivation might go berserk if you were to practice it without my guidance!" Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan shook his head said. "Alright, I'll take you in as my student and guide you on your cultivation of the Soul Quintessence!"

"Student?" Jiang Feifei was taken aback.

She thought that the reason why Zhang Xuan was willing to hand such a precious manual to her was to force her to promise herself to him… Who could have thought that he was intending to take her as his student instead!

The abrupt change in the train of thoughts left her a little dumbstruck.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pay your respects! Even if you are just an ordinary student of the clan head, it would soon become your greatest pride!" Jiang Fangyou exclaimed in agitation, jolting his daughter out of her daze.

On top of being the head of the Zhang Clan, the Luo Clan, and the Sanctum of Sages, Zhang Xuan's students were also the Progeny of Combat, the chief of the Glacier Plain Court, the leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild, the head of the Yuan Clan… All in all, there was no mediocre student under his tutelage.

If his daughter could become his student, even if just in name, it would be highly beneficial for her future. Perhaps, she might even exceed him in time to time!

Hearing her father's words, Jiang Feifei was stunned for a moment before nodding hurriedly, "Yes, I understand!"

She was still holding onto the notion that Zhang Xuan was the same young genius who had challenged her back at the Sanctum of Sages. She had failed to realize that over the span of less than a month, the young man had already reached the top of the Master Teacher Continent. Their standing was no longer the same as before.

Putting aside all of his other identities, just on the account that he was Yang shi's senior, it wouldn't be overboard even if Jiang Feifei were to call him great grandfather!

"Jiang Feifei pays respect to teacher!" Jiang Feifei knelt to the ground and greeted.

"Good! Come, get up!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

Earlier, when the young lady knelt down earlier, another golden page was formed within the Library of Heaven's Path. Zhang Xuan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

The opponents he had to face was no longer limited to just Saint cultivators. There was no doubt that he would be forced to battle against Great Sages and even Ancient Sages in the near future.

With a golden page in his inventory, his safety would at least be assured for the time being. Even if an Ancient Sage were to come after him now, he had the confidence that he would be able to subdue the other party with the golden page.

Should I try to take in more students to gather more golden pages? Junior Yang's direct disciple, Feng Ziyi, isn't too bad either. Hmm… Should I negotiate with Junior Yang to let him to me? Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw as he pondered seriously over this issue.

Given his current standing, just the title of 'Zhang Xuan's student' was enough to put one on a high pedestal. Thus, he had to take absolute care in choosing the students he took in. However, it was easier said than done to find good students.

After all, not everyone was as outstanding, compassionate, righteous, and noble as him…