Chapter 1370 - Sage Xi's Tortoiseshell

style="font-weight: bold">Translator: StarveCleric  style="font-weight: bold">Editor: StarveCleric

Perhaps it was due to the awareness that he was at the Shrine of Seers, everything that had happened seemed to be veiled with a layer of mystery in his head. For this reason, he thought that it was due to the unique abilities of a seer that Elder Feng was able to divine his arrival and dispatch a student to receive them… But who could have thought that it would just be a simple Spiritual Perception scan!

That was an ability that all cultivators would unlock upon reaching Saint 2-dan. Once activated, one would be able to perceive everything within a given radius. With this ability, it was indeed not too difficult for Elder Feng to notice their arrival.

“How is it? Are you willing to become my direct disciple?” After explaining the matter, Elder Feng continued directing his heated gaze upon Zhang Xuan.

There was no way he would be able to take in the little princess of the Luo Clan, the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, or the mysterious young lady as his students, but as for Zhang Xuan, he felt that he stood quite a huge chance.

If he could take Zhang Xuan in as his direct disciple, with the latter’s tremendous potential in the occupation, they would be able to make seers great again!

“Pardon me, but I already have my own teacher and heritage, so it wouldn’t really be convenient for me to acknowledge anyone else as my own teacher.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“I have the fortune of meeting your teacher, Yang Xuan, once before. While he does have an eccentric temperament, he wouldn’t have any qualms about you acknowledging someone else as your teacher for other supporting occupations.” Instead of getting mad at Zhang Xuan’s rejection, Elder Feng reasoned calmly.

Before Zhang Xuan could say anything, Zhang Chun’s body jolted, and he exclaimed in disbelief, “Yang Xuan? Elder Feng means to say that… Zhang Xuan’s teacher is Yang shi of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters?”

Even Luo Xuanqing also widened his eyes upon hearing those words.

They did mention Yang Xuan’s name during the journey to obtain the Dongxu Gourd, but Zhang Xuan didn’t say anything about him then… Why would he suddenly turn out to be Yang Xuan’s student?

If that was really the case, it would be understandable why Zhang Xuan would have no fear about the repercussions from pummeling Zhang Chun.

Even though the Zhang Clan was the number one Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, it still paled far in comparison to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters. As the First Grand Elder, other than the seat of the pavilion master, which had been empty for several millenniums now, Yang Xuan’s standing was second to none in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters!

“Due to your constitution, I am unable to divine anything relating to your lineage. Nevertheless, through using my authority in the Sanctum of Sages, I’m still able to access your record files. To rise through the ranks from the humble Tianxuan Kingdom and reach such a height, not to mention that you have always identified yourself as Yang shi’s student, I really can’t imagine any other master teacher who is capable of grooming a student as talented as you!” Elder Feng said with a chuckle.

While he was unable to divine Zhang Xuan’s profile, he was still able to access the latter’s records.

Considering how often Zhang Xuan had identified his teacher as Yang Xuan before others, it wasn’t too difficult to dig that up too.

“I…” Zhang Xuan immediately broke out in cold sweat.

The only reason why he identified himself as ‘Yang Xuan’s’ student was because he thought that it was just a made-up name, so he used it as he pleased! How was he supposed to know that that fellow really existed, and even possessed such a high standing at that… This was really a huge headache!

If Yang Xuan were to drop by the Sanctum of Sages and say that he didn’t have such a student, his lie would be immediately exposed!

Without this protective umbrella, it wouldn’t take long before greedy individuals turned their eyes to him, wanting to uncover the secrets behind the swift rise in his cultivation and supporting occupation.

“How is it?” Noticing the changes on Zhang Xuan’s face, Elder Feng thought that the other party was seriously contemplating over the issue, so he chuckled softly and said, “If you still harbor some reservations regarding the matter, I can send a message into the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and seek his opinion on this matter on your behalf!”

“Regarding that…” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows leaped up upon hearing those words, and he immediately spoke up anxiously, “… I am very thankful to Elder Feng’s high opinion of me. However, I have never come into contact with anything relating to seers, so if possible, I would like to access the books relating to it. If I do possess some talent in the art of divination, I would be more than delighted to take up your offer. Otherwise, I would feel guilt-ridden if my lack of talent in the field were to blemish your reputation!”

This sure was a difficult position he was in.

He had only come here with Luo Xuanqing to get a go at Zhang Chun, but who could have thought that he would end up getting such a passionate offer by someone else to become his student, and that person was even threatening to ‘tell on him to Yang Xuan’ if he were to reject his offer… Hai, being too outstanding sure was troublesome!

Was his simple wish of living an ordinary life really that difficult to achieve?

Since that was the case, he decided to first take a look through all of the seer-related books first. By then, let’s see who would become whose student!

“You want to access our library of books?” Seeing that Zhang Xuan wasn’t resistant to the idea of becoming his student, Elder Feng heaved a sigh of relief. With a look that said ‘there’s no way you can’t possibly not be a genius’, he chuckled, “There are simply too many things to learn as a seer for you to master the art within just a day or two. Actually, there’s no need to go through so much trouble. There’s a far simpler way to gauge your talent as a seer.”

“Gauge my talent as a seer?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Un. Yu Chen, bring the tortoiseshell over here!” Elder Feng instructed with a wave of his hand.

“Yes!”

The young man turned around and left, and not too long later, he returned with an ancient tortoiseshell carefully held between his hands.

The ancient tortoiseshell was slightly grayish in color, and its surface was densely filled with slight cracks. Even before coming close to it, Zhang Xuan could already feel a slight quivering in the space surrounding it, as if the secrets of the world were sealed within it, awaiting curious minds to peer into it.

“Could this be… Sage Xi’s Tortoiseshell?” Zhang Chun widened his eyes in astonishment.

Stroking his beard, Elder Feng turned to confused Zhang Xuan and explained with a smile, “Sage Xi is a renowned expert whose time predates even that of Kong shi. Through observing the patterns on the back of the long-living tortoise, he managed to grasp the will of the heavens and founded the seer occupation. He has passed down many divination-related artifacts, and the most famous of them all is a tortoiseshell…”

“That tortoiseshell is known to be the number one treasure of the Seer Guild, and it’s stored in the deepest and most secure region of the guild. It’s used to divine the trajectory of the continent’s fate and the rise and fall of the world… Of course, not even I have the rights to use it. The one before you is a replica which a 9-star pinnacle seer, Elder Ji Chan, created many years ago.”

“However, don’t underestimate it just because it’s a replica. It’s through the divination of this tortoiseshell that Ancient Sage Bo Shang found that several dozen millennium’s worth of fortune was gathered in this land, allowing it to survive the trial of time, thus leading to him establishing the Sanctum of Sages on this land. That should be more than enough to verify its prowess!”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment.

It wasn’t too difficult to gather spiritual energy and fortune within a land—high-ranked formation masters were capable of doing that too. However, to retain spiritual energy and fortune within a land for several millenniums or even several dozen millenniums, especially amidst an ever-changing world and environment… This was not something that they were capable of.

To do that would require one to not only foresee the changes in the land itself but those surrounding it as well… To be able to divine it accurately, the tortoiseshell could definitely be considered as a priceless treasure.

“This tortoiseshell has been passed down 121 generations so far, and all 102 9-star pinnacle seers who have appeared within this timeframe have all used it as some point in their life. As a result of that, their wills are all infused within the tortoiseshell as well… So, just by placing your hand on top of it, they will be able to assess whether you possess talent as a seer or not.” Elder Feng said as he lightly stroked the ancient tortoiseshell in front of him.

Zhang Xuan didn’t expect the other party to take out such a valuable artifact to assess his talent. At this point, it would only be disrespectful of him if he were to turn down the other party any more than this, so he asked, “I just have to place my hand on it?”

“Un. If you still harbor some doubts toward its effects, I can have others showcase it to you…” Elder Feng turned his gaze to Zhang Chun before continuing on, “You have been wanting to learn divination from me for many years, only to be turned away each time around. It’s not that I’m intentionally making things difficult for you or trying to test your patience, but you are simply unsuited for this occupation! Place your hand on this tortoiseshell and see for yourself.”

“This…” Zhang Chun’s face twitched.

He would have never thought that a day would come where he would actually be used as a counterexample. As displeased as he was, he still walked forward and slowly placed his hand on the tortoiseshell.

Seemingly sensing the touch of a living being, a slight radiance emanated from in between the many cracks on the tortoiseshell.

Kacha! Kacha!

It was a rather bizarre sight. The light seemed to be weaving across the many cracks on the tortoiseshell, and as if playing an instrument, a crackling sound echoed in the air. Very soon, two ancient runes surfaced before everyone’s eyes.

Elder Feng glanced at the runes and shook his head, “Yu Chen, explain these two runes to the others.”

“Yes!” The young man stepped forward and said, “What these runes over here mean is that the individual tested is of ordinary aptitude and is unfated with the art of divination!”

“Ordinary aptitude? Then what would the runes for the talented be like?” Zhang Chun asked with a hint of indignance in his voice.

The current clan head and elders of the Zhang Clan held seers in high esteem. If he could achieve a high level of mastery in the art of divination, it was likely that he would be regarded highly and them, and perhaps, he might even be brought into the circle of the upper echelon of the clan.

It was for this reason that he persistently visited Elder Feng despite being rejected time and time again. He was still harboring hope that the rejection might just Elder Feng’s way of testing him, but who could have thought that the real problem lay in his lack of talent?

“The aptitude of a seer can basically be divided into six tiers, namely inferior, ordinary, fair, superior, and pinnacle.” the young man explained. “For those who are unable to read the runes, there’s a far easier to interpret them. The greater the number of runes, the higher one’s aptitude toward divination is. A single rune would mean inferior, two runes would mean ordinary, so on and so forth. If six runes were to appear, it would mean that the individual possesses unparalleled aptitude in divination!”

After saying those words, the young man placed his palm on the tortoiseshell.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

Brilliant light weaved across the cracks of the tortoiseshell, and the same crackling sound echoed in the air once more, but this time, it was more numerous. Slowly, five runes surfaced from the tortoiseshell.

“Superior?” Zhang Chun gulped down a mouthful of saliva in shock.

He had met Yu Chen many times around, and he thought that the latter only caught Elder Feng’s sight by sheer luck. He had never thought that the latter would actually possess such a high aptitude toward divination.

Given that Yu Chen was only an ordinary student despite his ‘superior’ aptitude… as a mere ‘ordinary’, he really didn’t stand a chance at all.

“I would like to give it a try too…” Stepping forward, Luo Xuanqing placed his palm on it, and two runes appeared. Just like Zhang Chun, his aptitude was ‘ordinary’ too!

Luo Xuanqing was initially a little disappointed, but he consoled himself by telling himself that his aptitude was at least not any beneath Zhang Chun. Afterward, he turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “Zhang shi, you should give it a try too!”

“Alright.” Knowing there’s no way for him to back out of this, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

Previously, he had said that he would take Elder Feng as his teacher if he showed aptitude toward divination… Was he really going to have to acknowledge another person as his teacher?

This was really a little difficult for him to accept.

Perhaps, he could try using the Heaven’s Path zhenqi to conceal the results?

On the other hand, watching as Zhang Xuan stepped forward, an excited gleam surfaced in Elder Feng’s eyes.

The Discarnate Constitution of Divination was a legendary physique that all seers sought for. There were no precedents which he could use as a reference to fathom how many runes the young man would be able to induce, but most likely, it would be beyond six.

Hu!

Before his expectant eyes, Zhang Xuan placed his palm on the tortoiseshell.

Weng!

A light buzz sounded in the air, and a blinding light began streaming across the cracks in the tortoiseshell.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha…

Crackling sounds echoed one after another in high frequency, almost as if one was stir-frying beans.

“With so many crackling sounds echoing, I wonder how many runes would appear?” Zhang Chun clenched his fists tightly as he looked at the sight before him with reddened eyes.

Previously, when he placed his hand on the tortoiseshell and it crackled twice, two runes appeared. Following which, when Yu Chen placed his hand on the tortoiseshell and it crackled five times, five runes appeared.

And now, the tortoiseshell had already crackled for several dozen times in response to Zhang Xuan’s touch… It couldn’t be that several dozen runes were going to appear, right? If that’s the case, just how immense of a talent did he possess?

In his state of shock, he suddenly saw Elder Feng’s face warping into horror, and the latter dashed forward furiously.

However, it was already too late. With a particularly conspicuous ‘hong long’, the ancient tortoiseshell exploded into dust.

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