Zhang Shouquan's News (4K)

Sometimes the word "crisis" needs to be broken down. For some, it represents danger. But for others, it also represents opportunity. Regarding the Sea Race Invasion, Xiao Chen himself felt relatively okay. But in reality, all the major sects were under considerable pressure. Especially a year ago, when the situation was on the verge of collapse, they faced the very survival of their ancestral foundations. Therefore, under external pressure, the major sects unanimously increased the supply of cultivation resources to their disciples. At the same time, they significantly lowered their originally stringent selection standards in order to quickly boost their sect's strength. Under these circumstances, many cultivators who were not originally qualified for the sect's key support now had the opportunity to Impact Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage. After all, although their success rate was relatively low, the total number was large enough. However, breakthrough resources are ultimately relatively limited. Even if the sects relaxed restrictions, they could only supply a portion of the cultivators. The Core Formation spiritual items were relatively better; over the years, they had accumulated at least several dozen. There are only five or six Nascent Soul Formation cultivation items in total, enough for only five or six people to try even if used separately. Therefore, those promising talents who could have slowly built their foundations had to make a choice: should they continue with their original plan, cultivating step by step, or should they risk failure and try to break through early, seizing the available Breakthrough Spirit Item? Choosing the former would undoubtedly make them seem irresponsible and inconsiderate of the sect. More importantly, it's very likely that in a few years, the sect's accumulated breakthrough resources will have been exhausted by other daring disciples, leaving them to find their own solutions. Choosing the latter, however, presents a problem. Breaking through the Major Realm is inherently difficult, and inadequate preparation makes it even more challenging. After all, even Xiao Chen relied on the * Profound Heaven Ingestion Secret Method * and several times more Breakthrough Spirit Item than usual to maximize his success rate. Others simply cannot replicate his special conditions. Not to mention, the difficulty of collecting Sha Qi alone is exceptionally high; it's rare to gather a second set of the Five Elements Sars in the same era. Under such circumstances... Those Fa Zhao Arhat, who had already taken the half-step but were just one step away from the final breakthrough, were fortunate enough to successfully advance to the Zen Master without any major incidents. Other cultivators, however, could only rely on their own Fortune. According to the latest information obtained by Cloud Vortex True Monarch, although the Buddhist Sect suffered heavy losses, including the confirmed complete fall of Small Prajna Temple, they still had a stronger foundation and currently had four temples still resisting. Unfortunately, apart from Universal Salvation Temple, only one person from Lotus Flower Temple successfully broke through, with the Dharma Name Zen Master Hui Bo. The remaining Hui Ming Temple and Kasyapa Temple had no good news yet. The situation on the Daoist Sect side was slightly better. First, Rift Void True Monarch the Heavenly Dipper Sect and Thunderbolt True Monarch of the Ink Barrier Sect both successfully broke through. Then, two months ago, an Internal Affairs Elder of Thousand Machines Valley also advanced to the Nascent Soul. His original name Hundred Apertures True Person, and he is currently temporarily called Hundred Apertures True Monarch. It is said that he is already 340 years old and has almost reached the Golden Core Great Perfection by simply waiting for time. This time, he also went all out with the belief that he would either succeed or die trying. Fortunately, their usual accumulation of knowledge was solid, and they eventually overcame that hurdle. However, the other three Golden Core Great Perfection cultivators from Thousand Machines Valley who attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul stage were not so lucky. In the end, two died and one was injured. The one who survived by chance also lost his Golden Core, becoming a cripple with only lifespan but no true essence. In the future, he could only hold a sinecure such as a mental Instructor within the sect, using his own insight and experience to teach Foundation Establishment disciples. Even so, Thousand Machines Valley's success rate was already considered high. Three people from Cloud Wave Sword Abode attempted to break through, but unfortunately, they were all wiped out. It seems that cultivating Wave Stacking True Monarch Die Lang had exhausted the sect's Fortune. Azure Sea Immortal Sect successively arranged four people, and three of them have failed so far, with only the last disciple still in seclusion. Heavenly Dipper Sect used up five reserve spiritual items, and in the end, only Rift Void True Monarch Kong survived. When Ink Barrier Sect was surrounded, a total of eleven people made attempts, seven of whom did not even have a single Nascent Soul Formation spiritual item. Fortunately, Thunderbolt True Monarch, as the Chief Disciple, lived up to expectations and broke through in time, withstanding the pressure. This allowed him to hold on until Xiao Chen and the Heavenly Dipper Sect arrived to provide support. If it weren't for such a dire situation, Cloud Vortex True Monarch and Gang Yuan True Monarch wouldn't have been sighing so involuntarily during the banquet. Even Xiao Chen, upon hearing this, was somewhat glad he hadn't rushed things and had patiently built up a 100% chance of success; otherwise, such a low success rate would have been far too risky. "Today's great victory should be a joyous occasion, so let's not dwell on that." Sensing the somber atmosphere, Cloud Vortex True Monarch proactively changed the subject: "I have some special news from the Thirstblood Secret Realm that I'm about to share with you all." "But before we get to the details," he continued, "I must first introduce a prodigy born among the rogue cultivators, named Zhang Shouquan." "He originally mingled in the Ink Stone Market, almost indistinguishable from ordinary rogue cultivators." "Who knew that later, in the Guiyun Secret Realm, he comprehended the Secret Method left behind by his predecessors, and his rise to prominence was like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, subsequently gaining considerable fame." Gang Yuan True Monarch had some recollection of this name: "I remember him; he displayed remarkable talent in array formations at the Eight Directions Arena." "Later, he became even more famous for his straightforward actions." "At that time, his fame among rogue cultivators was second only to Daoist Xiao, but after emerging from the New Ruin, he suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason." Xiao Chen, of course, also remembered Zhang Shouquan. The two had even collaborated to infiltrate the Forbidden Sea encircled by Universal Salvation Temple. Hearing news about him, he immediately became interested. He put down the crab meat in his hand and listened attentively. "As everyone knows, only Golden Core cultivator can enter the Thirstblood Secret Realm, but for some reason, a Fourth-Order great demon, the Three-Winged Thirstblood Mosquito, was born deep within the Secret Realm." Cloud Vortex True Monarch began to recount the matter: "What's even stranger is that the relevant countermeasures and restrictions haven't been triggered." "Because of this, many cultivators have entered but never returned." "As a result, this once beautiful Secret Realm has become quite deserted, with only desperate individuals daring to venture inside." "When the Secret Realm opened last year, it was almost completely deserted." This was indeed a strange occurrence, as restrictions generally wouldn't only be partially damaged. However, Xiao Chen had previously learned about the Thirstblood Secret Realm; its history was quite ancient, so some mishaps were not unusual. Cloud Vortex True Monarch continued, "Until a month ago, when the Secret Realm was about to close, a few daring cultivators went together, intending to try their luck searching for spirit medicine at the entrance." "However, they happened to see Zhang Shouquan carrying the demonic body of the Three-Winged Thirstblood Mosquito and striding away at the entrance." "Who would have thought that he had already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm?" "This group was quite startled, but fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhang didn't make things difficult for them." "Afterwards, they guarded the exit until two other cultivators emerged from the Secret Realm. After some questioning, they learned..." "It turned out that when the Thirstblood Secret Realm first opened last year, Daoist Zhang entered the Secret Realm immediately." "Using some unknown method, he managed to sneak into the Spirit Vein deep within the Secret Realm, unbeknownst to the Three-Winged Thirstblood Mosquito." "At that time, the cultivators within the Secret Realm could clearly feel the Spiritual Qi converging inwards, but initially, no one knew why." "It wasn't until ten months later, when Heaven and Earth Phenomenon descended, that they realized someone was attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm within the Secret Realm." "What's even more surprising is that only two months have passed." "This Daoist Zhang managed to kill the Three-Winged Thirstblood Mosquito just before the Secret Realm closed." This is actually quite absurd. Normally, in such a short time, there wouldn't be enough time to condense even a few strands of true essence, and he shouldn't have any combat power. However, none of the people present were surprised. After all, there was another prodigy present who had also just broken through, but could not only kill Demon Beast, but also chase after Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator. Compared to that, Zhang Shouquan's killing of the Three-Winged Thirstblood Mosquito seemed much more normal. "To be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage as a rogue Nascent Soul, this Daoist Zhang is no simpleton." Gang Yuan True Monarch sighed, "It's a pity I didn't pay much attention to him before, and I don't know what his character is like." Every Nascent Soul True Lord Monarch deserves to be treated with caution. Not to mention that Zhang Shouquan has already shown outstanding talent, and given time, he should be one of the best among the many Nascent Soul True Lord. However, as a rogue cultivator, he is not familiar with any of the major sects. "That's quite a coincidence. I've had some dealings with Daoist Zhang before," Xiao Chen answered the question for him. "In my opinion, Fellow Daoist Zhang is a fairly upright person, at least not the kind of person who would do evil." He wasn't just making this up. Just from the fact that Zhang Shouquan was willing to stop the evil cultivator from committing crimes when he discovered them in the Coral Forest of the New Ruin, it was clear that he wasn't inherently bad. You have to understand, at that time, he himself needed to conceal his face to avoid being hunted down. But he was still willing to risk being exposed to punish evil and prevent the evil cultivator from harming more people. "Oh, since Daoist Xiao says so, then I really want to meet this Daoist Zhang." Cloud Vortex True Monarch hadn't been to the Eight Directions Arena before, so naturally he hadn't met Zhang Shouquan. "Excellent!" Gang Yuan True Monarch was also very happy. "It seems that our Human Race has gained another outstanding talent. Congratulations! Let's drink this cup to the brim!" With that, he raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. In the current situation, every additional upright Nascent Soul True Lord joins the Human Race increases its overall strength. It would be excellent if Zhang Shouquan were willing to join the Resist Sea Race. Even if he didn't want to confront them directly, his assistance in refining the Fourth-Order Array Foundation would still be valuable. As long as he wasn't bribed by the Sea Race and turned against them, it would be a good thing. This was the main reason why Gang Yuan True Monarch prioritized his character from the start. "Senior Brother is right, this is good news!" Han Chuan True Monarch also raised his cup. "Let's drink to this cup together, to celebrate the prosperity of our Human Race!" During the subsequent banquet, everyone shared some strange tales, which need not be elaborated upon. After the Celebration Banquet, Xiao Chen first reviewed the battle situation as usual, and then, instead of rushing to cultivate, prepared to Listening Wave Market. Don't forget, before leaving here last time, he had a business deal with the Azure Treasure Pavilion. They agreed to meet again in a year, but due to the delay caused by the Sea Race, two years had already passed. Walking along the main street of the market, one sees rows of tightly closed doors and windows. Although the battle on the south side should be temporarily over, due to the previous impact, it will likely be difficult to restore the former prosperity in the short term. Upon reaching the main street, even the Azure Treasure Pavilion had its vermilion doors half-closed, though not completely shut. Xiao Chen pushed one open and found a long-robed shopkeeper inside. "Oh, senior, the master is busy outside for the time being." "You can tell me what you need first, and I will report to the master as soon as he returns." The shopkeeper, only at the Foundation Establishment Cultivation, could only recognize that the person's cultivation was not low at first glance, not realizing that it was Nascent Soul True Lord. However, he quickly frowned, staring blankly at Xiao Chen's face. It was strange; this senior looked somewhat unfamiliar, not a regular customer. But he felt as if he had seen him somewhere before. The more the shopkeeper looked, the more uneasy he felt, then suddenly his eyes widened, and a flash of inspiration struck him—he remembered the distinguished guest from three years ago. At that time, Xiao Chen suddenly produced dozens of Spirit Artifact, which the shop's manager and head steward couldn't handle. This immediately alarmed his master, who rushed over to deal with it. The long-robed shop assistant happened to be the one accompanying him that day and witnessed the entire process. Therefore, he was deeply impressed by the seemingly young but respectfully revered senior figure. Later, he learned that the person was none other than the renowned Xiao True Person, the famous Xiao Chen True Person of the market at that time. It's important to understand that the rumors circulating in the market were already quite exaggerated. Some said that Xiao Chen tore apart Flood Dragon with his bare hands, trampled a fire phoenix underfoot, punched White Tiger, and slew Black Tortoise in the New Ruin New Ruin. Others said that Xiao Chen Xiao Chen like Devil Master descended to earth in the new ruins, single-handedly killing hundreds of Human Race Traitor, leaving rivers of blood. In short, the more exaggerated and powerful the stories, the better. He was clearly the number one among the younger generation of the Compassion Sea. After the long-robed shop assistant saw Xiao Chen in person, many people came to him to inquire about what this Senior Xiao looked like. Therefore, even after so long, he quickly recalled everything. "Oh, you're... Senior Xiao. I'm so sorry, my damned memory just didn't register!" The shopkeeper in the long robe immediately bowed and scraped, "The master instructed me beforehand that if you came, I must treat you well." As he spoke, he pulled out a chair from behind the counter and vigorously wiped it with his sleeve. Then, with a smile, he said, "Please wait here for a moment, I'll go and inform the master to come over." Xiao Chen nodded, "Of course, go ahead." After receiving approval, the shopkeeper in the long robe immediately retreated with small steps, abandoning the shop and heading straight for the side peak of the Sword Hut.