Suspicion

Cai Ma had previously discussed treasures with Zhang Xuezhou, believing that Zhang Xuezhou's green wood might involve an innate Chaos Spirit Root, while Kong Anguo guessed it was a chaotic alien Spirit Root.

These two statements differ, but both point to unconventional Law Treasure.

Zhang Xuezhou touched the green wooden staff, and for a moment he didn't expect that it was his own cultivation level that made it difficult for him to control this Law Treasure.

The Treasure Refining Formula he obtained from Li Shaojun was still effective. In fact, the Treasure Refining Formula belonged to the Daoist School tradition, and the Daoist School patriarch also had similar Law Treasure. This feeling of following in the footsteps of his predecessors was undoubtedly good, and it put Zhang Xuezhou at ease.

This wasn't just a problem for him; Li Shaojun also had insufficient cultivation, which led to his inability to control the situation.

"Special beings beyond the Three Realms!"

What truly gave Zhang Xuezhou pause for thought was Kong Anguo's mention of Qingmu's background.

Beings beyond the Three Realms are beings that do not belong to this world. They might be beings controlled by otherworldly demons like Zhang Xuezhou, or they might belong to otherworldly demons like Huo Liuxing.

"No wonder I've repeatedly felt that Presenel's Inner Core can be used for alchemy, and the hallucinogenic effects of the purple sword orchid after alchemy have been greatly enhanced. These alien creatures are indeed special, even more so than the Zodiac Immortal..."

Zhang Xuezhou regrets that he may have discovered Huang Daoxian's true form, but his cautious nature led him to choose to destroy him rather than use him to Law Treasure or refine elixirs.

Judging from Aoki's situation, Huang Daoxian might be similar, with a life nature possibly close to Aoki's. However, Aoki's growth is insufficient, and he might be no match for Huang Daoxian.

"If the greenwood doesn't grow enough, and I find it difficult to refine and enhance it further, this treasure might not be able to accompany my cultivation level as it continues to rise!"

Zhang Xuezhou had verified the power of the Green Wood, which allowed him to suppress cultivators of the same level.

However, as his cultivation level continues to rise, Zhang Xuezhou is unsure whether Qingmu can still provide the same abilities.

He felt that he had experienced many hardships in his cultivation journey, but Zhang Xuezhou never doubted that he had reached a dead end in his cultivation. He only felt that he was facing difficulties, and he never had the thought of giving up.

With his physical ailment, the Sole Self Realm seems very distant, and the True Self Realm seems even more unattainable.

However, when Zhang Xuezhou entered the Divine Ability Realm, he vaguely sensed his own path of cultivation.

Using elixirs to repair the Heaven and Earth Bridges is one way out, and the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation can, to some extent, replace the function of the physical body. This is a mystery that he has not yet explored, and it also exists in the future.

In his real world, Zhang Xuezhou is in good health and does not have the problem of the Heaven and Earth Bridges.

With one side leading and the other following, Zhang Xuezhou felt that things weren't so hopeless that he couldn't see the way forward.

He sat with Kong Anguo for a long time, until it got dark before getting up to say goodbye and prepare to go home to switch worlds.

"Dongfang Shuo is exceptionally talented; he must have some powerful force supporting him!"

Kong Anguo escorted Zhang Xuezhou out of the Sage Kong and only returned to his room after seeing him walk away.

He let out a soft sigh.

"You feel a sense of kinship with him, and you're afraid he'll face repercussions from the court in the future, aren't you?"

A head popped out of the room, and Kong Zhong moved a coffee table aside and jumped out.

"Without the backing of a powerful force, it's very difficult for a young man his age to reach the Divine Ability Realm," Kong Anguo said seriously. "Although there are extremely rare exceptions, these exceptions cannot be taken as a reference. In general, those who reach the Divine Ability before the age of thirty are all backed by a powerful force!"

"He originated from the Yin-Yang School..."

"Not just the Yin-Yang School!"

Kong Anguo shook his head.

The Yin-Yang School was indeed a powerful force in the past, and it was possible for them to cultivate disciples with extraordinary talent. However, the Yin-Yang School of today is unlikely to have such an ability.

"Then what major power do you think he belongs to?" Kong Zhong asked. "Don't tell me he's from the Immortal Court!"

"After much deliberation, I truly feel that only the Immortal Court is a possibility," Kong Anguo said. "Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, our Confucian School currently holds the greatest influence, but it's difficult for us Confucian School to bestow such a fortune!"

"Dong Zhongshu achieved his Divine Ability before the age of thirty, he..."

"Dong Zhongshu was thirty-one years old," Kong Anguo corrected, "While Dongfang Shuo was twenty-seven. These four years are but a fleeting moment for those with long lives, but for young cultivators, they represent a significant proportion of their cultivation time."

"If your speculation gets out, it could be deadly. Let's just say he's a cut above Dong Zhongshu in terms of talent," Kong Zhong said.

"He has been very good to me, and I will not speak of it casually," Kong Anguo shook his head repeatedly. "Even if he has some schemes against the Great Han Dynasty, it will only change the dynasty's masters. Everything in our Eastern Land will remain the same. Moreover, our Kong Household cannot afford to provoke the powerful forces behind him at present. I cannot casually spread this matter."

Kong Anguo looked at Kong Zhong. His own father had worked himself to the bone his whole life, even shrinking his body, and had only managed to reach the Divine Ability Realm.

Kong Anguo skipped the Divine Ability Realm in one leap, but entering the Divine Ability Realm also requires a lot of time and effort. Being able to enter the Divine Ability before the age of thirty-five is considered qualified.

The fact that this kind of cultivation took so long for Zhang Xuezhou was also unbelievable.

Kong Anguo was almost 90% certain that Zhang Xuezhou originated from the Immortal Court, and the remaining 10% attributed it to other Sacred Land, making it impossible for him to have a clean background.

"Since you approve of him and are on good terms with him, you should remind him not to flaunt his cultivation and Divine Ability, lest people become suspicious," Kong Zhong advised.

"He should rarely make a move!"

Kong Anguo shook his head.

If he were to reach the Divine Ability Realm at such a young age, Kong Anguo felt that his temperament would be difficult to control, and the Confucian School would surely elevate him as they had done with Dong Zhongshu and others.

Kong Anguo's character is like this, then it goes without saying that other young people are like this.

But since meeting Zhang Xuezhou, he has never heard any rumors about the other party having the ability to suppress the younger generation. Moreover, the other party is so low-key that he doesn't seem like an arrogant member of the younger generation at all.

Kong Anguo couldn't even find any history of Zhang Xuezhou showing off any Technique Method, even though they had met many times.

"Interesting!"

Kong Anguo finally gave a thumbs-up, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was a remarkable cultivator.

If the other party is not a deeply wicked and cunning person, then they must be a kind and honest person.

When a cultivator reaches this level, there are only these two evaluations, and few other neutral ones can be said to exist.

"I heard from people in the court that he was cursed, and after the Imperial Medical Hall opened his skull, he developed health problems and would occasionally fall into a coma for more than ten days at a time." Kong Zhong asked doubtfully, "Would someone like him really have the power to wholeheartedly cultivate him?"

"He wasn't cranially opened before being chosen by the Immortal Court... wait, after that, he would occasionally fall into a coma for more than ten days at a time?"

Kong Anguo suddenly came to his senses.

Opening the head inevitably damages the body, and physical disabilities can lead to numerous difficulties in cultivation for cultivators. Some disabled but determined cultivators may even resort to unorthodox methods.

Kong Anguo knew many shady ways to make money, but the most he knew of was losing an arm or a leg; he had never heard of someone having their head opened.

"If his skull had been opened, the connection between the Heaven and Earth Bridges would have been destroyed. How could he possibly attain Divine Ability under such circumstances?"

If he were in Zhang Xuezhou's situation, Kong Anguo felt that after surviving such a calamity, he would marry and have children, placing all his hopes on the next generation and thus abandoning any thought of cultivation.

The other party is still showing signs of unconsciousness, which means that potential problems remain.

He pondered this over and over, unable to fathom how Zhang Xuezhou had managed to break the deadlock.