Chapter 390: The Ancient Technique of Aura Reading
The Four Great Ancient Clans of Xuanyuan Nation are existences beyond the mundane, and even the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts dare not provoke them.
On ordinary days, the Ancient Martial Sects might dare to slightly provoke that small village in the northwest, but when it comes to the Four Great Ancient Clans, they don't even dare to cause trouble, or even know where the clan's young members are.
Fortunately, for over two thousand years, the Four Great Ancient Clans have rarely shown themselves, mostly remaining hidden from the world. Had it not been for the last century when Xuanyuan Nation almost faced the crisis of extinction, the Four Great Ancient Clans would never have made an appearance, let alone meddle in the nation's affairs.
At that time, it was not the entire Four Great Ancient Clans that took action. It was merely two individuals who turned the tide – those two individuals were none other than the two old men from the Utility Pavilion today, Zhuge Wuming and Tang Bai.
What was even more terrifying was that Zhuge Wuming and Tang Bai were not of the Direct Lineage of the Four Great Ancient Clans but mere Outer Sect Disciples they had taken in.
This goes to show the terrifying strength of the Four Great Ancient Clans. It is said that they are inheritors from the Ancient Era, but what that specifically entails, no one knows. In short, to the people of both the Mortal World and the Ancient Martial World, the Four Great Ancient Clans are a mystery.
So, when faced with the threat and provocation from the young man in white, the old man from the Buddhist Sect did not dare to even fart, let alone stand up to him. Just sending out an Outer Sect Disciple was enough to compete equally with the peak existences of his sect; if one or two from the Direct Lineage were to come out, wouldn't that spell the end for his entire sect?
Although the disciples of the Buddhist Sect were visibly shaken with anger, none of them dared to speak out. Not even their Grand Sect Leader dared to make a noise, so how dare the disciples and grandchildren of the sect take a stand.
Seeing this, the young man in white let out a cold snicker before turning his head back to Monk Wu Zheng and said, "You haven't shown your Divine Path Object yet, have you? Want to give it another try?"
Monk Wu Zheng did not respond, merely clenching his fists and biting his teeth in silence. He knew very well that his opponent was overwhelmingly strong, and that even using his Scarlet Divine Path Object would be in vain.
In the end, it was the old monk from the Buddhist Sect who spoke up. With a long sigh and a chant of Buddha's name, he said, "Wu Zheng, come down. The Dao Technique this young man cultivates is very special. It's not that your talent is inferior to his, but your starting points are different."
Although what he said did not make much difference, Wu Zheng felt much more comfortable hearing it, knowing that his Sect Leader was simply providing him with a way to step down gracefully.
Therefore, without any hesitation, Monk Wu Zheng brought his hands together and said, "Esteemed fighter, your combat power is strong; I am thoroughly convinced and concede defeat willingly!"
After saying this, Wu Zheng turned and walked down from the arena, showing himself to be a gracious loser. The young man in white could not say much at this point and merely shrugged, seemingly finding this level of competition boring, then walked down from the arena as well.
At this moment, although the Vermilion Bird Meeting Hall erupted with thunderous applause, the area occupied by the Nine Great Sects was deathly quiet. Not a single person applauded, and they all lowered their heads in shame.
With the emergence of the Top 2 of the competition— the young man in white from the Bu Family and Ye Feng— both represented the Utility Pavilion. In other words, the side of the Nine Great Sects had been completely wiped out.
Even though the number of participants from the Utility Pavilion was far fewer than that of the Nine Great Sects, the two who made it to the final were both from the Utility Pavilion, a fact that could only make the members of the Nine Great Sects feel ashamed.
At this time, the eleven elders at the highest platform of the meeting hall erupted in uproar, especially the old man from the Holy Mansion of Confucian Sect who was most furious and shouted, "Tang Bai, you better give us an explanation. This competition was meant to be a contest between the Nine Great Sects and the Utility Pavilion. Why did you invite someone from the Four Great Ancient Clans?"
Tang Bai sneered upon hearing this, "According to the competition rules we decided on, there was no stipulation that neither party could invite outside help, was there? Besides, have you forgotten that I myself am from the Bu Family of the Four Great Ancient Clans? Inviting a member of the Bu Family for assistance, what is so surprising about that?
That none of you even considered this possibility, isn't it rather pitiful?"
At this point, Tang Bai could hardly restrain his laughter. Now that the two finalists were from the Utility Pavilion, it meant that they had already won, and subsequently, they could rightfully take control of the Martial Dao Academy.
While the impact might seem limited in the short term, if it persists over time, it could affect the Martial Academies across the country, perhaps even influencing the future direction of the Martial Dao. The position of the Nine Great Sects might be shaken or even dissolved. Thus, how could the old men of the Nine Great Sects not be angry?
Tang Bai was very pleased but still had some reservations, as one of the top competitors was Ye Feng. To some extent, Ye Feng's backstage supporter was Zhuge Wuming, and the young man from the Bu Family was the one he had brought in.
In other words, these two individuals respectively represent their elders, and whoever wins the upcoming match will determine not only which elder succeeds but also who claims the seat of the Supreme Elder of the Utility Pavilion.
However, Tang Bai was not worried, for the representative of the Bu Family was after all from one of the Four Great Ancient Clans. Even though he was not from the Direct Lineage, he was undoubtedly extraordinary. As for the Northern King Ye Feng, he did possess some talent for martial arts, but it was far too inferior compared to the scions of the Four Great Ancient Clans.
Throughout this process, Zhuge Wuming had remained silent. He certainly had his concerns, but he trusted Ye Feng more, for he practiced a particularly unique Ancient Method that allowed him to perceive phenomena that were invisible to ordinary people. This technique was the Ancient Qi Gazing Technique.
Zhuge Wuming saw that the young man in white from the Bu Family had a scarlet Qi that soared like a rainbow, and it was cyan in color, even materializing to some extent in the form of columns. According to the levels outlined by the Qi Observing Technique, every person's Qi is different, and it is linked to one's life and can even determine the height of one's achievements.
According to the Qi Observing Technique, from lowest to highest, it is classified into red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, with red being the lowest and purple being the most noble. A typical emperor, for example, has purple Qi. The phrase "Purple Qi Comes from the East" refers to this concept.
Of course, within these seven levels, there are three Ranks – advanced, intermediate, and basic – based on purity or turbidity.
For instance, if two people are on the same Level, both having red Qi, but one person's red Qi is very pure while the other's is quite chaotic, then the one with the pure Qi will have a higher Rank and, naturally, greater future achievements.
In fact, this Qi Observing Technique is quite rare, especially during the Ancient Era, where it was highly popular, only to have been less transmitted to the present times. Zhuge Wuming could very clearly see that the young man in white from the Bu Family had cyan Qi above his head, a pillar of cyan that reached towards the heavens.
This was already considered a very high Rank and Level, even surpassing some of the more tumultuous blue Qi.
This indicated that the young man in white was an extraordinary individual. As for the Northern King Ye Feng, what puzzled Zhuge Wuming was that under his Qi Gazing Technique, Ye Feng had Qi of all seven colors, which were constantly shifting and changing.
Especially recently, the Qi above Ye Feng's head had been gathering more tightly, even showing signs of dissipating. According to the highest records of the Qi Observing Technique, it is impossible for a person to have no Qi at all. However, if a person's Qi changed from nonexistent to existent, there were two possibilities.
One possibility is that this person is about to die, and the other is that this person is gradually reaching a level of control over their destiny. Once the Qi above their head completely consolidates, that would mean they could govern their own fate, becoming the master of their own life.
Such individuals are often quite terrifying because it's not just that they are powerful, but it also indicates that their accomplishments have endless potential. This level of Qi has already surpassed the previous seven kinds and is even more noble and powerful than purple Qi.
In reality, Zhuge Wuming was not mistaken. Initially, Ye Feng had Qi of all seven colors because he had cultivated the techniques of someone from more than two thousand years ago, which led to those results. Now, the gradual disappearance of his Qi was due to his possession of the Divine Path Heavenly Edict Scroll, through which he was steadily taking control of his own Qi and destiny.
Although Zhuge Wuming saw all this, he did not share it with anyone, not even the one ancient clan behind him that was among the Four Great Ancient Clans, as he had his own personal agenda.
An elder from the Buddhist Sect said with a cold snort, "The Four Great Ancient Clans always remain hidden and do not show themselves. If they sent the two of you out because the Xuanyuan Nation faced danger in the last century, that was one thing, but now they have let this young man from the Bu Family come out. Could it be that the Four Great Ancient Clans are planning to emerge into the world?" Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
This was what the Nine Great Sects were most worried about. If the Four Great Ancient Clans emerged, the Nine Great Sects would undeniably have to step aside.
At this point, Zhuge Wuming finally spoke, "The Four Great Ancient Clans have their own mission, and they will not appear in the world lightly. Please rest assured on this matter. However, the Martial Academy is not to be underestimated; it must be controlled by the Four Great Ancient Clans."
At this, Tang Bai's expression darkened, and he snorted coldly, "So if you refuse to accept this, you'd better weigh carefully whether you have the strength and courage to contend against the Four Great Ancient Clans!"
His implication was that the Martial Academy must be under the control of the Four Great Ancient Clans. The young man in white from the Bu Family was merely a representative put forth by the clans. Right now, they spoke as if they had already decided that the young man from the Bu Family would be the winner of the Martial Dao Competition, completely overlooking Ye Feng.
Of course, aside from Zhuge Wuming, almost no one in the entire meeting hall was optimistic about the Northern King Ye Feng's chances, and even his few followers did not believe that their lord could win the upcoming battle.
Just then, the host, Zhao Gongming, reappeared on the platform and announced loudly, "Let us first congratulate the top 2 for making it this far. Next, I invite both to the stage for the final contest of Heaven's Proud Sons!"