Chapter 1 Coachman

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"Low profile!

Low profile!

I must keep a low profile!

—Important things must be said thrice.

I, Zhang Xuan, have always been a low-profile and humble person."

Gazing at the lines he had just written with water on the table, Zhang Xuan touched his slightly swollen cheeks and looked towards a jujube-red steed in the stable.

"It's not that I can't beat you, but I want to keep a low profile. Having just arrived here, I don't want to start a dispute with a horse—attracting attention would not sound good..."

Muttering to himself, Zhang Xuan instantly felt much better.

It has already been five whole years since that battle in the Empyrean. During this time, he learned to create his own universe, successfully recreated a new Library of Heaven's Path, and only afterward did he understand that all the energy maintaining the new world came from this place called "Origin." Once severed, all spiritual energy would disappear, and the entire world would collapse.

Five days ago, the linked Source World suddenly became restless, and the new world was also badly affected, even he himself suffered severe injuries from the backlash of his power. To save countless lives and himself, he had no choice but to follow the power to this place. And upon entering, he was immediately restricted by the dense Origin Power, unable to use his cultivation that was completely confined within his body.

At this moment, not only was he badly injured, but his body could only exert the strength of an ordinary person, unable to wield greater power.

Without an identity, one was a refugee, unable to shop or stay in an inn, and always facing the danger of being killed or captured. Zhang Xuan was no exception. Soon after entering Baiyan City, he was taken to Mo Mansion and gloriously became a... coachman!

As the World's Teacher, tending to horses was one thing; even Sun Wukong had his time as Horses' Fortune. But to be beaten by a horse was really an embarrassment...

This horse belonged to Mo Yanxue, the young mistress of Mo Mansion, named Suxiang. Not yet three years old, it was very spirited. Because it was not allowed to be tethered, it often fought over his food, resulting in quite a few conflicts.

Zhang Xuan had put up with it for three consecutive days. Once, twice, but not a third time, on the fourth occasion he, a lord of a realm, finally decided to take action, and thus... ended up being kicked, his face all swollen, looking now like a panda with even worse injuries...

"If I wasn't injured, I would definitely kill you..."

After rubbing his face with a wet towel for a bit and feeling much better, just as he was worried about going hungry again today, he heard urgent footsteps coming his way.

Two figures walked into the stable.

A young man and a woman, leading them was a girl around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a dark green long skirt, with a melon-seed-shaped face, her eyebrows revealing a dignified elegance, her black eyes cold with a hint of indifference—it was none other than Mo Yanxue, Suxiang's owner, the young mistress of Mo Mansion.

The man nearby, fat with a weight of over 200 pounds, with narrow triangular eyes and a mustache—Housekeeper Feng Jin—it was he who brought him here in the first place.

"Crap!"

Zhang Xuan's eyelids twitched.

He had just been pummeled, and in a moment of anger, tethered Suxiang. Now that they had seen this, it was bound to cause a lot of trouble... As expected, upon seeing the horse tied up, Feng Jin's face turned ashen and he couldn't help but scold loudly.

"Zhang Xuan, you lowly subordinate, how dare you tether Suxiang? Are you seeking death?"

"I was just tidying up the room and feared disturbing Suxiang..."

Zhang Xuan hurriedly explained.

"Shut up! A mere coachman should just follow the rules! Taking matters into your own hands... do you think you have the right?"

With a cold gaze, Feng Jin said, "Let me tell you, the young mistress is going to report to Baiyan Academy tomorrow for the Source Pool evaluation. If she passes, she will embark on the path of cultivation and soar to great heights! If something happens to Suxiang because of you and it affects the mistress's important event, not even a hundred lives of yours would be enough to make up for it!"

Zhang Xuan was puzzled: "Source Pool evaluation?"

Feng Jin: "Indeed, to practice cultivation, you must first find the Source Pool within your body and successfully open it. The young mistress has done so and naturally can take the evaluation to become a true cultivator."

"Yes!"

Zhang Xuan quickly bowed his head, memorizing the names "Source Pool" and "Source Pool evaluation."

Just as Feng Jin was about to continue speaking, Mo Yanxue suddenly spoke up, her voice cold, like the clashing of iron and stone: "This young mistress is clear about rewards and punishments and will not arbitrarily reward, and I will also not deliberately make things difficult. Suxiang's coat is glossy, its hocks are strong, and its eyes are bright—it seems you have not mistreated it. However, a mere coachman disregarding the rules and making decisions— if everyone did so, wouldn't the Mo Family be in chaos? Deduct three days of meals, let this be a warning to others!"

"Yes!"

Feng Jin quickly nodded, his face full of flattery: "The young mistress is truly magnanimous..."

"It's just a trivial matter, there's no need to waste so much effort!"

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Gently stroking the pink mane of the handsome horse, Mo Yanxue turned to Zhang Xuan and said, "Though autumn has begun, the weather remains hot. You are responsible for fanning it and bathing it. If I find out Suxiang is in a bad mood because of the heat, it won't be as simple as missing a meal. Instead, you'll be dragged out and beaten to death. As a mere coachman, no one would seek justice for your death if you died."

Zhang Xuan nodded repeatedly, "Miss, rest assured, I will do my utmost."

After saying what needed to be said, Mo Yanxue turned and walked away. She was just passing by the stables and came to check if her mount was being mistreated; seeing that it was well-cared for, she felt at ease.

Before long, Feng Jin sent over a cart of fine feed. The delivery was made by a thirty-something subordinate named Wu Xiang, who had been with the Mo Family for a full ten years and had frequently skimmed off Zhang Xuan's food.

Acting as his direct superior and despite being stern on normal days, Wu Xiang had nevertheless crossed paths with him a few times. Zhang Xuan couldn't resist asking a question that had been on his mind, "I just heard Housekeeper Feng mention something about 'Source Pool' and 'Source Pool evaluation'. May I ask what that means?"

"This is a term related to cultivation!"

Wu Xiang was not an easy person to converse with, but since these matters were no secret and there were people he could ask, he did not conceal the information, "Origin qi is the most primal force among the heavens. It can create and reshape the world, its power endless and boundless. To control such a mighty force is not easy, naturally, it requires a special method..."

After listening for a while, Zhang Xuan began to understand.

Origin qi was powerful enough to suppress even his own cultivation. For ordinary people to absorb it would probably be like swallowing concentrated sulfuric acid—fatal on the spot!

And the Source Pool was precisely the container that held this force, similar to the dantian used for cultivation on the Master Teacher Continent.

"... Origin qi is divided into nine tiers, from grade-7 to grade-1, with grade-7 being the lowest and grade-1 the highest. The 'Source Pool evaluation' is a test to assess the tier a Source Pool can withstand. The higher the tier is endured, the greater the achievements one can attain in the future!"

Finally, Wu Xiang snorted, "You don't even know what a Source Pool is, so don't harbour any hopes for cultivation. A subordinate is a subordinate, and you should not delude yourself with aspirations of leaping onto a branch to become a phoenix. Although the Mo Family does not restrict martial arts practice, unauthorized cultivation without permission is punished with death if discovered..."

After sending Wu Xiang away, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

It seemed that becoming a master in this world was not as easy as he had imagined.

Putting everything else aside, just finding and developing a Source Pool was a hassle.

"I need to find a cultivation technique first to tailor it..."

The way of the heavens in this world was completely different from that in the Empyrean, rendering the Heaven's Path Divine Art and the Library of Heaven's Path useless. At this moment, he was even more distressed than when he had first transmigrated to the Master Teacher Continent.

Back then, he still had the identity of a teacher; now, he was just a coachman... It felt rather sorrowful just to think about it.

Shaking his head to clear these distracting thoughts, Zhang Xuan unconsciously untied the rope that tethered the horse.

"Hiss hiss~~"

Suxiang let out a roar, lifting its front hooves violently and kicking out at him again.

Quite obviously, the creature felt that he had been released a bit too late and was somewhat angry...

"A wise man does not brawl with a horse, my restraint is not cowardice, it's being low-key..."

His body swaying, Zhang Xuan was just about to dodge the attack when a sudden idea popped into his mind.

"If Origin qi can be likened to the spiritual energy of the Master Teacher Continent and refined into zhenqi... The new world that I've created also absorbs Origin qi. Then... could the power forged within it be directly used as zhenqi?"

This thought, once it surfaced, became unstoppable. With a mental command, the new world Zhang Xuan created began to operate, and immediately a special Origin Power spread to his palm.

At that moment, the forehooves of the Suxiang Horse were right in front of him, and without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan extended his palm lightly forward, and the force surged out powerfully.

Bang!

The air seemed to crack like a whip, the Suxiang Horse's large eyes filled with fear. With a crisp sound, it was sent flying for more than a dozen meters, neck twisted awkwardly as it heavily crashed to the ground, breath ceasing instantly.

"Dead, is it dead?"

His vision darkening, Zhang Xuan felt an urge to cry.

He had agreed to keep a low profile, hadn't he? Why did this major commotion happen in an instant?

However, as luck would have it, a casual slap had done the deed. He never dreamt the normally arrogant creature was so frail...

Done for, he had caused a huge disaster!

The young lady treasured this horse like a jewel; if she found out he had killed it, it was doubtful he could leave the Mo Mansion alive.

No, he had to think of a way to slip away in advance!