There was a moment of silence as the three of them tried to comprehend what was happening, while Lin Xuan was just confused.
He had always thought that the cultivation technique he was using was exclusive to the Bai Clan, and believed he would be crippled or even killed by their elders if they found out.
"Zihan’er, where did you obtain this technique?"
Bai Ren asked curiously.
Such a technique—who would have thought it would be with Bai Zihan?
Moreover, Bai Zihan had never explored the outside world and mostly stayed at the Bai Clan’s estate. So where did he get this?
"I don’t really remember. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember,"
How could he explain that he redeemed this from the System Store?
These people didn’t even know what a System was, much less believe in something they couldn’t see.
Besides, the System was his biggest secret—and in this lifetime, he wasn’t going to reveal it to anyone.
Once again, Bai Ren and the others were dumbfounded by Bai Zihan’s answer.
They felt like they were being treated like idiots if Bai Zihan thought he could fool them with such a dumb excuse.
But Bai Ren didn’t press him. To him, it didn’t matter where Bai Zihan had gotten the technique—this was still great news.
"Zihan’er, can I look at this technique?"
Bai Ren asked politely.
Bai Zihan didn’t think much of it. In fact, he didn’t value it highly enough to hesitate.
"Lin Xuan, show him!"
Bai Zihan instructed casually.
Lin Xuan nodded, took out the cultivation manual, and handed it to Bai Ren.
Bai Ren accepted the manual carefully, his fingers slightly trembling as he opened it.
The moment his eyes scanned the first few pages, his pupils contracted.
Even someone at his level could sense the mystery and profundity within the technique.
What shocked him even more was that the cultivation technique worked best when practiced at night under the stars.
That meant that—even under suboptimal conditions—the Star Breathing Technique was already comparable to the Azure Dragon Breathing Technique.
"...This isn’t just some ordinary Earth-Grade technique," Bai Ren muttered under his breath.
"It’s at the very peak... almost worthy of being called Heaven-Grade."
Chu Ziyan and Bai Xueqing both stiffened.
They had only ever heard of such techniques in legends—passed down by ancient sects, buried in ruins, or created by peerless sages who stood above the heavens.
There was no one who possessed one in the Desolate Heaven Empire.
That meant this cultivation technique was among the best there was.
And Bai Zihan had just given it to a servant?
Well, Chu Ziyan at least was aware that Lin Xuan was more than just a servant—unlike Bai Xueqing, who still had no idea what had happened recently in the sect.
Bai Ren, meanwhile, was still reading. After several minutes, he finally closed the manual and sighed.
"Zihan’er... I don’t know where you got this, but this technique is extremely powerful. You must treasure it dearly."
Bai Zihan just scoffed.
If this was something to be treasured, then what about his actual Heaven-Grade cultivation technique?
"But why did you teach something so precious to someone like him?"
Bai Ren asked, staring at Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan was nervous, but he didn’t flinch under Bai Ren’s gaze—which honestly surprised the old man.
(Hoho! Would you look at that?)
Bai Ren thought, seeing Lin Xuan stand tall and face him head-on. At the very least, the kid wasn’t showing fear or backing away.
That made Bai Ren believe there was something special about Lin Xuan—something that made Bai Zihan treat him differently.
Bai Zihan echoed, his tone sharp.
"Perhaps Grand Elder hasn’t heard yet?"
Bai Ren was clearly confused.
"Tsk! What is the Bai Clan even doing? Such big news, and they don’t even have a clue?"
Bai Zihan clicked his tongue in irritation.
He figured this ignorance will probably be one of the reasons for their demise.
Bai Xueqing’s ex-fiancée must’ve caused quite a stir, and yet the Bai Clan remained blissfully unaware.
Then again, if most of them were like Bai Xueqing—just cultivating in seclusion all day—maybe he shouldn’t be surprised.
Bai Zihan thought that it was about time that he sent someone to check on that supposed protagonist.
He also recalled the Bai Clan members at the sect who had been avoiding him ever since he arrived.
Grand Elder Bai Ren looked more and more confused as Bai Zihan kept cursing the clan without giving any proper context.
"Grand Elder, allow me to explain!"
Seeing that Bai Zihan probably had no intention of doing so—and was just going to keep roasting the Bai Clan—Chu Ziyan stepped in.
She explained Lin Xuan’s incredible performance during the Heaven Sword Sect’s assessment test and how he was revealed to have a Heaven-Grade Dao Resonance.
"Heaven-Grade Dao Resonance..."
(No wonder Zihan was pissed. That’s a huge deal, and the Bai Clan had no clue. I’ll need to teach that brat Tianheng a lesson for this kind of oversight...)
Though the Bai Clan’s ignorance was partly due to the Heaven Sword Sect’s tight information control—they didn’t want anyone trying to poach Lin Xuan.
Of course, even they couldn’t block everything. Some clans already knew and had tried to recruit Lin Xuan in recent months.
Lin Xuan had rejected them all, obviously.
Bai Zihan was likely the only Bai Clan Member present at the assessment test—and maybe even the entire Heaven Sword Sect—who could’ve passed the message along.
Everyone else was either out of the sect or hiding in seclusion, probably just to avoid him.
In a way, it was also his fault that the Bai Clan hadn’t heard a thing about what was happening in the Heaven Sword Sect.
"Haha... such great talent. Young man, you have a bright future ahead of you!"
Bai Ren said, smiling.
He wasn’t just impressed by Lin Xuan’s talent—he was also beginning to understand why Bai Zihan had done what he did.
"Thank you for the praise, Grand Elder!"
Lin Xuan responded politely.
Bai Ren nodded in joy.
It seemed that Bai Zihan had planned everything carefully, even if he didn’t understand how the boy had known about Lin Xuan’s potential before the test.
But that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that the Bai Clan now had a top genius on their side.