Chapter 100
Chapter 100: Yao Han’s Doubts
When Zhang Xuan was still at the Apothecary Guild, Zhao Ya returned to her living quarters.
“Finally, I am able to solve this problem of mine!”
Holding the medicinal herb that Zhang laoshi gave her in her hands, her excitement was apparent on her clean jade-white face.
Discomfort had been torturing her since childhood, and she was already finding herself unable to endure it any further. Upon hearing that there was a solution to her problem, she could no longer sit still.
“I have to grind this medicinal herb into powder before swallowing it with water…”
Just as she was about to find something to grind the medicinal herb, she heard footsteps and Butler Yao Han walked over sneakily.
“Xiaojie, I’ll… be leaving. No one has brought you any trouble, right!”
Xiaojie -> Young mistress
After offending the grandson of Elder Shang Chen and fighting with several teachers in the academy, he decided to leave the academy to avoid unnecessary trouble. Upon seeing that it was about time for Zhao Ya’s classes to end, he came back to find her.
“Brought me trouble? Who would bring me trouble?” Zhao Ya stared at Yao Han, “I say, Uncle Yao, you should stop being so sensitive. Zhang laoshi truly treats me well, and he is actually a capable teacher at that. Please stop troubling him!”
She knew her father’s butler didn’t trust Zhang laoshi, thus she tried to persuade him otherwise.
“Treat you well? Hmph, xiaojie, you have been living in the city since young, so you have never seen how vile a human’s heart can be…” Yao Han harrumphed. Before he could finish his words, his eyes happened upon the medicinal herb in Zhao Ya’s hands. His entire body froze before he started trembling uncontrollably.
“Xiaojie… That medicinal herb in your hands… Where did you get it from?”
“This?”
Lowering her head to ascertain what Yao Han was looking at, Zhao Ya lifted the medicinal herb up and said, “Zhang laoshi gave me this. I have been feeling unwell recently, so he passed me this to have me grind it and consume it!”
“Zhang laoshi gave you this? How is this possible? How can a poor teacher like him…” Yao Han was unable to believe the situation unfolding before him.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Yao. Is there something wrong with this medicinal herb?” Zhao Ya knew the other party was of reliable character and there had to be a reason for that expression of his.
“No, it’s not that there’s something wrong with the herb but that it is… too valuable! If I’m not wrong, this is… Frigid Sun Mother Grass!” Yao Han exclaimed.
“Frigid Sun Mother Grass?” Zhao Ya was lost.
“It’s the mother grass of Frigid Sun Grass. Its effects are ten times greater than that of Frigid Sun Grasses! Frigid Sun Grasses aren’t valuable, but this thing is extremely expensive! Back then when I was traveling around the kingdom alongside the city lord, I once had seen one and a single stalk was priced above hundred thousand gold coins!”
Upon hearing how valuable the herb was, Zhao Ya was taken aback. “Uncle Yao, are you not… mistaken?”
“I am not mistaken, this is definitely Frigid Sun Mother Grass! It is the most valuable medicinal herb that I have ever seen, so I have a deep impression of it! How can I possibly be wrong about it!” Yao Han took another glance at it to confirm his conjecture.
“Frigid Sun Mother Grass? Hundred thousand gold coins?”
Zhao Ya’s slim body trembled.
“You said… that Zhang Xuan… Zhang laoshi gave it to you?”
Yao Han dared not to believe it at all. As he spoke, he even changed his method of addressing the other party from Zhang Xuan to Zhang laoshi.
[Isn’t he the worst teacher in the academy? Isn’t his wages the lowest among the teachers?
To gift such a valuable medicinal herb so simply…]
“Indeed!” Zhao Ya nodded her head.
Back then when Zhang laoshi passed her the herb, he threw it casually to her as though it wasn’t anything valuable at all. In fact, it wasn’t even packaged, so all along, she thought of it as such… [Hundred thousand gold coins! That is sufficient to buy a residence in the capital.
Furthermore, a huge one.]
When others presented a gift, they would make a big fuss over it so as to make the whole world know how valuable their gift was. Yet, this Zhang laoshi created a cultivation technique just for her and gifted her such an expensive gift without demanding credit for it. He was completely nonchalant about it and if it wasn’t for Uncle Yao recognizing the herb, she would’ve just treated the herb as something invaluable and consumed it just like that…
Zhao Ya felt moved and her eyes reddened slightly.
“I can’t accept this. It’s too valuable!”
Zhao Ya’s slim body straightened and resolution appeared in her eyes.
She hoped to solve the problem plaguing her, but as a student, she couldn’t bear to receive continuously from her teacher without repaying him!
Usually, it was the students who gave their teachers gifts to please them. Yet, Zhang laoshi had given so much to them. It was one thing if she didn’t know about it, but now that she realized it, she wouldn’t be a human if she accepted his gifts nonchalantly!
“Uncle Yao, how much money do you have on you?” Zhao Ya turned around and asked.
“Only twenty thousand!” Yao Han flipped through his pockets and retrieved several notes.
He might be the butler of Baiyu City, but his mission this time was only to escort xiaojie to the academy, so he didn’t bring much money.
“Give it to me!” Grabbing it over, Zhao Ya didn’t hesitate and dashed out.
Feeling fretful, Yao Han hurriedly followed behind her.
Soon, they arrived at the classroom, but no one was in sight.
There was also no one at Zhang Xuan’s dormitory.
Upon seeing xiaojie so panicked, Yao Han utilized some of his connections and swiftly, he was informed that Zhang laoshi was at the Apothecary Guild.
Before leaving, Zhang Xuan didn’t try to conceal his destination. As the butler of the City Lord Residence, it was normal for him to possess such connections to gather information.
“Apothecary Guild? Could it be that… Zhang laoshi bought this medicinal herb there?”
Zhao Ya clenched her fist. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her jade teeth and said, “Uncle Yao, let’s go and find Zhang laoshi!”
If she didn’t pass this money to the other party, she would feel too embarrassed to accept this herb.
If someone treated her so selflessly, she would do the same to him!
How could she, Zhao Ya, consume such an expensive medicinal herb nonchalantly now that she knew of its value?
Soon, she arrived at the Apothecary Guild.
Now that they were here, it was easy to find news on him. It didn’t take long for the duo to find Wen Xue, who still had an awful look on her face.
“You mean… Zhang laoshi is currently taking the apprentice apothecary examinations?”
“Zhang laoshi? You’re saying that playboy… Zhang Xuan is a teacher?” Wen Xue was bewildered. After a moment, she recovered and nodded her head. “Un, he is currently taking the apprentice apothecary examination!”
“Apprentice apothecary?”
Zhao Ya and Yao Han exchanged gazes.
Disbelief was especially apparent on Yao Han’s face.
“An apprentice apothecary has to memorize the properties of medicinal herbs, and there is at least a hundred thousand medicinal herb they have to remember for the examination. Without several years of studying, it is impossible for one to pass the examination…”
Zhao Ya might not know too much about apothecaries, but as the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, Yao Han was well aware of it. Naturally, he understood the difficulty in becoming an apprentice apothecary.
A young and incapable teacher went to take the apprentice apothecary examination?
“He probably failed right… I know that this examination is difficult…” Yao Han couldn’t help but ask her.
“Fail? Initially, I shared your thoughts!” Upon recalling the earlier occurrence, Wen Xue still felt incredulous. She bit her lips and harrumphed, “There are three rounds to the apprentice apothecary examinations. The first round is Written Paper, and not only did he pass, he even achieved a perfect score. Currently, he is undergoing the second round!”
“Perfect score?” Yao Han’s body swayed.
The first examination assessed a candidate’s understanding of the traits and properties of medicinal herbs. Many people found themselves halted by this barrier. Yet, this teacher whom he had always thought of as a trash successfully passed the examination, achieving a perfect score even…
[To casually gift someone a medicinal herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins, to induce xiaojie to become his student so willingly and to achieve a perfect score in the first round of the apprentice apothecary examination…
Is he really the trash of the legends?]
For the first time, Yao Han doubted the rumors circulating around outside.
Chapter 101: Zhao Ya Is Moved
As xiaojie was adamant to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as her teacher, Yao Han had been looking into Zhang Xuan’s background these few days.
This Zhang laoshi was once known as a genius, reaching Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm by sixteen years old. However, his legacy stopped there. He had been stuck at that cultivation realm ever since and as time passed, the genius became trash.
At eighteen years old, he took the teacher examination and passed in one go, thus becoming Hongtian Academy’s youngest teacher. Back then, his name rang brightly, incurring the envy of numerous teachers.
Initially, they thought that this young teacher would be able to produce good results and soar to great heights. Yet, the reality was cruel. After news of the cultivation of his student going berserk spread out, all of the students he admitted withdrew from his lessons and he was left alone. Eventually, he even scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, causing his reputation to sour further.
Thus, Hongtian Academy’s youngest teacher became a joke and the greatest trash.
These rumors were everywhere! So he thought that it was just a moment of folly on xiaojie’s part, but as long as he properly enlightened her, she would realize her mistake and see through the true nature of this trash of a teacher!
At this moment, upon hearing that he scored perfectly for the first round of the Apothecary Examinations, his deep-rooted thoughts started to waver.
Apothecaries had to have an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and also a deep understanding of the human body. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for them to concoct pills suited for cultivators.
So, how could someone who passed the first round of the apprentice apothecary examination possibly cause a student’s cultivation to go berserk?
“No matter how good he is in theories, it is useless if he is unable to utilize them practically. The second round of the examination is Medicinal Herb Discernment Time Trial. Of the ten medicinal herbs, if he were to get a single one of them wrong, he will fail the examination…”
Wen Xue harrumphed furiously.
She still felt resentment toward Zhang Xuan. Initially, she thought that he was a playboy intentionally acting to attract her attention. In the end, he turned out to be someone capable, causing her face to burn in embarrassment and become unable to face the other party.
At this point, they saw two people walking over.
They were the two out of the three who passed the first round of examinations, Sun Tao and Qian Wen Man.
“How is it, did you two pass the examination?”
Wen Xue hurried forward and asked them.
As frequent candidates for the apprentice apothecary examinations, they were well-acquainted with one another.
“No!” The both of them shook their heads in disappointment.
They felt discontent, but this loss was something they could concede.
After all, they had to concede even if they didn’t want to. The other person scored full marks in the first round, and in the second, he was even able to point out the mistakes of true apothecaries… His abilities were way beyond their imaginations.
“Then… What about Zhang Xuan?”
Upon hearing that they didn’t pass the second round, Wen Xue couldn’t help but ask once more.
“He… passed. He is an apprentice apothecary now!” Sun Tao said.
“Apprentice apothecary?” Wen Xue’s small stature staggered.
Previously, when she was conversing with the other party, it had been clear to her that that fellow had zero understanding of medicinal herbs and such. In fact, he wasn’t even clear on what an apothecary was… Initially, she thought that it was a joke for him to register for the examinations, so she was filled with disdain toward him. Yet… Not only did he pass the round of examinations, he even went on to bash through the remaining two to successfully become an apprentice apothecary!
This slap caused a fiery and stinging sensation on her face.
She had toiled for so many years, only to be remain blocked out in the very first round…
Yet, the other party became an apprentice apothecary so easily…
She even mocked the other party for his thick skin…
Where did her confidence originate from?
“That… When will Zhang laoshi come out?” Zhao Ya looked around but didn’t see Zhang Xuan anywhere. Thus, she asked the two.
She wasn’t as surprised as Wen Xue was. That’s because the image of Zhang laoshi in her heart was omnipotent, and becoming a mere apprentice apothecary should mean nothing at all to him.
“He went to the book collection vault. He intends to return tomorrow afternoon to undergo Pill Debate to become a certified apothecary!” Sun Tao still found the situation unbelievable even as he said these words himself.
How much guts did it take for him to choose to undergo Pill Debate right after becoming an apprentice apothecary?
“Undergo Pill Debate to become a certified apothecary?” Wen Xue staggered and her eyes were about to pop out from their sockets. Giddiness filled her head.
“Tomorrow afternoon?”
[Are you for real!
Why does it sound like a joke to me?
Also… What in the world is a Pill Debate?]
“Pill Debate is another method for one to become an apothecary. One has to debate with ten official apothecaries and emerge victorious over them!” Seeing the perplexed looks of the crowd, Sun Tao explained. “This examination is even more difficult than Pill Forging and the penalties upon failure are much greater!”
At this point, he shook his head subconsciously.
“I have once read of Pill Debate in the books. The difficulty of it is much greater than the Pill Forging examination. One needs to triumph over ten official apothecaries in terms of knowledge on practical aspects of pill forging! It is an exceptionally difficult test!” Uncle Li suppressed the shock he was experiencing and nodded his head to affirm what Sun Tao said. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be baffled, “He is able to become an apprentice apothecary at such a young age, so he shouldn’t lack time. Why is he so anxious such that he had to choose to undergo Pill Debate. He could just tread upon the normal route to learn Pill Forging. After all, the consequences of failing a Pill Debate is difficult to bear!”
His accomplishment of becoming an apprentice apothecary under twenty years old was an incredible feat even when taking the previous thousand years of history of Tianxuan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild into account. He wouldn’t lose out much to slow down and learn Pill Forging properly. There was no need for him to put himself at risk by undergoing Pill Debate.
One must know that the difficulty of Pill Debate was several times that of Pill Forging and successes were rare.
“I’m not sure too. He seems to be looking for books regarding unique constitutions! However, these books are only available to certified apothecaries,” Sun Tao mused for a moment and recalled the conversation between Zhang Xuan and Ouyang Cheng, “oh, he also mentioned something about half a month. It seems that there is something urgent that requires him to become an apothecary within half a month to find those books!”
“Half a month? Unique constitution?”
While Wen Xue and the others simply found the situation baffling, Zhao Ya paled and trembled uncontrollably.
She had a unique constitution, Pure Yin Body.
This was something that Zhang laoshi told her.
Half a month, wasn’t that the day of the Freshmen Tournament? To be rushing to accomplish it within half a month… Could it be that Zhang laoshi intends to awaken her unique constitution to raise her strength?
After all, a unique constitution held no might if it wasn’t awakened!
It must be it!
Clenching her fists tightly, Zhao Ya suppressed the emotions in her heart. She looked at Uncle Li and asked, “Senior, you said that the penalties upon failure are great, may I ask what the penalties are?”
“This… I’m not too sure either!” Uncle Li shook his head.
He had only read of Pill Debate in the books, so he wasn’t really aware of the penalties.
“Oh, I know. Master Ouyang had spoken of it previously!” Sun Tao contemplated for a moment and said, “There is a total of three penalties. Firstly, one has to pay each apothecary with a hundred thousand gold coins, so that’s a total of a million gold coins for the ten of them! Secondly, he has to suffer a hundred God Slaying Flogs! Thirdly, he is banned from the apothecary examination for ten years!”
“A million gold coins? A hundred God Slaying Flogs? Banned from the apothecary examination for ten years?”
Zhao Ya’s body trembled even more intensely.
This punishment was way too severe!
In order to help her awaken her constitution, Zhang laoshi was willing to go through so much peril…
[Teacher… Thank you!
Even if I, Zhao Ya, were to be smashed to smithereens, it would be difficult for me to repay this gratitude!]
Unable to hold back her billowing emotions any longer, tears streamed down from Zhao Ya’s clean jade-like face.
Chapter 102: To the Top of the World
“Hu! It’s finally done!”
Zhang Xuan had been flipping through the books since afternoon, and it was already around ten at night. Finally done with his work, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
There were all kinds of books on in the basic tier book collection vault, and they were all regarding pill forging. Even though his cultivation realm had risen by leaps and bounds recently, flipping through that huge collection of books still caused him fatigue.
After flipping through all of the books, he confirmed that there were no books regarding unique constitutions in this book collection vault.
Naturally, he was unable to find an answer to his question.
That was to say, he had to become an apothecary to look through the advanced tier book collection vault to achieve his goals.
“This knowledge should be enough for the apothecary examination!”
Even though the Apothecary Guild in Tianxuan Kingdom was only a small branch, it had the powerful headquarters backing it. As such, even if the country were to fall, the guild would not. After a duration of several centuries, perhaps even a millennium, even a basic tier book collection vault would contain a vast amount of knowledge in it.
Even a true apothecary couldn’t possibly finish all of the books and assimilate all knowledge in them for his own.
However, Zhang Xuan was able to do so.
With this much knowledge, if he were to claim to be the second most knowledgeable person in pill forging in Tianxuan Kingdom, no one would dare to claim themselves to be the first.
Of course, this was all just theory. If he were to really try it, putting aside pill forging, he might even have difficulty starting the fire.
“I should go and grab a bite!”
Fondling his protesting stomach, Zhang Xuan stretched his back and walked out of the book collection vault with widened strides.
Right after eating breakfast, he went to lessons, underwent the Enlightenment Will Trial and took the apprentice apothecary examination… After busying himself for an entire day, his stomach had already started growling furiously long ago. If not for the rise in his cultivation realm and enhanced physical body, he might’ve found himself unable to persist on for that long.
The basic tier book collection vault was inside the examination hall for apprentice apothecaries. Walking out, he saw Ouyang Cheng and Du Man sitting inside. They were holding brushes in their hands, seemingly scribbling something on a piece of paper, and bewilderment, dilemma, contemplation, and confusion could be seen on their faces…
“What are you all doing?”
Seeing the two apothecaries in such a state, Zhang Xuan walked over curiously.
“Ah…”
The both of them were trying to figure out what Zhang Xuan was doing. Upon seeing him walk over, the both of them were taken aback. They hurriedly used their hands to cover the contents of the paper on the table.
Zhang Xuan lowered his head to take a look.
A few words come into his sight.
“Speculation on his motive for flipping through books in the book collection vault. Number 1: Act cool (30 votes); Number 2: Boredom (1 vote); Number 3: Investigating the material of the books (1 vote)…”
After reading the first few lines, black lines streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face.
[Is this about me?]
He was the only one flipping through books in the book collection vault previously.
[It is definitely about me, but… What the heck do the votes mean?
Furthermore, why is ‘act cool’ in the first place, and the number of votes on it…]
“Cough cough, we were just curious of your actions of flipping through the books in the book collection vault. Thus, we couldn’t help but discuss it…”
Exposed, Ouyang Cheng suppressed his embarrassment and revealed the truth.
Ouyang Cheng has a reputation for being a strict and stern apothecary. To think that he would be hiding in the room with another apothecary to discuss the motive behind an apprentice apothecary’s action of flipping through books, even getting others to vote on it… No one would believe it even if word was to spread out.
“I wanted to look for a book… I wasn’t able to find it, so I continued flipping through all of the books in the vault!”
Zhang Xuan casually answered.
He mustn’t reveal the truth about the Library of Heaven’s Path, but his action of flipping through the books was indeed a little bizarre, so it couldn’t be helped that others would hold suspicion toward his actions. Looks like he had to be more careful in the future.
Even so, he was just flipping through books. Others might hold doubt toward the intention behind his actions, but at most, they would just be unable to make heads or tails out of his actions. It was impossible for them to suspect the possibility of an existence of a massive library in his head.
“Such a simple answer…”
Upon hearing the answer, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man looked constipated.
They had been discussing the matter for an entire afternoon, even skipping their meals to do so. They thought that there was some special significance behind his actions. Never would they dream that the answer was so simple.
“What else would it be if not for that?” Zhang Xuan asked.
It would do as long as it didn’t involve the revelation of the existence of the Library of Heaven’s Path. He could tell a lie without feeling embarrassed over it anyway.
“Err… Alright then!”
Ouyang Cheng shook his head helplessly. After investigating and analyzing the issue for an entire afternoon, he didn’t expect the other party’s answer to be so simple. Thus, to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, he could only change the topic. “I have already informed the ten apothecaries about the Pill Debate. They will be here tomorrow, so make preparations for it. It will be conducted here tomorrow afternoon!”
“Great!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. After asking a few more questions about how the Pill Debate would be conducted, he turned around and took his leave.
After walking out of the room, he heard Du Man’s voice ringing behind him.
“You lost, pay up…”
“I lost, but you didn’t win either. You wagered most of your money on him acting cool…” Ouyang Cheng said with a displeased tone.
Zhang Xuan staggered.
[You all are respectable apothecaries, alright! To gamble over me…
Furthermore, acting cool? Your head that I am acting cool!]
With a stifled sensation at his chest, Zhang Xuan walked to the entrance of the Apothecary Guild and caught sight of Zhao Ya and the others.
“Why are you here?”
Bewilderment flashed across his eyes.
[This is the Apothecary Guild, not the academy. Why would Zhao Ya be here?]
“Zhang laoshi, thank you!”
Upon seeing him, Zhao Ya could no longer suppress the emotions in her and kneels to the floor. Gratitude reflected in her eyes.
“Stand up, stand up. What are you thanking me for?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
[What happened to this lass?
Kneeling down upon seeing me. Could it be that… her ‘illness’ is cured?]
At this point, he asked, “Have you eaten the Frigid Sun Mother Grass yet? How are its effects?”
Upon hearing ‘Frigid Sun Mother Grass’, Yao Han, who considered the possibility of whether Zhang Xuan was ignorant of the value of the herb before gifting it to Zhao Ya, trembled.
[It looks like he knows the herb! If so, he should know the value of it as well!
To give such a valuable herb to his student so casually, and to put himself in peril by taking the apothecary examination for the sake of awakening his student’s unique constitution…]
Regardless of how Zhang Xuan’s lessons were, just this responsibility of his was sufficient to leave him in awe.
“Zhang laoshi, I apologize for my previous insolent attitude and doubting your kindness. Please forgive me!”
Yao Han stepped forward and bowed in apology.
His previous actions were truly laughable.
[How can such a responsible teacher be inadequate in his teachings? Seems like the rumors outside are untrue after all.]
“This…”
Upon seeing the both of them behaving like that, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes.
[Can anyone tell me what is going on?
I had only taken an apprentice apothecary examination, why are they suddenly behaving so bizarrely?]
Soon, he made sense out of the situation.
Actually, his reason for coming here wasn’t just to awaken Zhao Ya’s unique constitution, it was more for Yuan Tao instead. He didn’t expect such a simple action to induce such feelings of gratitude in her.
However, he came to a realization after contemplating over the situation slightly. In the perspective of others, Pill Debate was something that was likely to end in failure. It was a huge risk to take, and yet he chose to proceed ahead even so. In their eyes, he had become a teacher who could give up his all and bash through all obstacles just for his students!
Just this sentiment itself was priceless!
Upon understanding this all, Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words.
His actions had moved Zhao Ya. But similarly, the other party’s actions had also moved him.
In the past, he had only treated these students as anchors to prevent him from getting expelled. However, at this moment, he realized the simple fact that all humans have emotions. They would treat you like how you treat them.
The children’s desire for knowledge and the gratitude they felt toward him made him understand the responsibilities of a teacher and the heavy burden they shouldered.
“Don’t worry. As my students, I will bring you all to greater heights, all the way to the top of the world!”
Clenching his fists tightly together, Zhang Xuan made a solemn vow.
At this moment, he had finally made his metamorphosis from a transcender to a teacher.
Boom!
The moment such a thought appeared, at the apex of the of the Library of Heaven’s Path, an intense peal sounded and a golden book formed. However, Zhang Xuan didn’t notice it.
Chapter 103: Fighter 6-dan Pixue Realm (First Half)
“Zhang laoshi, I don’t have sufficient money to pay for the Frigid Sun Mother Grass now, so I will pay you a portion first. Treat it as our Baiyu City buying it from you. After all, we can’t expect you to go bankrupt while teaching xiaojie…”
Xiaojie -> Young mistress
Oblivious to the changes that had occurred in Zhang Xuan, Yao Han stepped forward to pass over banknotes worth twenty thousand in total.
“There’s no need for it. It’s just a medicinal herb, it’s just a small affair!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
The responsibility of a teacher had just dawned on him, so how could he accept money from a student at this moment?
Furthermore, it was just a stalk of Frigid Sun Mother Grass. Frigid Sun Grass was only worth hundred gold coins per stalk, so a Frigid Sun Mother Grass shouldn’t be worth much either. His fortune counted in the millions, so why would he bother about that petty sum?
Furthermore, he obtained this stalk by acting cool, not even spending the least bit of money on it. His heart didn’t ache giving it away like this.
“This…” Upon seeing his resolute determination, Yao Han could only keep his money. Feeling impressed, he commented, “Zhang laoshi, I’m really impressed by your generosity. To give a herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins just like that, it’s laughable that I’ve thought that you were trying to scam our xiaojie…”
“What? Worth a hundred thousand gold coins?” Zhang Xuan’s lips quivered.
[This Frigid Sun Mother Grass is worth a hundred thousand gold coins?
Are you for real?
If I knew that it was worth a hundred thousand gold coin, I should have accepted your money!]
Other people gave presents to their teachers in a show of filial piety, so why was it that when it came to him, he was paying them instead…
“Yes!” Yao Han looked over with a peculiar expression, “Could it be that Zhang laoshi doesn’t know of its price?”
“I…” Even though his heart was bleeding, he knew that he couldn’t retract his words at this point. As such, he assumed a stern face once more. With an arrogant aura that treated all worldly objects contemptuously, he said, “Of course not, money means nothing to me at all. Zhao Ya is my student, and a herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins is but a small matter. If it’s beneficial to her, there’s no need to hesitate over mere money!”
Since what’s done is done, he could only go ahead and sell her the favor.
“Xiaojie has truly found a good teacher!”
Seeing his attitude, Yao Han was truly in awe of him.
[No wonder xiaojie kept praising him. Just his morals itself is sufficient to send others in awe like me.]
Standing by the side, Wen Xue looked on the situation in embarrassment. If only there was a burrow here, she would’ve dived in immediately.
The other party was such an upstanding and noble teacher, yet she mistook him as a pursuer of hers, treating him disdainfully… Her actions were truly laughable!
Thankfully, he had a generous heart and was indifferent to her rudeness. Otherwise, his identity as an apprentice apothecary was more than sufficient to have her permanently expelled!
“Let’s return. I have to prepare for the Pill Debate tomorrow as well!”
A single act had cost him a hundred thousand gold coins… Besides, the money wasn’t anything much. After all, Baiyu City was paying for it, not Zhao Ya…
Suppressing the urge to cry, Zhang Xuan walked out to the streets.
By the time he returned to the academy after having dinner, it was already nearing midnight.
“Since I’m not tired yet, I should look into how I can break into Pixue realm!”
In his previous life, he was a nocturnal owl. Furthermore, given his level of cultivation, his physical condition was much better than how it was back then. Even though it was already late at night, he wasn’t tired in the least.
After exposing the might of a Pixue realm expert in the Enlightenment Will Tower today, the academy should be making a move soon to confer him the title of an elder.
Upon becoming an elder, he would be granted entry into the elders’ Compendium Pavilion.
By then, he would be able to obtain sufficient Fighter 6-dan secret manuals to perfect his Heaven’s Path Divine Art.
Of course, before then, studying it was okay as well.
After all, he had duplicated quite a few secret manuals from Master Lu Chen’s residence. Even though only a partial of the words were true and as such, unable to be linked together to form a complete version, it was still worth studying.
With a jolt of his mind, a dozen books or so which he saw in Master Lu Chen’s residence appeared in his consciousness.
“Actually, Pixue realm cultivation isn’t very difficult. The only difficulty one will face is the sequence of breaking through the acupoints!”
After scanning through the numerous manuals, Zhang Xuan came to a realization.
[It is said that there are 108 acupoints on a human body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific sequence to opening these acupoints. Everyone’s physical body is different and as such, there is a different sequence for everyone to follow to achieve optimal results. If one didn’t find the correct route, it’s likely that they might only be able to open thirty to forty acupoints and be stuck there for the rest of their lives.
It’s just like cleansing the silt and mud off a river. Only by cleansing from the upper stream can the river be cleansed entirely. If one were to start from the center, not only will the river not be cleaned thoroughly, it may even cause a blockade!
This is precisely the reason why the first acupoint to open is important. If one were to get it wrong, it will have disastrous repercussions.]
“This book 《Golden Flame Technique》 says that the first acupoint to open should be the Shenli acupoint, only with strength can one break through the other more important acupoints. On the other hand, this 《Art of Sun Adaptation》 says that one should start from the Zhongshu acupoint because it is in the direct center of the human body…”
The acupoint one should start with was different in every single book and each of their reasoning seemed logical.
Others might end up becoming confused upon reading through all these, but Zhang Xuan possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path. With but a single glance, he knew that all of it… were false!
“Being unable to find the correct acupoint is equivalent to being unable to find the source of a river. If an error was to occur from the very start, it would be difficult to push on afterward. Forget it!”
After studying for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan realized that none of the manuals held the correct answer to the first acupoint he should break through. Just when he was about to give up, an idea popped up in his mind.
“If what is recorded in all these books are false and given that a human only has 108 acupoints in total, if I were to try them one by one, wouldn’t I be able to figure out the sequence of which I should open up my acupoints?”
The method to break through acupoints was simple, one just had to use their zhenqi to surge through it. The main problem was the sequence to doing so. Since these were all wrong, of the 108 acupoints in his body, there had to be a correct one!
Other people might be unable to try them one by one, but such a problem didn’t exist for him!
As he possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, after eliminating all mistakes, what was left should be naturally correct!
“Give it a try!”
At this point, Zhang Xuan didn’t hesitate any further. Picking up a brush and paper, he wrote out the 108 acupoints on a human body out and canceled away the incorrect first acupoints from the various secret manuals from it, followed by the other acupoints that were proven to be in the correct positions for him in the sequence listed in the books.
After which, only twenty acupoints were left of the 108.
However, there was no need to worry. Zhang Xuan hand copied a manual and alternated the twenty acupoints in the first acupoint within the sequence one by one.
Weng!
A new secret manual appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path, displaying the errors and flaws of it.
At his thirteenth try, his mind jolted and the secret manual reflected the first acupoint that had no flaws.
“Haha, I’ve succeeded! To think that it would be the Xinqiao acupoint. Since the Library of Heaven’s Path has not pointed out any errors in it, it means that this is the first acupoint I should break through to enter Pixue realm!
“Xinqiao acupoint is a hidden acupoint in a human body. Without pure zhenqi, it’s impossible for a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle to open it. No wonder it isn’t written in any of these manuals…”
After verifying the first acupoint he had to open, Zhang Xuan was filled with excitement.
Xinqiao acupoint was located in the depths of one’s heart. It was reputed as one of the 36 Locked Acupoints. Without sufficiently pure zhenqi, not only would one be unable to open it, one’s cultivation might even go berserk while attempting to open it.
If not for the verification by the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would’ve never believed that this would be the first acupoint he needed to open.
It was no wonder that he was unable to find the correct sequence in the manuals he duplicated. To think that the correct acupoint for him to start with was one of the Locked Acupoints.
From the looks of it now, even though it was termed as ‘Locked Acupoint’, but with the correct sequence, one would be able to break it open!
Chapter 104: Fighter 6-dan Pixue Realm (Second Half)
“Let’s begin!”
Everything else went easy after discovering the correct acupoint. The method to breaking them open was about the same. Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan directed the zhenqi in his body towards the Xinqiao acupoint.
Boom!
Not long after, there was a loud explosion and Zhang Xuan’s body swayed uncontrollably.
Instantaneously, Zhang Xuan felt a qualitative improvement in his mental state.
Regardless of whether it was his vitality or his reaction speed, they improved by leaps and bounds.
He had successfully broken through Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm!
If he closed his eyes at this instant, he could sense radiance emitting from an acupoint within his body, like a star in the middle of a dark night.
Goo goo goo!
With the acupoint opened, spiritual energy immediately gushed in, inducing a rise in his strength by a single ding.
“Great!”
Sensing the changes in his body, Zhang Xuan knew that he had successfully accomplished a breakthrough to the next realm.
“Even without cultivation technique manuals, I can always try to fumble around for the correct part by experimenting with every single possibility. Even if there are ten thousand possible routes in my cultivation, as long as I toss out all of the erroneous ones, I will eventually find the correct one…”
His eyes twinkled with excitement.
It was just a conjecture he came up with abruptly, so he didn’t really expect to succeed.
Of course, such a method was only possible for Pixue realm. There was a total of 108 acupoints in the human body and they were all fixed in place. Thus, it was possible for him to try them one by one. However, if he really tried to create a cultivation technique of his own out of nowhere, even with the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would surely tire himself to death.
Actually, Zhang Xuan didn’t know that the reputation for the 36 Locked Acupoints didn’t come from nowhere. Without the purest zhenqi, it was impossible for one to break open the acupoints.
Using a simple analogy, if the other acupoints are paths, the 36 Locked Acupoints are pinhole-sized paths. Impure zhenqi is like muddy water. Even though it can flow through the other paths with ease, it is an impossible task for it to pass through the pinhole-sized paths! Just the silt in the muddy water itself is sufficient to plug up the path. If one tries to break through it forcefully, they might end up crushing their acupoint instead, causing an imbalance in their body, and ultimately, death.
Zhang Xuan cultivated the flawless Heaven’s Path Divine Art and his zhenqi had no impurities in it whatsoever, like completely pure water. Even when facing pinhole-sized paths, it could easily pass through to break open the acupoint successfully!
“I should continue with the second acupoint!”
With a single successful experience, Zhang Xuan continued to look for the second acupoint. After awhile, the second acupoint was successfully opened as well.
The hardest part of the Pixue realm was in finding the correct sequence to open the acupoints. As long as one found it, breaking through the Pixue realm was an extremely easy task.
……………………………………
Zhao Ya’s residence. Yao Han was sitting at a distance not too far away from Zhao Ya.
“Xiaojie, tell me about this Zhang laoshi and your physical condition. Why do you need to consume the medicinal herb?”
Initially, he was prejudiced against Zhang Xuan, but after seeing him put himself in peril for his students and gifting a medicinal herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins so casually, he couldn’t help but doubt the notions he had of him.
His actions might be a façade, but that tranquil and nonchalant aura of his and that disposition of an enlightened expert couldn’t be feigned.
How could one who possessed such aura, disposition, and morals possibly be a villain who fooled women?
Looked like he had been mistaken from the very start!
Furthermore, xiaojie had been healthy all along. Why did she need to consume this medicinal herb? Not to mention, such an expensive and valuable one?
Filled with doubt, he couldn’t help but bring them up upon reaching her residence.
“Zhang laoshi… Initially, I was prejudiced against him as well until I saw his capabilities personally and listened to his lectures….” Zhao Ya started to recount everything that happened ever since she met Zhang Xuan.
Upon speaking about her physical “illness”, her face flushed red.
In the past, she would definitely be too embarrassed to speak of it. She would wonder if she had problems with her innate nature and her body. However, upon getting the truth of the matter from Zhang laoshi, she managed to get past that barrier of hers.
For a person possessing Pure Yin Body to cultivate a pure yin cultivation technique, it resulted in yin energy accumulating in her body and if not for her outstanding mental resilience, she would have given in long ago.
“Pure Yin Body? Xiaojie has Pure Yin Body? To think that we were unaware of that! We even made you cultivate the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill….”
Upon hearing the symptoms and pain the girl had undergone throughout the years, Yao Han’s face paled.
He was of the same generation as Zhao Ya’s father and he had long seen Zhao Ya as his own daughter. If not for Zhang laoshi seeing through to the crux of the problem, xiaojie might still be trapped in the quagmire of pain, unable to pull herself out of it. Unable to see through this all despite being a senior who had been beside her all this time, he felt intense self-reproach and remorse.
Back at the Apothecary Guild, he had heard her say that she had a unique constitution. Back then, it wasn’t convenient for him to ask about it. Never in his dreams would he imagine that it was of this kind, and that such aftereffects would occur upon cultivation a pure yin cultivation technique.
“Since this Zhang laoshi is so capable, why would his reputation be so…”
After listening to the words of the young girl, this Zhang laoshi seemed to be an incredible figure of great capabilities. However, if he were that incredible, his reputation should have long ago rung far and wide. Why would the results of his investigation be that he had failed the Teacher Qualification Examination and even caused a student’s cultivation to go berserk?
“Today, due to Liu Yang’s affair, the Education Bureau conducted an Enlightenment Will Trial…”
Zhao Ya went on to talk about the incident that occurred at the Enlightenment Will Tower.
“What? You mean… it was due to Elder Shang Chen’s intentional oppression that his reputation is so poor? Zhang laoshi, in consideration for the image of the academy, didn’t expose him? His strength is already that of Pixue realm pinnacle?”
Yao Han shuddered.
If he didn’t hear this news firsthand, he would have never believed it.
For the head of the Education Bureau of an established academy to be so shameless!
On the other hand, for Zhang laoshi… to be such a noble person!
Looked like he was indeed mistaken!
Not just him, everyone was mistaken about him!
“I have never seen Elder Shang Chen, but Shang Bin laoshi, who is his grandson, is interest-motivated and vicious. Naturally, his grandfather can’t be any better…”
If anyone else heard such rumors about the head of the Education Bureau, they would definitely doubt the reliability of the news. However, Yao Han didn’t have the slightest hesitation in believing Zhao Ya’s words.
He had never met Shang Chen, but he had met Shang Bin.
The wounds on his face were the doing of the other party!
Since the grandson was of such character, how noble can the grandfather be?
Birds of the same feathers flock together!
“Uncle Yao, now that you know about Zhang laoshi’s affairs, I hope that you can be more respectful to him from now on!” After concluding her explanation, Zhao Ya looked at Yao Han with a grim expression.
“Rest assured! Your uncle isn’t a foolish person. I know what to do from now on!” Yao Han nodded his head. The next instant, his expression darkened. The authoritativeness and self-confidence of the butler of a powerful family exuded from him as he continued, “However, this Shang Chen and Shang Bin had caused me to bear misunderstandings about Zhang laoshi, not to mention how they soiled his reputation. I must converse with the city lord and have them punished!”
“Yeah! Such vile people deserve to be punished!” Zhao Ya nodded her head.
She was unlike Wang Ying.
Wang Ying had a docile and honest nature while she, as the daughter of a city lord, possessed a valiant disposition. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have barged into Zhang Xuan’s classroom angrily upon hearing others praise him.
This was precisely the reason why, upon hearing Yao Han say that he would teach the duo a lesson, she didn’t hesitate and immediately nodded her head in agreement.
If not for this head of the Education Bureau, Zhang laoshi wouldn’t suffer such injustice and be viewed mockingly and contemptuously by the rest of the world.
Otherwise, given his capabilities, how could he possibly be unable to recruit any students?
They must be taught a lesson, and a severe one at that, one that will send their reputation down the drain!
“Uncle Yao, I will be troubling you to spread this information. The more people know of it, the better!” At this, Zhao Ya issued a command.
“Yes!” Yao Han nodded his head.
Chapter 105: New Worries (First Half)
Pipa! Pili pala!
Throughout the entire night, the sound of him breaking through in his cultivation could be heard every now and then as his strength soared continuously.
“To think that the night would be over in a flash!”
Finally, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.
The sun had already risen.
Despite going without sleep the entire night, not only did Zhang Xuan not feel fatigued, he even felt revitalized instead.
With the level of purity of his zhenqi and the uniqueness of his Heaven’s Path Divine Art, breaking through his cultivation realm was an extremely easy task. It was just that it took time for him to identify the correct acupoints. Even so, in a single night, he had opened over twenty acupoints!
Going by conventional standards, a fighter could only open 72 acupoints in their entire body. Every 18 acupoints opened was considered a tier.
That was to say if one opened 1-18 acupoints, he was in Pixue realm primary stage, 19-36 acupoints for the intermediate stage, 37-54 for advanced stage and 55-72 for pinnacle!
However, due to the low purity of zhenqi that most people possessed and incorrect sequence they opened their acupoints in, the cultivation of most people stopped progressing after opening thirty to forty acupoints. The only way for them to grow stronger was to try to break through Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm.
As a result, the classification above remained in theory. Based on Tianxuan Kingdom’s standards, Pixue realm basic stage was classified as opening 1-10 acupoints, intermediate stage 11-20, advanced 21-30 and pinnacle 31 and above.
As long as one opened 31 acupoints and above, regardless of whether it was 31 or 72, they were all considered as Pixue realm pinnacle in Tianxuan Kingdom!
When Zhang Xuan was still at Dingli realm pinnacle, he already possessed 8 ding of strength. After recultivating his first three cultivation realms, his strength was boosted by 12 ding. Adding them up together, he possessed a total of 20 ding of strength before breaking into Pixue realm. After opening 20 acupoints, just taking into account zhenqi itself, he possessed 40 ding of strength. That was equivalent to a Pixue realm pinnacle expert!
Other people had difficulty opening a single acupoint in the course of half a month while he opened 20 of it in a single night. Furthermore, 90% of the time was spent on researching the correct sequence. No one would be able to believe that it was possible for one’s cultivation realm to soar that rapidly.
However, if the flawless Heaven’s Path Divine Art didn’t have such effects, it wouldn’t be worthy of the word ‘perfect’.
After grabbing some food to eat, he headed to the classroom.
………………………………
“You’re saying that… In order to find a way to awaken your unique constitution, Zhang laoshi was willing to undergo Pill Debate to become an apothecary?”
In the classroom, Zhao Ya revealed what had happened yesterday to Wang Ying and the rest.
“Zhang laoshi had created cultivation techniques for us, and now he is putting himself at risk for our welfare…”
“No matter what, we must achieve good results in the Freshmen Tournament. Otherwise, we would’ve truly let down Zhang laoshi, and his efforts to groom us would be in vain!”
The eyes of Zheng Yang and the others burned passionately. Even the usually lazy Yuan Tao was agitated.
Warriors died fighting to protect their soulmates. Zhang laoshi had done so much to protect them. If they still knew none of the gratitude at this point, they would truly be ingrates!
“No, I have to start cultivating right now!”
“Me too!”
In an instant, zeal consumed everyone and only a single goal retained in their minds. That was to bring glory to Zhang laoshi by astonishing everyone with their strength in the Freshmen Tournament!
“What is wrong with them all?”
Upon walking into the classroom, he saw that not only were all his students present, every single of them were cultivating seriously and diligently. Zhang Xuan found the situation slightly queer.
Was there something wrong with these fellows?
“Teacher!”
Just when he was about to start his lessons, he saw Wang Tao, Wang Yan, and Zhao Yanfeng walking over.
Zhang Xuan had already agreed to have Wang Tao and Wang Yan listen to by the side of the class. However, why was Zhao Yanfeng here too?
“I impertinently made my own decision to withdraw from Lu laoshi’s tutelage. If my decision had caused you trouble, please punish me!”
As soon as Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom, Zhao Yanfeng immediately confessed.
Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan came to a realization why Lu Xun picked a fight with him out of nowhere.
So this was the reason.
Despite being the most reputable star teacher in the academy, two students of his withdrew from his lessons to listen to the lessons of the worst teacher. No matter who it was, they would definitely find this situation unacceptable.
How could he continue teaching other students in the future if word were to spread out? How could he win his student’s trust like this?
“Alright, you can listen to my lessons!”
Since the matter had already happened, if he sent Zhao Yanfeng back, others might think that he was afraid of Lu Xun. As such, he could only pretend to be unaware of the matter.
In any case, he wasn’t obliged to offer pointers to students listening in his lesson. They were free to leave if they want to and it wouldn’t really waste any time of his.
“Stop for a moment. You all should have already tried to cultivate the cultivation techniques I passed you all yesterday!”
Ignoring the trio, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and the others.
“We have!”
The eyes of his students glowed in excitement.
The cultivation technique Zhang laoshi had created for them was incredible! With just a single night of training, they felt the energy within their body growing stronger. Just the effort of a single day was comparable to what they achieved in ten previously!
As such, they felt even more impressed with the teacher before them.
“Un, let me see your punching routines. Wang Ying, we’ll start from you!”
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over to her.
“Yes!”
Wang Ying stepped forward and swiftly executed a punching routine.
“Not bad!”
After which, Zhang Xuan casually offered some pointers and pointed out a few flaws in her cultivation.
The same occurred for Zhao Ya, Liu Yang, and the others.
All in all, the speed at which his five students were cultivating at were rather fast. In fact, it was an astonishing speed compared to other students.
Even so, if they were to continue at this pace, there would still be a significant gap between his students and Lu Xun’s.
Lu Xun was a star teacher of the academy. Those who studied under him were basically the top students of the entire academy.
The entrance examination assessed a student’s overall performance and their potential. Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and the others were only able to squeeze into the top hundred via their potential. If one were to only consider their fighting prowess, only Zhao Ya was better off among the five of them. The other four would probably be ranked below 500.
This was especially true for Yuan Tao. His placing in the entrance examination was reflective of his strength.
It was impossible to have the several hundred of students under Lu Xun fight with the five students of his. That would be unfair. As such, he would pick five of them out to fight with them.
To choose the top five out of several hundred powerful students, it was clear to see how difficult it would be for Zhao Ya and the others to triumph over them.
Putting aside the others, the top three students of the entrance examination had come under his tutelage and all three of them had already broken into Fighter 2-dan!
Given how the five of them were unable to defeat Zhu Hong, who was ranked fourth, despite ganging up against him, how could they possibly deal with the other three individually?
Even though potential, talent, and personality could help to boost a student’s ranking in the Freshmen Tournament, what was valued the highest was still strength!
Without strength, everything else was empty talk.
Once they lose on the sparring field, all of the former would be negated by the others.
“Wang Ying’s legs has just recovered and her body hasn’t adapted to the changes in her body yet. As such, she is unable to utilize her strength properly. With two months of rest, her condition should improve, but half a month… That is too difficult!
“Zheng Yang has just escaped from his trauma, allowing his mastery of the spear to improve rapidly. However, it’s possible for weapons to be banned in the Freshmen Tournament, given the nature of it as a sparring contest. His advantage might very possibly become his downfall. I have to find a way to boost his bare-handed fighting skills within this period!
“Also, it will take at least half a month for the condition of Liu Yang’s right arm to improve, and by then… Sigh, time is truly lacking!”
Looking through the conditions of the few via the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella and his worry reflected on his face.
Chapter 106: New Worries (Second Half)
If he were to train them conventionally, he was confident that he could induce a massive improvement in his five students, grasping the entire school by surprise.
However, it was too daunting a task to achieve it within half a month to make it in time for the Freshmen Tournament.
Regardless of whether it was Wang Ying, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang or Wang Tao, each of them had problems with their bodies. Even though he knew the remedy to treating each of them, it was hard for him to resolve their problems entirely within this short period of time.
The Library of Heaven’s Path could see through flaws, but it didn’t show him the correct way to resolving them.
The methods he came up with to solve the problems that his students encountered were the conclusions he came up with after researching innumerable books, so the effectiveness of them all could only be considered average.
That short amount of time he had wasn’t sufficient to solve their problems entirely, needless to say, induce a rapid growth in their cultivation.
Of course, if he were to impart the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to them, their cultivation would surely soar immediately. However, Zhang Xuan knew that he mustn’t impart the cultivation technique to anyone else.
Possessing a treasure beyond his ability to guard was a crime. It was possible that it might bring him calamity if news of his cultivation technique were to spread out.
Even if the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to identify the locations of the mingmen of his opponents, it wasn’t of much use if he was battling against enemies far above his cultivation realm.
Putting aside the fact that true experts did not have such weakness and even if they had, if he was unable to match up to them in terms of speed and strength, he might not be able to damage the latter even if he were to hit them squarely at their vitals!
“Zheng Yang’s situation is slightly easier to resolve. I can try to find a battle technique for him. Within half a month, he should be able to achieve some level of accomplishment in it. This should be sufficient for him to deal with most opponents!
“I have helped Wang Ying to open up the blocked acupoints on her legs. However, two years of injury has caused severe damage to her fundamentals. Her meridians and muscles require a long period of recovery. Conventional methods can’t possibly allow her legs to recover completely in half a month, needless to say, attain a higher level! Unless… her legs are nourished with a specialized medicinal solution!
“On the other hand, Liu Yang needs some pills to clear his obstructed meridians!
“As for Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao, just as what I have analyzed before, it should be sufficient as long as I find a way to awaken their unique constitution!”
All these sounded easy, but carrying them out would prove to be difficult.
Putting aside the others, even Zheng Yang’s problem, which seemed easy to solve, was tricky. He had learned the way of the spear for many years and he might find it difficult to grasp bare-handed techniques. If he was unable to assimilate the battle technique to his own, it might potentially become his downfall instead, causing his fighting prowess to regress instead!
Learning powerful battle techniques took time and learning weak ones were pointless. To assimilate a technique to his own in half a month… The difficulty to do so was clear for all to see.
“Putting aside the matter of Zheng Yang’s battle technique, Wang Ying’s medicinal solution should be able to be found in the Apothecary Guild. That is to say, the problems of the four of them can be settled at the Apothecary Guild!”
Determination reflected in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, “Looks like I have to pass today’s Pill Debate by hook or by crook!”
Actually, after the threat of his expulsion had passed, he could’ve taken it easy and taught his students leisurely. However, since Lu Xun came running over to undermine his dignity, as a transcender with a cheat code, how could he possibly allow him to climb over his head?
Sayings such as ‘The river reverses its flow after 30 years’ were all nonsense. One didn’t simply wait for revenge to come by itself. Since the other party is willing to send his face over, naturally, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t go easy on him.
Furthermore, even though it seemed as though he had settled the Education Bureau and wouldn’t be fired in the short term, but there were still a lot of people waiting for him to make a fool out of himself. After all, he stepped over the dignity of a school leader as a teacher and caused a scandal in the school. People were already gossiping about how the school didn’t know how to choose its personnel. There wasn’t a single organization that would allow the existence of a ticking time bomb in their ranks.
If he was unable to make his stand in the Freshmen Tournament, all kind of pressure would come stacking upon him, making his life difficult.
Thus, he had to win, regardless of the price he had to pay.
As for why he didn’t choose to simply leave the academy when there’s a massive world out there… As a teacher, if he were to lose upon being challenged, it was no different from a guilty criminal escaping pursuit. It would leave a stain in his records in the Teacher Guild and by then, he would probably be unable to even be promoted to a high-level teacher, much less say, master teacher.
However, this wasn’t the main reason. The main reason was that these five students of him already held absolute trust in him. He had already become an important person in their lives, and as a teacher, he could not let them down!
“Alright, I’ll start the lessons now!”
Upon arriving at a conclusion, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic and started teaching his students calmly.
His lectures were based on the numerous correct theories he had gathered from all the books in the teachers’ Compendium Pavilion.
They were profound albeit boring, giving the listeners an epiphany.
Not only did his five students benefit greatly from his lecture, even Wang Tao, Wang Yan, and Zhao Yanfeng, who were listening in by the side, flushed red in agitation. They felt as though they had just eaten a ginseng fruit.
At this moment, they realized that just by listening in, even without Zhang laoshi’s personal guidance, they had struck the jackpot.
As long as they continued listening to his lessons seriously, their cultivation would surely rise by leaps and bounds.
What Zhang laoshi was explaining was a new type of training system, an entirely new perspective, something that would revolutionize the entire world of cultivation.
“I’ll end the lesson here! Cultivate properly when you all return, I will check your cultivation tomorrow!”
Looking at the time, it was already nearing noon. Zhang Xuan gestured for them to leave.
“Yes!”
Zhao Ya and the others rose and bade Zhang Xuan farewell.
“The Pill Debate is about to start, I should head over now!”
Time didn’t wait for anyone. Since he applied for the Pill Debate, he naturally would not give up on it. Zhang Xuan walked out of the classroom toward the Apothecary Guild.
Soon, upon reaching the guild, Wen Xue came welcoming him.
The contemptuous gaze yesterday had been replaced with that of respect.
Even though the person in front was younger than her, he was already a certified apprentice apothecary. She dared not to offend him.
“Apothecary Ouyang Cheng asked me to wait here for you. He says that the ten apothecaries are here and the Pill Debate can start at any time now. Of course, if you wish to go back on your words, you can also choose to cancel this Pill Debate!”
Wen Xue said.
“There’s no need to cancel it!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
It would take too much time for him to become a 1-star apothecary through Pill Forging. Since he was able to do it today, there was no reason for him to back off.
“This way!”
As though seeing through his intentions, Wen Xue shook her head and brought him in.
It was the building where the apprentice apothecary examination was held. However, they proceeded deeper within and soon, they arrived at a vast hall.
Several hundred square meters large, ten chairs were placed in a circle at the center. There was a giant cauldron placed behind the circle of chairs and a flame burned majestically beneath it, bringing one a stifling sensation.
Pill Debate, in order to ascertain whether a theory was true or not, had to be verified on the field. The cauldron was here for such use.
“Zhang Xuan, you’re here. It isn’t too late to regret now. Rest assured, with your talents, if you were to become my apprentice, I will make sure that you will be able to forge pills within half a year to pass the apothecary examinations!”
Jiya! The door opened and Ouyang Cheng walked out. His words carried a tone of persuasion to it.
He still didn’t think that it was likely for this young man to pass the Pill Debate.
“Half a year is too long!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
[What a joke! If I had half a year of time, I wouldn’t have to go through the trouble to come knocking at the Apothecary Guild in search of books.]
“Alright!”
Knowing that there was no way to persuade him otherwise, Ouyang Cheng shook his head in disappointment.
In his perspective, Zhang Xuan was still young and thus, it couldn’t be helped that he would be complacent. Once he blew it up, he would know the difficulty of Pill Debate.
“Esteemed guests, please enter!”
Upon his shout, numerous human figures entered the room. There were exactly ten of them, and some of them were middle-aged while others are elderly. Even the youngest of them was probably at minimum 40 years old.
The apothecary from yesterday, Du Man, was also within the group.
These people were wearing a robe specially made for apothecaries. There was a unique emblem hanging on their chest, and the single star on it was exceptionally conspicuous.
1-star apothecaries!