Chapter 391

Chapter 391: These Little Bastards!

In a sense, the Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan was the most correct method in absorbing the blood essence. As though a plant that had thirsted for several years, Zhang Xuan’s body greedily absorbed the energy within the spirit blood.

After an unknown period of time.

Boom!

With a loud bang, as though something had exploded, and Zhang Xuan’s physical body strength had broken through a bottleneck and reached a brand new level.

Hu!

Breathing out a mouthful of turbid gas, Zhang Xuan realized that his entire body was revitalized, and his skin was more compact and smooth. At the same time, his appearance looked slightly more dashing, and his figure became slightly closer to the golden ratio.

He had succeeded in the cultivation of Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan!

The two drops of spirit beast blood essence which he had rubbed on his acupoints had been absorbed cleanly by his body.

“Time to test my strength!”

Knowing that it was hard to determine the growth in his physical strength, Zhang Xuan walked over the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar not too far away, raised his fist, and struck it.

Kacha!

The rock pillar shuddered, and it was nearly broken into pieces. A line of numbers slowly floated into appearance.

“9999 ding? Just a step away from reaching ten thousand?”

Zhizun realm was also known as Ten Thousand Ding realm. Given that Zhang Xuan’s strength had reached 9999 ding, it meant that he was invincible against all those beneath Zhizun realm!

“It is a pity that the amount of spirit beast blood essence is too lacking. If I have several dozen more, I might be able to reach Zhizun realm pinnacle…”

Zhang Xuan lamented.

Even though he had mastered Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan, he knew that his physical strength hadn’t reached its cap yet. As long as he had sufficient blood essence, he could continue to cultivate the technique and his strength would continue to rise swiftly.

But even so, Zhang Xuan was already contented.

Lin Ruotian was stuck in Zongshi realm pinnacle for a very long time, and even after using the energy harnessed within the spirit beast blood essence, he only managed to achieve a zhenqi strength of around 9000 ding.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan’s breakthrough was in his physical body, and his physical body strength had reached 9999 ding. The difficulty in doing so was several folds above that of the former.

One’s zhenqi could run out in the midst of a battle, but physical strength was constant. On top of that, physical body cultivators possessed nearly invincible defense in comparison to those of the same cultivation realm, allowing them to match with three to four of zhenqi cultivators easily.

But of course, this was assuming that there wasn’t a huge disparity in the skills and battle techniques of both sides.

“With this kind of strength, I’ll be able to defeat a Zhizun realm primary stage cultivator easily, and even when facing a Zhizun realm intermediate stage expert, I won’t be completely helpless!”

Previously, when Zhang Xuan’s strength was still at Zongshi realm pinnacle, he was already able to easily defeat the Half-Zhizun realm Lin Ruotian, who possessed a strength of more than 9000 ding. Given that he had managed to achieve such a huge leap in his strength, naturally, his fighting prowess rose significantly as well.

At Zhizun realm primary stage, one’s strength would finally break through the ten thousand ding mark. Then, for every increment within the cultivation realm, one’s strength would increase by another ten thousand ding, thus granting one the strength of forty thousand ding at Zhizun realm pinnacle!

9999 ding of physical body strength, coupled with 5000 ding of zhenqi strength, added up to a total of 14999 ding. With such strength, Zhang Xuan was able to rival against Zhizun realm intermediate stage experts.

Seeing the raise in his strength, Zhang Xuan heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Previously, Lin Ruotian had told him that he had informed Princess Consort Lin Long of the matter, so it was highly likely that she would send her men over. Even though Zhang Xuan acted nonchalantly on the surface, he was quite concerned over this matter.

Given that he had managed to achieve a huge leap in his strength, he could finally relieve himself of the huge worry in his heart.

Heaving a long sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan suddenly remembered that Lu Chong was still in the room. Quickly extracting his consciousness from the storage ring, he turned around to look for Lu Chong, only to see the youngster staring at him with mouth agape and eyes widened into huge circles.

The current Lu Chong was experiencing a slight breakdown.

As soon as he passed the Lin Clan’s storage ring over, his teacher had started to go into a daze. After a long moment, he suddenly leaped up, as though suffering from a stroke, and struck the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar…

Then… the pillar displayed 9999 ding of strength!

What in the world happened?

His teacher had only whipped out a jade bottle, dabbled some crimson liquid on his body, fell into a daze, and his strength immediately surged. Not only did he achieve a breakthrough, he even nearly reached Zhizun realm…

How in the world did he do it?

All along, Lu Chong thought that he had improved swiftly through the poison tempering, but after seeing his teacher, he realized that… it wasn’t a big deal at all.

Other people would die of old age trying to reach the Half-Zhizun stage, but his teacher only had to fall into a momentary daze to do so… And not to mention, that daze brought him right to the peak of Half-Zhizun realm… If word were to spread out, those self-proclaimed geniuses would probably die of shame.

This was no longer the feat of a genius, but… a monster!

Just as he was overwhelmed by shock, he saw his calm teacher looking at him with glowing eyes, “Right, do you still have any enemies? Why don’t I… help you get back at them as well! If not, help me ask Mu Xueqing and the others if they have any…”

After which, Zhang Xuan started counting on his fingers, “If there are a few more such clans, I’ll surely be able to obtain a lot of treasures and secret manuals. If so, I’ll have truly struck it rich…”

“…” Lu Chong.

Teacher, aren’t you an enlightened expert who have seen through material possession?

Aren’t you a genius who couldn’t care less about those crude objects?

Exacting vengeance for others… to confiscate wealth?

Why do you seem more and more unlike an enlightened expert, but a greedy ruffian instead?

In an instant, Lu Chong felt that he had to reevaluate his opinion of his teacher…

But it was no wonder why Zhang Xuan was so excited. Initially, he only went against the Lin Clan because he felt indignant for Lu Chong. Who knew that he would suddenly attain such a huge wealth.

Putting everything aside, if he could find a few more drops of spirit beast blood essence, through the Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan, he would be able to break through the bottleneck constricting his physical body and reach Zhizun realm!

By then, even if he were to head to Xuanyuan Kingdom, there would be nothing for him to fear. He would be able to stand tall and mighty there too.

While waiting for the other party to respond, the sound of someone knocking on the door suddenly echoed in the classroom.

“Is Liu laoshi inside?”

“Lu Chong, you should rest by the side first!”

Bringing back his authority as a teacher, Zhang Xuan waved Lu Chong away and sat upright. Then, he replied impassively, “Is it Sun laoshi? Please enter!”

He could recognize the voice of the person outside; it was Mo Hongyi, who was disguised as Sun Cheng.

It seemed like the poison in his body had been neutralized, and he had recovered from its effects already.

Ji ya!

As soon as Zhang Xuan said those words, a figure immediately rushed in and glared at Zhang Xuan furiously. With a questioning tone, he bellowed, “Liu laoshi, you should know that your tea is poisoned, right?”

“I only knew after that incident. Honestly speaking, I’m a victim here too…”

Seeing the other party’s look, Zhang Xuan consoled, “Someone must be trying to kill me, and you only happened to step right into it and accidentally consumed the poisoned tea that such a matter happened… Don’t worry, I’ll definitely look into the matter and return your redress your grievance!”

“Redress my grievance? Victim? Victim my head…”

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Mo Hongyi’s hair stood on ends, as though a cat who had his tail stepped on, and he erupted into rage.

The heck you are a victim! In the end, didn’t you end up well? As the number one genius, not only did I get poisoned, I even fell into the fecal drain…

More importantly, redress my grievance? How in the world are you going to redress my grievance when it’s your student who poisoned me?

“What’s wrong?” Seeing the other party getting angrier and angrier, Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

No one likes to get poisoned, and honestly speaking, how could I know that you would drink the tea from my room…

“You… Alright!”

Knowing that this fellow was indeed a victim, and he was ignorant of the matter, Mo Hongyi suppressed his rage and harrumphed, “There’s no need for you to investigate! I already know who the culprits are!”

“Who?”

Frowning, Zhang Xuan’s face turned grave.

He had been contemplating over this matter for a very long time. He didn’t offend anyone in this identity of his, so why in the world would someone want to poison him? If he knew who the culprit was, he would definitely pursue the matter!

“It’s… Zheng Yang and the others! I saw them do it personally last night!” Oblivious to Zhang Xuan’s thoughts, Mo Hongyi harrumphed coldly.

“Zheng Yang?”

Just as Zhang Xuan was thinking about how he should teach the other party a lesson, Mo Hongyi’s words caused him to stagger, and he nearly fell to the ground.

It was his own students who poisoned him?

What in the world is going on?

Zhang Xuan was shocked, but it didn’t take him long to deduce the entire matter. His complexion immediately darkened.

“Those little bastards…”

Roaring furiously, Zhang Xuan stood up abruptly with rage blazing within him.

The students of the other teachers were so obedient, yet what was with the students he taught? When they weren’t fighting or causing trouble, they were poisoning their own teacher…

The heck!

If I don’t teach them a lesson, I am not Zhang Xuan!

…

“Zhao Ya, what’s going on? Given how arrogantly Mu Xueqing acted just now, why didn’t you teach her a lesson? In any case, it’s Liu laoshi, and not her, that’s formidable, so what rights does she have to be acting so gleefully?”

On the way back to the residence, Zheng Yang kept questioned Zhao Ya in displeasure.

Zhang laoshi’s reputation has been completely pushed down by that Liu laoshi. As his student, even if you don’t speak for your own teacher, how can you compliment the opponent’s teacher? Is there something wrong with you?

“Teach her a lesson? I think you should think about how you can avoid punishment first!”

Seeing how the fellow before her had yet to grasp the situation, Zhao Ya replied helplessly.

“Avoid punishment? What punishment?”

Zheng Yang asked doubtfully. At the same time, Liu Yang and Yuan Tao also looked over curiously.

They were sharp-witted, but regardless, they were only fifteen to sixteen-year-old children. There were many things which they needed someone to point out to them before they could understand it.

“Wang Ying, you should explain the situation to them. I’ll try to think about how we can apologize to teacher…”

Zhao Ya grabbed her forehead in frustration.

Her original intention was to guard her teacher’s honor and bring eminence to him, yet… She did manage to make her teacher’s name known, but as soon as his true identity was declared in public, he would definitely become a laughingstock.

What in the world was this!

To think that such a matter could happen.

She truly didn’t know how to face Zhang laoshi in the future.

“Wang Ying, what’s wrong?”

Sensing that this was a huge matter, Zheng Yang looked at her anxiously.

“This…” Wang Ying’s face turned red. “I suspect that… Liu laoshi is Zhang laoshi in disguise!”

“Liu laoshi is Zhang laoshi?”

Zheng Yang and the others were stunned.

“Indeed. When fighting against the head of the Lin Clan, Liu laoshi executed Heaven’s Path Movement Art and Heaven’s Path Leg Art. I’ve seen it clearly, and there’s no mistake about it! On top of that, the technique that he used after borrowing Zhao Ya’s sword is Heaven’s Path Sword Art which grandteacher passed down to Zhao Ya… Furthermore, given how he treated us…”

Seeing the disbelieving looks of the trio, Wang Ying explained.

“Liu laoshi is Zhang laoshi?”

“Then… The person we poisoned is Zhang laoshi?”

“And we even scolded him so happily…”

…

Yuan Tao, Zheng Yang, and Liu Yang trembled in shock. Their faces turned pale, and they were on the verge of breaking down.

If that was true, then what in the world did they do in the past few days?

Teacher had done so much for them, yet all that was on their minds was how they could do him in…

The trio felt so stifled that they might spew blood.

“I want to go to Tianwu Academy to apologize to teacher…”

After a long moment, Zheng Yang slowly said with a pale face.

“I’ll go with you!”

“Same here!”

Yuan Tao and Liu Yang hurriedly nodded.

“Alright…”

Upon making a decision, the group hurriedly headed toward Tianwu Academy. Knowing that they had to face it sooner or later, Zhao Ya and Wang Ying also tagged along with them.

Dong!

Before they could reach the academy, the sound of a deafening bell rang.

“It’s from the Master Teacher Pavilion…”

The group couldn’t help but turn toward the source of the ringing.

Chapter 392: Envoy from the Headquarters

“This sound is the bell from the Master Teacher Pavilion to gather all master teachers! Something huge must have happened!”

Zhao Ya’s face tightened in worry.

The bell from the Master Teacher Pavilion wouldn’t sound for no reason, and when it did, it meant that something urgent and important had occurred.

“Let’s go over to the Master Teacher Pavilion and take a look first. If teacher is in the capital, he’ll surely rush over as well…”

Frowning, Zhao Ya instructed.

The bell demanded for the presence of all master teachers. If Liu laoshi was truly Zhang laoshi, he should rush there upon hearing the bell as well.

“Un!” Zheng Yang and the others nodded.

Thus, the group started heading toward the Master Teacher Pavilion.

…

“This is the Assembly Bell? Who rang it?”

Standing at the entrance of the Lin Clan was Pavilion Master Jiang, who was still in a slight trance after Zhang Xuan’s lecture. Upon hearing the sound, he was taken aback.

Not everyone was qualified to ring the bell in the Master Teacher Pavilion. In the entire Tianwu Kingdom, only the pavilion master and the other two 2-star master teachers wielded the rights to do so. However, given that the three of them were here, what in the world was going on?

“Something urgent must have cropped up. Let’s hurry back to take a look!”

A grave look appeared on Elder Zhu’s face.

“Un!”

Pavilion Master Jiang nodded. Without any hesitation, he led the group of master teachers gathered here back to the Master Teacher Pavilion as quickly as possible.

“Let’s go over and take a look as well!”

Mo Tianxue and the others also followed them back to the Master Teacher Pavilion.

The Master Teacher Pavilion was the foundation of a kingdom. Without their support, putting aside the fact that the kingdom’s tier might be lowered, it would also make the kingdom more prone to attacks.

At this moment, the sound of the bell reverberated through the entire capital, attracting the attention of countless people.

Even Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi were taken aback.

“The Master Teacher Pavilion is summoning us; let’s go over as well!”

Mo Hongyi said grimly.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Teacher…”

Lu Chong hurried forward.

“Find Mu Xueqing and the others, and bring them to the Master Teacher Pavilion!” Knowing Lu Chong’s intentions, Zhang Xuan immediately issued him some instructions.

Initially, they had agreed on finishing the examination tomorrow. However, since Mo Hongyi had recovered, and he was going to head there anyway, Zhang Xuan didn’t mind finishing the examination today so that he could be promoted to a 2-star master teacher.

…

Not daring to dawdle, Pavilion Master Jiang and the others rushed straight back; it didn’t take them to long to arrive at the Master Teacher Pavilion. As soon as they stepped into the guild, an apprentice quickly walked up to them.

“Pavilion master, Elder Zhu…”

“What happened?” Jiang Shu looked at him with a deep frown sitting on his forehead.

“The headquarters sent two envoys over… Seeing that there isn’t a single master teacher here, they instructed me to ring the Assembly Bell!” The apprentice explained.

“Envoys from the headquarters?” Gedeng, Pavilion Master Jiang’s heart skipped a beat. “Bring me over quickly!”

Upon walking into the main hall, he saw two elders seated at the very top of the room.

“You’re Jiang Shu?”

Before Jiang Shu could reply, an elder stroked his beard and introduced themselves, “I am Su Fan, and this is Ling Yuheng. We’re from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s Master Teacher Pavilion!”

“Su Fan? Ling Yuheng?”

Pavilion Master Jiang was stunned for a moment before a jolt shot through his entire body. Disbelief shone in his eyes, “The 4-star master teachers of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance… Su shi and Ling shi?”

Even though Jiang Shu had never been to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s capital before, Su shi and Ling shi were names that all master teachers within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance were familiar with. Could they… be those two legendary figures?

Why would they… visit Tianwu Kingdom personally?

“Hehe! That’s us!”

Chuckling, the duo nodded slightly.

Their movements and words weren’t excessive, and they exuded an extremely peaceful and tranquil feeling. The crowd didn’t feel the slightest bit of pressure or intimidation from them,

“4-star…”

Upon hearing their words, the faces of Elder Zhu and the others turned pale, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

They were legendary figures who were said to possess the capability to turn stone into gold, and the destructive might to crush mountains and split rivers.

Under such rumors, the group subconsciously felt that they lived in a completely different world from the duo. Yet, to think that there would come a day where they would be talking harmoniously.

Initially, they were still slightly intrigued about the ringing of the Assembly Bell. This bell was usually used for emergencies, and only the 2-star master teachers had the right to ring it.

However, as 4-star master teachers, the duo was indeed more than qualified to ring the Assembly Bell.

“There’s no need to get nervous. The purpose of our visit is to look for Zhang Xuan!” Seeing the stiff expressions on the crowd, Su shi chuckled lightly.

His voice was as gentle as a spring wind, and subconsciously, the stiffened bodies of the crowd relaxed, and their tension disappeared.

Impartation of Heaven’s Will!

“Incredible…”

Sensing the visible changes in their bodies, the crowd was filled with awe for the duo.

To dispel their nervousness with a single word, surely they would be able to render them powerless with another.

The might of a 4-star master teacher… was indeed fearsome!

“Zhang Xuan?”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Pavilion Master Jiang asked doubtfully.

Zhang Xuan had broken innumerable records of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Even though Jiang Shu didn’t report the matter to the headquarter, the headquarter had a way of looking into such matters. Given the outstanding results, it would be difficult for Zhang Xuan to not attract any attention.

“May I know if Zhang shi is here?” Su shi looked around the room.

“Reporting to Su shi, Zhang Xuan is currently in the midst of his 2-star master teacher Trust Level test, so he isn’t here…”

Pavilion Master Jiang hurriedly replied.

“He isn’t here? Then, bring me the Record Crystal of his master teacher examination. I want to take a look at the situation!” Upon hearing that Zhang Xuan wasn’t around, Su shi issued another instruction.

“Yes!”

Not daring to keep such esteemed guests waiting, Pavilion Master Jiang immediately issued the orders, and a master teacher quickly rushed out. Soon, the Record Crystal that had recorded Zhang Xuan’s examination was brought into the main hall.

Su shi and Ling shi glanced at one another. Then, Su shi stretched his hand forward to slightly tap on the Record Crystal, and the scene of the examination back then immediately appeared.

House of Trust, Supporting Occupation Pavilion, Puppet Hall, Cultivation Technique Ocean, and Unerring Pavilion…

Seeing the young man undertake the tests one after another, the initial calmness of Su shi and Ling shi slowly faded, and eventually, just like the many others who were present that day, it transformed into shock.

“This…”

Soon, after watching the entire proceedings, the duo glanced at one another, and they could see the incredulity in each other’s eyes.

Despite teaching his students for just a couple of days, he managed to induce of Trust Level of 85 in them; at the start of the examination, his Soul Depth was only 5.1, but in the blink of an eye, it increased all the way of 10.1; scoring 130 points in the Supporting Occupation Pavilion where the highest possible score should have been 100; inducing the Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells in the Cultivation Technique Ocean, and getting it to submit with a bellow; uncovering thirty flaws in the Unerring Pavilion; reaching Zongshi realm in just a few moments…

Despite witnessing his feats personally, they couldn’t help but doubt that they were dreaming.

Where in the world did this fellow pop out from? How did he manage to achieve such outstanding results?

“Reporting to Su shi and Ling shi, I, Jiang Shu, can use my reputation as a master teacher to guarantee that Zhang shi didn’t even know the proceedings of the examination beforehand. All of his records were made on the spot, and the Record Crystal hasn’t been tampered in any way!”

Seeing the disbelief in their eyes, Jiang Shu hurriedly explained.

“Un, we’re still able to tell whether the Record Crystal has been tampered or not…”

Su shi nodded.

As a 4-star master teacher, he was more than capable of telling with a single glance whether the person before him was lying or not, and whether the Record Crystal had been tampered with or not.

This was precisely the reason why he found the entire situation inconceivable.

Of the kingdoms beneath the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, there didn’t seem to be a single one who was as incredible as this Zhang Xuan.

But of course, if this wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have rushed from the alliance to such a remote location upon receiving the news.

“Tell us about the background of this Zhang shi!”

Returning the Record Crystal, Su shi probed.

“Yes, this Zhang shi comes from Tianxuan Kingdom…”

After organizing the information on Zhang Xuan in his head, Pavilion Master Jiang replied.

Talent wasn’t the only factor required for one to become a master teacher; one had to have a clean background as well. It wasn’t too difficult for him, as the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, to look into Zhang Xuan’s identity and background.

“… Currently, he’s a 3-star painter, 2-star beast tamer, and an apothecary and physician exceeding 3-star. Naturally, he doesn’t have the emblems for the latter two yet. Even though his skills have reached the required level, his cultivation is still much too lacking… He’s currently at Zongshi realm pinnacle, and he has comprehended the Partial Heart realm of Sword Heart…”

Jiang Shu recounted.

Every single point that he brought up caused the shock on Su shi and Ling shi’s faces to deepen, and eventually, the duo became completely numb to his achievements.

However, a doubt slowly sprouted in their minds. How in the world did a fellow who originated from such a remote location be skilled in so many occupations? On top of that, to possess such incredible talent as a master teacher?

Upon thinking of this, Su shi couldn’t help but raise his doubt.

“I was perplexed over this matter initially as well, but eventually, I realized that it’s because Zhang shi’s teacher is formidable!” Jiang Shu explained. “It’s very likely that he’s a 4-star master teacher as well, or perhaps… even surpassing that level!”

“Oh?”

The faces of the duo immediately turned grave. “What’s the name of his teacher?”

“Yang Xuan!”

“Yang Xuan?” Su shi and Ling shi frowned.

They knew quite a few 4-star and 5-star master teachers, but they had never heard of this name,

“This Yang shi is currently my teacher as well…” Sensing their doubts, Jiang Shu started to recount how he met Yang shi, and how he eventually acknowledged the other party as his teacher.

“With just the slightest guidance from him, you were able to tame the Crimson Tiger. On top of that, he was able to tell the flaws in your cultivation in that short fight between you and the Crimson Tiger?”

Su shi widened his eyes in shock.

Su shi was also capable of those two feats… But he definitely wasn’t able to do it as quickly and easily as the other party did.

Given how easily that Yang shi did so, not to mention, during the fight between the Crimson Tiger and Jiang Shu, he was still on the back of an aerial savage beast, the other party’s eye of discernment was simply way too formidable!

“That’s right!” Jiang Shu nodded.

Honestly, he was filled with earnest respect and admiration for Yang shi.

After cultivating the improved cultivation technique that the other party gave him, not only did he recover from his hidden trauma, he could even vaguely sense that he was going to achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation soon.

No matter how foolish one was, it would be clear to them that this was all Yang shi’s work. With just a casual pointer, he was able to induce such massive effects. Given that Zhang shi was his direct disciple, he must have undergone personal tutelage from the other party on a daily basis. Under such circumstances, it wasn’t unimaginable for him to be capable of such incredible feats.

“Is that Yang shi still in the capital? Can you bring me to pay him a visit?”

Recovering from his shock, Su shi couldn’t help but ask.

Even though he had never heard of Yang Xuan, given how the other party managed to groom an outstanding student like Zhang Xuan and induce such a huge improvement in Jiang Shu with just a few casual pointers, his ranking as a master teacher must definitely be above theirs. If they could meet and interact with him, they would definitely benefit greatly from the exchange.

“Teacher is currently in the capital, but… he is often out. If the two elders wish to meet him, please allow me to first report the matter to him first!” Jiang Shu hurriedly replied.

Even though his teacher was in the capital, he was often out of the residence. Also, without teacher’s permission, he didn’t dare to bring anyone else over, even if the people he was bringing over were 4-star master teachers.

“Un! We’ll be troubling Pavilion Master Jiang then…”

Su shi nodded. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Elder Zhu, who had gone out a while ago to settle a few matters, suddenly rushed back anxiously.

“Su shi, Ling shi, and pavilion master, Zhang shi and Mo Hongyi have returned and they are currently at the examination hall. It seems like they have decided to end the examination in advance…”

“End the examination in advance?”

Pavilion Master Jiang froze. “It has only been a few days since the examination started, and they have already succeeded in inducing a Trust Level of 40 among their students in their disguised identity?”

Chapter 393: Your Name (1)

The last test of the 2-star master teacher examination was for them to assume the role of a teacher under another identity and raise the Trust Level of their student in them to forty within ten days.

It hadn’t even been seven days, and they were already here. Could it be that their students’ Trust Levels in them had already reached forty?

“That Zhang Xuan is here too?”

Hearing the conversation, Su shi looked over and asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s like this…”

Pavilion Master Jiang explained the situation in detail.

There were several hundred types of 2-star master teacher examinations depending on the guild one was in.

This was precisely the reason why all of the 1-star master teacher in the guild, and this was including Principal Xie, didn’t know that the examination for the duo was to conceal their identity and teach at Tianwu Academy.

“So that’s the case! I am also quite interested to see how high the Trust Level Zhang Xuan’s students have in him under his disguise!”

After comprehending the situation, Su shi nodded, turned his head to the side, and asked “Ling shi, do you want to come along as well?”

“Un!”

Ling shi smiled, “I am fine with going over as well, but we have to make some preparations beforehand. As 4-star master teachers, our arrival will surely cause a huge uproar, and the results of the examination might be affected. So, you all shouldn’t immediately reveal our identities when we arrive in the examination hall later on!”

As 4-star master teachers, the two of them possessed esteemed standing. Even the emperor would have to welcome them personally with utmost respect in deference to their position.

If news of their arrival were to spread out, it would definitely cause a huge commotion. There was a great possibility that it might affect the accuracy of the results of the test.

Jiang Shu and the others nodded in agreement.

Since these two had spoken, who would dare to refute them?

The group headed straight for the examination hall, and before they could enter, they could already hear a huge commotion in the area.

“Why did the bell suddenly ring?”

“I’ve no idea. Maybe someone is going to take the master teacher examination? However, there doesn’t seem to be anything here though?”

“Impossible. Back then, when Zhang shi and Mo shi were taking the examination, I was here, and the bell wasn’t rung then…”

…

Pushing the door open, they immediately saw a huge crowd before them.

It was the group who had gathered at the entrance of the Lin Clan previously.

Mo Tianxue, Mu Yangfeng… Many esteemed figures of Tianwu Kingdom were within the crowd.

They had all rushed here upon hearing the bell to join in with the commotion, but due to the various restrictions of the Master Teacher Pavilion, they could only wait here. Even until now, they had no idea what was going on.

“Pavilion Master Jiang is here! Pavilion Master Jiang, what happened?”

Upon seeing the group walk in, someone among the crowd shouted.

Of the group, the most conspicuous person was Pavilion Master Jiang. No one paid any heed to Su shi and Mo shi, who were standing at the back.

Besides, even if they were to notice them, they wouldn’t recognize them anyway.

The Myriad Kingdom Alliance was simply too far away, and Su shi and Ling shi were figures way beyond them. Pavilion Master Jiang also only managed to recognize them after their introduction.

“Something did happen, but there’s no need to panic. You will all know soon enough!”

Pavilion Master Jiang shook his hands casually before turning around to discreetly issue some instructions to Elder Zhu.

As soon as the Trust Level of Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi’s students reach a minimum of forty, he would announce their true identity instantly. In a sense, this could be considered as a huge matter.

However, he couldn’t say anything about it now. If not, it might affect the final result.

After being delegated with some tasks, Elder Zhu backed down, and soon, he led two people in.

Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi!

But they were still currently in disguise as Liu Cheng and Sun Cheng.

“It’s Guild Master Liu and Sun laoshi!”

“I’ve heard of this Sun laoshi as well! He was also accepted into Tianwu Academy a few days ago, and his lessons are formidable as well. My son attended his lessons and his cultivation immediately soared furiously!”

“To invite the two of them over… Could it be that the Master Teacher Pavilion is going to make an exception for the two of them and grant them the position of a master teacher?”

“Grant them the position of a master teacher? There has never been such a practice. I reckon that the Master Teacher Pavilion is just going to bestow them with some special privileges or something…”

Discussion sounded among the crowd once more.

These two had made a name for themselves recently, and there were quite a few people who had looked into their backgrounds… Due to several personal circumstances, neither of them were eligible to take on the master teacher examination!

To be brought here despite their ineligibility… Most probably, the Master Teacher Pavilion was just going to grant them some privileges and protect them.

Such matters had happened in the past as well.

More than a century ago, there was a teacher whose lessons was incredible, and he made a huge contribution to society. Thus, the Master Teacher Pavilion granted him the title of an Honorary Elder, and his standing immediately soared. Eventually, even the Tianwu royal family had to treat him as an important guest.

Could it be that it was happening again?

“Wait a moment. If that’s the case, why would their students be here then?”

“That’s true…”

Soon, someone noticed that something was amiss. Usually, this kind of bestowment would be announced beforehand. On top of that, this wasn’t good enough a reason to knock the Assembly Bell and have all of the master teachers gather here.

And most importantly of all, there was no reason for the duo to bring all of their students here for the ceremony.

The crowd here was brought together by Liu Cheng’s students. They might not recognize Sun Cheng’s students, but upon seeing that Lu Chong, Mu Xueqing, Meng Tao, and the others here, they immediately knew that something was amiss.

Actually, they weren’t the only confused ones. Mu Xueqing and the others were perplexed as well.

Teacher had Lu Chong urgently gather all of them, so they thought that it might be an important matter. They couldn’t have imagined that the location they were heading to was… the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Liu laoshi wasn’t a master teacher, so there shouldn’t be any reason for him to be here.

“The two teachers, who goes first?” Pavilion Master Jiang smiled at the duo.

“Sun laoshi, you should go first!” Zhang Xuan said.

Until now, Zhang Xuan still felt a little guilty that his students were the cause of his suffering.

“Alright then, I’ll go first!” Mo Hongyi didn’t turn down the offer. Beckoning behind him back, two students walked out. “You two, go in and test your Trust Level. Don’t let me down!”

“It’s them?”

Upon seeing the duo, Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback.

He actually recognized the duo! They were the two students whom he met during the public recruitment exercise; one of them detested studying while the other one was on the verge of expulsion…

After being accepted into Tianwu Academy and taking over Mu Xueqing’s class, Zhang Xuan had been busy, so he forgot about the duo. To think that they had become Mo Hongyi’s students.

Back then, Zhang Xuan had already accurately pointed out the crux of their affliction. As such, Mo Hongyi was able to allocate the most appropriate treatment for their afflictions.

It was no wonder why Mo Hongyi was so confident of passing the examination.

He had come prepared.

“Yes!”

The two students nodded and entered the House of Trust.

The procedure was exactly the same as for the 1-star master teacher examination.

“Could this Sun laoshi be… Mo Hongyi?”

Taking this scene into sight, Mo Yu suddenly came to a realization.

Since Liu Cheng was Zhang Xuan, then Mo Hongyi who had taken the 2-star master teacher examination alongside him had to be this Sun Cheng.

“Only those who are taking the master teacher examination will have to test the Trust Level of their students, right? Could it be that these two are intending to take the examination as well?”

“But they don’t possess the State of Insight, how can they take the examination?”

“Let’s wait and see. The answer should be revealed soon!”

The crowd was completely bewildered by this bizarre turn of events, and a deep crease was etched onto their foreheads. They had absolutely no idea what Pavilion Master Jiang was up to, and why this Sun laoshi was bringing his own students here to test their Trust Level.

Weng!

A short moment after the entry of the duo, light shone on the door of the House of Trust, and a few digits floated into appearance.

The crowd hurriedly took a look.

42!

Upon seeing the numbers, Mo Hongyi’s tension immediately escaped from him, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

He was confident that it would exceed forty, but when it came down to it, uncertainty started scratching at his mind. Upon seeing the results, he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

Given that he had passed the examination within ten days, he was, as of now, officially a 2-star master teacher!

“Not bad!”

Su shi and Ling shi nodded in approval.

They had heard of this Mo Hongyi before, and he did possess outstanding talents. In a Tier1 Kingdom, he was indeed a top-notch genius. In fact, even in Conferred Kingdoms, he would rank among the top. However… in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, he was still far from matching to the true geniuses.

While he wasn’t mediocre, his feats wouldn’t impress anyone there.

“Liu laoshi, it’s your turn!”

Now that Mo Hongyi had passed, the eyes of Pavilion Master Jiang and the other master teachers immediately centered on Zhang Xuan.

“Alright!”

Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan nodded and smiled, “If I recall correctly, as long the Trust Level of a student of mine reaches forty, I would have passed the examination, right?”

He seemed to recall that a single student was sufficient for the test. If so, there was no need to trouble the rest of them.

“Indeed!” Pavilion Master Jiang nodded.

“Alright. You enter!”

Surveying the crowd, Zhang Xuan casually pointed.

After several days of interaction with his class, he was confident that the Trust Level of any single of his students would definitely exceed forty. Since that was the case, there was no need to intentionally cause a ruckus.

Cough cough!

At times like this, it was best to maintain a low profile.

Of course, if Mo Yu and the others were to know his thoughts, they would definitely faint on the spot.

Low profile? How in the world do you fit that image? It will already be a miracle if you don’t flip the entire world upside down.

“Yes, teacher!”

A student walked into the House of Trust.

“He’s Zhang Xuan?”

After Zhang Xuan’s student walked into the room, the two 4-star master teachers from the headquarter immediately turned their attention to Zhang Xuan.

The scene they saw in the Record Crystal was simply too shocking. They were curious to see if this young man could create another miracle this time.

“He seems quite confident. Just that, I wonder what his results will be!” Stroking his beard, a contemplative look appeared on Su shi face.

“Thirty years ago, our guild also used the same test for the 2-star master teacher examination. I recall that there’s a genius who managed to induce a Trust Level of 65 in his student!”

Nostalgia filled Ling shi’s eyes.

The Myriad Kingdom Alliance had once adopted this examination method before as well, and countless geniuses had achieved outstanding results in it.

“Indeed. That kind of Trust Level is already comparable to one’s parents. To achieve such a level in ten days, and under disguise at that, that person’s means were indeed outstanding!”

Su shi nodded,

It would be difficult for even a 3-star master teacher to induce a Trust Level of 65 in a person within a short period of time, not to mention, in an inconspicuous, disguised identity.

To achieve such a result when starting from scratch was indeed a formidable feat, even within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

But of course, this was only limited to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. In higher tiered empires, there were even more absurd geniuses.

“This Zhang Xuan has managed to make so many news records. I wonder if he can surpass the previous genius’s record of 65…”

Ling shi said.

“Un! Only if he breaks that record will he have the right to compete with those people…”

The duo spoke using telepathy, so no one could hear their words.

Weng!

Just as they were discussing, the door of the House of Trust swayed, and a few digits floated into appearance… 61!

Chapter 394: Your Name (2)

“61?”

Seeing the number, Su shi and Ling shi glanced at one another, and a look of disappointment flickered across their faces.

They bore high hopes for this youngster who had made many new records, but from the looks of it now, they seemed to have overestimated the other party.

“61 is a decent score, but he’s still a little lacking to compete with those geniuses…”

Su shi shook his head.

“Indeed!” Ling shi agreed.

A Trust Level of 60 was already equivalent to the relationship between parent and child. Zhang Xuan’s record was far beyond that of Mo Hongyi, but he still failed to meet the expectations of the two 4-star master teachers.

“This is a pass, right?”

Oblivious to the disappointment of the duo, Zhang Xuan turned to Pavilion Master Jiang and asked.

“It’s a pass!” Pavilion Master Jiang nodded.

It was a pass as long as the Trust Level of their student reached forty. 61 was already an extremely high score.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s result, a bitter smile flashed across Mo Hongyi’s face.

Given how his records were completely overthrown by Zhang Xuan previously, even though he knew it was unlikely, he still bore some expectations that he might triumph over him this time around. However, it seemed like he was being too naive.

He was truly a far match from this genius.

“Wait a minute. Liu laoshi, isn’t your best student Mu Xueqing and Lu Chong? Who’s this student? Why haven’t I met him before?”

Even though Zhang Xuan had passed, Pavilion Master Jiang still couldn’t help but ask in bewilderment.

Based on the news he got, Zhang Xuan should be the closest to Mu Xueqing and Lu Chong, so their Trust Level should be the highest of his students.

The candidates were allowed to pick any student for the test, but usually, one would pick the student they were closest with. Pavilion Master Jiang had been keeping tabs on the examination, but he hadn’t seen or heard of this person. Thus, he was perplexed as to why Zhang Xuan would send this student forward.

Could it be that he had cared for this student more than the others privately, allowing his Trust Level to reach 61?

Upon hearing those words, the crowd also suddenly realized the peculiarity of this issue. Thus, they turned their sights to Zhang Xuan, curious to listen to his explanation.

“You’ve never met him before?”

Not expecting the other party to ask such a question, Zhang Xuan scratched his head. “Allow me to introduce him then. This is…”

Halfway through, an awkward look surfaced on Zhang Xuan’s face. He hurriedly turned to look at the student who walked out from the House of Trust and asked, “That… My apologies, but I don’t remember your name. May I ask how I should address you…”

Putong! Putong!

As soon as Zhang Xuan said those words, the crowd immediately fell to the ground. They felt the world spinning around them, and they nearly keeled over on the spot.

Even Su shi and Ling shi, who were shaking their heads in disappointment a moment ago, had the corner of their lips twitching.

Are you for real?

A student who has a Trust Level of 61 toward you, and you… don’t even know his name?

To earn the trust of their students, most teachers would treat them as though their friend and use all kinds of means to win their goodwill. Yet, you… despite conducting lessons for them for so long, you don’t even know his name…

More importantly, the other party actually had a Trust Level of 61 toward you! In other words, you’re as close to him as his parents…

The heck!

Everyone hurriedly turned to the student.

Your teacher doesn’t even know who you are, and yet, you possess such deep trust in him, even moving your clan to stand against the Lin Clan for him… Why?

“Reporting to teacher, I am Ji Yi. Teacher once offered me some pointers, solving the problem of my blocked meridians on the left side of my body…” Upon hearing his teacher’s question, the young man immediately replied with an agitated look.

“Ji Yi?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion.

He really hadn’t heard of this name before. However, he did remember solving a student’s problem of blocked meridian on the left side of his body. It was at the very first day that he happened to see a student suffering from such a problem.

With half of the meridians in his body blocked, he might become paralyzed if he were to continue cultivating. Thus, Zhang Xuan stepped in and helped him.

In the midst of doing so, this fellow’s cultivation also rose by two stages, leaving many onlookers green with envy.

Thinking of it now, he seemed to recall seeing the name Ji Yi in the Library of Heaven’s Path. However, as he had met and helped too many students back in Tianwu Academy, and this student didn’t have any distinctive traits to him, he forgot about this matter.

Operating under three identities, Liu Cheng, Zhang Xuan, and Yang Xuan, he had so many things to handle that he even finding time to eat was difficult, so how could he have the energy to remember the names of each and every student?

It was already good that he could remember Lu Chong, Mu Xueqing, and Meng Tao’s names.

“Alright, allow me to introduce him to you all. He’s Ji Yi, and he’s… my student!”

After finding out the other party’s name, Zhang Xuan introduced him grandly to Pavilion Master Jiang.

“…” Jiang Shu.

“…” The crowd.

We have already heard your conversation, what is the use of you introducing him to us once more?

More importantly, given the confused look on your face, all you know about the other party is probably just his name. Clearly, you don’t even know what clan he comes from and even how old he is!

You might as well just remain quiet like that. At the very least, we can suffer less damage from this farce…

At the side, tears were trickling down Mo Hongyi’s eyes.

What in the world was this!

In order to raise the Trust Level of his students in him swiftly, he only ran short of serving them as though they were his ancestor. Every day, he would ask about their condition and personally tutor them on their cultivation. He would stay up all night to ponder over their situation, fearing that he might make the slightest mistake…

In the end, the Trust Level of these two fellows ended up to be only 42. Yet, Zhang Xuan didn’t even know the name of his student, and the Trust Level was already 61…

The heck! We are both humans, why is there such a huge disparity between us?

He instinctively turned to look at his two students, and he nearly broke down.

These two fellows were staring at ‘Liu laoshi’ with shining eyes. Clearly, they wanted to become his students as well, and they were filled with envy for Mu Xueqing and the others.

That is enough of you two! Even you two are treating me like that?

It’s as though you two have never met a teacher before! Besides, I, Mo Hongyi, as the number one genius of Tianwu Kingdom, am not inferior to him, alright?

Seeing the sight before him turn dark, Mo Hongyi suddenly realized what a foolish decision it was for him to take the 2-star master teacher examination along with this fellow.

“This monster…”

Mo Yu muttered.

Others might think that Zhang Xuan was putting on an act. After all, the idea of him not knowing the other party when the other party had a Trust Level of 61 in him was inconceivable. However, Mo Yu knew that this was true.

Sometimes, this fellow could be so astute that it induced fear in others, and at other times, he could be so clumsy that it left others frustrated.

Putting aside his students, Mo Yu thought that it was very possible that if she didn’t accompany him to look for the Great Herb King, he might not even remember her name as well.

Just the thought of it left her stifled.

“Alright. Then… can we test the Trust Level of Lu Chong then?”

Holding back his frustration, Pavilion Master Jiang asked.

If even a student he didn’t know could have a Trust Level of 61 in him, then what about Lu Chong?

After all, for Lu Chong, Zhang Xuan even went to the extent of standing against the Lin Clan singlehandedly!

Taken aback, Zhang Xuan hesitated. “This…”

“Teacher, I’m willing to give it a try!”

Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, Lu Chong had already stepped forward.

He was also curious to see how much trust he had in his teacher.

“Alright then, be careful!”

Seeing the intent gazes of the crowd, Zhang Xuan knew that it would be difficult for him to reject the matter. Thus, he shook his head helplessly.

He had only intended to pass this examination peacefully…

Sigh, why was it so difficult to keep a low profile?

If Mo Hongyi were to know of his thoughts, he would definitely spurt blood.

Brother, do you know how hard I’ve been to keep a high profile all this time, and yet, you managed to reach so high while trying to maintain a low profile…

Upon receiving permission, Lu Chong walked into the House of Trust delightfully.

Weng!

The House of Trust whirled into operation, and radiant light flashed.

“Will the Trust Level of this student be higher than the previous one?”

Taking this sight in, Su shi couldn’t help but ask Pavilion Master Jiang telepathically.

He had just arrived at Tianwu Kingdom, so he hadn’t heard of the affairs between Zhang Xuan and Lu Chong. Naturally, he couldn’t understand the relationship between the duo.

“Su shi, just wait and see!” Pavilion Master Jiang chuckled softly.

He wasn’t too sure how much trust Lu Chong would have in Zhang Xuan, but he had seen the sight previously for himself.

To return justice to his student, Zhang Xuan was willing to stand against the powerful Lin Clan. It would be inconceivable if Lu Chong’s Trust Level wasn’t high.

“Un!” Su shi and Ling shi glanced at one another. They knew that Pavilion Master Jiang must have his intentions for saying so, and their expectations couldn’t help but rise.

The crowd was also curious about the results. The entire examination hall fell silent, and everyone’s eyes were fixated on the door of the House of Trust.

Weng!

A moment later, the House of Trust began to shudder, and under a slight buzzing sound, several digits floated into appearance.

Upon seeing the numbers, everyone’s eyes widened in shock, as though they had seen a ghost. Shock couldn’t even begin to describe their emotion.

Even the lips of Su shi and Ling shi were quivering, and their eyeballs nearly popped out of their skulls.

“99? A Trust Level of… 99? This is…”

“Impeccable Trust, Life-and-death Companions?”

Chapter 395: Kong shi, Accept Me!

The Trust Level’s cap was 100, and anything above 90 was considered to be at the pinnacle. Usually, this was a relationship that only existed between 6-star master teachers and their students.

A Trust Level above 95 was even rarer. At the very least, at their level, Su shi and Ling shi had never heard of it.

This kind of Trust Level was known as ‘Impeccable Trust, Life-and-death Companions’!

In other words, with this kind of Trust Level, under the instructions of his teacher, the student wouldn’t hesitate to charge to his death.

Su shi and Ling shi could only feel the world rotating around them.

A moment ago, they thought that Zhang Xuan was inferior to those top-notch geniuses, and only now did they realize that the other party had only chosen not to bring out his best student…

A Trust Level of 99…

Putting everything aside, even their students whom they have taught for more than thirty years didn’t reach this level…

Yet, in just six days, this fellow…

How could there be such an incredible monster?

“Trust Level of 99?”

“So high?”

The room immediately burst into commotion.

There were many clan heads and elders in the examination hall… Even though they weren’t master teachers, they still knew what Trust Level meant. To reach the level of 99…

This was beyond their imagination; such a feat sent them into a frenzy.

“How could he be an ordinary teacher with this kind of Trust Level? Even master teachers wouldn’t be able to achieve such results!” someone shouted.

Only with the trust of one’s student would one be able to teach properly. Thus, trust had always been an important factor between the relationship of a master teacher and a student. To be capable of such a feat, could it be that this Liu laoshi was a master teacher?

They had never considered this possibility, but at this moment, they couldn’t help but doubt this matter.

“Alright, since the examination has ended, allow me to announce the news that I spoke of earlier!”

Seeing the doubtful expression on the crowd, Pavilion Master Jiang chuckled. Turning to Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi, he said, “You can take off your masks now!”

“Un!”

Knowing that they had passed their examination and it was time for them to revert back to their original identity, their hands reached for their faces, and tore off their masks.

“It’s… Zhang shi!”

“Liu laoshi is Zhang shi?”

“No wonder! All along, I’ve thought it was weird that two geniuses could appear in the capital all of the sudden. To think that… they were the same person!”

“In my entire life, I’ve only admired two people, and now, it has dropped down to one!”

…

A ruckus broke out in the examination hall.

The two geniuses that appeared in the capital recently had been a topic of contention, and many fans and haters had been arguing as to who was superior… Yet, to think that they were the same person!

The heck!

Surely there was a mistake somewhere?

If so, didn’t it mean that this Zhang shi was also a monster in the Way of Medicine and swordsmanship as well?

“Liu laoshi… is Zhang shi?”

Upon seeing the other party take off his mask and hearing the discussions of the crowd, Mu Xueqing, Lu Chong, and the others were dumbstruck.

A while ago, out of admiration for Zhang Xuan, they had desired to have him take their class. However, they knew that it was impossible…

To think that their dreams then actually came true! Happiness came so quickly! Liu laoshi was actually Zhang shi…

If only they’d known earlier, they wouldn’t have bothered competing with Zhao Ya and the others!

They fought so heatedly with one another, only to realize that… they were rooting for the same person.

“Indeed…”

Standing at the back of the crowd, Zhao Ya and the others, who had just arrived at this moment, smiled bitterly.

Even though they had their guesses about this matter, seeing this sight personally still astounded them.

This was especially so for Zheng Yang and Yuan Tao. The two of them were already on the verge of tears, and if they could, they’d knock their heads against the ground and die.

As students, they actually poisoned their own teacher…

What in the world was this!

They had truly brought Zhang laoshi shame this time.

“Guild Master Liu… is Zhang shi?”

Mo Tianxue was also taken aback. He glanced at his daughter and shook his head helplessly.

Before, he’d thought that Zhang shi was beyond their reach, so he had his daughter interact more with Guild Master Liu, earning his favor if possible.

But from the looks of this, this was just wishful thinking on his part…

A genius of that caliber was bound for the vast world outside. Tianwu Kingdom wasn’t big enough to confine him, and it was a matter of time before he spread his wings to reach even higher heights.

After unmasking, all kinds of thoughts flashed through the minds of the crowd. However, what dominated the minds of most was astonishment.

No one could have imagined that Guild Master Liu who caused a huge uproar in the capital and the great genius Zhang Xuan would be the same person.

After all, the both of them possessed different levels of cultivation and appearances. Also, their background was flawless, and all the evidence proved that they were two different people…

“Here’s your emblems!”

Knowing that there would be such a sight, Pavilion Master Jiang paid it no heed. He took out two emblems and passed them over to the duo.

Since they had passed the examination, from today onward, they were 2-star master teachers.

“Everyone, since Zhang shi and Mo shi have passed the 2-star master teacher examination, they’ll have to head to the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall to seek the ancestors’ acknowledgement. Thus, we’ll leave first!”

Placing the emblem into the palms of the duo, Pavilion Master Jiang smiled and clasped his fist toward the crowd.

“Alright, we’ll be leaving now!”

“Since this is the tradition of the Master Teacher Pavilion, we shan’t impose on you all then…”

“In any case, being able to personally witness a Trust Level of 99 between a student and teacher and the unveiling of Liu laoshi’s true identity as Zhang shi… This trip isn’t wasted!”

…

Knowing the meaning behind the other party’s words, the crowd bade their farewells.

The reason why they came here was to uncover the reason behind the ringing of the Assembly Bell. Being able to witness the final proceedings of the 2-star master teacher examination made this trip one worth taking.

Today’s matter would surely spread across the thirteen surrounding kingdoms in the fastest time possible; Zhang Xuan would soon become the idol of countless people.

Soon, only the master teachers were left in the examination hall.

“Zhang shi and Mo shi, since you two have passed the 2-star master teacher examination, then going by our traditions, we’ll have to bring you all to the ancestors to seek their recognition, as well as explain the responsibilities and duties of a master teacher to the two of you… Let’s head to the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall together!”

After the crowd left, Pavilion Master Jiang started speaking.

“Un!”

Aware of this rule, Zhang Xuan nodded. Then, following behind Pavilion Master Jiang, he headed out of the examination hall.

The Teacher Acknowledgement Hall wasn’t too far away from the examination hall. In just a few footsteps, the group reached their destination.

Countless ancestral tablets filled the room, and a massive statue stood at the very center of the room. Holding onto a scroll in his hands, he had an imposing appearance.

“This…”

Catching sight of the tablet, Zhang Xuan’s head jolted. Confusion blinked into his eyes, “It’s that… old geezer?”

He just met that man this morning, right after he was conferred as a Celestial Master Teacher!

Not only did the other party pull him into an illusion, he even demanded him to become his student. Back then, Zhang Xuan rejected him flatly. To think that there would be a statue of him in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall.

“Who’s this old geezer? Is he the previous pavilion master? Why would the statue of this shameless fellow be placed here?”

Recalling how the other party tried to do him in secretly, Zhang Xuan felt a little frustrated. Turning to Pavilion Master Jiang, he pointed to the statue and questioned righteously.

What in the world was this!

The Teacher Acknowledgement Hall was such an important location, yet the statue of that despicable old geezer was actually placed here. Wasn’t this way too inappropriate?

“Old geezer?”

Pavilion Master Jiang, Su shi, Ling shi, and the few other master teachers tagging along turned pale, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

This was Kong shi, the greatest teacher in history!

No matter who it was, even if one was a 9-star master teacher, one would have to bow to him with utmost respect. Yet, to address him as old geezer…

The heck heck heck heck!

You must be mad!

“Audacious!” Fling his sleeves, Su shi roared furiously.

“I’m speaking the truth. This fellow assaulted me…”

Upon recalling that sight, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly froze. Turning to Su shi with a doubtful gaze, he asked, “Who are you? Where did you come from? Is this your place to speak?”

There were a total of thirteen 1-star master teachers and three 2-star master teachers in Tianwu Kingdom. Adding Mo Hongyi and him, there was a total of five 2-star master teachers now.

Zhang Xuan had met all of them before, and other than them, there was no one who could match up to his current standing in Tianwu Kingdom. The hierarchy among master teachers was strict, and lower ranked master teachers weren’t allowed to talk back to higher ranked ones.

Didn’t this old fellow know that he was a 2-star master teacher?

Wasn’t he afraid of being charged with insubordination…

“…”

Pavilion Master Jiang, Vice Pavilion Master Guan, Elder Zhu, and the others tugged at their head in frenzy.

Criticizing Kong shi as a shameless, old geezer was already sufficient to send everyone into a frenzy. And yet, now you’re criticizing a 4-star master teacher in public?

All of the master teachers who followed along felt as though they were going mad.

They didn’t even dare to breathe loudly before the two 4-star master teachers for fear of incurring their displeasure. Yet, this fellow criticized one of them to his face.

Do you need to be so courageous?

“Don’t worry. Su shi and I came from afar, and Pavilion Master Jiang hasn’t introduced us yet. So, it’s natural for Zhang shi to not recognize us!” Sensing the awkwardness in the atmosphere, Ling shi spoke up.

Master teachers needed to have a disposition and attitude befitting of their positions.

They had concealed their identity intentionally, so it wasn’t surprising for the other party to not know the truth.

“Seeing how respectful your tone is, I’ll forgive you this time around!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Given the earnest attitude of the other party, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to pursue this matter either.

“Cough cough!”

Upon seeing that his words had earned him the ‘forgiveness’ of the other party, Ling shi immediately choked on his saliva.

Given that the other party didn’t know their identity, he couldn’t be blamed for his lack of respect. Thus, instead of dawdling on the issue, Su shi began to introduce the statue, “I was rash just now. Once I introduce the person the statue is modelled after, you will understand the reason behind my words. In the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, even 9-star master teachers were only given the rights to have their names marked on the ancestral tablets. Yet, the massive statue is placed right in the center of the hall. Can’t you guess his identity?”

“His identity…”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

As soon as he saw the old geezer’s appearance, he immediately recalled how the other party assaulted him when he was off guard, and clouded by rage, he immediately spoke without thinking… Thinking of it now, there was indeed something amiss.

Marked on the ancestral tablets were 8-star, 9-star master teachers whose name and feats shook the entire continent… Even so, their names were only inscribed on the tablets. Yet, this person had a gigantic statue placed at the very center of the room. This, in itself, already said a lot about the identity of the person.

“Could… Could he be…”

A possibility flashed across his mind, and Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.

“Indeed, he’s Kong shi!” Su shi stroked his beard. “As the founder of the Master Teacher Pavilion, all newly appointed master teachers are to pay respect to him.”

“Kong shi?”

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had been looking into Kong shi’s affairs to uncover the cure for the Innate Fetal Poison all along.

However, perhaps due to the remote location or that too long a time had passed, there wasn’t too much information on the other party left in this world. Eventually, even with the help of the Library of Heaven’s Path, the only solution Zhang Xuan got was that he had to become a 9-star master teacher to resolve this poison.

Thus, he intended to head to higher tiered Master Teacher Pavilions to continue looking into the matter, but who could have thought that…

Kong shi tried to take him in as his student, yet he… straightforwardly… rejected him?

“Old geezer… Ah, no, Kong shi. I agree to it! Take me in as your student, take me in as your student…”

With a pale face, Zhang Xuan howled before diving straight toward the statue with glowing eyes.

“…” Su shi and Ling shi.

“…” Pavilion Master Jiang and the other master teachers.

Chapter 396: Acknowledgement of the Ancestors

This was Kong shi!

The incredible figure who founded the Master Teacher Pavilion!

If Zhang Xuan was accepted as his student, not only could he learn the solution to solving the Innate Fetal Poison, he would even gain a huge backer.

If he were to become the student of such a formidable figure, he would probably get at least a few thousand spirit stones as an acceptance gift, otherwise, it would be unbefitting of his title as the world’s teacher!

If only I knew that you are Kong shi, I wouldn’t have rejected you go haughtily. I would have surely agreed to it immediately…

Zhang Xuan felt so regretful that his intestines were turning green.

To reject even Kong shi’s admittance, was there a person who was more foolish than him in this world?

If he knew that such a matter would occur, he would have at least flipped through some books to take a look at Kong shi’s appearance. If he knew who this old geezer was, he wouldn’t have made such a foolish decision…

“Zhang shi, Kong shi has already been dead for many years. This is only his statue, and it doesn’t possess consciousness…”

Seeing the fellow before him going into a frenzy, Su shi hurriedly stepped forward to persuade him.

Kong shi had departed from the world many years ago, and what was left in his statue was just his lingering will.

Putting aside your crying, it will be useless even if you were to smash this statue!

Take you in?

Do you think that it’s that easy to become Kong shi’s student?

“Could it be that it isn’t him?”

Different from Su shi’s reaction, Pavilion Master Jiang, Elder Zhu, and the others glanced at one another doubtfully.

This morning, they had witnessed the bestowment of the title of Celestial Master Teacher and the act of Kong shi accepting a disciple for themselves.

And they remembered clearly how that person rejected him on the spot…

All along, they had been thinking that it was Zhang shi, but from the looks of it, that didn’t seem to be the case.

After all, just by looking at the desire and anticipation on his face, how could he have possibly given up such a good opportunity?

But of course, if Zhang Xuan were to know their thoughts, he would probably burst into tears.

Do you think that I wanted that to happen? It’s because I didn’t recognize him!

“Doesn’t possess consciousness? I see…”

Lifting his head to take another look at the statue, he confirmed that there wasn’t any spirit within it, unlike the situation before. Thus, Zhang Xuan could only shake his head helplessly.

Even so, he secretly sneaked his hand over and touched the statue.

Hu!

A book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path: “A statue produced in Luohai City from a 9-mo craftsman. It was created by roasting deep ocean soil for forty-nine days, giving it a durability that could even last past a millennium. Flaws: …”

Pu!

Zhang Xuan’s body swayed.

There was no doubt about it. What was before him was just a simple statue.

To think that he passed up the opportunity to become Kong shi’s disciple…

Such a huge waste!

“Let’s begin!”

Seeing that the genius Zhang shi had finally reverted back to his normal state, Su shi gestured.

“Un!”

Pavilion Master Jiang stepped forward and said, “You two have passed the examination and obtained your master teacher emblems, but to be acknowledged by the other master teachers, you all must gain the acknowledgement of the ancestors first!”

“If you succeed, the ancestors will bestow you a unique aura. Even without your emblem, through exuding this aura, other master teachers will still be able to recognize you.”

Even though Su shi and Ling shi didn’t take out their emblems just now, and all they had said was their names, Pavilion Master Jiang didn’t doubt their words at all. This was because of a unique aura that they exuded which confirmed their identities.

“Succeed? Does that mean that there are people who aren’t acknowledged?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

“Of course! The acknowledgement depends on the will of the ancestors. Every single tablet possesses a lingering spirit. Even though they don’t possess consciousness, they are capable of determining whether a person is truly qualified to become a master teacher or not!”

Smiling, Pavilion Master Jiang pointed to the front, “You both only need to kneel here. When an ancestor acknowledges you, his tablet will fall. With every acknowledgement, you will earn a surge of aura. The more ancestors who acknowledge you, the greater the surge of aura will be. This is also an indication of their approval of your talent, and their belief in your capability to reach greater heights.”

“I see!”

Zhang Xuan came to an understanding.

Since he took the 2-star master teacher straight away, he had never been here, so he wasn’t too sure of the proceedings. On the other hand, Mo Hongyi, already being experienced in this matter, wasn’t too surprised by the process.

“If one fails to earn the acknowledgement of any ancestor, will one lose their master teacher qualification?”

Since there were those who weren’t acknowledged by any as well, what would happen to them?

They couldn’t possibly strip a person of his license after all the hard work he put in into passing the examination just because some tablets refused to acknowledge them.

“Of course not!” Pavilion Master Jiang shook his head. “Actually, it’s common for one not to be recognized. The owners of these tablets were all powerful figures in their lifetime, and they only acknowledged those who manage to catch their eye. Under normal circumstances, the chances of a 1-star master teacher being recognized are less than one percent. Even for 2-star master teacher, the chances are only at ten percent!”

“Ten percent?” The crowd was dumbstruck.

This percentage was really way too low.

“At 3-star, the possibility will be raised to twenty percent. At 4-star, forty percent, and at 5-star, seventy percent. Only 6-star master teachers have a hundred percent possibility of being acknowledged. However, the number of tablets that fall for them would be a completely different matter.”

Pavilion Master Jiang nodded.

Even though they didn’t have any master teachers beyond 2-star in their guild, this was all basic knowledge. As the pavilion master, he was well-aware of such details.

“This…” Zhang Xuan finally understood the difficulty of the matter.

A 6-star master teacher was a powerful expert whose stomp could cause an entire region to tremble regardless of where he went. Even the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance could be easily destroyed before the might of such a figure.

Yet, one had to reach such a level before there was a hundred percent chance they could be acknowledged. From this, the difficulty of the matter was clear to see.

“Receiving the acknowledgement from the ancestors is an honor. Those who’ve received the acknowledgement of more ancestors tended to be more talented, and most of them went on to achieve great things in the future. The most famous genius in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Jun Ruohuan, managed to pass the 4-star master teacher examination before reaching his thirties, and his feat became a legend among the master teachers in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Back then, when he passed his 2-star master teacher examination, he earned the acknowledgement from seven of the tablets!”

Su shi turned to look at Zhang Xuan and smiled.

If the greatest genius in Tianwu Kingdom was Zhang Xuan, then Jun Ruohuan was, indubitably, the number one genius of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

“Becoming a 4-star master teacher under thirty?” Zhang Xuan was astounded.

All of the master teachers he knew were mostly in their seventies and eighties. Under such a trend, to be able to pass the 4-star master teacher examination below thirty was indeed a formidable feat, and it bore testimony to the other party’s talents.

In comparison to him, even the number one genius of Tianwu Kingdom Mo Hongyi lost his radiance.

The further one progressed as a master teacher, the more difficult the examinations became, the greater the demand on one’s Soul Depth. Many talented experts ended up being stuck at 3-star for their entire life, unable to take the final leap to become a 4-star master teacher.

Based on the classification of the guild headquarters, one was considered a primary master teacher from 1-star to 3-star, an intermediate master teacher from 4-star to 6-star, and an advanced master teacher from 7-star to 9-star.

There was a huge gap in standing between 3-star to 4-star. It was as though the distance between Tongxuan realm and Zongshi realm, and ordinary people couldn’t hope to make the leap.

“There’s no need for you two to feel pressured about this. It’s best to be acknowledged, but if not, there is no need for you two to worry. For the past three hundred years, there hasn’t been a person who succeeded before. All I hope is for a single exception to happen while I am still the pavilion master so that I can brag about it when I visit the other pavilions!”

Pavilion Master Jiang smiled bitterly.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was initially a little tense over the matter, but after learning that it wasn’t necessary, he heaved a sigh of relief.

But that was to be expected. Different master teachers had different expectations. It was possible for a talented master teacher to not meet the eyes of any of the ancestors. Besides, the owners of those tablet had already turned into dust, and all that was left of them was just a lingering will. It shouldn’t be a big deal even if one failed to win their acknowledgement.

“Mo shi, you should go first!”

After explaining the entire matter, Pavilion Master Jiang beckoned Mo Hongyi forward.

“Yes!”

Mo Hongyi nodded. There was a grim look on his face.

Back then, when he was still a 1-star master teacher, he failed to earn the acknowledgement of any of the ancestors. As the number one genius of Tianwu Kingdom, especially after hearing the deeds of Jun Ruohuan, his motivation suddenly surged.

If he were to succeed, he would leave a mark in history.

At the very least, he wouldn’t pale too much in comparison to Zhang Xuan.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and kneeled onto the prayer mat at the very center of the room.

“Descendant Mo Hongyi pays respect to the ancestors, and I earnestly plead for your acknowledgement!”

His voice was crisp. After finishing his words, his entire body bent forward, nearly touching the floor.

“How is it?”

Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned his attention to the tablets. The other master teachers, including Su shi and Ling shi, also looked over in interest as well.

Mo Hongyi was the most talented genius in Tianwu Kingdom for the past millennium. Despite his young age, he had already passed the 2-star master teacher examination.

Putting aside the monster, Zhang Xuan, he was famous even in Xuanyuan Kingdom. If such a person couldn’t earn the acknowledgement of the ancestors, then the test of the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall was indeed too difficult.

No one dared to speak, and the entire room fell so silent that even a pin drop could be heard.

Kacha!

After a long period of time, just as everyone thought that there was no hope, a tablet fell over.

Boom!

Then, a surge of green aura flew from the depths of the hall and shrouded Mo Hongyi.

“This is… the same unique aura from the bestowment of Celestial Master Teacher?”

Upon seeing the aura, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Back when Zhang Xuan was bestowed the title of Celestial Master Teacher, he had been shrouded by a unique aura which swiftly increased his Soul Depth.

To think that the acknowledgement from the ancestral tablets in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall would have the same effects.

It was no wonder why a Celestial Master Teacher would be acknowledged by other master teachers even without an emblem. So, the aura that the others were talking about referred to this!

“How sparse…”

After confirming the identity of the green aura, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

When he became a Celestial Master Teacher, the green aura was as thick as billowing smoke, but the surge shrouding Mo Hongyi was only around the thickness of a finger.

This was just like the difference between a raging river and a small stream.

Hu!

In a few breaths, Mo Hongyi managed to absorb it cleanly. Delight showed clearly on Mo Hongyi’s face as he stood up.

He couldn’t suppress the exhilaration in his heart.

Even though only one ancestral tablet had fallen for him, he had at least won the acknowledgement of a single ancestor. With this, he had broken the record of the Tianwu Kingdom Master Teacher Pavilion for the past few centuries!

“Incredible!”

“As expected of the ex-number one genius of our kingdom!”

“Finally, one of our master teachers is acknowledged. Good! That old fellow Zhao Xue won’t be able to brag about this matter before me anymore…”

Upon seeing this sight, Pavilion Master Jiang, Elder Zhu, and the others couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly.

None of the master teachers in Tianwu Kingdom had ever earned the acknowledgement of the ancestors before. Seeing this sight before them, they couldn’t hold back their agitation anymore.

“Not bad! To earn the acknowledgement of an ancestor as a 2-star master teacher, you have a bright future in front of you! Even I only managed to earn their acknowledgement upon reaching 3-star!” Su shi nodded in approval.

“Being approved at 3-star is already an incredible feat. I only managed to have a single tablet fall for me after becoming a 4-star master teacher… Seems like the talent of Mo shi is indeed incredible!” Ling shi chuckled.

Even Su shi and Ling shi failed to be recognized when they were still 2-star master teachers. From this, the difficulty of this trial was clear to see.

“Alright, now that Mo shi has obtained the approval of an ancestor, Zhang shi, it’s your turn!”

Recovering from his shock, Pavilion Master Jiang turned to Zhang Xuan.

The crowd immediately turned their attention to Zhang Xuan as well.

Chapter 397: Kong shi’s Statue Breaks!

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a Celestial Master Teacher, the acknowledgement of these ancestors didn’t mean much to him. However, since he was here, he was also curious to see how many of their acknowledgements he could receive.

Thus, walking forward to the praying mat, he took a deep breath and knelt down.

“Descendant Zhang Xuan pays respect to the ancestors, and I earnestly plead for your acknowledgement!”

Then, Zhang Xuan bowed deeply, just as Mo Hongyi did earlier.

Everyone immediately turned their gazes to the ancestral tablets. Even the 4-star master teachers, Su shi and Ling shi, felt a little nervous as well, and they clenched their fists tightly.

This fellow had created too many miracles. Perhaps, he might be able to break Jun Ruohuan’s record.

Everyone waited expectantly with bated breaths. The hall fell completely silent.

However, the ancestral tablets remained fixated on their spot, and there was no sign of them falling over at all.

“It can’t be that… he failed to earn the acknowledgement of all of the ancestors?”

After a while, the master teachers in the hall glanced at one another in bewilderment.

This Zhang Xuan had broken so many records, and the Trust Level of a student he taught even reached a shocking 99. He should be able to earn the respect of quite a handful of experts. Why wasn’t there any movement at all?

This was way too peculiar.

“Usually, the tablets will fall within a tea’s time. The time has already passed, but there isn’t any movement. Seems like… it’s a failure!”

After another moment of silence, Pavilion Master Jiang roughly calculated the timing, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

Based on the results of the two, since Mo Hongyi was able to earn the acknowledgement of one of the ancestors, Zhang shi should be able to earn the acknowledgement of quite a few. Yet, the current situation broke all preconceptions they had. He couldn’t help but feel slightly under.

“Talent and strength aren’t the determining factors for the ancestors’ acknowledgement. Rather… it’s whether you are suited to be his student or not.”

After a moment later, Su shi spoke up, “It could be that Zhang shi’s talents are too high, and they feel pressured!”

The explanation felt shaky to even Su shi, but this was the only reason he could find. Otherwise, it made totally no sense for the less talented Mo Hongyi to succeed and the more talented Zhang Xuan to fail.

“Indeed. That must be the case. Otherwise, how could not earn even a single acknowledgement from the ancestors?”

Smiling bitterly, Pavilion Master Jiang was just about to continue speaking when Vice Pavilion Master Guan pointed over and said, “Wait, something is amiss. Look there…’

Everyone hurriedly raised their heads, but the ancestral tablets were still completely still.

“Vice Pavilion Master Guan…” Jiang Shu looked at him doubtfully.

“I’m not referring to the tablets, but…” Vice Pavilion Master Guan’s face turned pale, and his lips quivered in fear. “But… Kong shi’s statue!”

Everyone froze for a moment before swiftly turning their gazes to the massive statue. The statue which was fixated to the ground suddenly… swayed!

“The statue is swaying?”

Not only was the crowd surprised, even Su shi and Ling shi were perplexed over this phenomenon.

They had seen the tablets fall over before, but they’d never heard of Kong shi swaying!

“It’s not swaying…”

Just as everyone was stunned by this bizarre occurrence, Pavilion Master Jiang suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “Zhang shi, watch out…”

Before he could finish his words, ‘jiya!’, the gigantic Kong shi statue fell to the floor.

The location where Zhang Xuan was bowing toward was right in front of the statue, and the statue fell straight towards his head.

“The hell!”

Zhang Xuan, who was kneeling and awaiting the acknowledgement of the ancestors, couldn’t possibly have expected that such a huge statue would fall on him. His complexion immediately turned awful. Knowing that it was too late for him to avoid, he hurriedly stood up and faced it head on.

Peng!

His fist and the statue collided together.

On top of being a Zongshi realm pinnacle expert, Zhang Xuan possessed a physical strength of 9999 ding. No matter how resilient the Kong shi statue was, it was made of mud, so how could it withstand the might of his fist? Boom! It exploded from the center.

Hualala!

The moment Kong shi’s statue was broke apart, the sound of beans popping sounded, and the ancestral tablets in the room hurriedly fell down. Then, ‘jiya! ‘jiya!’, the entire Teacher Acknowledgement Hall began to shake as well.

“Escape…”

Pavilion Master Jiang’s face paled, and he hurriedly shouted. Then, he darted out of the hall with the group of master teachers.

Not daring to hesitate at all, Zhang Xuan also dashed out.

The moment he left the room, ‘boom!’, the grand hall collapsed inward. Dust flew in the air, and smoke billowed.

“This… What the heck just happened?”

Pavilion Master Jiang and the other master teachers were completely dumbfounded.

They hurriedly turned to the stunned youngster standing not too far away, and an urge to strangle him to death welled up within them.

When other people paid respect to the ancestors, they either got acknowledged or ignored. Yet, when it was his turn, not only did he destroy Kong shi’s statue, he even tore down the entire Teacher Acknowledge Hall…

What was wrong with you!

Kong shi is the world’s teacher, an existence whom everyone respects. Even if his statue was going to fall on you, shouldn’t you at least support him? To face him with a fist, what was going through your head?

To make a move on Kong shi…

That is enough of you!

All of the master teachers felt a spell of dizziness.

The young man before them stared at the ruins, and scratching his head, he asked, “This… Have I been acknowledged?”

Acknowledged?

Acknowledged your head!

Everyone was on the verge of tears.

You destroyed Kong shi’s statue and tore down the ancestral hall; how in the world can you still hope for others to acknowledge you?

In truth, Zhang Xuan was breaking down within as well.

He was fine with not being acknowledged, but what in the world was with that falling statue?

Since it was durable to the extent of being able to last for beyond a millennium, its toughness was already far beyond that of ordinary rocks. If he didn’t strike back and allow it to fall on his head, even if his physical body was strong enough to endure it, he would probably suffer a concussion.

“This old geezer must be trying to get back at me…”

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

Back then, he refused to acknowledge Kong shi as his teacher, so the other party must be trying to get back at him for that. Otherwise, why would such a huge statue suddenly fall on him?

And for the entire Teacher Acknowledgement Hall to fall along with it?

How was he supposed to resolve the situation now…

“No one is to talk about what happened today!”

After a moment of silence, Su shi scanned the surroundings and instructed.

The destruction of Kong shi’s statue and the collapsing of the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall were no different from having the tomb of one’s ancestor being ransacked… If news were to spread out, others would definitely laugh their heads off. The prestige of their Master Teacher Pavilion would be whittled down.

Thus, the only thing they could do now was to seal the news.

It was fortunate that there were only a handful of people present, and given their standing, they would surely be reluctant to speak of such a shameful affair.

“Yes!” The crowd nodded.

“Alright, it’s nothing much to not be acknowledged. Since you two have become master teachers, allow me to introduce you two to your responsibilities and duties as master teachers!”

Knowing that it was a waste of time to discuss this matter, Pavilion Master Jiang immediately changed the topic.

“As a teacher, one’s role is to impart knowledge and clarify doubts! As a master teacher, this is even more so expected of you. Back then, when Kong shi established the Master Teacher Pavilion, he only had a single vision in mind. That is… for everyone to become an expert!”

“For everyone to become an expert?”

Mo Hongyi and Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Indeed. Even though our world may seem peaceful on the surface, that’s actually not the case.”

A grim expression appeared on Pavilion Master Jiang, “Back in Kong shi’s era, humans weren’t the only dominant race in the continent. There was another powerful race… the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!”

“Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?”

“Un. It’s an extremely powerful race, and every single one of them possesses the strength of a Zhizun realm expert from birth! Back then, humans who were captured by them ended up as their slaves for life!”

Pavilion Master Jiang slowly explained, “Eventually, under Kong shi’s leadership, the human race managed to emerge triumphant. He then established the Master Teacher Pavilion and promoted the heritage of equality of education hoping that all humans could gain sufficient strength to fend for themselves.”

“This…”

Zhang Xuan was shocked.

Even though he had a huge collection of books in the Library of Heaven’s Path, such ancient secrets weren’t written in any one of the books, so he had never heard of it before.

He could have never imagined that there would be such a powerful race in the world, possessing the strength of a Zhizun realm from birth.

“Do you two know why poison masters are despised and unrecognized by the other occupations?” Pavilion Master Jiang asked.

Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi glanced at one another doubtfully before shaking their heads.

“Even though the ability of poison masters to kill others discreetly induces fear in others, their expertise contributes a lot to the human race as well. Even so, the other occupations still despised them… The reason for it isn’t just fear and worry, but back then, they once allied with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and helped them to bring harm to their human counterparts!”

Pavilion Master Jiang explained.

The duo immediately came to a realization.

Actually, Zhang Xuan had also been perplexed over this matter. Poison masters were indeed fearsome foes, but they weren’t a deranged bunch who poisoned everyone they met. Not to mention, poison was, by no means, omnipotent too. He didn’t think that there was a need to be so guarded against them, going to the extent of chasing them out of the cities and exiling them to remote corners such as the Red Lotus Range.

However, after hearing this news, he realized that it was due to the unforgivable deeds that poison masters had once done.

As time passed, the grudges were forgotten, but habits die hard, thus resulting in the current circumstances.

Even today, poison masters remained a feared existence. No one was willing to provoke them, but their name remained sullied.

“Alright, you two are just 2-star master teachers, and this matter has already passed. The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe no longer exists, so there’s no need for you to ponder so much over it!”

Pavilion Master Jiang smiled. “Even though the danger from the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe has passed, the heritage of the master teachers continues on to this day. As long as you are a member of the Master Teacher Pavilion, you are expected to fulfill the role of a teacher, follow the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and enlighten the masses!

“It is not because of our title as master teachers, but because of our role in enlightening the masses that we are given unparalleled standing and esteem!”

Then, Pavilion Master Jiang’s face grew stern, “If I were to learn that any of you two were to commit atrocities and infringe the rules, even if I didn’t do anything, other master teachers would definitely find you and purge you!”

“Yes!” Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi nodded.

“Remember, being a master teacher isn’t an honor or a standing, it’s a responsibility and a duty. A true master teacher should always have his students’ welfare in his mind. Only by fulfilling our role will we be acknowledged and respected by others!”

After delegating his instructions, Pavilion Master Jiang shook his hands casually and said, “Alright, I’ve already said all that I need to. Let’s go to the main hall, I’ll introduce you two to Su shi and Ling shi!”

“Un!”

The duo answered, and the three of them headed to the main hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

No one noticed a slight unique aura slowly seeping out from each of the innumerable ancestral tablets and Kong shi’s statue. Gathering together, they formed a huge torrent.

However, as there wasn’t anyone to accept it, it slowly dissipated with time, as though it had never appeared before.

Chapter 398: Rejection of the Ancestors, Sorrowful Chimes of the Bell

In the conference hall of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s Master Teacher Pavilion.

“I believe that everyone should know of the matter. I hope that you all can try your best so that our name won’t be sullied!”

The austere elder seated on the center seat gestured grandly.

The head of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s Master Teacher Pavilion, 4-star pinnacle master teacher, Pavilion Master Kang Gan.

“Pavilion master, rest assured. We will do our best to find the most suitable candidate so as to not sully the name of our Myriad Kingdom Alliance!”

“I’ve been informed that Elder Su and Elder Ling heard of a genius in Xuanyuan Kingdom; they rushed there a few days ago!”

“Elder Bai and Elder Lu heard that there’s a genius who passed the master teacher examination at Chiyuan Kingdom, and they rushed there eight days ago as well!”

…

The elders in the hall hurriedly answered.

These elders were dressed in robes specially crafted for master teachers, and an emblem was pinned on their chests, reflecting their ranks. There were several 4-star master teachers in the hall, and even the weakest of those present was a 2-star. The radiance that shone off their emblems was dazzling.

“Good. Make preparations in advance to welcome and groom them. In the past, our Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s ranking has always been at the very bottom. This time, we must show them that our geniuses don’t lose out to them in any way!”

The pavilion master harrumphed.

“Un…”

The crowd nodded. Just as they were about to continue discussing, a bell suddenly sounded.

It carried deep sorrow in its chiming, as though something tragic had happened.

Dong dong dong dong!

Then, innumerable bells started sounding as well.

“What’s going on?” Pavilion Master Kang abruptly stood up.

“That direction… the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall!”

Ascertaining the direction where the sound came from, a master teacher’s face suddenly distorted in shock, and he exclaimed loudly.

“Let’s go take a look!”

Pavilion Master Kang and the others immediately rushed out and headed straight for the Master Teacher pavilion. Upon pushing open the door, what welcomed them was the sight of countless ancestral tablets shaking non-stop, and sorrowful calls sounded from them, as though they had met with something tragic. At the same time, surge after surge of bizarre aura circled around those tablets, and the deep rumbling of thunder roared from their movements.

“This is… Rejection of the Ancestors, Sorrowful Chimes of the Bell”

Pavilion Master Kang’s face changed, and he nearly fell to the floor.

“Rejection of the Ancestors? What does this mean?”

Seeing Pavilion Master Kang’s loss of composure, one of the master teachers couldn’t help but ask.

“After passing the master teacher examination, one would head to the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall to pay respects to the ancestor and seek their acknowledgement. Many people take pride in being acknowledged by the ancestors.” Pavilion Master Kang started explaining.

The crowd nodded.

This was common knowledge among master teachers. The greater the number of ancestors who acknowledged one when one was a lower tiered master teacher, the more likely it was for one to climb to greater heights in the future. This should be something for master teachers to take pride in.

“As master teachers, you all should know that while teachers can choose their students, students are allowed to choose their teachers as well!”

At this point, slight disbelief flashed in the eyes of Pavilion Master Kang, and he clenched his fists tightly, “The ancestors can acknowledge their descendants, but at the same time… their acknowledgement can be rejected as well!”

“Rejected? The acknowledgement of the ancestors isn’t just an honor, it also grants a unique aura that raises one’s Soul Depth. There’s actually a person who would reject it?”

Taken aback by Pavilion Master Kang’s words, the crowd widened their eyes in shock.

Putting aside the fact that the acknowledgement of the ancestors represented unparalleled honor, more importantly, it could nourish a person’s Soul Depth. Yet, for someone to reject it? Why?

“There were such cases in the past as well! Taking in the aura granted by an ancestor means having the will of the ancestor’s will imprinted within one. In other words, that ancestor will be considered as a half-teacher for one. As everyone should know, the moment one accepts the favor of another, one will establish a karmic debt with the other party. One has to eventually pay back the favor. Some of the top-notch geniuses refuse to accept this kind of favor, so they reject it outright!” Pavilion Master Kang explained.

“This…” The crowd was stunned.

Even though it would establish a karmic debt, the benefits were too great to refuse.

Everyone here dreamt of earning the acknowledgement of the ancestors, yet for someone to reject it…

“Even though there’s a sliver of the corresponding ancestor’s will sealed within each of the tablets, it contains their spirit. Being rejected by their descendant, naturally, they’ll cry in sorrow! It’s under such a situation that’ll induce the Rejection of the Ancestors, Sorrowful Chimes of the Bell! Even so, I’ve only read about all of this in books. To think that it was all… true!”

Pavilion Master Kang’s face paled, “More importantly… for so many ancestral tablets to cry sorrowfully at the same moment… It means that all of these ancestors have acknowledged a person at the same time, but all of them were… rejected!”

“Acknowledgement… by all of these ancestors?”

“H-how is this possible?”

The crowd was completely astonished. Some of them even nearly fainted on the spot.

In the past hundred years, even the most talented genius of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance for the past several hundred years, Jun Ruohuan, only obtained the acknowledgement of seven of the ancestors. Who in the world was this? To obtain the acknowledgement of all of the ancestors at once, and more importantly… to reject all of them as well?

Surely I am hearing things?

The lips of all of the master teachers quivered, and they fell into a frenzy.

“Look into it, it must have happened within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, or else such a phenomenon wouldn’t happen here! If we can invite the genius acknowledged by all of the ancestors, we’ll surely be able to win…”

Pavilion Master Kang’s eyes shone in excitement. He was just about to continue issuing instructions when the ground suddenly shook.

Hualala!

Then, he saw Kong shi’s statue trembling violently as well, calling out sorrowfully.

“Kong shi crying out sorrowfully? Could it be that… Kong shi has been rejected as well?”

Dumbfounded.

Pavilion Master Kang’s mouth was wide open, but not a word came out from his mouth.

…

“This… Do we really need not bother about this?”

Seeing Pavilion Master Jiang walk away, Zhang Xuan glanced at the ancestral tablets and Kong shi’s statue which was lying under the ruins of the hall doubtfully.

Those were the statue of the world’s teacher and the tablets of countless great ancestors.

“Master teachers have already peered through the essence of the world, and what we value is the intent, not the form. The respect for Kong shi and the other ancestors lay deep in our hearts, not in these ancestral tablets. Otherwise, given how the falling over of the tablets should have been an extremely disrespectful action, how could we, as descendants, wait expectantly for it to happen? Don’t worry, the Master Teacher Pavilion have specialized craftsmen in charge of fixing such damages. It won’t take long for the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall to be brought back to its former glory!”

Pavilion Master Jiang explained.

“What we value is the intent, not the form?” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Zhang Xuan liked the sound of it.

The master teachers he knew, be it Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, or Jiang Shu, never used their position as master teachers to oppress others. Instead, they interacted with others like anyone else, and upon realizing that they had erred, they weren’t hesitant to admit their mistakes as well.

Instead of their pride, they used their heart and conscience to deal with matters.

Knowing that the other party understands that he didn’t intentionally break Kong shi’s statue, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Advancing forward, he soon arrived at the conference hall.

“Allow me to formally introduce you two to them, these two are 4-star master teachers from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Su shi and Ling shi!” After the group settled down, Pavilion Master Jiang introduced.

“4-star master teacher?”

Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi leaped in shock.

They thought that those two were 1-star master teachers who came from other kingdoms. How could have even imagined that they were 4-star master teachers…

Especially for Zhang Xuan, his face turned green in regret.

He had even criticized them earlier.

“The two of you are talented, and it’s just a matter of time before you two become 4-star master teachers, so there’s no need to feel so restrained before us!” Su shi chuckled. Then, turning to Zhang Xuan, he said, “Zhang shi, I have a presumptuous request to ask of you.”

“Su shi, feel free to speak!”

Knowing that the other party was a 4-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan immediately clasped his fist respectfully.

Not only were 4-star master teachers knowledgeable, their cultivation had also reached a frightening level!

To become a 3-star master teacher, one had to possess the strength of minimum Zhizun realm. At 4-star… his cultivation must have already surpassed Zhizun.

“I heard that Yang shi is in the capital, so may I ask if Ling shi and I can pay a visit to him?” Su shi asked.

“Pay a visit… to Yang shi?” The corner of Zhang Xuan’s lip twitched, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

What Yang shi… The teacher behind him was Zhang Xuan himself!

The two 4-star master teachers were interested in meeting Yang shi, what should he do?

It had already taken him a lot of effort to fool Jiang Shu. This time, the other party were 4-star master teachers. It wouldn’t be a simple feat to fool them!

It was possible that they might even be able to see through his disguising ability.

“Why? Is it not convenient?” Su shi asked.

“That isn’t the case, just that my teacher… has always been wandering around the area. So, even I’m not too sure where he is…”

Zhang Xuan hurriedly added, “How about this, I’ll ask him of this matter as soon as he appears!”

“Un! I’ll be depending on Zhang shi then!” Su shi smiled.

Even though they were both 4-star master teachers, they didn’t have any domineering aura to them. Instead, they felt particularly amiable.

It was said that the higher ranked a master teacher was, the more they would be like that. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to earn the trust and acknowledgement of their students swiftly, and better impart their knowledge.

“Alright, now that you two are done with your examinations, I won’t beat around the bush. Actually, there are two reasons why Ling shi and I are here. Firstly, it’s because of Zhang shi’s astonishing examination results, so we came over to take a look. Other than that, we have something that we might need your help on!”

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan agree to the matter, Su shi stroked his beard and spoke of the primary reason for their arrival.

“Su shi, feel free to speak. If it’s within the abilities of Tianwu Kingdom’s Master Teacher Pavilion, we’ll definitely give it our all!” Pavilion Master Jiang said.

Putting aside the fact that the other party was his superior, the other party’s rank as a 4-star master teacher made him more than qualified to command them.

Chapter 399: Above the Alliance

“I won’t stand on formalities then!”

Hesitating for a moment, Su shi started explaining, “I believe you all should have at least heard a little about the standing of our Myriad Kingdom Alliance in the continent!”

Having read through books, Zhang Xuan knew that due to the influence of the master teachers, this continent was known as Master Teacher Continent.

It was a huge continent that seemed boundless.

In which, there were countless kingdoms, sects, and individual influences scattered all over.

The Myriad Kingdom Alliance might be the strongest existence in this region, but when placed against the entire Master Teacher Continent, it didn’t amount to anything much.

Seeing the confusion in the eyes of many master teachers here, Su shi shook his head. “I guess that even if you all know a little about it, your knowledge is probably incomplete. Allow me to explain more then!”

“I’m sure you all should be well-aware of the ranking system of the kingdoms. There is a total of four ranks, Unranked, Tier-2, Tier-1, and Conferred!

“Your Tianwu Kingdom is a Tier-1 Kingdom, and it is considered as a vassal to Conferred Xuanyuan Kingdom. And there are 142 kingdoms of Xuanyuan Kingdom’s level under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!”

“So many?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The map he saw was only at the level of a Tier-1 Kingdom. As such, he wasn’t too sure about the conditions of the Conferred Kingdoms.

Initially, he thought that the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was just a name, but at this moment, he realized that the number of countries within it had to be at least ten thousand.

There were 142 Conferred Kingdoms, and Xuanyuan Kingdom had twenty Tier-1 Kingdoms like Tianwu under its jurisdiction, and then going down further… The total quantity numbered so many that it was hard to calculate on the spot.

“That’s right. The presence of the Master Teacher Pavilion and various historical circumstances formed the present situation, but I won’t touch on that for now. For now, I’ll focus on the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!

“The Myriad Kingdom Alliance governs all of the kingdoms within a certain boundary, and even though it sounds like a massive organization, compared to the scale of the Master Teacher Continent, it is actually just an insignificant droplet within a vast ocean. There are several thousands of similar powers in the entire continent, such as the neighboring Mingxia Empire, Henghai Empire… There are also some powerful third rate sects such as the Cascading Sand Sect and Frigid Gale Sect.”

“There are so many similar existences to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance?”

Everyone was shocked.

They knew that the Master Teacher Continent was vast, but they didn’t expect it to be of such a scale.

In their eyes, an existence that gathered over ten thousand kingdoms was already a mammoth. How could they possibly fathom that there were several thousands of such influences scattered throughout the continent?

Just the thought of it was fearsome!

“Myriad Kingdom Alliance might sound domineering, but as the kingdoms within are autonomous and there’s lack of connection between each of them, it’s actually one of the weakest among similar influences.

“Take Mingxia Empire for example, regardless of whether it’s the number of experts they have or their economy, they are way superior to us. Liuyun Sect and Luosha Sect are also filled with outstanding geniuses, and their strength far surpasses ours.

“But of course, these influential powers also have Master Teacher Pavilions within them, and they’re under the jurisdiction of a headquarter.

“In order to better select talents to groom and glorify master teachers, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance and 26 other similar influences cooperate together to conduct a Master Teacher Tournament!

“It’s conducted once every decade, and all master teachers under twenty are allowed to participate. The winner will be entitled to generous rewards.

“This tournament has been conducted 77 times already, but it’s a pity that the Myriad Kingdom Alliance has continued to hover around the bottom! Even at best, we only reached the 23rd place…”

At this point, Su shi’s face flushed in embarrassment.

Of 27 similarly influential powers, their best placing was only at 23rd place, or fifth from the bottom.

It was no wonder why he felt embarrassed.

“This time, the newly-appointed Pavilion Master Kang has decided to make some changes and strive for better results… He instructed for the personnel of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s Master Teacher Pavilion to pay attention to the other kingdoms and pick out talented individuals to groom for the tournament that would be held three months later…”

Su shi stared at Zhang Xuan expectantly.

“Su shi means that… you wish to ask Zhang shi to join this tournament?”

Pavilion Master Jiang came to a realization.

“That’s right!” Su shi nodded. “Despite his young age, Zhang shi has broken many records of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Even within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, there is probably none who can match his talents. Thus… I would like to formally invite him to participate in the tournament!”

“This…”

Not expecting the other party to ask such a request, Pavilion Master Jiang instinctively turned to look at Zhang Xuan.

The gazes of the other master teachers focused on Zhang Xuan as well.

It was Zhang Xuan’s personal decision to choose whether he wanted to participate or not. No one could force him into it.

“This…” Zhang Xuan was also stunned by the sudden request.

“Zhang shi, there’s no need for you to rush to answer the question. You have two days to consider this matter and discuss it with your teacher. You can answer me once you’ve made up your mind!” Su shi said.

“Alright, then I’ll give it some thought…” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Zhang Xuan had never even heard of the Master Teacher Tournament, and he had no idea what form the tournament would be in. As such, he felt that he should be more prudent with this matter.

His primary focus at the moment was to become a 9-star master teacher before thirty. Everything else was of secondary concern.

“Alright, this is all I have. Zhang shi, I’ll be troubling you on Yang shi’s matter then. Ling shi and I are truly interested in meeting your teacher!” Su shi chuckled.

Given how the other party was able to groom a talent of Zhang Xuan’s caliber, his means could only be greater than theirs. Since they were here, it was a breach of etiquette to not pay respects to their senior.

“Once teacher returns, I’ll immediately report to the two elders.”

Seeing that the other party hadn’t forgotten this matter, Zhang Xuan felt his head hurt.

Seeing the serious expressions on these two 4-star master teachers, Zhang Xuan knew that it was impossible for him to avoid this affair.

Just that, disguising before 4-star master teachers… Honestly speaking, Zhang Xuan had no confidence at all.

“If there’s no other instructions, I’ll be taking my leave first then!”

Seeing that there was nothing else, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

“Farewell!” The others nodded.

Since the 2-star master teacher examination and inauguration were over, it was about time for Zhang Xuan to return back to his residence to meet his students.

Zhang Xuan had disguised himself a little after reaching the capital, so he hadn’t really walked around the city in his original appearance yet.

Walking out of the conference hall, he saw Mu Xueqing, Lu Chong, and his other students from Tianwu Academy walking up to him.

“Teacher!”

Their eyes were filled with admiration.

They thought that their teacher was only an ordinary teacher. Who could have thought that he was the great genius whose name echoed throughout the entire capital, Zhang Xuan!

They couldn’t help but feel proud to have such an esteemed teacher.

“Teacher…”

Zhao Ya and the others walked over, but in comparison to the excitement from the other groups, their heads were lowered as though a rooster who had lost a duel.

This was especially for Zheng Yang and Yuan Tao. As though a rat meeting with a cat, they trembled fearfully.

“See how I’ll teach you all a lesson once we return to the residence!”

This was the Master Teacher Pavilion, and there were many eyes here. If outsiders were to learn that his own student tried to do him in, they would definitely laugh their teeth out.

The prestige he had just earned from becoming a 2-star master teacher would also crumble in an instant.

Such family scandals should be dealt with behind closed doors. He was determined to teach these arrogant brats a lesson once they returned to the residence.

“You all should follow me as well!”

Glancing at Mu Xueqing, Lu Chong, and the others, Zhang Xuan gestured.

Since his two identities had converged together, it was time for him to do some reorganization and end the relationships that needed to be ended.

“Yes!”

The crowd nodded, and they followed behind Zhang Xuan.

Returning to the residence, Liu shi, Bai Chan, and the others had already heard of the news. They hurried forward to welcome Zhang Xuan’s return, and admiration glittered in their eyes.

Reaching the main hall, Zhang Xuan sat at the top seat as he glanced at the kneeling Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, and the others below with a steeled face.

As soon as he arrived, the group immediately explained the matter of the poison.

“Regardless of who Liu laoshi is, even if he isn’t me, as a teacher, you should show him the basic respect he deserves. To poison him because of a small contention, how dare you all!” Zhang Xuan bellowed.

These few fellows had indeed gone too far this time.

He was embarrassed by their act of poisoning him, but what truly made him furious was the lack of values in their actions. They disregarded the honor of a teacher and overstepped their moral boundaries.

Once a person loses his values, then no matter how strong he became, he could only be a scum!

As a teacher, what he should impart wasn’t just knowledge, but morals and values as well.

It was just like grooming a flower. It didn’t just consist of watering and adding fertilizer, one also had to trim its branches from time to time. Otherwise, as its branches started to twist and turn, it would lose its aesthetics.

“Teacher, we don’t dare anymore…”

Seeing their teacher fly to a rage, Zheng Yang and the others paled in fright.

“Don’t dare anymore? You all even dare to make a move on me, what else wouldn’t you all dare to do? I, Zhang Xuan, don’t have a student like you all, and I am not fitting to be your teacher!”

Flinging his sleeves, Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly.

“Teacher…”

Zheng Yang and their bodies swayed.

This meant that Zhang Xuan was expelling them from his tutelage!

“Teacher, I beg of you to take back your orders. Zheng Yang and the others didn’t do it intentionally…”

Zhao Ya rushed forward and pleaded with Zhang Xuan.

“Don’t plead for them, leave them kneeling. We’ll talk about it once they finally think it through!”

After bellowing at Zheng Yang and the others, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to Mu Xueqing and his other students.

“It’s under my identity as Liu Cheng that fate brought us together as teacher and students. However, now that I’m reverting back to my original identity, our fate has come to an end. I’ll leave you all with cultivation techniques that will allow you all to reach Zongshi realm, so you all should return for now!”

Zhang Xuan’s connection with these students was only through Tianwu Academy. Now that he had come to the end of his mission, it was time for their relationship to come to an end.

Other than that, Tianwu Kingdom was still way too small for him. It was just a matter of time before he’d leave. Taking care of Zhao Ya and the others was already difficult for him, he couldn’t possibly bring an entire class around!

“Teacher…”

The eyes of Mu Xueqing, Meng Tao, and the others reddened.

“Alright, there’s no banquet that doesn’t end. Even if you all aren’t my students, you all must cultivate diligently!”

After issuing them one last instruction, Zhang Xuan waved his hands, “You all should go now!”

“Yes…”

The group kneeled down and kowtowed together once.

“Teacher, I… would like to follow you. I’ll go wherever you go!” Mu Xueqing gritted her teeth in determination.

“You are the sole daughter of Apothecary Mu. If you leave, who will take care of him? You should return!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

“I…” Mu Xueqing was tongue-tied.

She had lost her mother at a young age, and her father went through a lot of trouble to raise her. If she were to leave, what would happen to her father?

“If you still wish to follow me in the future, you can first settle the matter with Apothecary Mu before looking for me. Don’t worry, as a master teacher, it won’t be hard for you to track me down!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

“Yes. Teacher, thank you for your tutelage over the past few days!”

Upon coming to terms with the matter, Mu Xueqing bent down and kowtowed deeply several times.

Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, his head suddenly jolted. A bookshelf trembled, and the golden book appeared once more.