Chapter 734

Chapter 734: My Teacher, Yang Xuan

 

“Are you saying that I won’t be getting any Academic Credits?” Hearing the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan was stunned.

“Of course not!” Yuan Hong flung his sleeves in displeasure. “In order to uphold the integrity of the challenge, the Passageway of Records have a system in place to check if there was any cheating involved. Now that the entire place has collapsed, how can we ensure that you didn’t use any artifact inside?”

Naturally, the records must be achieved using one’s own capability, and the Passageway of Records had several systems in place to allow others to check on how the challenge went. Otherwise, if one was allowed to use artifacts as they pleased during the challenge, it would become a competition of wealth instead of capability, and the concept of challenging records would become meaningless.

However, given that the entire passageway had been reduced to ruins, it would be impossible to ensure the integrity of the challenge. As such, how could they deem whether one had truly broken the record or not?

Furthermore, you caused such devastating damage to the Blacksmith School right after you arrived. I haven’t even talked about the reparation costs yet, and here you are asking me for Academic Credits… You must be kidding me!

“This…” Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck.

He thought that he would be able to obtain Academic Credits since he had already broken the record, but based on the other party’s tone, it seemed like it was a hopeless cause.

He had wasted his time this time around.

But at the very least, he did receive something good from the challenge. Not only did he achieved Second Incandescence in the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, his soul had also successfully surpassed the ten-meters bottleneck.

“Since I won’t be getting any Academic Credits from this, I’ll challenge the other records then…” After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said.

Since he was already at the Blacksmith School, he should at least return with a 5-star blacksmith emblem. Otherwise, wouldn’t this be a wasted trip?

“Challenge what? Look at the state of the Passageway of Records! Do you think that you can still challenge any records?” Luo Yan stood up and roared furiously.

How are you going to challenge the other records when the Passageway of Records is already wrecked!

“Then… How can I earn more Academic Credits then?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

“The Passageway of Records represents the honor and glory of the Blacksmith School, and yet, you broke it as soon as you arrived. Let me give you a word of advice, don’t bother thinking about Academic Credits anymore. Think about how you can compensate for the damages!” Luo Yan gazed at Zhang Xuan in pity.

It took the Celestial Designer School and the Blacksmith School much effort before they managed to craft the Passageway of Records. It had survived the challenge of innumerable students over several millennia, and you destroyed it as soon as you came… Instead of thinking about how you can compensate for what you have done, you are still dreaming of obtaining Academic Credits?

You sure are brazen-faced!

“Compensate?” Zhang Xuan’s face twitched. After a moment of hesitation, he asked meekly, “How much?”

Hearing those words, Luo Yan turned to his teacher.

As a student, he didn’t have the right to dictate the compensation amount.

“The Chamber of Earth Flame is forged more than four thousand years ago by the head of the Blacksmith School and the head of the Celestial Designer School then. Four Earth Flame Hearts and several other valuable materials were used in its construction. Even if we were to take in the depreciation cost due to damages over time, it would still cost at least twenty high-tier spirit stones!”

After a moment of mental calculation, Yuan Hong replied.

In most guilds, there were usually policies that spared geniuses the liability of compensating for the damage they have caused. More often than not, the guild could just report the issue to the headquarter, and the latter would send someone down to repair the relevant facilities.

However, this rule didn’t hold in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. After all, this place was literally a gathering of geniuses. If everyone were to act negligently and destroy as they pleased, how would the academy continue to function?

Even if they were to sell the principal of the academy away, they still wouldn’t be able to bear the cost!

“H-how much did you say? T-twenty high-tier spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan’s body swayed weakly, and he nearly spewed blood.

Are you joking with me?

If I have that much spirit stones, why would I even bother going through the trouble earning Academic Credits? I could have just easily bought them off others!

While Academic Credits were indeed valuable, there should be plenty of students who would be willing to sell it to him for high-tier spirit stones.

“Considering that you are a freshman and the matter is an unintentional doing on your part, I can reduce the compensation by half for you. You just have to pay ten high-tier spirit stones!” Hong Yuan said.

“Ten… I don’t have that much either.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

All in all, he only had one high-tier spirit stone, and he had obtained it from emerging as the champion of the Master Teacher Tournament. Even if he were to sell all of his possessions, he couldn’t possibly fork out ten high-tier spirit stones!

“I know that you don’t have that much, so I’ll offer you an alternative then. As long as you work for the Blacksmith School for ten years, I’ll consider it as you have repaid the debt!” Hong Yuan waved his hands.

High-tier spirit stones were used by Saint realm experts or those attempting a breakthrough to Saint realm, there was no way that a freshman like Zhang Xuan could possibly have any of that. From the very start, Yuan Hong had intended to have Zhang Xuan work to pay off his debt!

It wasn’t uncommon for students to work in the schools of the academy. Take the receptionist Li Xuan for example, she was also a student working at the Blacksmith Academy to earn additional Academic Credits.

However, in Zhang Xuan’s case, since he had to repay his debt, he wouldn’t be receiving any Academic Credits for his effort.

“Ten years of work to repay a debt of ten high-tier spirit stones? That is an extremely good deal!”

“Indeed! High-tier spirit stones are incomparably valuable. Just a single one of them is worth 10,000 middle-tier spirit stones. It sure is kind of Vice School Head Yuan to offer such generous terms!”

“Well, the intention of the punishment is to deter future students who engaging in similar actions. Otherwise, even if he were to work for his entire life, it’s questionable whether he can repay the debt of ten high-tier spirit stones!”

…

Hearing Yuan Hong’s words, the crowd nodded in approval.

To cultivators who possess significantly longer lifespan than an average human, ten year wasn’t a long period of time. For an average 4-star master teacher, ten years might not even be enough for them to advance to 5-star.

To wipe off a debt of ten high-tier spirit stones with just ten years of work could already be considered as an extremely lenient term.

“Ten years?”

However, contrary to the response of the crowd, Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched upon hearing those words.

It was questionable whether he would even need to stay in this academy for half a year, let alone ten years!

If he were to really spend ten years here, he would have already died from the Innate Fetal Poison before he was freed.

“I can’t accept those terms. I don’t have the time to do so!” Zhang Xuan shook his head and rejected the offer.

“You can’t?” Yuan Hong’s face turned livid, and his eyes narrowed menacingly.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, this was the first time a student was so arrogant as to bargain with him even after erring.

Even after laying ruins to the Passageway of Records, do you not feel the slightest guilt?

It’s out of utmost kindness that I granted you the option of repaying your debt through work, did you think that you are in a position to bargain with me?

“How about this? Allow me to take a look at the damage to see if it can be fixed. If I can fix it, I won’t have to compensate the Blacksmith School, right?” After a long moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan suddenly asked.

“Fix? You?” Yuan Hong stared at Zhang Xuan as if he was looking at a monster.

Are you sure you brought your brain out with you today?

The Chamber of Earth Flame and Passageway of Corridor were constructed in a collaboration between 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths and celestial designers. Even Yuan Hong himself wasn’t confident if he was sufficiently skilled to repair them, but this fellow said that he wanted to give it a try?

Who do you think you are? Blacksmith Grandmaster Wu Yangzi?

How conceited can you get?

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded. After a moment of hesitation, he added, “If I fail to fix it… I can offer you guidance on your smithing capability or your cultivation as compensation too.”

“Offer me guidance? Audacious!” Yuan Hong flew into a rage.

He was an elder of the Master Teacher Academy, the vice-head of the Blacksmith School, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher! He was an esteemed figure throughout the Master Teacher Academy, and he had always been the one to offer guidance to others, taking others in as his disciple. Yet, a freshman actually dared to say that he could offer him guidance on his smithing or cultivation?

Do you know what the heck are you saying?

“Was this fellow’s brain fried inside the Chamber of Earth Flame?”

“To speak of offering guidance to Vice School Head Yuan… Just what is going through his mind?”

Luo Yan and the others widened their eyes in disbelief at those words.

Brother, remember your identity! You are just a freshman!

To speak of offering guidance to Vice School Head Yuan, did you think that you are the head of the Blacksmith Academy or something?

Know your place!

“Ahh… What I mean is to have my teacher offer you some pointers on your cultivation!” Hearing the other party’s furious bellow, Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before he realized the implications of what he had said, so he quickly changed his words in embarrassment.

This was the side effect of disguising as ‘Yang shi’ too often. There were times which he would just find himself saying such words unwittingly.

As a mere freshman, it was no wonder why the others would be annoyed to hear him speak of offering guidance to a 6-star pinnacle master teacher.

“Teacher?” Suppressing his rage, Yuan Hong asked.

“My teacher Yang Xuan has once offered his pointers to Pavilion Master Mo Gaoyuan, and Elder Mo is also in awe of him.” Zhang Xuan chuckled as he flicked his wrist and took out a token. “Here is the token Elder Mo gave me!”

“Elder Mo… You mean the head of the Beast Tamer School, Elder Mo?” Taking a glance at the token, Yuan Hong’s eyebrows shot up.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, it was natural that he would recognize that token.

That token served as a symbol of Elder Mo’s authority, and standing before it was as good as standing in the presence of Elder Mo himself. Due to the complications that came with it, Elder Mo would never give out his token easily.

Even though Yuan Hong and Elder Mo were both 6-star pinnacle master teachers, there was still a significant gap in their standing and their capability.

The fact that the latter was one of the Ten Great Master Teachers spoke loudly about his capability.

And furthermore… what did this fellow just say?

His teacher, Yang Xuan, had once offered his pointers to Mo Gaoyuan?

As the head of Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, Mo Gaoyuan possessed a standing on par with the Ten Great Master Teachers. To be able to offer guidance to such a person, didn’t that mean that… Yang Xuan was at least a 7-star master teacher?

In an instant, Yuan Hong’s face turned grave.

If he had been thinking of strangling this ignorant fellow to death just a moment ago, at this instant, he was starting to feel a little apprehensive.

“Head of the Beast Tamer School? He’s a school head too?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“You didn’t know?”

Judging how the other party didn’t know Elder Mo’s position in the academy, it didn’t seem like they have a close relationship. Nevertheless, Elder Mo still chose to give him his personal token. This seemed to hint that the other party had a truly incredible teacher.

Otherwise, why would one of the Ten Great Master Teachers go to the extent of giving a freshman his token? After all, there were many ways that he could show his goodwill towards a student.

It wouldn’t make sense for him to give out his personal token to a person he had barely met.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan shook his head in response to Yuan Hong’s query.

He had never heard anyone speaking about it before him, so naturally, he was unaware of it.

“Elder Mo is a close acquaintance of mine, but even so, I can’t excuse you from the repayment. However, I can consider other alternative solutions you propose.” After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Hong said.

Regardless of whether what the other party said was true or not, the fact that he had Elder Mo’s token in hand goes to say that how highly the latter valued him. But even with the immense authority the Ten Great Master Teachers wielded, they couldn’t override the rules of the academy.

“It’s my mistake that I damaged the Passageway of Records and Chamber of Earth Flame. Can you allow me to attempt to repair it? If it still doesn’t work out after that… I’ll try to find a way to repay the Blacksmith School.” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Since you have Elder Mo’s token in hand, you should be a trustworthy person. Alright, I’ll give you this opportunity then!” Yuan Hong nodded.

It would be best if the other party could fix the damage, but even if he were to fail, that should make him give up on any other ideas he had in mind.

“Elder Mo’s token?”

“Who in the world is that fellow?”

“His teacher even offered pointers to Pavilion Master Mo? When did such an incredible figure appear amidst the freshmen…”

Hearing the conversation between the duo, a commotion broke out amidst the crowd.

Li Xuan and Luo Yan glanced at one another in astonishment.

It was just a moment ago that they had shown their displeasure towards Zhang Xuan. They thought that it would be fine since he was just a freshman, but who could have known that he would have such a powerful backing!

To be honest, if he had taken out Elder Mo’s token earlier on, they would have even willingly lent him their Academic Credits

Chapter 735: Repairing The Passageway

 

“With such a formidable teacher… Could he have really broken the record?”

Before this revelation, everyone was still doubtful as to whether he had truly broken the record. However, after hearing that the other party had a formidable teacher whom even Pavilion Master Mo and Elder Mo were in awe of, their mind couldn’t help but wonder if he might be speaking the truth.

Master teachers who had progressed beyond 6-star possessed incredible means which they could hardly fathom.

This was also the reason why the offsprings of Sage Clans possessed formidable capabilities far beyond their peers. Entitled from birth, the offsprings of Sage Clans were exposed to things that were far beyond their wildest imagination, thus paving the way to greatness.

“You have my gratitude!” Upon hearing Yuan Hong agree to his terms, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Since it was crafted by a 6-star blacksmith and a 6-star celestial designer, he might just be able to fix it. If he were to succeed, he could spare himself from paying that heavy compensation!

In a sense, not having to pay that hefty compensation could be considered as earning that sum of money as well!

It couldn’t be helped, he was simply too poor at the moment. He had yet to reach the point where he could spend money as he pleased.

Walking over to the ruins, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath and placed his hand on the ruins.

Back then, when he was still in the Chamber of Earth Flame, he had only used his Eye of Insight. As such, he hadn’t compiled a book on the chamber and the passageway yet.

As the mechanisms and the formation of the two were connected to form an immense structure, he should be able to compile a book on them by placing his hand against the wall.

“Flaws!” Zhang Xuan muttered in his head, and with a jolt, a book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. He quickly turned his gaze to it.

After flipping through a few pages, his eyes narrowed.

The reason why the infrastructure collapsed was due to the depletion of the spiritual energy gathered in the Earth Flame Hearts, resulting in an imbalance in the formation. As the formation served as the energy supply for the mechanisms for the Passageway of Records, it ended up breaking down as well.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to fix the problem, he would have to first find four more Earth Flame Hearts to substitute the depleted ores. From there on, he would be able to repair and re-establish balance in the formation, and that should allow the mechanisms of the passageway to function once more as well.

Repairing the formation and re-establishing balance, those were within his means. However… where was he supposed to find Earth Flame Hearts?

Even if he were to put aside the fact that Earth Flame Hearts were extremely rare commodities that one could hardly find in the market, given his current wealth, he wouldn’t be able to afford one even if he were to stumble on one by some coincidence!

“There is no way I can repair it like that unless… I can solve the flaw regarding the usage of Earth Flame Hearts as catalysts for the formation!” Zhang Xuan fell into deep thoughts.

The Earth Flame Hearts were listed as a flaw in the Library of Heaven’s Path due to several compatibility issues with the formation. If Zhang Xuan could find a cheaper and more effective alternative, he would be able to spare himself a lot of trouble.

But this had its own problems too. What he should swap it with and how he would swap it were questions he would have to answer if so. However, Zhang Xuan’s understanding of the entire system was still far too lacking for him to come up with a feasible solution.

In the end, Zhang Xuan turned to Yuan Hong and asked, “Elder, I have one request to ask of you…”

Even though he didn’t know what was the position of the old man before him, there should be no mistake addressing him as “elder”.

“What is it?” Yuan Hong frowned.

“It’s like that… I’ve examined the passageway and gained some understanding of its workings and sustained damage. However… there are some things which I am not too sure of, so may I borrow some related books on this subject in the Blacksmith School to browse through?”

Since Zhang Xuan was lacking information, there was only one thing to do—gather sufficient books to form a corresponding Heaven’s Path secret manual.

This might be extremely abrupt and last-minute, but there was nothing more effective than that at the moment.

“You wish to browse through some books?” Yuan Hong was stunned.

To only start reading up right now, don’t you think it’s a little too late?

“What kind of books do you need?” Even though Yuan Hong was a little iffy about Zhang Xuan’s intentions, he still decided to ask anyway.

“Any books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame will do. The more there is, the better it’ll be…” Zhang Xuan replied.

The Chamber of Earth Flame was an extremely complex system which intricacies could easily take months to comprehend, and yet Zhang Xuan didn’t seem to have the slightest clue on where he should start.

A dark line streaked across Yuan Hong’s face, but eventually, after a deep breath, he turned to the side and instructed, “Luo Yan, bring all of the books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame from our library here.”

If it was anyone else, he would have never granted him this privilege. However, that fellow before him had Elder Mo’s token in hand, and he seemed to have the backing of a formidable teacher as well. Frustrated as he may be, he still decided to hold himself back.

And more importantly, he was also curious to see how the other party intended to fixing the Chamber of Earth Flame when it was already left in such ruins.

“He wants to read up? But considering how complex the formation and mechanism is, can he even understand those books?”

“Indeed, I also have no idea what’s going on. Perhaps he wants to analyze its internal structure?”

“In any case, the blueprints of the Chamber of Earth Flame aren’t secrets. The only thing valuable about it is the four Earth Flame Hearts used as the core of the center formation. I heard that the Blacksmith School had to pay a hefty price to obtain it back then. As long as those Earth Flame Hearts remain intact, it shouldn’t be too difficult to fix it.”

…

After hearing the young man’s intentions of reading through books regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame, doubt flickered across everyone’s faces.

While books were useful sources of knowledge, it was impossible to fully grasp such a complex subject without the guidance of a teacher.

So far, there had never been a person who had become a great expert of the continent by secluding himself and studying by his own.

That fellow had declared confidently that he would attempt to fix the damage, so everyone thought that he would have some level of proficiency in smithing and mechanism design. Who knew that he would end up engaging in last-minute studying instead…

If that could really work, everyone would have been 6-star master teachers by now! It was no wonder why Vice School Head Yuan Hong was so angry.

Ignoring the bizarre gazes around him, Zhang Xuan waited patiently, and before long, Luo Yan returned back into the room.

The books on the Chamber of Earth Flame were placed together, so it wasn’t too difficult to gather all of them together. After allowing his teacher to double check the titles, Luo Yan flicked his wrist, and a pile of several hundred books appeared before him.

Some of these books depict the structure of the Chamber of Earth Falme, some of them explained the functions of it, and there were even some with several suggestions for improvement on them… However, many of these suggestions were just opinions from the authors, making it difficult to discern right from wrong.

Walking up to the book, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and touched every single one of them, as if he was trying to find a certain a book. Soon, after his finger brushed through every last one of them, he casually picked up a book and flipped it open.

His eyes were fixated on the content of the book, but his consciousness was deep within the Library of Heaven’s Path, compiling the content of the books he had just gathered together.

Hu!

A moment later, a brand-new book appeared before him, and Zhang Xuan swiftly flipped it open.

“There are still so many flaws?” After taking a look, his eyelids began twitching uncontrollably.

It seemed like several hundred books were still far from enough! He was still unable to iron out all of the flaws to form a perfect manual. Taking a swift glance, there was actually 52 of them!

Nevertheless, his goal wasn’t to perfect the manual. More importantly, he just had to find a suitable substitution for the Earth Flame Hearts.

Flipping through the book swiftly, he soon found a portion regarding the Earth Flame Heart flaw.

“Earth Flame Hearts are incompatible with the formation in the Chamber of Flames, resulting in high energy inefficiency. If they could be placed with Earth Flame, the efficiency could be enhanced severalfold, and there will be no worry of the depletion of the catalyst as it could be easily retrieved from the ground. However, Earth Flame is extremely difficult to control, and its heat intensity is lacking as compared to Earth Flame Hearts…”

The content extended over an entire page.

While Earth Flame was stated as a plausible substitute, it had its own flaws as well, and it wouldn’t be easy to make the swap as well.

First and foremost, Earth Flame was lacking in heat intensity, so its effects wouldn’t be as pronounced as with Earth Flame Hearts. Considering how the Chamber of Earth Flame was intended as a trial to one’s physical resilience to heat, it wouldn’t do for the temperature to be lowered.

If Zhang Xuan wanted to use it as a catalyst, he would have to find a way to raise its heat intensity somehow. One method came into his mind—auxiliary formation.

One of the books did propose the usage of a 5-star auxiliary formation to further intensify the heat in the Chamber of Earth Flame. Given Zhang Xuan’s current ability, he was more than capable of setting up a 5-star formation.

However, there was another potential problem. To set up a 5-star auxiliary formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame, he would have to project it over the original formation. When formations compound with one another, it was extremely easy for them to come into conflict with one another, thus making an explosion extremely likely!

As a result, the usage of Earth Flame as a catalyst for the Chamber of Earth Flame was only practical in theory.

In order to ensure stability in both formations, one would have to identify the balance point and establish power equilibrium from that point. However, even the most capable of formation masters in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy didn’t possess the means to do so, needless to say, others.

This was precisely the reason why the original builders of the Chamber of Earth Flame decided to go to great lengths to obtain Earth Flame Hearts to construct it.

But while finding the balance point might be a nigh impossible for others, it was no problem for Zhang Xuan at all!

Wasn’t it just a mere balance point?

Of his formation master capabilities, this seemed to be his greatest specialization…

Breaking formations, challenging the Sea of Formations, calming the Cleansing Lake… It was through finding the respective balance points that he was able to achieve those feats and make a name for himself!

“However… I still don’t have a complete understanding of the Chamber of Earth Flame yet. It won’t be easy for me to find the balance point like that. Nevertheless, 10 high-tier spirit stones are at stake, I should give it a try regardless!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Other than the stability issue, there were still many other problems that Zhang Xuan had to resolve. For one, Earth Flame was far more deconcentrated than Earth Flame Hearts, and this could potentially result in an unstable intensity of heat throughout the Chamber of Earth Flame.

It was problematic that Zhang Xuan didn’t have sufficient information to work with in order to construct a perfect formation to resolve all of the problems. However, the main issue at hand should be swapping the Earth Flame Hearts with Earth Flame and ensuring the stability of the compounding formation. As long as he could achieve that, he should be able to deal with the other problems slowly after that.

“Alright, the Earth Flame it shall be then!”

After running some simulation scenarios in his head, Zhang Xuan verified that there shouldn’t be too much of an issue with it before standing up once more.

“This elder over here, may I know if there is any way to connect the Chamber of Earth Flame directly to the Earth Flame beneath the ground?”

“Earth Flame? It should be possible to do so.” Yuan Hong nodded. “Often, our blacksmiths require the immense heat from the earth to refine and mold metal. Thus, we have procured a direct source to it in our Blacksmith School.”

It wasn’t uncommon for students of the Blacksmith School to have to handle difficult ores, and ordinary coals often produce insufficient heat process them.

As such, a huge formation was crafted within the Blacksmith School in order to allow students to tap into the Earth Flame below directly.

“That’s great!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “I would like to borrow that for a use. May I ask elder to help connect the source of the Earth Flame to the formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame?”

“You intend to use Earth Flame to substitute the Earth Flame Hearts?” Yuan Hong frowned.

“Yes, I have found a feasible solution to do so. Don’t worry, I’m certain about its feasibility!” Zhang Xuan said with a confident smile.

“Alright then!” Seeing Zhang Xuan’s confident face, Yuan Hong hesitated for a moment before eventually relenting.

While Earth Flame was indeed dangerous, he had handled it many times in the past while smithing weapons, so controlling it wasn’t too much of an issue for him. Given such, he should be able to handle the situation even if things were to go awry, so it shouldn’t be dangerous.

In any case, since that fellow had declared his confidence, he was also curious to see what he was up to.

If this were to succeed, that fellow would be doing what countless predecessors had failed at. This would be, in the truest sense, the breaking of a record!

Yuan Hong left the room, returning with a metal formation plate in hand a moment later. After checking the positioning, he placed the formation plate on the ground and injected a surge of zhenqi into it.

Weng!

The engravings on the formation plate began to shine, and a searing heat permeated the surroundings. Suddenly, a pillar of fire rose from the ground like a flame dragon, seemingly intent on melting down the surroundings.

However, the flame dragon was swiftly suppressed and kept under control under Yuan Hong’s proficient maneuvers.

“Thank you!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

The temperature of the Earth Flame was indeed subpar compared to the Earth Flame Heart. It seemed like the book was right. He would have to use an auxiliary formation to intensify the heat if he wished to restore the Chamber of Earth Flame back to its previous state.

Chapter 736: Goner!

 

“Time to begin!”

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a handful of formation flags appeared in his grasp.

There were quite a few 5-star formation flags in Yu Cheng’s storage ring that he could use. These formation flags were attributeless, making them ideal to craft the auxiliary formation.

Hu hu hu!

With a flick of his wrist, several hundred formation flags shot out and fell in the vicinity of the formation plate.

Following which, Zhang Xuan took a step forward and stomped his foot on the ground.

Weng!

With a buzz, the formation flags were immediately triggered with a slight tremor. A dense layer of mist emerged in the surroundings, shrouding the formation plate entirely.

Hong long!

The flame dragon prowling at the center of the formation plate abruptly grew from a meter tall to dozens of meters, and it seemed as if it would surge beyond the tall ceiling, burning the roof down to cinders!

“This is a grade-5 formation? How can he set it up so quickly?” Yuan Hong’s eyebrows leaped up in astonishment.

Formation master was one of his supporting occupations as well, but even as a 6-star master teacher, he knew it was impossible for him to set up a formation so swiftly.

Yet, the other party was able to do it so easily. Furthermore, he noticed that the method used in setting up the formation was very foreign to him. For even a 6-star master teacher like him to be unaware of it, chances were that the other party had truly received the teachings of a high-ranked master teacher.

Legend has it that top-notch formation masters had their unique techniques to swiftly set up formations and enhance the might of it.

Most likely, that fellow was using something like that.

“To intensify the Earth Flame so swiftly… the formation he is setting up should be an auxiliary formation to increase the pace at which the Earth Flame is being drawn at!” Yuan Hong nodded.

Despite Zhang Xuan’s swift movement, he was still able to roughly tell the gist of the formation through its effects and the positioning of the flags.

However… what was the point of setting up this formation?

Was that fellow intending on using Earth Flame to replace the Earth Flame Hearts?

“But surely that should be unfeasible? Even if the pace at which Earth Flame is being drawn at were to be enhanced, it will only make the flame dragon grow larger. It has minimal effect on the heat intensity…” Yuan Hong frowned.

As the vice head of the Blacksmith School, he could at least tell that much.

While the auxiliary formation would increase in the pace at which Earth Flame was being drawn out at, that would only lead to a quantitative increase in the flame dragon.

To make an analogy, it would be like the difference between burning a kilogram of coal and a ton of coal. Despite the difference in quantity, the difference in the temperature between the two would only be minimal at best.

“Rest assured, I have a plan in mind.” With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out another set of formation flags.

Hualala!

With another flick of his hand, the flags were planted at the perimeter of the first formation.

Weng!

Zhang Xuan stomped his foot, and the formation was activated as well.

Hu hu hu!

As soon as the formation whirred into action, the towering flame dragon instantaneously withered, returning back to its original size of one meter.

However, despite the reduction in size, the heat it emanated was visibly far more hot than before, and even from a distance, the crowd could still feel a searing heat wave gushing at them.

“This… You compressed the flame dragon to forcefully raise the temperature? Not bad!” Astonishment flickered across Yuan Hong’s face.

The first formation increased the rate at which Earth Flame was drawn at whereas the second formation aimed to compress the Earth Flame as far as possible.

After undergoing compression, the Earth Flame might have reduced in size, but it was far more frightening than ever. In an instant, its temperature rose by more than tenfold!

Even Yuan Hong didn’t have the confidence of withstanding such intense heat.

“This… Is he really intending on using the Earth Flame to substitute the Earth Flame Hearts?” Yuan Hong’s face twitched.

Even though he had a rough idea of what Zhang Xuan was intending to do earlier, he subconsciously denied the possibility, thinking that it was impossible. However, as Zhang Xuan continued on, the doubt he harbored earlier intensified.

As the two formations continued to operate, the temperature of the Earth Flame rose higher and higher, and before long, it was already nearing an Earth Flame Heart.

Perhaps, this fellow might just be able to fix the Chamber of Earth Flame… However, Earth Flame was already an unstable material in itself. To extract large amounts of it and compress them together tightly… Was he really able to keep it under control?

The moment that he loses control over the Earth Flame, the entire Blacksmith School might potentially be destroyed.

Yuan Hong wasn’t the only one worried about that. Unsettled frowns were appearing on the many master teachers watching the spectacle as well.

How could those who dared to venture to the Passageway of Records and challenge the achievements of their predecessors be ordinary master teachers? While they were unable to name the two formations Zhang Xuan had set up, they were still able to comprehend their function and purpose.

Watching as more and more Earth Flame was compacted within the flame dragon, as well as sensing the astounding heat being emanated from it, they couldn’t help but feel their goosebumps rising in fear despite their formidable cultivation.

If they were to be caught up in an explosion involving it, there was no doubt that they would be burned into cinders.

“This should be enough!”

On the other hand, oblivious to the shock rippling through the crowd, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief after successfully setting up the formation.

While it may seem like two formations from the outside, it was actually just one formation consisting of an internal layer and an external layer.

The internal layer was responsible for drawing more Earth Flame into the formation, and the external layer would compress the energy to enhance its concentration.

When used in unison, it could force Earth Flame to emulate the effects of the Earth Flame Heart.

This was designed by a 6-star pinnacle formation master many years ago for the Chamber of Earth Flame. However, he was unable to resolve the issue regarding the instability of compound formations, so his plan never came to be.

“Time to start!”

Knowing that the difficulty would only rise the further he progresses, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath and activated his Eye of Insight.

With the third acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher, his Eye of Insight had been enhanced once again. As long as he was unwilling to reveal it, not even a 6-star master teacher would notice his Eye of Insight.

Considering how his cultivation was still limited, it would be best for him to conceal his Eye of Insight for the time being until he possesses sufficient strength to protect himself.

Despite being concealed from the view of others, the Eye of Insight was still as powerful as ever. With its activation, the ruined formation swiftly appeared before Zhang Xuan’s eyes. The hidden formation flags flickered into existence around the flame dragon.

“All that’s left to do is to activate this formation…”

The original formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame had only broken down due to the lack of energy to power it. As long as he could activate it through the flame dragon, the Chamber of Earth Flame should function once more. Stepping forward, Zhang Xuan walked up to the crux of the formation.

“Activate!”

Stomping on the ground, Zhang Xuan infused his zhenqi into the center of the formation, and the formation was activated with a slight trembling of the flags. A mist began to form around the flame dragon.

Hualala!

However, as soon as the flame dragon came into contact with the mist, a sound of disharmony, reminiscent of something collapsing, abruptly sounded. It was as if the two formations were incompatible with one another, and an explosion would be imminent if they weren’t separated immediately.

“This is bad…” Yuan Hong’s face paled upon seeing that sight.

Formations couldn’t be compounded with one another. He had once witnessed a 6-star formation master being blasted to death in an attempt to compound formations. If an explosion were to occur here, the Blacksmith School might just be wiped out from the surface of the world.

Thus, he immediately stepped forward in preparation to suppress the formation. However, just as he was about to make a move, the young man abruptly shook his hand, and a spirit beast inner core was thrown into the center of the mist.

Hu!

As soon as the inner core came into contact with the mist, the sound of disharmony immediately dispelled. All of a sudden, the formation was stabilized as if it had found its cornerstone.

“That… he found the balance point between the two formations?” Yuan Hong widened his eyes in shock.

To make the rampaging formation calm down so swiftly, there could only be one possibility. That fellow must have found the balance point between the two formations and reinforced it.

“If I recall correctly… A Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Glaciersnow Fish’s inner core. Considering its cold attribute, it is indeed an ideal mediator for a fire attribute formation like this…” Recalling the details of the spirit beast inner core thrown out earlier, Yuan Hong couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Not only had the other party found the balance point of the two formations, he even wisely utilized a complementary factor—the cold attribute Glaciersnow Fish inner core—to mediate the flame energy. As the saying goes, “no shadow creeps in the absence of light, and no light exists without the presence of shadow”. Through a contrasting mediating factor, he successfully stabilized the formation entirely!

“Compounding a formation to another through a set of well-defined sequence, incredible!” To be able to go that far with Earth Flame, this fellow was indeed a true genius!

It was no wonder why he declared confidently that he would be able to fix the formation. It seemed like he did possess the capability to back up his words.

As long as a balance was established with the formations, the rest could be easily fixed through employing some workers.

Seeing the formation being stabilized, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

When he first read about the Chamber of Flames in his book, it was filled with so many flaws that he thought that it would be difficult for him to successfully set it up. To his surprise, everything went smoothly.

“I’m done.” With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan turned around and reported.

“This is… the Chamber of Earth Flame?”

“How beautiful! With so many flames flying around the room, can a human really step into it?”

“What an incredible heat! Senior Luo Yan, did you really survive three minutes inside? I don’t think that I can even last ten seconds in there before I am reduced to ashes…”

…

Looking at the exposed Chamber of Earth Flame, the crowd flew into a commotion.

Due to the rumors surroundings the Chamber of Earth Flame, there were very few who had opted to challenge. Thus, many were ignorant about the conditions inside.

As the Passageway of Records hadn’t been restored yet, there were no walls to conceal it. As a result, the situation within was plain for everyone to see, and the fearsome heat within left many astounded.

Leaping flames and blistering heat… How did the previous record holder even last seventeen minutes under such extreme conditions?

And did the fellow before them really last two hours within?

“Elder, I have successfully fixed the Chamber of Earth Flame. I should be spared from compensation now, right?” Ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, Zhang Xuan turned to Yuan Hong and asked.

“It does seem to be repaired on the surface. However, I’ll have to test the effects of the Chamber of Earth Flame personally to verify it!” Yuan Hong waved his hands.

Even though the Chamber of Earth Flame seemed no different from before, there was still a need to examine its effectiveness, especially given the difference in the catalyst.

“Please do.” Zhang Xuan smiled as he gestured the other party forward.

“Un. I was once in charge of maintaining the Passageway of Records, so I have a good idea of how the conditions should be like inside. I’ll go in to take a look!” Yuan Hong nodded.

In his years in the Blacksmith School, there was a period of time where he was placed in charge of the amenities of the school. He understood the structure of the Chamber of Earth Flame well, and the best way to verify if it had been restored was to test it out personally.

As such, Yuan Hong began making his way into the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Weng!

As soon as he stepped in, the flames scattered in the area began gathering around him, and the temperature started to rise swiftly.

“Hm?” Noticing that the functioning in the Chamber of Earth Flame was slightly different from what he saw earlier, Zhang Xuan frowned.

At that instant, a thought suddenly struck him, and he swiftly turned to Luo Yan and asked, “What material did the Blacksmith School use to craft the formation plate used to grab earth flame from beneath the ground?”

“Oh, it’s an alloy made of Verdantrise Rock and Furnace Crystal!” Luo Yan replied after a moment of contemplation.

“Verdantrise Rock and Furnace Crystal?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in shock.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the ground abruptly shook.

Hong long!

With loud rumblings, a massive surge of heat wave abruptly rose from the ground, resulting in a pandemonium.

Following which, the Passageway of Records collapsed, followed by the Blacksmith Guild’s main hall…

Chapter 737: Consulting the School Head

 

Hualala!

Dust rose rapidly from the ground. The master teachers who had been spectating the sight abruptly backed away in fear.

Peng peng peng peng!

Consecutive collisions sounded as dozens of master teachers were slammed violently against a wall.

Quickly stabilizing his posture, Zhang Xuan gazed at the sight before him, and his lips began to twitch.

Not only had the Passageway of Records collapsed entirely, half of the Blacksmith Guild’s main hall had also collapsed, leaving behind a cloak of dust in the wake of its former glory. The entire area screamed of a disaster, as if it had been bombarded.

If Zhang Xuan’s action of collapsing the Chamber of Earth Flame had sent everyone into a frenzy a moment ago, this was at least ten times worse!

The Passageway of Records and its mechanisms and formations along with half of the main hall had been completely wrecked. Even if it is fixed eventually, the Blacksmith School would still become a laughingstock for the entire Master Teacher Academy.

There was probably no one who would have thought that a mere record challenger would end up reducing the entire branch into such a state!

It was fortunate that most of the master teachers in the Blacksmith Guild possessed incredible cultivation. Protected by their zhenqi, they sustained minimal injuries, but… considering how a Chamber of Earth Flame was worth 20 high-tier spirit stones, how much will all of this cost?

Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched as he saw the sight before him slowly turning dark. At this point, he was already on the verge of tears.

There was nothing wrong with the Earth Flame which he had tempered to replace the Earth Flame Heart, and the formation had been reinforced to be extremely stable as well.

It should be impossible for anything to go wrong, but something still did. The mistake lay in the formation plate used to draw earth flame from the ground. The Verdantrise Rock and Furnace Crystal were valuable ores, but they were susceptible to heat under extreme conditions.

Typically speaking, those ores should be able to endure the heat from Earth Flame, but there was one thing Zhang Xuan had neglected.

The formation in the Chamber of Earth Flame was crafted in the manner such that it would emit varying degrees of heat depending on the cultivation of the person who stepped in. When Yuan Hong stepped into the formation, the temperature began rising swiftly, eventually exceeding the melting points of those ores. Naturally, it began to lose its shape.

This was similar to delivery trucks from his previous life.

If one were to follow the weight limit, it could last for a very long time. However, if one were to overload it, it could be damaged very easily.

If that formation plate to retrieve Earth Flame from the ground was crafted of better materials, this wouldn’t be a problem. However, that wasn’t the case.

As the formation plate began to melt, the stability which Zhang Xuan had created with great difficulty was shaken, resulting in the violent Earth Flame running amok… As a result, a calamity occurred.

In other words…

If it wasn’t Yuan Hong who entered, such a problem would have never occurred!

It was due to the formation plate being too weak and Yuan Hong being too strong that such an accident happened.

This was something Zhang Xuan hadn’t expected to happen.

Even the elder who had come up with this solution probably couldn’t have imagined that the complex compound formation he came up with would fall apart due to inferior quality material.

“This isn’t my fault…” With a tearful face, Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

While that was what Zhang Xuan believed, the others didn’t share his thoughts. As the shaking ground calmed, Luo Yan and the others stood up and glanced at the ruins around them before turning to him. Their eyes were filled with so much fury that it seemed as if they would devour him alive.

This was the core of their Blacksmith School! How were they supposed to smith weapons now that it had been reduced to ruins? How could they raise their heads proudly before the other schools?

“What did you do…” Luo Yan spat through clenched teeth.

At this moment, he felt so angry that his hands were dying to rip the fellow before him apart. In the end, he still chose to suppress his anger, and turning to the side, he instructed, “You two, keep a close eye on him, don’t let him escape. As for the rest, follow me. We’ll go and save my teacher!”

This wasn’t the time to deal with that fellow yet. His teacher’s safety was the current priority.

“Yes!” Two master teachers stepped forward and stood by Zhang Xuan’s flanks, sealing his path of escape.

On the other hand, the others swiftly rushed to the ruins of where the Chamber of Earth Flame once stood.

The explosion had caused the entire Passageway of Records and the branch to collapse. Considering how Vice School Head Yuan had been standing at the center of the explosion, he was probably in a worse state than everyone else.

But just as they were about to start digging through the ruins, “huala!”, a figure suddenly emerged amidst the dust—Yuan Hong.

At this very moment, a huge portion of his hair had been burnt away. His face was livid, and flames of rage were burning in his eyes, and it seemed as if he was on the verge of going on a rampage.

“Cough cough!”

As soon as Yuan Hong rose from the dust, he began coughing violently, and fresh blood spewed from his mouth. His body wobbled feebly.

“Teacher…”

“Vice School Head Yuan…”

Everyone immediately rushed up to him in worry.

The person before them was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, a Saint realm expert. How wounded must he be to be in such a state?

“I’m fine!” Yuan Hong waved his hands as a sharp glint flashed across his eyes.

“Where’s that fellow?”

Had he not used his full strength to suppress the explosion, perhaps half of the entire Blacksmith School might have been reduced to ashes by now.

Didn’t you declare confidently that there wouldn’t be any problems?

Didn’t you reassure me time and time again that it would be fine?

Tell me what is this then!

Why was I so foolish as to listen to your lies…

The more he thought about it, the more furious Yuan Hong felt.

“He’s over there…” Luo Yan pointed to the side, only to see the young man walking over under the “escort” of the other two master teachers.

“Who in the world are you? What do you intend to do here?” Yuan Hong roared furiously.

He was beginning to suspect that the fellow might have been sent by the other schools to wreak havoc here.

Otherwise, how could a simple record challenge cause such a huge stir? Wasn’t the very notion of it inconceivable?

“All I wanted was to take the 5-star blacksmith examination…” Zhang Xuan sighed.

His goal was that simple, but who could have thought that he would require Academic Credits for even that. Left with no choice, he could only seek a way to earn some… He thought that it should be a walk in a park, but in the end, not only did he fail to earn his Academic Credits, he even got himself in such a huge mess!

“Take the 5-star blacksmith examination? You call this taking the 5-star blacksmith examination? Admit it, you’re here to tear down our school!” Yuan Hong said as he gritted his teeth furiously.

When other students take the examination, we earn Academic Credits and money, but when it comes to you… Are you sure you aren’t trying to slaughter us all!

If not for my swift reaction and high cultivation, I would have died in there!

Have you ever seen anyone who tore down a guild while trying to take an examination?

“I… really didn’t do it intentionally. How about this, I’m willing to compensate for this…” Zhang Xuan’s face reddened.

While everything that had happened felt like a cruel prank from the heavens, the issue still ultimately originated from him, so he had to carry the responsibility for everything that had happened. The only thing he could do now was to offer compensation.

“Compensate? What are you going to compensate us with? Can you even afford to compensate us?” Yuan Hong was so angry that his body began shaking in fury.

Gathered in the Passageway of Records is the achievements of countless predecessors before them, how are you going to compensate for that? Besides, you can’t even fork out ten high-tier spirit stones, what can you offer us?

Even if we were to sell you, we won’t be able to earn that much!

“Why don’t you tell me… how much spirit stones do I need to compensate? I’ll try my best to earn that sum and repay it to you…” Zhang Xuan said through clenched jaws.

At the very most, he would just have to do more part-time work and have Yang shi appear to treat patients and offer guidance. In any case, he would repay this debt.

While he couldn’t be entirely blamed for this incident, it wouldn’t be fair to the other party if he were to try to shrug off responsibility. Thus, he could only clench his jaws and shoulder it.

“Repay?” Yuan Hong sneered.

You sure know how to talk!

As a mere 4-star master teacher, even if you were to work your life away, you won’t be able to repay this!

“Do you know how much damage have you caused?” With a sharp glint in his eyes, Yuan Hong bellowed. “There are a total of 37 challenges in the Passageway of Records, each of them containing the blood, sweat, and tears of countless predecessors, as well as innumerable precious artifacts and ores that couldn’t be bought with money! Furthermore, adding in half of the guild branch into the mix, even three thousand high-tier spirit stones wouldn’t be enough. Given so, you still dare to talk about compensation? Tell me! How do you intend to compensate?”

Blacksmith was an extremely money-consuming occupation. Amenities required for smithing wasn’t cheap, especially for advanced facilities to process high-grade ores. It wouldn’t be a joke to say that every inch of the Blacksmith Guild was worth gold.

To cause such immense damage to the Blacksmith Guild… Even a 7-star low-tier master teacher would find it hard to compensate all of this, needless to say, you!

“Three thousand high-tier spirit stones?” Zhang Xuan’s body wobbled weakly.

He only had a high-tier spirit stone in possession at the moment. Even if he were to sell all of his possessions, he would only have at most ten. Three thousand… how could he possibly afford such a sum!

Even if he were to disguise as Yang shi, he wouldn’t be able to earn so much within a short period of time.

“What are the other record challenges here? Why don’t I… try fixing them?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Since he couldn’t possibly fork the bill, he could only offer to help fix as much as he could to lower his debt.

“You…”

Yuan Hong nearly died of anger after hearing those words.

That fellow arrogantly promised that he would be able to fix the Chamber of Earth Flame, but what happened afterward?

From the collapse of a single chamber, the destruction extended to half of the entire branch!

Furthermore, the damages increased by ten high-tier spirit stones to three thousand. That was an increase of three hundred folds!

He thought that the other party should at least comprehend what kind of situation he was in and take a humbler attitude, but to think that he was so brazen as to continue shooting his mouth here…

Repair your head!

If I were to allow you to continue acting as you please, the Blacksmith School or perhaps even the entire Master Teacher Academy would be destroyed by you!

Furthermore, the Passageway of Records wasn’t something that a blacksmith could fix by his own. There were also many mechanisms involved, so the expertise of a celestial designer was required as well.

No matter how skilled you are at smithing, you won’t be able to fix them on your own as long as you are ignorant of mechanical engineering!

“If it requires expertise on mechanical engineering as well, I can go and take the celestial designer examination first…” Perhaps realizing what Yuan Hong was thinking of, Zhang Xuan quickly added.

“…” Yuan Hong body shook feebly once more.

Aren’t you getting more and more arrogant?

Take the celestial designer examination first? Do you think that the examination will be so easy that you can pass it as and when you like?

“Keep a close eye on this lad…” With his cheeks crimson with rage, Yuan Hong felt that he might die from anger if he were to continue speaking with the other party. Thus, he waved his hands and turned his head away.

“Yes!” Luo Yan and the others hurriedly nodded.

“I’ll go and consult the school head on this matter. In the meantime, make sure that he doesn’t get away…” Yuan Hong instructed.

The current situation was already beyond his control. He had to report it to the school head.

The school head would then decide on what to do with this fellow!

“Yes!” the crowd answered.

“Vice School Head Yuan, the school head asks for you to go to his office as soon as possible!” At that moment, a master teacher suddenly rushed into the room anxiously and reported.

“He wants me to go to his office?” Yuan Hong was taken aback.

“Could he be aware of what is going on here?”

While there was a huge commotion here, considering the immense size of the Blacksmith School, and the far distance between the school head’s office and here, the school head shouldn’t have received the news yet. But if that wasn’t the case, why would the latter be asking for him?

Chapter 738: Golden Armored Cloak

 

But regardless, since the school head was looking for him, he mustn’t keep him waiting. After instructing Luo Yan and the others once more to not allow Zhang Xuan to get away at any cost, he followed the master teacher to the school head’s office.

The Blacksmith School was extremely large, taking up more than several ten thousand mu of land. It was divided into the Smithery, Staff Office, Learning Hall, and various examination facilities.
(10,000 mu = 6,666,666m^2)

Yuan Hong was in charge of the examination facilities, which was at the opposite end of the Staff Office.

Even so, with his incredible speed as a Saint realm expert, it didn’t take him long to arrive before the school head’s office.

Stepping into the office, he saw the school head and the other three vice school heads seated within, seemingly discussing something vital.

Head of the Blacksmith School, Zhao Bingxu, one of the Ten Great Master Teachers!

Of the entire Master Teacher Academy, his standing was second to only the head of the Apothecary School.

Seated upright at the end of the room, he carried a dignified and authoritative aura.

At this moment, the school head’s eyebrows were knitted together, and the other three vice school heads had austere expressions on their faces as well.

“School head, you were looking for me?” Yuan Hong asked doubtfully as he headed towards an empty seat amidst the group.

“You arrived at a timely moment. There’s something which I need your input on!” the school head nodded as he flicked his palm.

Huala!

A formation in the room was activated, creating a barrier between those in the room and the rest of the world.

With the activation of this barrier, it would be impossible for anyone outside to listen to the conversation within the room.

Of course, this also meant that news outside wouldn’t be able to reach this room either as long as the formation was active.

Seeing the school head going to the extent of even activating a formation to ensure perfect confidentiality, Yuan Hong was bewildered.

“Since everyone has arrived, I’ll start then.” School Head Zhao Bingxu nodded with a grim expression. “Just a moment ago, Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo have gathered the Ten Great Master Teachers together and announced something vital!”

Yuan Hong’s face twisted in astonishment.

It must be a grave matter for Pavilion Master Mo and Elder Mo to have to gather the Ten Great Master Teachers together to confer about it.

“Could it be… news about the old principal?” One of the vice school heads couldn’t help but ask.

The most crucial issue the Master Teacher Academy was facing at the moment was the old principal going missing, resulting in the lack of a leader to unite the academy together.

It would be great if there was news on him!

“That’s not it.” Zhao Bingxu shook his head gravely. “The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe has appeared in the vicinity of Hongyuan City!”

“Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?” Yuan Hong’s body instantaneously tensed up.

As a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, he understood the significance of an appearance of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

But for the school head to activate a formation of confidentiality, the matter probably wasn’t as simple as a mere appearance of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

“That’s right. Senior Byzantium Helios has come under their assault on Leiyuan Peak, and we are still unable to verify whether he’s dead or alive at the moment.” Zhao Bingxu said slowly.

The four men gathered here were the vice heads of the Blacksmith School, important pillars supporting humanity. They were trustworthy men whom he could entrust such crucial intelligence to.

“Senior Byzantium Helios has gone missing?” Yuan Hong and the others widened their eyes in astonishment.

They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

If that was truly the case, the situation must be truly dire!

Byzantium Helios Beast was the old principal’s tamed beast, and his cultivation had long reached Saint 1-dan pinnacle. On top of that, as a saint beast, he commanded strength far beyond any of them here. If even he had fallen prey to the Otherworldly Demons… how powerful must their enemies be?

“Un. Senior Byzantium Helios went missing even before he could even send a message to us… Furthermore, based on the marks of battle left on Leiyuan Peak, there must be at least ten Saints among the Otherworldly Demons, and one of them was at least Saint 2-dan at minimum!” Zhao Bingxu said grimly.

The reason why he rushed here to inform the other vice school heads on this matter right after the conference was to have the Blacksmith School act immediately. If they were to delay on this matter, they might just miss the ideal window to save Byzantium Helios Beast.

“At least ten Saint realm Otherworldly Demons?”

“One of them is at least Saint 2-dan?”

Everyone trembled upon learning that news.

If that was really the case, this matter would be far beyond their ability.

“Should we… report this matter to the headquarter?” Yuan Hong asked.

With the appearance of so many Otherworldly Demons simultaneously, the Master Teacher Academy might just find itself overpowered. Given such, it might be preferable to have the headquarter send down stronger master teachers to deal with this issue.

“Mu shi from the headquarter has already arrived at the academy, and we have reported this matter to him as well. His view was to have us deal with this matter as far as we can, and if anyone succeeds in saving Senior Byzantium Helios, he would become the next principal of the academy!” Zhao Bingxu replied.

“The next principal?” Everyone’s eyes immediately lit up.

If Zhao Bingxu could become the academy’s new principal, the standing of the Blacksmith School in the academy would surely soar as well. It would only be a matter of time before it overtook the Apothecary School as the first school in the academy.

“Un. The reason why I have all of you gathered here is to have you investigate the whereabouts of Senior Byzantium Helios. Our Blacksmith School must find him before the others…” Zhao Bingxu nodded, revealing his intentions.

“That’s no problem at all!”

“School head, rest assured. We’ll do our best!”

Hong Yuan and the others nodded.

This wasn’t just a matter regarding Zhao Bingxu’s promotion. The appearance of the Otherworldly Demons would be a threat to the entire Master Teacher Academy and even humanity as a whole. Even without the incentive of the principal’s seat, they were still obligated to do so.

“Good, that’s all for now. Return and make whatever necessary arrangements!” Zhao Bingxu nodded.

“School head, there’s a matter I need to report!” Seeing the school head dismissing them, one of the vice school heads immediately stood up and said.

“I also have a matter to report…” Yuan Hong also hurriedly said.

“Vice School Head Xiong, you’ll go first!” Seeing that the two vice school heads had matters to report, Zhao Bingxu nodded.

Vice School Head Xiong Bing was in charge of the Learning Hall, and he had the closest relationship with the students as well.

“Alright!” Xiong Bing nodded. “It’s like this. A while back, a student reported finding traces left behind by Elder Wu Yangzi, and she requested the initiation of a mission on it… Such matters often occur, so I didn’t think too much of it either. So, I offered them a few Academic Credits as the reward and sent them on their way.”

Wu Yangzi was the most talented blacksmith in the past ten thousand years of history of Hongyuan Empire, and many students viewed him as their idol. As a result, there were many students who would approach him with news they had gathered on Wu Yangzi and apply for a mission each year, but most of them would turn out to just be mere rumors.

“Could it be… they succeeded?” Hearing Xiong Bing abruptly raising this matter, a thought flashed across Yuan Hong’s head, and his breathing began to hasten in agitation.

If this was true, it would cause a huge uproar in the Blacksmith School!

Even though it had been long since Wu Yangzi had passed away, he still commanded great prestige amongst the blacksmiths in Hongyuan City.

“It’s still a little too early for me to verify whether it’s true or not, but the one who reported the completion of the mission is… the Sixth Princess!” Xiong Bing said.

“Sixth Princess? You mean Princess Yu Fei-er?” Zhao Bingxu asked.

Yu Fei-er was a member of royalty, so even as one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, he had also heard about her.

“That’s right. Not only so, there is Grade 2’s Luo Qiqi and Xing Yuan from the Xing Clan!” Xiong Bing continued.

“I have heard of Luo Qiqi, she’s a famous blacksmith genius in Grade 2. If we could groom her well, she would surely achieve great things in the future. As for Xing Yuan, is he that old fellow’s offspring?” Zhao Bingxu asked.

“He is!” Xiong Bing nodded.

“Why would they suddenly go searching for Elder Wu Yangzi’s whereabouts?” Yuan Hong asked in bewilderment.

Each year, there were many students who would attempt to search for Wu Yangzi’s whereabouts to uncover the truth behind his disappearance, but often, the news they gathered turned out to just be rumors amongst the populace. As the top students of their grade, surely they should know better than to pursue groundless rumors?

“I am not too sure on that, but just today, they came to me and reported the completion of their mission. On top of that, they brought Elder Wu Yangzi’s remains back… Due to the immense significance of this issue, I dare not pass judgement by myself. Thus, I hope that the rest of you can help me verify the authenticity of this issue as well!” Xiong Bing said gravely.

“Sure, we’ll be more than willing to. Where are those students?” Zhao Bingxu said.

Everyone was taken aback to hear that the group had brought back Wu Yangzi’s remains. Missions relating to searching for Wu Yangzi’s whereabouts had always ended in a failure, but this group claimed to have found his body…

If that was true, this would truly be a huge matter!

While Zhao Bingxu was a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith as well, his skill was still terribly lacking as compared to Wu Yangzi. If the group had brought back any secret manuals left behind by Wu Yangzi along with them, the Blacksmith School could be revolutionized!

“They are currently waiting outside the room. I’ll call them in now!” Xiong Bing hurriedly said.

“Alright!” Zhao Bingxu nodded.

Xiong Bing stepped out of the room, and a moment later, he returned with three students following behind him.

They were Xing Yuan, Luo Qiqi, and Yu Fei-er.

While Xing Yuan and Ye Qian had left Huanyu Empire earlier than Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er, the speed of the aerial spirit beast they took was far beneath that of the Great Violetwing Beast. As a result, Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi ended up arriving earlier than them.

As a result, it took them so long to gather together to report on the matter.

“Xing Yuan (Luo Qiqi, Yu Fei-er) pays respect to School Head Zhao and the other vice school heads!” The group clasped their fists and greeted.

“Spare with the ceremony!” Zhao Bingxu stroked his beard as his gaze fell on the group of three. “I heard that you found Elder Wu Yangzi’s remains. Is that true?”

“That’s true. This is the reason why we’re here!” Xing Yuan nodded affirmatively. “I beseech School Head Zhao to verify the authenticity of the remains!”

With those words, he flicked his wrist, and a corpse appeared before the crowd.

It was the body which they had found in the underground chamber.

“This…”

Upon seeing the corpse, Zhao Bingxu, Yuan Hong, and the others traded gazes, and their eyes narrowed.

As one of the top blacksmiths in Hongyuan City back in his time, there were many paintings on him, and they were passed down through the generations. The few of them had seen those paintings as well, and while the corpse before them was slightly withered, they were astonished to see that the distinctive features were identical to the painting depictions!

In other words… there was a good chance that the corpse before them belonged to Elder Wu Yangzi!

Could they have really accomplished what countless before them had failed to do?

“Elder Wu Yangzi has once smithed a [Golden Armored Cloak] which, unlike ordinary armor, could be concealed beneath one’s skin. If this corpse has the Golden Armored Cloak beneath his skin, there will be no doubt that he’s indeed Elder Wu Yangzi!” Zhao Bingxu stood up and observed the corpse carefully.

“Golden Armored Cloak?” Yuan Hong and the others were taken aback.

They had never heard of this before.

“That’s right. Zhao Bingxu nodded as he gathered a surge of sword qi on his fingertip and lightly sliced the corpse’s skin.

Si la!

A small incision was made on the corpse’s skin, revealing a gleaming golden armor within.

“This is indeed the Golden Armored Cloak! There’s no doubt about it, this is the remains of Elder Wu Yangzi!” Upon seeing the yellow shine beneath the corpse’s skin, Zhao Bingxu clenched his fists tightly in agitation, and his breathing hastened.

A corpse could be faked, but it was impossible for the Golden Armored Cloak to be faked. This was because its forging method had already long disappeared from the face of the earth!

There was only one possibility given that the corpse before him was wearing it—he must be Wu Yangzi!

Chapter 739: His Name is Zhang Xuan

 

“It’s true?”

“That’s great…”

Upon hearing School Head Zhao’s confirmation on the matter, the faces of Yuan Hong and the others flushed crimson in agitation.

As 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths, they understood the significance of the words “Wu Yangzi” to Hongyuan Empire.

Back then, when this esteemed elder disappeared without a trace, a huge turmoil broke out in the Blacksmith Guild. Countless men stepped forth to lead the search for his whereabouts, but their efforts ended in futility. Who could have thought that the ones who would eventually uncover his traces would be the students of the Master Teacher Academy?

They could already foresee the huge commotion that would occur with the announcement regarding the discovery of this corpse. This would boost the Blacksmith School’s prestige amongst the students and blacksmiths.

“You have done well. I’ll have the school reward you handsomely for your accomplishments!” Zhao Bingxu nodded in commendation as he gazed at the students before him, proud of them.

To be honest, he had also attempted to uncover Elder Wu Yangzi’s trails when he was younger, but he eventually found himself stumbling upon a dead end, leaving him no choice but to give up.

“Thank you, School Head Zhao!” Xing Yuan and the others clasped their fists.

Vice School Head Xiong Bing had thought that it would be difficult for them to succeed when they first applied for the mission, so he didn’t bother offering much of a reward. However, with such great achievement, locating Wu Yangzi’s whereabouts and finding his remains, it was natural that the reward should be increased significantly.

“Since you have found Elder Wu Yangzi’s body, regarding his heritage…” One of the vice school heads couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

Back then, when the esteemed Wu Yangzi disappeared from the world, he didn’t leave behind his heritage. This was also part of the reason why after his disappearance, many had searched far and wide for his whereabouts, in hopes of uncovering his heritage.

Since these students were able to find his remains, could they have obtained his heritage as well?

Given their current capability, Wu Yangzi’s heritage was no longer crucial to them. They also wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal the heritage from the students either, especially given their standing. However, if the Blacksmith School could obtain Wu Yangzi’s heritage, it would definitely allow many of their blacksmiths to advance their smithing proficiency. This was beneficial to the entire Blacksmith School.

“We managed to find his heritage… At the same time, I was also accepted as Elder Wu Yangzi’s direct disciple. However, I won’t be able to make the call to contribute the heritage to the school by myself!”

The one who spoke this time around was Luo Qiqi.

“You found Elder Wu Yangzi’s heritage?”

“You can’t make the call yourself? True, your group did go through a lot of effort to obtain the heritage. You should indeed discuss among yourselves before coming to a decision.”

“Don’t worry, if you don’t wish to make it public, I promise that no one will be able to make things difficult for you…”

“The Master Teacher Pavilion has its own rules. There will be no one who would risk bringing the ire of the Master Teacher Pavilion upon themselves for a heritage!”

Upon hearing that the group had obtained the heritage, everyone was astonished. But soon, they nodded in agreement.

The responsibility of master teachers was to impart knowledge and enlighten the masses. But as noble as their mission was, they were still mortal, and they had their own desires and interests. It would be unreasonable to expect them to impart everything they knew selflessly to others.

It was precisely for this reason that there was a classification between direct disciple, normal students, and listening in.

Those who were listening in would only be imparted the bare fundamentals whereas the direct disciples would be taught the most profound of techniques.

This was also the reason why the standing of direct disciples was higher than those listening in, with the latter having to address the former as “senior”.

Since Luo Qiqi had become Wu Yangzi’s direct disciple and inherited his heritage, it should belong to her. If she was willing to pass it on, that would be goodwill on her part. However, if she was unwilling to do so, they weren’t in a position to say anything either.

This was the magnanimity that master teachers should have. Otherwise, how could they be qualified to enlighten the masses?

“Rather than saying our group went through a lot of effort, it would be more accurate to say that that person went through a lot of effort… As long as he agrees, I believe that Qiqi will be more than willing to contribute the heritage to the Blacksmith School!” Realizing that there was some misunderstanding between them, Yu Fei-er quickly stepped forward to explain.

“That person?” Zhao Bingxu, Yuan Hong, and the others glanced at one another doubtfully.

“Indeed. Not only was that person the one who helped us obtain the heritage, he even saved all of us. If not for him, we might have died within the underground chamber!” Gratitude gleamed in Luo Qiqi’s eyes as she spoke.

“We can forgo the rewards that School Head Zhao has promised us as long as he is amply rewarded!” Xing Yuan added.

Even though he was frustrated by the complicated relationship between Princess Yu Fei-er and that fellow, he still felt obliged to repay the other party for saving their lives.

Sensing the earnest tone behind the duo’s words, Zhao Bingxu frowned, “What happened? Did you encounter some kind of danger while seeking Elder Wu Yangzi?”

Wu Yangzi’s disappearance back then was extremely abrupt, there was no signs or marks left behind, as if he had vanished into thin air. Even Zhao Bingxu, despite his immense authority, could only fathom a guess on the happenings, deducing that the Otherworldly Demons might have been involved in this matter.

But as for the truth, there was no one who could say for sure.

Furthermore, after such a long time had passed, whatever existing danger back then should have already dissipated.

“Dangerous can’t possibly summarize what we went through. Elder Wu Yangzi was captured by the Otherworldly Demons back then, and here is a personal note he left behind…” Luo Qiqi nodded as she passed a book over.

This was the notebook which they obtained from Wu Yangzi back in the underground chamber.

Written on it was the happenings in his capture and his experiences with the Otherworldly Demons in the underground chamber.

“This…”

After reading through the note, Zhao Bingxu’s eyes narrowed, “Otherworldly Demon puppet? Could it be that… you have met those in the underground chamber?”

“Indeed. Due to a moment of carelessness, we ended up being surrounded, and we were almost killed. Despite the danger, that person stepped forward and saved us. Furthermore, in order to destroy those puppets, he even destroyed the underground chamber, burying himself with them…” Luo Qiqi recounted the affairs that happened that day.

Upon hearing about how that person stood bravely against an Otherworldly Demon puppet to save Luo Qiqi, everyone fell silent.

They tried putting themselves in the other party’s shoes, but they realized that it would be difficult for them to put themselves in danger in order to save a mere acquaintance.

Furthermore, that person even handed the heritage over to Luo Qiqi without even taking a glance at it. Very few would be willing to do so if put in his position.

There was no blacksmith who could remain unmoved before Wu Yangzi’s heritage, and yet, that person willingly gave the opportunity to Luo Qiqi. It would be hard to find anyone as noble as he was.

As the five school head and vice school heads listened to how that person braved through many Saint realm Otherworldly Demon puppets without regard for his life in order to save Yu Fei-er and the others, their mouths opened wide in astonishment.

“If those Otherworldly Demon puppets were to escape from the underground chamber, they would pose a fatal threat to Huanyu Empire and perhaps even Hongyuan Empire. Many will suffer under their tyranny. His actions have saved all of us. He’s… truly a noble person!”

“Indeed. Putting his life on the line, he attracted all of the Otherworldly Demon puppets away and collapsed the underground chamber so as to stop them… Putting the lives of others above his, he’s indeed a true master teacher!”

A long moment later, Zhao Bingxu and the others finally spoke up, nodding in admiration and awe for the other party.

To charge into a despairing situation for humanity, there was nothing greater than that!

Unwittingly, they thought of Kong shi.

Back then, Kong shi had established the master teacher occupation for the advancement of mankind.

After tens of thousand years, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had long disappeared. While the Master Teacher Pavilion had managed to remain true to its aims, the number hot-blooded master teachers who were willing to truly put their life on the line for humanity had been decreasing over the years, perhaps even disappearing entirely.

Who would have known that they would find one right in their Master Teacher Academy!

“He’s really a respectable master teacher.” Xing Yuan nodded.

“He was the one who helped me obtain this heritage. As long as he gives his consent, I’ll contribute it to the Blacksmith School without any hesitation!” Luo Qiqi said.

It was through Zhang shi’s blood and sweat that they obtained Wu Yangzi’s heritage. If he agrees to it, she would hand it over straight away. Otherwise, even at the risk of her life, she wouldn’t divulge a single word about it.

“Judging from how noble that person you spoke of is, I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to contribute this valuable knowledge to the masses.” Yuan Hong remarked.

“I’m sure he will. He’s such a person after all…” After a moment of thought, Luo Qiqi nodded.

Her apothecary teacher might be young, but he wasn’t one who was obsessed with gains and losses. Even if she were to seek his permission for this matter, he would surely give his consent without any hesitation.

“I’ll contribute Wu Yangzi’s heritage to the Blacksmith School then. However, I hope that the school can reward him for his efforts!”

With those words, Luo Qiqi flicked her wrist and took out a book.

It was the secret manual which many would go into a frenzy in order to obtain it, Wu Yangzi’s personal smithing technique, [Zither Forging Technique].

“This…”

Flipping through the book casually, Zhao Bingxu could tell that it was authentic instantly, and his eyes reddened in agitation.

The various interpretations and comprehension of smithing in the manual were refreshing and novel. If this could be imparted to the students of the Blacksmith School, their smithing proficiency would definitely be raised by leaps and bounds.

Even Zhao Bingxu himself might be able to surpass his bottleneck and reach higher realms in his smithing with this!

“That person is indeed a great man. He has contributed greatly to humanity. Where is that person now? Is he… still alive?” Zhao Bingxu asked hesitantly.

Luo Qiqi had only said that that person chose to willingly remain in the underground chamber in order to save them, not mentioning whether he had survived that ordeal or not.

If that person was still alive, the Blacksmith School would have to reward him handsomely for his immense contributions. If he had already passed away… they would ensure that his family members are well taken of so as to honor his deeds.

“He’s alive, of course he’s alive!” Not expecting for there to be such a misunderstanding, Luo Qiqi hurriedly clarified. “Not only is he alive, he has also participated in the entrance examination, and he should be a freshman in the academy now!”

They hadn’t heard from Zhang Xuan whether he had passed the entrance examination or not, but given his capability, it shouldn’t pose a problem to him at all.

“Freshman? You mean to say that that person who saved you… is a freshman of our academy?” Zhao Bingxu was stunned.

The other vice school heads were also dumbstruck by that revelation.

When they heard that that person had selflessly put his life at stake to save them, they had thought that he would be a 5-star master teacher a minimum, or perhaps even beyond that. Who could have thought that it would be a humble freshman in their academy?

“That’s right!” Luo Qiqi nodded.

“I see… What is his name then? I’ll send someone to find him and convince him to join our Blacksmith School!” Yuan Hong said.

Putting everything aside, just by the fact that he had contributed the Zither Forging Technique to the Blacksmith School would earn him the respect of countless students here.

“He’s my apothecary teacher. His name is… Zhang Xuan!” Luo Qiqi announced proudly.

“Zhang Xuan?”

Yuan Hong froze for an instant as his body trembled to that familiar name. With a shaky voice, he asked, “Is that Zhang Xuan you spoke a young man in his twenties, around this tall, and has a fair complexion?”

Chapter 740: Meritorious

 

Upon hearing Vice School Head Yuan’s words, Luo Qiqi pondered for a moment before nodding, “Teacher is indeed in his twenties, and he does have fair complexion…”

After cultivating the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, his body became as smooth and flawless as an infant. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe him as possessing “fair complexion”.

“Zhang Xuan, a freshman, and in his twenties…” Yuan Hong felt frenzied.

The person who had just caused immense destruction in the Blacksmith Guild also went by the same name, and the description fits to a T as well…

“What’s wrong, Vice School Head Yuan?” Seeing Yuan Hong going into a daze after asking that question, Zhao Bingxu couldn’t help but ask doubtfully. “Could it be that you know Zhang shi?”

“I…” Yuan Hong had no idea how he should answer that question. Still in disbelief, he turned to Luo Qiqi and asked once again, “Does Zhang shi has a formidable teacher who is a master teacher beyond 6-star?”

“Are you referring to Yang shi? I’m not too sure about the details, but it does seem like he possesses means beyond a normal 6-star master teacher!” Luo Qiqi nodded.

“Yang shi… Yang Xuan…” Yuan Hong’s body shook intensely.

There was no need to ask any further, there was overwhelming evidence to say that the two people described were the same person.

That fellow had reported himself as Yang Xuan’s student. He was also a freshman in his twenties, and the names were similar too… No matter how you look at it, they were definitely the same person!

What the heck was this!

As soon as he arrived at the academy, the first thing he did was to destroy the Chamber of Earth Flame before reducing the entire Passageway of Records to ruins, leaving the Blacksmith Guild in tatters.

He thought that he might be a student sent from the other schools to wreak havoc in the Blacksmith School, but who could have thought that he had such a background?

Putting his life on the line to face the Otherworldly Demons alone, giving away Wu Yangzi’s heritage without any hesitation… Every single one of these deeds was incredibly noble, leaving those who have heard of them with nothing but awe for him.

A conceited God of Destruction and a selfless master teacher…

How could they possibly be the same person!

This… Was he suffering from dissociative identity disorder?

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Yuan Hong’s face slowly being reduced to tears, Zhao Bingxu asked once more.

As a 6-star master teacher, Yuan Hong should have at least reached a level where he could conceal his emotions. Why would he still show such a depressed expression?

“It’s like this. Didn’t I just said that I had something I needed to report to you?” Hearing School Head Zhao’s question, Yuan Hong swiftly recovered and clasped his fist.

“Un.” Zhao Bingxu nodded. “What is it?”

Previously, right after Vice School Head Xiong spoke, Yuan Hong did say that he had something to report as well.

“That is… the Passageway of Records has collapsed, and half of the Blacksmith Guild has been destroyed…” Yuan Hong’s face reddened in embarrassment.

Despite being the person-in-charge of the examination facilities in the Blacksmith School, the area under his jurisdiction ended up being destroyed by a record challenger. He would probably become a laughingstock for the other vice school heads.

“The Passageway of Records and half of the Blacksmith Guild has been destroyed? Is there an attack by the Otherworldly Demons?” Zhao Bingxu’s eyebrows shot up in alarm.

As they had been busy discussing inside the office, and communication with the external world had been terminated, they hadn’t received news about the matter yet.

However, the Passageway of Records was constructed and reinforced with incredibly resilient materials, allowing it to withstand the trial of time over several millenniums. Unless there was an invasion by the Otherworldly Demons, how could it collapse all of the sudden?

“That’s not it!” Not expecting School Head Zhao to actually make such a connection, Yuan Hong hurriedly clarified it awkwardly. “Someone came to challenge the Chamber of Earth Flame…”

Yuan Hong swiftly went through the happenings of the incident.

“You are saying that… someone survived in the Chamber of Earth Flame for over two hours? And when he finally came out, the chamber collapsed, and the Earth Flame Hearts were completely depleted?

“On top of that, he used Earth Flame to substitute as a catalyst for the Earth Flame Hearts and successfully repaired the chamber. However, as soon as you stepped in… it exploded?”

…

After hearing Yuan Hong’s recount, the other vice school heads stared at him as if they had seen a ghost.

To survive the blistering heat in the Chamber of Earth Flame for two hours straight, and even recreating it with Earth Flame… Are you for real?

Was that even something a 4-star master teacher was capable of?

One must know that even they, as 6-star master teachers, were incapable of doing the same!

“Yes…” Yuan Hong nodded. “The person who caused the commotion also goes by the name of… Zhang Xuan, and he’s a freshman as well.”

“His name is Zhang Xuan? Could they be the same person?”

“To be able to save his peers from the Otherworldly Demon puppets and destroy the underground chamber to trap them down there, Zhang shi possessed both courage and wits. Only a someone like him could possess such great capability!”

…

The other vice school heads remarked.

If someone had told them that a person had endured two hours in the Chamber of Earth Flame and destroyed half of the Blacksmith Guild, they would have never believed it.

However, after hearing about the incredible exploits of Zhang shi, these feats seemed to be nothing much in comparison.

“The Chamber of Earth Flame serves to test the resilience of one’s physical body. The longer one can remain in there, the stronger one’s physical body is deemed to be. If the both Zhang shi are the same person, considering that he had inherited Elder Wu Yangzi’s heritage and cultivated the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to last two hours inside!” Zhao Bingxu nodded.

His first thought upon hearing that someone had lasted two hours in the Chamber of Earth Flame was disbelief as well, but as he recalled the matter regarding Wu Yangzi’s heritage, he couldn’t help but consider the possibility.

Even though he had never seen the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body before, it was famed to be the best physical body cultivation technique in Hongyuan Empire, paving the way for Wu Yangzi to become the best blacksmith here.

“I… I didn’t know. I thought that he was intentionally causing trouble, so I demanded him to compensate for the damages…” Hong Yuan said anxiously.

If he had known that Zhang Xuan had really endured the heat in the Chamber of Earth Flame with his own strength, he wouldn’t have caused such a fuss.

Ultimately, the Chamber of Earth Flame was a record challenge. If Zhang shi had truly endured the heat in the Chamber of Earth Flame with his own capability, it could only be said that the Chamber of Earth Flame was not sufficiently well-built to match up to his capability… To demand the challenger to pay for the reparation under such circumstances was a huge embarrassment for the Blacksmith School.

And if Yuan Hong hadn’t asked for compensation, the mess that came afterward wouldn’t have occurred either.

“We can’t blame him for this issue. There is indeed a huge flaw with the design of the Chamber of Earth Flame, resulting in its inability to hold up in the face of a true expert…” Zhao Bingxu sighed.

“You’re right.” Yuan Hong nodded. “But now, the damage is no longer limited to just the Chamber of Earth Flame. The entire Passageway of Records and half of the guild has been destroyed. What should we do about that?”

If it had just been the Chamber of Earth Flame, they could easily forgo it. After all, ten high-tier spirit stones wasn’t a huge sum for the Blacksmith School. However, the damage had gone way farther than that.

“Regarding that… let’s just call off the debt!” After a long contemplation, Zhao Bingxu waved his hand and sighed.

“Call it off? How can we…” Yuan Hong exclaimed in shock.

If they were to simply call it off, the Blacksmith School would be incurring a debt of several thousand high-tier spirit stones! As rich as they were, that was still an immense burden on them!

“Are you thinking about the loss? His contribution of the Zither Forging Technique to our Blacksmith School goes way farther than a few thousand high-tier spirit stones!” Zhao Bingxu shook his head.

Wu Yangzi’s heritage would boost the skills of the members of the Blacksmith School by leaps and bounds. Zhang Xuan’s contribution would benefit generations of students to come, and that was worth far more than a few thousand high-tier spirit stones.

If needed, the Blacksmith School was willing to fork out even several ten thousand high-tier spirit stones for Wu Yangzi’s heritage if it had to.

The Zither Forging Technique was not only elegant, it made smithing into an art form. This encouraged immersion in their work, allowing them to raise their understanding of smithing subconsciously as they worked.

With this secret manual in hand, the Blacksmith School could very well overtake the Apothecary School within a decade, becoming the number one school in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!

Even Zhao Bingxu, the head of the Blacksmith School, was incapable of such a feat, so how could such contribution be valued only at a few thousand high-tier spirit stones?

They were on two totally different levels!

Given the immense contributions that Zhang Xuan had made to the school, if they were to continue demanding compensation from the other party over such a minor matter, wouldn’t they make the other students disillusioned about the school?

“Indeed! Not only should we cancel the compensation, we should reward him even!”

“It’s only right for us to reward such talents to retain them in our Blacksmith School!”

The other vice school heads expressed their support on the matter as well.

There were many schools in the Master Teacher Academy, so the competition over talents was extremely rife. No matter what, they had to retain a talent like Zhang shi in the Blacksmith School and have it become his main supporting occupation. This way, if he were to make his name in the world, the school’s reputation would also rise along with his!

On the other hand, Yuan Hong’s mouth twitched.

That fellow had nearly destroyed the entire branch, and not only were they not going to penalize him, they were going to reward him even… If that was the case, wouldn’t he lose his authority among the students?

Nevertheless, he had no choice but to acknowledge School Head Zhao’s words.

Contributing the Zither Forging Technique to the Blacksmith School was indeed a huge merit. Even if Zhang Xuan were to wreak havoc upon the entire Blacksmith School, as long as no students were hurt in the process, his merit could easily wipe off his wrongdoings.

In the end, the core of the Master Teacher Academy lay in its people. As long as they had sufficient talents, the academy could always be rebuilt.

The Master Teacher Pavilion in the higher ranked empires had been assaulted by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe many times, and its facilities and libraries had been destroyed again and again. However, the heritage of master teachers still lived on, guiding humanity to greater heights.

“Alright, the matter is decided then. Right, didn’t you say that he intends to take the 5-star blacksmith examination? Bring him to the Ocean of Weapons then. As long as he clears the examination, I’ll take him in as my student…” Zhao Bingxu chuckled.

It would be ideal if he could accept such a genius as his student!

“Yes!” Yuan Hong nodded.

“As for the rest of you, you have done well in the mission as well. I’ll obtain a few pills from the Apothecary School and conduct a Meridian and Bone Cleansing for you personally!” Zhao Bingxu turned to Luo Qiqi and the others and said.

“Meridian and Bone Cleansing? Thank you, School Head Zhao!” Upon hearing those words, the faces of Luo Qiqi and the others flushed in agitation.

Considering that it was a Meridian and Bone Cleansing by one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, were it to succeed, they would face no bottlenecks in their cultivation up until they reached Half-Saint!

Meridian and Bone Cleansing was an extremely exhausting process. Even a Saint realm expert wouldn’t do so easily. This was the best reward they could receive for their efforts.

It was far better than earning Academic Credits!

“Yuan Hong, you should bring Zhang shi to the examination hall now. Make sure to treat him amiably, don’t give him the idea that our Blacksmith School mistreats meritorious students!” Zhao Bingxu instructed sternly.

“Yes!” With a lowered head, Yuan Hong walked out from the office, and a bitter smile emerged on his lips.

When he first arrived at the office, he was still thinking about having the school head to issue a severe punishment to Zhang Xuan… Who could have thought that there would be such a huge turnaround?

How did things turn to this?

Just the thought of it left him extremely stifled within.

Chapter 741: I Am Not a Blacksmith Yet

 

“What’s going on?”

“Did you see that? This fellow cheated in the Chamber of Earth Flame challenge and destroyed the entire area. On top of that, he even intentionally directed the Earth Flame to tear down the Passageway of Records!”

“Is that fellow insane, or is he simply sick of living?”

“I have no clue either, but since it isn’t a matter involving us, let’s just watch quietly…”

A portion of the guild collapsing was no trifling matter. Before long, a huge crowd had already gathered around the area, each busy asking one another to satisfy their curiosity.

When they learned that it was a freshman who had caused such a huge uproar, pity immediately surfaced in their eyes.

Even if he was tired of living, this wasn’t how he should seek the end!

They were in the Master Teacher Academy, not some countryside school. To cause such a mess and be caught personally by Vice School Head Yuan Hong at that… It would be perfectly accurate to say that he was a goner!

Even if he were to spend his life working here, he would never be able to pay off the debt!

“Stand obediently!” Luo Yan glared at the young man coldly.

Knowing that his teacher was truly infuriated by this matter, he dispatched eight experts to guard this fellow. If not for fear that it might reflect badly on them, he would have already had him pummeled!

For a freshman to go about wreaking havoc instead of staying put in the freshman area, he deserved it even if he was expelled from the academy!

“I don’t mean to do anything, I just want to check on the other mechanisms in the Passageway of Records and see if they can be fixed!” Seeing how the other students were so guarded against him as if he was a burglar out to steal their valuables, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He was also very apologetic that such a situation had occurred.

All he’d wanted to do was take the 5-star blacksmith examination quietly. Never had he thought that he would end up in such a state.

In the end, he allowed greed to get the better of him. Earth Flame Hearts were extremely valuable commodities, and who knows how long it would be before he could encounter another one?

Furthermore, he also hadn’t thought that the renowned Earth Flame Heart’s reputation would precede its capability. He had already tried to limit himself, thinking that he would stop once his soul reached ten meters, but it coincidentally broke down right when he reached that mark.

And as for the repairs, how could he have known that the esteemed Blacksmith School would end up skimming on a formation plate used to draw Earth Flame…

But it was all too late now. The only thing he could do now was try to salvage the situation as best he could. Otherwise, if he were to really incur a debt of three thousand high-tier spirit stones, he would end up wasting many years here!

“You are thinking of repairing the other mechanisms? Let me tell you, if you dare to lay even a finger on them, don’t blame me for getting nasty!” Seeing that the other party lacked the slightest remorse for his actions, attempting to put his demonic claws on the other mechanisms as well, Luo Yan’s rage immediately flurried.

‘What the hell is this!

‘If it wasn’t for your “fixing”, would the Blacksmith Guild have been reduced to ruins?

‘If you don’t have the ability to fix it, don’t even try it in the first place!’

“I can really fix them! What happened a moment ago… was just an accident!” Zhang Xuan hurriedly explained. “I can prove it to you. Bring me a higher quality formation plate, and I’ll fix the Chamber of Earth Flame before your eyes…”

“You… You’re seeking death!” Seeing how that fellow was still prattling on despite all he had done, Luo Yan’s rage finally reached its breaking point. A powerful aura gushed forth as he thrusted his palm toward the conceited fellow before him.

Hu la!

As a 5-star pinnacle blacksmith, his cultivation had already reached Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Ethereal Treading realm. His palm thrust was bursting with might, threatening to tear apart the fabric of space.

“Stop!” Just as the palm was about to reach Zhang Xuan, a loud bellow suddenly sounded from afar. A silhouette rushed forward, and with a light flick of his hand, he dispelled the zhenqi that Luo Yan had gathered behind his strike.

Deng deng deng deng!

Luo Yan’s face reddened, and he was pushed several steps back. A dull pain resonated throughout his body as his zhenqi fell into disarray with his offense abruptly dispelled.

Upon catching a clear sight of the figure who had stopped his offense, Luo Yan froze.

“Teacher…”

It was no other than his teacher, who was dying to strangle Zhang Xuan a moment ago!

Wasn’t his teacher extremely furious with this fellow? Why would he stop him from teaching this fellow a lesson?

Bewildered, he was just about to ask his teacher about the matter when the latter suddenly turned around to look at the young man behind him with a bright smile on his face. “Are you alright? Are you injured? How dare that unfilial student of mine lay his hands on you! Shall I teach him a lesson in your stead?”

“Ah?” Hearing those words, Luo Yan’s body staggered from shock.

What was this madness unfolding before him?

Was the person he was seeing really his teacher, the vice head of the Blacksmith School?

Wasn’t he dying to strangle that fellow to death a moment ago? Why did his attitude suddenly make a 180-degree change…

“Didn’t you say that Vice School Head Yuan is extremely angry?”

“Given that the branch has suffered such severe damage, who wouldn’t be angry in his position? But that response of his… It doesn’t seem like he’s angry at all?”

“That is a gross understatement. Look carefully, don’t you feel that he’s fawning over that freshman?”

“Fawning? You are exaggerating! Vice School Head Yuan is a 6-star pinnacle master teacher and blacksmith! With such esteemed standing, is there anyone in the school he needs to fawn over?”

…

All of the students who had gathered for the commotion were also dumbfounded.

With the branch suffering such catastrophic damage, they’d thought that the freshman behind it would be heavily punished to send out a stern warning to the others. But if that was the case, what was with that declaration to teach Luo Yan a lesson?

That bright smile and that attitude… No matter how one looked at it, surely the vice school head was trying to fawn over that fellow!

“Teach him a lesson? There’s no need for that; I’m fine!”

They weren’t the only ones who were baffled by the situation, even Zhang Xuan, the perpetrator of this entire incident, was confused by the abrupt twist in the plot.

Didn’t this elder march off furiously to the school head’s office to bring forth a heavy penalty upon him? Why would he suddenly treat him so kindly?

“It’s good that you’re fine!” Yuan Hong heaved a sigh of relief. Following which, he turned his gaze to Luo Yan and bellowed, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and apologize to Zhang shi!”

Ever since leaving the school head’s office, Yuan Hong had rushed all the way back here, fearing that the students might have laid their hands on Zhang Xuan. And it was fortunate that he did.

If that palm were to land on Zhang Xuan, it would strike out whatever goodwill he had for the Blacksmith School along with it.

If that were to happen, how were they going to keep him in the Blacksmith School?

One must know that the school head had already expressed his interest in accepting him as his direct disciple! If he were to reject the Blacksmith School due to Luo Yan’s slap, how was he going to explain this matter to the school head?

This unfilial student of his had nearly gotten him into deep trouble!

“Apologize? I…” Luo Yan couldn’t help but feel that the world had gone bonkers. “Teacher, why should I apologize to him? He destroyed the Passageway of Records and half of the Blacksmith Guild…”

“Enough!”

But before Luo Yan could finish his words, Yuan Hong interrupted furiously. Waving his hands in annoyance, he roared sharply, “Return back to your quarters and reflect on what you have done! Without my orders, you are not to leave your room!”

‘Just apologize when I tell you to, do you need to spout so much nonsense?

‘Are you only going to be content when you land me into deep trouble?’

“Teacher…” Hearing that his teacher was going to ground him for no good reason, Luo Yan seethed with indignation, unable to accept what was happening before him. At the same time, the others in the area also glanced at one another, uncomprehending of what Yuan Hong was up to.

“What are you all standing around for? The group over there, take Luo Yan back to his quarters!” Yuan Hong instructed sternly.

After issuing those orders, Yuan Hong turned his gaze back to Zhang Xuan and said politely, “Zhang shi, aren’t you intending to take the 5-star blacksmith examination? Allow me to bring you to the Ocean of Weapons!”

“Ocean of Weapons? But… I don’t have any Academic Credits…” Zhang Xuan uttered in bewilderment.

‘What is wrong with this fellow? Did he bump his head somewhere?

‘It is one thing to teach Luo Yan a lesson, but to bring me to the Ocean of Weapons as well?

‘I thought that the Ocean of Weapons is only open to those with ample Academic Credits!’

“You don’t have any Academic Credits? Don’t worry, that’s not a problem at all! The group over there, wait there for a moment. Luo Yan, take out your Academic Credits token and give Zhang shi two…” ordered Yuan Hong as he turned to the departing group.

“I…” Hearing those words, Luo Yan nearly collapsed burst into tears from sheer indignation.

‘Why should I?

‘That fellow caused a huge mess over here, but not only are you sparing him from punishment, you are even asking me to give him Academic Credits? Isn’t this favoritism too much!’

“Stop wasting time, hurry up!” Yuan Hong frowned.

“Alright.”

Nevertheless, Luo Yan dared not disobey the commands of his teachers, so he obediently passed his Academic Credit Card over.

Students were allowed to transfer Academic Credits amongst themselves as well. Given that Zhang Xuan hadn’t received his identity token yet, it went without saying that he hadn’t received an Academic Credit Card as well. However, such a small issue couldn’t possibly stumble a vice school head.

With a flick of his wrist, Yuan Hong took out an empty card and transferred two points into it from Luo Yan’s card.

“Alright, Zhang shi. We have the Academic Credits now, so let’s go!”

After doing what had to be done, Yuan Hong turned to Zhang Xuan with a smile and gestured for him to head forward.

Zhang Xuan blinked in a daze, overwhelmed by the happenings before him. He pointed to the rubble in the area blankly and asked, “This… Don’t I have to compensate for this?”

“You don’t have to worry about it. This isn’t your fault, so you won’t have to compensate for this. I’ll have someone fix it up later,” Yuan Hong replied.

“This… Alright then.” Even though Zhang Xuan had no idea what was going on, he was still relieved to hear that he was excused from payment.

Three thousand high-tier spirit stones was way beyond his means. It would be best if he could be spared from compensation.

“This…”

“Is this really the austere Vice School Head Yuan that I know?”

“What kind of play is this?”

“It was just a moment ago that Vice School Head Yuan looked as if he was going to tear that fellow apart. Yet, in just a few short moments, he suddenly became like that…”

…

Taking that scene into sight, the master teachers gathered in the area were trembling in frenzy.

This was a branch of the Blacksmith Guild! That fellow had caused the collapse of half of the entire building, and yet, not only was he not criticized for it, he was even granted so many privileges.

This was way too abnormal!

Such a feeling resonated particularly strongly with Li Xuan amidst the crowd. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and she nearly fainted from the sight.

She had been the one to show that fellow around ever since he’d arrived at the Blacksmith Guild, and all this time, she had thought of him as a conceited and naive freshman… For such a person to actually win Vice School Head Yuan’s favor, what was this world turning into…

…

Despite wracking his brain, Zhang Xuan was unable to find any logical reason as to why the attitude of the elder before him would change so abruptly. In the end, he could only attribute it to Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo’s halo. Sighing deeply, he followed Yuan Hong to the other half of the Blacksmith Guild, which had, fortunately, remained intact despite the previous explosion.

Before long, he was standing before a towering door.

“Zhang shi, this is the entrance to the Ocean of Weapons. To take the 5-star blacksmith examination, you just have to place your Academic Credit Card and 4-star emblem on the stone pedestal over there and step through the door, and you will be brought to the corresponding examination area.” With a gentle smile, Yuan Hong gestured.

Just like the Passageway of Records, the Ocean of Weapons was also a complex mechanism created using many unique materials. In order to activate it, one would require sufficient Academic Credits in their card, as well as an emblem a rank lower than the examination one was going to take.

With these two objects, one would be able to activate the mechanism and take the corresponding examination. This was an extremely efficient system which spared the Blacksmith Guild from having to devote too much manpower into manning its examination facilities.

“I need a 4-star emblem for the examination?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“Indeed. Since Zhang shi is here to take the 5-star examination, I believe you should already have the 4-star emblem in your possession. Don’t worry, any emblem distributed by the Blacksmith Guild is usable here!” Yuan Hong explained, thinking that Zhang Xuan was worried that the blacksmith emblem which he’d obtained elsewhere might not be usable here.

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly. “Is an emblem really required? What do I have to do if I don’t have one?”

“Don’t have one?” Yuan Hong froze. “What do you mean by that?”

Zhang Xuan blushed in embarrassment.

“That is… I have yet to take a blacksmith examination. The truth is that I am actually not a blacksmith yet…”

Chapter 742: Taking the Blacksmith Examination

 

“You aren’t a blacksmith yet?” Yuan Hong’s body swayed weakly from sheer shock, and he nearly spewed a mouthful of blood onto the other party’s face.

The other master teachers who had gathered in the area out of curiosity also had their eyes bulging in astonishment.

‘You aren’t a blacksmith, and yet you are here to take the 5-star examination? And you still dare to say that you aren’t here to cause trouble?’

Blacksmithing was a part of the Upper Nine Paths, one of the most prestigious occupations in the continent. Countless had devoted innumerable years of their lives to refining their skills, forsaking sleep and meals just to be accepted into this esteemed organization.

Even the most talented of blacksmiths would require a decade of training before they could challenge the 5-star organization. Those who were less talented might even take fifty years just to prepare for it!

And yet, a twenty-year-old fellow who wasn’t even a 1-star blacksmith actually wanted to challenge the 5-star examination?

‘Did you think that blacksmith is an occupation which you could master on a whim?

‘You are taking it way too lightly!’

“I have learnt smithing on my private time, I just haven’t had the time to take the examination yet…” Noticing everyone’s dumbfounded gaze, realization struck Zhang Xuan, and he hurriedly came up with an explanation. “Since that’s the case, why don’t I start from the 1-star examination? Is it possible to take the 1-star examination here? Or do I have to take the apprentice examination first?”

Even though Zhang Xuan’s smithing capability was above even that of Wu Yangzi, he had never taken any blacksmith examination before. In terms of ranking, he was currently even beneath that of an apprentice, let alone a blacksmith.

“Apprentice…” Hearing those words, Yuan Hong’s lips twitched, and he grabbed his face in frustration.

If he hadn’t witnessed this sight for himself, he would never have believed it to be true.

To think that a person who wasn’t even an apprentice yet would come to the Blacksmith School and declare that he was going to take the 5-star examination. On top of that, he even created a huge fuss in the school, collapsing the Passageway of Records along with half of the entire branch…

More importantly… despite all of this, one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, Zhao Bingxu, was still interested in taking him as his direct disciple!

All of this, he had seen with his own eyes. But even so, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was in a dream.

“There’s no need for you to take the apprentice examination, you can take the 1-star examination straight… For the time being, just try to pass the 1-star examination first. As for 5-star… we’ll talk about it in the future!” Suppressing the frustration he was feeling, Yuan Hong turned to the master teacher crowd behind and asked, “Does any of you have an apprentice emblem?”

As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith in the Blacksmith School, even his weakest student was a 5-star blacksmith at the minimum. As a result, he didn’t have any spare apprentice emblems with him.

“Apprentice emblem?”

“Is there likely to be anyone with an apprentice emblem in the Blacksmith School?”

…

The crowd in the area shook their heads.

Most of those gathered around were 5-star blacksmiths, and even the weakest of the crowd was a 4-star at the minimum. As such, it would be difficult for them to find an apprentice emblem all of the sudden.

“This…” Yuan Hong looked around awkwardly.

What the heck was this!

To think that a day would come where a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith like him would end up having to look for an apprentice emblem, and fail to find one at that…

“Vice School Head Yuan, I have one here!”

At that moment, a timid voice suddenly sounded. Zhang Xuan turned around and saw Li Xuan, the female receptionist who had been bringing him around previously, stepping forward and offering her emblem.

While she was working at the Blacksmith School, she wasn’t too involved in the occupation. As a result, she was still an apprentice blacksmith at the moment.

“Good…” Yuan Hong heaved a sigh of relief.

Taking the emblem, he imprinted Zhang Xuan’s name on it before passing it to the latter.

“Zhang Xuan, this shall be your apprentice emblem. With this, you should be able to activate the Ocean of Weapons and take the 1-star blacksmith examination.”

“Thank you!” Zhang Xuan took the emblem and nodded.

He walked up to the stone pedestal, and just as he was about to place his emblem and Academic Credit Card on it, he suddenly recalled something and turned around. “If I were to pass the 1-star examination, would I have to expend more Academic Credits if I wanted to continue taking the 2-star examination?”

“If you remain in the Ocean of Weapons, you won’t have to expend any more Academic Credits. However, once you step out of the doors, you will have to pay more Academic Credits if you want to enter once more and take the examination again,” Yuan Hong replied.

With two Academic Credits, one could activate the Ocean of Weapons once. As long as the Ocean of Weapons remained activated, there would be no need for one to expend any more Academic Credits to re-activate it for the subsequent examinations.

In a sense, it was like paying for a ticket to the museum. As long as the entrance fee was paid, one could remain within until closing time. It was only after leaving the museum that one would have to repurchase another ticket to enter its premises once more.

Upon hearing that he would have to expend more Academic Credits to enter the Ocean of Weapons once more if he were to leave the area, Zhang Xuan immediately asked worriedly, “I won’t have to expend any more Academic Credits as long as I remain within? Then… once I clear the 1-star blacksmith examination, can I proceed on with the 2-star examination?”

The two Academic Credits he currently had didn’t come easily. He would have to spend a great deal of effort in earning more Academic Credits if he had to spend two for each rank promotion.

Even if the elder before him was willing to finance him, he would still feel guilty taking the Academic Credits of others for his own use, especially considering how valuable they were!

On top of that, if he were to accept the favor of others without giving an equivalent return, he would owe a karmic debt to the other party.

The reason Zhang Xuan had been reluctant to accept the favor of others for free all along was due to the messy implications that came along with it. If possible, he would like to avoid it for as long as he could.

“Of course you can. However, the Ocean of Weapons will only remain activated for four hours regardless of which examination you are taking. Regardless of whether you are able to successfully forge a weapon or not, you will be evicted from the premises once time is up… I don’t think that you will have sufficient time to challenge the other examinations after clearing the 1-star examination!” Yuan Hong explained.

The underlying motive behind the creation of the Ocean of Weapons was to accommodate for a greater number of students in taking the blacksmith examination. Given that, if they were to allow students to camp inside the facility after paying two Academic Credits, wouldn’t that be contrary to its primary purpose?

As such, a time limit of four hours was imposed on the system. Regardless of how one’s progress in the examination was, one would be evicted without fail once the time was up, even if their weapon was already on the verge of completion.

If a student were to deem that four hours was insufficient for them to clear the examination, the student could always pay more Academic Credits to extend their time. In this case, an Academic Credit would correspond to an additional two hours.

If the student successfully cleared the examination, the Ocean of Weapons would distribute a new corresponding emblem. Otherwise, they would leave empty-handed.

Since Zhang Xuan had two Academic Credits, he would be allowed to stay within the Ocean of Weapons for four hours. However, weapon smithing was an extremely lengthy process. Four hours might be sufficient for him to smith a weapon to clear the 1-star examination, but to be able to smith another one for the 2-star examination in that limited time… It didn’t seem too plausible.

Besides, smithing was an extremely laborious process that consumed an immense amount of zhenqi. Considering Zhang Xuan’s current cultivation, just smithing a single weapon could easily consume up more than half of his zhenqi capacity, so even if there was sufficient time, it would be nigh impossible for him to smith two weapons consecutively.

As such, while Vice School Head Yuan thought that it was good that Zhang Xuan was driven, he didn’t think that it was a feasible idea.

Even he, as a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, could only smith two to three weapons within four hours. Anything more than that was impossible.

Unlike pills, weapons, regardless of their grade, require ceaseless hammering and refinement in order to shape and refine it.

“Four hours? Alright then.” Hearing that he only had this amount of time, Zhang Xuan nodded.

After clarifying everything, he placed his blacksmith apprentice emblem and Academic Credit Card on the stone pedestal, and with a bright surge of light, the doors to the Ocean of Weapons opened.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan walked in.

The Ocean of Weapons seemed to operate via a mechanism somewhat similar to the Passageway of Records. The room Zhang Xuan stepped into was completely dark, and with an abrupt rumbling beneath his feet, he was transported to a hall.

Placed within the hall were all kinds of ores and metals. There was also a large cauldron and furnace by the side.

“This is supposed to be… an illusion?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but mutter in awe. Taking a swift glance around him, he realized that everything in this room was extremely vivid and detailed, making it hard to discern it from reality.

Previously, the female receptionist, Li Xuan, had told him that the Ocean of Weapons utilized an Illusion Formation in order to simulate a lifelike smithing experience. This was indeed what was happening to Zhang Xuan right now. Everything around him was fake, regardless of how real it all looked.

Taking a look around him, Zhang Xuan saw a pile of books on the table before him. He walked up to it and flipped through them casually. Written in them were the smithing methods of various weapons.

Examinees could pick any one of these smithing methods for the examination if they wanted to, but this wasn’t a compulsory criterion for the examination. As long as the weapon they smithed reached a certain grade, they would be deemed to have cleared the examination.

“I only have four hours. I must hurry so that I can take the 5-star examination…”

Knowing that Academic Credits didn’t come easily, Zhang Xuan wasn’t content with just clearing the 1-star examination. It would be best if he could clear the 5-star examination in a single go so that he wouldn’t have to return here again.

‘Thus… it would be best for the weapon I smith to be as simple as possible so as to minimize the time spent on them!’

There was a clear difference in the difficulty between forging a metal ingot into a sword and hammer, and the time required for the both of them would be different as well.

‘Unlike pill forging where each ingredient must be carefully prepared in order to forge a satisfactory pill, there’s no need for me to be too thorough in the forging of the weapon. Since only the grade of the weapon is being assessed here, there’s no need for me to pursue perfection…’

A weapon’s grade was determined by factors such as its resilience, flexibility, sharpness, medium for zhenqi, and such.

Aesthetics took a secondary role in determining the grade of the weapon.

While going through the additional effort of hammering the weapon into the perfect shape and size would boost the utility of the weapon as well, this wasn’t a vital aspect of the blacksmith examination.

Since that was the case… there would be no need for Zhang Xuan to spend additional effort on shaping the metal ingot.

As long as he were to take careful note of the proportion of metal used in creating the alloy, as well as the refinement and quenching process, he should be able to create a decent weapon.

After browsing through the books, Zhang Xuan frowned.

“It’ll take too long to hammer the metal ingot into the shapes depicted in these books…”

Not only would it be hard to do so given his lack of practice in hammering, more importantly, he also didn’t have the time to waste on it either.

If he were to follow the smithing process listed in any of the books, it would be impossible for him to successfully smith any weapons without at least two hours of effort.

If that was going to be it, he wouldn’t even have enough time to clear the 2-star examination!

“Forget it, I should just start first!”

Tossing the book aside, Zhang Xuan swiftly examined the eight ores and metals on the table as he swiftly simulated the various combinations of alloys he could make with them.

Having learned the Heaven’s Path Smith Art, his understanding of smithing was already beyond most 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths. While the ores and metals before him were inferior materials that were suited only for smithing low-tier weapons, as long as he were to complement their strengths well, he would still be able to create a decent weapon.

“Alright, this should do!” Zhang Xuan muttered as a confident smile crept onto his lips.

With a light flick of his wrist, the eight metals and ores immediately rose from the table and flew into the searing furnace.

Tzzzzzz!

As Zhang Xuan infused his zhenqi into the furnace, it began to glow crimson. The ores and metals swiftly melted and flowed out of the furnace from a groove by the side.

“Synthesize!”

With another flick of his wrist, the metallic fluid separated into eight distinct fluids, and they began synthesizing with one another through a series of sequences.