Chapter 967

Chapter 967: Zhang laoshi’s Students (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Humph!”

Facing the devastating attacks all around him, Zheng Yang didn’t panic. Instead, a smile crept onto his lips.

“Finally!”

He ignored the attacks and leaped into the sky instead.

“What is he doing? He will only expose more openings in the sky and hasten his loss!”

“If he attempts to escape at this point, he will only be cornering himself further! Is he trying to admit defeat?”

“Even though he will be able to avoid the attacks for the time being through his move, he will only be exposing him to even more danger in a moment. This is truly a failed move.”

…

A commotion broke out amid the crowd.

Zheng Yang had displayed incredible battle sense and outstanding maneuvers throughout the course of the battle, aweing everyone, so why would he make such a fatal flaw in this crucial moment?

Chrysalis realm cultivators were incapable of flight, and if he had remained on the ground, he might still have stood a chance against the combat masters. The inability of Chrysalis realm cultivators to maneuver adeptly in the air only meant that he would become an easy target for his opponents to strike.

Before innumerable shocked gazes, Zheng Yang moved horizontally in the air to dodge all of the attacks heading for him before charging downwards with his spear.

“Is he… flying?”

“How can a Chrysalis realm cultivator fly?”

Everyone was stunned.

Only a Half-Saint who had opened their Zhukong acupoint was capable of flying freely in the sky.

The young man before them was just a Chrysalis realm cultivator, so how could he maneuver so freely in the air?

Wang Ying chuckled. “It seems like Teacher has taught him the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps as well.”

Their teacher had been able to fly in the air freely despite being at Transcendent Mortal realm because he had cultivated this movement technique. Clearly, Zheng Yang had inherited that technique as well.

“Zheng Yang is indeed rather sharp. He knows that under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be able to stand against their strongest moves. Thus, he chose to intentionally display an opening to focus everyone’s attacks on him, but making use of the conventional notion that Chrysalis realm cultivators are incapable of flight, he caught them off guard and easily averted the crisis while turning the situation on them at the same time. Those three are done for,” Liu Yang said with a smile.

It was a common notion among cultivators that those beneath Chrysalis realm were weak in the air because they were incapable of flight, and it was making use of this notion that Zheng Yang had been able to earn an opportunity to strike.

Before Liu Yang could finish his words, Zheng Yang’s spear transformed into innumerable bursts of light that shot forth from the sky, barraging the three combat masters on the stage.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Under the relentless assault, the faces of the three combat masters paled as they were knocked back, and two even fell straight off the stage.

“It seems like I have won!” Holding his spear, Zheng Yang stood upright on the stage as he shot a sweeping gaze at his surroundings with an indomitable disposition.

Many had thought that he would fall at the Dragon’s Back, but he had managed to clear it successfully.

After clearing this section, Zheng Yang didn’t rush ahead. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground and swallowed a pill to recover his stamina and depleted zhenqi.

Upon seeing his actions, the surroundings immediately fell silent so as not to disturb his recuperation.

Beneath the stage, Liao Song clenched his fists tightly as his face reddened in agitation.

The fact that Zheng Yang had successfully cleared the Dragon’s Back bore testimony to his strength. As long as he trained diligently after entering the Combat Master Hall, he would surely be able to become a Captain at the very least in the future. To have discovered such an expert, he would surely be able to rise through the ranks.

Even if Zheng Yang failed to clear the final Dragon’s Head, he would still benefit greatly from this matter.

…

Zheng Yang rested for a whole hour before standing up. At this point, the energy coursing through his body had reached a new peak. As if a powerful storm had been raised within his body, the deep rumbling of thunder could be vaguely heard from within his body.

With every step he took forward, the aura he emanated grew stronger and sharper by a bit. By the eighth step, a loud buzz sounded, and his cultivation advanced from Chrysalis realm primary stage to intermediate stage!

“He is advancing his cultivation right before the battle?” Wo Tianqiong was astonished. He turned his gaze to Liao Song and asked, “Will the combat masters in the Dragon’s Head adjust their cultivation accordingly?”

The opponents in the Dragon’s Tail, Dragon’s Back, and Dragon’s Head of the Dragon Gate Formation were scaled according to the cultivation of the challenger. Given that Zheng Yang had achieved a breakthrough, would the opponents behind adjust the difficulty of the challenge according to the present circumstances?

“They won’t. There is a time limit of two hours to the trial, and achieving a breakthrough within this limited time can be considered a method of adaptation by the cultivator. It won’t cause any difference to the difficulty of the later trials,” Liao Song replied.

If a challenger was able to achieve a breakthrough within the duration of the Dragon Gate Formation, it would be attributed to the challenger’s own capability as well. As such, no adjustments would be made.

Besides, a breakthrough by a cultivation stage wouldn’t make much of a difference to the trial. After all, there was no way one could achieve a breakthrough by an entire cultivation realm within two hours!

While they were speaking, Zheng Yang continued walking. By the eleventh step, he had already managed to reinforce his Chrysalis realm intermediate stage cultivation fully.

Proceeding ahead, the zhenqi in his body began rumbling once more, just like before, and his aura continued to grow stronger.

Boom!

By the nineteenth step, he overcame his bottleneck and successfully reached Chrysalis realm advanced stage!

“This…”

Everyone’s eyebrows leaped up. As cultivators, they had seen many breakthroughs throughout their lives, but they had never seen a person making consecutively breakthroughs so quickly!

To make two breakthroughs while walking a little more than a dozen steps, this was inconceivable!

On top of that, Zheng Yang was showing no signs of stopping yet. As he continued walking forward, the energy in his body continued to rumble furiously.

By the time he reached the Dragon’s Head, his cultivation had already reached Chrysalis realm pinnacle!

Wang Ying smiled. “Over the past few days, Zheng Yang has accumulated a vast amount of zhenqi, but he chose to suppress his cultivation until this moment. Finally, his hard work has paid off…”

Back when Zheng Yang received news that he was going to take the assessment to become a combat master, he worked harder than ever on his cultivation, but he chose to suppress it despite already being able to achieve a breakthrough. The purpose of it was so as to allow him to swiftly reach higher realms in the middle of a battle and catch his opponent off guard.

Of course, the main reason he was able to do so was also due to the unique nature of the cultivation technique that his teacher had imparted to him. For normal cultivators, it would already have been incredible if they advanced a cultivation stage on the spot. Due to the capacity of their dantian, they were incapable of storing sufficient zhenqi to make multiple breakthroughs on the spot.

“This move of his is not bad; he has lessened the gap between him and the combat masters in the Dragon’s Head. Perhaps I should try the same when I challenge the trial later on,” Liu Yang remarked with a smile.

Zheng Yang didn’t rush to attack the combat masters of the Dragon’s Head. Instead, he flicked his wrist and popped a scarlet fruit into his mouth.

“That is… the Scarlet Firefly Fruit?”

Beneath the stage, Wu Xu and Lu Cheng recognized the item that Zheng Yang had just ingested, and their eyes narrowed in alarm.

Back then, they had gone to a valley in order to procure that fruit, only to leave empty-handed. All along, they had suspected that Zhang Xuan had taken it before them, and from the looks of it now, that was indeed the case.

The Scarlet Firefly Fruit was known for its effect of enhancing a cultivator’s chances of achieving a breakthrough to Half-Saint. That fellow on the stage had already advanced his cultivation by three stages. It couldn’t be that he still wanted to make the breakthrough to Half-Saint on top of that?

There was huge gap between Chrysalis realm and Half-Saint. If one were to succeed, there would be a qualitative leap in one’s fighting prowess. By then, given his combat capability, clearing the Dragon’s Head would be a walk in the park.

Wu Xu and Lu Cheng weren’t the only one who noticed this. Having come to the same conclusion as well, Liao Song bellowed, ” Strike the army while it’s crossing the river! 1 ”

Hong long long!

Upon hearing the bellow, the three combat masters in the Dragon’s Head immediately raised their weapons and charged at Zheng Yang.

In any case, the other party was already in their area of battle, so it wasn’t against the rules for them to make a move.

“Hehe, it just so happens that I could use some help digesting this surge of energy. I will use you all to practice my spear!” Zheng Yang’s eyebrows shot up as he raised his spear to retaliate.

Typically speaking, the Scarlet Firefly Fruit would require at least two to four hours to digest, but if one were to be pressured in battle, the speed could be hastened significantly.

Back then, during the Master Teacher Tournament in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Zhang Xuan had used the same method to raise his Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm’s cultivation swiftly.

Under normal circumstances, it would be nigh impossible for Zheng Yang to defeat the Dragon’s Head. However, with the Scarlet Firefly Fruit, his chances would be boosted manyfold!

And as expected, the more he clashed with the combat masters, the greater the energy within his body became. In this moment, it was as if he had become a tireless machine of perpetual motion.

Not only so, his cultivation was swiftly progressing to Half-Saint. After trading around a hundred blows, a crisp echo sounded from his body, and his fighting prowess suddenly went through a qualitative change and surged exponentially.

Half-Saint, reached!

Upon reaching Half-Saint, Zheng Yang’s fighting prowess had more than doubled. With his newfound strength, the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Head whom he had struggled against just a moment ago were no longer a match for him. Within ten blows, he had already knocked them off the stage with his spear.

Dragon Gate Formation, cleared!

“He… really succeeded?” Clenching his fists in agitation, Liao Song could hardly believe what he was seeing.

A feat that countless geniuses in the Combat Master Hall had failed to achieve, and yet, this sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth who wasn’t even a master teacher had actually cleared it so easily… This was inconceivable!

“Cleared!”

The will from the headquarters supervising the Dragon Gate Formation from the sky left behind this word before gradually fading. In other words, the result of this trial was recognized by the Combat Master Hall headquarters.

In the future, if Zheng Yang were to head to the Combat Master Hall headquarters, he could challenge the Dragon’s Pearl directly without undergoing the previous three sections!

While this wasn’t the complete Dragon Gate Formation, over the span of the past three hundred years, there were less than ten combat masters who had successfully cleared this trial. To be even more direct, at this very moment, Zheng Yang had already become a candidate to become the Progeny of Combat.

Clenching his fists tightly, tears began to stream down Zheng Yang’s cheeks. “I have succeeded…”

He was only an ordinary youth who had a passion for spearmanship. Had he not met his teacher, he probably would have remained in Tianxuan Kingdom his entire life, unaware of the greater world out there. His cultivation would have been capped at Tongxuan realm 2 , and he might have become a spearmanship teacher for other cultivators. He would have spent the hundred years of his life humbly and idly, achieving nothing significant at all, leaving nothing worthy of note when he was reduced to dust at the end of his life.

It was his teacher who had changed his life, showing him that the world was greater than what he could see.

It was his teacher who had brought him to where he was, reaching a height that he dared not imagine in the past.

It was his teacher who had given him confidence and a goal, teaching him what he should fight for.

Clenching his fists tightly, Zheng Yang made a vow. “Teacher, don’t worry. I will surely advance further and further. I will make a name out of myself in the Combat Master Hall so as to not let you down!”

As Zheng Yang walked down the stage, Liao Song turned his gaze to Wang Ying and the others. “Alright. Now that Zheng Yang has cleared the trial… do the rest of you still want to give it a try?”

“Of course!” Wang Ying smiled.

Even if she didn’t become a combat master, she wished to show the world her strength and bring glory to her teacher’s name!

Wang Ying was just about to leap onto the stage when she heard a slightly soft and gentle voice from the side.

“Senior, why don’t you allow me to try first? I am the most junior of us, so if I am able to clear the trial, you will surely be able to do the same!”

Turning around, she saw a pair of eyes looking at her with a brilliant gleam within.

Wei Ruyan.

Chapter 968: Zhang laoshi’s Students (3)

 

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“You?” Wang Ying frowned.

Even though they were all direct disciples of Zhang laoshi, Wei Ruyan had only joined two months ago, and the guidance she had received from Zhang Xuan was limited.

A normal combat master assessment wouldn’t pose much of a problem to her, but the Dragon Gate Formation was likely beyond her means for now.

After all, even Zheng Yang had needed to use some tricks and put in quite a bit of effort before he could succeed.

If he hadn’t suppressed his cultivation and pushed for a breakthrough in the midst of his battle, it would have been nearly impossible for him to defeat the Dragon’s Head.

“Even though it hasn’t been long since I came under Teacher’s lineage, I hope to give it a try,” Wei Ruyan said resolutely.

This wasn’t a decision she had made on the spur of the moment but something she had decided upon long ago.

Seeing that Wei Ruyan was determined, Wang Ying nodded. “Alright then. Be careful. If you find yourself in any danger, surrender immediately!”

“Thank you, senior!” Wei Ruyan replied before leaping onto the stage.

“Is this lady… Principal Zhang’s direct disciple as well?” Upon seeing Wei Ruyan going onto the stage, doubtful expressions surfaced on the faces of the students and teachers of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Wang Ying, Zheng Yang, and Liu Yang were guest elders in the academy, so it was natural that the students and teachers had heard of them. On the other hand, Wei Ruyan had never appeared in public before. Furthermore, she had a particularly weak physique, which indicated that she wasn’t an active person, so was she really suited to challenge the Dragon Gate Formation?

“I heard that she is a student that Principal Zhang accepted two months ago!”

“Two months ago? So short?”

“That’s right…”

Some who were aware of the matter whispered among the crowd, sharing the news around.

Principal Zhang was formidable, but it seemed impossible, even for him, to train a student whom he had accepted only two months early to a standard capable of clearing the trial.

On top of that, Principal Zhang had been outside for most of the past two months due to his 6-star master teacher examination, only returning a few days prior. Even if he had made time for some lessons with Wei Ruyan, the amount of time they would have had together was still severely limited. Was that really sufficient for her to clear such a difficult trial?

After all, the Dragon Gate Formation was at least tenfold more difficult than the Combat Master Selection before!

After checking Wei Ruyan’s cultivation, Liao Song said, “Your cultivation is at Chrysalis realm pinnacle, so going by that, the opponents you will be facing will have cultivations ranging from Chrysalis realm pinnacle to Nascent Saint pinnacle!”

Of the group who had assessed Zheng Yang, even though one had been impaled by his spear, there were still others who could substitute for the wounded. As for the others, while they had been wounded in the confrontation, those were just light wounds, and they had mostly recovered. It wasn’t a problem for them to go another round.

Thus, they were still able to make up the nine members required for the Dragon Gate Formation.

“Alright.” Wei Ruyan nodded.

Had Zheng Yang not achieved the consecutive breakthroughs, she would have been the one with the highest cultivation among Zhang Xuan’s direct disciples. At the current moment, she was just a step away from reaching Half-Saint.

An hour later, the preparation for the Dragon Gate Formation was finally done. Liao Song turned to Wei Ruyan and said, “Alright, you can begin!”

Wei Ruyan nodded, and her eyes immediately turned grim. At the same time, her mind became incredibly composed, unperturbed by anything in her surroundings.

Tortured by her affliction for so many years, she had matured far beyond her age. In terms of mental resilience, even Lu Chong couldn’t compare with her. In face of difficult situations, she could maintain her composure and not panic.

Huala!

With the start of the trial, the three combat masters began to drive their zhenqi, and a powerful might burst forth from them, creating an immense pressure on their opponent.

Wei Ruyan pushed her feet against the ground and dashed right toward them.

“She isn’t going to use any weapons?” Seeing Wei Ruyan rushing toward the Dragon’s Tail unarmed, the crowd couldn’t help but frown.

Even with a spear in hand, Zheng Yang had found it relatively tough to deal with the Dragon Gate Formation. Considering that Wei Ruyan was a delicate lady, how could she defeat the powerful combat masters bare-handed?

“She… just started cultivating two months ago, so she hasn’t learned how to wield any weapons yet,” Wang Ying explained with a bitter smile.

“Just started cultivating two months ago?” Wo Tianqiong widened his eyes in shock.

“Un. She has been ill from a young age, and it was only two months ago that our teacher successfully treated her affliction and accepted her as his direct disciple. It was then that she first started cultivating,” Wang Ying replied.

“She only started cultivating two months ago and is unable to use any weapon. How is she supposed to win like that?” Wo Tianqiong nearly fainted on the spot.

They had all seen with his own eyes how fearsome the Dragon Gate Formation was. For a cultivator who had just started cultivating two months ago and couldn’t even wield a weapon properly to rush right in…

Are you here to play?

Hearing those words, Liao Song’s lips also twitched.

The Dragon Gate Formation is a trial that countless combat masters have challenged only to fail. Do you all really think that… it is that simple to clear?

Peng! Peng! Peng!

While the group was speaking, Wei Ruyan had already begun clashing with the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Tail.

Upon seeing their fight, Liao Song’s cheeks began to twitch.

“She… doesn’t know any battle techniques?”

To his astonishment, the young lady’s movements were extremely crude, as if she had never learned even the most basic of fist arts before. She was simply flailing her arms around erratically with all the strength she could muster, a clear indication of an amateur.

Anyone who had learned the slightest bit of a battle technique would never utilize such crude movements!

“Battle techniques… In the past two months, she has been busy reinforcing her cultivation, and Teacher also hasn’t had any time to teach her a battle technique yet,” Wang Ying said awkwardly.

From the moment she woke up, Wei Ruyan had been a Chrysalis realm cultivator. But as strong as she was, her power was built up through the accumulation of medicinal energy, an extremely unstable foundation. As such, their teacher had instructed her to start cultivating from the very bottom to reinforce her cultivation.

Working diligently for the past two months, she had barely managed to reinforce her cultivation up to Chrysalis realm, so how could she have any time to learn battle techniques?

Besides, their teacher had been extremely busy in the past two months, only meeting them on three occasions to guide them in their cultivation.

“She wasn’t taught any battle techniques?” Hearing those words, Liao Song nearly spurted a mouthful of blood. “Given her state… you still allowed her to challenge the Dragon Gate Formation?”

Aren’t you making light of the Dragon Gate Formation?

Putting aside the fact that she is unable to use any weapon and hasn’t learned any battle techniques at all, more importantly, she only started cultivating two months ago! To allow such an amateur to challenge the Dragon Gate Formation, aren’t you underestimating our combat masters way too much?

They were impressed by Principal Zhang because of his deep understanding of battle techniques and combat techniques. Those who had listened to his lecture had found their fighting prowess raised by leaps and bounds.

However, even though Wei Ruyan was Principal Zhang’s direct disciple, she had barely learned any of the basics! To challenge the Dragon Gate Formation like that… there was no doubt, she was bound to lose!

The same thoughts also surfaced in the minds of Wo Tianqiong, Wu Ran, and the others, and they couldn’t help but shake their heads.

“It’s fine. Since she wants to challenge the Dragon Gate Formation, so be it. Besides, it is not certain whether she will lose or not…” Contrary to the opinion of most, Wang Ying had a different thought in mind.

The others might not have been aware of how fearsome Wei Ruyan was, but she was. Even if she were to fight against Wei Ruyan, she had no confidence that she would be able to achieve victory. The combat masters on the stage were indeed powerful, but it was not entirely impossible for Wei Ruyan to defeat them.

Her teacher had taught each of them according to their own strengths. Since her teacher hadn’t taught Wei Ruyan any battle techniques to date, naturally, that could only mean that there was no need to do so. Otherwise, given how the other students could easily become combat experts after an hour-long lecture, how could Wei Ruyan still be completely ignorant of battle techniques?

Noticing the confidence in Wang Ying’s voice, Liao Song shook his head. “I think you are being too optimistic. The strength of our combat masters is no joke… Ah? What the heck!”

He had just been about to advise the other party against the matter when he suddenly caught sight of what was happening on the stage with his peripheral vision and choked on his words.

“What is going on? Why are your combat masters… suddenly moving so slow as if they are drunk?” Not only was Liao Song astonished by what he saw, Wo Tianqiong and the others also widened their eyes in shock.

At this moment, the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Tail were swaying weakly on their feet, and their movements were becoming slower and duller by the moment. It was as if they had turned from energetic young men into frail elderly all of a sudden.

“Isn’t this cheating? Even if they wished to go easy on her, this is not the way to do so!”

“Even I could clear the Dragon Gate Formation like that!”

The crowd below were also bewildered by the situation on top.

When they were facing Zheng Yang earlier, those combat masters had displayed an indomitable aura that would instill fear into any opponent. Why had they suddenly become so soft all of the sudden, as if there was no strength within their bodies? Was it because their opponent was a beautiful lady?

But this was a formal trial; they shouldn’t have been going easy on the other party like that, especially not so openly!

How brazen!

After taking a closer look, Liao Song suddenly noticed something, and his eyes narrowed in astonishment. “They… are not doing this on purpose. It looks more like… they have been poisoned!”

He knew full well that his men wouldn’t ever go easy on an opponent just because she was a beautiful lady. There was only one possibility in this scenario, and that was that… they had been poisoned!

But he had been watching the situation closely all along. From the start to the end, Wei Ruyan had been suppressed by their might, and there should have been no opportunity for her to poison them at all.

Furthermore, the rules of the Dragon Gate Formation forbade the usage of poison in the trial. The headquarters had been supervising the duel from above, and if Wei Ruyan had indeed resorted to such underhanded tricks, they would have terminated the trial immediately.

The fact that this hadn’t happened only meant that Wei Ruyan’s act of poisoning her opponent was considered a part of her strength, and the duel was completely fair and honest!

But how could this possibly be true?

Liao Song felt so frenzied by the absurd situation before him that he nearly tore his hair out.

“We reminded Junior Ruyan to curb it, but it seems like it is futile,” Liu Yang remarked with a bitter smile.

They were all aware that Wei Ruyan possessed the Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution, and this was also why they weren’t worried about sending Wei Ruyan up.

Nevertheless, poison was still something typically shunned and feared on the Master Teacher Continent, so they had advised Wei Ruyan to keep her poison in check wherever possible. However, from the looks of it… they might have been underestimating the potency of Wei Ruyan’s unique constitution.

Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution… It could be said that Wei Ruyan’s very existence was a lethal poison, be it her body or her zhenqi. Wei Ruyan had been trying to curb her poison consciously, but nevertheless, it was still able to easily render the combat masters, who possessed superior physical resilience, powerless.

“Those three are going to lose…” Wang Ying nodded grimly, and before she could finish her words, ‘Putong! Putong! Putong!’, the three combat masters collapsed to the ground with white foam trickling from their mouths.

“First section, cleared!”

With the three of them incapacitated, Wei Ruyan proceeded forward to the next section, the Dragon’s Back, without any hesitation.

“Demoness, what kind of sorcery did you pull?”

The three combat masters of the Dragon’s Back glared at Wei Ruyan warily as if they were facing a powerful enemy, not daring to look down on her in the least.

“Sorcery? I did nothing of the sort.” Shaking her head, Wei Ruyan said, “Let’s begin!”

After saying those words, she immediately charged forward and shrouded the three combat masters with her zhenqi.

Her attack was extremely crude, devoid of any technique at all, but the sheer potency of the poison contained in her zhenqi could easily fell any opponent that came into contact with it. Not even deities were an exception to the rule.

This was also the reason the Innate Poison Body was such a feared existence in the world.

Putong! Putong! Putong!

Not too long later, the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Back fell to the ground with white foam flowing down their chins.

In less than five minutes, a delicate young lady, who had only cultivated for two months and had no knowledge of wielding a weapon or any battle techniques, had already cleared two sections.

After defeating the three combat masters, Wei Ruyan moved on to the Dragon’s Head.

Five minutes later, the three combat masters of the Dragon’s Head were lying on the floor as well.

They were indeed significantly stronger than Wei Ruyan, but in the face of the potent poison released by her, it didn’t take long before they collapsed to the ground, powerless.

“She… really cleared the trial?” Having watched the entire scene, Liao Song was on the verge of tears.

At this point, a certain thought surfaced in his mind, and he couldn’t help but tremble.

Could it be that the strength of their combat masters was really a joke?

Author’s Note: The seventh arc, Zhang laoshi’s Students , has come to an end. The next arc, Kong shi’s Warning, is about to begin, so look forward to it!

Chapter 969: Returning to the Surface

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

He had just said that their combat masters were powerful, and the next moment, they had been utterly defeated by two youths.

It was one thing for the young man, considering that he was strong, but the young lady had only started cultivating two months ago, completely ignorant of battle techniques.

The moment they stepped into the academy, they had been subdued by ordinary students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. After which, the incredibly difficult Dragon Gate Formation, which only a handful of their countless combat masters had cleared in the past three hundred years, ended up being overcome by two challengers consecutively.

Honestly speaking, he was starting to doubt life itself.

Principal Zhang, even if you are really formidable and powerful, surely you need not tear us apart so callously!

It is one thing for you to be so powerful, but even students that you have casually taught are so formidable as well! What does that make us combat masters?

Just as Liao Song was still feeling frustrated over the matter, Wang Ying suddenly spoke. “Combat Master Liao, it seems like… your men are unable to carry on with the next trial. What about the both of us?”

It was then that Liao Song suddenly recalled that the nine combat masters on the stage were still unconscious from poison.

In the past trials, it had always been their combat masters knocking others unconscious. Yet, the other party had only sent two students up, and their men were already either knocked unconscious or severely injured.

Liao Song couldn’t help but feel his heart turn cold.

He pondered for a moment before replying. “Our men need to rest for time being. We will resume the trial in three days! Just in case, we will bring in some more combat masters from the Combat Master Hall as well.”

There was nothing else he could do.

His nine subordinates were clearly under the effects of a very potent poison. Even if he were to treat them right now, they would still need several days to fully recover to their peak.

If their strength was already compromised before the start of the battle, the results of the trial would be inaccurate, and the headquarters might not be willing to recognize it.

Since that was the case, it would be best to first rest for several days and request for more men to be dispatched to serve as back up.

It couldn’t be that the great Combat Master Hall couldn’t even deal with a couple of students.

“Alright!” After a moment of hesitation, Wang Ying nodded.

Zheng Yang had succeeded due to the preparation he had made beforehand, and Wei Ruyan had her unique constitution to fall back on. On the other hand, she and Liu Yang had neither of the two. If they were to depend solely on their strength, it would be too difficult for them to clear the trial.

If they had three additional days, perhaps their teacher might have returned by then. They would be able to seek guidance from him, and their chances at clearing the trial would be significantly higher.

It was not that their fighting prowess was beneath Zheng Yang’s, but many of their moves and maneuvers had been exposed to the combat masters in the earlier fight, and the combat masters were bound to be guarded against them in future fights.

Without the element of surprise, it would be hard for them to succeed.

On the other hand, seeing that Wang Ying had agreed to it, Liao Song heaved a sigh of relief. If the other party were to insist on challenging the trial that instant but they were unable to come up with the required numbers for it, that would be truly humiliating for the Combat Master Hall.

“That was truly exciting!”

“After watching such an incredible battle, I can pass away without any regrets!”

“As expected of Principal Zhang’s direct disciple, that Zheng Yang is indeed powerful!”

“Of course! Just think about how formidable Principal Zhang is, how can his student be ordinary?”

Only two trials had been held, and many people were unable to comprehend the happenings in Wei Ruyan’s trial, but nevertheless, Zheng Yang’s battle had still been incredibly exciting. The many cultivators who had travelled from far and wide to spectate the battle couldn’t help but feel that their trip hadn’t been wasted. They had managed to witness the birth of a new legend with their own eyes.

“I wonder what the conditions are to becoming Principal Zhang’s direct disciple.”

“If it is possible, I would love to become his direct disciple, too.”

There were also quite a few among the crowd who began to contemplate about how they could become Principal Zhang’s direct disciple and ascend to the top in a single step. Even the candidates of the other three academies who had failed to clear the Combat Master Selection couldn’t help but harbor such thoughts as they gazed at Zheng Yang with an excited gleam in their eyes.

At this very moment, however, the man whom they wanted to acknowledge as their teacher was currently still within the depths of the Subterranean Gallery, seated within the seal with his eyes closed.

After some time, he finally opened his eyes.

Just a little more!

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan got to his feet.

The previous few days spent recultivating the Saint Ascension Decipher, which had been modified according to the structure of the seal, while repairing the seal had enhanced his strength by leaps and bounds. While his cultivation was still at Nascent Saint pinnacle, the same as before, the fighting prowess he could exert was far greater than before.

At the same time, his Origin Core had also become even stabler and sturdier, revolving slowly within his dantian in the form of a golden sphere. At this point, he was already at the final step of his cultivation, lacking just the final decipher.

According to Zhang Xuan’s deduction, he would need to take in vast amounts of spiritual energy as soon as this step was completed, and that could destabilize the seal if he were to do it within. Thus, he decisively halted his cultivation.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan leaped out from the interior of the seal.

The seal didn’t pose much of an impediment to humans, but to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it was no different from a barrier severing space, making it nigh impossible for them to cross through it.

Returning to the Subterranean Gallery, Zhang Xuan quickly found himself a safe location. Taking out his formation flags, he set up a grade-6 Spirit Gathering Formation with a snap of his fingers. After which, he took a seat at the center, tossed a few hundred high-tier spirit stones around him, and began to cultivate.

With the spoils of war from slaying the two hundred Otherworldly Demons and the profits he had obtained from the Shen Clan, he had no lack of high-tier spirit stones at the moment. Besides, as long as he could raise his strength, there was no price too heavy to pay.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan opened his acupoints, and the surrounding spiritual energy immediately gushed into his body with furious momentum, creating a whirlpool of spiritual energy around him.

The vast amount of spiritual energy was swiftly converted into zhenqi before being gathered together to be crafted into a decipher through a unique method, filling up the last remaining gap of the golden sphere.

Hong long!

After some time, with a resounding blast, the spiritual energy in the Spirit Gathering Formation was abruptly dried out in an instant, and the hundreds of high-tier spirit stones were reduced to dust. Following which, Zhang Xuan felt his dantian jolt violently. The golden sphere underwent a metamorphosis as a deep shade of violet crept onto it.

This violet Origin Core carried a weight reminiscent of an entire planet, granting one immense strength as it revolved slowly on the spot.

What a powerful Origin Core… Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he clenched his fists tightly in excitement.

He could clearly feel his perception of the surrounding spiritual energy becoming even clearer and more vivid, allowing him to tap into it and refine it into zhenqi far more efficiently.

In other words, with this violet Origin Core, he could cultivate zhenqi far quicker and purer than before.

Could this be… a First Grade Origin Core? Zhang Xuan’s eyes trembled in agitation.

He had already achieved a Second Grade Pinnacle Origin Core before. While there was nothing detailed in the Saint Ascension Decipher about an Origin Core metamorphosing into a violet sphere, chances were that it was a First Grade Origin Core!

In the entire history of the Master Teacher Continent, Kong shi was the only one known to have successfully formed a First Grade Origin Core. It wielded strength far beyond the others, and it was the key to becoming a Celestial Saint!

It is a pity that I am still lacking the catalyst artifact, or else I would be able to attempt a breakthrough to Saint realm on the spot.

The more Zhang Xuan studied the violet Origin Core in his body and learned about it, the more impressed he felt.

Currently, his comprehension of the Saint Ascension Decipher still had a few flaws. He needed Scarlet Firefly Fruits for a breakthrough to Half-Saint, a Lightning Resonance Stone for a breakthrough to Nascent Saint, and the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence for a breakthrough to Saint realm.

This artifact was only found in the depths of an earth vein, and it was even rarer than the Earth Vein Spirit Essence. Even despite the many treasures and huge fortune that he had accumulated, he had never seen the Seven-colored Earth Jade Essence before.

Without this catalyst artifact, he wouldn’t be able to reach Saint realm.

Seems like I can only search for it patiently.

While Zhang Xuan did not have it, it didn’t mean that Hongyuan Empire didn’t have it. After leaving the Subterranean Gallery, he could take his time looking for it.

If worst came to worst, he could always apply for it from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

Having guarded mankind for several dozen millenniums, what artifacts would the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters possibly not have in their treasure vault?

As long as one had an ample amount of contribution and wealth, one could exchange for anything existing on the Master Teacher Continent with the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

I am done repairing the seal, and the invading Otherworldly Demons have been killed as well. It is about time for me to return.

Getting to his feet, Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily before storing the formation flags. After which, he took one more glance at the seal and heaved a sigh of relief.

Over the past few days of hard work, he had mended the weakened areas of the formation perfectly. With that, it would be difficult for the Otherworldly Demons to breach it again, regardless of whatever means they had on their hands.

It had been several days since he had gone down to the Subterranean Gallery, so it was about time for him to return.

The conditions in the Subterranean Gallery was indeed harsh. Just the concentrated killing intent in itself would make it difficult for any ordinary cultivator to catch their breath. Nevertheless, Zhang Xuan had still managed to make considerable gains in here. He had managed to advance his cultivation to Nascent Saint pinnacle and upgrade his Origin Core to First Grade, and these two gains were sufficient to make this trip worthwhile.

Furthermore, his Saint 1-dan puppets had been upgraded to Saint 3-dan, and this represented more cards he could use to help himself out of dire situations.

Flying back, Zhang Xuan didn’t see Lu Feng and the others. He assumed that they had returned in advance after noticing that the threat from the Otherworldly Demons had been resolved, so he decided to head straight back.

Soon, he reached the area that he had arrived at the Subterranean Gallery from and used his spirit to communicate with the wills contained within the Mausoleum Tablet.

Hu!

A powerful suction force drew him in, and in the next moment, he was already standing back in the area within the Mausoleum Tablet.

Mu shi’s will was waiting for him. He swiftly informed the other party about the situation in the Subterranean Gallery, and this left the other party astonished.

“This seal was set up by one of Kong shi’s followers back then, and it has the laws of space tied into it. It is impossible to damage it without the strength of one who has reached the pinnacle of Saint realm. The other side of the seal links to an otherworldly battlefield known as the Qingtian Battlefield. It is said that the strongest Otherworldly Demon within possesses the strength of Saint 5-dan.

“Even Qingtian Conferred Empire would struggle to face an expert of that caliber. Fortunately, it is impossible for the Otherworldly Demons on the other side to breach the seal. This is also the reason the headquarters didn’t station any personnel here. For them to be able to dispatch soldiers over to our side through certain means, that is truly unnerving!”

“There is no need to worry. I have already repaired the damaged seal…” Zhang Xuan began to speak about what he had encountered over the past few days.

Of course, the unique method he had used to repair the seal was conveniently attributed to ‘Yang Xuan’. Otherwise, considering his current cultivation, there was no one who would possibly believe that he had been able to repair the seal.

“A person who is qualified to take a Celestial Master Teacher as his student can’t possibly be someone simple. It is truly a pity that I am unable to meet your teacher and seek his guidance…” Mu shi lamented.

After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Xuan managed to reassure the wills of the preceding principal that the problem had been resolved. After which, he left the Mausoleum Tablet before making his way out of the Mausoleum of Principals.

As soon as he was out, he saw School Head Zhao and School Head Mo waiting for him outside with worry on their faces.

Seeing their expression, Zhang Xuan frowned. “What is wrong?”

“Principal Zhang… Why did it take you so long to return?” School Head Zhao asked.

“After entering, I suddenly had a moment of inspiration, so I remained inside to make a breakthrough,” Zhang Xuan replied with the excuse he had already come up with in advance.

In order to avoid unneeded fear and panic, it was best for as few people as possible to learn about the matter regarding the Subterranean Gallery and the Otherworldly Demons.

“Breakthrough?”

School Head Zhao and School Head Mo traded a glance as their mouth twitched with uncanny harmony. “Is… the Mausoleum of Principals still well? How great is the destruction? Does it need fixing? Sigh, what is done is done. Principal Zhang, you don’t need to blame yourself for it.”

It seemed that nothing good had ever happened whenever their principal cultivated.

Take the Blacksmith School for example, the Chamber of Earth Flame and Passageway of Records had ended up collapsing due to him cultivating his physical body.

“Destruction? Blame myself?”

It was only at this moment that Zhang Xuan finally comprehended what the two school heads were worried about, and he couldn’t help but fall speechless.

For someone as reliable and dependable as him to be misunderstood like that… That was utter nonsense!

Are the both of you fine?

Are you really my subordinates?

Chapter 970: [Chapter 970?]

 

Chapter 970: Mu shi Returns

Translator: StarveCleric | Editor: Millman97

After explaining for a very long time and emphasizing time and time again that the Mausoleum of Principals was completely unharmed, the duo was still looking at him with a look of doubt. Eventually, Zhang Xuan could only shake his head in frustration and give up on the matter.

It would suffice for him to know that he hadn’t done anything wrong. For someone as upright and flawless as him, the world would eventually return him justice.

“Principal Zhang, in the five days you have been gone for, the personnel from the Combat Master Hall arrived, and Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan cleared their trial…” Putting aside the matter regarding the Mausoleum of Principals, School Head Mo quickly filled Zhang Xuan in on the matters that had happened over the past few days.

At the end of which, Zhang Xuan gestured with a slight nod.

As his direct disciple, it was within his expectations that Zheng Yang would be able to clear the trial. However, he hadn’t really expected Wei Ruyan to be able to clear it as well. From the looks of it, it seemed like there was really nothing impressive about the combat masters!

After asking about several problems concerning the academy and proposing various measures to deal with them, Zhang Xuan finally returned to his residence under the lead of the two school heads.

As the principal, it would be a breach of etiquette if he didn’t pay the guests from the Combat Master Hall and the three Master Teacher Academies a visit at least once in the duration of their stay.

Thus, he had the servants to prepare a bath for him so that he could wash and tidy himself up to greet the combat masters. However, before he could do so, his butler, Sun Qiang, abruptly rushed into the residence with hurried footsteps.

“Young Master!” Sun Qiang quickly ran up to Zhang Xuan upon seeing him.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Having followed him for some time, Sun Qiang was well aware that he hated trouble. As such, Sun Qiang would usually deal with most matters himself, not troubling him except for matters that were particularly important. Thus, for Sun Qiang to suddenly rush over with such an anxious look on his face, it could only mean that something severe had happened.

“Young Mistress Ruyan, she… has fainted again!” Sun Qiang quickly reported.

“Ruyan fainted?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

That shouldn’t be!

After being nurtured by the Bodhi Saint Tree, Wei Ruyan’s soul should have been no different from that of an ordinary person, significantly stronger and more resilient even.

Her body had also been nourished by the Grade-7 Grand Intermittence Pill, restoring it back to full health. On top of that, she had also cultivated a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. For one who had the strength to defeat even the combat masters easily, why would she faint so abruptly?

“I am not too sure about the reason behind it either. That day, when we returned to our manor after defeating the combat masters, she said that she felt unwell, and shortly after, she fell ill,” Sun Qiang replied.

“Lead me there!” Knowing that it would be impossible for him to determine the cause of Wei Ruyan’s illness just by listening to Sun Qiang’s words, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist to bid School Head Mo and the others farewell before heading hurriedly back to his manor.

Entering Wei Ruyan’s room, Zhang Xuan saw that she was lying on the bed with a tight frown on her forehead, unconscious. Wang Ying was seated by the side of her bed, taking care of her diligently.

There were various plants in the courtyard outside the room, but at this moment, they were all dry and withered, as if heralding the arrival of winter.

“What is going on?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Teacher, you are finally back…” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Wang Ying hurriedly stood up.

Raising his hand to gesture that it wasn’t the time for questions, Zhang Xuan hurriedly walked up to Wei Ruyan and placed his fingers on her pulse.

A moment later, Zhang Xuan’s face turned grim, and he lifted his gaze and asked, “I need a detailed recount about the fight Ruyan had with the combat masters that day!”

“Yes! That day, Junior Ruyan went onto the stage to battle, and through exerting her zhenqi, she poisoned all nine of the combat masters in the trial…” Wang Ying went through everything that happened that day without hiding anything.

While School Head Mo and the others knew that Wei Ruyan had defeated the combat masters through using poison, they weren’t aware of her Innate Poison Body. As such, their explanation had lacked crucial details.

On the other hand, Wang Ying was able to explain everything that had happened clearly, reconstructing the scene from back then perfectly.

After finishing the recount, Wang Ying looked at Zhang Xuan anxiously and asked, “Teacher, how is she?”

With a deep frown, Zhang Xuan replied, “It isn’t anything severe. It seems like the might she exerted through the Innate Poison Body then exceeded her current limits, resulting in her loss of consciousness.”

Wei Ruyan possessed not only the Innate Poison Body but also the Poison Soul Constitution. It was so rare that one wouldn’t find another like her throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent in the next several dozen millenniums!

As long as she cultivated, the lethal poison contained within her zhenqi would be her strongest weapon against any foe!

Under normal circumstances, once she awakened her unique constitution, her cultivation and fighting prowess would raise swiftly, easily surpassing all of her peers.

However, there was a flaw to it. Every time she utilized the poison aura within her body, it would grow a little. The more she used it, the more poison aura she would accumulate.

If she couldn’t find a good method to deal with it, it could lead to a dangerous amount of poison aura accumulating in her body, causing her to lose control of her power. If so, she could very well suffer a backlash and lose consciousness.

This was the current situation she was in. Despite her lacking strength, she had forcefully challenged the Dragon Gate Formation and exerted a strength beyond her physical limits. As a result, she had lost control over the poison aura within her body, causing a backlash from her Innate Poison Body.

Having only woken up two months ago, the only cultivation technique she had cultivated was a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. She had zero knowledge about the cultivation techniques of poison masters, so she had no way of clearing away the overwhelming quantity of poison aura accumulated in her. Naturally, this led to her discomfort and eventual loss of consciousness.

“It is fortunate that she has very strong self-control. Otherwise, the entire Hongyuan City might be harmed due to the sheer prowess of her Innate Poison Body…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Just the fact that the powerful combat masters were unable to withstand her poison zhenqi went to show how potent her poison was. Had it not been for her determined will, suppressing the poison aura firmly even after losing consciousness, the poison aura could potentially have spread through the entire city via the wind and harmed countless innocent lives.

It was also due to the difficulty in controlling the Innate Poison Body that the world had named it the ‘Constitution of Disaster’, leaving many fearful to approach.

For one, despite trying her best to suppress her poison aura, the plants in the courtyard still withered during the corrosion of the poison due to their proximity to her, resulting in the sight Zhang Xuan saw before entering the room.

It was fortunate that Wei Ruyan had cultivated the simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, allowing her to conceal the unique properties of her Innate Poison Body perfectly. Otherwise, it could possibly have brought countless ‘agents of righteousness’ to their doorstep, and that would have been troublesome to deal with.

“Teacher, what do we do now?” Hearing the explanation, Wang Ying’s face paled.

After witnessing the sheer prowess of Wei Ruyan’s unique constitution, she had envied the other party for a very long time. However, upon seeing this, she realized that, rather than a blessing, it was a curse.

Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying. “I will try to neutralize of the poison aura within her body to alleviate the pressure on her body for the time being. However, to resolve the problem for good, I think that we might have to make a journey to the Poison Hall.”

Despite Zhang Xuan’s exceptional mastery in the Way of Medicine, it was still beyond his means to deduce a feasible method for Wei Ruyan to resolve the problem regarding her poison aura once and for all. The only people who could do so were probably the experts in the field of poison—the Poison Hall.

They had the most perfect heritage in the field of poison, as well as records regarding the Innate Poison Body. Perhaps, they might have a way for one to utilize the prowess of the Innate Poison Body without accumulating poison aura as well.

“Poison Hall?” Wang Ying was taken aback for a moment before eventually nodding in realization.

This seemed to be the only solution they had.

Zhang Xuan placed his hand on Wei Ruyan’s pulse and slowly infused his Heaven’s Path zhenqi in the latter’s body. Time passed, but the frown on Zhang Xuan’s forehead only seemed to deepen further.

He had thought that he could easily resolve the problem regarding the accumulation of poison aura through neutralizing it with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, but his thoughts had been too naive.

The poison aura accumulated in Wei Ruyan’s body was fused together with her Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution. If he were to attempt to neutralize the poison aura forcefully, it might potentially cause significant harm to Wei Ruyan’s body and soul, or in the worst-case scenario, result in her demise!

Another possible solution Zhang Xuan had thought of was to draw her poison aura out with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi. The chances of a fatality were lower in that case, but it would deal significant damage to her body as well.

In other words, regardless of whether he chose to neutralize the poison aura or draw it out, it wouldn’t be good for the unconscious Wei Ruyan.

It seems like I can only hurry to the Poison Hall!

Zhang Xuan tried to deduce other plausible solutions, but none of them were feasible. Frustrated, he rubbed his glabella forcefully.

Despite the many means as he had, his understanding of poison was still only at 2-star. On top of that, this was the first time he had encountered the Innate Poison Body.

If there was no viable treatment method at the moment, he would have to head to the Poison Hall to collect books and accrue more knowledge to work with.

It just so happens that I was intending to make a trip to the Poison Hall myself soon. I should bring the matter forward then.

Previously, in the Mausoleum of Principals, the old principal had left a message advising Zhang Xuan to pay a visit to the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall, so he had been intending to pay it a visit when he had time to root out the underlying dangers threatening the academy. However, given that Wei Ruyan was in a perilous condition, he would have to bring this plan ahead.

“Sun Qiang, here is a thousand high-tier spirit stones. I need you to obtain as much information about the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire as you can, as fast as possible!” Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a pile of high-tier spirit stones and passed them over.

Even though the old principal had said that the Poison Hall was likely in the vicinity of Jingyuan City, it would still be safer to verify the information first.

Otherwise, he might end up making a wasted trip.

“Young Master, there is no need to spend spirit stones on this matter. I can just ask the Shen Clan about this. They manage quite a large medicinal herb business, so it is very likely that they may have some news regarding the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire,” Sun Qiang replied.

As one of the Four Great Clans of Hongyuan City, the Shen Clan had business dealings all over the empire. One of their largest businesses was the sales of medicinal herbs. If the Poison Hall wished to concoct poison, they would surely need some connections with medicinal herb dealers to procure the medicinal herbs they required. Perhaps, the Shen Clan might just have a relationship of some kind with the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire.

Had it been anyone else, and this included the old principal as well, it was unlikely that they would have been able to get information regarding the Poison Hall out of the Shen Clan. After all, the Shen Clan had a business to manage, and leaking information about the Poison Hall to others, especially master teachers, could very well sour their relationship with the Poison Hall.

However, Zhang Xuan was different. For one, the Shen Clan had already profited greatly from their dealings with him, and the potential he had shown thus far would make it worthwhile for them to risk getting on the wrong side of the Poison Hall for him. Thus, they were unlikely to hide the information regarding the Poison Hall from him.

“Alright, go and ask them about the matter.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

In the field of maintaining interpersonal relationships and business dealings, he was not a match for Sun Qiang. Thus, it was better to leave this matter to the other party.

“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded before backing out of the room.

After he left, Zhang Xuan was just about to ask Wang Ying about the details regarding Wei Ruyan’s condition over the past two days when the ground abruptly trembled. The resounding chime of a bell boomed across every nook and cranny of Hongyuan City, seemingly summoning someone.

“The Assembly Bell?” Standing up, Zhang Xuan frowned.

The Assembly Bell was a bell that was used to gather master teachers together in times of emergency. Once it was tolled, all master teachers who heard it had to rush over regardless of where they were or what they were doing.

Listening closely, Zhang Xuan noted that the sound originated from the Master Teacher Academy, and he couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered.

It had only been an hour since he had left the Master Teacher Academy, and the Assembly Bell had suddenly been rung. What could have happened within this short span of time?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a Communication Token appeared in his hands. School Head Mo had sent him a message.

“Qingyuan Conferred Empire, 7-star high-tier Master Teacher Wu Rufeng and Master Teacher Mu Hong have arrived at the academy. Please return quickly.”

Mu shi has returned? Zhang Xuan fell into a moment of thought.

Back then, when he discovered that You Xu had betrayed humanity, he entrusted the latter to Mu Hong to investigate the matter. For Mu Hong to have returned at this moment, it was likely that this meant that the other party had uncovered something regarding the matter.

“I will head over right now!” Zhang Xuan replied through the Communication Token.

After which, he took out a few grade-6 pills and fed them to Wei Ruyan. These pills served to suppress the poison aura within her body so that it wouldn’t harm those around her indiscriminately. Following that, he issued some instruction to Wang Ying before finally heading out.

It didn’t take long for him to return to the academy. At this point, all of the students, teachers, elders, and even the master teachers of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion had gathered on the academy’s training ground, looking at one another with puzzled expressions on their faces, unsure of what was going on.

Translator’s Thoughts

StarveCleric

Just to re-emphasize for those who might have lost track.

Most occupations are ranked primary, intermediate, advanced, and pinnacle (e.g. 4-star advanced beast tamer)

For master teachers, however, from 5-star onwards, they are divided by low-tier, high-tier, and pinnacle. This is so as to allow each stage to correspond to a cultivation realm. Of course, the other abilities must also meet the mark as well, such as their Soul Depth, eye of discernment etc. It doesn’t seem like there is any formal test, so it might just be an informal assessment.

E.g.

Cosmos Bridge realm 5-star low-tier

Perfect Harmonization 5-star high-tier

Ethereal Treading 5-star pinnacle

Chrysalis half 6-star

Half-Saint 6-star low-tier

Nascent Saint 6-star high-tier

Saint realm 1-dan Void Pursuit realm 6-star pinnacle

Translator comments are not considered within the word count and won’t be charged.

Chapter 971: Dealing with You Xu

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Principal Zhang!”

As soon as Zhang Xuan arrived at the training grounds, School Head Mo and the others immediately walked up to him.

Responding with a nod, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to the stage and saw Mu shi and an elder standing on top.

The elder beside Mu shi seemed to be in his fifties, and he possessed a powerful cultivation that felt as vast as the ocean, similar to the sensation he had felt from the Goldenleaf King and Greenleaf King back in the Subterranean Gallery—Saint 4-dan.

Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm was also known as the Origin Soul realm. At this point, one’s Origin Core would metamorphose from a core into the form of an infant. Upon reaching this realm, one’s comprehension of the world would deepen, and with each breath, one could take in the energy contained in the world and wield it for one’s use.

In Saint 4-dan Primordial Spirit realm, a cultivator’s Origin Soul would evolve into a Primordial Spirit 1 .

Any cultivator that had reached the Primordial Spirit realm was extremely difficult to kill due to the unique nature of their existence. This was also the reason Zhang Xuan had chosen to turn the two Kings against one another, inciting them to kill one another. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to eliminate all of the Otherworldly Demons in the Subterranean Gallery so easily.

Surprisingly, the master teacher beside Mu shi had also reached such a level. Even in view of the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire, he could be considered one of the strongest experts. Why would a person as powerful as him come down to Hongyuan Empire?

Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message to School Head Mo. “This must be the person you told me about earlier, 7-star high-tier Master Teacher Wu Rufeng.”

“Yes.” School Head Mo nodded. “He is the vice head of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. He is an austere person who abhors all evil…”

While School Head Mo was in the midst of introducing the man on the stage to Zhang Xuan, the person in question glanced coldly downward with his hands behind his back. “School Head Mo, is your principal here yet? To keep all of us waiting like this, he sure knows how to put on airs!”

Seeing that Wu shi already had a bad impression of him, a bitter smile crept on Zhang Xuan’s lips. Stepping forward, he bowed politely and said, “I believe… I am the principal who knows how to put on airs that you are speaking of.”

After receiving the news, he had needed to spend some time feeding Wei Ruyan some pills to stabilize her condition, so he had ended up arriving late. Judging from the state of those in the area, it seemed like they had already been here for some time.

“You are the principal here?” Wu shi took a glance at Zhang Xuan, and his eyebrows shot up. “Nascent Saint pinnacle? It seems like the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy has truly fallen!”

Coming from the headquarters, he had heard that the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had eventually inaugurated a twenty-year-old young man to serve as their principal, so he was curious to see who the other party was. But he hadn’t expected that after arriving in the academy for some time, the other party would still be nowhere in sight.

Even after ringing the Assembly Bell, the other party had only arrived around thirty minutes later… More importantly, his clothes were still completely cloaked with dust…

This was blatant disrespect toward him!

On top of that, the other party was only at Nascent Saint realm pinnacle, not even reaching Saint realm yet. A person with such weak cultivation had actually been inaugurated as the principal of a Master Teacher Academy?

Wasn’t this taking this matter way too lightly?

Mu shi had left prior to the inauguration ceremony, so he was unaware that Zhang Xuan had tamed the spirit beasts and saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge. Furthermore, with other more important matters to attend to, Mu shi had neglected to inform Wu shi about the various outstanding accomplishments that Zhang Xuan had accomplished, which could easily dim the radiance of the preceding principals.

“Wu shi…” Upon hearing those words, Mu shi quickly whispered to Wu shi in a hushed voice, “Zhang shi is a very talented individual, and he has the guidance of a very powerful teacher…”

“Humph!”

But before Mu shi could finish his words, Wu shi had already interrupted him with a darkened face. “Regardless of how powerful his teacher may be, he must be strong himself as well!

“Enough, let’s not waste our time on this matter any further. Principal Zhang, you are to write a reflective letter regarding your lack of respect and your mistakes, or else I will have you punished for your breach of responsibility.”

“Reflective letter?” Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded.

Those two words felt so far away… To think that a day would come when a principal would have to write a reflective essay!

But this fellow… To be going after him when he had barely arrived in the area, it was obvious that the other party was trying to establish his authority through him.

It was one thing if Zhang Xuan had offended the other party in the past, but he hadn’t even met the other party before! Why was the other party trying to pick faults with him?

Zhang Xuan scratched his head and sighed deeply. If the other party was truly determined to find faults with him, perhaps he really should consider bringing out his puppets to teach the other party some respect first.

“Wu shi…” While Zhang Xuan was still contemplating the issue, Mu shi hurriedly said, “Principal Zhang was only inaugurated three months ago, and more importantly, he is the one who captured…”

Interrupting Mu shi’s explanation, Wu shi waved his hands impatiently. “Enough! For a traitor to emerge from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, he, as the principal, has a huge responsibility to bear. Hurry up and make the announcement, we still have more important matters to attend to afterwards!”

“… Yes!” Mu shi could only nod in response to that. Sighing deeply, he surveyed the crowd for a moment before speaking. “Everyone, the reason we have gathered you here is to make an important announcement.”

“An important announcement?”

The master teachers beneath the stage glanced at one another in bewilderment.

For two 7-star master teachers to specially make the trip down to Hongyuan Empire and assemble them all, the announcement that they had to make was bound to be significant.

“Eliminating the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe has always been one of the core responsibilities of our Master Teacher Pavilion, and most master teachers view it as their mission as well. However, just as there are those who embrace this mission, there are also those who attempt to undermine it for the sake of their own petty gains!” At this point, Mu shi’s face turned grim and austere.

“If it was an ordinary cultivator who had betrayed mankind, as well as their kin and friends, in face of possible death, it would be abhorrent but understandable. After all, the fear of death is not something that just anyone can overcome. However, as master teachers respected by countless others, if we can’t even hold onto our faith in dire situations, that is unforgivable!

“To put it lightly, that is equivalent to losing our pride and dignity. To put it harshly, that is the betrayal of humanity!” Mu shi’s voice echoed resoundingly across the training grounds.

“Betrayal of humanity?”

“That’s indeed true. The respect that we, master teachers, are accorded comes with a responsibility. We bear the mission of leading mankind through crises and toward prosperity. If we can’t persist in our faith in times of trouble, who else will?”

The many master teachers beneath the stage nodded in agreement.

While enjoying the elevated standing and privileges that mankind had bestowed upon them, master teachers had to shoulder a responsibility equivalent to that.

Mankind had to pay a heavy price to groom every single high-ranked master teacher. As such, the betrayal of a master teacher in times of crises was intolerable.

“Silence! Today, I am going to talk about a certain master teacher who has betrayed mankind.”

Seeing that he had managed to draw everyone’s mood along with him, Mu shi waved his hands grandly and continued. “For his own safety, this man has disregarded the values that we, master teachers, embrace and plunged more than twenty 6-star pinnacle master teachers into a dangerous position. To date, we don’t even know whether they are still alive or not! These twenty 6-star master teachers were his comrades and friends, but he abandoned them without the slightest bit of remorse. After the incident, he even dared to shamelessly return to the Master Teacher Academy and preach values to others, enjoying the resources and respect of others… How do you think we should deal with such a person?”

“There is such a person among us? Kill him!”

“His betrayal is an intolerable crime. There are no grounds for negotiation at all!”

“To plunge more than twenty 6-star master teachers into a dangerous position, his crime is so great that even killing him several times over won’t cleanse him of his sins!”

“Mu shi, who is the person you are speaking of? Is he a teacher of our Master Teacher Academy?”

…

Upon hearing the question, a huge uproar broke out beneath the stage.

For the two 7-star master teachers to talk about betrayal and preaching morals, it was clear that the person whom they were going to judge was related to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Instead of answering the crowd’s question, Mu shi flung his sleeves and said with his head held high, “Bring him in!”

Shortly after those words were uttered, the cry of a saint beast sounded from the sky, and a Saint realm Tigereagle Beast swooped down. With a shake of its body, a human fell heavily onto the ground.

“That is… Vice School Head You Xu?”

“It is indeed Vice School Head You Xu! Could he be the traitor of humanity?”

“Wasn’t he taken away by Principal Zhang after losing to the latter in a Life-and-Death Physician Duel? Why is he here?”

“In the past two years, he has remained cooped up within the Master Teacher Academy, devoting his time to nurturing medicinal herbs in his residence. How could he possibly have the opportunity to collude with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?”

“I have even attended his lessons before. Back then, when Principal Zhang challenged him to a Life-and-Death Physician Duel, I even felt great animosity toward Principal Zhang for a period of time.”

Upon getting a clear glimpse of the person who had appeared on the stage, a huge uproar broke out amid the crowd. Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

Three months ago, when Principal Zhang challenged You Xu, there had been quite a few who were sympathetic to You Xu’s plight, thinking that it was disrespectful for Principal Zhang to have challenged an esteemed elder regardless of how capable he was. Who could have thought that he would actually be a traitor of humanity?

For the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to dispatch two 7-star master teachers over to announce this before them, they had to have concrete evidence on hand. There was no doubt about it anymore.

“I believe all of you should know this man very well even if I don’t say much about it!” Mu shi glanced at the feeble You Xu collapsed on the ground and harrumphed coldly. “Do you want to explain it to them yourself, or shall I have the Teacher Guild’s ‘Guild Letter’ do the job?”

The Master Teacher Pavilion could be considered a subsidiary of the Teacher Guild. A Guild Letter from it was comparable to the imperial edict of an emperor. Any declaration made through the Guild Letter would be automatically recorded into the records of the Teacher Guild and Master Teacher Pavilion, allowing all branches to browse through the information.

To put it simply, if his crimes were to be indicted through the Guild Letter, it would be as good as being judged guilty before the world. There would be no possible redemption for him.

“I…” You Xu’s lips quivered.

If he were to admit it himself, only those who were present in the area would learn of the matter. But if a Guild Letter were to be issued, his misdeeds would be recorded in all of the Teacher Guild and Master Teacher Pavilion branches over the Master Teacher Continent, and his name would be spat at for countless years to come.

Without hesitating for too long, You Xu nodded. “I will explain it to them.”

Since he had already long admitted to his crimes, there was nothing for him to hide anymore.

“Alright then, go on!” Mu shi waved his hand disdainfully.

“Yes.” Gritting his teeth, You Xu began his explanation. “It is my fault. I was the one who placed our old principal into a dangerous position…”

Soon, he swiftly repeated everything that he had confessed to Zhang Xuan back then.

This time, his account was even more detailed. By the time he finished his story, the master teachers assembled in the area already had their fists clenched tightly together, and veins popped from their temples.

“Kill him!”

“I truly didn’t expect You Xu to be such a person. He is truly a black sheep of the master teachers!”

“It is laughable that I attended his lecture and thought of him as a respectable elder. This is going to become the greatest stain on my life!”

“Principal Zhang must have noticed that there was something wrong with You Xu, that was why he challenged the latter to a Life-and-Death Physician Duel so as to investigate his case and hand him over to Mu shi!”

“Now that you speak of it, that does seem to be very possible. If not for Principal Zhang, we might still have been kept in the dark by that scoundrel!”

…

All of the master teachers beneath the stage were enraged, and they roared furiously.

Betraying mankind for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, obeying their orders to harm his own comrades, causing the old principal to go missing and the entire Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to descend into chaos…

Just as Mu shi had said, this was an unforgivable crime!

“Since you have already admitted to your crime, I won’t say anything else about it. Now, I shall announce the verdict made by the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion.”

Facing the enraged crowd, Mu shi took out a scroll and gently rolled it open.

Huala!

A brilliant flash of light burst in the air, and an emotionless voice reverberated in the air.

“You Xu, for betraying mankind and harming his fellow master teachers, has infringed on the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion and transgressed the bottom line of a master teacher. For his crimes, he shall be stripped of his identity as a master teacher and beheaded to serve as a warning to others!”

“Beheaded?”

Upon hearing the verdict, You Xu’s face paled as he collapsed weakly to the ground. As if having lost his soul, the light in his eyes vanished.

Chapter 972: Seniority

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Seeing his state, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Since he knew that such fate would befall him, he never should have done what he did back then.

It was only natural for mortals to fear death, but to collude with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was equivalent to giving up on the justice in one’s heart.

Justice and life, there was no saying which was more important. But since You Xu had made his choice, he would have to bear the price of failure.

It is a pity that Wei Ruyan is unconscious at the moment and is unable to witness this.

You Xu was the mastermind behind Wei Changfeng’s death, and as Wei Changfeng’s daughter, it was indeed regretful that Wei Ruyan was unable to witness the death of her enemy with her own eyes.

This public execution served to indicate the Master Teacher Pavilion’s attitude toward all traitors. As this was a decision made by the headquarters, Zhang Xuan had no right to intervene.

Besides, You Xu had already lived for long enough; it was about time for him to accept his punishment.

…

After dealing with You Xu, Mu shi turned to the others and said, “The four principals, Combat Master Liao, Combat Master Zhuo, and fellow elders, the two of us have come down here today to discuss something with you. Please follow me!”

“Yes.”

Nodding in response, the crowd followed Mu shi to the Elder Hall.

In truth, he had been puzzled as to why the headquarters would dispatch two 7-star master teachers to Hongyuan Empire, not to mention, one of them was even at Saint realm 4-dan. If it was just to deal with You Xu, there was no such need.

There was bound to be some other reason.

Mu shi had stayed in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy from a fairly long period of time before, so he was rather familiar with the area. It didn’t take long for the crowd to arrive in the large assembly room.

After everyone got seated, School Head Mo activated the formation to isolate the room. After which, Mu shi shot a sweeping gaze at the crowd before speaking. “The reason I had all of you gather here today is due to a piece of information we have received while interrogating You Xu.”

After saying that, Mu shi flicked his wrist, and a token appeared in his hand.

The token was incredibly worn and damaged, and it seemed as if it would break apart at any moment.

“I believe all of you should recognize this!” Mu shi said.

“Is that a Principal’s Seal?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.

The token might have been worn and damaged, but he could still clearly feel the reinforcement of countless wills within. It was similar to the Principal’s Seal in his possession, just that it looked a bit shabbier.

“Indeed. This is a Principal’s Seal, the one belonging to the old principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Yinqiu!” Mu shi explained.

“The Principal’s Seal of our old principal? Could it be…”

Upon hearing Mu shi’s words, School Head Mo was stunned for a moment before his face flushed in agitation. “He… is still alive?”

School Head Zhao and the others also swiftly turned their gazes at Mu shi anxiously.

While they had already recognized Zhang Xuan as the new principal, they had spent some time with the old principal and viewed him as a close friend. Thus, when they heard the news, they couldn’t curb their agitation.

“I can’t say for certain whether he is dead or not, but someone forcefully sent this item out from the ancient domain,” Mu shi replied grimly.

“Forcefully sent this item out? What does that mean? Mu shi, can you explain it in more detail?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Mu shi nodded as he recalled the matter. “After bringing You Xu back to the headquarters that day, we interrogated him and found the location of the ancient domain that the old principal had gone missing in. Thus, we dispatched some men to take a look.

“However, when we arrived at the area where the ancient domain was located, we realized that it was located at an area with a complicated geographical terrain that seemed to obey some kind of rhythm. Based on our deduction, the ancient domain only opens at certain times, and once the moment passes, one can only wait for the next instance. While our men were calculating the ideal timing to enter the ancient domain, this token abruptly flew out of the ancient domain!”

Hearing those words, School Head Mo’s face flushed in agitation. “Mu shi, are you saying that the Principal’s Seal flew out from the ancient domain that our old principal disappeared in?”

“That’s right.” Mu shi nodded.

“Then…” School Head Mo’s breathing hastened. “Doesn’t that mean that the Principal’s Seal was sent out by the old principal?”

It had been only around three months since You Xu was captured, and the Principal’s Seal had been found. This meant that there was a good chance that the old principal was still alive at this point!

Perhaps, he might have been trapped in a certain location of the ancient domain, unable to escape. That would explain why he had forcefully sent his Principal’s Seal out, hoping that aid would be sent for him.

“I am not sure about the situation within the ancient domain. It could also be that the old principal might have released the Principal’s Seal two years ago, and it only appeared once more after sensing the aura of a master teacher in the vicinity!” Mu shi wasn’t as optimistic about the situation as School Head Mo.

“This…” Everyone fell silent.

Mu shi’s words made sense as well. The Principal’s Seal was created by the gathering of innumerable wills, granting it a certain level of sentience. If the old principal had released it after sensing the grave danger he was in, instructing it to remain hidden and only appear in the presence of master teachers… That was a viable explanation as well.

As such, the appearance of the Principal’s Seal wasn’t sufficient evidence to determine whether the old principal was still alive or not.

After a moment of hesitation, School Head Mo said, “Mu shi, where is the ancient domain that you spoke of? Can you tell us so that we can head over to take a look?”

No matter what, the old principal had been a friend to them for several hundred years. Knowing that there was a possibility that the other party could still be alive, they had to take a look regardless of the situation. Otherwise, their hearts would never be at peace.

“This is precisely the reason I gathered all of you here today.” Mu shi looked at the crowd and said, “Based on our prior scouting, it is very likely that the ancient domain will open once more within a month. Thus, I hope to invite all of you to join the expedition. There are two main aims to this expedition. Firstly, we aim to find the old principal, and if he is still alive, we will attempt to save him. Secondly, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe has been rather active recently, and we suspect that it might be closely tied to the ancient domain!”

Upon hearing those words, School Head Mo’s eyes lit up, and he immediately replied without any hesitation.

“We will join the expedition!”

However, after saying those words, he realized that he was getting ahead of himself, so he hurriedly turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, “Principal Zhang…”

“School Head Mo is right. We have to go to the ancient domain to express the stand of our Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy,” Zhang Xuan replied.

Back at the Mausoleum of Principals, when he heard the message left behind by the old principal, he had already made up his mind to take a look at the ancient domain. The incident with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe at the Subterranean Gallery only served to strengthen his determination.

No matter what, he had to take a look. Otherwise, it would be hard for him to rest at ease.

“Good. What about the others?” Seemingly having known that this would be the outcome, Mu shi wasn’t surprised in the least. He turned his gazes to the other three principals.

“Since the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe is involved in this matter, it is only right for us to stand up and offer our help too!”

Wo Tianqiong, Shen Pingchao, and Wu Ran nodded in agreement.

“How can our Combat Master Hall remain idle before such a situation?” Liao Song chuckled.

“Good, we have everyone onboard then. In one month, we will meet up at the ancient domain. Allow me to make things clear first. This expedition to the ancient domain will be very dangerous, or else Zhang Yinqiu and the others wouldn’t have fallen in it. Even our headquarters don’t have much information about it at the moment. There is a very good chance that we might be unable to return from this expedition,” Mu shi said.

“We understand that.” The crowd nodded.

“Good. It’s settled then…”

Seeing that the crowd had agreed to it without any hesitation, Mu shi was just about to seal the deal when Wu Rufeng, who had been watching the situation by the side, abruptly spoke up. “Due to the dangers regarding the expedition to the ancient domain, the minimum cultivation to join the team is Saint realm. Since Principal Zhang is only at Nascent Saint, it will be best for you to sit out on this one. Otherwise, you will just end up dragging everyone down!”

“Me?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

His cultivation might only be at Nascent Saint, but if he were to exert his full strength, he could easily subdue a Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle cultivator. Furthermore… he possessed many life saving means.

To go a step further, even if everyone in this room were to attack him at this instant, he was confident that the side who would emerge victorious in the fight would be him.

Despite knowing nothing at all, this fellow had said that he would drag everyone else down. Wasn’t this 7-star high-tier master teacher being too presumptuous?

Noticing the displeased expression on his Senior Uncle’s face, Mu shi sent a telepathic message over. “Senior Uncle, Wu shi… is a little supercilious, so do bear with him a little.”

“Supercilious?”

“Indeed. Even though You Xu’s betrayal has nothing to do with Senior Uncle, you were reflected as the principal during the investigation, so… he felt that you have failed in your responsibilities because of the matter. Furthermore, your age and cultivation are indeed considerably low as compared to the other principals, so it can’t be helped that he has a negative opinion of you,” Mu shi explained.

Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile.

It seemed like this fellow had been seated on a high position for far so long that he had become a little detached from common sense.

A subordinate’s fault, in a way, could be considered the fault of the leader as well… but You Xu’s betrayal had happened two years ago whereas it had only been four months since Zhang Xuan had enrolled into the Master Teacher Academy and met You Xu! It was one thing for him to not be rewarded for capturing You Xu, but to pin the blame on him on top of that…

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help recalling a certain prevalent work culture in his previous world. Whenever a problem cropped up, the leader would capture a scapegoat to take the blame so as to display his authority and wisdom.

At this moment, it seemed like he was that very goat!

If it had been anyone else, there was no way they would have dared refute the accusation from a 7-star high-tier master teacher. However, Zhang Xuan wasn’t one to let others accuse him like that. He turned his gaze toward Wu shi and said, “You are Wu Rufeng, right?”

“Audacious! How dare a lower ranked master teacher address a higher ranked master teacher by his name! Where are your manners?” Not expecting Principal Zhang to speak to him in such a manner, Wu shi’s face darkened.

“Where are my manners?” Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and gazed at Wu shi impassively. “May I ask, what is Wu shi’s relationship to Mu shi?”

With eyes narrowed menacingly, Wu shi harrumphed coldly. “Mu shi and I are both 7-star master teachers, so naturally, we are considered peers!”

As fellow 7-star master teachers from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, they were naturally peers.

“Peers? Good…” Following which, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to Mu shi and asked, ” Little Hong 1 , how do you address me?”

“Senior Uncle!” Mu shi replied honestly.

“You heard that. Since you and Mu shi are fellow peers, and he addresses me as his senior uncle, that goes to say that you are a generation younger than me. As so, is there any reason I shouldn’t call you Wu Rufeng? Or… could it be that you don’t think that it is sufficiently intimate for me to address you by your full name?”

At which, Zhang Xuan pondered for a brief moment before adding, “Since that’s the case, what do you think of Little Feng?”

Hearing the two words ‘Little Feng’, Wu shi nearly spurted blood and fainted on the spot.

“You…”

He hurriedly turned to Mu shi to see if the latter was speaking the truth.

After all, it was illogical for a 7-star master teacher to address a 6-star master teacher as his Senior Uncle!

Knowing what Wu shi intended to ask, Mu shi answered honestly, “Principal Zhang’s teacher is my grandteacher, so going by seniority, he is indeed my senior uncle.”

“This…” Wu shi’s face turned livid.

Etiquette and seniority were very important to master teachers. Principal Zhang might not have been anything much, but if his teacher was very senior, he would share a high standing as well.

Just take Kong shi’s students for example, even if they were completely ignorant and powerless, a 9-star master teacher would still have to humbly address them as ‘senior’!

This was simply one of the rules.

Wu shi had intended to teach the other party a lesson, but who would have thought that he would become the other party’s junior all of the sudden? He couldn’t help but feel incredibly stifled within.

Chapter 973: Defeating Zhuo shi with a Single Finger

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“So, am I qualified to call you Wu Rufeng?” Zhang Xuan asked calmly.

“I…” Wu shi wanted to refute those words, but unable to find a counterargument to that, his face turned redder and redder. Eventually, he waved his hand and said, “Relying solely on your seniority won’t earn you the respect of anyone. What is more important is the contribution that you have made to the Master Teacher Pavilion and mankind. No matter how formidable your teacher may be, if you aren’t able to contribute anything to mankind, there is no way you can gain the respect of anyone. You can’t possibly expect to rely on your teacher forever!”

“Contribution?”

“Indeed. Only those who work diligently to give back to mankind are truly worthy of respect!” Wu shi said with his head raised up high.

A master teacher wouldn’t gain the respect of others just because he was highly ranked or powerful. Take You Xu for example, he was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, as well as an esteemed vice school head of the Master Teacher Academy. But as a traitor of humanity, there was no way anyone would respect him.

Looking at Wu shi’s proud demeanor and boastful tone, Zhang Xuan said, “Judging from your tone, you seem to have contributed a lot to mankind.”

“Indeed! I killed my first Otherworldly Demon when I was sixteen, and to date, I have slain a total of 47 Otherworldly Demons at Chrysalis realm and beyond! All in all, I have accumulated a total of 22 Contribution Points for mankind!” Wu shi harrumphed proudly with an air of superiority and grandiose.

“22 Contribution Points?”

“That’s incredible!”

“As expected of Vice Pavilion Master Wu. With that many Contribution Points, he is definitely ranked among the top in Qingyuan Conferred Kingdom!”

“A 7-star high-tier master teacher sure is fearsome.”

…

Upon hearing those words, the eyes of Combat Master Liao, Combat Master Zhuo, Wo Tianqiong, and the others lit up in respect and admiration.

Even School Head Mo couldn’t help but be awed by it, and his impression of Wu shi changed as well.

Uncomprehending of the significance of the numbers, Zhang Xuan turned to School Head Zhao Bingxu and asked, “22 Contribution Points? What does that mean?”

Seeing that their principal wasn’t too sure what was going on, Zhao Bingxu explained discreetly, “Killing an Otherworldly Demon counts as a contribution; saving mankind also counts as a contribution. Each contribution has its own extent of significance. In order to better measure contributions, the Master Teacher Pavilion has to quantify them.”

This was a system that was implemented only within the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, and the Master Teacher Academy didn’t abide by it. Thus, there weren’t any books regarding the topic in the academy’s libraries.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nodded.

According to what he knew, it was possible to exchange one’s contribution for artifacts at the Master Teacher Pavilion. If there was no method to quantify one’s contribution, it would be hard to maintain the system efficiently.

For one, it would be hard to determine if one’s contribution was sufficient to exchange for an artifact. After all, the Master Teacher Pavilion couldn’t simply give out rare artifacts to individuals who had barely done anything at all.

Coming to that realization, Zhang Xuan continued his querying. “How are the Contribution Points derived?”

Zhao Bingxu pondered for a moment before replying. “Regarding the distribution of Contribution Points, the Master Teacher Pavilion has a set of guidelines and regulations to determine how it should be tabulated. I don’t really know much about the details either, but… your previous accomplishment of taming all of the saint beasts and spirit beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge, sparing mankind from an impending crisis… After we reported it to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, they tabulated it to be worth around 5 Contribution Points!”

“Only 5 Points?” Zhang Xuan was astounded.

The Nine Kings of the Cloudmist Ridge had a cultivation of Saint 1-dan pinnacle, and there were many other Nascent Saint, Half-Saint, and Chrysalis realm spirit beasts among them as well.

He had tamed so many of them, but to think that they were only worth 5 Contribution Points…

Considering that the other party had 22, that was indeed rather formidable.

“Indeed. Even though the beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge are violent, they stayed cooped up within the mountain most of the time, only raising beast stampedes once in a blue moon. Furthermore, the Master Teacher Academy is stationed there, which minimized the threat they posed. As a result, the contribution from your actions was perceived to be lower,” Zhao Bingxu said a little awkwardly.

He was a little surprised when he heard that Principal Zhang had only received this many Contribution Points after taming so many saint beasts and spirit beasts, so he had asked about the matter. That was the exact answer he had received.

The extent of the contribution wasn’t determined by how formidable one’s feat was, but by how much one had actually contributed to mankind.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan nodded.

The killings conducted by the beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge was done extremely discreetly, such that even Zhao Bingxu and the others didn’t know much about it. They also thought that those beasts had only camped on the mountain, rarely conducting any acts of aggression against humans.

Due to the Bluehorn Dragon Beast and Vicious being involved in this matter, Zhang Xuan had instructed School Head Mo not to speak of this matter to another. Naturally, the headquarters were unaware of this matter, so the Contribution Points awarded to him were less than initially expected.

“Wu shi, Senior Uncle is still young. Given his talent and capability, it is just a matter of time before he makes a great contribution to humanity. Besides, he was the one who captured You Xu and exposed his facade, ridding mankind of a black sheep…” Mu shi tried to ease the tension in the room.

He wasn’t aware of the matter regarding the Cloudmist Ridge, but the capture of You Xu, a traitor of humanity, would surely count as Zhang Xuan’s contribution as well.

“Capturing You Xu? Humph, does this contribution even add up to a single point?” Wu shi smirked coldly.

“This… It happens to add up to a single point,” Mu shi replied awkwardly.

“Hehe!” Wu shi sneered coldly before turning to Zhang Xuan once more. “Principal Zhang, just as you can see, no matter how capable as your teacher is, you still need to depend on yourself to win the respect of others. You should just stay here! The expedition to the ancient domain will be extremely dangerous; we aren’t going there to play. There won’t be anyone to take care of you; I fear that you might meet with danger if you head there!”

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

Considering that he was only at Nascent Saint pinnacle, it was indeed very dangerous for him to head to an ancient domain where even a 7-star master teacher could possibly lose his life. It wasn’t completely unreasonable for the other party to not want to bring him along.

Just that… To just a person’s strength solely by their cultivation, wasn’t the other party jumping to conclusions a little too fast?

With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan looked at Wu shi and chuckled softly. “Since that is the case… may I know if Combat Master Zhuo is qualified to join the expedition?”

“As a Hundred Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall and a Saint 2-dan Spiritual Perception realm expert, Combat Master Zhuo is naturally qualified to join the expedition!” Wu shi replied.

“I see…” Zhang Xuan’s lips curled up as he turned to Zhuo Qingfeng with a bright smile. “Combat Master Zhuo, are you free? It happens that I managed to achieve a breakthrough recently, and I would like to find someone to spar with.”

“You want to spar with me?” Zhuo Qingfeng was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “Since Principal Zhang is in the mood, I am more than willing to accompany you!”

Honestly speaking, after having two parties from the Combat Master Hall decimated by the students of the young man before him, he had been wanting to see the young man’s strength for himself.

However, it was a pity that the other party was often not around, so he hadn’t been able to find an opportunity to do so. Since this was a rare opportunity for him to test the other party’s strength, his interest was immediately piqued.

In any case, no matter how formidable Principal Zhang might have been, he was only at Nascent Saint pinnacle. As a Saint 2-dan expert, he didn’t think that he would lose to the other party!

“Alright, let’s begin!” Zhang Xuan said with a smile, and he took a nimble step to the center of the room.

“You want to spar here?” Zhuo Qingfeng was taken aback. “If we fight here, won’t the shockwaves of our battle cause this assembly room to collapse?”

As spacious as the assembly room seemed, if the might of his Saint realm 2-dan cultivation were to leak out, it could easily devastate the entire area. It would be embarrassing if he collapsed the Elder Hall by accident.

“Don’t worry, there is no such risk. The battle will end quickly!” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

“End quickly?” A frown emerged on Zhuo Qingfeng’s face as his complexion turned awful. “Since Principal Zhang insists on it, I won’t stand on ceremony!”

Zhuo Qingfeng flicked his wrist and took out a sword before harrumphing coldly. “Draw your weapon!”

“Weapon?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “There is no need to go through that much trouble. Let’s begin!”

After his Golden Origin Core’s metamorphosis into a Violet Origin Core, the fighting prowess he could display had been enhanced more than twofold. In his current state, even a Saint 2-dan opponent was nothing to him.

“Don’t blame me if you get hurt then!” Seeing how the other party was even more arrogant than his student, refusing to even draw his weapon against him, Zhuo Qingfeng’s face turned incredibly livid. With a swift flick of his wrist, he charged forward to make the first move.

This time, he didn’t suppress his cultivation. Exerting the full might of a Saint 2-dan Spiritual Perception realm cultivator, his zhenqi burst forth from his body and ravaged the surroundings. In an instant, a sound reminiscent of the crazy rumbling of thunder sounded.

“How powerful…” School Head Mo, School Head Zhao, and the others paled in fright.

Even Wo Tianqiong and the others couldn’t help but narrow their eyes in alarm.

While they did possess higher cultivation than Zhuo Qingfeng, in a true duel, they had no doubt that they would be the ones to be defeated in the end.

Principal Zhang was only at Nascent Saint pinnacle, two whole cultivation realms weaker than Zhuo Qingfeng, so how could he possibly even stand his ground against the latter?

With such thoughts in mind, everyone hurriedly turned their gazes to Zhang Xuan, only to see the latter standing with a composed smile on his face against Zhuo Qingfeng’s powerful swordsmanship, clearly devoid of any intention to dodge at all.

“Humph!” Realizing that he was being looked down upon, rage flickered across Zhuo Qingfeng’s eyes as he leaped forward to strike. A cold, sharp glint flashed across the area before a sword whizzed right for Zhang Xuan’s chest, as if a venomous snake.

Since this was a spar, Zhuo Qingfeng didn’t intend to land a fatal blow.

Nevertheless, if Zhang Xuan were to be caught in the attack, he would surely suffer severe injuries under the onslaught of the sharp sword qi and rampaging zhenqi,

“Hehe!” Watching as the other party’s sword swiftly approached him, Zhang Xuan chuckled.

In the moment that the sword was just about to pierce his chest, Zhang Xuan raised two fingers and grabbed lightly.

Weng!

The astounding momentum of Zhuo Qingfeng’s sword came to an abrupt halt just like that. As if a snake grabbed at the neck, no matter how Zhuo Qingfeng tugged and pulled, his sword just wouldn’t budge.

“This…” Zhuo Qingfeng’s eyes narrowed in astonishment.

Grabbing a sword empty-handed was no easy feat. To achieve this feat, one had to possess not only an outstanding eye of discernment and a precise grasp of timing in combat, but most importantly of all, formidable strength!

As a combat master, Zhuo Qingfeng’s strength was far greater than other Spiritual Perception realm cultivators. For his strongest sword art to be stopped with a simple pinch of two fingers… How could this possibly happen?

In the midst of Zhuo Qingfeng’s shock, the young man opposite to him abruptly released his grip on the sword and flicked the blade of it lightly.

Boom!

An immense might tore through the sword and struck Zhuo Qingfeng, forcing him to retreat eight steps.

Every single step he took left a deep footprint in the ground.

Yet, those eight steps were still insufficient for him to neutralize the relentless might from Zhang Xuan’s flick, so he chose to leap up in hopes that it could further thin the might.

Peng!

However, Zhuo Qingfeng was still underestimating the might of the flick. The leap he took sent him crashing straight into a pillar in the assembly room, and with a reddened face, he spurted a mouthful of blood.

It was only then that the might finally dissipated. Swiftly withdrawing his sword, Zhuo Qingfeng walked up to the young man before him and clasped his fist. “Principal Zhang, thank you for going easy on me!”

Had the other party not held back, he might have been smashed into a lump of meat paste earlier.

It was no wonder Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan were so monstrously powerful… It turned out that their teacher was a real monster!

To think that a day would come which he, a Saint 2-dan combat master, would lose to a Nascent Saint.

“You are being too kind.”

Zhang Xuan’s purpose was only to display his strength. It would suffice to make in his point.

After trading a few pleasantries with Zhuo Qingfeng, he turned to Wu shi and asked, “So, is someone of my strength qualified to join the expedition?”

Chapter 974: Wu shi’s Embarrassment

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Witnessing that, Wu shi’s eyebrows shot up. “This…”

For a Nascent Saint master teacher to defeat a Saint 2-dan combat master barehanded… this was way too fearsome!

On top of that, just a moment ago, he had mocked the other party’s strength! Who could have thought that the other party would defeat Combat Master Zhuo the very next moment? This was a direct slap to his face!

“Based on the intelligence we have so far, there are many Otherworldly Demonic Tribe experts in the ancient domain. Even a 6-star pinnacle master teacher like You Xu was unable to stand his ground against them! What makes you so confident that you will be able to stand against them?” Wu shi placed his hands behind his back and gazed at Zhang Xuan coldly. With a challenging tone, he questioned, “Have you fought an Otherworldly Demon before? Do you know how fearsome they are? Have you even seen an Otherworldly Demon before?”

“I…” Zhang Xuan was just about to respond, but the 7-star master teacher before them waved his hands again.

“In my lifetime, I have personally fought and killed 52 of them. Not only are they powerful and capable of challenging opponents stronger than them, more importantly, they exude a heavy killing intent that renders it difficult for anyone to stand against them!

“Against such enemies, possessing some combat prowess isn’t enough. More importantly, you must have tremendous mental fortitude and determination. If you don’t have those, you should just remain here.”

While Wu shi was indeed picking on Zhang Xuan, his concerns weren’t entirely illogical.

Even if Zhang Xuan possessed strong fighting prowess and had the guidance of a formidable teacher, he was ultimately still a twenty-year-old young man. There were many geniuses who had lost themselves under the overwhelming pressure emanated by the fearsome Otherworldly Demons, resulting in unexpected situations.

A mistake made by one wouldn’t just affect the individual but the entire team. The expedition to the ancient domain was already dangerous as it was, and it would be unwise to bring in another unstable factor.

Zhang Xuan could tell that Wu shi wasn’t a bad person at heart. The other party had just been in a lofty position for too long, which made him obstinate about his views. Shaking his head, he began to explain, “Regarding the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe…”

Halfway through his explanation, however, an elder abruptly rushed into the room.

“Principal Zhang!” The elder rushed forward and clasped his fist.

Noticing the peculiar expression on the other party’s face, Zhang Xuan frowned. “Did something happen?”

That elder hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Principal Zhang, School Head Lu… Lu shi seeks an audience!”

Due to Lu Feng’s conflict with Principal Zhang, he had almost had his license revoked. It was only known among a couple of people, but as an elder of the Master Teacher Academy, he had heard a thing or two about it. Without a doubt, there was bound to be some bad blood between the two of them. As such, he felt a little conflicted reporting Lu Feng’s arrival to Principal Zhang.

“Lu Feng?” Unaware of the elder’s thoughts, Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment he chuckled softly.

After leaving the seal, he had tried to look for them but to no avail. From the looks of it, they had managed to get out of the Subterranean Gallery safely.

“Invite him in!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

“Yes…” Seeing that Principal Zhang didn’t get displeased over this matter, the elder heaved a sigh of relief before hurriedly leaving.

Not too long later, the elder returned with an old man walking behind him. Who else could it be other than Lu Feng?

The current Lu Feng no longer commanded a sharp disposition about him. There was clarity in his eyes, and he felt more mature and reliable than before.

It seemed like the happenings in the Subterranean Gallery had evoked a significant change in his mental state.

“Principal Zhang, you are fine! That’s good…” Seeing the young man sitting safe and sound in the middle of the hall, Lu Feng heaved a sigh of relief.

While he had guessed that the other party would be fine after seeing the many corpses of the Otherworldly Demons, it was still a huge relief to see it with his own eyes.

The other party had put himself in great danger to save them. If not for him, their entire team would have died.

“Of course, I am fine. What about you? Have you all recovered from your wounds yet?” Zhang Xuan replied with a kind smile.

“Thank you for your concern, we have recovered fully from our wounds. Principal Zhang, it was only through your courageous efforts that we were to survive that ordeal and avert a potential calamity. Please accept my gratitude…” After saying those words, Lu Feng prepared to kneel to the ground.

“Lu shi, there is no need to stand on ceremony.” Zhang Xuan hurriedly rushed forward to help him up.

On the other hand, seeing the two men whom they had thought had great enmity between them speaking so amicably to one another, School Head Mo and School Head Zhao glanced at one another in bewilderment.

Unable to stand it any longer, School Head Jiang Qingqin asked, “What happened?”

“Oh, it is like that!” Upon hearing the question, Lu Feng began to explain.

“Five days ago, Principal Zhang went down to the Subterranean Gallery and saved all forty of us 6-star master teachers who were stationed there. At the same time, he personally slew more than two hundred Saint realm Otherworldly Demons, including two Saint 4-dan Kings. I have already reported this matter to the headquarters, and I just received a response from them. I was intending to report this matter to the Master Teacher Academy so as to not allow Principal Zhang’s contribution to go unnoticed, but I didn’t expect Principal Zhang to have already returned…”

“Principal Zhang went down to the Subterranean Gallery?”

“Saved forty 6-star master teachers?”

“Slew more than two hundred Saint realm Otherworldly Demons, and this included their Kings as well?”

…

Hearing those words, the surroundings immediately fell silent.

Wu shi, who had just been authoritatively voicing his doubts about Zhang Xuan’s capability, widened his eyes and nearly fainted on the spot.

He had just said that the other party hadn’t even seen an Otherworldly Demon before, and this Lu Feng arrived a moment later to say that the other party had killed more than two hundred of them. Was this for real?

One must know that even he, a Saint 4-dan expert, hadn’t killed that many yet!

And most importantly of all, there were two Kings among them!

It went without saying that each of the Otherworldly Demon Kings possessed fearsome might. Even a Saint 4-dan master teacher like him would be no match for an Otherworldly Demon King. Yet, based on what Lu Feng was saying, it seemed like Principal Zhang had not only survived an encounter with them, but he had even killed two of them.

Just the notion of it left his mind completely blank.

Wu shi turned to Lu Feng and asked grimly, “Is what you are saying true?”

“It is the utmost truth; I can guarantee it with my life!” Lu Feng nodded. “Furthermore, the headquarters have already investigated and confirmed the matter after we reported to them, and they have already converted Principal Zhang’s contribution into Contribution Points. The reason I am here today is to hand them over to Principal Zhang.”

After saying those words, Lu Feng flicked his wrist, took out a jade token with a faint yellow hue, and presented it to Zhang Xuan.

“Principal Zhang, you faced great danger to slay so many Otherworldly Demons and save us. We can’t allow your deeds to go unnoticed. The headquarters made an evaluation based on the situation then and awarded you with 1211 Contribution Points.”

“O-one thousand points?” Wu shi’s body trembled, and he nearly spurted blood.

He had slain his first Otherworldly Demon when he was sixteen, and it had been several hundred years since then. He had never slacked in his effort of hunting down Otherworldly Demons, but the Contribution Points he had accrued over so many years only added up to 22 points.

This should have been a record that any master teacher would feel proud of, and countless would gasp in wonderment at. So, he had used it to mock Principal Zhang, but who could have known that, in the blink of an eye, the other party would suddenly be awarded more than a thousand points?

Could there be anything more exaggerated than that?

Even if the other party had slain more than two hundred Saint realm Otherworldly Demons and two Kings, it shouldn’t have added up to that much!

Wu shi wasn’t the only one who harbored such doubts. The others in the room thought the same as well.

As if having seen through their thoughts, Lu Feng explained, “These Otherworldly Demons entered the Subterranean Gallery through paying a heavy price to breach the seal between both worlds. They shouldered an important mission, and had they succeeded, Hongyuan Empire could very well have faced extinction. Principal Zhang’s act of slaying them has effectively foiled their ploy, preventing them from carrying out a devastating massacre. This is a huge merit, and even a thousand Contribution Points can hardly match up to what he has done.”

“This…” Everyone pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Indeed, slaying a few hundred Otherworldly Demons couldn’t exactly be considered a huge merit, but if one had foiled their ploy by doing so and saved countless lives, that would be a different matter.

Paying no heed to the crowd’s shock, Lu Feng continued. “There is also one more matter that the headquarters have yet to confirm for the time being. However, they are already checking on it, and once it is confirmed, it could very well earn Principal Zhang tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand Contribution Points.”

“Tens of thousands or a hundred thousand Contribution Points? Just what kind of huge merit can earn one so many Contribution Points?” Mu shi asked in agitation.

Even slaying a Saint realm Otherworldly Demon might not even earn one a single point. Through this, it could easily be seen how difficult it was to earn Contribution Points.

To earn a thousand Contribution Points out of the blue was already inconceivable. Just what could it be that could allow Principal Zhang to earn tens of thousands or a hundred thousand Contribution Points after confirmation?

Mu shi wasn’t the only one who was shocked by the matter. Wu shi, School Head Mo, and the others also had confused looks on their faces, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

“It is like this. We entered the Subterranean Gallery earlier and found that the seal severing the space to the otherworldly battlefield had been repaired. If I am not mistaken, that must be Principal Zhang’s doing, right?” Lu Feng raised his gaze and looked at Zhang Xuan.

“As long as the seal remained damaged, the Otherworldly Demon would have been able to continue their invasion. Thus, I spent a few days to fix the seal using a secret art that my teacher once imparted to me.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“As I thought.” Lu Feng’s eyes lit up.

Having stayed in the Subterranean Gallery for three months, he had already learned about the damage suffered by the seal. Knowing that this invasion wasn’t an exception and there would be many more to come, he had prepared himself to spend his entire life fighting in the Subterranean Gallery to protect mankind. Yet, who could have known that when he took another look at it, it was already completely repaired.

Their group of master teachers had been together throughout the entire duration, and there was no way the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would shoot themselves in the foot. Thus, the only one who could have done it was Principal Zhang.

Furthermore, the seal had a complex structure that even had the laws of space tied into it. None of them had the ability to repair the seal either. However, if it was the miracle workshop, Principal Zhang, who had done it, then it would all make sense.

That was why he was rather certain about the matter.

Repairing the seal meant eliminating the possibility of an assault by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe through the Subterranean Gallery once and for all. This was an immensely large merit.

Even a hundred thousand Contribution Points seemed meager in comparison.

As for what the outcome would be, the headquarters would come to a decision after they were done surveying the situation.

“Doesn’t the seal involve the laws of space as well? Principal Zhang was actually able to fix it?”

“If it is really true, Principal Zhang really has contributed greatly to mankind this time.”

“How did he do it?”

Hearing the conversation of the duo, the crowd was stunned.

The haughty and authoritative Wu shi from a moment ago looked as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

“Right. Principal Zhang, did you just return from the Subterranean Gallery? I have been keeping a close eye on the seal, and it was still damaged the previous time I was there,” Lu Feng suddenly asked out of curiosity.

He had gone to the seal to search for Zhang Xuan at one point, and it had still been damaged then. However, when he checked on it just a moment ago, it had already been completely repaired.

“Un. I only left the Subterranean Gallery an hour ago,” Zhang Xuan replied with a bitter smile. “Look, I haven’t even had a chance to change out of my clothes yet.

“Shortly after I returned from the Subterranean Gallery after braving through danger to slay a few hundred Otherworldly Demons and save Hongyuan Empire, the Assembly Bell chimed, so I had to rush over without any time to clean up or rest. Yet, I was actually accused of showing a lack of respect. Don’t you think that is very absurd?”

Hearing those words, Wu shi’s face turned completely red, and in that moment, he desperately wished that he could find a hole in the ground to hide in.