Zhang Xuan, a librarian from another world, has found himself teaching at a martial arts academy in this new world. However, he is the worst and least popular teacher at the academy. He will lose his job if he cannot get a single student by the end of the day. When a talented young lady named Lu Xun comes to his classroom asking for the star teacher, Zhang Xuan cleverly flatters her talents and convinces her that he is the only teacher capable of unlocking her true potential. Through flattery and empty promises, he manages to get her to enroll as his first and only student, saving his job.
Zhang Xuan, a librarian from another world, has found himself teaching at a martial arts academy in this new world. However, he is the worst and least popular teacher at the academy. He will lose his job if he cannot get a single student by the end of the day. When a talented young lady named Lu Xun comes to his classroom asking for the star teacher, Zhang Xuan cleverly flatters her talents and convinces her that he is the only teacher capable of unlocking her true potential. Through flattery and empty promises, he manages to get her to enroll as his first and only student, saving his job.
Zhang Xuan, a librarian from another world, has found himself teaching at a martial arts academy in this new world. However, he is the worst and least popular teacher at the academy. He will lose his job if he cannot get a single student by the end of the day. When a talented young lady named Lu Xun comes to his classroom asking for the star teacher, Zhang Xuan cleverly flatters her talents and convinces her that he is the only teacher capable of unlocking her true potential. Through flattery and empty promises, he manages to get her to enroll as his first and only student, saving his job.
An enraged roar could be heard. Then, the sound of flurried footsteps on a bluestone pavement echoed. Zhang Xuan raised both his hands up helplessly and said, “I’m not a swindler, I’m a teacher of the academy… I only want to make you my student! Besides, do you have to add in a ‘great’ at that? You make it sound as though I’m some unpardonable criminal…” After which, he suddenly recalled the words of the principal and sighed. “This is the 17th one already! If I fail to find a student today, I’ll have to pack up my stuff and leave tomorrow!” Zhang Xuan wasn’t a person from this world, he was just an ordinary librarian in a high school. All he could remember was blazing flames, and then… There was nothing after that. When he woke up once more, he was already in this world. This world was just like those depicted in novels, where the martial arts formed the foundation of the world and the strong reigned supreme! He thought that since he traversed into another world, he would become a useless talent who was rejected by his fiancée. After which, he would strike back at those fools, slapping them in their face, and his life would proceed smoothly from then on… But it seemed like he was overthinking it! It didn’t take him long to realize that he wasn’t a student but a… teacher! The most pathetic teacher in the entire academy! The lectures conducted by other teachers were always overflowing with people, to the point that many people found themselves without seats. On the other hand, there wasn’t a single person in his class. It wasn’t easy at all for him to rope in a few students, but eventually, they ended up labeling him as a ‘swindler’ and escaped from him! As for the reason… Putting aside the fact that the fellow whose body was taken over by him was the weakest teacher in the entire campus, and that he was inept in picking out talents, the crux of the problem was that… he even taught a student erroneously, causing the other party’s cultivation to go berserk! This was just like having a dead patient under one’s record! His reputation was sullied, and he became a despised figure in the academy. Even the freshmen chose to stay away from him, fearful that they would land in the same situation if they were to fall into his clutches. A bad track record and a lack of students caused him to be ranked last in the academy’s Teacher Qualification Examination last year. He even received the very first zero score in the entire history of the academy. Depressed, the previous host drowned his sorrows through alcohol. In the end, just as he wished, he died, thus providing an opportunity for Zhang Xuan to leap over to this world. At the start of the new term, the academy issued an ultimatum to him. If he was unable to admit a single student to his lessons at the start of the semester, his qualifications as a teacher would be revoked! There were seventeen new students who passed by his classroom today, but as soon as they heard his name, every single one of them ran away as fast as their feet could take them, as though young ladies running away from a suspicious uncle. “I have to find a way to coax at least one of them into my lessons!” Just as he was scheming a ploy to rope someone into his lesson, he saw a lady with a slightly dazed expression standing at the entrance. “May I know if this is Lu Xun laoshi’s classroom?” (laoshi means teacher) She had a cute and refined appearance, and her sweet voice felt like honey to one’s ears. Lu Xun laoshi was the academy’s star teacher. His lessons were always packed, and he was the reason why innumerable people chose to attend this academy. “I’ll take her!” Seeing someone walking straight into his trap, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. All kinds of ‘acting cool’ techniques he learned in his previous life flashed across his head, and eventually, he chose to sit quietly in his chair, bringing out the disposition reminiscent of a composed and enlightened expert. “You wish to become his student?” The young lady nodded her head furiously as admiration gleamed in her pitch-black pupils, “I’ve heard that Lu Xun laoshi is the most incredible teacher in Hongtian Academy. All of the students he taught achieved extraordinary accomplishments, and joining his class in itself could be considered an honor!” “Rumors may not necessarily reflect the truth. Teachers are just like shoes; what is important is whether it fits or not! No matter how well he lectures, if the theories he proposed aren’t compatible with the techniques you practice, not only will you find it hard to advance to higher realms, your cultivation might even regress! Even if a teacher isn’t well-known, as long as his theories complement with your skills, you can still improve swiftly and your cultivation will rise exponentially!” “Is that so… I’ve also heard my elder brother speaking similar words before!” The young lady pondered for a moment as uncertainty flashed across her beautiful eyes. “However, I don’t know what kind of lessons would suit me!” Seeing that she was on the verge of biting onto the hook, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Wise quotes from great sages like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels flashed across his mind as he slowly sieved through his next words. Feigning a look of difficulty, he said, “Our meeting can be considered as the planning of fate as well. How about this, since I’m also a teacher of this academy, I’ll help you take a look at your bones, talent, and personality, and recommend a suitable teacher to you!” “Teacher, I’ll be troubling you then!” She didn’t expect a teacher she met by chance would be so accommodating, and she immediately nodded excitedly. “Display your cultivation first!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes were half-open, and his slightly lazy and casual posture seemed to say that this matter was merely a walk in the park for him. “Yes!” Huuuuuuuuuuu! A gust of wind whistled within the room from the shockwave generated by the might of the young lady’s punch. Waves of spiritual energy gathered and shrouded the body of the lady. Judging from how her spiritual energy didn’t dissipate immediately, and her powerful but inconspicuous aura, she clearly possessed a solid foundation in her cultivation. “Alright, I can tell that you’ve been training diligently. Your foundation is solid and your talent is top-notch. You are a hard-to-come-by genius!” After the other party finished a punching routine, Zhang Xuan immediately nodded in satisfaction. He was imitating the fortune tellers from the world he came from, using slippery words that had a wide range of interpretation. Through this, it would be hard for those listening to find a flaw in his words. Instead, they would be astonished by how accurate his evaluation was. “What that stands out is the strength of your legs. They possess immense might, as though a coiling dragon. Every single movement felt like the raging current of a river, overwhelming with strength. As long as you train hard, your future will be bright…” “Teacher, my legs are injured. The physicians that have diagnosed me said that it’s as good as crippled…” The lady interrupted his monologue with a doubtful gaze. “Injured…” Zhang Xuan’s face flushed in anxiety. However, as he was thick-skinned, it was impossible for others to tell the difference. He continued to prattle on without showing any signs of embarrassment, “Do you think that I can’t tell that much? I knew it from the moment you exerted your strength! The reason why I said that is because… only through destruction will there be rebirth! Your legs might be injured, but this has presented you with an opportunity. As long as you grasp it, your legs will become your greatest strength!” In any case, the most important matter at hand was to coax her in. If nonsense could do the work, he would prattle nonsense all day long. “Opportunity? Teacher, what kind of opportunity do you mean?” Hearing those words, the lady’s eyes lit up. Ever since her legs were injured, she had always felt inferior to others, resulting in her low self-esteem. She didn’t think that such misfortune would present her with an opportunity instead. “If you grasp onto this opportunity tightly, you can allow you to soar to the top in a single go. It won’t be too difficult for you reign supreme among the freshmen. After all, your talents are extraordinary, and a genius of your caliber has yet to appear in history. However…” Zhang Xuan went on and on. All he was short of was to whip out a ‘Buddha’s Palm’ manual at this point. Upon hearing that she was a genius capable of rising to the top of the freshmen, the girl blushed furiously, and she continued asking, “However what?” “However…” Zhang Xuan sighed. It was a sigh lamenting that a talent was about to be buried in dirt. “The teachers who are able to notice and bring out the talent within you don’t number many in this academy! Including me, there are only three who are capable of such a feat. The other two have already stopped accepting students from three years ago… It’ll be difficult for you to acknowledge them as your teacher even if I were to speak up for you…” “Stopped accepting students?” The lady had her hopes raised by Zhang Xuan’s compliments, but upon hearing those words, her heart sunk. Then, an epiphany struck her and she asked, “They aren’t accepting students, but teacher, are you… accepting any?” “Of course I am. Just that, as you can tell, I am indifferent to fame and fortune, and I don’t have much time to spare as well!” A look of difficulty flashed across Zhang Xuan’s face. “If one isn’t a superior jade, I won’t take him in even if our paths cross…” Putong! Before he could finish his words, the lady had already kneeled onto the floor, and she kowtowed, “I know that teacher is a powerful expert, but please accept me as your student! I’ll train diligently so as to not embarrass you!” A surge of joy gushed through Zhang Xuan’s heart, but on the surface, he maintained a conflicted expression. “Fate has brought us together, but… As you can see, I prefer to pass my time quietly…” “As your student, I promise to never interrupt teacher unless it’s an emergency!” Seeing that the other party was still reluctant, the lady immediately nodded vigorously with an earnest look on her face. “I don’t have many students, and so, the resources I have cannot be compared to other teachers. Also, you might be criticized by others…” Zhang Xuan continued. “Is that so… I have heard that training resources are important…” The girl finally hesitated. The resources a teacher could claim from the academy was directly related to the number of his students, the results of his students, and numerous other factors. These resources were of extreme importance, and without them, it would be difficult to advance one’s cultivation. “Cough cough, I’ve only those words to test you. Since you’re determined and sincere, I’ll grudgingly accept you!” Noticing her hesitation, Zhang Xuan immediately interrupted her and said, “Let’s affirm our relationship then!” “Ah?” She didn’t expect that the teacher before her to change his attitude as quickly as flipping the pages of a book. Taken aback, the lady blankly grabbed the token Zhang Xuan passed to her. This token would represent of her identity as Zhang Xuan’s student if she were to verify it. Just as she was considering whether she should affirm the relationship, she saw the reticent Zhang laoshi pull her hand over to him and cut a small wound with a sharp dagger. A drop of her blood fell on the jade token. Weng! Light flashed. “Ah….” The girl was a little dumbfounded. Didn’t the teacher say that he had to consider the matter carefully? Indifferent to fame and fortune, was it? If that was the case, why was his movement so fast and… it seemed like he even prepared the dagger was prepared beforehand? “From now on, you are my student!” After the blood authentification, Zhang Xuan heaved a huge sigh of relief. Then, continuing to assume his image as a unworldly expert, he asked “What is your name?” “Teacher, I am Wang Ying!” Knowing that the decision couldn’t be revoked, the lady chose not to dawdle on the matter and replied respectfully. “Un, collect your bedding and books through your identity token, and find yourself a lodging. We shall begin lessons tomorrow here!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “Yes!” Wang Ying nodded before turning around to leave. “Huu! I have successfully coaxed one in!” Having successfully admitted a student, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. It really wasn’t an easy matter to play off as an expert. If not for the techniques in acting cool that he learned from the internet, it would be highly unlikely for him to succeed With this student, he would be able to avoid the ultimate tragedy of being expelled from the academy. The burden that was weighing on Zhang Xuan’s all his while disappeared, and his spirit felt much more relaxed. Gradually, the obsession lingering in his mind disappeared. “Rest assured. Now that I’m in your body, I’ll live properly in your stead!” The previous Zhang Xuan died because of his inability to bring in new students. His regrets was so strong that it continued to linger in this world even after his death. This new student admitted had fulfilled his last regret, and thus, his lingering will faded. Zhang Xuan finally gained complete control over this body. Boom! After settling this matter, Zhang Xuan intended to continue coaxing a few more students in. However, he suddenly felt a tremor in his head, and the ancient bells rang in his head. “The callous world regards all beings as nothing more than insignificant ants…” “Amidst the setting sun and waning moon, an imperfection surfaces in the world…” Boom! Profound adages left Zhang Xuan faint-headed. Then, in his mind, a massive palace come to appearance. Above the entrance, four words glowed brightly on a plaque. Library of Heaven’s Path! Zhang Xuan pushed open the door and walked in. Innumerable bookshelves stood tall and mighty across the vast space, and countless books of all kinds filled the empty spaces between. The entire space was so immense that he couldn’t even see the other end. “Could this be the gift pack for transcenders? A library? Damn it, I was also a librarian my previous life. Am I to continue on with this occupation in this life as well?” The gift packs that others received are old grandfathers, systems, or some overpowered tool. Yet, my gift pack is a library? Zhang Xuan’s vision turned dark, and he nearly fainted in despair. Library? What purpose does it serve? Will I be throwing books in fights when the others are throwing swords around? “Forget it, I should take a look at the books first.” Helpless, Zhang Xuan reached out to grab a book from one of the bookshelves, intrigued by the purpose of this library. However, his hand simply passed through the bookshelf, causing him to grab empty air. “Are you playing with me? Giving me a library yet preventing me from grabbing and reading any of the books, what exactly do you want?” Zhang Xuan was speechless. An urge to cry overwhelmed him, but tears refused to spill out. 2 Shameless After looking around for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan realized that the books in the library were just like the moon reflected in the water; they were visible but intangible, it was impossible to retrieve them from the shelves. Thus, he lost interest and he retracted his consciousness from his mind. “Time to eat lunch. After lunch, I’ll find some way to coax a few more students in.” Gazing out the window, the sun slowly rose overhead, and it seemed to be approaching noon. Out of the eighteen students who passed by his classroom in the morning, he had only managed to rope in one of them. His acceptance rate was way too low. He mustn’t continue at this pace in the afternoon. Regardless of the situation, he was a transcender. If he was unable to dupe even those who came from the ancient era, how could he proudly claim that he came from a world that was in the digital age? Stretching his back, he walked out of his classroom and headed for the canteen. Just like the high schools in his previous life, Hongtian Academy’s canteen was rather large. Its size was sufficient to house more than ten thousand students concurrently. In good spirits after successfully hoodwinking a student into his class. Zhang Xuan ordered a few additional side dishes and sat by the corner to enjoy his meal. “Isn’t that Zhang laoshi?” While Zhang Xuan was in the midst of enjoying his meal, a disdainful voice sounded. Lifting his head, he saw a young man gazing at him with a bright smile. Yet, his face didn’t carry the slightest hint of warmth, and his smile felt fake. “Cao laoshi?” Zhang Xuan recognized the other party. Cao laoshi’s full name was Cao Xiong, and he entered the academy at the same time as Zhang Xuan. He was fond of comparing his achievements with others, and inflate his ego through it. The previous host of the body couldn’t tolerate insults, and this fellow played a huge role in the reason why he drank to his death. “Today is the day that the freshmen are going to choose their teachers. How is your recruitment going? Judging by how you are in the mood to eat, you seem to be doing well! Look, these are the students that I have just recruited, and there is a total of twelve of them. I’m here to have a meal with them before bringing them to their dormitories!” Cao laoshi gazed at Zhang Xuan with a look of superiority. He grandly gestured to the students behind him as he bragged his achievements. No doubt about it, he was here to boast and inflate his ego. There wasn’t any grudge between Zhang Xuan and him, but as the both of them joined the academy at around the same period, it was hard to avoid comparisons between them. Thus, he often made use of Zhang Xuan to boost his self-esteem. The bunch of youths following behind him glanced at Zhang Xuan curiously. As new students, they seemed to be fascinated by everything around them. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce him to you all. This is Zhang laoshi, a celebrity in our academy. He’s the very first teacher to score a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination ever since the inception of our academy! He’s a man who created history!” Cao laoshi introduced to the crowd. “Zero marks in the Teacher Qualification Examination?” “Ah! I’ve heard of him when I was on the way here. Apparently, the cultivation of a student under him went berserk, and that student nearly became a cripple!” “I’ve heard of it as well. Quite a few people warned me against choosing him as my teacher. Otherwise, not only will my cultivation not advance, I might even die under his tutelage!” “To think that he would be the legendary teacher that everyone is talking of. I didn’t expect him to have such a kind face!” … Upon hearing Cao Xiong’s introduction, a commotion broke out among the students. The score for the Teacher Qualification Examination was based on an evaluation on various aspects of a teacher, and of which, the examination results of his students played a significant role. As long as a teacher had a student under him, he would earn some points. Obtaining zero marks was truly making history. “Are you done with your introduction yet?” Facing the snide remarks of Cao Xiong, Zhang Xuan remained composed. The one who scored a zero was the previous Zhang Xuan, what did it have to do with him? However, even though he wasn’t angry, this Cao laoshi’s action on stepping over others to boost his ego had gotten on his nerves. He waved his hands impatiently and said, “Since you’re done with your introduction, you can scram. Don’t interrupt my meal!” Cao Xiong thought that this fellow would cower in embarrassment when his history was revealed, but not only did Zhang Xuan remain nonchalant, he even asked him to scram. Cao Xiong’s face darkened in an instant. He flung his hand backward, and putting on the authoritative airs of a teacher, he chastised, “To break the lowest record of the academy by scoring zero points in the Teacher Qualification Examination, don’t you feel ashamed at all?” “Ashamed? Why should I feel ashamed? You’ve already said it yourself, I have broken a record, and because of that, all of the freshmen know who I am. But what about you?” Zhang Xuan raised his hand and pointed toward the students behind Cao Xiong’s back. “Do they know how much did you score in the examination? Before arriving at the academy, have they heard of your name? If it wasn’t for your persistence, even going to the extent of treating them to food, do you think they will acknowledge you as their teacher? Despite being a figure whom no one knows about, you still have the face to brag before me? What in the world are you feeling so proud of!” “Ah!” If anyone else were to score zero in their Teacher Qualification Examination, they would lower their heads when in public in fear of disgracing themselves. Yet, this fellow was the direct opposite. He was gleeful about the matter, and he seemed to take pride in it. On top of that, he even despised Cao Xiong for not scoring a zero. Cao Xiong was about to explode. His skin was really way too thick! More importantly… With this kind of results, how in the world can he remain so proud of himself? Dumbstruck, the students behind him stared at one another blankly. What about his reputation? This teacher… wasn’t he a little way too shameless! Shame? Thick-skinned? What a joke! In the era that Zhang Xuan lived in, in order to become famous, some celebrities went to the extent of doing all kinds of shameful deeds. They did everything that one could think of, be it nude photos or fake news, without the slightest sense of shame. He scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, but it was nothing in comparison to the deeds of those people! Cao Xiong’s face flushed scarlet, “The main responsibility of a teacher is to guide students. I won’t squabble with you over this today, let’s cross blows after you find yourself a student. Then, we’ll see whose student is more skilled!” Leaving behind those words, he turned around and walked away At this point, the conversation between an old man and a young lady sounded behind him. “That teacher is really not bad. His personality is good as well…” The voice of a dazed lady sounded. However, having witnessed the sight before, there was a slight hint of hesitation in her voice. “Second young mistress, just listen to me on this matter. The young master has entrusted me to bring you to Lu Xun laoshi before we came here, yet you refused to heed my words and shook me off. On top of that, you even chose him of all possible teachers…” The voice of an old man sounded out, and a tinge of frustration could be heard from his tone. “That teacher… is not as bad as you said. H-he is a good person, and he even examined my constitution. He said that… if I were to train properly, I can become the top of the cohort…” The young lady replied hesitantly. “You still hope to reach the top of the cohort under him? If you were to really study under him, it’ll already be a blessing if your cultivation doesn’t go berserk. Second young mistress, do you know who he is? He’s the most useless teacher in the entire academy. He scored a zero the previous Teacher Qualification Examination… My little ancestor, you should hurry up and withdraw from his tutelage. Otherwise, if the young master hears of this, he’ll kill me…” The old man pleaded. “Big brother!” Upon hearing the old man bring up the young master, the little girl seemed to be intimidated. Her face warped in fear, and she fell into a dilemma. Hearing those words, Cao Xiong’s eyes lit up. He stopped, turned around, and smiled at the eating Zhang Xuan. “Zhang laoshi, could this young lady be the student that you just recruited? Haha, looks like things aren’t going well for you. It seems like she intends to withdraw from your tutelage!” Since teachers could pick their own students, then naturally, students were also allowed to pick their own teachers. If a student felt that their teacher wasn’t able to bring out his potential, he could return the identity token back to his teacher. Cao Xiong’s loud voice attracted quite a bit of attention. The young lady and old man who were in heated discussion a moment ago turned their attention over as well. “Second young mistress, is he the teacher that you just acknowledged?” The old man’s gaze fell on Zhang Xuan. “Yes!” The young lady nodded. The old man immediately stood up and walked over to Zhang Xuan, “Zhang laoshi, the young mistress of our family has decided to withdraw from your tutelage!” “Old Liu…” The young lady didn’t expect the old man to act instantly. With a flushed expression, she hurried over and faced Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look, “Teacher, I…” She was the student Zhang Xuan had just accepted, Wang Ying. “Wang Ying, you know that I don’t accept students easily. It’s only because of fate that I took you in. Why do you want to give up on such a good opportunity? Do you know how many people desire to become my student, only to be refused in the end?” Of course, given how much effort Zhang Xuan had given into coaxing her, how could he allow her to escape? Assuming the tone of a disappointed elder, he lectured Wang Ying. “What the hell…” Hearing his words, the students in the surroundings, especially those who were aware of his background, felt their vision turning dark, and they nearly keeled over. Big brother, can you at least have a sense of shame? What do you mean by many people desiring to be your student, only to be refused in the end… It is clear that you are the one who is unable to recruit any student! “I… don’t intend…” Under Zhang Xuan’s vehement lecture, Wang Ying immediately hesitated, but before she could finish her words, she was interrupted. “She’s going to withdraw from your tutelage!” Seeing how indecisive the second young mistress was, the old man, Uncle Liu, stepped forward, “Zhang laoshi, our clan’s second young mistress has officially decided to withdraw from your tutelage. I’ll be relying on you to conduct the withdrawal procedures!” “Withdraw?” Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched. “You better reconsider your options. Withdrawing from a teacher’s tutelage will leave a student with a bad reputation, and it’ll be unlikely for other teachers to accept you! Are you going to ruin your young mistress’s future just because of your stubbornness? Are you sure that you can take responsibility for it?” “This…” Old Liu froze. Students could withdraw from a teacher’s tutelage, but this act was an insult to the teacher. Besides, if one could withdraw from a teacher’s tutelage once, they wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Usually, students with such ‘bad track record’ would not be accepted by the other teachers. After all, who would be willing to accept a student who has no regard for the prestige of teachers? Besides, accepting such a student would mean insulting the other teacher. The teachers in this school were colleagues, and it wasn’t wise for one to offend their peer over a single student. If a student couldn’t find himself a teacher in the academy, his future would be ruined. Knowing that Zhang Xuan’s words were true, Old Liu’s determination wavered. In the end, he was just a servant. He wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences if the second young mistress’s future were to be implicated over a lapse in his judgement. “Rest easy, your family’s second young mistress has good talent. I’ll teach her well so that she can score well in the examinations…” Seeing that Old Liu’s determination was wavering, Zhang Xuan immediately pushed on. You must be joking! How can I allow something that is already in my grasp to get away? “Hold it right there, who says that no teacher will be unwilling to accept her? Young lady, if you were to withdraw from the tutelage of this teacher here, I’ll immediately accept you as my student!” Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, Cao Xiong stepped forward, and he spread his arms grandly. His dignity was just trampled by Zhang Xuan, and since an opportunity to get back at him had presented itself, how could he simply let go of it? “Cao Xiong, what do you mean by this?” Zhang Xuan’s complexion darkened. “What do I mean by this? Don’t you think that it’ll be a pity if such a good bud goes to waste? I’m only offering her a place if she were to withdraw from your tutelage. After all, the students came to the academy to study. It’s natural for them to choose the best teacher to guide them, and not someone who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examinations!” Cao Xiong chuckled gleefully. “Poaching students from me publicly, do you think that I dare not report this matter to the Education Bureau?” This was no longer a bicker, the other party was publicly poaching his student! While the academy encouraged teachers to choose their own students, they did not pardon the poaching of another teacher’s students! Not only would such actions sour the relationships among teachers, it could also affect the culture of the school. “Poaching students? You’re exaggerating the matter. How about this, why don’t we have a fair competition? We’ll offer our pointers to a student and allow her to choose by herself. Do you dare to accept the challenge?” Cao Xiong said. 3 Imperfections in Heaven’s Path “A battle between teachers on offering pointers to a student?” Zhang Xuan’s face immediately darkened. Even though he had inherited the memories of the previous host, he had yet to fully organized his memories. In his present state, he could only barely make sense of the various cultivation realms. If it was offering pointers on one’s cultivation, then even the previous host could only smoke through the matter, needless to say, the current Zhang Xuan! Offering pointers… It was impossible for him to match up to this Cao laoshi! If they were to really compete, he would surely lose! “Why? Are you afraid to accept the challenge? It’s clearly written in the rules that teachers can compete with one another to allow a student to make a better choice, and this isn’t considered as poaching!” Cao Xiong chuckled. He flung his sleeves as he spoke with composure. “What are we going to offer pointers on?” Zhang Xuan knew that if he turned down the challenge, the only student he had recruited was going to get away. Pressured, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth. There were many aspects a teacher could offer pointers to their students on; their cultivation, battle techniques, flaws in their movements… On this aspect, most teachers had their own field of specialization. “How about this? Since they’re all new students who just arrived today, why don’t we have them execute a punching routine and offer them pointers on the flaws in their execution? After which, we’ll have them try out their punching routine once more on the spot, and whoever’s student improves to a greater extent wins. What do you think of it?” Cao Xiong wouldn’t be confident to go up against any other teachers, but facing the one whose performance was at the bare bottom, a person who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, he was still more than confident. Zhang Xuan hesitated. “It can’t be that you dare not accept my challenge? You were still bragging so proudly awhile ago that you refused many students. If you possess true abilities, prove it. Don’t hinder the future of this young lady with your inept!” Cao Xiong taunted. “That… Alright then!” Zhang Xuan eventually nodded. The worst thing that could happen to one was death anyway! At most, it would just end in his loss. If he didn’t accept the duel now, the student he just brought in would definitely withdraw from his tutelage! If so, he would be truly forced up a corner. If he found himself at a loss later on, he would just have to make up something random on the spot. In any case, he was thick-skinned, so a little embarrassment meant nothing at all… “Cao laoshi and Zhang laoshi are competing with one another!” “You mean that Zhang laoshi who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination?” “That’s right!” “Despite being the worst teacher in the academy, he still dares to compete against other teachers? Are you for real? Isn’t he asking to be embarrassed?” … Hearing of the challenge, a large group of students who were in the midst of their meal came crowding over. Today was the registration day for the freshmen. Most of the freshmen had heard of the teacher who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination even though they had yet to meet him in person. Most of them were actually quite curious to see how the matter would turn out. “Going by the standard rules, you’ll offer pointers to my student while I offer pointers to yours!” Seeing a huge crowd gathering around, Cao Xiong felt even more motivated to perform. He opened his hands widely with a confident smile. To ensure fairness, such competition disallowed teachers from offering pointers to their own students to avoid the suspicion of cheating. Usually, they would exchange students for the battle. “Young lady, come here and display your punching routine. Strike on the stone pillar with your full strength!” After confirming the content of the competition, Cao Xiong beckoned the dazed young lady over. “I…” Blushed furiously, Wang Ying peeked at Zhang Xuan nervously. Only after confirming that he wasn’t angry did she dare to proceed forward. Then, placing her hands by her side, a deep and powerful aura shrouded her body. Huhuhu! The immense force of her punch caused the wind to whistle. It would be hard to imagine that this dazed young lady could wield such immense strength behind her punches if one didn’t witness it personally. Her stance was stable and forceful. With a single glance, one could tell that she had diligently built up a solid foundation. Before long, she completed her punching routine. After seeing the punching routine, Zhang Xuan fell into despair. Even with the memories from the previous host, he wasn’t able to discern any flaws at all. No wonder the previous host scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination, his eye for discernment was way too weak! “Good! Now, strike the rock pillar with your full strength!” Seeing that she was indeed a good bud, Cao Xiong nodded in satisfaction. A rock pillar stood not too far away from them. This rock pillar possessed the ability to gauge the strength of the blows landing on it. Such rock pillars were stationed all around the school so that students could utilize it whenever they needed to gain a deeper understanding of their own strength. Wang Ying walked shyly over. Gathering the might she had accrued from the punching routine earlier, she sent a forceful punch right onto the rock pillar! Peng! The rock pillar staggered, and some digits floated into appearance. 53! “53kg, the strength of your punch is not bad!” Cao Xiong nodded in approval. Given that Wang Ying was a freshman who had yet to be guided by any teacher, and that she was a female, it was indeed impressive for her to carry such weight behind her punch. “Your punching routine is vigorous and forceful. However, one flaw that I noticed with your punches is that your punching route is a little too short. If you can increase the speed of the rotation of your lower limb, the might of your punches will increase significantly! If I’m not mistaken, your legs have probably incurred injuries of some sort!” Cao Xiong said. As expected of a teacher! His eye of discernment was indeed superior to Zhang Xuan. In that short moment, he was able to tell that the crux to Wang Ying’s punching routine was her lower limbs, and from there, he deduced that she might have been injured. “Yes!” Wang Ying nodded in agitation. “Due to your injury, you’re hesitant to exert pressure on your lower limbs. Since that’s the case, allow me to impart you a formula. Don’t worry, it won’t worsen your leg injuries!” After which, Cao Xiong explained a method of diverting one’s strength thoroughly. “Let me give it a try!” To be able to achieve such strength despite her injuries, Wang Ying’s superior ability of comprehension played a huge part. It didn’t take too long for her to understand the concepts behind the formula Cao Xiong taught. Then, she stepped up to the rock pillar once more and clenched her fist. A surge of strength gushed through her entire body, as though a mighty dragon had possessed her. Peng! 63! Through a momentary tutoring, the weight behind Wang Ying’s punch increased by 10kg! “Given that her strength had increased by 10kg, that’s an improvement of 20%! I’m done with my guidance. It’s your turn!” Cao Xiong smiled faintly after seeing the results, and slight glee could be seen on his expression. Raising a student’s strength by 20% in a single session of guidance was a rather impressive feat. “Zhang laoshi!” A student stepped forward from Cao Xiong’s back and readied himself to execute his punching routine. “Hold it right there!” Zhang Xuan raised his hand. “Why? Do you intend to go against your words?” Cao Xiong snickered. “Go against my words? What a joke. Do you think I’ll renege on my promise?” Zhang Xuan spoke forcefully, but on the inside, he was panicking. As a transcender who had just arrived in this world, how could he possibly anything about offering pointers to a student? If they want to learn how to download films from the internet for free, he was an expert, but given how he didn’t the least about martial arts at all, how could he possibly offer pointers on that? “I only think that…” With the crowd staring intently at him, Zhang Xuan swallowed his pride and fumbled around for an excuse to free himself from this situation. “Given that he’s your student, there’s a possibility that he might hold back after my guidance. If that’s the case, won’t I lose indignantly?” “I’ll definitely use my full strength! At the very least, I still have that little bit of credibility!” The doubted student gritted his teeth in displeasure, offended by Zhang Xuan’s words. “Fine, I’ll believe in the credibility of this student. However, our duel isn’t fair!” Since that the student had already spouted such words, Zhang Xuan knew that he would only be mocked if he continued pursuing the matter. Thus, he turned to another matter in hopes of finding a breakthrough. “Unfair? What is unfair?” Cao Xiong said. “Wang Ying is my student, and even if I were to win, I earn nothing at all. On the other hand, if I were to lose, she would become your student. How can this competition be considered to be fair then? Since we are wagering, the bets on both sides should be equal. In this gamble, only I stand to lose… Do you think that this is fair?” Zhang Xuan said. “Ah…” Cao Xiong was tongue-tied Phrasing it in this way, this was indeed an unfair challenge. This bet was no different from a fraud. The other party had his own student on the line, and on the other hand, Cao Xiong wasn’t susceptible to any losses at all. “Alright then. If I were to lose, Liu Yang over here will become your student!” After a moment of contemplation, Cao Xiong declared as he gestured at the student in front of him. Liu Yang was the freshman who had stepped forward previously. “Teacher…” He didn’t expect that Cao laoshi to make such a decision. Liu Yang was flabbergasted, and a look of anxiety appeared on his face. He would rather die than to acknowledge a teacher who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examinations… “Don’t worry, I won’t lose!” Cao Xiong looked at him confidently. “Yes!” Reassured by Cao laoshi’s words, Liu Yang walked over and ‘huhuhuhu’, regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was looking or not, he started executing his punching routine. “This…” He intended to spout a few more words to convince this youth to give up. But to his dismay, the other party immediately executed his punching routine, not giving Zhang Xuan any chance to speak at all. Zhang Xuan fell into despair. Honestly speaking, he couldn’t even recognize the punching routine the student was displaying, so how could he find a flaw in it? If so, it was impossible for him to offer any pointer at all. “Flaw, what flaw is there in this punching routine…” Beads of perspiration flowed down his forehead, and anxiety grasped his mind. If he were to fail, being embarrassed was the least of his concerns. More importantly, the student that he took so much trouble to hoodwink would be gone, and he would be expelled from the academy! Boom! Just as he was overwhelmed with anxiety, the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind jolted, and the deep rumbling of a thunder echoed in his ears. Within the library in his mind, four words appeared on top of the bookshelves. Heaven’s Path is imperfect! These four words weighed down on Zhang Xuan’s heart as though mountain, and he could sense boundless authority and might from it. As soon as the four words came into existence, a book suddenly appeared on a bookshelf, and it fell right before Zhang Xuan. “What’s this?” Zhang Xuan’s heart stopped for a moment. He instinctively lowered his head to glance at the book in his hands. There were two words on the cover of the book——Liu Yang! Casually flipping over to the first page, a huge bunch of words appeared in his sight. “Liu Yang; originates from the Liu Family from Xiayun City. A student of Hongtian Academy, Fighter 1-dan Juxi Realm!” “Cultivation Technique: Lotus Acupoint Breakthrough Might!” “Battle Techniques: Soaring Flower Fists (Minor Accomplishment), Dragon Inch Fist (Major Accomplishment)!” Flaws: 12 aspects. No.1, he uses too much strength for his feints… No.2… No.3… No.4…No.12, although his left arm is much stronger, his punching routine is more suited for the right-handed. Thus, he is unable to exert his full strength…” “This… This…” Browsing through the contents of the book, Zhang Xuan felt as though he was going insane. Was this for real? Just as he was in dire need to find Liu Yang’s flaws, the Library of Heaven’s Path compiled a book of the other party’s weaknesses. If what was written on it was real, then the gift package he received as a transcender was truly impressive! Everyone in the world had their own flaws, and the same applied to battle techniques and cultivation techniques as well. Perfection was a concept that didn’t exist in this world. To be able to perceive the flaws of a person and compile it into a book, this the capability of this library was about to break through the heavens! Peng! Just as Zhang Xuan was immersed in the changes within the library in his mind, Liu Yang had already completed his punch routine. With a resounding tremor, several digits floated into appearance on the rock pillar. “62!” The weight behind Liu Yang’s punch was 62kg! “Zhang laoshi, Liu Yang has finished his demonstration. Why don’t you offer him some pointers?” Cao Xiong smiled. Hearing those words, the crowd who was watching the commotion immediately turned their gazes to Zhang Xuan. They wanted to see how the only teacher to ever score a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination would fare. 4 Slapping Face “I…” The tremor from the Library of Heaven’s Path just now caused his attention to be concentrated in his mind and he was still in a dazed state. Furthermore, he didn’t even know what the other person’s punching routine was, so how the hell could he guide him! “Teacher Zhang, please correct my flaws!” Liu Yang stepped forward and bent over completely. By one side, Wang Ying blinked her eyes. She wants to see how this ‘expert’ she had just met would guide him. “Keng!” Everyone’s gaze concentrated on him. If he didn’t speak soon, he would only end in embarrassment. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to spout bullshit, he suddenly remembered Liu Yang’s flaws that were recorded in the book in the library. He didn’t know whether what was recorded on it was true or not. However, given the situation, it was probably impossible for him to make something up on the spot. Thus, he could only buck up his courage to say, “There are many flaws in your punch routine, a total of 12 of them!” “Haha, he said that there are many flaws in there, 12 of them? I didn’t hear wrongly, did I!” “This is the funniest joke I have heard!” “This Soaring Flower Fist may not be very advanced, but it is one of the most common skills in the entire kingdom and is known as the Basic Fist. After thousands of years of simplification and refining, although it cannot be considered as perfect, he actually says that there are 12 flaws?” “A bunch of lies! He probably couldn’t discern anything, that’s why he decided to make things up!” …… Initially, the surrounding crowd was still pondering over what he would say. The moment he opened his mouth, everyone of them burst into laughter. Soaring Flower Fist was one of the most basic punching routines of the Tianxuan Kingdom. It was similar to the Taizu Changquan, as long as one was practicing martial arts, they would have to learn it first. After thousands of years of refinement by countless experts, though it didn’t hold much might, but it was well-reputed for its lack of flaws. Even more so, some people called it the ‘Flawless Fists’. For such a punching routine, that fellow actually claimed that there were 12 flaws in it… What kind of joke was it! Ignoring the fact that he scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, even if the principal were to come over, he probably won’t be able to point out so many flaws! “Oh? Teacher Zhang sure is a genius, to be able to find 12 flaws in the Soaring Flower Fists. Do enlighten us!” Apparently, Cao Xiong didn’t expect Zhang Xuan to be so boastful and to say such words the moment he opened his mouth. Excited, his eyes twinkled. He purposely said those words to push Zhang Xuan into a corner. Even despite hearing the words from the crowd, Zhang Xuan remained expressionless. However, his heart couldn’t help but beat erratically. He didn’t expect that the Liu Yang fellow would use a punch routine everyone was aware of. His previous self would definitely be aware of it. However, given that he just transcended over, the other person’s memory had yet to fully merge with his! However, even though he was a librarian in his previous life, he was still a transcender with an entirely different set of knowledge. Not to mention, his skin was thick. After rolling his eyes, he said, “Why, you don’t believe it? It isn’t that I don’t want to guide him, but that you all do not trust me. Since you don’t want to do as I guided you to… Then, you all can’t blame me for it! Wang Ying, let’s go. This kind of gamble is pointless!” “Hold it there, we trust you! Do enlighten us!” Seeing that he was on the verge of leaving, Cao Xiong immediately stopped him. He could tell that the other party is intentionally coming up with exaggerated figures, so that other people would refuse to trust him and he could make use of this opportunity to sneak away. However, it wasn’t easy for him to grasp hold of this opportunity to teach him a lesson, so how could he give up at this point! “That…” Seeing that he was unable to sneak away, Zhang Xuan could only take out the book compiled by the library once again. “If I die, so be it!” Since there’s no backing out now, he stared at the flaws recorded in the book and looked through the 12 of them once again. Then, his gaze fell on the last one. He grinded his teeth and spoke, “The punch routine you just used is right-handed. Let me give you a suggestion. Try using your left hand to strike the stone pillar!” Since it was a special privilege granted to a transcender, there was a chance that it could be correct. Besides, even if the information on it wasn’t accurate, he couldn’t think of a better reason to worm his way out at this point. “Try using the left-handed version?” “This can be also considered as guidance?” “What kind of joke is this. One’s left hand is normally weak. If he were to execute it with his left fist, won’t he be screwing up the entire punch routine?” …… The crowd first became stunned before a commotion broke out. All of them stared at Zhang Xuan with looks of contempt. Everyone knew that the left-hand was weaker than the right. Given the shock wave from the fist Liu Yang just executed, he obviously wasn’t left-handed. Yet now, to ask him to execute it with his left hand… What kind of joke is this? “Liu Yang, try using Teacher Zhang’s method so that he can give it up!” Apparently, Cao Xiong didn’t expect Zhang Xuan to say that. He was so excited that he was on the verge of skipping with joy, but he still yelled a command to Liu Yang. Even though he just accepted him as a student, he was extremely sure that Liu Yang was more skilled with his right and that he wasn’t a left-handed. If he were to really execute it that way, the force behind it probably wouldn’t even hit 30kg! For a student to hit 62kg before guidance and below 30kg after guidance, this would definitely cause Zhang Xuan’s reputation to fall to the gutters! Let’s see whether he can still remain so smug! “Yes!” Liu Yang snickered coldly and executed the punch routine again. He was very aware of the fact that he wasn’t left-handed. To get him to execute the blow with his left-hand… A load of bullshit. Soaring Flower Fist was the basic fist he had been practicing since young. Although he wasn’t very used with the inversion of left and right, he soon got over it. Even though the shock wave from the fist created a strong gale, regardless of whether it was his strength or proficiency, it seemed to be worse than the previous one. “Could it be… my privilege as a transcender is a sham?” Zhang Xuan was very nervous. Other people’s privilege when they transcend included an old grandfather who could just casually enlighten them. As long as they were to follow his instruction devotedly, there would be bound to have no problems. Yet, he just had to get a library with all sorts of messy things written in the book. If what was written in the book was false, he would definitely get expelled from the school! Hu! Very quickly, he finished the routine. Liu Yang walked over to the stone pillar and raising his left fist, he smashed it in. Weng! A series of digits appeared. “One. Haha, to think it would be in the tens…” When the digit ‘1’ appeared on it, Cao Xiong burst into laughter as an exhilarated expression appeared on his face. However, before he could finish his words, they got stuck in his throat. His eyeballs were about to fall onto the ground. “123?” “123kg?” The crowd who had intended to mock him were scared foolish and they trembled uncontrollably. Previously, Liu Yang’s blow did 62kg and now that it had risen to 123kg, that was almost a single fold! That was… almost a 100% increase! Was that for real? Even the teacher who scored first in the Teacher Qualification Examination throughout the campus, during his first guidance, couldn’t possibly cause his student’s result to increase by a single fold! “I… I… Is this from me?” Even the person in question, Liu Yang, was stunned. He stared foolishly at the rock pillar in disbelief. He knew that he isn’t left-handed. However, never could he imagine that his left-hand strength would hold so much strength! That was a single fold more compared to his right! The crowd was astonished. Zhang Xuan almost leapt from all the joy surging through his body. “It’s true!” At this instant, he could finally confirm that the flaws compiled by the library were true. To be able to see through the skills a person was cultivating in and his weakness… This privilege of a transcender was really going to bash through the heavens! “So, how was it? Your guidance has led to a 20% improvement while mine has led to a 100% improvement. Teacher Cao, what else do you want to say?” Zhang Xuan snickered. “I…” Cao Xiong’s face turned pale as he felt a burning sensation on his face. Initially, he proposed this competition to see the other party make a fool out of himself. In the end, the one who was made a fool of was himself. Retrieving a jade token from his embrace, he bit on his finger and a drop of fresh blood fell on it. “Liu Yang, I am revoking your status as my student. You can now acknowledge Teacher Zhang as your teacher!” After saying that, he glanced at Zhang Xuan, “You don’t have to be too smug about it. This time, you were lucky. The next time we compete, I will make sure that your reputation is ruined…” Then, he turned around to leave. This time, not only did his reputation took a blow, he lost a student and even got slapped hard on his face. It was one thing to lose to other teachers. However, the main crux of the problem was that this fellow was the one who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, the worst teacher in the entire academy… “Teacher, teacher…” Watching as Cao Xiong departed, Liu Yang’s face darkened. Although he managed to achieve a good result under Zhang Xuan’s guidance, he, like Cao Xiong, believed that it was only due to luck. He didn’t believe that he would have this kind of skills. “Alright, you are now my student. Hurry up and take out your identity card!” Zhang Xuan didn’t care what he was thinking about. A victory in a bet had given him a new student, so he was still busy celebrating over it. He casually tossed a jade token over. Although Liu Yang wasn’t really willing to become his student, he knew that he had to give into the results of the bet. If he didn’t acknowledge this Zhang Xuan as his teacher, the other teachers would definitely reject him. Thus, he could only drip his blood onto this jade token to complete the verification. “Tomorrow, meet here for lessons!” After finish dealing with Liu Yang, Zhang Xuan didn’t say anything excessive. He looked at Wang Ying and said those words faintly before walking out of the canteen. Returning back to his lecture hall, Zhang Xuan delved into his mind without second thoughts to examine the Library of Heaven’s Path closely. After examining for awhile, he finally understood a thing or two about it. As long as the person executed his skill or martial art before him, it would immediately compile into a book of their flaws. “Haha, I have really struck it rich this time! With this thing in my hand, I would be able to see through any flaws at one go. I don’t believe that I will still score a zero for the next Teacher Qualification Examination!” Frenzied joy raced through his heart. As a transcender, Zhang Xuan finally felt some enthusiasm for the future. Taizu Changquan -> Literally means Ancestor Long Fist. A brief introduction of Long Fist: It is a close-combat skill which emphasises stretching one’s limbs to the maximum. It is a high aggressive style whose motto is ‘the best defense is a long offense’ (Source: Wikipedia) Taizu Changquan is known as one of the 6 Great Long Fists in China. There are multiple names to it (depending on the region) but it is well-established and influenced the creation of many other fists in the future, thus giving it the title of ‘Mother of a Hundred Fists’ (Source: Baidu) 5 Young Mistress “Have you heard? Cao Xiong laoshi had just competed with the academy’s number one teacher from the bottom, Teacher Zhang Xuan!” “They competed? Then, wouldn’t Zhang Xuan laoshi have lost for sure?” “Unexpectedly, that wasn’t so. Zhang Xuan laoshi won! He casually guided a student and made his strength increase by onefold!” “Increase by onefold? In his first guidance? Even Lu Xun laoshi wouldn’t be capable of doing that! Are you for real?” “A lot of people witnessed it for themselves, so how could it not be real?” …… Those who witnessed the competition in the canteen were discussing over it excitedly. “For the student’s strength to increase by onefold in the first guidance?” Zhao Ya scoffed. “It is definitely just luck!” Baiyu City was the third biggest city in the Tianxuan Kingdom and Zhao Ya was the daughter of its City Lord. From young, she had been put through top class education and her motive for coming to Hongtian Academy was to be accepted as Lu Xun’s student. However, she didn’t expect to hear that Lu Xun would be inferior to Zhang Xuan before she even found him. Naturally, she didn’t believe such rumors. “Luck? I don’t think that it is luck. After all, it is an increase by an entire fold! Just luck itself won’t explain it!” A student sitting not too far away from her couldn’t help but respond to her words. “You think that it isn’t luck? Don’t think that I do not recognize that Zhang Xuan laoshi. He is the one who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination and almost got fired! What capabilities do you think a guy like that would possess? If you do not believe my words, I can unmask his facade right here and now!” Zhao Ya had had an impatient personality since young. Upon hearing someone praise the worst teacher in the academy, she immediately bellowed. “Fine! We also want to know whether the teacher is just all talk!” Instantly, two students stood up. The three of them walked out of the canteen and after asking around, they found Zhang Xuan’s classroom. Pushing open the door, they walked in. “You are Zhang Xuan laoshi?” Walking into the classroom, they saw the young man sitting on the teacher’s seat smiling foolishly to himself. No matter how they look at him, he didn’t seem like an impressive teacher. In fact, they started to feel uncomfortable. “That’s me!” After noticing the entry of a few students, Zhang Xuan stopped analyzing the Library of Heaven’s Path and turned over to look at them. “We’ve heard that you have won in a competition against Cao Xiong laoshi and the student you guided had an increase in strength by one fold.” Zhao Ya stated with clear disbelief in her tone. “Good. Then I would like you to guide me as well, to see whether you can increase my strength by one fold as well!” “I’m not free!” Zhang Xuan waved them away. Teachers also have their own pride as educators. They aren’t performers who would perform to the will of the audience. How could they just guide others just because they wanted them to? Besides that, what’s with your attitude? It’s not like I owe you something. “Not free? Aren’t you very idle right now?” Zhao Ya could tell that the other party was just trying to shake her off. She grinded her teeth in anger. She told her friends that she would come and expose his facade, yet right now, she was being chased away without even getting a glimpse at his abilities. She felt embarrassed. “I have to recruit students. I don’t have the effort to fool around with an arrogant little girl!” Zhang Xuan said calmly. “You…” Zhao Ya was so furious that her beautiful eyes rolled around. She was the daughter of a city lord, not to mention she was blessed with good looks. No matter where she went, people looked at her with eyes of admiration. However, not only did this fellow reject her, he even said that she was fooling around. How hateful! Even if he was a teacher, this was unforgivable! “What must we do for you to guide us?” Grinding her jade- like teeth, Zhao Ya questioned. “Acknowledge me as your teacher!” Zhang Xuan replied calmly, as he looked at Zhao Ya with a bizarre expression. Seeing how the other party was looking at her as though she was an idiot, Zhao Ya staggered, “Fine, I will acknowledge you as my teacher. However… If you were to teach me erroneously or give me bullshit, I will expose your lies!” “Zhao Ya!” “You can’t! If you were to take him as your teacher, you won’t be able to become Lu Xun laoshi‘s student…” The two friends who came with her almost fainted upon hearing her acceptance of his request. They immediately tried to persuade her. Hearing the persuasion of her two friends, Zhao Ya hesitated. She was aware of the school rules. After becoming a teacher’s student, if the student wanted to acknowledge another teacher, they would have to first withdraw from the lessons of their current one. However, if they were to do so, the other teacher would tend to reject the student. Not to mention, a popular teacher like Lu Xun. “You don’t have the guts to? If you don’t dare to, just hurry up and leave. Don’t hold up my business… Recruiting new students!” Zhang Xuan waved her away. “Who says that I do not have the guts to?” She was still hesitating but upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Zhao Ya immediately exploded. Her eyebrows furrowed and she said, “I will acknowledge you as my teacher right now! Let’s verify our relationship!” “You attitude is too bad. Even you want me as your master, I don’t want to accept you!” Zhang Xuan waved her away yet again. It was natural to want to recruit obedient students, just like the previous Wang Ying. However, the current one seemed to be on gunpowder. Even if he lacked students, he was unwilling to admit her in. “You…” She didn’t expect that when she chose to bear with acknowledging him as her teacher, he still refused to accept her. Zhao Ya could feel flames arising from her. She came here specially to expose his fraud. If she were to stomp away furiously now, wouldn’t she be falling into his trap? Perhaps, this fellow was intentionally trying to chase her away, so that his fraud could not be exposed. She was adamant to not allow things go his way! “Hmph, I will just admit it as my fault first then. After I expose your true face, see how I will put you in place!” Thinking so, Zhao Ya suppressed the rage in her heart. She smiled faintly, exposing her white teeth, “Teacher, don’t get angry. I was disrespectful! I sincerely wish to become your student, may I plead with you to accept me!” “This is more like it!” Seeing her change in attitude, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “I can accept you as my student. Before that, I would like you to clean this room. I don’t want to see a speck of dust here. Also, help me tidy up the washroom outside. Scrub the toilet bowls clean. Afterward, I will check on it. If I am satisfied with your work, I will admit you in under my tutelage!” “Don’t go too far!” Zhao Ya was about to go on a rampage. What was her identity? She was the daughter of a city lord, a daughter of a noble. From young, she had never done any household chore before, and yet this fellow intended for her to sweep the room? Even… cleaning the washrooms? Scrub the toilet bowls? Was he insane? “If you can’t even do such superficial tasks, you can leave right now. I don’t need lazy and useless students!” Zhang Xuan said. Hehe, little lass. You want to play with me? You are still much too inexperienced! “Who says that I am useless! I will clean up now, I will scrub now!” Zhao Ya grinds her. Grabbing a broom and mop, she starts to tidy up the room. “Zhao Ya, how about we just forget about it…” “I don’t think he is really capable. He is purposely making things hard for you…” The two friends who tagged along with her, upon seeing the young mistress of a city lord starting to clean up the place, they were all horrified and quickly attempted to convince her otherwise. “Both of you wait outside first. Since young, I, Zhao Ya, have never really lost before. Today, I have decided to go all out against him!” Zhao Ya frowned. “That…” Her two friends understood Zhao Ya’s temper. Seeing that she couldn’t be persuaded, the both of them looked at each other, at a loss of what to do. “Inform butler Yao, didn’t he come as well? If the butler were to know that the fellow who scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination was ordering young mistress to scrub the toilet bowl, he would definitely stop him!” After staring at each other for a moment, one of them came up with a solution. For a person of Zhao Ya’s identity, even though there weren’t any threats on the journey to the academy, there was still someone who escorted her. The person who escorted her was butler Yao. Presently, he should still be around the academy. “Alright, let’s look for him now!” Without any hesitation, the two of them immediately rushed out of the academy. For Zhao Ya who had a stubborn temper just like any other daughters of rich households, even though she had never done household chores before, it didn’t take her long to adapt to it. Swiftly, the interior of the room became clean. Even the washroom outside was sparkling. “Not bad!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. “You should be satisfied now. You can admit me as your student and guide my cultivation now, right?” After finishing her work, Zhao Ya crushed her teeth together ‘luo luo!’. Her jade-like face distorted as she tried to hold herself back from punching the guy in front of her. “Un, your identity card!” Disregarding the other party’s murderous gaze, Zhang Xuan threw a jade token to her casually. Taking a deep breath, Zhao Ya dripped a drop of blood on it, verifying their relationship. “Zhang laoshi, now that I am your student, can you give me a pointer or two?” Now that she was on the verge of accomplishing her objective, revealing the true face of the despicable man before her, Zhao Ya suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked. “Display a fighting technique to me first, so that I can gauge your fundamentals!” Zhang Xuan beckoned. “Yes!” Without any nonsense, Zhao Ya clasped her hands together and bowed before executing her skills. Huhuhuhu! The wind howled. Her blow was full of might. As a female as well, her blows were much faster and stronger than Wang Ying. With a single look, it was apparent that she put quite a bit of effort into her training. While looking at Zhao Ya execute her skill, Zhang Xuan’s mind was currently in the library. As expected, with a light tremor, a book fell from the shelves. The two words ‘Zhao Ya’ were written on the cover. “Zhao Ya, the daughter of the City Lord of Baiyu City. Fighter 1-dan Juxi Realm Pinnacle!” “Cultivation Technique: White Jade Pure Maiden Skill!” …… Weakness: 27 flaws. No.1, her personality is rash and she is easily angered. This goes against the White Jade Skill’s nature of calmness and smoothness, so she is unable to bring out its full strength. No.2…” The book was just like what he saw previously. It recorded all of the flaws and deficiencies in Zhao Ya’s cultivation. Peng! Peng! Peng! After a short moment, Zhao Ya completed the entire punch routine. Clenching her feminine hands, she turned around and sent a blow towards the rock pillar in the classroom that was used for measuring the strength of one’s blow! A crisp sound. A set of number appeared on it. 110! “Not bad, not bad!” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but nod his head. To be capable of wielding such strength in her fist before coming to the academy, Zhao Ya was indeed the daughter of a City Lord, holding extraordinary strength. “Alright, give me some pointers!” After executing her skill, her face didn’t turn red nor did she gasp for breath. Zhao Ya turned to look at Zhang Xuan. 6 What Did You Do To Our Young Mistress Finishing what has to be done, Zhao Ya was ready to see the fellow before her make an embarrassment out of himself. Suddenly, an idea came to mind and a Record Crystal appeared in her sleeves. Record Crystal, it was an object capable of recording video and audio in its surrounding. She intended to use it as ‘evidence’ of Zhang Xuan’s wrongdoing! This way, he would be unable to talk his way out of it when she spread word about his crime. “Let’s see how you would be humiliated then. To think that you would dream of competing with Lu Xun laoshi, dream on!” Upon the thought that she would be able to grab hold of ‘evidence’ on him soon to punish him and vent her frustration, Zhao Ya’s eyes glittered and she almost failed to control her laughter. Suppressing her happiness, just as she was waiting to see what nonsense the other party would come up with, a pair of clear eyes reminiscent of lanterns appeared right in front of her. “AH…” Zhao Ya leapt in shock and backed away hurriedly. Only then did she realize that it was Zhang Xuan laoshi. She grinded her teeth in anger and exclaimed, “What are you doing?” “Relax, I am just taking a look!” With his hands behind him, he circled around Zhao Ya, shaking his head. Then, he suddenly stopped before Zhao Ya with less than one chi [1] between them. She could feel the warmth from his body. Zhao Ya’s face blushed. From young, there hadn’t been a single man who had been in such proximity with her. Her heart beat furiously. Then, she head an unhurried voice saying, “You are sick!” Hearing those words, Zhao Ya almost erupted and fainted on the spot. “You are the one that is sick, your entire family is sick…” She was on the verge of going crazy. What’s wrong with this fellow’s brain. She executed a set of martial arts for him to point out the flaws in them. Instead, this fellow said that she was sick. How could such a vile person exist in the world! “Why did you start hurling insults?” Zhang Xuan frowned. Soon, he understood what other meanings his words could hold and smiled faintly, “I am saying that your body is sick, I am not insulting you!” “I am not sick!” Zhao Ya humphed coldly. “In my opinion, you are the one who is sick! Something is wrong with your brain!” She was as strong as an ox. A single fist of hers had a strength of more than 100kg behind it. She was very clear on the fact whether she was sick or not. “Don’t refute my words first. Do you often feel a vague pain in your danzhong [2] and jujue [3] acupoint? Especially on the night of a full moon, when the humid wind blows, a faint red tinge will appear on your body and you will like…” At this point, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, as though it was difficult to verbalize it out. He continues, “No matter how you train, you feel like your heart won’t calm down?” “How… How did you know?” The furious Zhao Ya had intended to refute every word that the other party would say directly, but after hearing those words, her face turned red and she became stupefied. It wasn’t that the words he said were incorrect, but they were simply… too correct! Recently during training, she would feel a faint pain in her danzhong and jujue, although she would just bear it since the pain wasn’t severe. The crux of the problem was that… On the night of a full moon, when the cold wind blows, her body would turn weird. A strong desire would surge through her body as it turned red. Unable to suppress her raging emotions, she would find herself craving the embrace of a man… She was just a sixteen to seventeen year old young lady who had yet to undergo the matrimony of human bodies, so she was unable to tell what that emotion was. She only felt embarrassed by it. Initially, she thought that she could just bear with it and it would pass. However, these feelings became more and more intense. As her body developed and her chest became more and more fleshed out, she felt those tendencies getting more and more uncontrollable. In the past, she could deal with it with just two circulations of her cultivation technique. But now, even ten times wasn’t enough for the urges to subside. She could only halt with her training until the sun rises. As this affair was really too bizarre, she didn’t dare to tell anyone about it. Even her best friends and her City Lord father were kept in the dark! Despite it being a matter no one knew about… How did this fellow find out about it? It was also due to her being unable to bear it that she came to the academy in a hope to find the crux of the problem and solve it once and for all. “I am a teacher. I could tell from the punch routine you executed just now!” Zhang Xuan replied calmly. Of course, it was impossible to tell this much through looking at one’s punch routine. The Library of Heaven’s Path was an extraordinary treasure. As long as she possessed flaws, even if these flaws have nothing to do with her skills, it would be recorded in it. Exactly because he had seen her problems, that’s why Zhang Xuan had a bizarre look on his face. “Is there… a solution?” Zhao Ya clenched her jaws and asked with a reddened face. After she was so resolute to expose the fraud of the party, she ended up having her problems exposed by him in an instant. It made her feel embarrassed. “There is a method to resolving it. Come to class tomorrow and I will explain it to you!” Zhang Xuan gestured with his hands. “Really?” Zhao Ya’s eyes lit up in disbelief. She was very aware of the problems in her body. Due to her inability to control those raging desires, it caused her became irritable and impatient in everything she does. Initially, she thought she could only conceal this matter in her heart and that there was no way to solve this problem. However, never would she ever dream that this teacher who was the last in the entire academy would be able to uncover it in just a few words. Furthermore… he had a solution to treat it! “If you don’t trust me, you can look for other teachers in the academy!” Zhang Xuan flung his hand with an indifferent expression, the look of an expert. “No, no… Teacher, you are the only one!” Zhao Ya hurriedly nodded her head. It hadn’t been just a day or two since the start of her suffering. Countless physicians in the city couldn’t tell what was wrong with her. Even her father, City Lord Zhao wasn’t able to tell that there was something amiss with her. Yet, this Zhang Xuan laoshi could tell with just one look. Just comparing their eyes of discernment, none of these people could compete with him! That was exactly the reason why she thought that he would have a way to treat her problem. “That Record Crystal, do you still intend to keep it?” Zhang Xuan pointed at her sleeves. “Ah….” Zhao Ya was horrified. Only now did she recall the Record Crystal she intentionally left behind so as to get evidence on him. If the contents of the conversation were to leak out, how could she continue to walk with her head held up high? “I don’t, I don’t…” Exerting some force with her palm, ‘kacha‘, the Record Crystal was reduced to dirt. After destroying the crystal, Zhao Ya glanced at Zhang laoshi once again. This time, his face didn’t look so hateful. Rather, it was an enigmatic face. Despite concealing the Record Crystal so discreetly, she still got caught. Not to mention, the problems with her body were exposed by him. How could someone of such capabilities score a zero on the Teacher Qualification Examination? “He must be indifferent to fame and reputation, apathetic to the views of outsiders! I have heard that experts are all like that…” When this idea appeared in her head, Zhang Xuan’s position in her heart evolved from a swindler to one of the top experts in the world. “Take your identity token to claim your bedding and your books. Also, look for your lodging while you’re at it. We shall start lessons punctually tomorrow…” Seeing that another student had been reeled, Zhang Xuan waved his hand as he passed down instruction to her. Suddenly, a loud roar could be heard from the outside and in a flash, a human figure rushed in. Hu! The person who entered was a middle-aged man. He carried a ferocious aura with him as he entered into the classroom. From a single look, one can tell that he wasn’t weak. “Young mistress!” After entering the door, the middle-aged man stopped and bowed to Zhao Ya. “Uncle Yao, why are you here?” Zhao Ya stared at him blankly. This wasn’t anyone else but the butler from Baiyu City whom her two friends went to invite, Yao Han! Just as he was about to leave after sending Zhao Ya to the academy, her two friends rushed over to inform him that the young mistress wanted to acknowledge the fellow who scored a zero on the Teacher Qualification Examination as her teacher and that he even ordered the young mistress to scrub the toilet bowls… Hearing those words, butler Yao Han almost exploded on the spot. Young mistress, the apple of the eye of the City Lord! At home, no one dared to order her around. To dare to get her to sweep the floor and scrub the toilet bowls… He was too audacious! If this fellow was one of the more reputable teachers in the academy, he could drop the matter since they tend to be pickier. The crux of the problem was that… This fellow was the last in the Teacher Qualification Examination, not to mention he even drove a person berserk… How could the young mistress study under someone like that? Even in the city, the people who guided her, even if casually, were much stronger than this person over here! “Young Mistress, are you…” Staring coldly at Zhang Xuan, Yao Han quickly glanced at the young mistress. “I have already acknowledged Zhang laoshi as my teacher!” Zhao Ya declared. Running here with his full strength, he didn’t think that he would still be a step too slow. Yao Han’s face darkened as he pulled Zhao Ya to his back. He stared at Zhang Xuan coldly, “Quickly withdraw our young mistress from your tutelage! Then, apologize! Otherwise, when I blow this matter up, everyone will know that you bewitched an underage lady as a teacher to get her to come under your tutelage!” “Bewitched an underage lady? Isn’t your use of phrase a little too much!” Zhang Xuan shaked his head. If others were to hear such words, they would think that he had done something towards Zhao Ya. The heavens could serve as his witness that all he had done was to accept a student, it was an extremely pure action… “Don’t play around with me. The young mistress of our family is a talented genius. She isn’t someone a person of your qualification can teach. If you were to remove her from your lessons now, I can choose to just let this pass. Otherwise, I will definitely bring this up to the principal and have you fired…” Yao Han howled. However, before he could finish his words, Zhao Ya interrupted him from his back. “Uncle Yao! What are you doing! I have acknowledged Zhang laoshi as my teacher of my own free will, why are you causing trouble for me?” Zhao Ya stomped her feet. The reason why she came to the academy was to solve the problem with her body. She was still happy over the fact that the teacher before her assured her that he would be able to help her, and yet this fellow here came to mess it up. What the heck was he doing? “Of your own free will?” Yao Han glanced at the young mistress. “Do you think that he can really give you guidance that would allow your strength to surge?” The young mistress was a proud person, he knew that well. Could it be that this teacher who was reputed as trash is able to guide her? That’s why she acknowledged him? “Allow my strength to surge? That he didn’t do…” Zhao Ya shook his head. The other party only pointed out her illness, he didn’t guide her on her cultivation. “No? Then…” Yao Han was baffled. “Alright, Uncle Yao, stop asking!” Recalling her own illness, Zhao Ya’s face turned red. Seeing the young mistress behaving like that, Yao Han stared blankly in confusion. Then, when he saw the shattered Record Crystal on the floor, his face turned frosty and in a split moment, he seems to have turned into a rampaging lion. “You darned brat, what did you do to our young mistress? Did you think that I wouldn’t dare to kill you right now…” Boom! In his rage, a powerful aura surged forth and the wind howled. ‘Jiya‘, the ground creaked in agony as though it was unable to bear the heavy pressure. [1] 1 chi = 33.3cm [2] Danzhong is an acupoint in the center of an horizontal line that passes through your two nipples. [3] Jujue is just below the center of your ribcage. 7 You Were Dumped Before “What did I do?” Upon seeing at the other party seethe with rage, Zhang Xuan was speechless. Wasn’t this misunderstanding getting a little out of hand! However, he could understand that it was natural for others to think that way. After all, without guiding her cultivation, he was able to make their young mistress willingly acknowledge him as her master and she even blushed upon bringing up the subject. What’s more, the Record Crystal had been shattered. That’s obvious an act of evidence destroying… All of these showed that there’s something amiss with the situation. Zhang Xuan was immediately labeled as a weird uncle, a sex maniac, a shameless teacher and other similar titles. “Uncle Yao, what are you thinking? If you are going to continue behaving like this, I will never bother with you again!” Looking at the furious Yao Han and hearing his words, how could she not know what was going through his mind? Her face immediately darkened as she exclaimed. After all, she was a young lady. This kind of rumors would ruin her reputation. “Young mistress…” Interrupted by Zhao Ya, Yao Han could only withdraw his aura. “Alright, follow me to collect my bedding. Don’t hold me up here, I still have lessons tomorrow.” Zhao Ya harrumphed and walked out of the room. She was unwilling to talk about her illness. If she were to reveal it to him, he would definitely pressure her to talk about it. Under this kind of situation, how could she possibly talk about it? Thus, unable to come up any other excuses, she could only claim to have willingly acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her teacher. “Hmph!” After seeing the young mistress turning around to leave the room, Yao Han glanced at Zhang Xuan coldly with a glint in his eye, seeming to be contemplating over something. Then, with a fling of his arm, he turned around and walked out. At this moment, the intention to kill that young man lingered in his mind. If they weren’t in the academy and the young mistress didn’t stop him, he would have long made his move. “Who did I offend this time…” Looking at the Yao Han’s cold gaze, Zhang Xuan felt perplexed. [I only accepted a student, do you have to go this far… He made it seem as though I am an unpardonable criminal who is the source of all evil in this world.] The problem was that… he didn’t do anything at all! “Forget it, there is still time left today. Let’s see if I can recruit a few more students! The more students under my tutelage, the more resources I will receive!” There were many different levels to the teachers of Hongtian Academy. Every year, an assessment of the teachers would be conducted based on the conditions of their students. The number of the students they have, the pace of their improvement, their results in all kinds of competitions… The teachers were reliant on these to be promoted. The higher their level, the resources a teacher would get would increase exponentially. Naturally, the same goes for the resources their student would receive as well. This was probably what it meant by the teacher and the students advancing as one. Right now, he had only accepted three students. He might be able to retain his position as a teacher, but if one were to talk about qualifications, he was still the last in the entire school! In order for him to advance, he could only continue recruiting more students. …………………………………… “Zhang Yang, don’t be too disappointed! Wang Chao laoshi was the only one who rejected you, you don’t have to be so depressed!” Two youths were walking on the pavement in the academy. The youth in front was currently trying to console the one behind. “Mo Xiao, you were accepted, of course you don’t feel anything saying those words. How about you try getting rejected!” Zheng Yang frowned, unhappy at his friend’s words of consolation. “Cough cough, don’t say that. There are still a lot of excellent teachers in the academy, there isn’t a need for you to choose Wang Chao laoshi out of them all!” The youth in front scratched his head in embarrassment. “There’s no need to choose him? It is easy for you to say. Since young, we have been training in the way of the spear and the spear has already become a part of our body. It is something we are unable to discard anymore. The best teacher in the art of the spear in Hongtian Academy is Wang Chao laoshi. Now that you were accepted by him while I was rejected, is it possible for me to not get depressed?” Zheng Yang raged. “That…” Mo Xiao didn’t know how he should reply to such a question. In Hongtian Academy, different teachers have different specialization. Some of them specialized in fists while some of them specialized in sabers… Wang Chao laoshi was well- known for his capability in imparting the way of the spear. He was considered as one of the better teachers even considering the entire academy. The both of them joined the examinations together in a hope to become his disciples. However, one of them passed while the other one failed. It is natural that the one who failed would feel gloomy. “Hmm, there is a classroom there. How about we take a look!” Unsure about how he should resolve this awkward situation, Mo Xiao suddenly saw a classroom not too far away and pointed towards it. “I’m not going…” Zheng Yang shook his head. “Let’s go and take a look. What if this teacher is also skilled in imparting the way of the spear as well?” Mo Xiao consoled. “Anyway, you have nothing to lose just by visiting it!” “Alright!” Although he was unwilling, Zheng Yang still followed Mo Xiao into the room. The person inside the room was Zhang Xuan. He was just about to go outside to recruit some fresh blood when he saw two youths walking in. “Nice to meet you, teacher!” Mo Xiao bowed. “Un!” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes slightly. “Are you here to look for a teacher?” “Yes, this is my brother. He is extremely formidable, especially with his spear. In the younger generation, there are few who can compete against him. I hope that teacher can guide him!” Mo Xiao said hurriedly. “Mo Xiao…” Zheng Yang pulled the sleeves of his good brother. “What is it?” Mo Xiao asked in confusion. “Look at the surroundings…” Zheng Yang frowned. This classroom was extremely narrow. From the looks of it, it could only fit ten people or so. It was obviously a small classroom. The size of the classroom was representative of the capability of the teacher. The teachers who were ranked in the top few have classrooms the size of a field, allowing more than hundreds of students to cultivate and train at the same time. In comparison to that, this classroom was just like the size of a palm. The teacher of this classroom was probably only of average standard. “It’s indeed quite small…” Mo Xiao noticed the size of the room and his heart beats, ‘ge deng!‘. Initially, he wanted to help soothe the stifled emotions in his best friend’s heart. Yet, unwittingly, he came to this kind of location. If the teacher’s standard was really subpar, not only would the stifled emotions not disappear, it might even weigh heavier on his heart. “Demonstrate your ability with the spear!” Seemingly oblivious to the secret conversation taking place between the two, Zhang Xuan said calmly. “Since we came here, we might as well have this teacher guide you for a bit, since there’s nothing to lose. If his standard is really bad, we can just refuse to acknowledge him and leave!” Seeing the look of hesitation on Zheng Yang’s face, Mo Xiao persuaded him. “Un!” Zheng Yang nodded his head. Other than some exceptionally popular teacher that most students set their eyes on, when most teachers chose their own students, their students were allowed to examine the capabilities of the teachers as well. After thinking it through, Zheng Yang immediately retrieved the spear from his back and fixed the multiple parts together. Weng! With the long spear in his hands, Zheng Yang’s expression changed instantly, just like the intimidating glint of the sharp edge of an unsheathed blade. Sou sou sou sou! The long spear stabbed forward and a sonic wave boomed. The entire room sounded as though it was being torn apart and a strong gust of wind whipped up in the surroundings. Experts were identifiable the moment they made a move. This Zheng Yang, although he might not be considered too strong, but his prowess with the spear was indeed not quite bad. Hu! The tip of his spear tremored and struck the rock pillar not too far away. A light reverberation lingered in the air and numbers appeared on the pillar. “110!” To think it would be more than a hundred kilograms! Just by the destructive prowess itself, even a 1-dan Fighter Juxi realm pinnacle would be unable to take the blow! “Teacher, please offer me some pointers!” With his spear held vertically beside him, Zheng Yang stood upright without a hint of nervousness or tiredness as he looked at Zhang Xuan impassively. Truthfully, just by the size of the classroom, he didn’t hold high expectations for this teacher. He thought that his standard would at most be of average. As though proving his point, the teacher before him squinted his eye. It was difficult to fathom what he might be thinking. He only slowly opened his eyes after hearing his words. He turned to look at him with a faint hint of a smile on his lips. “You are emotionally wounded? That is… you have been dumped before?” After thinking it through, Zheng Yang immediately retrieves the spear from his back and fixes the multiple parts together. TL: In case you find this part weird, it is probably like 3 parts to the spear (a spear is quite long. It tends to be taller than a human, so it is hard to carry around) 8 I Am That Trash “Un?” Zheng Yang stared blankly before his face turned red and darkened. “I once had a crush on a girl. Then… I was humiliated by her. But this has nothing to do with teacher!” He once had a crush on a girl and he had once confessed to her excitedly. However, he was humiliated heartlessly by the other party and he felt ashamed of it. He had kept this incident a secret such that not even Mo Xiao was aware of it. How did this teacher know of this? “Is that for real? Zheng Yang, why didn’t you tell me that you got humiliated by someone? Who is it?” Hearing him admit to it, Mo Xiao was surprised and hurriedly asked him. “I will tell you about it later!” Zheng Yang shook his head, refusing to say any more about it here. He looked at the teacher before him and said, “Teacher, this is my private affair. I have no idea how you could have knew this, but this should have nothing to do with guiding me in the way of the spear!” “Nothing to do with it?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “This has everything to do with it!” “Everything to do with it?” Zheng Yang was a little doubtful of his words. What did a broken heart have to do with Zhang Xuan guiding him? “Your spear is decisive and powerful. This is just like your personality. No matter what you do, you always charge straight ahead without thinking about the consequences! This should have been a good thing. Warriors should be like that, charging ahead without concerning themselves with minor things!” Zhang Xuan looked at Zheng Yang calmly. “However, it is a pity that after your emotional experience, fear started to sprout within you. You fear rejection and you fear humiliation! There is hesitation in your spear. With that additional hesitation, your strength greatly reduces!” “You…. You… You could see all these from my spear? You could tell that I was once heartbroken? You could tell my personality?” Zheng Yang was shocked. The words of the other party weren’t wrong. Rather, they were too correct, there wasn’t even a single error in it. His personality was straightforward and in this past, this allowed him to charge ahead bravely without fear. Yet, due to that emotional experience, he started to become timid and hesitant in everything he did. For him to be capable of telling all these through his spear, even his heartbreak, what kind of eyes did he possess? When did such an impressive teacher appear in the academy? He felt as though he is going crazy. Previously, when he visited the number 1 spear teacher Wang Chao to request for him to accept him as a student, Wang Chao only told him that he had yet to grasp the crux of the way of the spear. As for the reason behind it, he couldn’t really tell. However, with just a single look, the man before him could tell that he had a history of heartbreak and that his skills stagnated due to the emotional trauma from it. Could this teacher’s ability to discern… be stronger than Wang Chao? “This is normal!” Zhang Xuan gestured with his hand, a look of an expert appearing on his face. “The spear is a reflection of one’s heart. If one’s heart isn’t clear, the skills they display through it would be dark! Even though your skills with the spear is coherent, it feels as though there is something shrouding it, something that you are unable to make sense of, something that you are unable to sever from you. With just one look, I can tell that it is definitely a crush!” “This…” This time, not only did Zheng Yang’s face crumbles, even the mouth of Mo Xiao beside him was opened so wide that an egg could soon be stuffed inside it. [What the heck, are you for real? Just by looking at one’s skill with the spears, you can tell that emotions are shrouding it, and the unable to make sense of and unable to sever… Are these still the eyes of a human?] Mo Xiao and Zheng Yang stared at one another, disbelief appearing in both of their eyes. “Teacher, can you help me take a look as well?” After the shock, Mo Xiao stepped forward with a look of desire on his face. Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was agreeable or not, the spear in his hands trembled and he began to execute his moves. He executed the same moves as Zheng Yang, just that they were stronger and much more fluid. Just by his skills with the spear itself, he was indeed better than Zheng Yang. It was no wonder that Wang Chao laoshi chose him and not Zheng Yang. Hu! After a gust of wind, Mo Xiao retracted his spear and stood up straight. When his spear moved, he was like an unparalleled frenzied demon. When his strength overflowed, even gods and spirits dared not approach. When his spear retracted, he stood quietly just like a statue. With a movement of his hands and feet, his disposition changed. Although he couldn’t be considered to be strong, being at Fighter One-dan, he could be considered to have walked quite a distance in the way of the spear. “You have a weak stomach. If I am not wrong, you even suffered diarrhea today!” Zhang Xuan’s serene gaze turned towards him. “Ah?” A shudder passed through Mo Xiao. “Teacher, you could tell that I had diarrhea from my spear?” Just like what the other party said, his stomach wasn’t doing well today. He already started having diarrhea from yesterday. Today, it got even worse and his body felt weak. However, this didn’t really affect him much. With a spear in his hand, he still managed to execute his skills at top form such that even Wang Chao laoshi couldn’t stop praising him. Yet, the man before him could see through it in an instant… Was that for real? To be able to tell one’s heartbreak and diarrhea just from his spear, what were his eyes made of? “You want me to guide you? If you want, then acknowledge me as your master!” Ignoring the shock of the two, Zhang Xuan looked at them calmly. To be able to tell the condition of them both so simply, the both of them were about to go mad from shock. Yet, it didn’t seem like anything much to him. The truth was the same as well. When the both of them executed their skills, the Library of Heaven’s Path automatically compiled a book on them both and the heartbreak and diarrhea naturally appeared in the list of their flaws. Zhang Xuan only had to take a look and read them out loud. There wasn’t any difficulty to it at all. “Disciple Zheng Yang is willing to acknowledge teacher as my mentor!” Without any hesitation, Zheng Yang immediately kneeled on my floor. He was truly impressed by Zhang Xuan. With this kind of eye for discernment, how could his guidance be ordinary? “Un!” Seeing how Zheng Yang acknowledged him as his master just after he pointed out a flaw of his even before he started guiding him, Zhang Xuan nodded his head satisfactorily. He retrieved a jade token representing his new identity to him and said, “Verify our relationship!” “Yes!” Without any delay, Zheng Yang immediately dripped blood on it to verify his ownership of the token. Very quickly, the procedures were completed. “Since you are now my student, let me give you a suggestion. If you want to be respected in a relationship, you must first hold sufficient strength. Without strength, how could the other party think of you as an equal? Thus, the first thing you have to do is not to be depressed but to open up your mind and focus on your training. You must let the other party know how foolish they were to reject you! You must use your strength to prove to them…” At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a very show off book from his previous life and smiled faintly, “The river reverses its flow after thirty years, do not bully the youths just because they are poor!” “Do not bully the youths just because they are poor?” Hearing those words, Zheng Yang felt a burning sensation in his chest. He felt so agitated that his face turned entirely red and his body trembled uncontrollably. As a person born in this world, how could Zheng Yang possibly have heard of those words! In that instant, his battle will seemed to have been lit. The depressed emotions he welled up from his heartbreak seemed to shine brightly like diamonds. “Try executing your skills again!” Seeing how he had broken out of his shell, Zhang Xuan gestured. “Alright!” Without saying anything, with the spear in his hands, Zheng Yang’s disposition changed in an instant. It was completely different from his disposition previously. Hong hong hong hong! His spear swept about as his aura rumbled. Powerful strength was exerted through the spear and scattered into the surrounding, shaking the entire room. Peng! At the end of his spear routine, he sent a horizontal stab towards the rock pillar. A deafening reverberation and a line of digits appeared on it. 235! To think it would be 235kg! Previously, when he used his full strength, it was only 110. With just a pointer, his strength increased by more than a single fold! “Thank you, teacher!” Seeing the numbers, the doubts in Zheng Yang vanished. He kneeled onto the floor. At this moment, he was truly convinced in the capabilities of the teacher before him. “Incredible!” Looking at the numbers on the rock pillar, Mo Xiao couldn’t help but turn red as his entire body trembled. He was delighted over finding a good teacher for his good brother. Yet, he felt disappointed at the same time. Previously, when Wang Chao guided him, his strength only increased by 30%. Yet, the teacher before him enhanced Zheng Yang’s strength by more than a fold! If only he had known that this nameless teacher was that formidable, he wouldn’t have wasted his effort to look for Wang Chao and would have immediately acknowledged him as his teacher. At this moment, he felt a little regretful. However, doubt sprouted in his mind. How could such a formidable spear teacher remain unknown? He couldn’t resist asking, “Teacher, since you have accepted Zheng Yang as your student, could we have the honor of knowing your name…” Hearing his words, Zheng Yang looked over as well. He was completely impressed by this teacher, but at this moment, he realised that he didn’t even know his name! “I am Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan replied calmly. “Zhang Xuan? That name sounds familiar…” Hearing that name, Mo Xiao pondered for a moment. Then, something came to mind and his eyes narrowed. His lips quivered uncontrollably as he asked, “I seem to recall… The trash teacher who scored zero points for his Teacher Qualification Examination is also called Zhang Xuan. It seems that teacher, you… have the same name as him!” “Un, I am that trash!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Ah…” Zheng Yang and Mo Xiao were petrified. 9 Be There were many rumors regarding that useless teacher. Before even coming to the academy, they have heard so much about him that callouses were growing on their ears. They say that he was skilled in nothing and that he had been misguiding disciples! They say that he didn’t know how to cultivate and he didn’t know martial arts at all… All in all, all kinds of slander there was! As long as one was a student, it was best to stay as far away as possible from him. Do not mess with this fellow, otherwise going berserk was just a small matter at hand. At worse, they might even die in his hands! When both brothers came to the academy to seek a teacher, they have also heard of such rumors. All along, they have been proceeding carefully but never in their dreams would they imagine that this unworldly and incredible expert was that legendary trash! “Teacher, if you are so incredible, why would…” Zheng Yang couldn’t resist asking. Although it had just been a short period of time since they knew each other, he could tell that the teacher before him had immeasurable capabilities. Every single movement of his had an elegant disposition. How could he be a trash? “There are many people in the world who are envious of the talented. This kind of things means nothing at all!” Zhang Xuan tilted his eyes upwards 45 degrees as sadness and regret reflected in his eyes, as though lamenting the incomprehension of the world. The emotions on his face were in place, but in his heart, he was scolding vulgarities. If it wasn’t for the Library of Heaven’s Path, given how the previous owner of the body was, it was already very incredible of him to not get a negative score. Zero marks… was already a high score, alright! “I am willing to cleanse teacher of his sullied reputation!” Seeing his teacher’s ‘depression’ and ‘incomprehension of the world’, Zheng Yang’s heart was moved and he couldn’t help but declare so. “It’s okay, teacher’s reputation doesn’t matter. As long as you train hard, I would be satisfied. Take the identity token to claim your bedding. Come to class punctually tomorrow, make sure to not be late!” After Zhang Xuan’s show of acting cool, he seemed to have fully captured the worship of the student. Zheng Yang nodded his head. “Yes!” Zheng Yang pulled Mo Xiao, who was standing beside him, and the both of them walked out. “Four students!” Seeing the two of them leave, excitement flashed across Zhang Xuan’s eyes. The dazed young lady Wang Ying, the student who he won from a bet Liu Yang, the arrogant young mistress Zhao Ya and the spear genius Zheng Yang. Initially, he thought that today would be just like how it was before, he would be unable to recruit a single student and the day would end in a failure. He didn’t expect that he would manage to recruit four of them! “Without identity token, even if students were to come, I would be unable to admit new students. I better make use of this free time to get a few more tokens!” After getting emotional over recruiting four students did Zhang Xuan realize that he didn’t have any more tokens on him. This item was given out by the academy. Due to his terrible reputation, the teacher in charge of distributing the tokens only gave him four. He even thought that Zhang Xuan would be unable to use all of it. If he didn’t claim more of it, even if new students were to come, they would be unable to acknowledge him! This token contained the information of the teacher. Once a student claimed ownership of the token by dripping a blood drop on it, it meant that they acknowledged the teacher as their mentor. On the other hand, if they would like to withdraw from the lesson, the teacher only had drip a blood drop on it and the information of the student would be erased. Standing up, he walked out of the classroom. The sun outside shone brightly and a heat wave assaulted through the shade of the tree, causing people to sweat profusely. Freshmen and older students were walking on the pavements of the academy and excitement could be seen on their faces. Coming into a new environment and acknowledging a teacher, the freshmen were overjoyed. On the other hand, upon thinking of the arrival of new students for them to play with, the older students were full of smiles as well. While walking along the pavement, a large infrastructure appeared before Zhang Xuan. There were two gigantic words hanging on a board at the center of the building, ‘Logistics Building’!” The tokens that represented the identity of a teacher were claimed from this building. “Yo, who is this? Isn’t this our ‘star teacher’? For you to not be recruiting students in the classroom to visit me, what do you want? Oh, let me guess, could it be that you used none of the identity tokens, so you are here to return them!” Right after walking in, he heard a sarcastic voice sounding out. Zhang Xuan raised his head and a plump man whose face was full of fats came into view. This fellow at least weighed 300 to 400 kilogram. From afar, he looked like a giant ball of meat. “Qian Biao!” A name floated from the depths of his memories. This Qian Biao was one of the teachers in charge of logistics. He was a very spiteful man who always liked to eat into the spare change of others. As the teacher on the lowest level, Zhang Xuan’s salary had been minute and the resources he could claim had always been minimal. Thus, he had never been respected by him. Due to this affair, he offended him. The moment they met, all kinds of sarcasm and insults would come flying out. Previously, Zhang Xuan being given four identity tokens under the premise that he wouldn’t finish it was the work of this man. “I have finished using my identity tokens. I would like to claim a few more of them!” Couldn’t be bothered with the other party, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly. “Finished using it?” Qian Biao stunned for a moment before howling in laughter. “Haha, everyone, come and take a look. This teacher who is first from the bottom comes here to brag that he has used up all of his identity tokens! Haha, this is the funniest joke I have heard in the entire world…” “I seem to recall that you gave him four identity tokens back then! Finished it? Him? What a joke!” “The teacher who is second from the bottom, Sun Yan laoshi is said to only have one student currently. This fellow who made history by scoring zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination could accept a single student? What are you trying to brag about?” “Throw him out. Anyway, after today, he will be fired…” …… Upon hearing Qian Biao’s shouting, the few teachers in the logistics branch came rushing over. They stared at Zhang Xuan with looks of disdain. [For a teacher who is at the very bottom and scored zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination, why the hell is he trying to show off? Students would run the instant they hear your name. For them to acknowledge you… what kind of joke is this?] “Oh? You said that I am bragging? Fine, why don’t we bet on it?” Zhang Xuan didn’t get mad. Instead, he smiled. “Bet? Fine, since you want to lose so badly, I will fulfill your wish. Just that, given how poor you are, I doubt that there is anything you could offer!” Qian Biao didn’t expect this fellow who he had always looked down on would challenge his authority face on by betting with him. He snickered in disdain. “It isn’t your problem whether I am poor or not. Since I proposed the bet, of course, I will take out something I am willing to bet on!” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes. “Oh? You are able to take something out? Given your background, the things you take out would probably just be some rotten metal or similar shit-like things. You think that grandfather, I, would bet with you? I can’t afford to lose my reputation betting with you!” Qian Biao stated contemptuously. Zhang Xuan was the lowest level teacher in the entire academy, not to mention first from the bottom. Not mentioning the fact how he was unable to get a single student, he didn’t even have bonuses or so. If one must point out the poorest teacher in the entire academy, it would definitely be him. He lived thriftily even in his daily life, not to mention resources for cultivation! “Hehe!” Zhang Xuan wasn’t bothered by his insults at all. He chuckled and continued, “The thing I would like to bet isn’t a treasure or an object. It is… face! If you were to lose, I will slap you three times in front of everyone else! If I were to lose, I will let you slap me three times! Do you dare to bet with me?” “Slapping face?” He didn’t expect the other party would bet on this. Qian Biao couldn’t help but hesitate over it. To be slapped by the academy’s worst teacher, if he were to lose, he wouldn’t even feel like living on. He would be so embarrassed that he would want to die. “How, do you dare or not?” Zhang Xuan smiled at him. “Qian Biao, what are you scared of? It’s not like you don’t know his standards!” “Can a teacher who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination get a single student? Isn’t he just dreaming!” “He is just scaring you. If he is able to recruit them, then won’t I have a few hundreds of students by now? Even if the students of this year were to be blind, they wouldn’t be blind to such an extent!” …… The other teachers of the logistics branch smirked. None of them believed that Zhang Xuan would be able to recruit students. This was as difficult as a pig climbing up a tree. “Fine, I agree!” Finding everyone’s words logical, he nodded his head in agreement. “Since the rest of you are cheering so happily, would you all like to make a bet along with me? With the same terms as him?” Seeing him agree, Zhang Xuan looked towards the other three teachers of the logistics branch. The previous three who were so disparaging a moment ago didn’t mind adding to the bet since one of them had already agreed to it. “Why? Do you find your face itchy that you would like us to slap a few more times? Fine, I’m in!” A teacher declared haughtily. “I’m also in!” “Who’s afraid of you! To be bragging in front of us despite scoring a zero, you are looking for death!” The three of them nodded their head with a smirk on their faces. In their opinion, Zhang Xuan was bound to lose this bet. Today, he would definitely be slapped! 10 Going Against the Be “Alright, since you said that you accepted four students, bring them here now so that can we verify your claim. Or, do you want to just present your face now for us to slap?” Looking at the teacher who was first from the bottom arrogantly betting with the four of them, Qian Biao smirked coldly. “Bring the students here?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You are all teachers of the logistics branch, it can’t be that you don’t even know the simplest thing! It is easy to verify whether I recruited four students or not. As long as students were to claim ownership of my token, their personal information will automatically appear in the Education Bureau. As long as we verify it with the Education Bureau, the truth would be clear for all to see. After all, the Education Bureau can’t possibly be working with me just to lie to you all!” As long as a student had verified his relationship with a teacher, the information would be automatically transmitted to the Education Bureau and recorded. No one would be able to fake the results! “Li Yuan, you take a look! I want to see how this fellow could still act so smug after that!” After looking at his confident expression and hearing his words, Qian Biao was taken aback for a moment before turning around to command Li Yuan. Li Yuan was one of the teachers who mocked Zhang Xuan previously. Hearing the orders, he turned around and walked out of the Logistics Branch. The Education Bureau and Logistics Branch belonged under the Administration Branch. It didn’t take long for Li Yuan to return with a darkened face. “How was it?” Looking at the expression on his face, Qian Biao’s heart pounded furiously, ‘ge dong!‘, as an ominous premonition loomed in his head. “There are… four students who acknowledged him as their teachers! These are their names are personal information…” Li Yuan face turned strikingly pale. Even now, he still found the fact hard to believe. Were those four students blind? Of the many teachers in Hongtian Academy, why did they have to choose a teacher who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, a fellow who didn’t know anything! “Let me look at it! Let’s make sure that he didn’t find some disabled and blind fellows who could be expelled at any time to be his students!” Qian Biao grabbed the name list. The other two teachers hurriedly surrounded him. There were quite a few teachers who would recruit some inadequate students so as to boost the number of students they have. These people could be expelled at any time. Even if they were kept in the academy at the moment, they probably wouldn’t last more than a few months! In Qian Biao’s opinion, for a person like Zhang Xuan who ranked at the very bottom, even if he successfully managed to recruit students, he could only recruit the worst of the lot, students whom no one wants. Accepting this kind of students just to fill the numbers didn’t bring the teacher any pride, it brought shame instead! “Wang Ying… a female? She doesn’t sound like anything by her name. She is probably one of the students who scored the worst in the entrance examination…” Looking at the first name on the name list, Qian Biao snorted in disdain. Hongtian Academy was not a place anyone could enter. If one wished to enroll, they would first have to undergo the entrance examination. Then, the students would be ranked based on their results and those who met the prerequisites would be accepted. Those who scored the first few in the entrance examination were hot targets for the more outstanding teachers. Each of them were famous in this academy and among them, there didn’t seem to be a student called Wang Ying. “Qian laoshi, continue looking on…” Before Qian Biao could finish his words, he heard the trembling voice of one of the teachers beside him. “Why? Could she be worse than I have described?” With a cold laugh, Qian Biao continued browsing down the list. With just one look, his eyes narrowed as he read the detailed information on Wang Ying below her name. “Rank 67 of the entrance examination, younger sister of Wang Tao, an Elder’s disciple, and the young mistress of one of the four great families in Tianxuan City!” “The young mistress of the Wang family? Wang Tao’s younger sister?” Qian Biao gasped in astonishment. [There are four great families in Tianxuan Kingdom and the Wang family is one of it. The young mistress of such an esteemed family acknowledged the fellow who got a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination as her teacher? Are you for real? Shouldn’t a figure like that go for Lu Xun or Wang Chao?] If her family were the ones who induced fear in him, then what caused him to fall into despair was Wang Ying’s elder brother, Wang Tao! He was enrolled in the academy two batches prior and after his enrollment, he had always scored within the top ten in the annual comprehensive evaluation. This year, an elder in the academy even set his eyes upon him and accepted him in as his disciple! [If the older brother has that kind of talent, how bad can the younger sister be? Having an influential background, talent and a good brother, she still chose to acknowledge this fellow as her teacher? My eyes must be going blind for it to make such a mistake!] Qian Biao could hear lightning rumbling around him and he felt on the verge of fainting. “Look at the ones below…” Just as he was convulsing in disbelief, another teacher exclaimed with a shaky voice. “He probably used up all of his luck to be able to admit a Wang Ying in. I don’t believe that he would be capable of getting someone even more incredible…” Clenching his teeth, Qian Biao continued glancing down the list. When his eyes gazed on that name, his entire body convulsed yet again and he felt the sight before him turning dark. “Zhao Ya? The Zhao Ya who is 7th in the entrance examination? The daughter of the City Lord of Baiyu City?” Qian Biao felt like tears were going to stream down from his eyes at any point. He just said that he wouldn’t believe that Zhang Xuan would be able to recruit an even more incredible student and never in his wildest dreams would he imagine that he was able to… Not only so, it was a popular student whom countless teachers would go crazy for! He had already heard of this Zhao Ya before she even enrolled in this academy. She was the daughter of the City Lord of Baiyu City and not only was she pretty, she was also blessed with great talents. This kind of talent would be competed over by the teachers who rank at the top. Why would she acknowledge such a trash? Impossible, this was impossible! He tried to forcibly suppress his emotions. Glancing downwards, he saw the names, Liu Yang and Zheng Yang. The two may not be very famous, but their rankings were not low in the entrance examinations, scoring within the first hundred! Especially Zheng Yang, it was said that he specialized in the spear. Due to the limitations of the examination, he wasn’t able to exert his full strength, causing his ranking to fall behind. If he were to be allowed to use his spear, he might be even able to get into the top twenty! Staring at the names of the four on the list over and over again, Qian Biao and the other teachers felt like they are going mad. This wasn’t rational! “You must have used some kind of deception to get them to acknowledge you. Even though they acknowledged you as their teacher, they don’t know who you are. The moment they find out, they would withdraw from your lessons…” Suddenly, Qian Biao howled with a savage expression. What rights did a teacher who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination have to recruit such outstanding students! He must have used some kind of despicable method which no one knew of. The moment these methods were revealed, these students would abandon him in anger! That was to say, while it is true he had four students, these students probably wouldn’t follow him for long. They would withdraw from his lessons in a matter of time. “It isn’t your problem whether they withdraw from my lessons or not. The bet that we decided on was whether I have students now. Now that you all have verified that I have four students, shouldn’t we be fulfilling the conditions of our bet?” Couldn’t be bothered with the savage-looking quartet whose minds were all around the place, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly. Qian Biao, Li Yuan and the other two have expressions on their face that looked as though they were in a funeral. The content of their bets was indeed on whether he had students now, and not what would happen in the future. Going by such, they have lost! However, they were unable to accept the fact that they have lost and that they would be slapped by the worst teacher in the academy! “Bet? Little fellow, what if we refuse?” After a slight hesitation, Qian Biao smirked coldly and a ferocious look appeared on his plump face. “Indeed, even if we go against our words, what can you do? Haha, do you want to beat us up? The fact is, do you have the ability to?” “The worst teacher in the academy with the worst cultivation. To be so smug in front of us, do you believe that even if we were to beat you up to the point that your head swells up like a pig head, no one would come to stop us?” “Stop acting cool and perhaps you could stay in the academy a little longer. Otherwise, it wouldn’t take long for you to be kicked out and be shamed!” Li Yuan and the others immediately understood Qian Biao’s intentions and sneers. Not only did Zhang Xuan fare the worst in the Teacher Qualification Examination, his cultivation was also subpar among all of the teachers. Even if he wasn’t the very worst, he wasn’t far from it! That’s precisely the reason why he didn’t have the eye to discern the problems in the training of his students. Naturally, Qian Biao and the rest wouldn’t be willing to be slapped. Since the other party didn’t possess the strength to enforce the agreement, they intended to go against their words to the end. “Oh? That is to say, you all don’t intend to follow the rules of the bet?” Zhang Xuan wasn’t angry. Instead, he smiled at them. “That’s right! You brat, what do you think you are? To think that you would think of slapping me, do you believe that I will slap you to your death right now?” Seeing how this fellow didn’t back out and continued acting so smugly, Li Yuan was provoked and immediately sent a slap towards him. Even before the slap reached him, the pressure from the wind caused one to experience shortness of breath. Although this Li Yuan was only a teacher of the Logistics Branch, his cultivation wasn’t low. He had already reached the level of a Fighter 4-dan Advanced. There were 9 dans to a Fighter, 1-dan Juxi, 2-dan Dantian, 3- dan Zhenqi, 4-dan Pigu, 5-dan Dingli, 6-dan Pixue, 7-dan Tongxuan, 8-dan Zongshi, 9-dan Zhizun. Another new world appeared with every level. The higher you climb, the harder it was for you to progress. In every level, there were four tiers, primary, intermediate, advanced and pinnacle. Zhang Xuan was the youngest teacher in the entire academy, being just 19 this year. His cultivation was only at 3-dan Zhenqi Pinnacle! Li Yuan was a level higher than him! The difference between each level was very great and almost couldn’t be overcome. Pah! Just when everyone thought that Li Yuan would definitely strike on Zhang Xuan’s face, leaving him faint-headed, a sudden crisp sound echoed. Everyone immediately saw a red mark on Li Yuan’s face as fresh blood spurted out of him and a large bunch of his teeth fall to the floor. “How… How is this possible?” Everyone stood in their spot dumbfounded and on the verge of going insane. 11 Begging for Mercy In the Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm, one’s muscles, bones and even skin would be tempered, causing one’s strength to soar rapidly! The difference between it and Zhenqi realm was like heaven to earth! Yet, the brat in Zhenqi realm was able to cause a Pigu realm expert to vomit blood with just a single slap. Everyone found the sight unbelievable. [Besides, wasn’t this fellow the last in the sparring during the Teacher Qualification Examination? Why… is he so strong now?] “It must just be a coincidence, do not fear him!” Qian Biao howled. One of the teachers also agreed with what Qian Biao said and charged over. Just like Li Yuan, he had reached Pigu realm advanced stage. His muscles were just like metal tendons and his skin was just like a metal plate, giving an impression of indestructibility. “You shall fall to the ground!” Stepping forward, this teacher lifted his eyebrow and prepared to smack him with his palm. Pah pah! The compression of the air resulted in explosive sonic booms. Facing the other party’s ruthless blows, Zhang Xuan remained calm. With his forefinger and middle finger together, he struck upwards at a slanted angle. Pada! The teacher whose body was like a metal plate felt a slight pain at his armpits before his vision went dark and he collapsed onto the floor. “What?” In two strikes, two Fighter 4-dan teachers were defeated. The remaining two teachers, including Qian Biao, knew that the teacher whom they had been looking down upon wasn’t as simple as they thought to be! “Let’s attack together…” With a loud roar, Qian Biao raised his fist and charged over. However, even before he made a move, Zhang Xuan suddenly appeared right before him. His left-hand grabbed his face while his right-hand poked him lightly. Putong! A pain in the abdomen and Qian Biao collapsed to the floor as well. The moment his body hit the floor, the last teacher whom he teamed up with also fell to the ground and convulsed as though he was epileptic. “You… How did you know all of our mingmen…” With a spurt of fresh blood, Qian Biao stared at the fellow in front of him in fright. He finally understood why even though the other party’s strength was far from them, the results ended in the direct opposite. Their opponent found the mingmen of their cultivation the moment he struck, how could they have possibly expected this and guard against it? All cultivators would tend to have a mingmen as their weakness and the moment it was struck, even if the person striking was a child, it would be possible to kill the person! However, mingmen was the core of a human, thus cultivators would protect it carefully. Even the closest kin would not know where their mingmen is. Although Zhang Xuan did not possess strong cultivation, he seemed to know where their mingmen was and strike at their vitals directly. How could they resist against someone like that? Hearing his words of astonishment, Zhang Xuan smiled without explaining. Of course, it was through the Library of Heaven’s Path. Not only did the Library of Heaven’s Path allowed him to see through flaws in one’s cultivation techniques, he was also able to see the personal problems of the cultivator and his mingmen. They were all written in detail on it. Knowing his opponents’ mingmen and the weaknesses in their skills, even if Zhang Xuan transcended from Earth and still wasn’t very familiar with the skills of this foreign world, it was still a simple task to subdue the four of them. “Since you all chose to accept the bet, you all should have prepared yourself for the consequences of losing the bet. If you all had obediently allowed me to slap you all, we wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble!” Zhang Xuan chuckled. “Zhang Xuan, you don’t need to get gleeful over it! I don’t know what kind of despicable methods you used to find out where our mingmen is to wound me, but as the least experienced teacher, you attacked other teachers in public! Just by this alone, I am able to send a complaint letter to the academy to have your Teacher Qualification revoked…” Qian Biao howled. There were clear levels between teachers in the academy. For lower level teachers to make a move against higher level teachers was an immoral action. Zhang Xuan was young, and he also scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination. Thus, he was considered as one of the least qualified teacher in the academy. For him to wound four people who were more qualified than him, if the academy were to be informed of this incident, there would definitely be an uproar. His Teacher Qualification License being revoked was a small matter, it might be possible for him to be directly expelled! “Why? Since you can’t defeat me using martial arts, you want to try to the rules to suppress me?” Despite facing such threats, Zhang Xuan didn’t seem to be bothered by it. “Indeed!” Li Yuan was also thinking about this. Excitement and cruelty flashed across his eyes, “If you obediently kneel before us now and allow us to beat you up, perhaps when our moods lift, we won’t report the incident. Otherwise, prepare to be fired!” “After being fired from your position, without your identity as a teacher protecting you, no one will say anything even if you are killed!” Another teacher howled. In Tianxuan Kingdom, the teachers of an academy were of high social status. The moment they lost their job, their social status would also fall correspondingly. If so, the few of them would really dare to make a move to kill him. “Since you all want to deal with this using rules, alright, I will also deal with this using rules then!” With a tranquil gaze, he walked a few step to Qian Biao and said, “Qian Biao laoshi, you secretly used Elder Chen Ming’s treasure to please your concubine; three months ago, you embezzled from the school’s fund to buy a house for her; a month ago, when you broke Elder Liu Quan’s most beloved porcelain, you pushed the blame onto a student, causing him to be expelled… Do I need to be recounting all of these matters in front of the school leaders?” “You… you…” Qian Biao’s eyes narrowed as his plump body twitched uncontrollably. An inconceivable fear surged through his entire body. He looked as though he had seen a ghost and was on the verge of going insane. He committed all of those without leaving behind any traces, so no one knew about it. Even his colleagues, Li Yuan and the others, weren’t aware, so this fellow… how did he know about it? Furthermore, with such details? “Li Yuan laoshi, did the female student, whom you robbed of her dignity that resulted in her suicide from three years ago, return as a vengeful spirit to look for you? A few days ago, you grew an acne on your back. Perhaps, this could be her seeking you for revenge!” Ignoring Qian Biao’s terrified expression, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Li Yuan. “Ah…” Hearing those words, Li Yuan hurriedly backed away from fright as his face drained of all color. Three years ago, he was enchanted by a beautiful female student and he humiliated her, causing her to commit suicide from shame. This incident was very covert and except for him, no one knew about it. Due to his conscience acting up against him, throughout the three years, he often dreamt of the other party coming to reap his life as a vengeful spirit. Furthermore, half a month ago, a giant acne in the shape of a human palm grew on his back, scaring him out of his wits. After hearing Zhang Xuan recount this event with great details, his entire body trembled uncontrollably out of overwhelming fear. Putong! His knees lost his strength and he kneeled onto the floor. A sudden pungent smell wafted around the room. To think a Fighter 4-dan advanced stage expert would be frightened to the point of peeing out in public. “Du Chun laoshi, you stole your good brother’s business and even poisoned him to death through toxic wine. Although this incident was inconclusive back then, if rumors were to spread out now, do you think that you can continue being a teacher?” “Bai Lin laoshi, there isn’t any major flaws in your actions. However, due to your interest in antiques, you have accepted many gifts from the students! If I’m not wrong, the ancient jade ring which you wear should be a gift from back then when a student had something to request of you. As for what the request is about and who the student is, do you still need me to go into details?” Looking at the two remaining teachers, Zhang Xuan stated. “You… You are a devil!” “You aren’t human…” The remaining two teachers were also all frightened out of their wits. This time, their stares were full of fear. Those things that they have done, although it might not be impeccable, they were confident that no outsider would know of it. Yet, how could this fellow be so aware of it, it was as though he was a specter! When he defeated them through his skills, they only felt ashamed, but not fear. However, when he revealed all of their secrets, they were truly terrified! It was as though the multiple clothes on them were instantly ripped to shreds, causing them to stand nude in front of everyone else. They could already imagine that when the information leak out, whether they could remain as teachers was already a small affair. In the worst case scenario, they might be sent to the Teacher Court and be killed on the spot! “We were wrong!” “Zhang Xuan laoshi, as a great man, don’t bear grudges against minor figures like us. Please spare us…” …… Trembling, they unwillingly begged for mercy. “I am lazy to bother with what you all did in the past, just stop pissing me off in the future! Also, if you all don’t change and continue committing more vile actions, I won’t mind interfering to ensure that you all would receive punishments proportionate to your crime!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand in disdain. Actually, if these people didn’t get on his nerves, he wouldn’t be bothered with them. The Library of Heaven’s Path was able to peer into all of one’s flaws. Even personality and past actions were counted in its midst, not to mention that this was only a small portion of the entire book. However, he wasn’t the savior of the world, so no matter what they did in the past and do in the future, as long as they did not cross his path, he wouldn’t be concerned with them! What these people should have never done was to find trouble with him and make things difficult for him! [Since you made things difficult for me, I will show you what death looks like! So that you will never dare to think of doing the same the second time!] “We don’t dare, we will never dare to…” “Zhang Xuan laoshi, these are the identity tokens that you wanted. Take as much as you want to…” …… Hearing that he would not expose their past actions, Qian Biao and the rest heaved a sigh of relief. 12 Emperor Bloodline An hour later, Zhang Xuan walked out from the Logistics Branch and his eyes twinkled in excitement. If it had been his previous self, he would have ended up being taken advantage of today. However, with the Library of Heaven’s Path, his life took a complete turn towards another direction. “Perhaps, it is a blessing for me to transcend over! This kind of exciting life is what I hope for!” Zhang Xuan clenched his fist and exhaled a breath of air. In his previous life, he was only a librarian living a plain and simple life that only rotated around the library and his home. Even if he were to continue on like that, he would only continue claiming his salary and continue with his aimless life. However, things were different here. With a great gift package known as the Library of Heaven’s Path, perhaps he would be able to walk further and become stronger. He would be able to live an entirely new and exciting life! At this moment, Zhang Xuan had finally become a part of the world! He no longer struggled in his heart over the dilemma between his homeland and this world. “Don’t pull me. Let me die, I want to die…” Just when he was secretly celebrating, he heard a piercing wail from a distance not too far away. It sounded like a frenzied bull, causing one’s heart to tear in agony. Turning around, he saw a fatty howling that he would charge towards the manmade lake in the academy and commit suicide by jumping into it. Behind the fatty, no one tried to stop him. The fatty himself also didn’t charge forward despite howling non-stop. Suddenly, he turned around and grabbed the palm of a student beside him and put it on himself, making it seem as though the student is pulling him back. Then, he continued howling. “Don’t pull me, let me die. I don’t want to live anymore…” “…” Everyone was speechless. “That’s too shameless!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. This fatty, despite not wanting to die, insisted on portraying a fake image of someone being restrained from committing suicide. He was really shameless. Knowing that this fellow couldn’t possibly die, he couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. Instead, he walked towards his own classroom. Before he could walk far, the howling voice seemed to close in on him as the ground tremored. Following which, a pair of thick arms hugged his leg. “Teacher, I’m begging you, please accept me as your disciple. They all scorn me because of my size and reject me…” The fatty burst into tears. “Let go!” Zhang Xuan was speechless. Wasn’t this fellow too eccentric? Rushing over to beg him to accept him as his disciple upon seeing that he was a teacher, Zhang Xuan had never seen such a person in his life. “Teacher, I will only let go if you accept me!” Tears and snot flowed freely from the multiple facets of the fatty. His voice sounded so sorrowful that even those who were watching from the side started to sympathize with him. “Today, I have already visited over ten teachers, but none of them were willing to accept me. This teacher over here, seeing how pitiful I am, please accept me!” The examinations among the students would also affect a teacher’s evaluation. A plump person like him would tend to have trouble in his battles and his agility. Most renowned teachers would be unwilling to accept him. “If you want me to accept you, you would have to at least show me your abilities. What do you expect to achieve by hugging my leg?” Zhang Xuan said. He possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, so he should have no trouble recruiting students. If this person turned out to be mediocre, Zhang Xuan would not accept him as his disciple. “Teacher, you have to accept me as your disciple. I am quite capable…” The fatty looked up hesitantly before slowly loosening his arms. “We have to see before we know whether you are capable or not. There is no use saying so much!” Seeing how he was still slightly reluctant to release his grip, Zhang Xuan kicked him away scornfully. What was this? It would be one thing for a female student hugging his leg. However, not only was he a male, he was also a fatty… He shivered just by the thought of it. “Fine! Look at my abilities!” The fatty didn’t feel scorned. He stood up and surveyed the surroundings. Then, he carried a few concrete blocks over from a short distance away. After which, lifting one up with his hands, he smashed his head into it. Peng! The concrete block shattered. After which, he carried a few more concrete block and shattered it using his elbow and leg. Without an exception, they all shattered. [This fellow may seem plump, but he is skilled in henglian martial arts.] Ignoring his henglian, Zhang Xuan was currently looking through the book that was automatically compiled in his mind. The skills trained through henglian could also be considered as a type of martial arts. The moment the fatty displayed his prowess, the library began to compile his information. “Yuan Tao, a wandering cultivator in Dihuang City, Fighter 1- dan Juxi Realm Intermediate!” …… “Flaws: 18 aspects. No.1, the Ancient Emperor Bloodline in his body has yet to be awakened! No.2, his foundations are too weak, the martial arts he trains in…” “Emperor Bloodline?” Looking at the records on the book, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. After merging with the memories of the previous owner of the body, he knew that in this world, bloodline and one’s innate body was very important. As long as one possessed either one of the two along with a suitable method to utilize it, their cultivation would soar by leaps and bounds in the future, causing their strength to increase exponentially. There were many types of innate bodies such as Pure Yin Body, Pure Yang Body, Immaculate Body, Golden Body… There were also many types of bloodline such as Ancient Bloodlines, New Bloodlines, inheritances and mutations… Once found, every single one of them would become a target competed over by countless teachers. The Emperor Bloodline which the fatty possessed was one of the Ancient Bloodlines. It was said that when those who possessed such bloodline reached the peak of their cultivation, their body would be impenetrable, no objects in the world would be able to break through their defenses. It was one of the most powerful bloodlines among defense-based bloodlines. [This inconspicuous, fat and shameless fellow actually possessed an Ancient Bloodline?] “His Ancient Bloodline has yet to be awakened. From the looks of it, this fellow doesn’t seem to be aware of it as well.” A glint flashed through Zhang Xuan’s eyes. Of all types of bloodlines, Ancient Bloodlines were quite powerful. For this fellow to not be accepted after visiting a dozen of teachers, it didn’t mean that they were unable to recognize such a bloodline. Rather, his bloodline had yet to be awakened, causing him to be just like any other normal people. Not mentioning how other people weren’t able to discern his bloodline, probably even he himself didn’t know about it! However, even if he didn’t know, he did have the potential in this aspect. His defensive abilities were much stronger than the others and that’s the reason why he chose to train in this kind of ‘punchbag’ martial arts. “I must accept this fellow under my tutelage!” His eyes twinkled. The entire academy might not even witness a single student possessing Ancient Bloodline throughout a course of multiple years. For such a good bud to appear before him, how could he possibly allow him to escape? “Not bad. I will accept you as my student. Come, acknowledge me as your teacher!” Zhang Xuan suppressed the jubilation in his heart and threw an identity token over to him with a calm face. “Teacher, are you really going to accept me? This is great…” The fatty seemed to have taken quite a few mental blows throughout the day. Upon hearing that a teacher was willing to accept him, he was so excited that he cut his finger without second thoughts and squeezed a blood droplet on it. “It seems that the standard of the teacher determines the standard of the students he would accept. When the teacher is trash, the student would also be trash!” At this moment, a cold scorn sounded out. Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw a cold and arrogant young man walking over. There was a beautiful lady walking beside the young man. Her pitch-black silky hair flowed down her shoulders, her pale skin had a creamy texture to it and her eyes captivated the gaze of those looking into it. “Shang Bin? Shen Bi Ru?” Upon seeing the two of them, two names immediately floated into his head. In the entire academy, there were probably no one who would be unaware of Shen Bi Ru! She didn’t have any unique background, but she was publicly acknowledged as a beautiful teacher. Even the school belle would pale in comparison when compared to her. It wouldn’t have meant anything if she was all looks. The crux of it was that she is skilled in teaching as well. Despite being in this academy for less than a year, she had already become one of the most famous teachers in the academy. Noble, elegant, beautiful and intelligent, she attracted the frenzied pursuit of quite a few teachers. Zhang Xuan’s previous self was also one of her pursuers. However, the previous Zhang Xuan was too much of a failure. Not mentioning his weak cultivation, he was also the last in all kinds of examinations. Due to his low self-esteem, even though he was interested in her, he had never talked to the goddess of his heart, needless to say, courted her. This young man was called Shang Bin and he was the grandson of the academy’s Elder Shang. He was also one of her pursuers and he had used his identity to suppress the other pursuers. He seemed to have received word from some source that Zhang Xuan was also interested in Shen Bi Ru, prompting him to insult him whenever they meet, sometimes even resorting to physical violence. However, Shen Bi Ru didn’t seem to be interested in him. All along, she had been cold to everyone, as though she wasn’t interested in anyone at else, leaving Shang Bin distressed and helpless. “Who are you insulting as trash?” Hearing Shang Bin’s unrestrained sarcasm, Zhang Xuan didn’t get angry and turned around to look over. “Trash is insulting to you!” Shang Bin smiled contemptuously. “Oh, so ‘trash’ is insulting to me. So smelly, so smelly!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand in front of his nose, putting on a disgusted expression. “You…” Only now did Shang Bin react. Being made fun of by the worst teacher in the academy, his face turned red. Emperor Bloodline <-> 龙犀血脉 (Longxi Bloodline) In ancient China, they believe in like ‘looking at one’s facial features to determine one’s future’. Naturally, there’s a face for one destined for nobility as well. One of these noble faces is this Longxi face, which is usually termed as the face of an Emperor. This fellow may seem plump, but he is skilled in Henglian martial arts. TL: Henglian (横练) is a way of training and literally means ‘training through brute strength‘. There are 3 main ways of training in martial arts, Wenlian, Wulian and Henglian. According to baidu, the three different way of training will lead the martial artists to different peaks. Henglian refers to a method which uses ‘smashing of one’s body onto a hard object’ in order to train their body parts. Even today, Henglian is still used as a way of training by a few (like the Iron Head Skills, they smash their head on solid objects from young) 13 Shameless Studen Upon hearing those words, the ice-cold Shen Bi Ru smiled faintly. Although this roundabout manner of insulting another meant nothing on Earth, it was an incomparably novel concept here. Seeing the expression on his goddess, Shang Bin felt that he was being mocked. His face flushed in a moment and paled in the next. However, in front of the female goddess, he was determined to uphold decorum, thus he didn’t dare to attack Zhang Xuan directly. “Why? Is there something wrong with my words?” Suppressing his anger, Shang Bin sneered. “There isn’t a single person who doesn’t know what your standards are in the entire academy! This fatty came to my classroom previously. Fat like a pig, he only knows how to defend and nothing else! The strength behind his fist is only a mere 15 kilograms! He must be either the first or second from the bottom in the entrance examination, so if he isn’t trash, what is he?” Even though he couldn’t teach Zhang Xuan a lesson physically, he was resolute to strike a blow onto him through his words. “The first from the bottom in the entrance examination?” Zhang Xuan only paid attention to the Emperor Bloodline and wasn’t aware of such a situation. He turned around to look at the fatty. “Who says that I am the first from the bottom?” The fatty retorted confidently. Then, he scratched his head in embarrassment, “I am only… the 9997th place!” “9997th place? Only?” A faint spell afflicted Zhang Xuan and he almost vomited blood. Hongtian Academy only accepted 10000 students every year. Although it recruited so many people every year, there were always several students who failed to report due to several reasons. 9997th place, it was almost as good as being in the last place, alright! [Besides… With such a low ranking, how can you still be so confident…] Zhang Xuan felt as though he hadn’t fully woken up. “It can’t be that you accept anyone who is a student?” Shang Bin sneered once again. Then, flinging his sleeves, an arrogant look appeared on his face as he declared, “I have a clear requirement when accepting students. I don’t accept anyone who is below the 500th in rank! The teacher who is first from the bottom and the student who is first from the bottom… How compatible! Haha!” “Are you done talking?” Towards his mockery, Zhang Xuan simply shook his head, “Now that you’re done, you can leave!” Previously, he had examined Yuan Tao clearly with the Library of Heaven’s Path. That fatty was a wandering cultivator, so it was normal for him to know no cultivation technique and martial arts. As long as he found a way to awaken his Emperor Bloodline, his cultivation would definitely soar by leaps and bounds. “You…” If it was someone else, being mocked to such an extent, they would definitely be trembling from anger. However, this fellow didn’t even bat an eyelid to it. For Shang Bin’s attack to land on thin air, his face turned even uglier. “It seems that a rotten wood cannot be carved!” After a cold humph, Shang Bin looked at Shen Bi Ru beside him and said, “Bi Ru laoshi, let’s go. If we stay with this kind of trash for too long, we would be contaminated by them!” Hearing Shang Bin’s direct sarcasm, Shen Bi Ru frowned and chose not to leave with him. Instead, she turned around, “Zhang Xuan laoshi!” Her voice was like an oriole, clear and enchanting, stirring up complex emotions in its listeners. “Hm?” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that the academy’s prettiest teacher would initiate a conversation with him, he was taken aback. “Although the previous time you… didn’t score so well for your Teacher Qualification Examination, do not give up on yourself. Work hard and you will find yourself rewarded in the end!” Shen Bi Ru nodded her head. From her point of view, Zhang Xuan accepting one of the worst students meant that he didn’t hold any hope and had given up on himself. Towards this ex-pursuer of hers, even if she didn’t fancy him, she didn’t hope to see him wallowing in his failures. “Thank you for your advice!” He knew that the other party was truly concerned for him. Zhang Xuan nodded his head and explained, “This student, although he might not be anything now, he could turn out to be a jade. As long as I guide him properly, it isn’t impossible for him to shine!” “Un!” Shen Bi Ru didn’t speak any further and instead started to walk away. She thought that Zhang Xuan’s explanation was only an excuse. Given Yuan Tao’s size and his lack of basic knowledge at his age, there was bound to be a limit to his future achievements. “Darn it!” Seeing the goddess of his heart talking to the worst teacher in the academy and even motivating him, Shang Bin’s face distorted savagely. The inferno in his heart raged as he stared at Zhang Xuan coldly before following behind Shen Bi Ru. “Bi Ru, it is better for you to avoid contact with this kind of people, it will sully your flawless disposition…” “Shang laoshi, I am a little tired today and would like to rest. I hope that you do not follow me…” Before Shang Bin could finish his words, Shen Bi Ru turned around to leave. “Damn it, damn it! Zhang Xuan, just you wait. I will definitely get back at you for this!” He watched as his goddess walk further and further away before she disappeared from sight. At this moment, he had already directed all of his anger towards Zhang Xuan. In his opinion, if it wasn’t for that inauspicious fellow, the goddess would definitely have dinner with him. How could it be possible for her to turn around to leave? ……………………………… “Since you have acknowledged me as your teacher, you must know where my classroom is!” After the both of them left, Zhang Xuan turned his attention away from them and called out to the fatty. “Great!” The fatty hurriedly stood up and smiled at him. “Teacher, now that I am your student, can you tell me which teacher are you in the academy?” Hearing his words, Zhang Xuan grabbed his forehead. This fellow, to think that he acknowledged whichever teacher he managed to set his eyes upon, not even clarifying Zhang Xuan’s identity beforehand. “I am Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan said. “Zhang Xuan laoshi? The Zhang laoshi who scored… first from the bottom for the Teacher Qualification Examination, not to mention a zero…” At this moment, fatty finally realized who he acknowledged as his teacher. The fats on his body trembled as his lip twitched. All he was lacking now is tears. “That’s me!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Ah… That, Zhang laoshi!” Fatty scratched his head. “Seeing how I am weak and dim-witted, not to mention fat, why don’t you… take me out from your lessons!” Zhang Xuan: “…” “Teacher, I am being serious over here. The two teachers from a moment ago have also said it. If you don’t expel me from your tutelage, your reputation would be sullied. I am afraid of pulling you down with me…” Fatty continued. “I am not afraid of being pulled down. Besides, now that we have verified our relationship through the identity token, I only have a sentence for you. You will live as my student and die as my student. Stop talking about useless things here!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand. “I…” Fatty’s face distorted and he was on the verge of crying. Due to his weakness, he wanted to acknowledge a good student, so that his future could be boundless. However, never would he dream that the last place student would be paired with the last place teacher. [Why is my life so difficult…] “Alright, this is my classroom. Now, claim your bedding and remember to come to lessons punctually tomorrow!” Zhang Xuan said impatiently. “This classroom…” Looking at the size of the classroom, fatty found himself on the verge of tears yet again. Even the locations where he underwent the entrance examination previously were much bigger than this. A classroom of this size probably couldn’t hold many students! “Teacher, if I… don’t come tomorrow, would you expel me?” Fatty was still bearing illusions in his mind. “Expel? That I won’t. However, I will throw you into the lake which you wanted to jump into to feed the turtles!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head seriously. “Didn’t I say it? You will live as my student and die as my student. Relax, I will fulfill the role of my teacher and bury you properly…” “Teacher!” Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, he was interrupted by fatty. With a serious face and unwavering will in his eyes, he said, “What time do we start lessons tomorrow? I will come in advance to clean the classroom! It is my honor to meet such a great teacher. In the future, no matter who wants to admit me as their disciple, I will reject them firmly and reprimand them…” Zhang Xuan: “…” Initially, Zhang Xuan thought that he himself was shameless. However, he didn’t expect that his student would be even more shameless than he was! 14 Cultivation Technique It wasn’t easy for Zhang Xuan to arrange everything properly with fatty and send him away. Only then did he realize that the sun was already setting in the west and it was about to turn dark soon. “Looks like I’ll only have five students!” He shook his head. Today was the last day to recruit students. Judging from the current time, it was probably the end of the recruitment. Initially, he thought that he wouldn’t even recruit a student. He didn’t expect that he would end up pulling five students in. For a teacher who scored the worst in the Teacher Qualification Examination, it wasn’t a bad result. Closing the doors to the classroom, Zhang Xuan followed the path back to his room based on his memory. As a teacher of the academy, he had a dormitory room of his own. However, it was only a small room of around a dozen meter square large. Soon, he reached the dormitory. Pushing the door open and looking at the sight within, he couldn’t help but sigh. His previous self really had it bad. Not mentioning how the room was small, it was extremely humid. Mold was growing on some of the bedding and such. He really had no idea how that fellow managed to survive like this. “Let’s forget about this first. Lessons are going to start tomorrow so I have to first ascertain my level of cultivation and try training a bit!” Since he wasn’t hungry now anyway, Zhang Xuan followed the method he recalled in his memories and sat with crossed legs on the bed. As a transcender, although he had inherited the memories of his previous self and wasn’t foreign to cultivating, he was still quite excited at the thought of growing stronger. After he was done with the recruitment, it was about time for him to solidify his cultivation. No matter what, in this world, strength reigned supreme. The Library of Heaven’s Path was capable of identifying other’s mingmen and flaws, allowing him to easily break through the defenses of opponents of the same level. However, if his enemy was much stronger than he was, even if he was able to identify the gaps in their attacks, he would be unable to keep up with them speed-wise. Before he could injure his opponent, he might already have been severed into multiple pieces like a lab rat. Thus, even though the Library of Heaven’s Path was formidable, it didn’t ensure his invincibility. If he wanted to become stronger, cultivation was the way to go! “The cultivation technique of my previous self is called the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula! It is a skill created by the founder of Hongtian Academy. The skill consists of nine dans, with each of the dan corresponding to the cultivation realm of the cultivator!” He recalled the skill memorized in his head. There were nine dans to a cultivator and every level opened up a new realm. The higher one climbed, the harder it was to cultivate. Hongtian Nine Dan Formula was one of the most common cultivation technique in Hongtian Academy. It also consisted of nine dans which corresponded to the cultivator’s nine dans. “Right now, I am the weakest of all of the teachers in the academy!” In the academy, almost all teachers have reached Fighter 4- dan, leaving him to be the only 3-dan. Thus, he had to train harder to catch up to them. Following the exhalation method in his memory, he focused his concentration. In an instant, countless bright particles appeared before him as he slowly inhaled and exhaled while absorbing them. Gradually, the zhenqi within his dantian enriched. After cultivating for an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and shook his head. “This is way too slow!” Even though he had inherited the memories of his previous self, his consciousness still remained that of an earthling. He found it difficult to be sitting still to cultivate for long periods of time. Especially upon viewing the process of the gathering of zhenqi, he felt even more helpless. Gathering zhenqi referred to the action of pulling and gathering in of the spirit particles in the air and suppressing them together. Just like the stacking of logs, they would be accumulated to form a river. This was an extremely huge project. There were some cultivators who persisted in it every day without fail and filled up their dantian within three years to break into higher realms. It was a work that required accumulation over time. To cultivate so blandly for multiple years? You might as well kill him! “Oh, that’s right! Although the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula is the most popular cultivation technique in the academy, it isn’t the strongest one. I can use the Library of Heaven’s Path to seek out its flaws and find a way to correct them. Once I correct the flaws, won’t my training be much more efficient?” A thought popped into his mind. There were different tiers to cultivation technique as well. Better cultivation technique allowed one to cultivate faster while the weak ones caused one to cultivate at a slower pace. Could it be that the better cultivation technique had fewer flaws, causing the difference between the two? Other people might be unable to improve their cultivation technique, but Zhang Xuan was different. With the Library of Heaven’s Path on hand, he could make use of it to seek out the flaws in it and think of a way to correct them. If he were to create a cultivation technique where even the Library of Heaven’s Path was unable to find a flaw in, wouldn’t his cultivation speed soar significantly? At this point, Zhang Xuan stood up, placed the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula on his palm and started flipping through it. Hu! Just as he expected, the library in his mind jolted and a book with the exact same name appeared in it. Opening the book gently, he realized that there were countless flaws on the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula on it, numbering more than a thousand! “This is the skill that I was training with a moment ago?” Zhang Xuan was shocked. Just a simple 3-dan and there were countless flaws in it, wasn’t this way too much! It was just like eating a vegetable full of worms! Zhang Xuan felt that it was already incredible that his cultivation hadn’t disappeared after training in that skill. “What about the other cultivation techniques?” As a teacher, there were quite a few books in his room, “Supreme Four Inscription”, “Heaven Meridian Technique”, “Lotus Acupoint Breakthrough Might”… As he casually picked each of them and flipped through them, the library would automatically compile a corresponding book on it that recorded all kinds of flaws in the skill. For these skills, the flaws that were recorded exceeded 3000! That was even scarier than the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula! “This… Won’t I die out of exhaustion while searching for a way to correct all of those?” After taking a look, Zhang Xuan felt like he was about to go mad from frustration. It was hard to find a correct path when there were more than a thousand flaws in a secret manual. It was like having a thousand different paths before you and each of which have countless divergence to them. Even if the Library of Heaven’s Path was capable of ascertaining whether the path is right or not, finding the most accurate path would definitely tire him to death! “Right now, my cultivation is at Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi Pinnacle, just a little bit away from breaking through. Right now, I only have to find the flaw in the secret manual regarding this aspect and correct it!” Upon seeing the countless mistakes in Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, he knew that it was impossible for him to resolve them in a short period of time. Thus, he flipped the manual to the very last page. It was difficult to train in the Fighter 3-dan, but the last step to breaking through was significantly easier. As he expected, there were only ten flaws in this page. “Error in the method in sensing the spirit in the air, error in manipulating the flow of spirit particles, error in guiding the gathered spirit to flow through the Yangwei Meridian…” The ten flaws written here were detailed clearly. The Library of Heaven’s Path only recorded flaws, it didn’t list methods on resolving them. It wasn’t easy to search for the correct path one should take. “Right! It seems that the parts of the Fighter 3-dan breakthrough method in the other books have different flaws from this!” A thought flashed through his mind as he recalled what was written in the other secret manuals. Thus, he flipped through the other books to view the portion of it about breaking through the Zhenqi realm. It was indeed as he recalled. Although there were mistakes in those as well, their errors were in different aspects. “If it isn’t demarcated as an error, then it should be correct…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed pen and paper and jotted down the correct portion of each of them. Soon, a new cultivation method appeared before him. “Let’s see if there are errors in this!” With a faint smile, he grabbed the book that he had just written and the Library of Heaven’s Path jolted once more. A similar book appeared, just that this time, there’s only one error in it. After researching for a moment longer, he corrected this final error and used the Library of Heaven’s Path to ascertain once again. Indeed, all of the errors have been filled up and it was in its perfect form. “This is the most precise method to break through the Fighter 3-dan realm! Let me give it a try!” Looking at the contents he wrote himself, Zhang Xuan nodded his head excitedly. He hurriedly got into position and started to cultivate. “Relax my body and allow my pores to open, as though I am sinking into a tub of spirit air. Every single pore of mine is a complete lifeform by itself, breathing by its own will…” Tzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Cultivating through this method, although he wasn’t very used to it at the start, it didn’t take long for him to feel the spirit in the surrounding surge into him. The spirit absorbed by a single pore might not be much, but when all of the pores of a body were undergoing the same process concurrently, the absorption speed was one to behold. The spirit in the air gathered like a flowing river, forming a giant flood in his body and rushing towards his dantian. Boom! An explosion echoed from his spirit sea. Initially, he was just a step away to breaking through his bottleneck. At the current moment, zhenqi overflowed from his dantian and coursed through his entire body, enriching his muscles and bones, generating a refreshing sensation. Fighter 4-dan, Pigu realm! “This… this is too fast!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened. Based on what was recorded on the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, he would need to take at least three to five months to break through, and this would still require a certain amount of luck. After slightly modifying the skill to correct the flaws on it, how long did he take in comparison? Ten minutes? Five minutes? Probably, he didn’t even take three minutes to successfully achieve a breakthrough! This… Furthermore, despite only correcting the breakthrough method for Fighter 3-dan Pinnacle, the purity of the zhenqi he absorbed was incomparably pure, containing much more power as compared to the ones he cultivated in the past! If the zhenqi he cultivated in the past was sloppy mud, then this wave was a clear spring water without any impurities in it. There were also different tiers to zhenqi, superior, intermediate and inferior. The higher the quality, the more clear it would be and the further one would be able to climb in the future! In the past, the zhenqi he cultivated was murky and probably of inferior quality. The ones he was cultivating was so clear that you could see through it. Most probably, it was zhenqi of superior quality. “Didn’t they say that… if one wants to cultivate superior zhenqi, they would require a God or Saint cultivation technique?” There were different tiers to a cultivation technique as well, namely God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom and Mortal. In each tier, they were classified further into inferior, intermediate, superior and pinnacle. Based on rumors among cultivators, one would need at least a saint cultivation technique in order to cultivate superior zhenqi. Hongtian Nine Dan Formula was the lowest mortal cultivation technique, so how could it cultivate zhenqi of such quality? “It is the Library of Heaven’s Path!” Zhang Xuan clenched his fist. He was still cultivating the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, but as he managed to avoid the mistakes recorded on it and followed the correct path upwards, he was able to gather superior zhenqi. [It seems that… what is recorded on the Library of Heaven’s Path is accurate. The Hongtian Nine Dan Formula is indeed too far from perfection.] “If so, with the help of the Library of Heaven’s Path, can it be possible for me to create a book of saint or even god cultivation technique?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes twinkled. 15 Heaven’s Path Divine Ar Needless to say, Hongtian Academy or even those top sects, might not even have god or saint cultivation technique. Besides, even they have it, it was hidden deep inside the sect and normal people would be unable to obtain it. What he wanted to do was to create such a skill, so that his training would be more efficient so as to hasten the rate of the rise of his cultivation by leaps and bounds! “I don’t have any 4-dan cultivation method. Let me go to the Teacher Compendium Pavilion to take a look!” Practicing the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, the cultivator could only retrieve the secret manual for the next realm after breaking through their current realm. At this moment, he only had the cultivation method for 3-dan. He had yet to see the one for 4-dan. Walking out, the sun hadn’t set for too long and there were still quite a few passerby on the road. The bright moonlight reflected on the surface of the pavement, dying it with a layer of silver. A few couples who had just tasted the forbidden fruit were snuggling under the tree as they whispered sweet nothings to one another. Even so, the surroundings have a serene atmosphere. Zhang Xuan didn’t bother himself with these. Instead, he hastened his footsteps and soon, a giant pavilion appeared before him. The Compendium Pavilion was split into two main sectors: teacher and student. Within it lied the compendium of all kinds of secret manuals and cultivation techniques. It was one of the most important locations in the entire academy. “Elder Mo!” Walking to the entrance, he bowed to an elderly who was sitting at a proximity from the great door. Elder Mo was one of the guardians of the Compendium Pavilion. It was unknown what realm he had reached, but it was said that he was ranked among the top in the academy in terms of his strength. However, as he hadn’t fought for many years, no one could tell his actual strength for sure. “You’re here! You have reached Fighter 4-dan?” Elder Mo looked over and stroked his sparse beard. “It is just luck!” Zhang Xuan didn’t try to conceal the fact that he had reached Fighter 4-dan. “Good, good. Train harder, the academy still needs young blood like you!” Elder Mo nodded his head in satisfaction. “Yes!” Zhang Xuan didn’t continue speaking and instead, lifted his leg to walk into the room. The moment he left, Elder Mo shook his head and lamented, “He is a good child, just that he is lacking a little in talent and is slightly too slow in his cultivation!” Other cultivators took around two years to break through Fighter 3-dan whereas Zhang Xuan took a whole three years to do so. His talent was indeed subpar. “Upon reaching Fighter 4-dan, if he were to train properly, he should still be able to become an average teacher. Just that, I hope he doesn’t score too badly for his Teacher Qualification Examination the next time…” After muttering for a bit, Elder Mo didn’t go on any further and shut his eyes once more. Zhang Xuan was one of the more polite ones among the numerous young teachers. He didn’t really like him, but neither did he dislike him. It was just that he found it lamentable for him to be lacking in talent. Oblivious to the mutterings of Elder Mo, Zhang Xuan walked into the Compendium Pavilion. Although the Hongtian Academy’s Compendium Pavilion was of significant size, nowhere paling in comparison to the working location of his previous life, it was still much smaller than the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind. The two weren’t even on the same level. He walked quickly to the cultivation technique section and to the fourth row of it. Indeed, the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula 4-dan cultivation technique was in here. Reaching out to grab it, he casually flipped through it. Hu! A similar secret manual appeared in his mind. Taking a look, it was around the same as the one for 3-dan, there were more than a thousand flaws. “There are other secret manuals here as well. Let me take a look at them as well!” After the prior experience with breaking through, Zhang Xuan didn’t focus on the flaws in it and instead looked towards the bookshelf before him. On the bookshelf of the fourth row, there was an amazing amount of different kinds of cultivation technique manuals. They were all cultivation techniques for 4-dan and there were quite plenty of notes and explanations in them left behind by predecessors. Just by a rough look, there were around a few thousand of them. If it was someone else, their eyes would definitely blur from the sight. After all, there were so many books with countless notes left in them. Furthermore, some of the theories for the cultivation techniques are at ends with each other, so it was hard to gauge whether which one was the right one. If one were to randomly cultivate without knowing better, it was possible for them to go berserk. However, Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was capable of telling which one was the right one. He didn’t hesitate to grab a book and flip through it. Hu! A similar book appeared in his mind. Zhang Xuan didn’t stop and picked up the next one. He wasn’t browsing through them nor picking them. Rather, he was trying to increase the number of books in the Library of Heaven’s Path, so that he could derive a more precise cultivation method. Hualala! The sound of flipping pages filled the entire room. “A weak will. Impatient and unrealistic!” Hearing those words, Elder Mo frowned. Since Zhang Xuan had already chosen to cultivate in the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, then he shouldn’t think about any other skills. He should make use of the time to copy the formula for the 4-dan, so that he could analyze it and start training. Although it was possible to make use the strengths of others to make up for the flaws of one, the more miscellaneous knowledge one read, the easier it was for one to get impatient and rash. In the end, it was a small thing if he achieved nothing in the end. If things go wrong, it was very possible for him to go berserk and ruin his cultivation! Thirty years ago, a talented genius blessed with great talents who thought he was much greater than others insisted on looking through the various cultivation techniques to create an ultimate one tailored to him. In the end, due to reading too many manuals, he became uncertain of the route he should walk on and his cultivation went berserk. As an individual, he became insane as well. Being greedy would cause indigestion! This was the absolute truth and reality. For him to take three years to break through Zhenqi realm, his talent was apparent. With such talent, he should just obediently cultivate 4-dan of Hongtian Nine Dan Formula. Yet, he chose to flip through other manuals. Was he just trying to seek for something thrilling? With one look, one could tell he was an unrealistic fellow! The good impression that he held towards Zhang Xuan disappeared without a trace. “Putting on a show just to obtain the fleeting praises of the crowd!” After a cold harrumph, he realized that Zhang Xuan was just casually flipping through without taking a careful look at them. Elder Mo’s eyebrows knitted even closer together and he felt a little disgusted with him. If one were to study those manual closer, even though they were being unrealistic, they would still obtain some knowledge on them. However, this fellow simply and casually flipped through it and given the speed he flipped at, even Elder Mo himself was unable to look through the contents properly. If so, what could a lad who had just reached Fighter 4-dan see? Now, he was truly putting on a show to obtain the fleeting praises of the crowd! “The academy’s culture is really degenerating, getting worse with each passing generation!” After those words, he shut his eyes, refusing to bother with this unrealistic fellow anymore. “I’m done!” His pace of browsing was extremely fast. He was able to finish flipping through a normal manual in just one or two breaths. In two hours, he finished browsing through all of the cultivation manuals and thousands of identical books had appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. “Time to return to assess them!” Knowing that his aim had been achieved, he smiled and walked towards the outside without hesitation. “You aren’t going to copy any notes?” Seeing him leaving empty-handed, Elder Mo couldn’t resist asking. [Even if he is unrealistic, he should at least copy the secret manual, so that he can analyze it after returning to his living quarters. Coming and leaving empty-handed, are you coming here to play?] “It’s okay, I am actually just taking a casual look…” Unsure about what the other party was thinking about, Zhang Xuan smiled and took his leave. “Taking a casual look? Frivolous! The academy should punish this fellow! How can such a frivolous person be a teacher!” Elder Mo waved his hand in anger. Cultivation manuals were the core of every cultivator and every cultivator should hold some respect towards them. However, this fellow only came to take a look and returned back after casually flipping through them. His behavior was unacceptable! Looks like he should have a talk with the principal to deal with these teachers who were sullying the culture of the academy. Returning back to his living quarters, Zhang Xuan took out pen and papers and flipped through the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula 4-dan manual to copy down the correct portions of it. Then, he took out another book and copied down the correct portions as well. After flipping through a few of them, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples. It was actually quite troublesome and tiring to flip through a few thousand books like that. It wasn’t as simple as he thought it would be. Just when he was thinking about how he could hasten his pace, his mind suddenly jolted again. The thousands of book that was just compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path crumpled and slowly merged as one. Weng! The few thousand books merged together completely with a crisp sound to form a single book. There wasn’t any name on the book. Zhang Xuan casually flipped through it. “This… is the compilation of the correct routes in the few thousand secret manuals?” After taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan’s face flushed red from excitement. Previously, he was still troubled by how he could find the correct route out of a few thousand of books. It would have been an arduous task taking a long period of time. Never in his dreams would he expect that the library would compile it automatically! “This book… there isn’t a single flaw in it!” The nameless book was the compilation of all of the correct cultivation route and there wasn’t a single flaw in it. The contents of it were no longer Hongtian Nine Dan Formula or any one of the individual manual that was compiled into it. It could be said to be something no one had ever seen before. “Since it is the correct method chosen and compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path, let’s call it 【Heaven’s Path Divine Art】!” A thought flashed through his mind and he decided on the name of the nameless manual. Weng! As though sensing his thoughts, the empty cover trembled and four words appeared on it. Heaven’s Path Divine Art! 16 Cleansing Muscles and Bones “Let me give it a try!” After obtaining a cultivation technique without any flaws, Zhang Xuan didn’t hesitate to follow the method recorded in the Heaven’s Path Divine Art and starts to meditate. The pores on his body widened as he absorbed spirit energy from the air into his body. Fighter 4-dan. 1-dan Juxi, 2-dan Dantian, 3-dan Zhenqi, 4-dan Pigu. Juxi realm, cultivators would learn innate breathing and sensing of spirit in the air. Also, they would gain the ability to look into their body and control the flow of spirit energy in their body with their mind. Dantian realm, the opening up of a cultivator’s dantian to allow it to hold spirit energy as well as to reform his body, turning a normal human into a true Fighter. Zhenqi realm, the gathering of the spirit energy in the dantian to create zhenqi. Pigu realm, the zhenqi-filled Dantian would overflow and enrich one’s body, causing the cultivator’s physical body to become powerful. The capabilities of their organs would also be strengthened, thus turning them into true experts. The first three dans of a Fighter were the building of foundations. Only at the 4-dan did the result of one’s cultivation truly reflected on one’s body, causing one to stray away from illnesses and become stronger. The cultivation method of Hongtian Nine Dan Manual was to make use of the zhenqi overflowing from the dantian to nourish one’s body, thus reforming and tempering one’s bones, muscles, tendons and skin. However, the Heaven’s Path Divine Art was different. It used the spirit energy from the surrounding to nourish one’s body while having the zhenqi in one’s body overflow to the other parts of the body at the same time. Gugugugu! The stream of spirit energy flowed through his veins towards his entire body. The zhenqi would mend and fill up the incomplete parts as it flowed through his veins. Gezhi! Gezhi! It didn’t take long for the infusion of both spirit energy and zhenqi to strengthen his bones and muscles. It felt as though it had been tempered with concentrated fire as it turned clear, emitting a warm glow. Boom! After the zhenqi circulated around his body for an unknown number of times, his body suddenly jolted and he felt as though he had broken through a certain bottleneck. A surge of relaxation gushed through his body. Previously, his body felt as though it had been bound by some shackles but now, his entire body felt light and he had perfect control over every single motion of his. It felt as though he had broken through his cocoon to be reborn as a butterfly. “Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm… I have finished cultivating in this realm?” Opening his eyes, Zhang Xuan was still in a state of disbelief. The sign of breaking through the Pigu realm was the destruction of the shackles of one’s body, allowing one to ascend into greater heights. How long had he been training? Two hours? Four hours? “Pungent!” Curious, he looked at his body and realized that there was a layer of filth on the surface of his skin. Pigu realm was the nourishment of one’s body using zhenqi, expelling the impurities within one’s body and cleansing one’s muscles and bones, thus reforming their body. From birth, humans would ingest all kinds of food for survival. As a result, they would accumulate more and more impurities in their body. In the Pigu realm, through the nourishment of zhenqi, one cleansed their body of impurities and only then were they able to break through the shackles of their body and return back to nature. “I have long heard of the Pigu realm, but… I have never seen anyone who can expel so much impurities!” Smelling the pungent smell from his body, Zhang Xuan couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed a pail and cleaned himself while muttering under his breath. Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm was the cleansing of one’s muscles and bones. It was already not bad for one to strengthen their body just by a small bit in one sitting. He had never heard of a person expelling so much impurities that their entire body would stink from it. Very quickly, he finished cleaning himself. At this moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly realized that his body was as clear as a jade and as smooth as a mirror. All of the scars which he accumulated from his previous training sessions have disappeared without a trace. Right now, he was just like a newborn infant, perhaps even smoother than a newborn infant. “My zhenqi…” Surprised by the changes in his body, his attention turned to his dantian. His entire body trembled. The murky zhenqi that was in his dantian previously had turned to become as clear and water and it was emitting refreshing fragrance. Without a doubt, it was definitely superior zhenqi! “Not only is my body enhanced, even the quality of my zhenqi has improved. This… Heaven’s Path Divine Art is too powerful!” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. To break through Pigu realm, others have to continually nourish their body for at least a few years. However, he took less than four hours to break through the realm directly. Not only so, the quality of his zhenqi had also been refined. Exactly what kind of secret manual had the Library of Heaven’s Path created? This was way too powerful! “Let me test my strength! Upon breaking through Pigu realm, one would reach Fighter 5-dan Dingli. The moment a cultivator steps into this realm, they will possess one ding of strength!” He walked over to the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar, which was just a few dozen meters away from the dormitory. This kind of Strength Measuring Rock Pillar could be found around the academy so as to allow the students to measure their strength anytime and anywhere. Upon reaching Fighter 5-dan Dingli, one would possess one ding of strength, which was around a thousand kilograms. This kind of strength already exceeded the limits of an ordinary human and was on par with horses and bulls. After practicing the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan’s body had been reformed and he had broken through the Pigu realm. This was an opportunity for him to test how much strength the possessed. Would it be like in the rumors, that he would possess one ding of strength? Gathering and controlling his breath, the sole of the feet clutched onto the ground. Suddenly, his knees sprang forth and his entire body immediately took on the shape of a giant bow while his arm burst forth from him like an arrow. Peng! His fist struck on the stone pillar and a glint of light flowed on it. “5 ding!” A number appeared on it. “How… how… is this possible?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and a dumbfounded look covered his entire face. Is this for real? For a normal dingli primary stage, one would possess one ding of strength. In the intermediate stage, one would possess two ding of strength. In the advanced stage, three ding of strength and in the pinnacle, four ding of strength! Yet, despite barely breaking through the Pigu realm to Dingli realm, he actually possessed five ding of strength… What was going on? Wasn’t this too exaggerated! “It must be due to the nourishment of my body by the Heaven’s Path Divine Art and the superior zhenqi in my body…” After a short moment, Zhang Xuan recovered from the shock and infers. He was very clear that he wasn’t a genius. The only explanation for it was the Heaven’s Path Divine Art which he had just cultivated with. Not only did this cultivation technique tempered and reformed his physical body, and cleansed his zhenqi, raising it to superior quality, it also increased his strength significantly, thus granting him the strength beyond that of Dingli pinnacle expert despite just reaching the Dingli realm. Fearsome! “There are only a few esteemed teacher in the academy who reached Fighter 5-dan!” In the academy, only some of the higher level teachers possessed the strength of a Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm. People like Cao Xiong and him could never hope to reach such heights. “Now that I have reached this level, I should go and look for the cultivation technique for 5-dan…” While his strength soared rapidly, a problem arose. The multitude of 4-dan cultivation techniques that he flipped through in the Teacher Compendium Pavilion previously were useless now. If he wanted to continue cultivating, he had to look for 5-dan cultivation techniques. “Right now, it isn’t too late. The Teacher Compendium Pavilion shouldn’t be closed yet…” Scratching his head, Zhang Xuan walked over the Compendium Pavilion once more. In order to prevent people from getting greedy and hasty in their training, the academy imposed a rule that one could only view cultivation techniques that corresponded to the level of their cultivation. It didn’t take long for Zhang Xuan to arrive at the Compendium Pavilion once more. “Why are you here again?” Seeing that it’s the same guy from a moment ago, the custodian, Elder Mo, frowned. This impractical fellow just left the pavilion not long ago. Why was he back again? “Elder Mo, I would like to view the cultivation technique for 5-dan!” Zhang Xuan was a little awkward. He couldn’t possibly say that he broke through after leaving for just a short moment! If he were to say that, the other fellow would either kill him or kidnap him to examine him like a lab rat. There wasn’t much of a change in zhenqi between Pigu realm and Dingli realm. As long he didn’t manipulate his zhenqi, it was difficult for even experts to tell the difference. Elder Mo might be strong, but it was inconceivable to him that this youth might have broken to greater heights in the short moment he was gone. “5-dan cultivation technique? What do you want it for?” Elder Mo’s face darkened. His final sliver of appreciation towards his fellow disappeared. He didn’t copy any notes on the 4-dan cultivation technique and didn’t try to cultivate it. Yet, he was back now to look at the 5-dan? What kind of joke was this! “Elder Mo, it is like this. Today, I accepted a student and his parent asked me some questions about 5-dan cultivation. I was unable to answer it, causing him to look down on me. Thus… I would like to take a look and derive an answer to it. This way, I would be able to deal with these questions in the future!” Zhang Xuan had already thought of an excuse beforehand. “Some parents are indeed troublesome to deal with!” Hearing this explanation, Elder Mo nodded his head. With a solemn expression, he said, “You can take a look, but do not cultivate them by any means! If you try to cultivate 5-dan without even breaking through 4-dan, even deities would be unable to save you when you go berserk!” “Yes, I understand that!” Zhang Xuan hurriedly replied. “Alright, enter!” Elder Mo waved his hand and closed his eyes. “The 5-dan cultivation technique are on the very last row!” “Yes!” Zhang Xuan hurriedly entered. “Hypocritical! Vain!” After entering, Elder Mo added two more words to his evaluation of Zhang Xuan. 17 Assassination [So what if the parents ask about it? You are the lowest level teacher, it is normal that you can’t answer their questions! So, in order to put on a show, you specially came here to view the 5-dan cultivation technique. If this isn’t being hypocritical and vain, then what is?] “Tomorrow, I will look for the principal and have this unrealistic fellow expelled!” Scoffing coldly in his heart, Old Mo’s mind was resolute. [Leaving such a vain fellow who doesn’t cultivate properly in the academy will just sully the culture of the academy!] Zhang Xuan didn’t know that the two meetings with Elder Mo have placed him in the expulsion list of the latter. If he were to know, he would have no idea whether he should burst into laughter or weep in tears. Those words that he said were only excuses! In reality, his cultivation had reached such a level! He couldn’t possibly stop training due to the lack of cultivation technique. Very quickly, he found the very last row of the cultivation technique section. Even the most famous and powerful teacher in the academy was Fighter 5-dan. The moment one broke through into the 6- dan Pixue realm, they would automatically become an elder in the academy. This was only the Teacher Compendium Pavilion, so there weren’t any records on the 6-dan cultivation techniques. Thus, the 5-dan cultivation techniques were placed on the very last shelf. “There are significantly less 5-dan manuals than 4-dan!” There were around 2000 to 3000 cultivation technique secret manuals on the 4-dan whereas there were only 1000 on the 5- dan. However, it was also a natural occurrence when one thought about it. No matter what it was, the higher one climbed, the scarcer the resources. Although the academy had been present for a long time, there were definitely significantly less 5-dan than 4-dan in its entire history. As a result, the cultivation techniques and notes they left behind would be fewer as well. Shaking his head, he decided not to contemplate over such matters. Zhang Xuan casually took out a book and flipped through it. Around an hour later, the 1000 cultivation technique secret manuals have been browsed through and the Library of Heaven’s Path had compiled corresponding books to the secret manuals. After receiving what he wanted, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and bade Elder Mo farewell before walking into the distance. Seeing how he was randomly flipping and viewing the books, not even stopping in the midst of it, Elder Mo couldn’t help but chastise him yet again in his mind. Returning back to his living quarters, Zhang Xuan followed what he did previously and searched for the correct phrases and paragraphs within the thousand books. As he expected, not too long later, the library compiled the thousand books into a single one. This time, the book wasn’t nameless and the four big words 《Heaven’s Path Divine Art》 was written on it. He started to cultivate again. Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm was an extension of the Pigu realm. The purpose of this realm was simple, it was to temper the zhenqi of the cultivator to his body. The difference in strength between each stage in Dingli realm was mainly due to the level of compatibility between one’s zhenqi and their body. The greater their compatibility, the more strength one was able to exert. Reading the cultivation method for the Dingli realm in the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan focused his attention. He carefully controlled the crystal clear zhenqi in his dantian to slowly flow in his body, going at a fixed rhythm to allow it to merge completely with his body. The Heaven’s Path Divine Art was indeed worthy of being a cultivation technique compiled by the advantages of over a few thousand secret manuals. The efficiency of the cultivation method was indeed one to behold. His zhenqi and muscles swiftly merged together as one. The strength of his body and the compatibility of his zhenqi soared up exponentially. Dingli realm primary stage! Dingli realm intermediate stage! Dingli realm advanced stage! Dingli realm pinnacle! Boom! After four hours, his body jolted again. Zhang Xuan reopened his eyes. His eyes were filled with disbelief, “This… Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Initially, he thought he would take a long period cultivating in 5-dan. Never in his dreams would he possibly imagine that he could reach the pinnacle in four hours through the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. To his previous self, cultivation was as difficult as trying to ascend the heavens. Yet, to Zhang Xuan who was practicing the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it was as easy as eating and drinking. Just by half a night worth of effort, he rose from Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm to Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle… This was too exaggerated! Furthermore, if it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t know the cultivation method for 6-dan, unaware of which acupoint he should breakthrough, he might have already successfully broken through to become a 6-dan Pixue realm expert! In 6-dan Pixue realm, one would open up all of the blocked acupoints in their body. For every acupoint broken through, one’s zhenqi would become richer and one’s prowess will rise. It was said that there are 108 acupoints in the human body. However, only 72 of these could be opened and there was an order to opening it. Everyone’s body was different, thus everyone would require a different sequence in breaking through each of them to obtain the best results out of it. If one was unable to find the correct sequence, they could very possibly end up only opening three to four acupoints and be stuck there for the rest of their lives. This was just like cleaning the silt by a river. It had to be cleaned gradually from the upper stream to the lower stream. If one were to start at the center and clean towards the upper and lower stream, not only would the river not be cleaned thoroughly, it might even result in a blockage, causing one to be unable to progress further. The same logic went for breaking through one’s acupoints as well. If one didn’t find the ideal sequence, the other acupoints might get blocked and for the rest of their lives, they would be unable to open it. Thus, without a cultivation technique, Zhang Xuan didn’t dare to try to cultivate further. However, he wasn’t anxious. It was already unheard of to break through two great realms in a single night. He was already very satisfied with the results. “Unless required, it is best for me to not to reveal my level of cultivation!” As a transcender, he had read many books and watched many shows. He knew that possessing a treasure itself was a crime. He was the worst teacher in the entire academy. Yet, in a night, he suddenly gained the strength of a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle. If others were to find out, wouldn’t they all rush to him? Thus, it was best for him to not tell anyone about him reaching Dingli realm pinnacle. The more confidential it was, the better it was for him. “Let me see how much strength would I hold this time!” After making a decision, Zhang Xuan walked over to the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar. While other people only possessed one ding of strength in their Dingli primary stage, he possessed five ding. If so, how much strength would he hold now that he had reached the pinnacle? Peng! Light flowed through the rock pillar and numbers appeared on it. 8 ding! “Eight ding of strength? That is almost the strength of a Pixue realm expert who has opened up four acupoints!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. A normal Dingli pinnacle cultivator would possess four ding of strength. After which, for each acupoint they broke through, their strength would increase by one ding. Despite just being at Dingli pinnacle, he possessed the strength of eight ding, putting him on the same level as an expert who had broken through four acupoints. “As expected of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, incredible!” Zhang Xuan was quite happy. After training for such a long period of time, he intended to find something to eat then go to sleep. However, his ears suddenly twitched. “Why would someone be here at such a time?” Zhang Xuan frowned. Due to an advancement in his cultivation, his hearing and sight have improved tremendously. He was able to clearly perceive the sound of someone hiding somewhere not too far from where he was, staring fixedly at his living quarters. “Looks like he is surveying my room. He probably has yet to detect my presence!” At this moment, Zhang Xuan wasn’t at his room but behind a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar, which was a distance away from the dormitory. After measuring his strength, he had been suppressing his breathing, thus the other party had yet to notice his presence. “Let’s see who’s the one finding trouble with me!” He didn’t expect that someone would want to deal with him right after he was done cultivating. The doubts in his mind grew. Rummaging through the memories of his previous self, although he didn’t have much accomplishment, there hadn’t been a scenario where someone sneaked onto in the night to deal with him! “No matter who he is, I mustn’t let him identify me!” Just when he was about to meet the other party, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. The entire academy knew that he is a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm trash. If he were to appear at this moment as a 5-dan pinnacle, the other party would definitely be scared to death! Furthermore, if the news were to spread out, there would surely be quite a few persons who would look into him. Thus, no matter who the other party was, Zhang Xuan mustn’t allow him to identify him. At this moment, he suddenly recalled the numerous movies he had watched back in his previous life. Thus, he tore away a fabric from his sleeves and covered his face. Hu! After finishing with his preparations, making use of the darkness of the night, Zhang Xuan gradually crept towards the other party with light footsteps. Although he had just broken through and he had never studied any footwork, the cultivation technique he was training with was the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, which granted him superb control over his body. Not to mention, he was also very familiar with his surroundings, so the other party didn’t notice him even when he was just ten meters behind him. At such a proximity, he could clearly see the black suit donned by the other party. His face was also covered, so it was impossible for him to make out his identity as well. “Lad, if you must blame, blame it for your daring guts to dare to lay your hands on our young mistress!” Hiding behind a large tree, Zhang Xuan stared at the silhouette before him as the mutterings of the latter vaguely drifted to his ears. “That voice sounds familiar…” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows knitted tightly together. Zhang Xuan was sure that he had heard this voice before. However, he had difficulty recalling exactly when and where he heard it. Hu! Just as he was trying his best to recall whether it is the memory of his previous self or after he had transcended, the silhouette before him flickered and gradually moved towards his dormitory. At the same time, with a flick of his wrist, a cold gleam shone and a sharp dagger appeared on his palm. 18 Scammed “You want to kill me?” Seeing the other party whipping out a knife, Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows. It was fortunate that he had been cultivating and not sleeping. Otherwise, when the other party approached him silently like this, wouldn’t he be killed for sure? “Let me first ascertain who this fellow is!” Zhang Xuan knew that conducting this kind of night assault would mean that he was not an individual. Perhaps, there could even be an organization behind him. If he didn’t accurately identify the one trying to murder him, even if he were to kill this assassin, there might be more coming for his life in the future. If he didn’t dig out the organization behind the assassination, he wouldn’t have to dream of sleeping peacefully anymore. “Who is it?” Just when Zhang Xuan was pondering how he should force the man before him to confess the organization backing him, he heard a hushed voice. Unknowingly, the black-clothed man grasping the dagger was already standing at proximity to him. Zhang Xuan had never tracked anyone before. Upon seeing the other party whip out a dagger, he got nervous for a moment and leaked out his breath, causing the other party to notice his presence. “I…” To be noticed so quickly, Zhang Xuan frowned. Just when he was about to rush forward to duel with the man before him, a thought flashed through his mind and a brilliant idea popped out. “I am here to kill Zhang Xuan, that useless teacher! Who are you?” Suppressing his tone so as to not be identified, Zhang Xuan declared. Since the other party was here to kill him, he would be able to confuse him by saying that he was here for the same purpose. “You’re here to kill him?” The black-clothed man was taken aback. However, looking at how Zhang Xuan concealed his face and his sneaky attitude, he couldn’t help but trust his words slightly. “Indeed. The academy’s worst teacher will only bring harm to the students if left alone!” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but turn red upon talking about himself. “Oh, then you do it. I will help you keep a look out!” The black-clothed man said. “Keng?” A uncomprehending look appeared on Zhang Xuan. He tried to push the responsibility to him, “I think it would be better for you to do it. Anyway, we are here for the same motive, so it doesn’t matter who does it!” “You do it. Actually, I have no intentions of killing him. I only wanted to punish him. However, if he were to die, that would be for the best!” The black-clothed man urged him on. “Punish him?” Zhang Xuan was a little confused. Punish him… Then why was he holding a dagger? He couldn’t resist asking, “How do you want to punish him?” “Hmph, that fellow dares to do something disrespectful to our young mistress. I intend to chop off his thing and turn him into a eunuch!” The black-clothed man proclaimed furiously. “…” Hearing those words filled with vile intentions, Zhang Xuan could only feel a breeze at his crotch and shivered unconsciously in fear. [The hell! If I were to sleep peacefully tonight, I would probably be qualified to serve the emperor after this! ****! Who the hell are you, for you to be so vicious! Disrespectful to your young mistress?] Zhang Xuan tried to recall the memories of his previous self and after his reincarnation, but he didn’t seem to have gotten into any physical relationships with any young mistresses! “That Zhang Xuan, I have only heard that he is unqualified as a teacher, I have never heard of him bullying females. What is this about?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist asking. “Hmph, that fellow is an animal with a human skin! What teacher, he is a beast! Our young mistress… Forget it, the more I think about it, the more furious I get!” Untold rage could be felt from the suppressed voice of the black-clothed man. “…” Zhang Xuan could only see stars. So what the hell is it about, for you to insult me as a beast? What did I do to your young mistress? Besides that, who the hell is your young mistress? It is one thing if she is pretty, but if she is ugly, isn’t it too much for such a reputation to be forced on me! “Why do you want to kill him?” After his insults, the black-clothed man looked over. “Me?” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that the other party would question him. He was stunned for a moment before clenching his jaw and answering, “I… I can’t accept his actions of bullying women!” “You know that he bullies woman? Who did he bully?” The black-clothed man was alarmed. “He…” Zhang Xuan harrumphed and said, “There is no reason for me to answer your questions!” “That is true. Since we both have the same goals in mind, you go first!” Seeing that the other party was unwilling to reveal anything, although there were doubts in his mind, he chose to ask no further and waved his hand to gesture Zhang Xuan to go ahead. “It would be better if you go first! If I were to strike first, he would be dead before you can castrate him. It would be better for you to castrate him first before I kill him!” Zhang Xuan replied. “That…” The black-clothed man started to hesitate. He looked at Zhang Xuan in doubt. He started to get suspicious. How could it be possible for such a coincidence to occur? Just when he intended to castrate Zhang Xuan, another person appeared to assassinate him? If it wasn’t for his fear of the strength of the other party, he would have struck him unconscious by now. “Why? You don’t trust me? If I don’t want to kill him, why would I sneak here in the middle of the night!” Noticing his doubts, Zhang Xuan tried to dispel them. “Un!” Hearing those words, the black-clothed man hesitated for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. [That’s true. It is already late at night. If the masked man isn’t here to kill Zhang Xuan, why would he be here for?] “It isn’t because I don’t trust you. Since our goals align with one another, let’s go together!” The black-clothed man replied after pondering for a moment. He was still a little suspicious of the fellow in front of him. “You are still way too careful. Rest easy, I have basic principles as a human. However, since you do not trust me…” Zhang Xuan didn’t drag on the conversation and gestured, “Let’s go together!” After which, he charged forward. “Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Seeing his movement, the black- clothed man instantly identified his level of cultivation. He exerted his qinggong [1] and followed closely behind. Seeing the black-clothed man following behind him, Zhang Xuan immediately turned around to take a look. Boom! The Library of Heaven’s Path jolted and a book appeared. The skill the other party exerted to follow him was equal to executing a battle technique. As long as one were to use a skill, the Library of Heaven’s Path would be able to compile a book on his flaws and thus, his background would be revealed. Zhang Xuan glanced at the book. He only saw two words ‘Yao Han’ written on the cover. “This name sounds so familiar… Where have I heard of it?” Zhang Xuan stared at the front cover for a moment before flipping over to the first page. “Yao Han, the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence. Fighter 6- dan Pixue primary stage, eight acupoints opened!” … “It’s him?” Seeing the words Baiyu City, Zhang Xuan immediately recalled the identity of the man before him. Wasn’t this the butler from Baiyu City who rushed over to threaten him when he accepted Zhao Ya as his student? [No wonder his voice and name sounds so familiar! Just that… This means that the young mistress that he mentioned refers to Zhao Ya… What did I do to her for you to make the journey here just to castrate me?] “To dare malign me… Even though you are stronger than me, I must teach you a lesson!” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. If it was something his previous self did, since he had transcended over to take his place, even though he would feel wronged, he would admit it. However, the crux was that… he didn’t do anything! For Yao Han to label him with this crime when he did nothing, he was simply too vile! As such thoughts raced through his mind, he continued to glance through the list. “Cultivation Technique: White Jade Circulation Technique!” “Battle Techniques: Mystical Diagram Palm (Expert), Mystical Diagram Fist (Expert)…” “Flaws: 16 aspects. No.1, his mingmen is at his bottoms and his skills are unable to guard against attacks directed at the point… No.2… No.3…” Just as how it did previously, the book recorded all the flaws on this fellow. Having broken through eight acupoints, this meant his current strength is at 12 ding. If Zhang Xuan were to try to match him in a direct combat, he would definitely not be a match for him. However… “So what if you are in Pixue realm? So what if you possess 12 ding of strength? If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I wouldn’t be called Zhang Xuan!” Hu! At this point, Zhang Xuan stopped abruptly. “What’s wrong?” Seeing Zhang Xuan stopping abruptly, the black-clothed man asked with a confused look. “Look, an UFO!” Zhang Xuan casually pointed. “UFO? What is an UFO?” The black-clothed man was taken aback and hurriedly turned around to take a look. This action revealed the mingmen on his bottom to Zhang Xuan. Incomprehension plagued Yao Han. He knew of butterfly, ultimatum and spy. However, what exactly was an ‘UFO’? TL Note: Butterfly -> Hu Die|Ultimatum -> Tong Die|Spy -> Jian Die|UFO(Flying saucer) -> Fei Die|Die is pronounced as Di-yeh. “Go to hell!” What Zhang Xuan had been waiting for was this opportunity. Without any hesitation whatsoever, he sent a kick filled with his wrath towards his bottom. Peng! Before the black-clothed man Yao Han could react, his mingmen was kicked on. He flew forward and crashed head- on with a boulder not too far away. Blood trickled down from the wound on his head. [Since you are here to castrate me, should I castrate you right now?] The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Zhang Xuan rushed forward and sat on the other party’s body. He sent a couple of fists onto his face. [What Pixue realm expert, what 12 ding expert? They are strong? If you were to find their mingmen and exploit their flaws, an unexpected assault will still lead to their deaths!] “You…” Apparently, Yao Han didn’t expect the fellow who wanted to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson along with him would suddenly attack him frenziedly. What’s worse, his mingmen was struck, causing his entire body to go stiff. He couldn’t retaliate even if he wanted to. His body shivered from anger. [Didn’t we agree to deal with Zhang Xuan together? The heck! Where is your trust? Where are your basic principles as a human? Besides… No matter what, you are a Fighter 5-dan Dingli pinnacle master, an expert among experts. You should have some demeanor even in the midst of a battle. To shamelessly lie to me and launch a secret assault before riding on my face… What about battle techniques? What about crossing blows? What about your cultivation technique? Even gangsters on the street don’t fight this way…] He only felt wave after wave of pain on his face. Yao Han was about to go insane. At this moment, he finally knew that he had been scammed by the masked man. Furthermore, it was the worst kind of scams. ________________________________________ [1] Qinggong - Literally translated as the ‘Art of Lightweight’. It refers to footwork which allows one to tread lightly, increasing one’s jumping ability, running speed and dodging skills. 19 Framing After a violent thrashing, Zhang Xuan finally felt the rage in his heart subsiding slightly. Lowering his head to take a look, Yao Han’s mask had already fallen off in the midst of the bashing and his face was warped from taking his hits. Probably, even his own mother would be unable to recognize him in his current state. “Keng…” Now that anger was no longer clouding his mind, Zhang Xuan immediately grasped his current situation. “This fellow is the butler of Baiyu City Lord, as well as the uncle of my disciple. It is still okay for me to teach him a lesson, but I should not kill him by any means.” No matter what, this fellow was still Zhao Ya’s Uncle Yao. If Zhang Xuan were to really kill him, wouldn’t the disciple he just admitted go to waste? There would surely be zero possibility for reconciliation if that were to happen! Besides, Baiyu City was reputed as the third biggest city in Tianxuan Kingdom. To be able to become the city lord of such a city, Zhao Ya’s father should be rather powerful and holds great influence. If his butler was killed and he chose to pursue this matter, it might be possible for him to investigate onto himself. If so, he would be in deep trouble. Being a newcomer in this world, he had yet to create a firm foothold for him to stand on, so it was best for him to keep a low profile. “I mustn’t let me become suspicious of me!” The thought flashed through his mind. Since Yao Han couldn’t be killed, then Zhang Xuan have to let him go alive. For him to get beaten him in the midst of an assault against Zhang Xuan, Zhang Xuan would definitely be the first person he would be suspicious of! “Oh right, I have the perfect scapegoat for this. If he didn’t come looking for trouble today, I wouldn’t have thought of him…” A person flashed through Zhang Xuan’s mind. That person was the man who was beside Shen Bi Ru earlier today, the one who kept mocking him, Shang Bin. Anyway, that fellow was the grandson of Elder Shang Chen. If Zhang Xuan were to push the blame to him, Yao Han wouldn’t dare to take revenge even if he wanted to! In fact, it would be better if Yao Han were to take revenge! The two of them would then bite viciously onto one another. At this point, Zhang Xuan stared at the distorted face of Yao Han and deepened his voice, “I have a grudge with Zhang Xuan. Earlier today, he got on my nerves and so, I intended to teach him a lesson in the night! However, if he were to be castrated by you, Bi… she would definitely suspect that I am the one who did it and a misunderstanding would arise between us! Blame this all on the fact that you met me today, as well as your untimely arrival!” “…” Only now did Yao Han know why he was thrashed. He wanted to retort, but his mouth was swollen like a pair of sausages, making it impossible for him to talk. “Scram!” Seeing that the other party has comprehended his words, Zhang Xuan didn’t continue speaking. He stood up and kicked Yao Han’s body a dozen meters away. “Damn it!” Hurling vulgarities towards the other party in his mind, Yao Han knew that he was in a disadvantageous situation today. Gritting his teeth, he turned away and left. At the same time, he carved the two main characteristics of the attacker onto his mind. Firstly, the person who beat him up had an encounter this Zhang Xuan earlier in the day and was incensed by his words or actions! Secondly, the relationship between him and Zhang Xuan should be love rivals. The woman who they were pursuing had a ‘Bi’ in her name. As long as he remembered these two distinctive features, it was an easy task for him to find out who the fellow who laid his hands on him was. Only after seeing Yao Han disappear into the distance did Zhang Xuan heave a sigh of relief. He patted away the dirt on his clothes and returned back to the dormitory. This event was a great fright to him. If he didn’t stay up to cultivate tonight, it would be hard to tell what would have happened. However, at least the danger was averted temporarily. “The key to survival in this world… power!” Sitting on the bed in his dormitory, Zhang Xuan muttered to himself. If his cultivation didn’t soar today, even if he knew Yao Han’s weaknesses, he wouldn’t have been a match for him. The one to suffer in the end would be him. Thus, the urgent matter at hand was for him to swiftly raise his strength. The stronger he was, the better it was! He slowly drifted into the world of dream with his mind filled with sentimentality. The next day, Zhang Xuan woke up the moment the sky lit up. Although he had barely slept for two hours, not to mention how hard he had worked the previous night, he still felt refreshed without the slightest fatigue. “Time to start lessons!” He muttered as he put on his clothes. After which, he walked to his classroom with large strides. It didn’t take long for him to arrive at his classroom. The moment he pushed the door open, a plump youth welcomed him enthusiastically. “Zhang laoshi, you are here! Look, I have already finished cleaning up the room!” He was the final student Zhang Xuan accepted yesterday, the fatty Yuan Tao. Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that this fellow would be the first to arrive, given how he threatened him yesterday. Furthermore, he even cleaned the classroom spick and span. “Not bad!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head in approval. “Hehe, since teacher said that I did not bad, is there any reward for my effort? Like some martial art or cultivation technique and such. You can casually reward me with three or five of them…” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s acknowledgment, a wide smile appeared on fatty’s face. This fellow was the type who would go too far when you give him some leeway. “Wait by the side first. I will start the lesson after the other students arrive!” Zhang Xuan gestured. The first to arrive was fatty. Unexpectedly, the second to arrive was the student whom he won from the bet, Liu Yang! However, Liu Yang’s attitude wasn’t as good as fatty’s. Indignation spelled on his face as he gazed at Zhang Xuan with a look of contempt. In his opinion, Zhang Xuan only won the bet by luck and it was a torture for a genius like him to come under the tutelage of a teacher of such horrendous standards. The third to arrive was the youth who specializes in the way of the spear, Zheng Yang! After Zhang Xuan pointed out the problem in Zheng Yang’s spear, his strength rose by more than a single fold. As a result, Zheng Yang held great confidence towards his teacher and out of the current few students who acknowledged Zhang Xuan, he was the only one who came to him on his own free will. The fourth to arrive was Wang Ying. The shy lass couldn’t help but blush upon catching sight of the other students when she entered and immediately hid at the corner. …………………………………… “I should be able to solve the problem of my body today…” Zhao Ya opened her eyes. Yesterday, the academy’s worst teacher claimed that he was capable of solving her problem. After returning to her dormitory, she felt lost and worried, causing her to roll about her bed, only falling asleep after a long time later. Regardless of whether the other party is telling the truth or lying, there would surely be a conclusion by the end of today! When such thoughts struck her, she gargled her mouth, put on her clothes and left the room swiftly. As the daughter of Baiyu City Lord and one of the top ten scorers of the entrance examinations, she was granted a personal residence, unlike the shared dormitory of the other students. There were many rooms in the residence and the butler, Uncle Yao, stayed in one of the rooms not too far away from hers. “Uncle Yao, I’m going to class!” Seeing no movements in the room after shouting, Zhao Ya prepared to walk off. “Young mistress, wait for me. I will go with you!” A shout echoed from beyond the door. The door opened and Yao Han walked out. Looking at his face, Zhao Ya was taken aback. “Uncle Yao, you… What happened?” Zhao Ya was stunned to see Yao Han’s swollen face and the dark rings around his eyes. In a single night, the dignified Yao Han had been disfigured. If it wasn’t for the familiar voice, she wouldn’t have known who he was! “Oh, I accidentally hit myself after getting too absorbed in my training yesterday!’ Yao Han explained. “…” [Who would hit themselves in the midst of their training? Is it possible for anyone to find an even worse excuse than that…] “Uncle Yao, what happened? Who did it? No, I have to tell my dad!” Zhao Ya exclaimed furiously. “Young mistress, don’t bother yourself with this. This is my own problem… I can resolve it myself! You better hurry to your class first. I want to see how the teacher you acknowledged is like. If his standards are exactly like what the rumors dictate, I will immediately report this to the city lord and have the Hongtian Academy get a new teacher for you…” Yao Han waved his hand imposingly. However, as his movements were too big, his wounds were pulled on and cold sweat drenches his back. “Fine!” Seeing how adamant Yao Han was against her interference in the matter, Zhao Ya didn’t touch any further on the subject. The two of them walked towards Zhang Xuan’s classroom. “Uncle Yao, given how severely wounded you are, I think you should go back and rest first. I can attend the lesson by myself, there is no need for you to send me!” After walking a short distance, Zhao Ya noticed how his entire body was trembling and drenched in sweat, she couldn’t help but say these words. Yesterday, Zhang Xuan didn’t pull back his blows even in the least. Despite applying medicine on the wounds and resting for a few hours, his wounds were still severe. It was quite incredible that he was even able to walk. “Young mistress, the city lord has tasked me to find a good teacher for you before we set off. Yet, you had to choose such a fellow. How can I face the city lord in the future!” Yao Han said. “No matter what, I want to expose the true face of that fellow before you and prove to you that he is a fraud! Only our pure and innocent young mistress would fall for his tricks. Given those standards of his, it is impossible for him to recruit a second student. When you finally witness that there are no other students in his class, you would know that…” Jiyaaaa! The door to the classroom was pushed open, revealing its interior. Within the classroom sat Zhang Xuan and his four new students. 20 Wang Ying’s Shock After hearing that the young mistress had acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her master, Yao Han rushed here furiously, oblivious to the fact that Zhang Xuan had already accepted several students. He had just let out word that the other party would be unable to recruit a second student other than the young mistress but in the next moment, he met Wang Ying and the rest. He felt as though he was slapped in the face in public. His face immediately darkened. “Teacher!” Zhao Ya also felt a burning sensation on her face and she felt tempted to find a burrow to hide in. “You are alright?” A short moment later, Yao Han recovered and stared in confusion at Zhang Xuan. That fellow yesterday was so brutal to him, so he thought that even if Zhang Xuan wasn’t reduced to a pig head, he would at the very least be crippled. So why… did he seem to be fully intact, to the point of being unable to find even a single scratch on his skin. Actually, even though he said that he wanted to assess Zhang Xuan’s standards as a teacher, his true purpose was to see his pathetic state after getting thrashed by the mysterious man… Yet, in the end, as a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert, he went to assault him yet ended up getting beaten up while the one who he intended to assault wasn’t even wounded in the least… He feels as though he had lost greatly and he found it unacceptable. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” Zhang Xuan knew what Yao Han is thinking, but he replied with a stoic expression. He looked towards Zhao Ya and asked, “This disabled person is…” “Disabled person?” A peculiar expression appeared on Zhao Ya’s face. Before she could speak, a voice interrupted her. “You are the one who is disabled!” Yao Han suppressed the urge to vomit blood. His eyebrows shot upwards and he flung the sleeves of his robe, “I am the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, Yao Han!” “Oh, since you are disabled, you shouldn’t be walking around here. Otherwise, if you were to die here, it would be difficult for me to explain!” As though not hearing his words, Zhang Xuan gestured to the door, “Send off our guest and shut the door!” “You…” Yao Han clenched his fist furiously and almost exploded on the spot. Who was he? The butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence. He possessed great authority. In the Hongtian Academy, even the executive of the Education Bureau would have to give in to him. Yet, a teacher like Zhang Xuan dared to say that he was disabled and even tried to throw him out. How could it be possible for him to not be angry? “I want to see how you are going to teach them!” Putting his hands behind him, Yao Han stood upright proudly. “Oh, since you know that you have to leave, make it fast. We need to maintain a silent atmosphere when teaching the students, so we don’t just allow any cats and dogs in our classrooms!” Zhang Xuan seemed to be on a different frequency as him. As though hearing nothing at all, he gestured towards the exit yet again. “You… Who are you calling cat and dog?” The rage burned with him and blood flowed out from his wounds. Yao Han trembled uncontrollably, “Do you think that I wouldn’t dare to kill you with a palm of mine right now…” “Zhao Ya, send him out, so that I can solve your problem!” Couldn’t be bothered to argue with the other party, Zhang Xuan signalled to Zhao Ya. “Uncle Yao, please… leave for the moment! I am about to start lessons!” Hearing those words, Zhao Ya’s eyes lit up. “I am not leaving. I want this fellow to clarify who he is talking about! I, Yao Han, a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert, is respected wherever I go. Who dares to say that I am crippled, even trying to drive me out…” Peng! Before he could finish his words, Zhao Ya pushed him out. The next moment, the sight before him turned dark as the door closed on him. If he didn’t dodge fast enough, he would have been smacked by the door. “Young mistress…” Standing outside the door, Yao Han frowned and his face twitched. If he was driven out by Zhang Xuan, he would surely retaliate. However, since it was the young mistress who drove him out, he wouldn’t dare to lay his hands on her even if he was beaten to death. Even so, he directed all the resentment he had accumulated onto Zhang Xuan. He was unable to understand what capabilities the fellow possessed, to be capable of deluding the young mistress to such an extent. “Uncle Yao, I’m sorry to bother you to wait outside. We are going to start lessons!” Zhao Ya knew about her own problem. Her own illness must not be revealed to anyone, especially to Uncle Yao. If her teacher was going to help her solve her problem, she would naturally have to drive him away. “Fine, young mistress. I will be waiting outside. If anything happens, call me and I will rush in immediately!” Hearing the words of the young mistress, Yao Han knew that he would be unable to enter. He was on the verge of erupting but without a choice, he could only grit his teeth and bear with it. After Yao Han left, only Zhang Xuan’s five newly accepted students and him remained in the room. Zhang Xuan surveyed the surrounding, “Since all of you have acknowledged me as your teacher, you all would be fellow peers. Make sure to take good care of one another so as to not sully my prestige!” “Prestige?” Hearing this word, the five students stared at one another… [Teacher, you don’t seem to have any prestige? Cough cough, even if we wanted to sully it, there is nothing there to sully…] “My way to teaching is slightly different from the others. I pay particular importance to cater teachings to the student’s personal condition. The way to guiding everyone is different! Thus, there is nothing to compare between you all!” Zhang Xuan seemed oblivious to the expressions of his students and put on the airs of a teacher, “Right now, I will go to the little room by the side. When I call your name, enter the little room!” Zhang Xuan’s classroom wasn’t big, around one hundred square meters. Even so, there was a partition in which, the teacher was able to give specific guidance to a student. These five students were different from one another. If he were to guide them together as a whole, it would be troublesome and highly ineffective. “Wang Ying, you are my first student. Come in!” After which, Zhang Xuan led the way into the small room. “Yes!” Given Wang Ying’s obedient nature, she didn’t dare to retort and walked closely behind him. ……………………………………………… Wang Ying felt a little regretful. Yesterday, she got lost and came over to ask for directions. Yet, she was scammed into acknowledging this teacher as her mentor. Initially, she didn’t know what was going on but after thinking through it, this teacher didn’t seem to be truly capable. Other teachers were able to tell the problem with her leg through her punching routine. However, not only was this fellow unable to tell, he even bragged about being able to cure the injury on her leg… For this injury, her father even found the most famous of physicians, but it was to no avail. Even so, the man before her claimed that he was able to treat her. If this wasn’t a scam, what could this be?” Furthermore, Liu laoshi told her many things regarding this teacher. Only then did she realize that this teacher had such a ‘radiant’ background. The first teacher to score a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination and the weakest in terms of strength among the teachers… Why was she so unfortunate to be scammed by him and to believe his words! “No wonder big brother said that there are many bad guys outside…” When her elder brother told her that there were untrustworthy people outside, she didn’t believe him. Now, looking at the teacher before her, she felt wronged, that she had been lied to. Just as she was thinking about how she should withdraw from the lessons of this teacher, that at most, it would simply end with a scolding and she could find her elder brother to help her find another teacher, she heard a familiar voice sounding out. “Display your battle technique once more!” Zhang Xuan sat at the center of the room and looked over with a calm expression. The previous time, when he tried to coax Wang Ying into joining him, the Library of Heaven’s Path wasn’t activated yet, so he still had no idea what flaws Wang Ying had. “Alright!” Although Wang Ying was tempted to withdraw from the lessons, she nodded her head after hesitating for a moment. Once again, her fists generated gusts of wind and soon, her punching routine came to an end. “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Although Wang Ying’s character might be a little dense, her punching routine was quite satisfactory. “Teacher, actually I want to…” Wang Ying wavered for a moment and just when she was about to express her intention to withdraw from Zhang Xuan’s lesson, the young man opposite of her spoke. “If I’m not wrong, your leg was probably struck by someone during a duel two years ago!” Zhang Xuan said. “You… How did you know?” Wang Ying was taken aback. Her words jammed in her mouth as her beautiful eyes widened in circles. She only talked about the injury on her leg yesterday, and not the origin of it. She didn’t expect the other party to be capable of telling that it was an injury from someone’s blow and even the time of the injury. She couldn’t help but be shocked. “There are three acupoints on a person’s leg and individually, they govern strength, speed and dexterity. When you battled with someone else, the other party accidentally struck the acupoint which governs strength! When this acupoint is struck, it closes, resulting in your blood to flow in reverse, thus preventing you from exerting strength on it like any other normal person!” Zhang Xuan stated calmly. “That…” Wang Ying’s body trembled. Her face flushed completely red. For her leg, Wang Ying’s father had invited all of the renowned doctors in the kingdom, including the famous Master Yuanyu. He seemed to have spoken similar words, but even he was unable to identify where the acupoint which governs strength is, thus he was unable to treat her. If she wanted to be treated once and for all, she had to invite a Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm master who possessed superior zhenqi to treat her. Otherwise, it was impossible for the treatment to succeed! Initially, she thought that this teacher who claimed that he would be able to treat her leg was just trying to coax her to come under his tutelage. Yet, she didn’t expect that he would say the exact same words as what Master Yuanyu said, so how could she not be shocked? “Teacher, are… are you able to treat me?” Wang Ying couldn’t resist asking. “It is just a small matter!” Zhang Xuan replied her question blandly. “A small matter?” Wang Ying’s eyes narrowed as her breathing quickened. 21 Zephyr Acupuncture Even though she had no problem walking normally with her leg injury, she faced great difficulty in her training. It felt as though poison had soaked into her bones. In the past half year, there didn’t seem to be a single day she spent in happiness. Precisely so, she became the current her who was a little fearful towards strangers, as well as reticent. Initially, she thought that her injury would stay with her for her entire life. Yet, she didn’t expect that the Zhang Xuan laoshi, whom everyone thought was trash, would say ‘It is a small matter!’. She found it hard to believe what her ears were hearing. If it was a moment ago, she might have thought that Zhang Xuan was simply bragging. However, from the instant he pointed out the reason behind her injury, expectation started to well up in her. “The reason why I had you to come into this room individually is to treat you! Alright, relax your entire body!” Zhang Xuan retrieved a medium-sized jade box from the room and opened it gently. Within it lied numerous silver needles of different lengths. During the training sessions of a martial artist, it was easy for one to incur injuries. Thus, the academy prepared a kit of such in every single classroom to help boost the blood circulation of the wounded, as well as to temporarily ease the injury. “Yes!” Wang Ying listened to the voice of the young man, which was steadfast, confident but without a trace of arrogant, and replied. Somehow, Wang Ying trusted the man before her from the depths of her heart and her tense body relaxed. Sou! Sitting on his original spot without moving, he grabbed a silver needle and flicked it over. A soft sound and the silver needle he infused with zhenqi shot tautly towards Wang Ying and pierced her leg. “This is… Zephyr Acupuncture?” Wang Ying widened her eyes as her slim body trembled yet again. Zephyr Acupuncture. It was a method which made use of a martial artist’s control over his strength to control the pathway of the silver needles to pierce the correct spots without coming into contact with the patient’s body. In this way, a male physician would be able to apply acupuncture without coming into proximity to a female patient. This way, awkwardness between the two was able to be avoided. Such a method of practicing acupuncture might seem simple, but it was actually incredibly complicated. Firstly, it required the martial artist to hold absolute control over his strength. If there was a slight imprecision, there was a high possibility that it would result in failure! Furthermore, one’s eyes must be sharp. It was difficult to recognise the exact acupoints beneath the patient’s clothes. If the physician were to recognise the acupuncture inaccurately, all kind of troubles could happen! Master Yuanyu had once said that one must at least attain the cultivation level of Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm to practice Zephyr Acupuncture! Had the teacher termed as trash in the academy reached such a level? Impossible! Those who have reached Dingli realm were all famous figures in the academy, such as the famous teacher Lu Xun. According to Liu laoshi, Zhang Xuan laoshi was only a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm. There was still a huge way to go before he reached 5-dan Dingli realm! A Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm was capable of executing Zephyr Acupuncture? She found it unbelievable! Sou sou sou sou! While she was still in a state of disbelief, the young man flicked a few more silver needle towards her. A few gusts of wind whipped up and the silver needles pierced into her leg with the exact same depth. This showed that the other party had already reached a rather advanced level of his control over his strength. The silver needle pierced into the flesh of her leg. Just as Wang Ying was about to ask Zhang Xuan how he intended to treat her, his hand slid past the needle and the zhenqi that was contained in the needle activated and probed into her body. “Ah…” As the zhenqi entered her body, she felt a tingling sensation in her leg. The acupoint which was sealed previously immediately opened under the surge of the zhenqi. “This… this… this is superior zhenqi?” As the tingling sensation spread across her entire body, Wang Ying clearly ‘saw’ the look of the zhenqi in her body. [Clear like water, deprived of any impurities. This is… the quality that only superior zhenqi would possess! Superior zhenqi? That is something that can only be cultivated if one possesses a god or saint cultivation technique. In the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, it is unheard of for anyone to cultivate superior zhenqi. Yet, to think the lousiest teacher in the academy possessed it? It can’t be that I am seeing things…] “Done!” While she was still overwhelmed by shock, her body relaxed completely and slumped. By then, the silver needles had already been retrieved by the other party. Following which, Wang Ying felt a surge of relaxation in her leg, a comfortable sensation which she had never experienced. After her injury, although she was still able to move normally, her legs felt as though they have been plastered, plagued with a stiff sensation at all times. At this moment, wave after wave of pleasant sensation surged through her leg, as though it had broken through some shackles. Her leg felt incomparably nimble and lively. “My leg…” She might be slow-witted, but it was clear to see that the injury on her leg had been cured! “Teacher, thank…” Wang Ying’s knees slackened and she kneeled onto the floor. Her eyes were entirely red. For this day, she had waited for a very long time. In fact, she even felt despair at her situation. Never in her dreams would she imagine that… such a stubborn illness would be cured by the academy’s worst teacher! “It seems that the fact is that… He is a very capable person, just that he maintains a low profile…” Such a thought popped into her head. If he wasn’t intentionally maintaining a low profile, regardless of how his lessons were like, just the fact that he was able to cure her legs means that he was more than capable of building up his reputation in this academy. How else was it possible for him to be the last in the Teacher Qualification Examination? With such a thought in mind, Wang Ying kneeled to the floor and acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her teacher from the depths of her heart. All thoughts of withdrawing from his tutelage were dispelled. “Un, now that your leg injury has recovered, go out and train properly. If you have any other problems, come over and find me afterward!” Zhang Xuan gestured and entrusted her with a task, “By the way, call Liu Yang over!” “Yes!” Wang Ying replied excitedly before walking out of the room. ……………………………… “I intend to withdraw from his lessons later, are any of you all with me?” In the classroom, after Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao had introduced themselves to one another, Liu Yang said. To tell the truth, he felt extremely dispirited. Scoring within the top hundred, there were many top teachers who were vying for him. Yet, in the end, due to the bet made between two teachers, he was lost to the worst teacher in the entire academy! The intense feeling of being wronged made him go into a frenzy. [No matter what, I have to withdraw from his lessons today. Even if it means that I have to withdraw from the school… No one will be able to halt my footsteps!] “I… also want to withdraw from his lessons. But if Zhang Xuan laoshi were to be angered, it is hard to tell what he might do!” Fatty Yuan Tao couldn’t resist saying. “Angry? Hmph, so what if he is angry? What can he do? I don’t want to go berserk from his misguidance!” Liu Yang scoffed. “Berserk?” Zheng Yang looked over doubtfully. He only knew that the teacher before him scored badly for the Teacher Qualification Examination, being the last of the lot. He had never heard of the incident of a student going berserk from his guidance. “Un!” Liu Yang continued, “If you don’t believe it, just wait and see. When Wang Ying walks out later, her face will surely be awful! She will feel like she has been scammed! I have already long heard of Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s teaching standards. If he was able to offer proper pointers, he wouldn’t have landed in such a state, being viewed in contempt by the other teachers…” Jiyaaa! Just as they were speaking, the door opened and Wang Ying walked out with an excited look. “Un?” Liu Yang was taken aback. Initially, he thought that she would be depressed, yet contrary to his expectations, she was smiling happily. The other few students were also puzzled. That joy came from the depths of her heart. She must have reaped some great rewards for such an expression to appear. Could it be that the teacher with such a horrible reputation could give proper pointers? To get a student to be so excited in just a single session, as though she had attained some precious treasure, probably even the famous Lu Xun laoshi wasn’t capable of such a feat! “Liu Yang, teacher called for you to enter!” Oblivious to what the others were thinking, Wang Ying informed him before going to one corner to start training. “Me?” Liu Yang clenched his jaw. “I would like to see what pointers you are able to offer me! If you can’t offer me any good pointers, I will withdraw from your lessons!” Muttering silently in his heart, he walked into the room. 22 The Reason Behind Zhao Ya’s Illness Liu Yang might have been guided by Zhang Xuan previously, but he didn’t believe that the latter was capable. Rather, he thought that Zhang Xuan simply got lucky. After all, asking someone to use a different hand to execute a punching routine didn’t involve much skill. Thus, from the depths of his heart, he still looked down on the teacher in front of him. “Teacher!” Walking into the room, he cupped his hand and bowed slightly to Zhang Xuan, although his tone wasn’t very respectful. “I have seen you execute your battle techniques before!” Seemingly oblivious to his disrespect, Zhang Xuan continued, “To be able to train Soaring Flower Fist to the rookie level and Dragon Inch Fist to the expert level, not bad!” “What? You… How did you know that I am trained in… Dragon Inch Fist?” Hearing those words, Liu Yang who was disregarding Zhang Xuan almost fainted from shock. Logically, due to his weak strength, he should have focused on his cultivation technique. Even if he had to learn battle technique, he should have practiced a normal battle technique such as Soaring Flower Fist instead of Dragon Inch Fist! Dragon Inch Fist, being a mortal lower-tier battle technique, was much more formidable than the Soaring Flower Fist! In order to become stronger, he hid the fact that he was practicing this punch routine from his family members! Ever since his Dragon Inch Fist reached rookie level, he had never executed it in front of anyone else. Previously, the battle technique which he showed Zhang Xuan was the Soaring Flower Fist. Yet, Zhang Xuan was able to tell that he practiced the Dragon Inch Fist and that it was at the expert level… How could he tell? “There are shadows of the Dragon Inch Fist in your Soaring Flower Fist!” Naturally, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly reveal that it was due to the Library of Heaven’s Path. He didn’t even blink when telling an outright lie. “You can even tell from that…” Liu Yang was still in a state of disbelief. The two skills weren’t even in the slightest related to one another. Previously, he also executed the Soaring Flower Fist in front of Cao Xiong laoshi, but he wasn’t able to tell that much from it. Yet, the academy’s worst teacher was able to see through it with one glance. Was this for real? While he was still holding doubts in his heart, the teacher sitting before him continued. “Reaching the level of an expert, your Dragon Inch Fist holds considerable might. However, do you feel an ache under your armpits and an itch in your jianjin [1] acupoint whenever you execute it?” “This, this…” Taking a few steps back, Liu Yang looked as though he has seen a ghost, fear appearing within his eyes. Not only were the words of the other party correct, they were exactly spot-on! It was as though he had seen him training. “You… How did you know?” Liu Yang couldn’t help but ask with a pale face. “It is very simple, you have been practicing an inappropriate battle technique! If you continue training at this rate, I can guarantee that the muscles of your entire arm will be destroyed within three years. Even immortals will find it hard to save you! In fact, the effects are already apparent now. Do you feel your body going stiff when you are sleeping at night, sometimes even spasming?” Zhang Xuan questioned. “I…” Liu Yang trembled. Indeed, he had such a condition. Just that, he thought it was due to over exhaustion from excessive training, so he didn’t pay it much heed. Never in his dreams would he imagine that it was due to him practicing the Dragon Inch Fist! “Dragon Inch Fist, it is a skill which regards one’s body like a dragon and emphasizes the concept of might in every inch of your body. If you had reached Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm and had zhenqi nourish your muscles, there won’t be any side effects from cultivating this battle technique. However, you are only in Juxi realm and your body is far too weak! Forcefully cultivating this battle technique will only cause your body to be injured. As time passes, the injury will only worsen! This is also the reason why although you aren’t left- handed, your left hand possess significantly greater strength than your right hand! That is because you practiced the Dragon Inch Fist with your right, causing great damage to it. If you don’t stop now, you will become crippled!” Zhang Xuan warned. “Teacher, save me…” At this moment, Liu Yang no longer possessed the arrogance he had when he first walked in. His knees weakened and he kneeled to the floor. At this moment, he understood that the teacher before him was definitely an expert, a master among experts! That was because everything Zhang Xuan said fitted perfectly with what was happening to him. If Zhang Xuan didn’t voice it out, Liu Yang wouldn’t have paid much attention to it. However, now that he had stated all of it out clearly and logically, Liu Yang immediately understood that everything he said is true. In the face of such an expert, what rights did he have to remain arrogant? It was laughable that he thought that he felt wronged for acknowledging him as his teacher… Only now did he realize how fortunate he was! Before acknowledging Cao Xiong, he had also met quite a few notable teachers in the academy and displayed his battle technique before them. However, they were unable to tell that he was trained in the Dragon Inch Fist, needless to say, seeing through the fact that his right arm was injured! “First, stop training in the Dragon Inch Fist and try your best to raise your cultivation. As for the injury that you have sustained and accumulated, I will think of an idea to solve it!” Zhang Xuan declared. “Alright, call Zhao Ya in!” “Yes!” Liu Yang nodded his head hurriedly. Not daring to say anything further, he quickly walked out. The moment he walked out, he saw Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao staring at him. “Have you withdrawn from Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s tutelage?” Yuan Tao asked in agitation. “Withdraw? Why should I withdraw?” Liu Yang waved his hand and declared proudly, his face not turning red in the slightest. “He who teaches me for one day is my father for life. I, Liu Yang, will not withdraw from Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s lessons. What kind of person do you think I am? Do I look like that casual of a person? I really don’t know what you all are thinking, to be thinking about withdrawing all day along. Aren’t you all embarrassed?” “…” Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao. [Shameless. He is too shameless! Just a moment ago, he was still going on about how determined he was to withdraw from Zhang Xuan’s lessons. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he changed his words entirely. Exactly how thick is his skin?!] …… “That teacher is probably… truly capable!” Seeing the vastly different attitudes between the two when they went in and came out, Zhao Ya thought in her mind as she pushed the door open. Actually, after hearing Uncle Yao Han’s words, it wasn’t like she never wavered in her determination. However, the truth still stood that the other party was able to point out her ‘illness’ accurately, giving her hope for a cure. After all, she was too embarrassed to speak of this illness in front of others, so it was impossible for her to reveal it to too many people. “Sit down!” Upon walking into the room, she saw Zhang laoshi and sat down. “Teacher, you said that… you can cure my illness…” Zhao Ya reddened. “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Your illness is an easy problem…” Actually, it wasn’t very difficult to solve Zhao Ya’s problem. She wasn’t really sick but rather, she possessed the Pure Yin Body, a physical body which countless women desired. The yin energy in her body was overpowering and if it was directed correctly, her cultivation would soar rapidly! However, it was a pity that no one in Baiyu City noticed it and even chose a yin-nature cultivation technique for her! For the other females, it was indeed quite a good manual to cultivate. However, for Zhao Ya, who possessed a Pure Yin Body, to cultivate such a cultivation technique, it was simply worsening the situation for her. The yin energy in her body accumulated gradually over time. When she was younger, it was still undetectable. However, as her body developed, the unique traits of a female became apparent and she would start to find it hard to suppress her urges. If she wasn’t cured in time and continued on this way, she might become a being possessed by her lust and find it hard to satisfy her desires no matter how hard she tried. This was precisely the reason why such an awkward situation was occurring to her. “This…” Zhao Ya was taken aback. She didn’t know that she possessed a Pure Yin Body. In fact, even her father was oblivious to the fact. However, the part about her cultivating a pure yin cultivation technique was true! Was this really the cause? “White Jade Pure Maiden Skill, it is an impressive skill, but it isn’t suited for you. If you want to solve this problem at its roots, you have to find another new cultivation technique!” After explaining the situation, Zhang Xuan stated. “You… How did you know that I cultivate the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill?” Zhao Ya was taken aback. This cultivation technique had been passed down in the Baiyu City. Other than the Bai family, there were very few people who were aware of it. Even the butler Yao Han, who was at the entrance of the classroom now, wasn’t too sure about it. Yet, the teacher before her was able to point it out instantly. Zhao Ya was in a state of disbelief. “If I am capable of seeing through illness, naturally, I would be able to see through your cultivation technique as well!” Zhang Xuan tilted his head forty-five degree as he assumed the look of an expert whose depth couldn’t be seen. “Cultivating a new cultivation technique can solve the problem? Then… What kind of cultivation technique should I cultivate?” Suppressing the astonishment in her mind forcefully, Zhao Ya asked. “You should find a cultivation technique capable of unleashing the potential of your body, and not one that accumulates yin energy! How about this, I will go to the academy’s Compendium Pavilion to take a look for you to see if there are any suitable ones for you!” Zhang Xuan said. “Thank you, teacher!” Zhao Ya nodded her head hurriedly. The problem hadn’t been solved yet, but at the very least, she was aware of the cause now. A surge of exhilaration gushed through her heart. “Un!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands to show that it was a small matter. “Call Zheng Yang in!” While Zhang Xuan was providing pointers to his students in the room, outside the classroom, a tall youth walked over in widened strides. “Elder Liu, is what you said true?” As the tall youth walked, he questioned the elderly following him behind. “Young master, that is the truth. Young mistress has acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her master!” Old Liu nodded his head quickly. If Zhang Xuan was here, he would definitely be able to recognize that the Old Liu here was the person who tried to withdraw Wang Ying from his lessons yesterday. The person whom he called young master should be Wang Ying’s elder brother, the genius of Hongtian Academy, the disciple of an elder, Wang Tao! “Zhang Xuan? The teacher who scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination? What rights does he have to teach my younger sister? Damn it! If I don’t teach him a lesson today to let him know the price for deceiving my younger sister, I will not call myself Wang Tao!” As Wang Tao walked towards the classroom, he declared furiously. [1] Jianjin -\u003e Shoulder well acupoint, right beside the back of your neck on your shoulder. 23 Troublemaker Tianxuan City was the capital of Tianxuan Kingdom. To be capable of becoming one of the four great families of the city, the prowess of the Wang family was one to behold. Even the principal of the Hongtian Academy would have to spare some face for such a powerful family. To think that of all teachers, Wang Ying would choose to acknowledge a fellow who had scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. That was an insult! A massive insult! Even though other people might not be aware of the affairs shrouding Zhang Xuan, as a student of the academy, Wang Tao had heard a lot about him. He had once misguided a student, causing his cultivation to go berserk, thus sullying the reputation of the teachers! This person was the topic of discussion and target of mockery over a meal or tea with his peers. Yet, never in his imaginations would he expect his younger sister to choose to acknowledge him as her teacher! If the other students were to be informed of it, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock? The more he thought about it, the more angry Wang Tao became. He walked towards the entrance of the classroom and spotted Yao Han, who was wrapped like a mummy. “I see, it is young master Wang Tao!” As the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, Yao Han had come into contact with many different powers. Given that Wang Tao was a talented genius and the son of the head of the Wang family, it was natural for Yao Han to be aware of his existence. “You are…” Glancing at him, Wang Tao’s eyebrows shot up. After getting beaten up so savagely, not a single hint of his original appearance remained. Even Zhao Ya found it hard to recognize him in his current state, needless to say, Wang Tao. “I am Yao Han from Baiyu City!” Yao Han said. “Oh, so you are butler Yao. Why are you…” Wang Tao was slightly taken aback. “I accidentally injured myself in the midst of training…” Yao Han explained awkwardly before changing the topic, “May I ask what young master Wang Tao is here for?” “My younger sister has acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her teacher. I am here to take her back, as well as to teach the arrogant teacher a lesson!” Wang Tao didn’t even try to conceal his rage. “Ah? Your younger sister? You mean Wang Ying xiaojie [1]?” Yao Han was driven out of the classroom right shortly after he entered it. Furthermore, his attention was focused on Zhang Xuan the whole time, thus, he didn’t notice Wang Ying’s presence. Wang Tao nodded his head. “I have heard that Wang Ying xiaojie‘s talent is in no way inferior to yours. Why would she choose him?” Yao Han was puzzled. “My younger sister rarely comes into contact with the outside world and has an innocent personality. That fellow has a glib tongue and I’m not sure what the fellow said, but my younger sister actually believed the nonsense he spouted!” Recalling what Old Liu told him, fury flared from Wang Tao. “How vile! That fellow is a scourge, the scum among the teachers!” Upon recalling how the young mistress of his family had fallen for his deception as well, he gritted his teeth angrily, “Young master Wang Tao, you have to teach that fellow a lesson!” “Un!” Wang Tao replied. At the same time, he stared at him doubtfully, “Right, butler Yao, why are you here?” “Let’s not talk about it. The more I talk about it, the angrier I get. Our young mistress had also fallen for the deceitful words of Zhang Xuan and acknowledged him as her teacher!” Yao Han scoffed. “You mean Zhao Ya xiaojie?” Wang Tao was taken aback. “Yes!” Yao Han nodded his head. “Then… why don’t you barge in and expose that hypocritical fellow? Why are you waiting at the entrance instead?” Wang Tao was bewildered. “I wanted to expose that fellow, but our young mistress got agitated. I had no choice but to wait outside. Young master Wang Tao, you came at a perfect timing. If you were to go in now, teach that shameless fellow a lesson and expose his ugly intentions, our young mistress would be able to see his true colors!” Yao Han said. “Rest assured, I will be exposing his fraud now. I will make sure that shameless fellow reveals his despicable self!” Wang Tao gritted his teeth and nodded his head. Then, he kicked the door open and walked in with widened strides. ……………………………… On the other hand, Zhang Xuan had finally gone through the individual situations of his five students with them. There were quite a few flaws with Zheng Yang’s spear. Zhang Xuan elaborated on them slightly, causing Zheng Yang’s strength to soar once again and the latter rejoiced over his improvement. On the other hand, Yuan Tao had never cultivated a proper cultivation technique or battle technique. Zhang Xuan took out the academy’s basic Hongtian Nine Dan Formula’s 1-dan formula and modified it slightly before passing it to him. He didn’t modify much of it, so there was still a large gap between it and the Heaven’s Path Divine Art that he was currently cultivating with. Even so, it was still several times more effective than the original Hongtian Nine Dan Formula. With just one look, Yuan Tao almost leapt up from the joy rushing through him, overjoyed to realize that he had acknowledged an accomplished teacher. “Alright, I have roughly gone through the problems you all have on you. You all need to persevere in your training…” Returning back to the classroom, Zhang Xuan gathered all five of his students together and was explaining the situation to them when boom, the door to the classroom was kicked open. Following which, a furious howl echoed in the room, “Zhang Xuan, withdraw my younger sister and Zhao Ya xiaojie from your lessons right now. Otherwise, I will make you will suffer!” Following which, Wang Tao rushed in and stood furiously before Zhang Xuan. His eyes were dyed crimson red, as though he was ready to murder someone. “Big brother…” Seeing her elder brother in such a state, Wang Ying was shocked and immediately rushed forward. “Don’t interfere in this!” He pushed his younger sister to his back before staring coldly at Zhang Xuan. With a haughty expression, he said, “Zhang Xuan, it is one thing if you use your nonsense to deceive others, but to think that you would dare to coax my younger sister with lies. You are seeking death! I will give you ten seconds. If you withdraw my younger sister and Zhao Ya xiaojie from your tutelage now, I can let this slip. If not, even if you are a teacher, don’t blame me for not going easy on you!” Boom! With a scornful look, Wang Tao released his full strength, revealing a very powerful aura. He had reached the level of a Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm! No wonder he could become a disciple of an elder. This strength was in no way weaker than an average teacher of the academy. “I am conducting lessons right now, get out!” Zhang Xuan looked at him blandly. “Conducting lessons? With your standard, what could you possibly be teaching!” Wang Tao mocked him coldly. “Get out? You want me to get out? Who do you think you are? The only reason why I call you a teacher is out of basic respect. Look at how you are, are you not aware of it? You are only a lowly teacher who is still in zhenqi realm, don’t act like you are a big shot before me. Even if I were to beat you up today, the most that would happen is a reprimand by the elders. What can you possibly do to me?” He wasn’t wrong. There were quite a few disciples of the elders in the academy who were stronger than the teachers and held esteemed positions in the academy. Even if a conflict were to break out between them and the teachers, the most they would do was to reprimand them slightly, there wouldn’t be any severe punishments. “Big brother…” Wang Ying’s face paled. She was very aware of the fact whether the teacher before her had standards or not. When all of the expert physicians in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom could do nothing about her problem, he was able to solve it casually. How could such a person possibly have no standards at all? Just as he was about to stop that rash elder brother of hers, the face of her teacher darkened and his eyes narrowed. “Scram!” “To ask me to scram…” He didn’t expect that the trash of a teacher would get him to scram. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he caught a glimpse of the cold gaze of the other party. Looking into his eyes, Wang Tao shivered uncontrollably, as though he was a rabbit who had caught the gaze of a tiger. Under the oppression of a powerful aura, he retreated a few steps subconsciously and his legs trembled. He had only felt such sharp aura from his master. How could it possibly appear on the academy’s worst teacher, a fellow who was just Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm? It took a moment before Wang Tao regained his composure. In that instant, Wang Tao’s face darkened like an ant’s nest as his eyes took on a deep shade of red. In his eyes, even though Zhang Xuan was a teacher, he was not any more than a trash. Yet, this trash dared to shout at him and cause him to retreat out of fear. If this were to spread out… How could he possibly face any other people? How would he be able to maintain his prestige? “You are courting death!” Feeling humiliated, Wang Tao roared and with a flick of his hand, the sword on his waist had been drawn. Hu! The sword stabbed out in a flash. Pah pah pah! At Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm, one would possess strength beyond 500kg. Even before the sword reached him, the continuous sound generated from the friction between the sword and the wind created an oppressing atmosphere, as though it would be impossible to counter the attack. “Zhang laoshi…” Seeing her elder brother striking out with such speed, Wang Ying’s face turns ghastly white. Although she was impressed by the guidance of Zhang laoshi, she was well aware of the fact that the teacher before her was only at Fighter 3-dan. He was far from a match for her brother! It was impossible for him to dodge the blow, he would definitely be injured! Frightened, she shrieked in fear and closed her eyes subconsciously. “How… How could this be possible?” Just when she thought that the Zhang laoshi who just resolved her problem for her would be wounded by the sword, she heard voices of disbelief from Zhao Ya and the others. She quickly opened her eyes to take a look and her eyeballs almost popped out from their sockets. She petrified on the spot. She saw her elder brother’s incomparably powerful and mighty slash getting stopped in midair and what was stopping it was the two seemingly weak fingers of Zhang Xuan laoshi. To block such a powerful blow with just… the pinching of two fingers! [1] Xiaojie -> Miss 24 Throw Him Ou Tianxuan City was the capital of Tianxuan Kingdom. To be capable of becoming one of the four great families of the city, the prowess of the Wang family was one to behold. Even the principal of the Hongtian Academy would have to spare some face for such a powerful family. To think that of all teachers, Wang Ying would choose to acknowledge a fellow who had scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. That was an insult! A massive insult! Even though other people might not be aware of the affairs shrouding Zhang Xuan, as a student of the academy, Wang Tao had heard a lot about him. He had once misguided a student, causing his cultivation to go berserk, thus sullying the reputation of the teachers! This person was the topic of discussion and target of mockery over a meal or tea with his peers. Yet, never in his imaginations would he expect his younger sister to choose to acknowledge him as her teacher! If the other students were to be informed of it, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock? The more he thought about it, the more angry Wang Tao became. He walked towards the entrance of the classroom and spotted Yao Han, who was wrapped like a mummy. “I see, it is young master Wang Tao!” As the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, Yao Han had come into contact with many different powers. Given that Wang Tao was a talented genius and the son of the head of the Wang family, it was natural for Yao Han to be aware of his existence. “You are…” Glancing at him, Wang Tao’s eyebrows shot up. After getting beaten up so savagely, not a single hint of his original appearance remained. Even Zhao Ya found it hard to recognize him in his current state, needless to say, Wang Tao. “I am Yao Han from Baiyu City!” Yao Han said. “Oh, so you are butler Yao. Why are you…” Wang Tao was slightly taken aback. “I accidentally injured myself in the midst of training…” Yao Han explained awkwardly before changing the topic, “May I ask what young master Wang Tao is here for?” “My younger sister has acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her teacher. I am here to take her back, as well as to teach the arrogant teacher a lesson!” Wang Tao didn’t even try to conceal his rage. “Ah? Your younger sister? You mean Wang Ying xiaojie [1]?” Yao Han was driven out of the classroom right shortly after he entered it. Furthermore, his attention was focused on Zhang Xuan the whole time, thus, he didn’t notice Wang Ying’s presence. Wang Tao nodded his head. “I have heard that Wang Ying xiaojie‘s talent is in no way inferior to yours. Why would she choose him?” Yao Han was puzzled. “My younger sister rarely comes into contact with the outside world and has an innocent personality. That fellow has a glib tongue and I’m not sure what the fellow said, but my younger sister actually believed the nonsense he spouted!” Recalling what Old Liu told him, fury flared from Wang Tao. “How vile! That fellow is a scourge, the scum among the teachers!” Upon recalling how the young mistress of his family had fallen for his deception as well, he gritted his teeth angrily, “Young master Wang Tao, you have to teach that fellow a lesson!” “Un!” Wang Tao replied. At the same time, he stared at him doubtfully, “Right, butler Yao, why are you here?” “Let’s not talk about it. The more I talk about it, the angrier I get. Our young mistress had also fallen for the deceitful words of Zhang Xuan and acknowledged him as her teacher!” Yao Han scoffed. “You mean Zhao Ya xiaojie?” Wang Tao was taken aback. “Yes!” Yao Han nodded his head. “Then… why don’t you barge in and expose that hypocritical fellow? Why are you waiting at the entrance instead?” Wang Tao was bewildered. “I wanted to expose that fellow, but our young mistress got agitated. I had no choice but to wait outside. Young master Wang Tao, you came at a perfect timing. If you were to go in now, teach that shameless fellow a lesson and expose his ugly intentions, our young mistress would be able to see his true colors!” Yao Han said. “Rest assured, I will be exposing his fraud now. I will make sure that shameless fellow reveals his despicable self!” Wang Tao gritted his teeth and nodded his head. Then, he kicked the door open and walked in with widened strides. ……………………………… On the other hand, Zhang Xuan had finally gone through the individual situations of his five students with them. There were quite a few flaws with Zheng Yang’s spear. Zhang Xuan elaborated on them slightly, causing Zheng Yang’s strength to soar once again and the latter rejoiced over his improvement. On the other hand, Yuan Tao had never cultivated a proper cultivation technique or battle technique. Zhang Xuan took out the academy’s basic Hongtian Nine Dan Formula’s 1-dan formula and modified it slightly before passing it to him. He didn’t modify much of it, so there was still a large gap between it and the Heaven’s Path Divine Art that he was currently cultivating with. Even so, it was still several times more effective than the original Hongtian Nine Dan Formula. With just one look, Yuan Tao almost leapt up from the joy rushing through him, overjoyed to realize that he had acknowledged an accomplished teacher. “Alright, I have roughly gone through the problems you all have on you. You all need to persevere in your training…” Returning back to the classroom, Zhang Xuan gathered all five of his students together and was explaining the situation to them when boom, the door to the classroom was kicked open. Following which, a furious howl echoed in the room, “Zhang Xuan, withdraw my younger sister and Zhao Ya xiaojie from your lessons right now. Otherwise, I will make you will suffer!” Following which, Wang Tao rushed in and stood furiously before Zhang Xuan. His eyes were dyed crimson red, as though he was ready to murder someone. “Big brother…” Seeing her elder brother in such a state, Wang Ying was shocked and immediately rushed forward. “Don’t interfere in this!” He pushed his younger sister to his back before staring coldly at Zhang Xuan. With a haughty expression, he said, “Zhang Xuan, it is one thing if you use your nonsense to deceive others, but to think that you would dare to coax my younger sister with lies. You are seeking death! I will give you ten seconds. If you withdraw my younger sister and Zhao Ya xiaojie from your tutelage now, I can let this slip. If not, even if you are a teacher, don’t blame me for not going easy on you!” Boom! With a scornful look, Wang Tao released his full strength, revealing a very powerful aura. He had reached the level of a Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm! No wonder he could become a disciple of an elder. This strength was in no way weaker than an average teacher of the academy. “I am conducting lessons right now, get out!” Zhang Xuan looked at him blandly. “Conducting lessons? With your standard, what could you possibly be teaching!” Wang Tao mocked him coldly. “Get out? You want me to get out? Who do you think you are? The only reason why I call you a teacher is out of basic respect. Look at how you are, are you not aware of it? You are only a lowly teacher who is still in zhenqi realm, don’t act like you are a big shot before me. Even if I were to beat you up today, the most that would happen is a reprimand by the elders. What can you possibly do to me?” He wasn’t wrong. There were quite a few disciples of the elders in the academy who were stronger than the teachers and held esteemed positions in the academy. Even if a conflict were to break out between them and the teachers, the most they would do was to reprimand them slightly, there wouldn’t be any severe punishments. “Big brother…” Wang Ying’s face paled. She was very aware of the fact whether the teacher before her had standards or not. When all of the expert physicians in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom could do nothing about her problem, he was able to solve it casually. How could such a person possibly have no standards at all? Just as he was about to stop that rash elder brother of hers, the face of her teacher darkened and his eyes narrowed. “Scram!” “To ask me to scram…” He didn’t expect that the trash of a teacher would get him to scram. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he caught a glimpse of the cold gaze of the other party. Looking into his eyes, Wang Tao shivered uncontrollably, as though he was a rabbit who had caught the gaze of a tiger. Under the oppression of a powerful aura, he retreated a few steps subconsciously and his legs trembled. He had only felt such sharp aura from his master. How could it possibly appear on the academy’s worst teacher, a fellow who was just Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm? It took a moment before Wang Tao regained his composure. In that instant, Wang Tao’s face darkened like an ant’s nest as his eyes took on a deep shade of red. In his eyes, even though Zhang Xuan was a teacher, he was not any more than a trash. Yet, this trash dared to shout at him and cause him to retreat out of fear. If this were to spread out… How could he possibly face any other people? How would he be able to maintain his prestige? “You are courting death!” Feeling humiliated, Wang Tao roared and with a flick of his hand, the sword on his waist had been drawn. Hu! The sword stabbed out in a flash. Pah pah pah! At Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm, one would possess strength beyond 500kg. Even before the sword reached him, the continuous sound generated from the friction between the sword and the wind created an oppressing atmosphere, as though it would be impossible to counter the attack. “Zhang laoshi…” Seeing her elder brother striking out with such speed, Wang Ying’s face turns ghastly white. Although she was impressed by the guidance of Zhang laoshi, she was well aware of the fact that the teacher before her was only at Fighter 3-dan. He was far from a match for her brother! It was impossible for him to dodge the blow, he would definitely be injured! Frightened, she shrieked in fear and closed her eyes subconsciously. “How… How could this be possible?” Just when she thought that the Zhang laoshi who just resolved her problem for her would be wounded by the sword, she heard voices of disbelief from Zhao Ya and the others. She quickly opened her eyes to take a look and her eyeballs almost popped out from their sockets. She petrified on the spot. She saw her elder brother’s incomparably powerful and mighty slash getting stopped in midair and what was stopping it was the two seemingly weak fingers of Zhang Xuan laoshi. To block such a powerful blow with just… the pinching of two fingers! [1] Xiaojie -> Miss 25 Looking for Trouble “Shang shaoye!” Cao Xiong said respectfully. “Cao Xiong laoshi, you were looking for me?” Shang Bin looked over with a puzzled expression. They might be both teachers of the academy and they often bumped into one another, but their relationship was still stuck at the level of an acquaintance. “Indeed. I have something which I would have to trouble Shang shaoye with!” Cao Xiong hesitated for a moment before speaking. “As long as it is something I could help you with, I will try my best!” Cao Xiong replied. As the grandson of Elder Shang Chen, there were quite a few teachers who came looking for him for favors every day and he had long gotten used to it. “Is that so? I… Yesterday, I took much difficulty in admitting a student under my tutelage, but he was snatched away by another teacher through deception. Isn’t Elder Shang in charge of the Education Bureau? I would like to ask… if it is possible to transfer the student back to me…” Cao Xiong said. Liu Yang was the best student which he spent a lot of effort to recruit. Yet, he lost him to Zhang Xuan due to that bet. When he returned, he got angrier and angrier the more he thought about it. Eventually, he couldn’t bear it anymore and came to look for Shang Bin today. Shang Bin’s grandfather was Elder Shang Chen, the head of the academy’s Education Bureau. Allocating a student to another teacher would be quite a simple feat for him. “Transfer back?” Shang Bin frowned. “If that student willingly came under the other person’s tutelage, it would be difficult! You also know that students are much more troublesome nowadays. If they are dissatisfied with anything, they would report the incident to the Royal Court and the Teacher Union, then we will…” “He isn’t willing! I can guarantee that!” Cao Xiong hurriedly replied. “Even if he isn’t willing, if the other teacher is unwilling to let him go, it won’t be easy as well. You know the school rules…” Shang Bin waved his hand. Suddenly, he raised his head and asked, “Just now, you said… deception? May I know which teacher is the one who coaxed your student over?” “It is our academy’s ‘trash teacher’ Zhang Xuan…” Speaking of that young man, Cao Xiong clenched his jaws and hatred could be plainly seen on his face. “Zhang Xuan? Your student was coaxed over by him?” Hearing that name once again, Shang Bin’s rage burned once again. If it wasn’t for this fellow, he would definitely be able to get a dinner date with his goddess! A fellow who was only Fighter 3-dan and scored a zero for him Teacher Qualification Examination would actually dare to disregard his authority, he was seeking for death! If it wasn’t for the presence of the goddess yesterday such that it was inconvenient to resort to physical means, he would have definitely beat him until he was on the verge of dying! “Yes! Since he is that kind of teacher, no humans would be willing to become his student! So, I would like to trouble Shang shaoye to help me bring up this matter with Elder Shang and allocate my student back…” Cao Xiong said carefully, afraid that the other party would refuse his request. “There is no need to bring this up with Elder Shang, I will settle this matter for you now!” Shang Bin waved his hand majestically. “You’re going to settle the matter for me?” “The other teachers might still require the help of my grandfather for the reallocation process, but since we’re talking about the useless trash Zhang Xuan, why do we have to go through so much trouble? We just have to go to him straight and if he refuses, we will cripple him!” Shang Bin gestured grandly. He might be at a loss in means to deal with other teachers, but towards the one who scored a zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination, it was simply too easy for him to make a stand to teach him a lesson! Disregarding his weak abilities, the crux of it was that no one in the academy would possibly come in his defense. The most important point of all was that he had intended to give Zhang Xuan a good thrashing to vent his frustration, but he had been vexed over the lack of a suitable justification for it. If he were to strike without a suitable justification, he would surely leave a bad impression with Shen Bi Ru if she were to find out. But now, he had duped away the student of another teacher and the person in question had come over seeking for his help. He could make use of this reason to lash out at him! “This…” He didn’t expect that Shang Bin would be so generous, Cao Xiong was taken aback. “There is no need for ‘this’. Come with me! If you’re afraid, I will do it for you!” The corners of Shang Bin’s lip curled upwards as a glint of brutality flashed across his eyes. “Then, I will be thanking Shang shaoye in advance!” Cao Xiong’s eyes lit up excitedly as he nodded his head hurriedly. The two of them moved towards Zhang Xuan’s classroom with widened strides. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the entrance of Zhang Xuan’s classroom to see the mummy-like Yao Han and the young master of the Wang family. “Wang Tao, what are you doing here instead of training over at grandfather’s?” Shang Bin frowned. He might be the grandson of Elder Shang Chen, but he was still a little off in terms of standing in comparison to Wang Tao. “Shang Bin laoshi!” Wang Tao bowed. “My younger sister was duped to attend lessons here. I intend to take her back…” “Shang Bin?” Yao Han was still considering whom he should gather intelligence on Shang Bin from when he heard that the young man before him was Shang Bin. He hurriedly lifted his head to take a good look at him. “You mean Wang Ying xiaojie?” Shang Bin’s face darkened. Coldness radiated out of his eyes as he declared, “That Zhang Xuan is really too daring! To dare to dupe even Wang xiaojie, he must be tired of living! Looks like if I don’t teach him a lesson, it would be hard to appease the crowd!” “Indeed…” Wang Tao nodded his head. “Since Wang Ying xiaojie was duped to come under his tutelage, why didn’t you barge in to stop him, and chose to wait here instead?” Harrumphing, Shang Bin looked over with a puzzled expression. “That…” Wang Tao dared not to admit that he was thrown out. Scratching his head, just when he was perplexed over how he should answer, Yao Han, who was beside him, said, “Isn’t there a rule in the academy that states that entry into a classroom is disallowed in the midst of a lesson? Thus, we could only wait outside for the lessons to end!” “This is…” Only now did Shang Bin notice the mummy-like Yao Han. “This is the butler of City Lord Zhao of Baiyu City, Yao Han!” Wang Tao hurriedly introduced him. “So, it is butler Yao. I have long heard of your name!” Shang Bin nodded his head and continued, “There is such a rule in the academy that no one is allowed to barge into the classroom in the midst of a lesson. However, it doesn’t matter in this case. You all can follow behind me to enter the classroom. Today, I will personally take care of the fellow who has no morals as a teacher and goes around conning others!” “Alright!” Hearing that he was going to make a move, Wang Tao’s eyes lit up and followed closely behind him. Yao Han hesitated for a moment before following behind them. ……………………………… In the classroom. “Hongtian Nine Dan Formula. It might be the most basic cultivation technique of Hongtian Academy, but there are quite a few problems with it. For example…” The five students sat in the classroom, listening attentively to Zhang Xuan’s explanations. Despite it only being the first lecture, they were all incomparably shocked. It was as though they have consumed ginseng fruit and were getting drunk on his words. The few students present in the classroom, with the exception of Yuan Tao, have exceptional backgrounds. They might have never gone to an academy, but they had learned everything systematically. They have undergone lectures of many different teachers and even had the privilege of having Fighter 5-dan and 6-dan experts offering them pointers… However, they had never been to such a lesson in their entire life. The lecture gave them a feeling of enlightenment. They found themselves suddenly comprehending many things that they were perplexed in the past. The breath in their body seemed to be tempted to follow the methods which the teacher was describing to them and a sensation that they would be able to break through any time now gushed through them. The lecture was simply too well-said! Hearing Zhang Xuan’s lessons, they realized that even the supposed high-level teachers paled greatly in comparison to him. This was especially so for Zhao Ya. As the daughter of a city lord, her father often deciphered cultivation techniques for her. Initially, she had always thought that her father was the best lecturer in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. After all, her father’s strength was clear for all to see! However, in comparison to Zhang laoshi, she felt like a frog in the well! It was laughable. There was totally no way to compare the both of them at all! Zhang laoshi‘s explanations were spot-on. No matter how incredible the cultivation technique and battle technique was, he was able to immediately spot the flaws in it, causing one to be shocked and go into deep thoughts, unable to calm the agitation in them for a long period of time. Often, a single deciphered sentence of Zhang laoshi would send them into thinking for half a day. After they finally comprehended it after much difficulty, they would realize that he had already been talking for a long period of time and that they had missed many of the knowledge which he had imparted then. “Zhang laoshi‘s standards… are way too high!” At this moment, the five students finally understood how deep the foundations of battle techniques and how wide the tree of knowledge was within this young man who wasn’t much older than them. “Previously, I laughably thought that Zhang laoshi had simply lucked out to make my strength soar instantaneously. Only now do I realize that… given his wisdom, it is a small feat for him to accomplish such greatness! There are more than a hundred methods for him to make my strength increase by a fold…” The previously arrogant Liu Yang couldn’t help but tremble on the spot, “In comparison to him, Cao Xiong laoshi… Sigh, I better not compare the two of them. They are at totally different heights, there is no way to compare the two of them. It is like they both exist in different worlds! It is fortunate that they made that bet, otherwise, how could I possibly meet such a great teacher…” The five students were each listening attentively to the lecture in agitation, afraid that they would miss some important knowledge. Jiyaaaaa! The door to the classroom was pushed open and a few men walked in with large strides. 26 Enlightenment Will Trial “Zhang Xuan, I didn’t expect that your guts would be so inflated after not meeting for a day!” Walking into the room, Shang Bin surveyed the surroundings and noticed that the ‘trash’ had managed to admit in five students. A savage expression flashed across his eyes as he sneered coldly, “To dare to deceive Wang Ying xiaojie, Zhao Ya xiaojie and the others, as well as to coax the student of Cao Xiong laoshi to come under your tutelage instead, where the hell did you find such courage!” “Shang Bin laoshi? Cao Xiong laoshi?” Seeing the few people who just barged in, Zhang Xuan frowned, “I am in the midst of a lesson. If there’s anything you want to say, please say them after the lessons!” “Lesson your head! Shang shaoye came personally over so what the hell are you acting so high and mighty for? Given your standards, it is already a blessing for the others to not be misguided by you, yet you talk about having lessons? You little brat who don’t even know the basics, how dare you pretend like you’re something big before us!” Cao Xiong mocked Zhang Xuan coldly. Since the both of them were already hostile to one another, there was no need for him to put on an act anymore. “Get out! You’re not welcome here!” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes. “You are still continuing on with the act? Zhang Xuan, do you even remember your own surname?” Shang Bin laughed coldly, “Quickly release Zhao Ya xiaojie and Wang Ying xiaojie from your lessons and reallocate Liu Yang back to Cao Xiong laoshi. If so, I might choose to back down and not teach you a lesson today. Otherwise… I’m afraid that you will have to spend this school term in a wheelchair!” “You want to make a move on me?” Zhang Xuan glanced over, “The academy forbids teachers from fighting one another within its compounds. Is Shang Bin laoshi unaware of the academy rules?” “The academy rules are made for humans. Against others, I would still be worried about the consequences about flouting those rules, but towards you… Hehe, do you think that there would be anyone in the academy who would stand up for a trash like you?” Shang Bin declared with an expression that clearly spelled out his vile intentions. “I get it, is it because I offended you with my words yesterday, that’s why you are intentionally seeking trouble with me now? Aren’t you afraid that Shen Bi Ru laoshi would be displeased by such actions of yours?” Zhang Xuan harrumphed. “Hehe, at least you are well-aware of it. Since I have decided to teach you a lesson, of course, I won’t be worried about you talking nonsense…” Shang Bin didn’t deny it and just as he was about to gleefully step forward to teach the fellow before him a lesson, he was interrupted by another furious voice. “It’s you!” Yao Han’s eyes turned red. Given how Zhang Xuan had offended Shang Bin yesterday and Shen Bi Ru laoshi was involved in the incident as well, if Yao Han was still unable to figure out the culprit who beat him up, even he himself would suspect that he was a fool! “What?” Seeing butler Yao rage out when he was about to punish Zhang Xuan, Shang Bin turned around to look at him, bewildered. “Do you think that it is possible for you to be unaware of what you have done?” Before Shang Bin could react, accompanied by a loud roar, a fist smashed violently onto his face. “The heck!” Shang Bin could only feel everything before him turning dark. The regions around his eyes bruised up. His body staggered for a moment before falling to the ground. “To dare to beat me up to such a pathetic state, I will make you suffer for it!” Recalling the agony he had undergone from the beating yesterday, there wasn’t any hesitation in Yao Han’s blows at all. Sitting onto Shang Bin’s body, fist after fist came raging onto him like a storm. “Butler Yao…” Everything occurred too quickly. Wang Tao and Cao Xiong were flabbergasted. Actually, they weren’t the only ones who were taken aback, even Zhao Ya, Wang Ying and the others stared at one another in confusion. Just a moment ago, when these few people came over to find trouble with Zhang laoshi, Zhang Xuan’s students were still quite enraged and had intended to stand up for him. Yet, before they could do anything, the other side started fighting among themselves. Wasn’t this incident too bizarre! This was especially so for Zhao Ya. She was well-aware of the personality of butler Yao. He was a very dignified and rational person who handled problems systematically. Otherwise, her father wouldn’t have possibly allowed him to become the butler of their family. But… what happened today? Why did he start beating up Shang Bin before he could finish his words? Probably, the only one who knew what was happening was Zhang Xuan. The reason why he intentionally mentioned that he offended Shang Bin yesterday and brought up Shen Bi Ru’s name was to remind butler Yao of the two features of his attacker yesterday… In the end, just as he intended, he made a move on Shang Bin! Actually, this couldn’t be blamed on butler Yao for being rash. After all, no matter who it was, if they were to be beaten up out of the blue for no good reason, they would definitely hold some resentment in their heart. Furthermore, he was of esteemed position and represented the image of Baiyu City, so he had never suffered such injustice. To add on, he had been angered by Zhang Xuan multiple times these two days and his young mistress had been curbing him from assaulting him. Without an outlet to vent his frustration, it had been welling up in his chest. At this moment, when he had met his enemy, how could he stand it any further? “Butler Yao, what are you doing?!” Feeling the fists crashing down onto him like raindrops, the confused Shang Bin could only feel his vision going dark. He almost threw up a mouthful of fresh blood. What was going on? This was the first time he was meeting this butler Yao and he shouldn’t have offended him before, so why the heck was he so brutal? No matter how he tried to recall, he couldn’t fathom how he could have possibly offended the other party! “What am I doing? Stop acting ignorant here, are you not aware of it yourself?” Peng peng peng peng! Butler Yao’s fist came landing one after another without any moment of rest. Shang Bin was a high-level teacher and had reached the level of Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm. Even so, there was still a distance between him and Yao Han’s 6-dan Pixue realm. He wasn’t even a match for Yao Han in a normal battle, needless to say, a sudden assault. He was done in with just a single punch. “Butler Yao, calm down, calm down. We can talk things through calmly…” Only now then did Cao Xiong and Wang Tao regain their senses and they hurriedly pulled the both of them apart. At this moment, Shang Bin’s handsome face was swollen to the point that there was no difference between it and a pig’s head. “Damn it!” Shang Bin was about to explode from anger. Initially, he had intended to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson but never in his dreams did he expect the butler Yao from Baiyu City to suddenly go insane and assault him! At this moment, all of his accumulated rage channeled towards butler Yao! “No matter what personal grudges the few of you may hold among yourselves, please settle it outside the classroom. This isn’t a location for you all to fight it out. If you all do not leave now and continue to interrupt my lessons, I will inform the Central Education Bureau and call them over…” Zhang Xuan spoke up. “Fine… Just you all wait!” Hearing that he would inform the Central Education Bureau, Shang Bin turned around and walked away. If news were to spread about his current state, how could still possibly have the face to meet others? He must not allow any teachers to see him in his current state! “Shang shaoye… Shang shaoye!” Initially, Cao Xiong thought that it would be an easy task. With Shang shaoye making a move personally, he would definitely he able to get Zhang Xuan to return his student. However, never in his dreams did he expect to see such a situation occurring. Cao Xiong hurriedly followed behind him. Soon, the two of them disappear from view. “Uncle Yao, what are you doing?” After the two of them left, Zhao Ya walked up and looks at her Uncle Yao, her face flushed red from anger. This Uncle Yao was normal in the past, so why was he getting more and more overboard nowadays! “Young mistress, I…” Yao Han didn’t know how he should reply to Zhao Ya’s words. After all, he couldn’t possibly say that he had intended to sneak over to Zhang Xuan’s dormitory in an attempt to castrate him but ended up getting bashed up by Shang Bin instead, and he did a moment ago was to exact vengeance for that! “Alright, I am still in the midst of the lesson. I would have to ask for the rest of you to leave!” Zhang Xuan gestured. After hesitating for a moment, Yao Han, Wang Tao and Old Liu left the classroom yet again. ………………………… “Damn it, damn it!” After leaving Zhang Xuan’s classroom, Shang Bin cried out in anger, “That Yao Han must be taught a lesson. Zhang Xuan as well. To dare to look at me contemptuously, he must be punished!” As the grandson of an elder, his life had been smooth sailing all along. When had he ever suffered such injustice! Furthermore, the worst of it all was that he didn’t even know the reason behind it. He was in the midst of talking when the other party suddenly rushed up to assault him in the blink of an eye! He found the scenario incomprehensible! “That Yao Han must be an accomplice of Zhang Xuan! Otherwise, why would he make a move on Shang shaoye? I think he must have been ordered to do so!” Cao Xiong said. “No doubt, that must be it!” Shang Bin agreed. He had never offended Yao Han, but the other party made a move on him without any warnings. It must be due to his declaration of wanting to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson! “Are you sure that Liu Yang did not willingly acknowledge Zhang Xuan as his teacher?” After awhile, Shang Bin calmed down and turned around to ask. “I can ascertain that he didn’t do it out of his own free will!” Recalling the unwillingness on Liu Yang’s face when he left yesterday, Cao Xiong replied confidently. “Great. If you’re that sure of it, go and apply for a 【Enlightenment Will Trial】!” Shang Bin said. “Enlightenment Will Trial? This…” Cao Xiong’s face darkened. Enlightenment Will Trial was a special method to determine the allocation of a student who was vied by multiple teachers when the academy is unable to make a judgment. The student would undergo the trial of the 【Enlightenment Will Tower】 and the Enlightenment Will Tower would reflect his true thoughts in the form of a confidence-meter. If the student was proven to be unwilling to come under the tutelage of the teacher, the teacher of the student would be punished. On the other hand, if it was proven that the one who applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial was making a false report, he would receive an equivalent punishment. This was the final resort used when there was truly no means to determine the allocation of the student. Cao Xiong was aware of it, but he felt that things have yet to get to such an irreconcilable point. “Why? Are you lying to me? Could it be that the fellow joined Zhang Xuan willingly?” Looking at Cao Xiong’s hesitant face, Shang Bin’s face darkened even further. “No, he definitely did not join willingly. I… will apply now! I will make sure Zhang Xuan will get what he deserves!” Cao Xiong nodded his head. “Un, then hurry up!” Looking at his compliance, Shang Bin nodded his head in satisfaction. “When you are applying for it, make sure to raise the punishment to the maximum! This way, Zhang Xuan would be in for a tough time, perhaps he might even get fired!” Punishment could be raised based on the applier’s request. The higher the stakes were, the heavier the penalty on the side who failed the trial. “Alright!” Cao Xiong’s eyes lit up with excitement as he visioned the image of Zhang Xuan getting fired. 27 The Frenzied Wang Clan “Alright, we will end the lessons here. Everyone, remember to try to comprehend the contents of this lesson when you get back. If there is anything you are unsure of, you can come over to me to clarify it!” Zhang Xuan gestured. “Yes!” The five students answered in chorus before leaving the classroom. They didn’t spend a long time immersed in the lesson and there were even a couple of times where someone barged in to create trouble, but they still benefited greatly from it. It could even be said that if they were to persist on to try to comprehend what was taught, their cultivation would surely rise by leaps and bounds. The five of them left the room excitedly. The moment Wang Ying walked out, her elder brother, Wang Tao, grabbed her. “Go, let’s return back to our clan!” “Return back to our clan? Big brother, why must we return…” Wang Ying was taken aback. “Hmph, you refused to listen to the words of your elder brother and chose to acknowledge the worst teacher in the academy as your teacher. I have already reported this matter to father and he says that he would like to talk to you personally!” Wang Tao harrumphed. The first time he entered the classroom, he was thrown out. The second time, he returned without accomplishing anything. Judging from the expression on his younger sister, he knew that he would be unable to convince her to change her mind. Thus, he sent Old Liu back to inform the clan of the matter. He intended to get their father to persuade her. His younger sister’s personality might be pure and innocent, but she still listened rather obediently to the words of their father. “Father…” Fright could be seen on Wang Ying’s face. Their father was the current clan head of the Wang Clan, Wang Hong! He was a very strict person who rarely smiles, even his children tremble before his presence. “Zhang Xuan laoshi actually isn’t the way that you all put him out to be. His lectures are very good…” Wang Ying tried to retort. “Hmph, say those words to father and see if he believes it!” Wang Tao waved his hand and without a second word, he pulled his younger sister out of the academy. Hongtian Academy and the Wang Clan are both in Tianxuan City and they weren’t too far apart from one another. In a short moment, the two siblings reached their destination and Wang Tao pulled Wang Ying to their father’s study. “Enter!” The cold and strict voice of clan head Wang Hong sounded out. “Yes!” Wang Ying tremored from fright upon hearing that voice. Clenching her jaws, she followed closely behind her elder brother into the room. In the study, clan head Wang Hong was sitting at the utmost center of the room. The few sitting behind him were the influential elders within the clan. There was also one youth who was sitting by the side. Wang Ying recognized the youth as the grandson of the 2nd Elder, Wang Yan. She went to the Hongtian Academy at the same time as Wang Yan. In the end, the latter managed to acknowledge the renowned Lu Xun laoshi as his teacher whereas she acknowledged the academy’s worst reputed teacher Zhang Xuan… “Father!” The tense atmosphere in the study made Wang Ying dare not to breathe heavily. “Kneel down!” Clan head Wang Hong’s face darkened. The teacher played an utmost role on one’s route of cultivation. Before entering the academy, he had reminded her time and time again to acknowledge Lu Xun as her teacher. Yet, this lass… [Why can’t you acknowledge anyone else? Why must you choose the worst one in the whole academy?] When he heard that news, he almost died from sheer anger. Putong! Wang Ying shivered as she knelt down. “Do you admit your mistake?” Wang Hong asked coldly. “I…” “Hmph, acknowledging one’s teacher should be based on an individual’s free will, so I didn’t want to say too much about it, but are you unaware of the standards of this Zhang Xuan laoshi? The one who scored the worst for the Teacher Qualification Examination and even left a student berserk. Does someone like that have the qualifications to become your teacher?” Clan head Wang Hong said with a grave expression on his face. “If you were unaware of the situation and were deceived by him, I would still turn a blind eye to it, but why didn’t you listen to your brother’s words? I heard that your elder brother asked you to withdraw from his lessons, but you refuted him? What are you trying to do?” Clan head Wang Hong’s voice became louder and louder, to the point that the study tremored with creaking noises. “I…” Hearing the reprimand of her father, Wang Ying’s face turned red before she gritted her jade teeth and said, “Father, Zhang Xuan laoshi isn’t as bad as the rumors put him out to be. He is a talented teacher, just that he keeps a low profile. I want to be under his tutelage, I will not withdraw from his lessons!” She benefited greatly from just a single lesson. Wang Ying knew that coming under the tutelage of Zhang Xuan was an opportunity for her. If she were to miss this chance, she would definitely regret it for the rest of her life. “A talented teacher? Haha, a fellow who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination?” “Wang Ying, you should listen to the advice of the clan head, don’t be deceived by that Zhang Xuan!” “You should learn from Wang Yan. He might have only gone on one lesson, but his strength has already increased by 40%. The guidance of Lu Xun laoshi is definitely top-notch in the entire academy!” … Hearing the words of the young lady, the other elders laughed as they shook their head. [There isn’t a single person in Tianxuan City who is unaware of Zhang Xuan’s reputation. Yet, you say that he is a talented teacher… What kind of joke is this!] “You…” Hearing the words of his daughter, clan head Wang Hong was incensed, “I don’t care what you say, you have to withdraw from his lessons today! Otherwise, don’t even think about stepping into this house ever again!” “I don’t agree with your decision!” Wang Ying might seem weak, but she had a stubborn temperament. She stood up and said indignantly, “You all have never listened into Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s lessons, so what rights do you all have to say that his lessons are sub par? What rights do you all have to force me to withdraw from his lessons?” “We might not have listened into his lessons before, but do you think it is possible for his reputation and Teacher Qualification Examination results to be falsified?” An elder replied. “Wang Ying xiaojie, stop being stubborn. There are so many students who can testify for whether his lessons are good or not. Do you think that you are the only smart one of the bunch?” Another elder stated. “I don’t know whether the Teacher Qualification Examination results are falsified or not, but I know that he has treated my legs and gave me pointers for my cultivation. I can easily execute a might that is one-fold greater than previously!” Wang Ying declared. “Treated your legs? What kind of joke is this!” “Even Master Yuanyu is unable to do anything about your legs. Yet, you claim that a fellow who scored zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination is able to treat it?” “Wang Ying xiaojie, even if you wish to lie in his stead, you should say something that is more believable…” Everyone in the clan was aware of Wang Ying’s leg injury. Hearing her words, a few of the elders scoffed coldly. “If you all don’t believe me, I will prove it to you all!” Seeing the looks of disbelief on the elders’ faces, Wang Ying didn’t continue arguing and instead, walked over to the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar and sent a kick towards it. Peng! The rock pillar shook and a string of numbers appeared. 205! “What?” Seeing this sight, clan head Wang Hong’s eyes narrowed subconsciously. The few elders who were reprimanding Wang Ying a moment ago were also taken aback as their lips trembled from shock. The few elders here had specially looked into the injury of Wang Ying’s legs and had deduced that it was impossible to treat it. They concluded that it would be impossible to exert strength in them and just the fact that she was able to walk normally was already a blessing. Yet, to wield 205kg behind such legs? How… How was this possible? After kicking the pillar, Wang Ying didn’t stop. She turned around and struck on the pillar with a fist. Weng! Numbers displayed on the rock pillar. 120! A force of 120kg behind her fists! “You… You’re still Juxi realm primary stage. I thought you were only able to hit 53kg when you left yesterday? How could it be possible for you to hit… 120kg?” Clan head Wang Hong abruptly stood up as his voice quivered in agitation. Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm, cultivators would learn innate breathing and sensing of spirit in the air. Also, they would gain the ability to look into their body and control the flow of spirit energy in their body with their mind. They would have a strength of 50kg in their primary stage, 70kg in the intermediate stage, 90kg in the advanced stage and 110kg at the pinnacle. This was the mass that a cultivator would be able to carry with their present strength. It was normal for the strength behind their fist to be slightly lower or higher than the strength attributed to their level of cultivation. Normally, it would already be incredible to achieve an increase of 20% to 30% around that level. Even for a renowned teacher like Lu Xun, he could only induce an improvement of 40%! Despite not breaking through in her cultivation, being still in Juxi realm primary stage, she was able to hit with a force of 120kg, even stronger than someone at Juxi realm pinnacle! This meant that her strength enhancement was greater than a single fold, that was too formidable! “I only improved to such an extent due to Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s guidance!” After hitting the pillar, Wang Ying stopped and declared calmly. “With just a slight pointer, he is able to induce such a great improvement? Furthermore… treating your legs as well?” Clan leader Wang Hong was in a state of disbelief. In a few short steps, he walked to the front of his daughter. With a single look, he immediately understood that his daughter’s legs were truly cured! As the worst teacher in the entire academy, not only was he able to treat an injury Master Yuanyu was unable to cure, he was even able to induce a massive improvement through a short moment of guidance. Was this for real? “Can you tell us a little about the contents of the lessons he went through today? What did he talk about?” After a short period of shock, clan head Wang Hong couldn’t resist asking. “Alright. Today, Zhang laoshi talked about cultivation technique. However, as what he talked about was too profound, I could only remember less than a tenth of it. This is what he said…” After hesitating for a moment, she mentioned everything that she recalled in her mind. “Gathering one’s breath and nourishing it… To think that there would be such a profound theory behind a simple Juxi realm!” “This… is too incredible. If only I had undergone such lessons back then, I wouldn’t be stuck in such a realm, unable to advance ahead!” “This is truly the theory derived from a true master. I am enlightened…” … Just by repeating a few sentences, the clan head and the elders in the room seemed to have gone into a daze, as though they were drunk on those words, on the verge of going frenzied. To be able to become the clan head and an elder of a prestigious clan, they all possess high levels of cultivation, even the weakest of them are Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm experts. After cultivating for so many years, they have a higher level of enlightenment towards cultivation and they understood much more about it. Although Wang Ying was only reciting those words without understanding the underlying theories behind them, to them, those words were no different from the voice of god. It solved many of the mysteries that they were unable to decipher before in an instant and they felt refreshed. “He… He is truly a master… No, not even a master is able to explain such profound and mystical theories!” Clan head Wang Hong’s eyes radiated a bright light and his breath quickened in agitation. “Father, father?” Seeing her father on the verge of going into a frenzy, Wang Ying tried to pull him back. “Ah? Ying-er, you must not withdraw from this Zhang laoshi‘s lesson at all cost! You must learn from him diligently…” After clan head Wang Hong’s consciousness was pulled back from a mystical realm, he looked at Wang Ying with a solemn expression and said. “But father, you just said that…” She didn’t expect that her father, who tended to be conservative, would change his mind so quickly, to the extent that she was unable to adapt to it on the spot. “Father didn’t know that Zhang laoshi would be so incredible! Oh, right…” At this point, clan head Wang Hong’s face had traces of excitement and anticipation on his face as he asked, “Ying-er, can you ask your Zhang laoshi… whether he is still accepting student? Let Wang Yan and Tao-er learn from him as well… Actually, why don’t I become his student as well…” “Clan head, as the leader of the Wang Clan, how could you become the student of the low-level teacher in the academy? If word were to spread, how can our Wang Clan continue to uphold our dignity in Tianxuan City?” Before clan head Wang Hong could finish his words, he was interrupted by the words of another elder. After reprimanding the clan head, the elder turned over with a bundle of smiles and said, “Look, I am only a normal elder and I don’t represent the image of the Wang Clan. If it is still unacceptable, I can even resign from my position of an elder. So, can you all help me ask him if I am able to acknowledge him as my teacher?” “…” Wang Tao, Wang Ying and Wang Yan. “…” Clan head Wang Hong. –– Ying-er, Tao-er Adding -er after someone’s name is an intimate way to address one’s sons and daughters, sometimes even close nephews etc. 28 Enraged Elder Mo Zhang Xuan wasn’t aware of the events that occurred in the Wang clan. After the lesson ended, he walked towards the Compendium Pavilion. “My cultivation might have progressed significantly, but I still don’t have an in-depth understanding of battle techniques and such. I should quickly look into them! Also, I should also take a look at the 1-dan and 2-dan cultivation techniques. Otherwise, if I were to go the lessons without knowing anything, I would definitely give myself away!” Zhang Xuan’s had multiple breakthroughs in his cultivation yesterday night, causing his strength to soar significantly. However, his knowledge on battle techniques and such were severely lacking. Furthermore, he didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of the 1-dan and 2-dan cultivation techniques. For example, when he was offering pointers to Zhao Ya earlier today, he didn’t know what kind of cultivation technique he should have imparted her to resolve the problem of her Pure Yin Body. This was the ideal time to do a bit of research and prepare for the next lesson. Otherwise, if he was unable to answer the questions of his students, he would expose his ignorance. “Elder Mo!” Arriving at the Compendium Pavilion again, Elder Mo was still guarding the entrance to it. “What are you here for?” Yesterday, this fellow, in pursuit of his vanity, came here to make a mess, so Elder Mo had a bad impression of him. Seeing how he was here today again, he couldn’t help but frown. “I would like to see the manuals on battle techniques!” Zhang Xuan bowed. “Battle techniques? One’s cultivation level is the core of one’s strength. Instead of training properly with your cultivation technique, you just had to learn from the negative examples of others, pursuing vanity, enjoying the pleasures of the illusion and slacking about! Today, you don’t have to think about entering the Compendium Pavilion!” Elder Mo waved his hand to chase him away. In his opinion, Zhang Xuan’s purpose here wasn’t even to read the books… Rather, he was here to flip through them to remember a few distinguished points in them to put up a knowledgeable image. The greatest taboo in the guidance of one’s student was to impart incomplete knowledge. When your pail of knowledge was only half-full, it was easy for one’s student’s cultivation to go berserk through misguidance. Yesterday, Zhang Xuan was here twice and both times, he was only casually flipping through the manuals. Given his speed, he probably didn’t even remember the names of the book, needless to say remembering them. What else could his actions represent, other than his pursuit of vanity? The Compendium Pavilion was a location for teachers to research and study at. How could such a person be allowed entry! “I pursue vanity and enjoy the pleasures of the illusion?” Zhang Xuan blinked and confusion could be seen in his eyes. Why would he say such words? He couldn’t resist asking, “Elder Mo, I am really here to learn and not to create trouble…” Da da da! Just as he was in the midst of clarifying the situation, footsteps could be heard from his back and an elegant voice sounded out. “Elder Mo, I will be going in to grab a few books!” Turning around to take a look, it was the goddess teacher he met yesterday, Shen Bi Ru! At this current moment, Shen Bi Ru was dressed in light purple. Her slender body accompanied by her incredible figure and her flawless face brought out an exquisite and refined aura which radiated her surroundings. “Oh, it is Shen laoshi. Go on in!” Seeing that it was her, Elder Mo didn’t even try to stop her in the least. Not only was Shen Bi Ru beautiful, she was also a reputable genius among the teachers. Despite being just 20 year old, she had already reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, just a step away from Pixue realm. “Thank you, Elder Mo!” She nodded her head elegantly. Turning around, she noticed Zhang Xuan, who was just standing by the side, and couldn’t help but be a little surprised. In the past, although Zhang Xuan had never confessed to her, he would blush upon catching sight of her and would be unable to speak in front of her, bashful like a lady. Even the densest of people could tell that something was amiss. Initially, she thought that this would be the case this time as well. However, he only took a glance at her before turning around, the adoration he held for her in the past totally absent in those clear eyes of his that resembled the pure spring water, as though he was completely immune to her beauty. The most important point of all was that Zhang Xuan wasn’t strong, and he scored badly for his Teacher Qualification Examination as well. As a result, he would always feel inferior upon seeing other teachers, causing him to possess an unconfident disposition from his lack of self-esteem. However, at this moment, just by standing there, he looked dignified with the aura of an extraordinary person. Just by looking at his disposition itself, he was a completely different person from how he was in the past. Recalling the situation when they met yesterday, he even dared to refute Shang Bin straight on. Shen Bi Ru couldn’t help but feel bewildered. When did that awkward young man who had an inferiority complex change so much? “Elder Mo, I am also here to browse through the books. Why is she allowed to enter while I am denied entry?” Zhang Xuan was oblivious to the thoughts of the other party and could only gesture helplessly. Despite being both teachers, he was discriminated even in the privilege to browse through books. What ill luck! “Shen laoshi is entering the pavilion to study. As for what you are going in for, you should be more than aware of it! Do you still need me to point it out for you?” Elder Mo harrumphed coldly. “There are only manuals inside, what else could I be doing inside?” With a bitter smile, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Of course I am entering the pavilion to read books and to enhance my knowledge!” “Enhance your knowledge? Hmph!” Elder Mo was displeased. [Flipping through books non-stop, not even stopping in the midst to read through them properly and you call it studying? Every single cultivation technique inside is incomparably precious. You can’t possibly expect to enhance your knowledge by leaps and bounds just by flipping through tons of books without even jotting down notes! How can you possibly study like this?] “Elder Mo!” Just as he was about to continue explaining, Shen Bi Ru smiled faintly, her smile reminiscent of the blooming of a flower, as she said, “Zhang laoshi might really be here to learn. So, why don’t you just let him enter! If he were to be stopped here like this, it wouldn’t leave a good impression on the other teachers!” “Un! Since Shen laoshi pleaded on your account, I will allow you to enter. However, I will tell you in advance first. If you want to look through the books, look through them properly. If I see you wandering around in there and putting up a show, just wait and see how I will punish you!” Elder Mo gestured. “You have my gratitude!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head, then cupped his hand towards Shen Bi Ru to show his appreciation for her help before walking into the Compendium Pavilion. “Un?” Initially, Shen Bi Ru thought that since she helped him, he would make use of the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her. Yet, he simply turned around to leave, leaving Shen Bi Ru a little stunned. Although she was a little surprised, she didn’t pay much heed to it and followed behind him into the Compendium Pavilion. It was just a casual whim of hers to help Zhang Xuan, there wasn’t any special reason or intention behind her action. Since the other party didn’t want to chat with her, she was also happy to be spared with the conversation. “To think that coming into the Compendium Pavilion would be so troublesome. The next time, I probably won’t be able to enter anymore!” Standing in front of the bookshelves, Zhang Xuan did not rush to flip through the books and instead, scratched his head. He didn’t know why Elder Mo stopped him, but he was sure that it had something to do with his identity as the worst teacher in the academy. The identity was awkward no matter where he went. Not just on the recruitment of students, even his colleagues despised him. The main reason why he was able to enter this time was thanks to Shen Bi Ru’s words. However, what about the next time? “This Compendium Pavilion isn’t very big anyway. If I hurry up, I might be able to browse through it all within today! This way, I won’t need to enter the next time!” Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Since Elder Mo was determined to stop him, he should just make it so that he would not need to come anymore in the future. Given the size of the library, there were hundreds of thousands of books in here. Even if one were to spend their entire lives here, they probably wouldn’t be able to finish reading through them. However, he was different! No matter what kind of books it was, as long as he flipped through it, he would be able to compile an identical book of it in the Library of Heaven’s Path with its flaws recorded in it! If he were to move quickly, it shouldn’t be impossible for him to imprint all of these books into his head within a single day. Once he succeeded, he wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble to come here to look for books. “Begin!” The moment the thought popped into his mind, Zhang Xuan didn’t dawdle any longer and immediately walked towards the first bookshelf. Not concerned with what books they were, he casually grabned a handful of them and huala, flipped through them. Hu hu hu! Just as he expected, the Library of Heaven’s Path jolted and an identical book as the one in his hands appeared on the bookshelf in it. “Un, that’s the way to go!” After realizing that it was possible to compile multiple books simultaneously, he walked forward and grabbed several books at once and imprints them into his head concurrently. Hualala! Hualala! The sound of footsteps and flipping of books echoed in the Compendium Pavilion. “That fellow, he still dares to claim otherwise… that he isn’t putting on a show in pursuit for vanity?” Elder Mo, who was outside guarding the library, had been paying attention to Zhang Xuan from the moment he entered the library. The previous time, that fellow only flipped through a book at a time before putting it back. Although it was clear to see that he wasn’t really serious about it, at least it still looked acceptable. Now, he was taking dozens of books at once and playing with them, placing it back in the shelves before he could even see the titles clearly. What the heck was he doing? Was he here to read books or to choose cabbage? Furthermore, after looking at the manuals which the other party is looking through, he felt a spell of giddiness. 《Cultivation of Wisteria》、《Basics to the Relationship of a Male and Female》、《The Way of Amalgamating Yin and Yang》、《Refining Green Emerald Pill》、《The Important Aspects One Should Take Note of in Forging Equipment》… There were books on all kinds of fields. Cultivation technique, battle technique, cultivation of medical herbs… even on male-female relationship… As long as it was a book, there was nothing that this fellow would not flip through! Everyone had their own shortcomings and merits and there were limits to a person’s energy. It was impossible for one to master every single field. Thus, one had to choose properly on which book they should look through. However, this fellow flipped through every single book without any hesitation. Was he sure that he wasn’t here to create trouble? “He must be here to cause trouble! When he leaves, I will make sure to teach him a lesson!” Elder Mo’s face darkened as he harrumphed coldly. 29 You Must Be Sick! “Un?” Shen Bi Ru, who was the Compendium Pavilion as well, heard the continuous sounds of footsteps and flipping of books. Initially, she didn’t think much into but as time passed, she started to feel that something was amiss with the situation. One would need to read a book slowly to comprehend its contents. How could it be possible for anyone to flip through it so quickly? Bewildered, she couldn’t resist walking over to take a look. After which, she saw Zhang Xuan flipping the books from the first shelf. It was very apparent to see that he wasn’t reading through the contents of the books, but more like looking for something! “Is this the reason why Elder Mo denied him entry?” After watching for a moment, she realized that the other party didn’t have the intention to stop. Gedeng, Shen Bi Ru’s heart beat. Previously, the reason why she couldn’t resist speaking out to help him upon seeing the difference between the current him and his previous self was because she wanted him to work hard so as to be freed from his current awkward position. However, she would have never imagined that this fellow wasn’t here to study but to look for something! This was the Compendium Pavilion. Every day, there were innumerable teachers who come in, so it was impossible for there to be anything valuable hidden here. Flipping through these books so casually was almost a blasphemy to this Compendium Pavilion. How repulsive! “Perhaps… He knew that I would be coming to the Compendium Pavilion today, so he intentionally waited outside then came in to make such a ruckus to capture my attention… Hmph, this would only provoke my ire!” The image of the young man in Shen Bi Ru’s heart fell to the pits. Due to her beauty, many people have tried many ways to get on her good side, as well as to attract her attention. In her opinion, Zhang Xuan wasn’t even trying to look through the books. Rather, he was intentionally making those noises to change her opinion of him. In reality, she hated it when people made up this kind of show. After looking at her a moment longer, she ascertained her opinion. If he was truly here to browse through the books, how could he possibly be reading books of all genres? Furthermore, to be flipping through them at such rapid speed, he was probably unable to even ascertain the name of the manual, needless to say, its contents. “Hmph!” With a darkened expression on her beautiful face, she walked over to Zhang Xuan, “Zhang laoshi, what are you doing?” “Reading books!” Zhang Xuan didn’t realize that his actions have already been labeled as ‘putting up a show’ and replied casually without raising his head. “Reading books? Hmph!” Shen Bi Ru harrumphed coldly. Coldness emanated from her jade-like face as she said, “If you think that your actions are cool and would attract my attention, please retract those immature thoughts of yours. I, Shen Bi Ru, do not fall for such petty tricks. Furthermore, your actions will only incur my irritation!” “Oh! Alright!” Zhang Xuan continued flipping through his books. He intended to imprint all of the manuals in the Compendium Pavilion onto the Library of Heaven’s Path by today and time was a little tight for him, so he didn’t have the effort to spare to be chatting with others. Besides, in his opinion, the other party was simply being too ‘self-important’. What business did she have to do with what he was doing? [You might be truly pretty, but it isn’t like I have yet to meet a beautiful woman like you. In the previous world, in the era of information, there are all kinds of beauties stored in the hard disk. Furthermore, they are skilled in blowing, pulling, playing and singing… A cold beauty like you does not hold much interest to me! I don’t have the energy to think of ways to attract your attention.] “Since you understand it, please leave this Compendium Library. Stop wasting your effort here!” Seeing how the young man’s head remained lowered, still putting on a show, Shen Bi Ru turned and gestured him to leave. Deng deng deng deng! The sound of the footsteps of the young man leaving. “This is more like it…” Seeing how he gave up readily, Shen Bi Ru nodded her head in satisfaction. Just as she was about to continue to read her book, she heard the sound of the flipping of books echoing in the library once again. Hualala! Hualalala! Turning her head to take a look, she realized that the young man had no intention to leave. “You…” Shen Bi Ru almost exploded from anger. [Are you done yet? I have already said that doing this will just incur my irritation, yet you still persist in doing so. Is there a point to it?] At this point, her slim figure straightened and she walked up to Zhang Xuan once again, and disgust could be clearly seen in her pitch black pupils, “Did you not hear my words? The more you behave like this, the more disgusted I would be with you! You won’t earn my fancy like this!” “Are you sick?” Seeing the other party coming over to bother him again, Zhang Xuan was a little irritated. He stopped his actions and said, “You read your own stuff while I’ll read my own. If you are really bored, you can squat by a corner and draw circles. Don’t bother me here!” [It is not like I have never met a beautiful lady in my life before, why are you acting so haughtily!] “You…” She didn’t expect the young man to speak like this. Shen Bi Ru felt her sight blurring and she almost died from the overwhelming rage welling in her. Who was she? Hongtian Academy’s number 1 beauty. Blessed with great talent and looks, almost all of the teachers and students in the academy regarded her as a goddess. Before her, they would act respectfully, not daring to even speak loudly for fear of offending her. [Yet, you dare to say… I am sick? Even asking me to squat at a corner to draw circles? I am a lady, alright? Draw circles, draw your mum’s fat head!] Shen Bi Ru felt a heavy and stuffy sensation on her chest that she was unable to relieve. Hualala! Hualalala! Her face flushed red from anger. Just as she was about to reprimand the other party, she realized that the young man had gone back to flipping through the books after being done with his words, not even sparing her an additional glance. “Fine, fine! Continue putting on an act! See how I will reveal your true colors!” Luoluo, Shen Bi Ru gritted her teeth tightly and stomped her leg. This was the first time that a man had talked to her in such a manner! [Fine, aren’t you putting on an act of browsing through the books now? Let’s see how long you can put up with it. When you are finally unable to continue on, I will expose you and leave you embarrassed!] Then, Shen Bi Ru no longer bothered herself with Zhang Xuan and instead, angrily walked back to the manual she had looked for previously and casually took it out. Then, sitting in a corner in the room, she started copying it down. Initially, her mood was quite good today and she intended to study for quite awhile to boost her knowledge. Yet, never in her dreams would she expect to meet such an infuriating fellow. In the midst of copying down her notes, she sneaked glances periodically towards him. The young man still continued flipping through all of the books with the same speed, seemingly adamant to leave no book unturned. It seems that as long as it was a book of the Compendium Pavilion, he would surely flip through it once. “Hmph! Let’s see how long you can keep up the act for!” After being rebuked by Zhang Xuan, Shen Bi Ru no longer retained her calmness from before and she intended to make things difficult for him. As she copied down her notes slowly, she waited for the moment when the other party was unable to keep up with the act. However, what left her bewildered was that the young man repeated his actions over and over again with the same astonishing speed. From the very first bookshelf, he moved from one row to another, flipping through the books, from afternoon to night, not even sparing a single minute to rest! It had already been six to seven hours, yet the fellow was still persisting on with the same motion. Even Shen Bi Ru found it inconceivable at this point. If his aim was to attract her attention, she had already clearly told him that she detested such actions, so he should have stopped then. So, how was it possible for him to continue flipping through like this? Not to mention, for such a long period of time? “Could this fellow’s brain be convulsing or something? Has his cultivation went berserk and he himself became insane?” Suddenly, a thought popped up in her head. She had heard that when one’s cultivation goes berserk, one would start to do many abnormal actions. Could it be that flipping through books nonstop here be one of this kind of abnormal actions? She was looking at the young man with a bizarre expression as she started to think that the young man was abnormal when she noticed that Zhang Xuan stopping in his actions after flipping through the books in the final row. “So much knowledge!” After a consecutive six to seven hours of hard work, he had finally imprinted all of the books in Hongtian Academy’s Teacher Compendium Pavilion in the Library of Heaven’s Path in his head. Through the compilation of flaws and strengths from the Library of Heaven’s Path towards each individual book, he gained a certain level of understanding towards the cultivation technique, battle technique, pills, equipment forging, formations and such. “With Zhao Ya’s Pure Yin Body, she should cultivate this manual. However, before that, I have to do some preparations…” After imprinting the entire Compendium Pavilion, he finally understood how he should solve the problem with Zhao Ya’s physical body. He couldn’t resist heaving a breath of relief. He had even found out the loopholes and incomplete portions in the previous 3 dan of his cultivation. As long as he found some time to re-cultivate through them, he could correct and perfect them. “Gugugu!” When he was finally finished, he felt an ache in his stomach. After working for such a long period of time, his hunger pangs had already long struck, just that he was oblivious to it then. Shaking his head, he started to walk towards the exit of the Compendium Pavilion. However, he had only taken a few steps when he saw Shen Bi Ru standing before him, looking at him with a cold gaze. To think that this woman would still be here after he had flipped through the books for six to seven hours. Couldn’t be bothered with such a ‘self-important’ fellow, Zhang Xuan continued walking towards the exit of the Compendium Pavilion. “Stop it right there!” When he has just walked through the exit, he heard Elder Mo bellowing at him. At this very instant, Elder Mo’s face darkened to the point that it seemed like the coalescence of numerous storm clouds, ready to explode at any moment. He had tolerated this young man for too long! At this moment, there was only a single thought in his head. Troublemaker, troublemaker, and troublemaker! “Elder Mo!” Zhang Xuan looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Hmph, Zhang Xuan laoshi!” Elder Mo’s face was cold. With an intentionally harsher tone, he said, “You came to the Compendium Pavilion not to study, but to intentionally cause trouble! From now on, the Compendium Pavilion no longer welcomes you. If you step in here once more, I will break your legs!” “Causing trouble? Elder Mo, where did all these come from? I have been looking through the books seriously, how did I become a troublemaker?” Although he had already duplicated an identical Compendium Pavilion in his head and no longer had to come here, he still felt displeased upon hearing those words. [Why is it that when other people are here, you think of them as studying, but when I am here, you think of me as a troublemaker? What kind of logic is this? Aren’t you being too unreasonable!] 30 Shen Bi Ru’s Shock Shen Bi Ru’s Shock “Reading seriously?” A wind tugged on Elder Mo’s beard and his face looked so red that it might explode at any moment. “Not jotting down notes to decipher its content and simply flipping the books randomly. Tell me, who reads the way you do?” “Must reading involve jotting down notes to decipher its contents?” Only now did Zhang Xuan understand why the other party was so mad. He was at a loss to respond. In his previous life, he was a librarian and his job scope was similar to that of Elder Mo’s. However, back then, as long as one held a borrowing pass, he would be able to enter the premises and no one would bother whether he was eating or drinking inside. As long as one didn’t kill someone or set the place on fire, he was basically free to do as he pleased! Initially, he thought that Elder Mo was making things difficult for him due to his previous self’s astounding results at the Teacher Qualification Examination. After such a farce, the reason ended up to be just this! “These books are obtained through the relentless efforts of the academy’s predecessor and every single one of them is the product of their blood, sweat and tears. If you are not here to study, then don’t touch them! Flipping through them the way you do, what can you be doing other than creating trouble?” Elder Mo flung his hands in anger. “I… Fine, if you insist that I’m creating trouble, then just take it to be so!” Zhang Xuan wanted to explain, but after thinking it through for a moment, he shook his head and decided otherwise. The matter with the Library of Heaven’s Path must not be revealed. This also meant that he would be unable to explain his actions of flipping through those books frenziedly. Since he won’t be here in the future anyway, there was no need for him to clarify it. Besides, his reputation was already as bad as it is, it didn’t matter whether it was sullied further or not. “At least you’re willing to admit to it! Now, scram!” Upon his admittance, intense loathing could be seen in Elder Mo’s eyes. He waved his hands, gesturing him to leave. “I’ll be taking my leave!” Just as he was about to leave, a pleasant aroma surged into his surroundings and a figure appeared before him. Blocking his path, Shen Bi Ru said, “Wait a minute!” “What is it now?” Zhang Xuan looked at her helplessly. “You read your own book while I read mine. Surely I didn’t bother you then!” “Hmph!” Normally, when she stopped someone else, the other party would be leaping in joy. Yet, this fellow looked at her with an annoyed expression. Shen Bi Ru frowned, “It isn’t about that. Didn’t you say that you were reading books in there? After reading for such a long period, surely you would remember some of its contents!” “What do you mean?” Not sure what kind of tricks this woman was playing now, Zhang Xuan stared at her doubtfully. “It’s simple. I noticed that you read 《Eight Methods of Pill Refinement》. It just happens that there are some parts of it that I am unable to comprehend, so I would like to consult you on it. Surely you won’t reject my request?” Shen Bi Ru asked. Actually, her plan was simple. Wasn’t this fellow before her putting on an act by flipping through all those books? Thus, if she questioned him on the book and he was unable to answer her queries, his lie would be exposed! “Eight Methods of Pill Refinement?” Zhang Xuan’s consciousness jolted as the book appeared in his mind. Indeed, he had flipped through this book previously. “If there’s anything you are unsure of, feel free to ask and I will answer your queries. However, I have to eat soon and don’t have much time to spare, so do hurry up…” “You…” Clenching her fists tightly, Shen Bi Ru almost fainted from anger. [His tone is as though a frustrated teacher answering the questions of a student seeking clarification. Firstly, I am a beauty. Secondly, I am a high-level teacher and one of the popular teachers of the school! If I ask you a question, it is obvious that I am testing your standards. Why does it sound like I am learning from you? Everyone has a field of specialty that expertise in, so teachers in the academy often consult one another to learn from each other. However, as a fellow who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, what makes you think that you are qualified for me to be consulting you?] Suppressing the rage within her that was on the verge of erupting, Shen Bi Ru grinded her teeth, “Just a moment ago, I read a phrase in the book ‘If the herbs scatter, it would be difficult for the pill to form! If the herbs agglutinate, a yellow pill will form!’ I find these words a little bizarre and incomprehensible. Can Zhang laoshi clarify its meaning for me?” When she said the word ‘clarify’, her teeth almost shattered from the intense force between them, and the sound of its grinding was clear to hear. As a great beauty, if it wasn’t to embarrass him, she would never seek guidance from a trash. “You still want to ask questions despite that memory of yours…” He didn’t expect the other party to ask such a question. He pursed his lips and replied, “The phrase should be ‘If the herbs agglutinate, it would be difficult for the pill to form! If the herbs scatter, a yellow pill will form!’ Its meaning is simple. When refining a pill, the moment that the herbal fluid or powder clumps together, it would be impossible to meld their medical properties together. On the other hand, if they are separated and mixed together thoroughly, the pill that would be formed will look like the yellows of an egg!” After flipping through all of the books in the Compendium Pavilion, he was able to retrieve the correct method for the refinement of the pill with just a jolt of his consciousness. She might be able to stump others with such a question, but directing it towards him? What a joke! What’s worst was that… She even recited the question wrongly! Her standard was too sub-par! “How, you can’t reply it, can you! Ah… What did you say?” She thought that the young man would be unable to reply her question. Not even in her dreams would she fathom that Zhang Xuan would be able to answer the question so casually. Unprepared for such a twist, Shen Bi Ru was dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes almost popping out of their sockets. She intentionally recited the phrase wrongly, so that he would offer the wrong guidance. In her viewpoint, this fellow was just making up a show in the Compendium Pavilion, not absorbing the slightest bit of knowledge in those books at all. If she were to casually whip out the contents of a book, he would be foreign to them! Thus, she recited it inaccurately, so that he would make a fool of himself! Who knew that… he would see through her inaccurate reciting and even offered the most correct answer! [How… How is this possible? Could it be that this fellow has really remembered the entirety of 《Eight Methods of Pill Refinement》 just by flipping through it? But that’s impossible! He is a fellow who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, how could he possibly be knowledgeable in something as unconventional as pill refining?] “Alright, do you have any other questions?” Stroking his shriveled stomach, Zhang Xuan hurried her. “I still have more!” Despite the overwhelming shock, upon seeing the impassive look on his face, Shen Bi Ru immediately recovered and posed another question, “There is another phrase that I don’t understand. ‘When refining a metal in flames, never meld them when it is impure!’” After finishing her words, she smiled coldly as she awaited for the stumped look on the other party. The question she asked previously was on pill refinement while this one was a dictum on weapon forging. This was a phrase she saw on an ancient book. She was unable to understand the saying even after analyzing it for a month. In the end, she only managed to clarify it after consulting a master blacksmith! Initially, she only wanted to embarrass the other party to let him know the price of offending her. Yet, she didn’t expect him to be able to explain the meaning of the words in the Eight Methods of Pill Refinement! This provoked the competitive spirit within her, inducing her to come up with a difficult question to leave him speechless. “This…” Standing by the side, Elder Mo was surprised when Zhang Xuan was able to answer the first question. Even so, he wasn’t particularly shocked. Eight Methods of Pill Refinement was a basic manual that innumerable rookie apothecaries would have to learn, similar to what Hongtian Nine Dan Formula was to cultivators. Even if one didn’t learn pill refinement, it wasn’t peculiar for them to know a thing or two about it. When Shen Bi Ru asked the second question, he was stunned. That’s because even he found it hard to decipher the meaning of these words. “When refining a metal in flames, never meld them when it is impure!” Just when the two of them thought that he would be incapable of answering, Zhang Xuan shook his head and looks at Shen Bi Ru as though he was looking at an idiot. “What is so hard to comprehend about these words? It just means that when forging weapons, one must first refine the respective materials in fire to thoroughly to clear away all impurities. Only then can the weapon be melded together more effectively! May I trouble you to ask some harder questions? This basic knowledge can be grasped easily after reading more books!” “This…” Shen Bi Ru’s slim body jolted. She had to consult many different people before she got an answer to this question of hers. Yet, this young man managed to point out the crux of the dictum instantly, this… Not just her, even Elder Mo almost fainted from astonishment. For Zhang Xuan to answer a question he didn’t know the answer to, could it be that… he was studying seriously when he was flipping through all those books? “Zhang Xuan laoshi, your answer seems to be incorrect though. I remember that there is an explanation of it on 《Discussions of Miscellaneous Disputes》 which is different from what you claim. It states that if one wants to add metal material to a pill, one would have to refine it first, otherwise it would not coagulate as one!” In a state of disbelief, Elder Mo spoke up. “You remembered it wrongly, there isn’t such a phrase in 《Discussions of Miscellaneous Disputes》, neither there is anything of that sort written in it. The one you read must be 《Discussion of Miscellaneous Theories》 written by senior Liu Ze. There is a phrase similar to it in there, but what is written is ‘When refining a metal along with a pill, never mix them when it is impure’, and not refining a metal in flames!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand majestically. He wasn’t aware that the both of them were testing him. He truly thought that the both of them couldn’t remember the contents clearly and thus, he casually continued, “Oh, this book is at the corner of the 9th row in the Compendium Pavilion. The words that you just said are recorded on the 49th page! As for the question Shen laoshi just asked, if you hold doubts about my explanation, you can browse through 《Three Arts of Fire Crafting》 left behind by senior Du Qu. It is by the corner of the 15th bookshelf and the explanation of it is written on the 24th page!” “Let me take a look!” Shen Bi Ru looked at him with doubtful eyes. She hurriedly rushed back into the Compendium Pavilion and in a short moment, she came back with two books in her hand, 《Discussion of Miscellaneous Theories》 and 《Three Arts of Fire Crafting》. Flipping to the page that the latter said, she staggered and almost passed out on the spot. [To think that it would be… identical to what Zhang Xuan said, there is not even a single discrepancy! Not only did he remember the contents of the book, he could even point out which book it came from, its location and even the page number? Is this for real?] 31 Heart of Tranquil Water Grabbing hold of the book from Shen Bi Ru, Elder Mo took a glance at it and his entire body trembled. [This… should be impossible!] “Alright, is there still anything you are unsure of that you would like to consult? If not, I’ll be leaving!” Zhang Xuan looked at them with puzzlement reflecting on his face. [Are these two fellows sick?!] If they wanted to consult him, they should have come up with some harder questions. Yet, they chose to ask those that have been answered within the books. He didn’t even have to churn his brain to derive out an answer for them. How boring. [To think that one of them is a librarian and an expert while the other one is a reputable and popular teacher… Pui! To be unable to match up to a transcender like me, they are truly lacking in knowledge!] “If you don’t mind, I have another question that has been plaguing me. How would you interpret ‘Circulating a cycle of qi, reflecting the sight of ten thousand creations’?” Suppressing the disbelief in his mind, Elder Mo continued to ask. Another elder has raised this question with him a few days ago. After being stumped by it, he had been scavenging the Compendium Pavilion to seek an answer to it, but to no avail. Thus, he could only depart from the library dispirited. Now that the young lad before him had answered several questions, he couldn’t resist bringing it up to him. “You don’t even know that?” Zhang Xuan looked at him as though he was looking at an idiot. “That is the utmost basics of cultivation, alright? It refers to the phenomenon where while one’s qi is circulating through one’s body in a complete cycle, one’s mind would seem to be in a state of wandering around the entire world as they comprehend the rules behind creationism! These words are recorded in senior Bai Ming’s 《Theories of Blood and Qi》. The book is on the 27th shelf and the explanation is on the 69th page!” ‘Circulating a cycle of qi, reflecting the sight of ten thousand creations’, this was one of the few flawless teachings that were in the Fighter 1-dan cultivation technique manuals, thus it left quite an impression with Zhang Xuan. It happened that a predecessor of Hongtian Academy had once deciphered it, so he paid additional notice to it. Why would an elder, who is the sentinel of the Compendium Library, need to direct such an easy question towards him? Elder Mo didn’t reply to his words immediately and instead, just like Shen Bi Ru, walked into the Compendium Pavilion hurriedly. A short moment later, he found the book titled 《Theories of Blood and Qi》 and flipped it over to the 69th page. His body staggered. It was exactly as he described! A few days ago, that elder flipped through many different secret manuals, but couldn’t find an answer to his question. Never in his dreams would he have imagined that it would be recorded in an obscure book! Such an obscure book… To think that he would have read it, to the extent of even remembering… the pages? Elder Mo felt the world spinning around him and everything seemed so ludicrous to him in this instant. If it wasn’t for his consideration for his image, he might be tugging on the ends of his hair at this moment. A moment ago, he accused the other party of causing trouble in the library. In the end, not only was he reading books properly, he even memorized the contents contained within it. He felt a fiery sting on his face and fervently wished for a burrow to appear, so that he could hide in it. Was he really the same teacher who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination? If Zhang Xuan could be the last with such a level of knowledge, didn’t this mean that he wasn’t even qualified to get zero marks? “Alright. In the future, read more books. The answers to the questions that you have posed are all recorded in them!” Seeing their stunned expressions, Zhang Xuan lectured them in a deep tone. Then, he shook his head and said, “If there is nothing else, I’ll be leaving!” After saying those words, he lifted his legs to walk away. He was simply way too hungry. If he didn’t get food anytime soon, he might really faint from starvation. “Zhang Xuan laoshi, wait for me…” Only now did Shen Bi Ru recover from her shock and she swiftly caught up with Zhang Xuan. “What else do you want?” Zhang Xuan said in a slightly annoyed tone. [Is this woman sick or something? I had already clarified your queries for you! Are you done yet? Can’t you see that I am hungry and would like to eat?] “I have yet to eat as well. Do you want to share a meal with me?” Shen Bi Ru gritted her teeth. She was the Aphrodite of the academy. Many men had asked her out for a meal, only to be rejected by her. She had not even accepted a single one of the innumerable meal dates from Shang Bin. The shock that this young man generated in her today made her curious about him, thus she decided to ask him out, so as to make use of the opportunity to see what it was that caused the changes in him. “You want me to treat you?” Zhang Xuan looked at her with a bizarre expression. “What are you thinking of! If you want to eat, use your own money! How can one’s skin be so thick?” [You had questions for me, so I answered them for you. You still expect me to treat you after that? How can you be so shameless?] In his previous life, he had researched numerous ‘action films’, but even so, he was a true shut-in. He had never truly come in contact with the opposite gender before, so how could he understand the thoughts of a lady? “You…” Seeing the gaze of the young man and hearing his words, Shen Bi Ru almost shot out a mouthful of blood and fainted. [I am a beautiful lady, alright? Beautiful ladies have special privileges! So many people had invited me out and I turned down every single one of them. Yet, when I ask you out, you look at me as though I am a monster… Shameless?! Shameless your head! Is there anyone in the world who would term a beautiful lady as such?] The lady was on the verge of going berserk. “Fine, I’ll treat you, okay? I’ll treat you!” Grinding her silver teeth together, Shen Bi Ru spat out these words. “You, treat me?” Zhang Xuan paused for a moment. Due to his previous self being the worst teacher in the academy, his income was nearly negligible. As such, it wasn’t a bad thing to have someone treat him. Thus, he nodded his head, “It’s fine with me, but I want a luxurious meal. I won’t eat just any ordinary mantous[1] and fried pancakes!” “…”Shen Bi Ru went berserk again. [Mantou and fried pancakes? The heck with it!] “Let’s go!” She didn’t want to say anything anymore. She’s afraid that if she continued talking to him, she would die from anger. The Library of Heaven’s Path allowed him to see through the flaws of all skills and everyone’s mingmen. However, it was unable to peer into the heart of a lady. Zhang Xuan was oblivious to the fact that he had made Hongtian Academy’s number one beauty furious to the point of vomiting blood with just a few simple words of his. Following behind Shen Bi Ru, Zhang Xuan walked along the pavement towards the entrance of the campus. Although the night scenery at Hongtian Academy wasn’t as radiant as the school in his previous life, it was still quite an exquisite sight under the illumination of the moon. Shrouded by spirit energy, the atmosphere seemed exceptionally tranquil and peaceful. In his previous life, he was surrounded by hubble-bubble and smog could be found everywhere. It was very different from the serenity one could experience here. Zhang Xuan subconsciously immersed himself in this enchanting scenery. Walking in front, Shen Bi Ru thought that the young man following behind her would intentionally ask some questions to break the awkward silence. However, after the absence of sound for a long period of time, she couldn’t resist turning around to take a look. Sneaking a glance, she was taken aback. The young man walked quietly as the moonlight illuminated his figure, the image of it reminiscent of a serene painting. “This… This… Will of Mind 2-dan, Heart of Tranquil Water?” Her eyes narrowed. Fighters didn’t just cultivate their zhenqi and physical body. What was even more crucial to them was their mind! The stronger one’s mind was, the greater control they have over their cultivation. As a result, one’s cultivation could surge even more swiftly, thus allowing them to reach greater heights in the future. That’s precisely the reason why experts classified the Will of Mind into many different levels. Heart of Tranquil Water was the 2-dan realm of it! The mind was harder to train than battle techniques. It was said that of the entire academy, only the principal had reached such a level. Even Shen Bi Ru, who was reputed to possess unparalleled talents and had reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle by the age of 20, second only to the renowned young genius Bai wangye [2], was still a long way away from Will of Mind 2- dan. Initially, she thought that it would be too difficult for a second person to reach such a level, but never in her dreams would she dare to think that the trash teacher in the mouths of others would actually reach such heights! If not for the fact that she witnessed it personally, she would never believe it! [How is this possible? That is Will of Mind 2-dan! It is a height harder to climb to than Fighter 6-dan 7-dan!] “Could it be that… He isn’t a trash at all, but he… intentionally scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, so as to make use of the insults and derision of others to temper his will?” Suddenly, a peculiar thought popped up in her mind. In the past, she didn’t have much contact with Zhang Xuan laoshi, so she wasn’t really aware of his affairs. Today, through their conversation, she realized that he was not only knowledgeable, he had even reached Will of Mind 2-dan Heart of Tranquil Water! That was a level many dream about, but never achieved in their lifetime! Looks like his Teacher Qualification Examination results were all feigned. His true goal was to make use of the scorn of others to train his mind, so as to break into the Will of Mind 2- dan. She found it unbelievable that a person with such Will of Mind would be unable to achieve a pass in the simple Teacher Qualification Examination. “Hmph, continue putting on an act. See how I’ll expose you!” Thinking about how she was duped by this fellow, she gritted her silver teeth tightly. This fellow was simply too hateful. She was resolute to look for a chance to expose him before others! [1] Mantou -> Bun| Basically, he means he won’t just eat street food/ from vendors by the street. [2] Wangye is a title granted from the emperor to princes of the country. 32 Hongtian Pavilion “Heart of Tranquil Water?” Very quickly, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness returned from a mystical spiritual world and his eyes lit up. Having read so many books, it was natural that he would understand the significance of the Will of Mind. “I am a transcender. Having experienced life and death, it is natural that my will would be stronger than most. Furthermore, I cultivate in Heaven’s Path Divine Art, so my zhenqi is as pure as clear water! It is normal to reach Will of Mind 2-dan so quickly!” He was overjoyed over it, but it didn’t come as a surprise. If he were to still be like the other ordinary folks when he possessed the godly tool named Library of Heaven’s Path, he might as well buy a blob of tofu and commit suicide on it. Remaining silent the entire way, they soon arrived at the entrance of the academy. “Hongtian Pavilion!” Seeing the two enormous words before him, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. There are recollections of this tavern in the memories of his previous self. Hongtian Pavilion was the most luxurious tavern in Hongtian Academy. Every single meal here would blow a hole in one’s wallet. Due to his meager pay, his previous self had never been here before. Initially, he thought that Shen Bi Ru would just bring him to some casual restaurant. He never thought that she would be so generous to bring him here. As expected of a renowned tavern. The furnishings inside were majestic. Numerous Night Illumination Pearls of the size of a fist were embedded within the walls of the tavern, making it seem as though it was still daytime. They sat down at a table beside the windows. “What would you like?” Shen Bi Ru gazed at the young man before her. “Anything!” Zhang Xuan gestured. “Since you’re the one treating, I will eat anything that you order!” Never been here before, he didn’t know what dishes were good here. Since someone else was paying, he couldn’t be bothered to think about it. Seeing the expression of the young man, which seemed resolute to take advantage of her wealth, Shen Bi Ru felt her rage welling up. However, as this wasn’t a good situation for her to flare up, she could only nod her head and casually order a few dishes. “Zhang laoshi, was the zero in your Teacher Qualification Examination intentional?” After ordering, Shen Bi Ru stared at the young man before her fixedly. “Intentional?” Unsure of why the latter would ask such a question, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment before replying, “Of course not!” Back then, during the period of the Teacher Qualification Examination, he had yet to transcend over, and his previous self didn’t possess the Library of Heaven’s Path either. Thus, it was impossible for the results to just be an act! Knowing that he would deny it, Shen Bi Ru laughed coldly in her mind. [Denying it? See how I will expose your true colors!] “Since we’re free now, I happen to have some questions that I have been unable to answer. Zhang laoshi, would you mind helping me clarify my doubts?” An idea flashed through Shen Bi Ru’s mind and she asked. “Go ahead!” Since the other party was treating him to a meal, he should answer a question or two of hers in return. “Alright, if one is unable to gather spirit energy in their meridians while cultivating…” Shen Bi Ru pondered for a moment before asking a question. “You don’t know this as well?” Hearing that the question was even simpler than the ones from before, Zhang Xuan stared at the other party in bewilderment before casually explaining, “I have nine methods here that can solve the problem…” Soon, he finished his explanation. “Nine methods…” Hearing how the young man casually threw out nine methods at her, Shen Bi Ru’s face warped. Despite being knowledgeable, she was only aware of three methods. Yet, the other party was able to list out nine in a single breath. Furthermore, there were a few in the mix that were completely foreign to her. She found the entire situation inconceivable. “That… Then, what if one is unable to guide the flow of spirit energy into the meridians after absorbing it into one’s body?” Forcefully suppressing her astonishment, she asked once more. “That is simple too, I have eight ways of resolving that!” Zhang Xuan started to explain, “Firstly…” Shen Bi Ru’s slim body trembled. She had prepared herself mentally for this, but she still found the situation insane. [The methods he brought up are incredible. If these were to spread out, it would cause an uproar in the world of cultivation!] “Since you know so many methods, why weren’t you able to list a single one of them out during the Teacher Qualification Examination and instead, scored a zero?” Forcibly suppressing her shock, Shen Bi Ru asked. The two questions that she just raised were the exact same questions listed in the previous Teacher Qualification Examination. Since he was aware of so many solutions, why couldn’t he fill them in? Not to mention, to end up with a zero? “Keng?” Only now did Zhang Xuan come to a realization. So these questions were from the Teacher Qualification Examinations. As it was part of the memories of his previous self, although he found the questions familiar, he wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly where he saw them. “That…” Just as he is stumped for an answer, the dishes that were ordered previously were placed on the table one after another. “Let’s eat first!” Looking at the appearance of the dishes and taking in their fragrance, Zhang Xuan’s appetite was whetted up. Couldn’t be bothered with these troublesome matters, he started to dig in. “Hmph…” Seeing how that fellow was more delighted to see those delicacies than her, Shen Bi Ru pouted. Countless people had invited her out for a meal, using all kinds of reasons and excuses just to stay with her a moment longer. Yet, this fellow was here just for the meal itself… ……………………………… “Shang shaoye, don’t be angry anymore. I have applied for the 【Enlightenment Will Trial】 and the academy will bring Liu Yang over for inspection tomorrow. Zhang Xuan would definitely be severely punished! As for that lunatic, Elder Shang has already lent you his beloved pet. When you meet him tomorrow, you will surely be able to give him an unforgettable lesson, so you should be overjoyed instead! Let’s go, I’ll treat you to a grand meal to make up for the sufferings you underwent today. After which, we will find a few girls and… Hehe!” Shaoye -> Young master Two young men were walking along the pavement of the academy. The one leading in front had a swollen and bruised face with clear panda eyes. It was apparent to see that he had fought with someone and got hit on the face. The one following behind him had his body bent forward and was assuming a subservient attitude. The one who was speaking at the moment was the latter. There was a giant lion strutting proudly behind the two of them. Emanating a ferocious aura, it induced great pressure and fear in one before one could even approach it. They were Shang Bin, who created trouble in the classroom earlier in the morning, only to be beaten up by Yao Han, and Cao Xiong, who was desperate to get Zhang Xuan into deep trouble. As for the lion behind them, it was Elder Shang Chen’s beloved pet, the tier 6 savage beast 【Sky Shattering Lion】! In this world, there were apothecary, blacksmith and many other occupations. Every single occupation was noble in its own right and well-respected by the others. Of these occupations, Elder Shang Chen was a beast tamer. This occupation allowed one to tame savage beasts and spirit beasts and control them, turning them into a part of one’s fighting prowess. It was a formidable occupation that was noteworthy compared to the rest. This Sky Shattering Lion was a beast pet that Elder Shang Chen had trained. After being done in by the berserk Yao Han, he was aware that he was unable to match up to him in terms of strength. Thus, he approached his grandfather to borrow a beast pet for his usage. “Un!” Hearing those fawning words, Shang Bin nodded his head as he spat with an aggressive expression, “That Yao Han must be taught a good lesson. Zhang Xuan as well!” “Of course. With this Sky Shattering Lion, what does Shang shaoye has to fear!” Cao Xiong chuckled. A tier 6 savage beast was equivalent to a Fighter 6-dan expert, perhaps even surpassing them slightly. Even if that berserk butler Yao Han wasn’t weak, it wouldn’t be an easy feat for him to defeat the Sky Shattering Lion even in his top form, needless to say, in his current state. Earlier in the day, he was wrapped up like a mummy, not any better than Shang shaoye‘s current situation. “Sky Shattering Lion is my grandfather’s beast pet. You are also aware of its wild nature, which makes it is a difficult pet to tame. Grandfather may have handed him over to me, but it would only make a move when someone attacks me. Currently, I am still incapable of ordering it around!” Looking at the ferocious and mighty Sky Shattering Lion behind him, Shang Bin felt a little helpless. Savage beasts might be strong, but they were very proud lifeforms. Unless one was stronger than them or had the occupation of a beast tamer, it was impossible to make them listen to one’s orders willingly. “That may not be necessarily so. If we entertain it with good alcohol and food, it might just listen to your commands!” Cao Xiong smiled. “Let’s hope that it’ll be like that!” In the midst of their strolling and chattering, a massive tavern soon appeared before them. “We’re here!” A magnificent signboard sat behind them as they walked into the tavern. Hongtian Pavilion! 33 Feigning Generosity “Shang gongzi [1], you’re here. Come on in!” Before the two men and one beast stepped into the tavern, a smiling middle-aged man welcomed them with a smile. The manager of Hongtian Pavilion, Wu Chou! “Give us a quiet location. Cao Xiong laoshi and I want to have a good drink together!” Shang Bin said. “Over here!” Wu Chou quickly brought them to their seats. “Shang shaoye, every time I am here, this Wu Chou would behave smugly and disregard my presence. This time, why does he…” Cao Xiong couldn’t resist asking. Hongtian Pavilion might just be a tavern, but the powers backing it was not one to scoff at. Otherwise, it was impossible for them to be operating their business in the compounds of Hongtian Academy at such a scale! In the past, when he was here to eat, manager Wu would always disregard him. Yet, this time, his back was bent forward and his attitude was of utmost respect. The disparity in his attitudes made him doubt if he was in reality. “You should have heard of that there was once an Elder Hong Hao in the academy!” Shang Bin said. Cao Xiong nodded his head. Hongtian Academy was founded by Hongtian. After his death, his descendants sustained his heritage. As a result, the elders who have the surname of ‘Hong’ tended to be of more esteemed standing in the academy. He had heard of this Elder Hong Hao previously. He was an extremely powerful individual and had once vied for the principal seat. However, afterward, for some unknown reasons, he suddenly resigned from his position as an elder and there was no news on him anymore. “After resigning as an elder, he started a tavern. He used to be best buddies with my grandfather, so manager Wu would welcome me with respect whenever I’m here!” Shang Bin declared gleefully. “So that’s the reason!” Cao Xiong nodded his head. [No wonder this Hongtian Pavilion managed to grow to such a scale, it was opened by the previous Elder Hong Hao. To be received by the manager of such a huge tavern, it is definitely something glorious.] “Un?” Just as he was in the midst of enjoying service he had never experienced before, Cao Xiong suddenly froze and his face gradually grew darker. “What happened?” Shang Bin gazed at him in puzzlement. “That should be Zhang Xuan, right? How could he possibly have the qualifications to be dining here?” Cao Xiong pointed towards a table by the window. “Zhang Xuan?” Shang Bin glanced over as well. Upon seeing the young man, he caught sight of the figure seated together with him. His eyebrows shot upwards and rage surged from within. “Why is she together with that trash? I had extended my invitation to her multiple times, but she kept rejecting me. To think that she would be dining with someone else! Damn it! Damn it!” As the grandson of an elder, a high-level teacher of the academy and a Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm expert, he had invited Shen Bi Ru for a meal multiple times, but she never agreed. Initially, he thought that she would never eat together with anyone. Never would he imagine that she would be sitting together with the renowned trash of the academy! He almost fainted from anger on the spot. Slamming his table, he stood up, preparing to rush over to question her. However, he suddenly recalled Shen Bi Ru’s temperament and immediately shriveled back to his seat. She held intense loathe to those who disturb her. If he were to rush over to interrogate her like this, if she ended up getting provoked by his attitude and raged out at him, there would be no hope for his courtship. “Shang shaoye, don’t be angry. I have an idea that would reveal the true colors of Zhang Xuan before Shen laoshi! Furthermore, it can accentuate the majestic aura of Shang shaoye!” Cao Xiong was a social expert, allowing him to see through the current situation in an instant. An idea flashed through his mind and he smiled as he tried to coax Shang Bin into action. “What idea?” “This Zhang Xuan is definitely here to fawn on Shen laoshi by treating her to a meal! However, as a low-level teacher, how much money could he possibly earn? We only have to interfere slightly to make the final bill out of his reach to shame him before her! Afterwards, Shang shaoye would appear and rescue her from the awkward situation… Shen laoshi‘s impression of Shang shaoye would definitely improve. Perhaps, the flower of love might even bloom as she runs into your embrace…” Cao Xiong revealed his plan. “Good, let’s do it your way then!” Shang Bin’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head in satisfaction. Not only would he be able to cripple his opponent, he would also be able to elevate his position in Shen Bi Ru’s heart at the same time. This was truly a brilliant idea! [Looks like this Cao Xiong isn’t simply capable at teaching, he also has a way with dealing with humans. Looks like he should be properly groomed in the future…] ……………………………… Zhang Xuan didn’t know of the scheme that was being plotted against him. Eating the delicacies on the table, he nodded his head in commendation. The cooking techniques here might not be as refined as the ones on Earth, but this world was rich in spirit energy, not to mention that the ingredients used in the dishes were fresh and delicious, thus providing a wholly different enjoyable eating experience. Soon, most of the dishes on the table had been cleaned up and a large portion of them was wiped clean by Zhang Xuan. Shen Bi Ru only nibbled on a small bit of them symbolically. Seeing how this fellow was only obsessed with eating, disregarding even her presence, Shen Bi Ru curled her lips in anger. Initially, she thought that he was feigning it to attract her attention. Only now did she realize that he had never thought of her as an important matter… Regardless of whether it was the genius teachers or star teachers of the academy, they would intentionally fawn on her and offer her favors. Yet, this fellow, the worst ranking teacher of the entire academy, treated her as though she is nothing, making her grind her silver teeth in anger. If it wasn’t for her etiquette, she would have already sent both of her legs flying towards his body. The more she thought about it, the more furious she got. She knew that if she were to see him continue eating, she would die of anger. She turned around and called out to the waiter, “Bill!” “A total of 1280 gold coins!” A waiter walked over. “1280?” Shen Bi Ru froze in shock. “Why is it so expensive?” Even for a high-level teacher like her, she only earned 1000 gold coin every month. Yet, to eat away a month of salary in a single meal? How could it be so expensive? She had calculated it properly while she was ordering the dishes, and the bill wasn’t supposed to even reach 100. How could it jump up to more than 1000 in an instant? “I’m sorry, but this bottle of wine here costs 1200 gold coins by itself!” The waiter explained. Previously, when the both of them were eating, a waiter came forth to ask if they wanted some wine. Shen Bi Ru thought that it would be fine to have some alcohol, so she nodded her head in agreement. How could she have possibly imagined that the wine would be that expensive! “We were uninformed of the price of the wine you sent over…” Shen Bi Ru’s face looked extremely pale at this instant. No matter how foolish she could be, it was obvious that she had been had. “If you are truly uninterested in it, you should have asked further about it beforehand. Since you didn’t ask, we thought that you would be aware of its price, so we didn’t say anything excessive!” The waiter looked at her coldly. “Hmph!” Seeing the attitude of the waiter, Shen Bi Ru knew that there’s no point in kicking up a fuss. Instead, it might be bad for her reputation if she were to kick up a fuss on this matter. Thus, she whipped out her wallet and prepared to pay. Then, her face suddenly turned white and awkwardness exuded from her, “I don’t have sufficient money on me now. Why don’t you keep it on my tab first, I will repay you after retrieving sufficient money…” Today, she only intended to accomplish some reading at the Compendium Pavilion, so she didn’t bring much money. After which, she met Zhang Xuan and consulted him on some matters. Due to the excessive shock then, she totally forgot about the matter, recalling it only at this moment. She only had around a hundred gold coins on her, far from the required thousand plus. Treating someone to a meal, yet not having sufficient money to foot the tab… She felt a fiery sting on her face as she fervently wished for a burrow to appear, so that she could hide inside it. “Don’t order food that you can’t afford! Since you’ve ordered it, pay up. Don’t even dream about eating for free here!” The waiter harrumphed. “You…” Shen Bi Ru’s small face flushed in anger. “What happened?” At this moment, a stern voice sounded out. Shang Bin, accompanied by Cao Xiong and the Sky Shattering Lion, walked over proudly with widened strides. Dressed in white, his hands were behind him and his head was tilted high, his posture exuding an aura of superiority. In normal times, with his disposition and outer appearance, accompanied with the ferocious Sky Shattering Lion following behind him, he would have looked like an elegant and dashing gentleman. However, at this very moment, his face was swollen red and his eyes were bruised black. Looking from afar, he looked indescribably ridiculous. However, he seemed oblivious to it and instead, strutted about proudly. With a deep look in his eyes and a distanced aura, he walked forward and his eyes happened to chance upon Shen Bi Ru’s body. Feigning shock, he said, “Shen laoshi, what a coincidence! You’re here as well?” He turned around to look at the waiter and asked, “What happened here? It is unbecoming to be making a ruckus here!” “Ah, so it is Shang shaoye!” The waiter leapt in fear. He no longer put on the pushy attitude from before and instead, revealed a careful demeanor as he explained, “It’s like this, they had eaten but they do not have the money to foot the bill…” “No money to foot the bill?” Shang Bin shook his head as a disappointed expression appeared on his face. He gazed at Zhang Xuan and said, “Zhang laoshi, it is not that I want to lecture you, but if you do not have the money, don’t try to feign generosity and treat someone to a meal here. Look, you simply ended up embarrassing yourself! As the worst teacher in the academy, you might be used to it, but to bring shame to Shen laoshi as well, don’t you think you have gone a bit too far!” “…” Seeing the arrogant look on the face of the fellow before him, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment before turning around to look at Shen Bi Ru, “Sigh, he seems to be talking about you. If you don’t have sufficient money, don’t feign generosity. Look, you simply ended up embarrassing yourself…” “You…” Upon hearing Shang Bin’s words, Shen Bi Ru was already infuriated. Yet, to hear Zhang Xuan repeating the same words again, she almost exploded from all of the accumulated fury. She lifted her head and glared at the gleeful Shang Bin, who was trying to put on an impressive image to win her favor. Luoluo, she grinded her jade teeth together and roared, “Shang Bin, I dare you to say once more who the one feigning generosity is?” [1] Gongzi -> Gentleman, usually used to address for young males. 34 Scam “Ah?” Not expecting that the lady would be angered, Shang Bin was astonished. He immediately explained, “Shen laoshi, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about Zhang Xuan. If he doesn’t have the money, he shouldn’t be going around treating others. Look, he ended up getting stopped by the waiter, how embarrassing is that. He is sullying the prestige of our academy…” The more he spoke, the darker his goddess’s face turned, to the point that it seemed as though she would erupt at any moment now. Shang Bin was bewildered by the twist in the situation. At this moment, the waiter interrupted awkwardly, “Shang shaoye…” “What?” Shang Bin glanced at him with a frown. “Cough cough, the one that is treating is… Shen laoshi!” The waiter said. He received the order to cooperate with Shang Bin’s show. Yet, he would have never expected that it would be the lady that’d foot the tab. Before he could report it to him, Shang Bin had already rushed over, making it even more difficult to explain the situation to him. “Shen laoshi is the one treating?” Shang Bin was horrified. His eyes widened in disbelief. [Are you for real?] He had been asking the goddess out to eat everyday and yet she simply dismissed his invitations. What rights did the worst teacher of the academy have to be sharing a meal with her, not to mention… having her treat him? “Why? Just because I have no money to foot the tab means I’m feigning generosity and embarrassing myself, is it!” Shen Bi Ru glared at him coldly. She had been embarrassed in front of Zhang Xuan multiple times today and she had been dispirited over it all this while. Yet, this fellow just had to mock her at such a moment. She felt her rage on the verge of flying out of control. “No, that’s not it…” Shang Bin’s face paled and he looked as though he was about to cry. Only now did he understands that he had accidentally insulted his goddess in the midst of trying to fawn on her. He immediately waved his hands as though to dispel the misunderstanding, “I didn’t mean that, I mean to… to…” Stuttering, he was unsure of how he should explain it. However, as expected of a teacher of the academy and the grandson of an elder. Having experienced and seen many things, he quickly recovered and turned to look at the waiter. Gesturing majestically, he declared, “Alright, Shen laoshi‘s debt is my debt. How much does it cost? I will pay for her!” “Shang shaoye, you are an esteemed guest of our Hongtian Pavilion, how can we accept your money!” The waiter nodded his head in a panic. These were the lines they had prepared beforehand, so as to flaunt his background and ability before his goddess. “That is great…” Shang Bin wanted to tug on the subject awhile longer to showcase his superiority when Shen Bi Ru’s cold voice sounded out once more, “It’s okay, I will pay for my expenses, so that others won’t claim that I am feigning generosity!” At this moment, she retrieved a hairpin from her head and passed it over, “This jade hairpin is worth at least 5000 gold coins, you can verify it with a specialist. I will be leaving it in your care first. After I retrieve my money, I will be back to redeem it!” “This…” Holding the jade hairpin, the waiter was unsure of what he should do. This wasn’t part of the script they agreed on… “Shen laoshi, you don’t have to do this. I am acquainted with manager Wu of Hongtian Pavilion, so as long as I speak up, that debt of yours don’t mean anything at all…” Shang Bin hurriedly stepped forward. “That’s your problem, what does it have to do with me?” Shen Bi Ru interrupted his words. Then, she turned to look at the waiter again and said, “I will be leaving first if you aren’t going to be looking for a specialist to verify it!” “I…” The waiter looked at Shang Bin in a panic and the plea in his gaze was clear to see. “What are you looking at me for?” Shang Bin waved his hand quickly. With a furious gaze, he continued, “I don’t know you at all!” “Alright!” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that a single meal would end in such a farce. Shaking his head, he stepped forward, retrieved the jade hairpin from the waiter and passed it back to Shen Bi Ru. “Why are giving this to him? This meal isn’t even worth 1280 gold coins. Giving him money like this, are you that anxious to be scammed?” “Scammed? Hongtian Pavilion has nearly ten years behind its establishment. Our prices are fair and we do not discriminate between our customers. There has never been a single person who had such an issue with us before, so what do you mean by those words?” The moment Zhang Xuan words landed, a middle-aged man walked over with large strides. It was the manager of Hongtian Pavilion, Wu Chou. He had talked it through with Shang Bin and he wasn’t supposed to appear initially. However, upon hearing Zhang Xuan talking about a scam, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. The events occurring here had attracted the attention of many customers. If he didn’t show up and allow the other party to speak as he pleases instead, the reputation of the tavern would be sullied. If that happened, his boss, Elder Hong Hao, would kill him when he returned. “What do I mean? Do I really have to voice it out?” Zhang Xuan’s eyelids lifted up slightly and a lazy atmosphere emanated from him. “Hmph, we use the finest ingredients for every single dish of our Hongtian Pavilion, so that they are served fresh and delicious. Our prices have also undergone the stringent checks of the academy. If you aren’t able to explain yourself, regardless of the fact of whether you are a teacher of the academy or not, you don’t have to dream about leaving here today!” Manager Wu’s face darkened. To a tavern, scamming one’s customers was a very heavy sin to bear. If he didn’t settle it now, Hongtian Pavilion could possibly go out of operation when such a reputation spread. “He is truly courting death!” Initially, he thought that Zhang Xuan would get away scot-free once again. However, seeing Zhang Xuan accuse Hongtian Pavilion of scamming its customer and offending manager Wu, a glint flashed across Shang Bin’s eyes as he watched the situation gleefully. Manager Wu might seem like an amiable person with a good temper, but when the reputation of Hongtian Pavilion was on the line, he would be like a raging bull who didn’t know the meaning of retreat! Looks like the fellow who was the first from the last in the academy was in for a ride of misfortune! “What is this fellow rambling about…” Panic could be seen on Shen Bi Ru’s face. [For Hongtian Pavilion to be opened in Hongtian Academy at such a tremendous scale, its backing is clear to see at a single glance. Yet, you dare to accuse them of scamming their customers in public, aren’t you asking for trouble? A large tavern like this values its reputation a lot.] “Since you requested for me to say it, then I will spare with the formalities!” Despite the Wu Chou’s threat, Zhang Xuan was unfazed. He walked up to the table and said. “This 【Violet Savage Bear Meat】, going by your claims, is prepared by slaughtering a Savage Bear before soaking it in Violet Flowers for three days. This way, the exterior will be crispy while the interiors will be tender and the meat will be filled with fragrance. However, you all took it out for frying right after soaking it for just a day. Although the texture is still the same, the medical properties of the Violet Flower has yet to soak in, making it would be useless no matter how many of it one eats!” “As for this 【Honghu Mandarin Fish】, you all advertised it as wild mandarin fishes caught in Lake Hong. However, they are actually mandarin fishes that you all have been rearing in Yeluo Bay. It is easy to differentiate between the two. As wild mandarin fishes have to battle against their natural predators, 【Qinghe Turtle】, the fin of the tail of Honghu mandarin fishes tend to be tougher than those that are reared, and its tail would be significantly thicker as well. One only has to slightly look into the matter to know whether what I’m saying is true!” “As for this 【Clear Sautéed Nestled Heart Herb】, the ingredients used isn’t even Nestled Heart Herb but Bitter Heart Herb! These two plants are actually one of a kind, just that they are cultivated under different conditions, thus the difference in their names. Nestled Heart Grass grows beside the nests of savage beasts and is taken care by them. Their stems would tend to be thicker and their nutrition value is significantly higher as well!” “Bitter Heart Herb grows in the wilderness and is extremely cheap. Its stem is thin and its nutrition value is lower by a huge chunk! For the same plate of vegetable, the difference in their value is almost tenfold! Completely different in comparison! Listing it as Nestled Heart Herb but cooking the dish using Bitter Heart Herb, if this isn’t a scam, what else could it be?” … Casually pointing to any dish, he was able to clearly point out the origin and flaws in it. Upon hearing those words, manager Wu’s earlier aggression faded as his face paled. As the manager of Hongtian Pavilion, he wasn’t just involved in attending to the customers, he was also in charge of the affairs in the kitchen. Naturally, he was aware of the authenticity of the Zhang Xuan’s words. Not only was he not speaking nonsense, his words were… completely true! The boss wasn’t aware of these things. For his own profit, Wu Chou discreetly got someone to switch them. Not even professional gourmets could tell the differences between Honghu Mandarin Fish, Nestled Heart Herb and their imitation, thus proving that the substitutes for these two were identical. How could this young man tell? Furthermore, for him to be completely spot-on. “Damn it!” “We specially came here from afar to try the authentic Nestled Heart Herb, to think that it would be an imitation!” “Me too. I’ve heard that the Honghu Mandarin Fish is delicious, authentic and fragrant, thus I specially made the journey here. How dare you all try to fool us!” “Refund, refund! To think that the number one tavern of Hongtian Academy would resort to using imitations, not to mention that I am a regular customer! I would have never imagined that it was all a scam!” … Zhang Xuan’s words were unhurried and rational with sufficient evidence to back up his claims. The crowd who was watching the show immediately burst into an uproar. Hongtian Pavilion could be considered a reputable tavern, even in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Many of its specialties have attracted innumerable experts to make the journey. They would have never imagined that these were all fake. 35 What is Happening? “You… Nonsense!” Seeing the crowd breaking out into a commotion, cold sweat dripped down from manager Wu’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and bellowed. He must not admit to it now. The moment he did, Hongtian Pavilion’s reputation would be ruined, and his future will be gone with it as well. If only he knew that this teacher was a gourmet, he would have never agreed to Shang Bin’s request even if he was beaten to death! “You are claiming that what I said was nonsense?” Zhang Xuan glanced at him. “Indeed. You said that these dishes are imitations, but you don’t have evidence to back up your claim. Without evidence, your words are nonsense. Do you think that I wouldn’t dare to have you arrested for the crime of slander?” Manager Wu said ferociously. “Evidence? You want evidence? Fine!” Seeing how this fellow was adamant to push on, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Initially, he didn’t want to pursue the matter any further. After all, Shen Bi Ru was the one treating, so wat doesn’t matter to him how much the dishes cost. However, who knew that this fellow would stubbornly claim that he was slandering them. Since that was the case, Zhang Xuan was resolute to prevent him from getting away scot-free. “I have already provided the evidence of the few dishes before. Everyone can inspect their food carefully based on the unique traits that I have just brought up! Of course, it’s okay if he is reluctant to acknowledge it. After all, even if you all know all these, some gourmets will still find it difficult to distinguish between them, needless to say, the rest of you! However…” Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings before casually lifting up the most expensive bottle of wine on the table up and declared, “Everyone would be able to easily discern the authenticity of this bottle of wine!” “Discern its authenticity? 【Drunk Immortal】 is the specialty of Hongtian Pavilion! This is a fact known by everyone. Many people specially made the trip here just for the wine. Are you trying to say that the wine is fake as well?” A customer couldn’t resist asking. “Indeed, Drunk Immortal is the trademark of Hongtian Pavilion, so surely it can’t be faked? If this turns out to be an imitation as well, I doubt that there can be anything real in here!” Another customer spoke up. The wine that was offered to Zhang Xuan’s table previously was called Drunk Immortal and its sale was exclusive to Hongtian Pavilion. The wine was rich, delicious and had an exquisite fragrance! This wine played a crucial role to the current reputation and scale of Hongtian Pavilion! If even this wine turned out to be an imitation… That would be going way overboard! “I’ve already said that it would be easy to discern it!” As though he had expected the crowd to doubt his words, Zhang Xuan simply responded with a faint smile and raises the bottle. “The words 【Drunk Immortal】 are written on the cover of the bottle. If this is truly the Drunk Immortal from 【Hundred Well Brewery】, it would indeed be worth 1200 gold coins!” “But it is a pity that the bottle is filled with 【Green Crag Brew】 from 【Purple Bamboo Gazebo】. These two wines are similar in terms of their scent and their texture. However, the former is brewed using the valuable and rare Rooted Earth Grass and Green Cicada Heart Leaf and it nourishes the body when drunk. On the other hand, if one drinks too much of the Green Crag Brew, the venom from the Fallen Floral Grass would attack one’s heart and lungs. Over time, the function of one’s organs will deteriorate, causing one’s cultivation to fall rapidly, thus ending their lives tragically!” “Using Green Crag Brew to imitate Fallen Immortal?” “I’ve heard of Green Crag Brew! If I remember correctly, its taste is similar with Fallen Immortal!” “I’ve always trusted in the quality of the goods of Hongtian Pavilion. I would have never imagined that they would fool their customers like that!” “This is a fraud! I will be reporting this to the academy so that an investigation will be conducted!” … The customers who were watching the commotion, upon hearing that they have been scammed, cried out indignantly. “Just because you said that it is Green Crag Brew, doesn’t mean that it would necessarily be it. Where’s your evidence?” Manager Wu squeezed out these words between his gritted teeth. Glancing at him, Zhang Xuan replied calmly, “Wine can be ignited with fire. I haven’t touched much of the alcohol in it, so you can ignite this one. The true Fallen Immortal should exude an alluring fragrance, similar to lilies and musk! On the other hand, for Green Crag Brew, a charred odor would be released. All those who have noses should be able to discern between the two easily!” “You…” Manager Wu’s body went stiff. The other party’s words were completely accurate. However, this method of distinguishing between the two wasn’t very well-known. Only the makers of Green Crag Brew and their vendors were aware of it. Even Wu Chou himself only heard of it coincidentally. How could this fellow know of this method as well? Actually, the wine given to other customers were all true Fallen Immortal. After all, this was the trademark specialty of the tavern. After hearing Shang Bin’s plan, he intentionally passed this fake wine over to the young man, thinking that he would be unable to discern between the two, so that he would be able to make an earning out of this. In the end, not only was the other party aware of it, he was even able to state the method to distinguish between the two clearly! If Zhang Xuan were to prove himself right, it would be difficult to explain to everyone that what they’re drinking was the authentic Fallen Immortal! “Why? You don’t dare to give it a try?” Seeing the look of panic on the other person’s face, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. He casually turned the wine bottle over, allowing the wine to spill onto the floor. Then, he took out an ignitable paper roll and snapped his fingers. Xiong xiong! When the wine on the floor came into contact with the flames, it lit up and instantaneously, a stinging odor assaulted the noses of the crowd, leaving them faint-headed. “How pungent! This was what we were drinking?” “Hongtian Pavilion really doesn’t respect their customers!” “For it to be so pungent, it must be poisonous…” “Refund, refund! I’ve been drinking your wine here for three years. Not only do I want you to return it all back to me, I want additional compensation as well!” … The entire tavern exploded into an uproar. Everyone rushed forward. “What… What is happening?” Cao Xiong and Shang Bin felt like they were going mad by the sudden turn of events. They had specially set up this ploy to humiliate Zhang Xuan. In the end, not only was he not humiliated, he even managed to stand out instead! Instead, they were shamed like clowns! “What is happening… What is happening your head!” By the side, manager Wu had just barely kept his emotions in check, but upon hearing those words, he lost control and kicked them both. Peng! Peng! He was a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert. Before the two of them could even react, the sight before them went dark and they crashed onto the ground. A giant footprint was left on each of their faces. It was no wonder that manager Wu would go berserk. If it weren’t for these two fellows, such an incident would not have occurred! He could already foresee that not only would his career come to an end, he would also have to face the rage of Elder Hong Hao! After this incident, Hongtian Pavilion’s reputation would definitely go into the gutters and their business would no longer be as prosperous as before. The cause of this entire incident was him accepting the request of these two fellows to teach the lad, who was last in the Teacher Qualification Examination, a lesson! How could it be possible for this lad to be the last? Even the first in the examinations couldn’t possibly be so incredible! If only he knew in advance that this master had such powerful eyes of discernment… Not only would he have not caused Zhang Xuan any trouble, he would have been praying for him to not cause him any! Damn it! “Looks like there isn’t anyone free to collect money from us right now, let’s go!” Seeing how the situation had descended into chaos, Zhang Xuan signaled to Shen Bi Ru, who was still in a state of daze, and walked out of the tavern. Now that the problem had been settled, staying here would just result in more trouble. Thus, it would wiser for them to simply leave. “Un!” Shen Bi Ru hurriedly caught up to him. Seeing the young man in front her, her eyes were filled with complex emotions. All along, she thought that he was a trash, an ignorant fellow who was the shame of the teaching community! After half a day of interaction, she realized that… if he was a trash, then what was she? Didn’t it mean that she was nothing at all? Gritting her teeth, she walked up. With disbelief still reflecting within her beautiful pitch black eyes, she asked, “You seem to be quite knowledgeable about food. Could it be that… you’re a gourmet?” 36 Gourme There were many occupations in this world and gourmet was one of them. Gourmets were often born sensitive to taste, and their ability to discern flavors far exceeded ordinary humans. Their cultivation might not necessarily be high, but there were some hotels or taverns that would hire them at high salaries so as to ascertain the taste and effects of their ingredients. However, this occupation was one of the least esteemed ones and could only be considered one of the Lower Nine Paths. There were more than several thousands of occupations in the world. To better classify them, they were split into the Upper Nine Paths, Middle Nine Paths and Lower Nine Paths. Apothecary, blacksmith, formation master and similar jobs, which brought about benefits to battle techniques and one’s cultivation, were considered as the conventional Upper Nine Paths. On the other hand, gourmet could only be considered as an unorthodox occupation, thus being classified under the Lower Nine Paths. Going by Shen Bi Ru’s opinion, given how the young man was capable of pointing out the flaws in those dishes and wine, he had to be a gourmet. “You can take it so!” Zhang Xuan didn’t explain. The Library of Heaven’s Path did more than reflecting one’s cultivation. As long as he had tried a dish, its flaws would be reflected in the library. With this, it was a simple task for him to take care of a small Manager Wu. “Thank you for your help today…” Seeing the other party admit to it, Shen Bi Ru thanked him. If it wasn’t for this young man’s ability to discern delicacies, it would be truly embarrassing for her today. “It’s nothing!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand. “You resolved the problem just a moment ago, so it can’t be considered as my treat. I’ll treat you again next time!” Shen Bi Ru said. “Treat me again?” Zhang Xuan pondered over it and shook his head. “Better not, I still treasure my life!” Eating with a beauty might be an enjoyable event, but he knew himself the best. Given his reputation, the other party might simply be speaking out of politeness despite being repulsed by the idea! Not only so, he would have to suffer from the envy of others. If so, he would have to come up with ideas to deal with her pursuers. However, there were still many things that he needed to do at the moment and he didn’t have the leisure for such matters. “You…” Just when she thought that Zhang Xuan could speak normally, she heard those words and felt a blockade in her chest again as the urge to go berserk surged through her. Many people had asked her out to eat, but she rejected them all. Yet, when she took the initiative to invite him, she felt as though she was begging a stubborn elderly. [Detestable!] “Alright, since we have already eaten, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be making a move first. I still have many things to attend to!” Oblivious to her rage, he waved and prepared to take his leave. “Wait, I’m not done yet!” Suppressing her anger, Shen Bi Ru calmed down her breathing and looked at him with her beautiful eyes. “You might have resolved that difficulty in my stead today, and your occupation as a gourmet played a huge role in it, but… In the end, it is still an unorthodox occupation. After all, a fighter should focus on his training…” Fighters, upon cultivating to a certain realm, were able to survive without ingesting food, so delicacies did not have much use. Even if he was able to profit out of the occupation for now, it still wasn’t a proper path a fighter should be treading on. After interacting with him, she could tell that Zhang Xuan wasn’t as useless as the rumors made him out to be. It could be possible that he had devoted his efforts to studying food, that’s why his Teacher Qualification Examination results ended up horrendous. Upon such thoughts, despite her overwhelming anger, she couldn’t resist advising him. “Alright!” Knowing that she said those words out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Just as he was about to leave, rapid footsteps sounded out from his back. “Zhang Xuan, let’s see where you can escape to today! Today, don’t even dream about getting away!” Following which, a resentful voice echoed in the surroundings. Two men and one beast blocked his path. They were Shang Bin and Cao Xiong. At this moment, the two of them have a giant footprint imprinted on their face, the outlines of it clear to see. Half of their face were swollen red and blood trickled down by edges of their mouth. Not a single hint of their previous dashing and carefree look remained. This was especially so for Shang Bin. His injuries from morning have yet to recover and yet, he suffered another violent kick. At this instant, his mouth was crooked to the side and his lips looked like two giant sausages, thus pulling him further away from the concept of handsomeness. He had planned everything out perfectly so as to look cool in front of his goddess. Who knew that not only would he fail, he even got beaten up to such a state and his connection with Hongtian Pavilion was severed as a result. If things went wrong, he might even be chastised by his grandfather. How could he take this humiliation lying? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Thus, he charged up directly towards Zhang Xuan! “Shang Bin, what do you intend to do?” Shen Bi Ru didn’t expect him to come in pursuit to cause trouble. She stepped in front of Zhang Xuan to shield him from Shang Bin. “Shen laoshi, don’t block my way! This is a personal grudge between Zhang Xuan and me!” It was one thing if he didn’t see her, but when he saw her shielding the infamous trash of the academy, Shang Bin was further provoked as his eyes slanted to the sides and his mouth crooked further from the overwhelming rage. The intense envy clouding his mind made him go frenzy. He stared coldly at that young man and shouted, “Zhang Xuan, are you a man? If you’re one, stop hiding behind a woman and have a fair duel to the death with me!” Seeing how the fellow before him had lost his rationality, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes and said, “So what if I’m hiding behind a woman? This is a part of my capabilities. If you’re capable, find one to hide behind as well!” “You…” Shang Bin almost vomited blood. As long as it was a man, if someone insulted him by saying that he was gutless and hid behind the protection of a woman, wouldn’t they feel embarrassed and humiliated such that they would rush forward to retaliate out of indignation? [Why does common sense not apply to this fellow? How can he speak of something that should have been incomparably shameful so naturally and righteously? ****, how can one be so thick-skinned?] “Shen laoshi, I’ll be leaving these two for you to deal with. I still have something on, so I’ll be taking my leave first!” As a transcender, what had he never seen before? Thick- skinned? What a joke. In his previous life, in the information era… Have you seen anyone who wasn’t shameless? He couldn’t be bothered to deal with a problem which someone had taken the initiative to resolve for him. This wasn’t fear. Rather, it wasn’t a good time for him to be revealing his level of cultivation. On top of that, Shang Bin’s grandfather was an elder. If he were to be forced to a corner, Zhang Xuan would have to waste precious time dealing with the problems that would ensue. Since someone was shielding him, he was also happy to be spared of the effort. “…” Seeing how shameless the young man was, Shen Bi Ru was also at a loss for words. Just a moment ago, she was still fearful that he would be provoked by Shang Bin’s taunt and duel with him. Now, it did seem that she was overthinking it… If this fellow could be provoked, even sows would be able to climb trees! “Zhang Xuan, hold it there! If I can’t kill you today, I won’t be called Shang Bin!” Seeing the attitude of the young man, Shang Bin became even more enraged. Veins popped out from his temples and his face turned into a shade of green. Seeing that Shen Bi Ru had no intention of letting him through, he roared, “Sky Shattering Lion, kill him! As long as you do it, I will bring you delicacies every day! Furthermore, I will give you the 【Acupoint Soothing Pill】 that my grandfather promised me!” As a tier 6 savage beast that had been tamed by a human, the Sky Shattering Lion was capable of comprehending human words. As his grandfather’s pet, as long as Shang Bin was kept out of harm’s way, it couldn’t be bothered with his orders. In order to get it to make a move, he promised all kinds of benefits to him in an instant. “Roar!” Indeed, hearing his promises, the eyes of the Sky Shattering Lion lit up. Savage beasts who have reached Pixue realm, unlike humans, were unable use the flow of zhenqi to break open their acupoints. They could only rely on the growth of their body to gradually pull up their strength. If it were to consume the Acupoint Soothing Pill at this moment, with its effects, its strength would surely soar significantly! Acupoint Soothing Pill was a pill made specially for Fighter 6- dan experts. It possessed the effect of soothing one’s acupoints, thus allowing one to progress further in Pixue realm. At this moment, Shang Bin’s strength had already reached Fighter 5-dan Dingli pinnacle, just a step off from Pixue. Thus, Elder Shang Chen spent a huge sum to obtain this medicine, so as to give him a boost. Initially, Shang Bin was reluctant to take it out. However, upon recalling how he was humiliated by a trash, he found himself unable to suppress his emotions! If he didn’t get rid of Zhang Xuan today, he feared that he would be unable to uphold his dignity in the academy anymore. This was especially so for the goddess before him, she probably wouldn’t even spare him a gaze! How could he tolerate such a situation! “Shang Bin, what do you intend to do? Killing a colleague in academy compounds is a huge crime…” She didn’t expect Shang Bin to be so insane to order the Sky Shattering Lion to make a move. Shen Bi Ru’s eyes narrowed. She wanted to rush forward to protect Zhang Xuan, but was blocked by Shang Bin instead. Panicking, she bellowed at him. In the compounds, teachers were forbidden from killing one another. To do so was an infringement of the school rules, as well as a severe crime. “Zhang Xuan was the one who wanted to kill me. To protect me, the Sky Shattering Lion retaliated. What I did was legitimate self-defense, what can the others say about it?” Shang Bin’s eyes turned red from insanity. He roared, “Sky Shattering Lion, what are you hesitating for? Do it!” “You…” Shen Bi Ru felt her heart turning cold. Too shameless! If he were to really use that as a front, with Elder Shang Chen’s interference within the matter, he might really get away with it! In fact, it was possible for him to escape punishment completely! Zhang Xuan could very well die here! After all, it was a tier 6 savage beast. Ordinary Pixue realm experts weren’t even its match. How could one who was the last in the Teacher Qualification Examination withstand it? “Roar!” Just when she was still in a fluster, the Sky Shattering Lion roared and dashed over. Before coming into contact with it, its powerful aura created a powerful gale that forced the surrounding grass and tree leaves to bow down to it. –– Nine Paths, also known as Three Teachings and Nine Paths This is a real terminology used to classify jobs in ancient China. To put it simply, there are Upper Nine Paths, Middle Nine Paths and Lower Nine Paths in ancient China and each of these paths refer to an occupation. For example, the top occupations in ancient China (the nine occupations listed in the Upper Nine Paths) are: Emperor, Saints, Secluded Masters, Oracle, Scholar, Warrior, Farmer, Worker, Merchant (And they are classified from |Most esteemed <–> Least esteemed|) Similarly, the Middle Nine Paths and Lower Nine Paths have their own set of occupations as well. The Three Teachings refer to Confucianism, Daoism (or Taoism) and Buddhism. Do note that there are different interpretations/versions to the Nine Paths and most of them list Buddha as the first one. 37 Big Sister Spare Me! “Zhang Xuan…” Shen Bi Ru tried to break through Shang Bin’s blockade to save him, but she was knocked back consecutive times. Shang Bin’s cultivation was on the same level as her. He might be spoiled due to his powerful backing, but his strength wasn’t false. Even if she possessed the strength to defeat him, she was still unable to break through his blockade within a short period of time, especially if he chose to execute only defensive maneuvers! “I am the one who brought harm to you…” Seeing how she was unable to save him, Shen Bi Ru was filled with guilt. She thought that the reason why Shang Bin was dealing with this fellow who was the last for the Teacher Qualification Examination was because of her! Otherwise, as someone of such high standing and the grandson of an elder towards an infamous trash who had no background whatsoever, when there’s no connection between the two, why would there be a grudge between them? Yet, after pulling him down into the mud, she was unable to save him. The guilt she was experiencing at the moment tormented her painfully! “Why are there no movements? Could it be that Zhang Xuan has already died?” The more panicked she got, the more incapable she was of breaking through Shang Bin’s blockade. With Shang Bin blocking her sight, she was unable to view the situation over at Zhang Xuan’s side. She could only hear complete silence in the surroundings, as though he didn’t even struggle against the assault of the Sky Shattering Lion. There could only be one possibility… Before Zhang Xuan could retaliate, he was already smacked to death by the Sky Shattering Lion! After all, even she was unable to withstand a single blow from the tier 6 savage beast, which was equivalent to a Pixue realm expert. “Haha, he is already dead. It is too late for you to make a move now…” Hearing that there were no movements behind him, Shang Bin’s eyes lit up. He knew that the trash would definitely be unable to withstand a single blow from the Sky Shattering Lion. He laughed heartily out of excitement. Judging that there was no need to block Shen Bi Ru any longer, he leapt aside. “Zhang Xuan…” The moment Shang Bin leapt away, Shen Bi Ru didn’t waste time on him and hurriedly rushed forward. Just when she thought she would see a pool of fresh blood with a miserable corpse lying in the center of it, her slim figure suddenly froze and she stared in a daze. “This… This… What happened?” Initially, Shang Bin thought that his goddess would burst into tears from the shock of the sight. However, upon seeing such an expression hanging on her face, Shang Bin quickly turned around to take a look. With a single glimpse, his eyeballs widened into huge circles, and he almost fainted from overwhelming astonishment. He saw the incomparably ferocious Sky Shattering Lion, which had rushed towards Zhang Xuan earlier to rip him into numerous shreds before, lying in front of Zhang Xuan like a pug, licking his hands. Zhang Xuan’s other hand was stroking the head and ears of the Sky Shattering Lion, and unspeakable pleasure appeared on the latter’s face. “The heck? What happened?” Shang Bin was on the verge of tears. This Sky Shattering Lion was his grandfather’s beast pet and it was extremely proud. Even for Shang Bin himself, just a simple touch would incur its fury, not to mention stroking its head! After taking possession of it from his grandfather, he had spent half a day of effort on it, feeding it numerous delicacies. Yet, this fellow didn’t even show the slightest bit of gratitude, disregarding his presence as he pleased… Such a proud fellow became a pug before Zhang Xuan? [You are here to kill him! To be lying before him and licking his palm, is this really alright?] Shang Bin felt a dizziness spell working up, and he was on the verge of going crazy. “Sky Shattering Lion, what are you doing? Quickly kill him!” He bellowed. The Sky Shattering Lion didn’t move. It continued to laze around, allowing Zhang Xuan to stroke its head freely. “You… Quickly kill him! If you do it, I will buy you anything you want to eat from now on…” Shang Bin roared anxiously. “So noisy, make him shut up!” Zhang Xuan, who was stroking the Sky Shattering Lion, stood up and waved his hand. Roar! The Sky Shattering Lion stood up as well and glared at Shang Bin savagely. “What are you planning to do?” Frightened, Shang Bin immediately retreated several steps. However, before he could get far, the Sky Shattering Lion dashed forward and took a sweep at him lightly with its paws. Peng! Before Shang Bin could react, he was sent flying backwards like a kite that had its string snapped. His head knocked onto a giant tree and crimson blood filled his entire face. “What exactly happened… You are my grandfather’s beast pet…” Shang Bin cried. This Sky Shattering Lion was the beast pet that his grandfather passed on to him to protect him. Logically, it should have listened to his words to deal with the outsider. Why did it listen to the words of an outsider to attack him? Peng! Before he could finish crying, another figure crashed onto the ground in front of him. He was Cao Xiong. When that fellow noticed the situation turning awry, he immediately turned around to flee. However, how could he possibly escape from the Sky Shattering Lion, a tier 6 savage beast? He was sent flying back with a slap. Roar! After sending these two flying, the Sky Shattering Lion looked as though it had done something glorious. It walked over to Zhang Xuan with a flattering look, as though it wanted to be acknowledged for its accomplishment. “Un, not bad. You did well!” Zhang Xuan patted its head! Roar! The Sky Shattering Lion nodded its head quickly. It walked gallantly to the two lying on the floor, keeping a watch on them with a proud look, reminiscent of a responsible watchdog. “…” Shang Bin and Cao Xiong, who were planning to escape, were on the verge of tears. “Zhang Xuan… You… How did you do that?” Spectating the entire flow of events by the side, the dumbstruck Shen Bi Ru finally recovered and gazed at him curiously. “How did I do it?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. “This Sky Shattering Lion is very easy to communicate with. Perhaps, it might be because I am more handsome!” “Handsome?” Shen Bi Ru blinked and her slim figure staggered. [The Sky Shattering Lion is a savage beast. To it, the term handsome should only be applicable to male Sky Shattering Lions, so what do you being handsome or not have to do with it? Besides, if one must talk about handsomeness, Shang Bin is much more dashing than you…] “Alright! Farewell!” Zhang Xuan didn’t continue explaining and turned around to leave. Since the Library of Heaven’s Path could peer into the weaknesses of a human, naturally, it could peer into those of the Sky Shattering Lion as well. This fellow might seem extremely powerful, but in actuality, it had sustained quite a few hidden traumas. Otherwise, it couldn’t have possibly willingly served as Elder Shang Chen’s beast pet. The library had detected the flaws of it. Making use of it, Zhang Xuan casually solved some of the easier ones for it. As a result, the Sky Shattering Lion chose to obey his commands obediently without the slightest hesitation. In comparison to Shang Bin’s promise, no amount of delicious food and pills could compare with a resolved hidden trauma. Of course, this involved his secret as well, so he couldn’t possibly reveal the truth to Shen Bi Ru. “You… Don’t go, you haven’t explained the reason why the Sky Shattering Lion obeyed to your commands…” Seeing him leave, Shen Bi Ru quickly caught up. The more she came into contact with this young man, the more formidable she found him to be. He was a mystery that was becoming more and more difficult to comprehend. Being able to read so many books just by flipping through them, intentionally scoring a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examinations despite knowing the answers, realizing his identity as a gourmet through a meal and convincing a tier 6 savage beast to follow his commands easily… What seemed impossible in the eyes of others was accomplished so simply by this young man, leaving others staring in disbelief! [How did he accomplish all these?] Shen Bi Ru was becoming more and more curious about this young man before her. “Big sister!” Oblivious to what she was thinking of, upon seeing her chasing him, Zhang Xuan halted his footsteps and said helplessly, “I want to live a long life. I’m afraid that I might not live to the next day being beside you! Just spare me…” “Big sister? You are the big sister. Your entire family is big sisters!” Shen Bi Ru’s face turned bright red. She was a beauty. She might be slightly older than Zhang Xuan, but she looked no different from a seventeen or eighteen year old. Yet, this fellow addressed her as big sister, thus causing her to go into a frenzy. “Fine, I am the big sister. So, just let me leave!” Zhang Xuan shook his head in frustration. “Pft!” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan claim that he was the big sister, Shen Bi Ru chuckled and said, “Fine, you can leave. I will look for you tomorrow!” “…” Zhang Xuan. 38 Reprise Bell It was a scene of chaos in Hongtian Pavilion. “What happened? I have barely been away for a while and such a sight awaited my return?” In a room, an elderly was staring coldly at the kneeling Manager Wu. He was the mastermind behind Hongtian Pavilion, Elder Hong Hao. “Elder, it is like that. The grandson of Elder Shang Chen, Shang Bin, has been here…” Manager Wu didn’t dare to conceal anything and disclosed everything that had happened. This included the affair which he swapped the Drunk Immortal with Green Crag Brew. “Wu Chou, how dare you!” After hearing Wu Chou’s words, Elder Hong Hao’s face darkened and he angrily sent a kick towards him. Peng! Manager Wu was immediately sent flying backward. His face paled as he vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood. “Elder, spare me! I do not dare hope to be forgiven for my crimes, but that fellow is even viler. To expose all of these in public and causing the reputation of our Hongtian Pavilion to be ruined, he obviously disregards you completely…” “Hmph! After doing such shameful things, you still expect others not to talk about them?” Elder Hong Hao’s face looked hostile, as though a violent storm was gathering on it “I…” Manager Wu trembled uncontrollably. Changing the contents of the dishes to earn more profits was a decision he made at his own discretion. He thought that he had concealed it perfectly. Yet, he was exposed by that young man in public. Naturally, he felt great resentment against him. “I’ll give you five days to settle this problem thoroughly. I want the negative impacts to be reduced to the bare minimum! If so, I can consider not to pursue the matter of your corruption. Otherwise, don’t even dream of getting away alive!” Elder Hong Hao’s eyes were cold, like blizzard at night. Standing up, he asked, “Also, what is the name of that fellow? Is he a teacher of the academy? If he had informed me discreetly, I might have rewarded him with a sum of fortune, but he chose to cause trouble in public instead, soiling the reputation of my Hongtian Pavilion. I will have a good look at him tomorrow to see the one who gave him such guts!” Bellowing furiously, a savage aura filled the surroundings. It felt like a frontal assault by a wave of frost, causing one to shiver uncontrollably despite the warm weather. Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm! This Elder Hong Hao was a Tongxuan realm expert! It was no wonder that he was able to vie for the position of the principal. Just his level of cultivation itself was already astonishing! “It… It is Zhang Xuan laoshi!” Manager Wu quickly said. “Zhang Xuan? The one who was the last in the Teacher Qualification Examination?” Elder Hong Hao was taken aback. Hongtian Academy had never had a single teacher scoring at the very bottom of the Teacher Qualification Examination throughout its centuries of history since its inception. Thus, even a person like Elder Hong Hao had heard of Zhang Xuan’s name. “That’s him…” Manager Wu nodded his head. “A trash would actually dare to trample on the dignity of Hongtian Pavilion? Excellent!” Clenching his fist, a cold glint flashed across his eyes. A heavy, murderous intent emanated from Elder Hong Hao. If the other party was a star teacher or an influential figure in the academy, he might have some hesitation over punishing him. However, since he was a trash… Then, don’t blame him for being heartless! ……………………………… “Sigh, how troublesome!” Returning back to his dwelling, Zhang Xuan massaged the center of his eyebrows. He would have never thought it possible for so much trouble to evolve from just a simple meal. “Forget it, there’s no use pondering over it. I better spend my time thinking about how I can break into Pixue realm!” Quickly, he dumped all excessive thoughts to the back of his head. Despite being a transcender, he knew that in this world, power reigns over might. Only with sufficient power would the problems of one cease to be. He was currently at Dingli realm pinnacle and to break through, he would need the cultivation techniques of Fighter 6-dan. However, an ordinary teacher didn’t have the qualification to browse through the 6-dan cultivation techniques of the academy. They could jot down a copy of it only with the approval of an elder. In the previous examination, he only had the strength of a Fighter 3-dan. If he were to rush to an elder to ask for a 6-dan cultivation technique now, he might end up being researched like a guinea pig. Many troubles would grow out of it. Furthermore, even with the approval of the other party, with just one copy… He was still unable to cultivate! Based on the first five dans of Hongtian Nine Dan Formula, this cultivation technique possessed too many flaws. Without the cross references from numerous other cultivation techniques to seek the correct cultivation method, there wouldn’t be any results in his training even if he were to train nonstop for several years. To him, the most pressing matter at hand was to seek a huge pile of Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques and draw comparisons among them to deduce the correct cultivation method. “Un, I’ve heard that quite a bit of trading is done in Tianxuan Royal City, and cultivation techniques are one of the goods that are being traded. It would solve quite a bit of problem if I am able to purchase a few 6-dan cultivation techniques!” Suddenly, upon recalling something, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Hongtian Academy was located in the capital of Tianxuan Kingdom, Tianxuan Royal City. Tianxuan Royal City was an extraordinarily prosperous city. With numerous large commercial cities in here, all kinds of trade were being carried out. 6-dan cultivation techniques might be rare, but it was still sold in numerous shops here. Furthermore, to Zhang Xuan, there wasn’t really a need for him to buy them. As long as he managed to flip through them, it would be as good as gaining possession of the secret manual. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, the quality and price of the secret manual no longer matter. As long as there was sufficient quantity, he would be able to derive the correct path out of the innumerable errors, and the Heaven’s Path Divine Art would be automatically compiled, thus allowing him to cultivate swiftly. “It is still early. Let’s see if I am able to get a few books today!” At this point, Zhang Xuan stopped hesitating and stood up immediately. The sun had just set and the nightlife had just begun. Since he was free anyway, it was a good opportunity to stroll through the commercial cities. Perhaps, he might even find some useful items. Tianyu Commercial City was the largest trading market in Tianxuan City. It was said that as long as one possessed sufficient money, he was able to buy everything he desired here. Stepping into the market, Zhang Xuan felt his vision blurring from the sight of the innumerable goods laid out before him. His previous self was just an ordinary teacher. His wages were low and he was treated poorly. As a result, he had never been to such a grand place before. Thus, Zhang Xuan found himself incapable of identifying most of the goods on sale here. There were many small vendors in the commercial city. A vendor would sit in front of each of these booths and all kinds of goods were laid out before them. Weapons, pills, herbs, armor, beast skin, beast pills… Almost everything that was required for cultivation could be found here. Just that there were too many of them. It was difficult to ascertain which of them were of superior quality and which of them were of inferior quality. “I may be unable to discern between the good and the bad, but the Library of Heaven’s Path may be capable of it!” Such a thought flashed through his mind. Thus, Zhang Xuan immediately walked over to a booth. “This gentleman here, what are you looking for? I have everything you need here, and I guarantee your satisfaction with my goods!” The vendor quickly welcomed his presence. “I’ll just take a casual look!” Zhang Xuan smiled. He casually picked up an object in the booth. It was a circular bell of average size. “This bell is specially forged by a blacksmith and has extraordinary abilities. It is on sale for just 50 gold coins. I can assure you that the price is fair. I offer the very same price to everyone passing by! If you’re interested in it, I can give you a special discount… It’ll be yours for just 20 gold coins!” The vendor coaxed. Zhang Xuan didn’t respond to his words. Rather, he twirled the bell around his hand. Weng! The library in his mind jolted and a book appeared in it. “Reprise Bell. It is able to generate the same tune over and over again, causing one to feel dizzy-headed. It is effective against Fighter 1-dan. It is created by a 1-mo craftsman of Blue Cloud Workshop. It is made of Wujin Metal…” “Flaws: No. 1, the duration required for the reprise sound to take effect is long, requiring at least an incense’s time, making it an ineffective weapon in battle. No. 2, it doesn’t differentiate in its attacks, the wielder will take damage from it as well…” ~15 minute “Indeed, it is possible!” Zhang Xuan smiled. It didn’t matter even if he was unfamiliar with all these items. As long as he touched them with his hands and picked them up, the library would compile a corresponding book on it! Furthermore, this book detailed the history, composition and all kinds of flaws of the item in question comprehensively. With just a single look, it was apparent to see if the item was valuable or not. Those who were unaware of the truth might just buy it with the vendor’s previous offer of 20 gold coins. Only by looking at the contents recorded in the book did Zhang Xuan realize that this toy wasn’t even worth 2 gold coins! [What specially forged by a blacksmith… Blue Cloud Workshop is an organization that specializes in the production of fake goods. Furthermore, 1-mo craftsmen are the ones with the worst craftsmanship of them all.] Those who specialized in the creation of goods and handicraft were termed as craftsmen. They were classified into 9 mo, with 1-mo being the worst and 9-mo being the best. How valuable could a creation of a 1-mo craftsman be? “With the library here, I won’t have to worry about purchasing fake goods…” Zhang Xuan chuckled. This world was similar to his previous one. With authentic goods come imitations. Given his previous ability of discernment, needless to say, the authentic ones, he might not even be able to tell the strengths and weaknesses of an imitation. However, with the assistance of the library, he didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Just that, he needed to come into contact with the item for a book to be compiled on it. The number of items in this market total up to at least ten million. If he had to touch every single one of them, wouldn’t he tire himself to death? Besides, if he were to just look at the goods, he wouldn’t attract much attention. However, if he touched everything his sight caught, it probably wouldn’t take long for the security enforcement team of the commercial city to think of him as a lunatic and drive him out of the city. 39 Frigid Sun Mother Grass “Right, do you sell Frigid Sun Grass here?” Shaking his head to dispel the additional thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan asked. On top of miscellaneous items, this vendor also sold some herbs. After finishing those books in the Compendium Pavilion, he had already found a solution to Zhao Ya’s problem. With a Pure Yin Body, she should cultivate a gentle and neutral cultivation technique. This way, the problem of the accumulation of yin energy should be solved! However, she had already cultivated a pure yin cultivation technique for a long time and the meridians in her body have already adapted to it. If an abrupt change were to be introduced, her body might sustain a severe trauma and her cultivation would fall steeply. To prevent this from occurring, some preparations have to be made in advance! One of them was to nourish her meridians through medicinal herbs! Frigid Sun Grass grew in cold regions despite favoring sunny conditions. As a result, the warm and cold spiritual energy contained within it clashed, causing the amalgamation of yin and yang, thus making it the ideal choice for nourishing her meridians. Since he was in the commercial city now, it was a good time for him to ask around about it. “Frigid Sun Grass? It is a coincidence that you ask this. Not to brag, but I can guarantee you that I am the only vendor in Tianyu Commercial City that has this good. I procured them a few days ago from a dangerous region in Tianxuan Forest. I have a total of ten stalks and each stalk costs 100 gold coins. How many do you need?” The vendor smiled and turned around to take out a box. Opening it, a few fresh-looking plants were revealed within. White flowers with red stems and leaves. “Let me take a look first!” Zhang Xuan only knew about the Frigid Sun Grass through reading books, so he wasn’t very familiar with it. He reached out to grab a stalk and placed it on his palm. Weng! The library jolted and a book appeared. “Frigid Sun Grass, harvested from an unknown valley 200km into Tianxuan Forest. Aged 2… Flaws…” The name of the herb was written on the cover of the book, and the location of its procurement and its flaws were recorded in it. “It is Frigid Sun Grass, this fellow isn’t lying!” Confirming that there was no mistake with the name on the book, Zhang Xuan knew that the vendor owner wasn’t lying to him. This was the authentic medicinal herb, so he nodded his head. Just when he was about to speak, his eyes happened to glance on the interiors of the box. “Why does this stalk of Frigid Sun Grass look slightly withered? Could it be that your procurement method is incorrect, causing its death?” There was a specific method to harvesting medicinal herbs. If the method was wrong, the medicinal properties of the herb might be lost, causing its price to drop steeply. The stalk of Frigid Sun Grass he was talking about was withered thin and slightly yellow, seemingly immature. Furthermore, it didn’t look fresh at all. With a shriveled large head, it seemed as though it would die at any moment “This gentleman here must be joking. I depend on this for a living, so how could I possibly get it wrong! This stalk of herb isn’t of good condition from the very start, it was already like that when I procured it initially. If you want it, I will sell it to you at half price, 50 gold coins!” The vendor said. “Un!” Zhang Xuan picked up the yellowish and withered stalk of Frigid Sun Grass. Weng! “Frigid Sun Mother Grass, the origin of other Frigid Sun Grasses. harvested from an unknown valley 200km into Tianxuan Forest. Aged 15…” Flipping open the book, the name of the herb and details on it were recorded. “Frigid Sun Mother Grass?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He had read it on the books previously. This extremely valuable and rare herb was the core of all other Frigid Sun Grass. If this herb were to be used in the creation of a medicine, its effectiveness would at least be ten times the latter! He didn’t expect to stumble upon this treasure when he was just casually looking for herbs. Furthermore, this herb was 15 year old. Just by this determined its extraordinary worth. If Zhao Ya were to use the Frigid Sun Grass to nourish her meridians, she would still require the augmentation from several other means to successfully change her cultivation technique. However, with this stalk of Frigid Sun Grass, the problem could be easily solved. She wouldn’t even need the augmentation from other means! This was the most suitable medicinal herb for her, no questions about it! “Wrap this stalk up for me!” Although he was agitated, his face still remained expressionless as he casually passed it back to the vendor. If the other party realized that this was a mother stalk and not a sickly one, its price would instantly shoot up by ten times and even so, he might still be unable to purchase it from him! As a Four Haves Youngster [1] who grew up in the modern civilized world, he wouldn’t do himself any injustice when he was able to profit out of something. “50 gold coins!” Seeing how well-dressed the young man seemed to be, he thought that he would purchase a few stalks. He didn’t expect that he would just buy a sickly one. Pursing his lips, he wrapped it casually, the warmth from before absent on his face. Even a vendor judged his own customers when doing sales. The person before him wasn’t even willing to buy a good medicinal herb, thus making it clear to see that he was a poor bloke. Since that’s the case, it would just be a waste of time to try to coax him otherwise. “Alright!” Grabbing the herb, Zhang Xuan reached out to his pocket and awkwardness immediately showed on his face. Due to being too absorbed in the library, he forgot about the matter of money… As a low-level teacher, his wage was low. Furthermore, due to scoring a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, his fortunes were penalized severely… In other words, he didn’t even have 10 gold coins in his pocket, needless to say, 50. “Is there anything wrong?” Sensing that something was amiss from his face, the vendor asked. “Cough cough, can you… sell it to me for eight gold coins?” Zhang Xuan counted the gold coins he retrieved from his pocket, only having eight pieces of them. “Eight? You must be joking! Since you didn’t bring any money, why are you trying to buy anything at all…” Seeing the few coins placed on the other party’s palm, the vendor owner was on the verge of doing a somersault and crashing to the floor. He had met with miserly customers, but he had never met with such a miserly one! [Trying to buy Frigid Sun Grass with just eight gold coins? You must be dreaming! Even if this stalk is sickly, it is still worth far beyond this price.] Snatching back the herb, he waved his hand with an annoyed look, “Scram if you don’t have any money. I don’t have the effort to be arguing with you over this!” “Cough cough! It is true that I didn’t bring sufficient money, but are you sure that you don’t want to sell it to me?” Seeing the attitude of the vendor, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Nonsense! Even if this stalk looks awful, it still contains medicinal properties. At worst, it can still be sold for 30 or 40 gold coins. Yet, you offer me eight gold coins? What a joke! Hurry up and leave, or else I will be calling for the security enforcement team!” Seeing how this fellow was reluctant to leave despite being broke, he angrily chased him away. In order to prevent people from coercing others to buy or sell goods, as well as to deter troublemakers, most large commercial cities operated a security enforcement patrol team in their perimeter. As long as one called out for them, they would appear quickly. Even if you were a Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm expert, you would be chased out of the commercial city instantly! Furthermore, to make a move on the security enforcement team meant making a move on the entire commercial city. Normally, no one would have the guts to stand up against them. Upon seeing how this fellow refused to leave despite not possessing sufficient money, he was certain that he was here to cause trouble. So, he opened his mouth to call for the security enforcement team. “Don’t call for the security enforcement team, I’m really interested in buying it!” Zhang Xuan interrupted him. With a calm and steady look, he chuckled softly, “I might not have sufficient money, but I’m not here to cause trouble. Do you believe that if I were to open my mouth, not only will you be willing to sell it to me, you would even offer to give it to me for free?” “Give it to you for free? Are you still in the midst of your sleep?” The vendor didn’t expect the poor bloke to say such words. He looked at the young man before him with an attitude as though he was looking at an idiot, and sneered coldly, “If I were to really give it to you for free, I’ll call you grandpa!” In his opinion, this fellow must have a screw loose. Not mentioning how he didn’t bring sufficient money to purchase goods, he even thought that he would give it to him for free… [I am not insane, why would I give it to you for free? Who do you think you are!] “Call me grandpa? You don’t need to do that!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. He looked at the vendor with a bright smile and said, “You will give it to me for free because I said so. If you doubt my words… I will take two steps… Cough cough, let’s see what will happen after I give you a punch!” –– [1] Four Haves refer to Dream, Moral, Culture and Discipline. Originated from Deng Xiao Ping in 1980. 40 The Master is Here “Give me a punch?” The vendor didn’t know what the young man was up to. “Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “You are trying to make a fool out of me!” Seeing the serious look on the other person’s face, the vendor’s rage came surging out and he sent a fist towards Zhang Xuan. He had seen crazy people before, but he had never seen such a crazy person. [You still want me to let you give me a punch? Why don’t I beat you up to death instead?] Putting all of his strength into his punch routine, the wind rustled from the force of his blow, thus exposing his level of cultivation. Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm primary stage! “Not bad!” Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan moved his body slightly to dodge the attack. He had already reached Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle. Naturally, the strength of a Fighter 3-dan primary stage could not hurt him! “Un?” He assumed that the young man was here just to cause trouble, so he thought that he would just be a delinquent without cultivation. However, upon seeing him dodge his attack easily, he immediately realized that the young man’s cultivation was on a higher level than his. The vendor stopped as bewilderment overwhelmed him. A fellow who had at least reached the level of Fighter 3-dan couldn’t possibly be really trying to buy stuff with just 8 gold coins… “If I’m not wrong, you are from Xia Pingyi!” The moment the vendor made a move, a book about him was compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Getting what he had intended for, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. “How… How did you know?” The vendor was taken aback. Xia Pingyi was one of the provincial cities around Tianxuan Royal City. It wasn’t a large city and there were at least eighty of such cities around the capital. The vendor was puzzled by how Zhang Xuan could pinpoint it out accurately. He couldn’t resist looking down to study his appearance, but there didn’t seem to be any defining traits on him that would reveal his place of origin! “It doesn’t matter how I know it!” Zhang Xuan activated his ‘acting cool mode’. He looked at the other party once again in a calm and dignified demeanor, “Half a year ago, you probably met with danger in Tianxuan Forest and was bitten by a 【Cold Bamboo Snake】! Although you managed to escape with your life, your kidneys were damaged. If I’m not wrong… When you are doing that, it is difficult for you to showcase your masculinity!” “You… You…” The vendor staggered backward. His eyes were widened so great that they were on the verge of falling to the floor. It was true that he was bitten by a Cold Bamboo Snake in Tianxuan Forest half a year ago! After which… The latter half of Zhang Xuan’s words were true as well. However, other than him and the lady from the brothel, he had never talked about it with another person. How did this young man know about it? [Could it be that he is a seer? Someone who is capable of divining the future?] The vendor was still filled with disbelief. “Why? Are my words wrong?” Seeing the expression on the other party’s face, Zhang Xuan knew that what was written in the Library of Heaven’s Path wasn’t wrong. Thus, he expressed a look of pity and said, “If you find what I have said inaccurate, I can do without the medicinal herb and leave right now. However… Your only chance at treating your problem will disappear as well! Sigh, you won’t be able to be a man from henceforth, don’t blame me for not reminding you now…” “I… Gongzi [1], don’t go!” Hearing that the other party was capable of treating him, the vendor’s body trembled in agitation as he hurriedly took a step forward, “You… Can you really treat me?” To a man, nothing was more pathetic than losing one’s potency. These days, he dared not respond to the invitations of his friends, afraid that his problem would be exposed in front of them. Suffering silently, he had looked for many different physicians, but they all came to the same conclusion, that his symptoms were hard to treat and the only solution was amputation… He dared not believe that a casual buyer would point out his problem directly and even claim that he was capable of treating it. “I won’t force you to believe me! However, since I am able to tell what is wrong with you, naturally, I have my own ways to treat it as well!” Zhang Xuan declared. “Gongzi, I plead you to help treat me. As long as you can treat me… Not just that single stalk of Frigid Sun Grass, you can take all of my herbs!” The vendor lunged forward in panic, the plea in his eyes clear to see. There were too many incredible people in the world. The words of the young man were logical since he was able to see through his problem, he definitely had a way to treat it! Besides, he had no choice but to grasp onto every straw of hope that he could find. After all, this concerned his future happiness… “Un, you were bitten by the Cold Bamboo Snake. This creature inherently possesses cold attribute. When you were bitten by it, cold energy irrupted into your body, causing you to lose your physical function! Furthermore, it is unable to be dispelled by any medicinal herb, thus even quite a few apothecaries will find themselves helpless before it!” “However, what is bizarre about this snake is that even though its entire body is cold, its gall is warm. As long as you find another snake, kill it and consume its gall, you are able to expel the cold energy from your body completely. Your damaged kidney will gradually recover and you will be able to showcase your masculinity as a man once more!” Zhang Xuan said. There were many antidotes to the poison of the Cold Bamboo Snake, but the best antidote of all lied in its body. Its gall was the crux to counteracting its unique cold energy. This was written on one of the manuals in Hongtian Compendium Pavilion. Upon the thought of Cold Bamboo Snakes, this information popped up into his mind. This was also precisely the reason why he only mentioned the gall bladder of the Cold Bamboo Snake. Otherwise, with the Library of Heaven’s Path capability of displaying innumerable flaws, there was a multitude of remedies he could provide him; he need not specifically choose this one. “Eating the snake gall of a Cold Bamboo Snake?” The vendor was still in a state of disbelief. [So simple?] If this was true, why did none of the many physicians he had visited say so? “There should be Cold Bamboo Snakes on sale in this commercial city. If you doubt my words, you can buy one of them and try it right now. I will only leave after we verify it!” Zhang Xuan said. Medicinal herbs weren’t the only things on sale in Tianyu Commercial City, there were also all kinds of treasures, savage beasts and animals. Cold Bamboo Snake was one of the lower tier savage beasts. Although it contained lethal poison within it, it could be used in concocting medicines, so there were people selling it. “Fine, wait for a moment…” After hesitating for a moment, the vendor turned around and left. A short moment later, he returned with a cage, and a Cold Bamboo Snake was coiling around in it. As a Zhenqi realm fighter, as long as he was prepared, killing a Cold Bamboo Snake wasn’t a difficult task. It didn’t take long for the snake gall to be extracted. Without any hesitation, the vendor swallowed it directly. “Un?” Soon, the vendor’s eyes lit up. The vendor seemed to have already gotten an answer to whether the remedy worked or not. “I thank gongzi for your help. These Frigid Sun Grass are all yours!” With his eyes glowing with excitement, the vendor nearly knelt down in gratitude from the joy surging through him. This was a problem that had been plaguing him for a long time. In fact, there was even a period when he didn’t want to live anymore. In order to treat this deficiency of his, he spent several years’ worth of his savings, and never did he expect to be treated just like that! “See, I didn’t lie when I said that you would give them to me for free!” Zhang Xuan helped himself to the generous gifts of the vendor and grabbed the box filled with Frigid Sun Grass. Knowledge was a type of wealth as well. It was natural for Zhang Xuan to receive some compensation from the vendor after solving the illness that was plaguing him. “Gongzi, I apologize for my inadequacy for not realizing your capabilities… I beg for your forgiveness!” The vendor scratched his head in embarrassment. Just a moment ago, he was still declaring resolutely that if he were to give the Frigid Sun Grasses to Zhang Xuan for free, he would call him grandpa. Never would he expect for Zhang Xuan’s words to truly come to be… “It’s nothing!” Zhang Xuan casually waved his hand to show that it was a small matter. Just as he was about to leave, a crowd of people suddenly dashed forward, their faces red from agitation. “Quick, Master Mo Yang is here!” “One would be able to prosper through the guidance of Master Mo Yang. This is an opportunity not to be missed!” “This time, as long as it is a treasure that Master Mo Yang appraised, I will buy it no matter how much it costs!” “Indeed, I felt regretful after missing that opportunity by the previous time…” … The crowd discussed as they ran over. “What is happening?” Seeing how the crowd were agitated as though a star had arrived, Zhang Xuan was puzzled. “Master Mo Yang has come!” Even the eyes of the vendor were glowing with excitement. –– [1] Gongzi -> Gentleman 41 Treasure Speculation “Is the Master Mo Yang you all speak of that incredible?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully. To be capable of inciting the agitation of so many people and causing them to go into a frenzy, who was this Master Mo Yang? Just what kind of magical abilities did he possess? “Yes, he is extremely incredible!” Reverence could be heard from the vendor’s tone. “He is an expert appraiser!” “Appraiser?” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Appraiser and gourmet were both special occupations. However, the former was a Middle Nine Paths occupation. This occupation might not be as glorious as apothecaries, blacksmiths and formation masters, but it was capable of sending innumerable people into hysteria. That was because they were able to tell whether an item was a treasure or not just by looking at it. In the field of 【Treasure Speculation】, they possessed golden fingers that made them an existence similar to the God of Gambling. Many people would follow behind them reverently the moment they appeared in public. Treasure speculation was a commercial activity similar to Earth’s rock speculation. There were some ancient treasures whose original radiance was buried under the cloak of rock and faunas. Just by the outer appearance itself, the most one could do was to identify what the artifact was. It was impossible to tell the tier of the treasure and the specifications of it. Its true form would only be revealed when the exterior of the artifact was cleaned! There were many treasure dealers who chose not to clean up these treasures and sell them in such a form instead. This was similar to the concept of rock gambling. After which, the buyer would purchase the artifact based on their discernment ability and intuition and clean up its exterior afterwards. If they were lucky, it might turn out to be a supreme treasure, which would make them millionaires in an instant. On the other hand, it was also possible for them to go bankrupt after investing greatly on some useless object! Heaven on one side and hell on the other. It was due to the unreasonable unpredictability of the game that many people were obsessed with it, sometimes even going crazy over it. Appraisers were capable of ascertaining whether a treasure was real or not. Those who were more capable were even able to make a judgment on an artifact before it has been tidied up. Thus, even though the occupation was only of the Middle Nine Paths, the charms of it had attracted many to walk on such a road. After all, it was the Midas’s touch. As long as they thought that it was a treasure, people would buy it no matter how expensive they were. “This Master Mo Yang arrived here seven days ago. It is rumored that he is an incredible appraiser from some other kingdom. However, back then, no one paid him any notice!” The vendor introduced Master Mo Yang excitedly. “The first day, when someone wanted to buy a wine bottle-like object that costs about 100 gold coin, Master Mo Yang tried to persuade him otherwise. However, that person refused to listen and in the end, after wiping it clean, it was proven that there is a problem with the object and it wasn’t worth a single gold coin! “The second day, Master Mo Yang persuaded a fighter to spend 200 gold coins to buy a treasure. That person refused to believe him, so he didn’t buy it. Thus, Master Mo Yang bought it himself and after it was wiped clean, it turned out to be a mortal pinnacle weapon! It is something that cannot be bought even with several thousand gold coins! He profited several dozen folds in an instant! That filled the fighter with so much regret that the thought of suicide even crossed his mind… “By the third day, he was already very famous. There were many people who wanted his guidance on what they should buy. However, only a lucky lad was granted that opportunity. He advised him to buy a small jade bottle that is worth 500 gold coins! At that moment, many people thought that he had erred. No matter how incredible that jade vase was, it couldn’t possibly be worth such a sum… Who knew that the moment it was opened, six tier 6 pills were found inside! Someone even offered to buy that vase for 10000 gold coins on the spot!” The vendor’s eyes lit up, “That is to say, a profit of twenty- fold! That is too incredible! The next few days, he came by the market every day and he only advised a single person on each day. Even so, the person that he chooses is certain to strike it rich! Many people went frenzied over this. Thus, they started to camp here from day to night, hoping to win his favor, so that he would offer them his pointer! Now that he’s here again, it is not abnormal for those people to be so agitated…” “Amazing!” Hearing the story of Master Mo Yang, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he nodded his head in approval. [To be able to appraise the true worth of a treasure under a layer of moss and silt, his eye for discernment must be extraordinary.] “Un, that’s right. I possess the Library of Heaven’s Path, so does it mean that… I am able to do it as well?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. The Library of Heaven’s Path allowed one to see through the true nature of things just by coming into contact with it. Other people might need some luck in treasure speculation, but he didn’t need such a thing! “There is an easy way for me to strike it rich!” Upon such thoughts, Zhang Xuan was unable to calm his agitated heart. In rock speculation, before buying a rock, others would need to study the various aspects of the rock to deduce whether jade would come out of it. However, Zhang Xuan was different. Just by touching the artifact with his hands, the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind would automatically generate an answer for him. Purchasing the artifact after knowing the answer, it would be a simple matter for him to profit out of this trade! It just happened that his wage was low and he didn’t have much money. So, this was a good opportunity for him to give it a try to earn a sum! Following the directions given by the vendor, Zhang Xuan soon arrived at the hall where treasure speculation was conducted. As he expected, the sight in here wasn’t much different from rock speculation. All kinds of treasures were placed on an elevated platform and every single one of them was thickly covered by a layer of moss, silt, rust and rock. It was already a difficult task to make out the shape of the artifacts, needless to say, appraise its value. “Let me give it a try first!” It was true that Zhang Xuan was unable to discern between them just by sight alone. Although Zhang Xuan suspected that the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to peer into the true nature of the artifact, he was unable to ascertain it. Thus, to verify his theory, he casually touched an artifact that was about the size of a human’s head. Weng! His mind jolted and a book appeared in the library. “Ornamental Vase, forged by a 1-mo craftsman from Southern Kiln. Flaws: It has cracks on it and could shatter at any moment…” The description of the artifact was compiled into a book. “Despite being massive, it turned out to be a trash!” Zhang Xuan commented impassively as his eyes glittered in excitement. Just as he thought! As long as he came into physical contact with it, he was able to receive a detailed introduction on the artifact. Thus, he need not fear no matter how well-hidden these treasures were, he would surely be able to identify them accurately! He casually touched a few of the larger artifacts before him and realized that none of them were of great value. He continued on with a dozen of the artifacts by the sides, but they weren’t really valuable either. Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head. It was no wonder the sellers of these artifacts were able to profit out of it and that appraisers were so well-received, the probability of a true treasure appearing among them was way too low! “Ah, master, please give me some pointers!” “I am willing to pay you for your advice!” “Master, I’m begging you…” … Just as he was randomly touching the treasures casually, piercing screams echoed outside the hall as the sought-after Master Mo Yang walked over. The eyes of those chasing behind him were crimson red, and they looked as though they have gone mad. “Master, as long as you offer me your pointer, this young girl will obey every single command of yours…” “Master, I am willing to bear your babies, as long as you guide me…” There were even women who were sticking close to him, trying to seduce him with their physical charms. Zhang Xuan was flabbergasted. [He is way too popular! It seems as though with but a single word of Master Mo Yang, countless girls will be willing to serve him tonight.] “I will be leaving Tianxuan Royal City tonight. In order to show my gratitude for the warmth everyone has welcomed me with, I will appraise for five people today! You all need not vie over it. There is a chance for everyone who is fated with me!” Upon reaching the treasure speculation hall, Master Mo Yang stopped. This Master Mo Yang had a snowy-white beard, which exposed his advanced age. Yet, his skin was smooth and shiny without a single crease on it, probably because he maintained his skin diligently. His eyes have an aura of superiority, making one feel inadequate in comparison. As such, no one was willing to meet his gaze. 42 Someone is Acting Cool 1 “Leaving tonight? Master, why don’t you stay for a few more days?” “Why are you leaving so soon?” Hearing that the master was about to depart from the city, looks of anxiety appeared on the faces of the crowd. [It is rare for an appraiser to appear in Tianxuan Royal City, and yet he is leaving just after a few days?] “I still have matters to attend to!” Master Mo Yang’s eyebrows shot upwards. He carried with him a demeanor unique to experts, and his disposition was reminiscent of a flowing river, unable to be grasped with certainty. “How about this, I will increase the number of treasures I will appraise today from five to ten! You all also know that appraising isn’t an easy task, it drains one’s strength and energy. Ten is already my limit…” “Master, rest assured! As long as you help me pick out an artifact for me, I am willing to compensate you…” A middle- aged man shouted from the crowd. “Yeah, we are willing to compensate you!” “As long as master chooses something out for me, regardless of the cost of the item is, I am willing to pay master the same amount of money!” There were quite a few people who started yelling in response to his words. Based on the ‘battle records’ of the master, those who had received his pointers had each earned several folds of the amount they had invested initially. As long as they were able to obtain a true treasure, paying a little bit of money in compensation was nothing in comparison. “Hmph!” Master Mo Yang flung his arm and interrupted the discussions of the crowd. Frowning, he declared with an aura of superiority, “I, Mo Yang, didn’t learn appraisal for money. The reason why I am appraising for you all is not to make a wealth! If I really desired money, there is no need for me to help you all. I just have to appraise an artifact and sell it myself, then won’t I earn a bigger fortune that way?” “Keng…” The crowd was stumped for words. His words weren’t wrong. With his eye of discernment, he could just buy those artifacts that he had appraised to become treasures for himself, and he would be able to easily earn a big sum out of it. “The reason why I promised to appraise for you all is because your warmth has moved me! Money is fleeting to me, similar to the clouds! Money is easy to earn, but friendship is priceless!” With both his hands behind his back, Master Mo Yang exuded an aura of an unworldly saint that mortals could only look up to. He continued, “The reason why I promised to appraise artifacts for you all is because of our relationship, not for money. If anyone were to continue talking about money, then don’t bother asking me to appraise for you!” “Master, your words are wise! We were too impertinent!” “We can never hope to match up the master in terms of morals!” “I have never conceded to anyone in my entire life. Today, you are the first one I will concede to, master!” … Hearing the words of the master, those who were shouting about paying him previously felt ashamed of themselves. [Look at how he carries himself, then look at ourselves… Is there even a basis for comparison? No wonder he is a master while we are just small fries.] “However, before I start appraising for you all, I would like to say something. An appraiser can only heighten the possibility of attaining a treasure. I cannot promise you all that you all will get a treasure with 100% probability!” Master Mo Yang continued. “Master, we all are aware that treasure speculation brings about risk. Your ability to discern treasure from trash is far superior to us and we trust in you!” “We believe in master’s judgment!” “We know the rules, how can one possibly lay their hands on treasures all the time? However, we believe that master would definitely be able to help us profit!” … Everyone started shouting simultaneously. “Since everyone believes in me, then I will go ahead and embarrass myself. May I know which friend here would like me to choose an artifact for him?” Master Mo Yang surveyed the surrounding. “Me!” “Me…” In an instant, innumerable people raised their hands and leapt about in excitement. The appeal of an appraiser was clear to see. Every action of theirs could make people go into frenzy. “Alright, you!” Master Mo Yang pointed, and a pot-bellied middle-aged man walked out from the crowd, still unable to believe the fact that he had been chosen. “Me… Is it really me?” “It’s you!” Master Mo Yang nodded his head with a smile on his face, the aura of a master clearly exuding through his actions. “Thank you, master!” The middle-aged man leapt in excitement as he stared at the elder before him with a desirous gaze. “Master, may I ask which one of them I should buy?” “Let me take a look!” Flinging his sleeves, he walked forward. He calmly gazed upon the numerous artifacts placed on the platform. The crowd turned silent along with his actions, not daring to speak out loud for fear of distracting him. Soon, he stopped and placed his palm on one of the artifacts. After feeling the exterior of the artifact gently, he seemed to use some kind of special technique that resulted in the shuddering of his entire body. A moment later, his face paled slightly. “Alright, you can buy this one. I have just taken a look at it with my special technique and it is worth quite a sum!” Master Mo Yang turned around and informed the middle-aged man. “This one?” The eyes of the middle-aged man lit up and he rushed forward to take a look. It was a gigantic treasure that had been enveloped by a thick layer of rock, to the point that the entire artifact simply looked like a giant boulder. This kind of treasure was the hardest to clean. Furthermore, given its massive size, being around the height of a human, it would take at least a day or two to chip the stone off of it carefully. “Un!” Master Mo Yang nodded his head. “Since it is a recommendation by the master, I will buy it!” The middle-aged man nodded his head and looked towards the dealer. “How much does it cost?” “50000 gold coins!” The dealer of the treasure speculation hall stepped forward. “50000?” The middle-aged man was taken aback. This wasn’t a small sum. Even despite the great wealth he possessed, it was about the limit of what he can come up with. Even a popular high-level teacher like Shen Bi Ru only earned around 1000 gold coins every month. She would take several years just to reach 50000. “Buy it! This is a recommendation by the master. If you don’t want it, I will take it…” Upon seeing his hesitation, someone in the crowd shouted. “Indeed, the master’s recommendation can’t possibly go wrong. It might cost 50000 now, but if it is worth 1000000 after it has been cleaned up, then you would have landed on a gold mine…” “The previous few times, the treasures that the master appraised were of smaller scale. This time, he seems to have decided to go all out. You really struck it big this time…” Quite a few people shouted out. “Alright, I will buy it!” After hesitating for a moment, the middle-aged man nodded his head and footed the bill. “Alright, the second one!” After the middle-aged man bought the artifact, Master Mo Yang seemed to have also recovered from his exertion and surveyed the surroundings once more. “Me!” “Me…” The rest of the crowd raised their hands hurriedly. Glancing over, Zhang Xuan noticed the vendor from before whom he had helped solve his problem in the crowd. His hand was raised up high and he waved it with an enthusiastic expression, his strong desire to be chosen by the master clear to see. “You!” Master Mo Yang chose another person. This time, it was an elderly who was dressed extravagantly. With just a single look, it is apparent that he owned great wealth. Similar to the first time, the master walked past the pile of treasures and soon set his sights upon one of it. “80000 gold coins!” This treasure was even more expensive than the one from before. However, this elderly didn’t even hesitate and immediately paid the bill. “This… Isn’t this the Ornamental Vase crafted by a 1-mo craftsman from the Southern Kiln? 80000 gold coins?” After taking a good look at the treasure Master Mo Yang chose for the elder, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in disbelief. He might be unable to ascertain the value of the other treasures, given that he had yet to take a look at them, but he had already peered into the one Master Mo Yang just chose. It might be big, but only a decorative vase was contained inside. It wasn’t even worth a single gold coin and yet… 80000 gold coins? “Could he be off the mark…” Just as puzzlement filled his mind, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but stare at the righteous-looking face of the master when his mind suddenly jolted and a book appeared in the library. The words ‘Mo Yang’ was written on it. “Could he be using a battle technique at the moment?” Based on the unique properties of the Library of Heaven’s Path, a book could only be compiled when one showcases his battle technique. Could it be that the fellow was using one at the current moment? Filled with bewilderment, he flipped open the book. “This… This…” Taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan’s lip twitched and a bizarre expression appeared on his face. 43 Someone is Acting Cool 2 The numerous flaws and the past deeds of Master Mo Yang were recorded on the book. “Originally known as Yang Mo, an apprentice appraiser. A scammer in Liuzhu Kingdom who made his name as an appraiser, notorious for his frauds to earn wealth and the favor of women!” “Battle Techniques: Voice of Allurement (Rookie). Beguile the mind of others through words, making it easier to convince them!” “Flaws: No. 1, outlawed by the royalty of Liuzhu Kingdom. No.2…” Zhang Xuan didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. To think that the fellow who had the appearance and disposition of an expert would turn out to be a scammer! For a moment back there, even Zhang Xuan thought that he was an amazing figure! Looks like there were quite a few people in the crowd that were his men. The dealer selling the artifacts must be an accomplice of his as well. They worked together to build up his fame out of appraising treasures, so that they could convince people to buy useless trash at a high price, thus profiting out of it. “If there is someone conducting a fraud, there must be someone that would be tricked as well!” Despite knowing that the other party was a fraudster, Zhang Xuan had no intentions to expose him at all. Firstly, he didn’t have the evidence to prove it. The matter with the Library of Heaven’s Path must not be exposed at all costs! Secondly, those who had been scammed by him had already lost their rationality. If he were to try to convince them that he is a fraudster, it was possible that he might end up getting lynched by them. Zhang Xuan would never do deeds that did not benefit him, not to mention that it would bring him a string of troubles. “Forget it. I think I will just look through and buy my own items!” Couldn’t be bothered with the ‘Master Mo Yang’ who was busy trying to act cool by putting on an ‘expert’s demeanor’, Zhang Xuan continued to browse through the treasures placed on the platform, casually touching them as he passed by them. A book would be compiled in his mind as long as he came into physical contact with the item. Although the prices of the item weren’t reflected in the library, the items with fewer flaws were definitely of higher value. After touching forty to fifty items, he realized that there was not a single valuable one among them. The absurdly low possibility of finding a treasure in the mix made him shudder. “The final chance will be given to… you!” Just as Zhang Xuan was busy touching the artifacts around the room, an authoritative voice resounded within the room. Turning his head to take a look, he saw the ‘worldly expert’ Master Mo Yang looking at him, nodding his head slightly as though to ascertain Zhang Xuan’s doubts that he had been chosen. Countless gaze were affixed to him and they were filled with envy. “Me?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “This little friend here, there’s no need for you to be so unconfident about yourself. You are the one!” Master Mo Yang stroked his beard with a proud expression, as though saying that it was Zhang Xuan’s honor to be chosen by him. “Unconfident?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Which part of him looked unconfident? Rather, he was thinking about how he could be so unlucky to be chosen. [Of so many frenzied followers following behind you, why did you have to choose me?] However, after a short moment, he came to a realization. Those who were here for treasure speculation today were mostly following behind the back of the ‘master’. Given that Zhang Xuan was the only one strolling about the hall, browsing through and touching the artifacts casually, it would be hard for him to not stand out! “I appreciate your goodwill, but I don’t need it!” Knowing that the other party was a fraudster, he was unwilling to become the gold mine for him to profit from. Zhang Xuan waved his hand and continued to look through the pile of treasures. “Don’t need it?” Master Mo Yang frowned. Of the nine slots he had given out previously, regardless of who they were, they all responded to him in enthusiasm, some even on the verge of fainting due to excessive agitation. Yet, when he chose this fellow, he actually… didn’t want it? He concealed his darkened face quickly. Waving his hand, he walked forward while stroking his beard and looked at Zhang Xuan with a pained expression, “Since you’re here for treasure speculation, surely you would wish to buy a true treasure. I noticed that you have been browsing around the hall unskillfully, so I decided to offer you some guidance so that you won’t end up bankrupt at such a young age. Are you certain that you don’t need it? Don’t disappoint me by rejecting the goodwill that I hold for you!” “Lad, if you don’t want the slot, give it to me!” “He actually doesn’t want the slot the master gave him, is there something wrong with his head?” “It is clear to see that he is abnormal with a single look. I have noticed the fellow previously. He had been touching all of the artifacts in the room, it could be that he is thinking of stealing something!” “If master were to grant such an opportunity to me, I would probably awake from my sleep smiling everyday!” … Everyone could hear the conversation between Zhang Xuan and the ‘master’ clearly, and they stared at the former as though they were looking at a monster. [He is a master appraiser! He will be leaving today after appraising for ten people! It is such a good opportunity and everyone is vying for it frenziedly. Yet, this fellow… doesn’t want it? If his brain isn’t damaged, what else can it be?] “I really don’t need it…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. [End up bankrupt? If I listen to your words, then I will truly end up bankrupt…] “Don’t be so quick to reject me!” Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ interrupted. With deep eyes that reflected his compassion for the world and his determination to save those in suffering, he said, “It isn’t easy for a youngster like you to earn some money. I do not hope to earn anything from granting you this slot. It is out of the kindness of my heart that I hope that you do not buy something useless and waste your fortune!” “Master Mo Yang is too compassionate!” “Not only is he capable of authenticating treasures, he is also kind! I am going to idolize him!” “From today onward, I will only respect one person and that is Master Mo Yang!” … Hearing his words, everyone felt a resurgence of respect for him. [Look at how compassionate he is? Despite possessing the ability to appraise treasures, he doesn’t use it to earn great wealth. Instead, fearing that other people would suffer from making a wrong judgment, he is willing to expend the additional effort to appraise for him! One probably can’t find another person as kind as him, even if one were to roam the world with a lantern!] “I…” He didn’t expect him to be so shameless to declare these words in such a righteous tone. Zhang Xuan shook his head, but just as he was about to speak, the other party interrupted him once more. “Alright, I know what you are thinking! Say no more!” The elder looked at him calmly with pride reflecting in his eyes. “You know my thoughts?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully. “Indeed. You must be thinking that you are too young and do not possess sufficient strength. Even if you successfully obtain a treasure, you don’t have the strength to guard it! Instead, you might even attract disaster to yourself!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ said in a ‘know-it-all’ tone with his hands behind his back. “So that’s the reason!” “Not only is the master incredible at appraising treasures, to think that he would have the capability of peering into the thoughts of others as well!” “It is true that owning a treasure beyond one’s ability can attract disaster. It is normal that this lad would have such thoughts!” … After hearing ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ explanation, the crowd came to a realization. They finally understood why Zhang Xuan would reject such a wonderful opportunity. “This…” Zhang Xuan had no idea how he should respond. [This fellow is way too narcissistic. Don’t have the strength to guard it… To think that you could think of such a thing.] “Everyone!” Just as Zhang Xuan was about to clarify the situation, the ‘master’ before him glanced at the surroundings and proudly declared, “I have chosen this little fellow. So, regardless of what kind of treasures I have picked for him, I hope that you all wouldn’t have any greedy thoughts towards it! Otherwise, you will be going against me. If so, don’t blame me for being merciless!” “Master, what are you talking about? How would we dare to lay our hands on a person you have chosen!” “Master, rest assured. We would definitely not do such a stuff…” Everyone quickly replied in chorus. “Alright, since I have already informed everyone else, feel free to buy it. You don’t need to worry about attracting unwanted trouble!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ looked at Zhang Xuan with an encouraging smile. “I…” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that this fellow would be so self- assuming. Just when he was about to speak, the other party interrupted him yet again. “You don’t need to feel too touched by it. Since I have given the final slot to you, it means that our meeting is fated! It is hard to explain a thing such as fate through rational explanations, so you don’t have to feel too thankful to me. I don’t wish for anything in return for picking out a treasure for you, it is just purely kindness of my part!” “That…” “No need for this and that. This treasure is it. I can guarantee you that once you buy it, you will definitely rake in great profits!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ didn’t even give Zhang Xuan an opportunity to talk. He retrieved an item from the pile of artifacts and passed it over. “Earn…” Seeing this treasure, Zhang Xuan was speechless. He had already analyzed it previously. It was a trash that could not be more useless. It wasn’t even worth a single gold coin. Your loss would be equivalent to the price that you bought it at! “Boss, can you collect the bill from this little friend here!” Passing the treasure over, ‘Master Mo Yang’ gestured for the artifact dealer to come. “A total of 30000 gold coins!” The dealer walked over. “Hurry up and foot the bill, this is the most valuable treasure I have appraised tonight! Little friend, you have struck it rich!” Seeing how Zhang Xuan remained motionless, the elder stroked his beard and a doting smile appeared on his face, “After you return, clean up the outer layer. Try not to be too agitated by your newfound wealth!” “Agitated? Agitated your head!” Upon having his words interrupted multiple times, Zhang Xuan could no longer rein his temper in. “If you want to scam others, go ahead, I won’t interfere in your affairs! Why did you have to look for me? Is it that enjoyable to be trying to act cool? Didn’t you notice how hard I have tried to spare your pride?” 44 I Will Choose One “What?” “That little fellow dares to say that of Master Mo Yang?” “Master helped him pick out a treasure out of goodwill, and yet he claims that the master is trying to deceive him?” “What an arrogant lad!” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the crowd was dumbfounded for an instant before bursting into commotion. [Is that lad’s head alright? The master went through so much difficulty to help him choose a treasure, and yet he says that… Fraud, acting cool?] “What did you say?” Apparently, he didn’t expect the young man to respond in such a manner. ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face darkened. “Little friend, do you have some kind of misunderstanding against me?” “Misunderstanding? You should be more than aware of what I am saying. If you want to scam someone, go ahead. It’s none of my business, and I am not interested in interfering in your affairs as well! I choose my own artifacts while you scam your victims, let’s stay out of each other’s path. So, stop putting on that haughty look of yours in front of me!” Zhang Xuan waved him away, annoyed. He had never borne any goodwill towards scammers. Even so, as long as the other party didn’t get on his nerves, he was willing to let the issue slide. Yet, this fellow intended to make use of him to act cool, he was truly courting his death! “What audacity!” ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face paled and he flung his sleeves, his actions carrying an aura of righteousness with it. “I have attained the qualifications of an appraiser 30 years ago, and I have helped numerous people out of difficulty. My conscience is clear! There has never been a single person who had accused me of scamming them. Everyone here can bear testimony to that, when had I ever scammed anyone of you?” “Master Mo Yang is compassionate and saves those who are in precarious situations. How could he possibly be a fraudster!” “That falsifying youngster over there, you must be tired of living!” “Master, don’t get angry. I will teach that fellow a lesson in your place, so that he will learn to not to spout lies in the future…” … With just a few words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ managed to stir up the rage of everyone here. Every single of them looked at Zhang Xuan as though he had murdered their family. “Attained the qualifications of an appraiser 30 years ago? Conscience is clear?” Zhang Xuan was speechless. [You are just a small apprentice appraiser, must you try so hard to act as though you are bigger than that? Your skin is much thicker than I thought. No wonder you are able to become scammer wanted by the Liuzhu Kingdom. Not only is your skin unbelievably thick, your ability to adapt to abrupt changes is truly frightening.] Other scammers would panic when they were exposed before others. Yet, this fellow skillfully reversed the tip of the arrow back towards him, making it hard for him to step down from the current situation. If Zhang Xuan didn’t possess the Library of Heaven’s Path, upon seeing how righteously the other party was acting, he would have surely suspected that he might be making a mistake. However, with the library in his hands, since it was stated on it that he was a scammer, then he was definitely one! “Everyone, calm down!” Seeing that everyone’s anger was stirred and that he was on the offense now, ‘Master Mo Yang’ waved his hands and said, “I am a forgiving person. If you can apologize for the words you said a moment ago, I can choose to not pursue the matter. Otherwise, you should be well aware of the punishment awaiting you for intentionally slandering me!” “Punishment?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “It isn’t that hard to verify whether you are a scammer or not and whether I am lying or not. As long as they clean the outer coating off the artifacts they just bought, we will know the results instantly! What is the use of speaking so much nonsense here?” “Clean it?” ‘Master Mo Yang’ seemed to have predicted that he would say such words. He replied calmly, “I have already said previously that I will be leaving Tianxuan City by tonight. The artifacts that I have chosen for them are all large in size and will require at least half a day before their true form emerges. I still have urgent matters to attend to, and I cannot delay my departure for that long a time! Why, are you going to say that the reason why I am unwilling to stay here any longer is because I feel guilty, so that you can make use of this to accuse me?” At this point, the elderly swung his arms and exuded a haughty disposition. “I, Mo Yang, lived an upright life, so there’s no reason for me to fear your accusations! However, I had helped you pick out an artifact out of goodwill on my part, only to have you accuse me of scamming you. Since you don’t have concrete proof, it is an act of slander. Do you know the consequences of slandering a master appraiser?” Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan realized that he was still underestimating the shamelessness of the other party. As expected of a professional scammer, to have already thought of a plan to back away if the situation were to turn awry. He had already clearly expressed that he would be leaving Tianxuan Kingdom tonight, thus paving an escape path beforehand. Before Zhang Xuan could even speak, he was already counterattacked. Right now, even if he were to say that he was afraid of waiting until the artifacts were cleaned thoroughly, no one would believe his words! Furthermore… Zhang Xuan really didn’t have any evidence to prove that he is a scammer! The secret on the Library of Heaven’s Path could not be revealed. Even if it was revealed, there must be at least someone here who was willing to believe him! “Lad, kneel down and apologize to the master now!” “To dare to say that the master is a scammer, do you think that I dare not to kill you right now?” “Where did this audacious beast come from, to dare to lay doubt upon the master’s innocence?” … Upon seeing how righteous and indignant the ‘master’ was, many people chose to believe in him instantly, and the lot of them started to chastise Zhang Xuan. These people were completely furious. Those who were scammed had self-hypnotized themselves due to their reluctance to accept the claim that they have been scammed. No matter who it was, if someone dared to interrupt their beautiful dream, they would be refuted adamantly and rebuked. From their viewpoint, ‘Master Mo Yang’ was an upright person, so how could he possibly be a scammer? What kind of joke was this! “Since this fellow dares to claim that the master is a scammer, he should be skilled in appraising, right? If you are that capable, why don’t you choose one artifact out for us to see? If the one you chose turns out to be trash, you shall stop putting on an act here and scram!” A voice from the crowd snorted. “Indeed. Since you said that I am a scammer, and you are unwilling to accept the artifact I chose out for you, I’m sure you must be knowledgeable in appraising as well!” At this point, ‘Master Mo Yang’ nodded his head and looks over, “How about this, I will give you a chance! We will each choose a simple and small artifact together, so that we can clean it quickly for appraisal! As long as you are able to profit out of the object you chose, I will acknowledge that you are skilled and I will let the issue drop! But if you choose a useless trash, then I’m sorry, but you will have to buy the treasure I just picked out for you, kneel down and apologize to me!” “You want to compete with me in a battle of appraisal?” Just a moment ago, Zhang Xuan was still in a dilemma on coming up with evidence against him. However, hearing his words, he was slightly taken aback and he almost laughed on the spot. [This fellow must have a screw loose!] Zhang Xuan himself possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path. If he were to claim that he was second in appraising, no one would dare to claim that they were first in the world… [Are you sure that your head didn’t get jammed between doors?] However, after giving it some careful thought, he was also able to comprehend the rationale behind the other party’s action. In the other party’s perspective, Zhang Xuan was only an eighteen or nineteen year old youth, so what could he possibly know about appraising? Besides, since he was able to help others profit a few days ago, he must have prepared several means beforehand. If both of them appraised concurrently and Zhang Xuan were to choose a useless artifact, he would be able to make use of this opportunity to further build up his prestige. Perhaps, he might even be able to attract a few fools to invest frenziedly. “Why? You don’t dare to accept the challenge?” ‘Master Mo Yang’ was resolute to eat Zhang Xuan whole. “Fine!” Since the other party was seeking some thrill, how could Zhang Xuan bear to refuse him? “Alright, then I’ll go first!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ flung his robe and walked along the long, elevated platform with large strides. He quickly stopped before a palm-sized artifact and picked it up. This object was covered by a thick layer of rock, such that even the shape of the object inside could not be ascertained, needless to say, determine whether it was valuable or not. “Dealer, how much does this cost?” Picking up the object, ‘Master Mo Yang’ inquired. “This object is small in size and there isn’t much spirit energy movement that can be felt from it. 200 gold coins!” The dealer replied and he walked over to Master Mo Yang. “Alright, find someone to help me clean this up!” Passing over the money, ‘Master Mo Yang’ said calmly. “Yes!” The dealer grabbed hold of the treasure and sent it to the hall at the back. A moment later, he came out with a golden toad in his hands. With an excited look, he said, “Congratulations, master. It is the shed skin of 【Spirit Horned Golden Toad】!” “What is a Spirit Horned Golden Toad?” “Spirit Horned Golden Toad is a tier-6 savage beast. Of its entire body, its most valuable part is its skin. It only molts once in its entire life. This object can be used in medicine and it is extremely valuable!” “As expected of Master Mo Yang, to be able to pick out a treasure amidst everything else. Your ability of discernment is incredible!” … Upon hearing that it was the shed skin of the Spirit Horned Golden Toad, the hall burst into commotion. “Many people may not know of this item, so why don’t you just state a price! It will be much more spectacular that way!” With his head up high, ‘Master Mo Yang’ constantly exuded an acting cool aura as he spoke flatly. “This object is worth… 2000 gold coins!” The dealer exclaimed. “2000 gold coins?” “After buying it with 200 gold coins, the price grows to 2000 gold coin in an instant? A revenue of tenfold?” “This is too incredible!” “As expected of the master. If you can profit so much through a small object, then surely I will be able to make a killing over that giant artifact you chose for me previously!” … Upon seeing this sight, the eyes of the slightly worried crowd started burning fanatically again. [A master isn’t just for show, a clear difference in standards shows the moment he makes a move!] “Alright, it’s your turn!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ gestured with a cold gaze. “I…” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Knowing that the other party was a scammer, he was aware that he would surely have a contingency plan. Even so, he didn’t expect his contingency plan to be so incredible! He had to choose something at least of the same level as him. “Can I choose the artifact first and decide on a price after the artifact has been cleaned?” Stepping forward, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled something and looked at the dealer. “No way! You have to pay first before cleaning it! This is a part of the rules. Otherwise, what if it turns out to be a trash after you clean it and you no longer want it, or if it turns out too valuable and we no longer want to sell it? It would be impossible to resolve such situations!” The dealer stated coldly. In order to prevent such contention, one had to pay after deciding on an artifact in treasure speculation. This was equivalent to signing a contract, no one would be able to turn their back on it. “Alright then…” After being informed of the rules, Zhang Xuan could only nod his head. Then, turning over to look at the artifacts, he said without blushing, “Come, point out for me which artifacts are worth less than eight gold coins in this pile! I will choose one from them…” 45 Tip “Pu! What did he just say? Surely I heard wrongly? Eight gold coins and below?” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s proud voice, everyone spat a mouthful of saliva. All of them stared at him flabbergasted, with an expression similar to how one looked at a lunatic. Are you for real? In treasure speculation, one is gambling for the thrill and the fortune. No matter what artifact one chooses, it is worth a minimum of hundred gold coins. Eight gold coins… What the heck do you expect to buy with that! “Is this fellow’s brain still functioning?” “Eight gold coins? Wahaha, you might as well grab a pile of mud and return now.” “You still dare to say eight gold coins and below. There isn’t a single object that is that cheap here, okay…” … A split moment later, tears streamed down the faces of those amidst the crowd due to excessive laughter. The hell, lad, can you stop being so hilarious? How do you intend to find an object worth below eight gold coins here? You can’t even buy anything even if you had eighty gold coins! “Why? You don’t even have an artifact that is worth eight gold coin in a treasure speculation hall? Aren’t you embarrassed?” Disregarding the mockery the crowd was making out of him, Zhang Xuan stared at the dealer proudly. His previous self had only left him with a total of eight gold coins. He was unable to fork out a single coin more even if he wanted to. “Puu!” The people in the crowd stared at one another and burst into laughter once again. You are the one who should be embarrassed! This is just like someone running to a realtor and hoping to buy a flat with a single gold coin! Big brother, is your head really alright? “There is no way there is an artifact here that is worth only eight gold coins. How about this, you can freely choose from this pile of items. After you’re done, I will pay for you. If you make an earning, it will all go to you. If you lose, we will just go by what we promised earlier, an apology will do!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ stared at the young man contemptuously with both of his hands placed behind him, revealing an attitude of superiority. “As expected of Master Mo Yang, what incredible generosity!” “This young man is a clown coming here just to make a fool of himself!” “I concede to the master’s morals!” … Hearing that the ‘master’ was willing to pay in the stead of his adversary, the crowd couldn’t help but feel impressed by his generosity. Do you see that? Look at how the master carries himself, then look at that lad… Forget it, it is better not to compare the two of them. I am afraid that I might vomit… “Are you sure?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes twinkled. Knowing that the other party was a scammer, Zhang Xuan didn’t feel any guilt spending his money. “Of course, I always mean what I say!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ seemed just like a saint who had descended to the mortal world, unsullied by worldly dirt. “Hehe, I shall start picking then…” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, walked over to the platform and scanned through the artifacts in the pile. Since the other party chose a small one, naturally, he was restricted to choosing smaller items as well. Besides, the larger the artifact, the longer it took to clean up. “This lad is too shameless!” “Indeed! I have no idea why Master Mo Yang treats him so well. If I were to meet such a fellow, I would have surely smacked him away with a palm of mine long ago!” “To insult the master and even use his money to buy an artifact… Shameless!” … Seeing how the young man wasn’t ashamed at all, rather, he was browsing through the items excitedly, the crowd was speechless. They have met thick-skinned people before, but they had never met one whose skin was that thick. You were the one who insulted the master as a scammer first! No matter what, the both of you should be in a hostile relationship. Under such circumstances, don’t you feel embarrassed using the other party’s money to buy an artifact to compete with him… That’s enough of you! Ignoring the discussions of the crowd, Zhang Xuan touched every treasure that entered his vision. Soon, he also chose a treasure of the size of a palm and handed it over. “It costs 200 gold coins as well!” The dealer took a look at it and says flatly. “Master, hurry up and foot the bill!” Unashamed, Zhang Xuan gestured the ‘master’ to hurry up. “…” A dark line streaked across ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face. He intended to ridicule the other party, but he didn’t expect that he would accept his help so proudly, to the point that he seemed like he’s his servant instead now. Suppressing the urge to strangle the other party, he paid the sum. “Alright, let’s clean it up here. With everyone watching here, no one will be able to accuse me of falsifying the results!” Zhang Xuan gestured. “Hmph, let’s see whether you can continue being so haughty after the object is cleaned up!” The actions of the young man also infuriated the dealer. He casually fetched the tools used for cleaning artifacts and started to clean it bit by bit. Soon, the moss and rock covering the object fell off and the true form of the item inside was revealed. It was a semi-transparent rock that emitted a warm glow. “This is… Linglong Stone?” Observing the appearance of the stone, someone from the crowd shouted in disbelief. “What is Linglong Stone?” Some in the crowd recognized it while others didn’t. “You don’t even know this? Linglong Stone is one of the main ingredients in crafting a Phantom-tier equipment. Every single stone is extremely valuable, and it is the type of good which is always short in supply!” The person who spoke earlier explained in agitation. Equipment could be split into God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal! In a location like Tianxuan Kingdom, there was almost no mortal pinnacle equipment, needless to say, Phantom-tier equipment. Thus, every single one of it could be sold at an exorbitant price. As the main ingredient to crafting Phantom-tier equipment, the moment it was put up for auction, countless families and experts would go frenzied over it. “How much can it be sold for?” Those who didn’t recognize this item couldn’t help but ask. It was difficult to perceive an item’s value just by its rarity itself. The best way to ascertain its value was still through its price. “I’ve heard that the Liuzhu Kingdom had auctioned one of it a few years ago. It was smaller than this, around the size of a chicken’s egg, but it was already priced at 50000 gold coins! Look at how big this one is, not to mention its level of purity. No matter what, it is worth at least 100000…” The one speaking swallowed his saliva at this point. “100,000…” Everyone on the spot almost went mad. An object bought for 200 gold coin is sold for 100,000? A revenue of 500 times in an instant… Is this for real? “This… This…” The dealer’s hands trembled as he stared in disbelief at the object in his hands. As a dealer of a treasure speculation hall, he was capable of identifying plenty of treasures and was aware of their prices. He knew that there wasn’t a single error in the words of the person who just spoke! This item was definitely worth that price! “Impossible… I must be seeing things…” Seeing the shock washing through the crowd, Master Mo Yang’s face twitched. He thought that the other party would be unable to choose anything of value and that he would be able to make use of it to display his superiority once more. Never in his dreams did he expect for such an incredible treasure to be chosen. Both the items were priced at 200 gold coins, yet his was only sold for 2000 whereas the other party’s one was valued at 100,000… Wasn’t the difference too massive! “I will be auctioning this Linglong Stone now, the highest bidder wins!” Aware of what this object is beforehand, Zhang Xuan wasn’t surprised in the least. He grabbed the treasure from the hands of the dealer and gazed at the crowd. “I offer 100,000!” The one who recognized the Linglong Stone earlier shouted his bid first. 100000 gold coin might be a huge sum, but compared to a treasure like Linglong Stone, the latter was much more valuable. “I offer 110,000!” There were a few within the crowd that was aware of its value as well. “120,000…” … Soon, the price was finalized at 153,000, and the stone was taken by a wealthy middle-aged man. “This is a banknote from [Tianxuan Bank]. With this, you are able to withdraw 153,000 gold coins from any single bank in Tianxuan City!” The middle-aged man grabbed the Linglong stone and passed over a stack of banknotes. The weight of gold coins was considerable, so moving them around wasn’t very convenient. Thus, just like in the ancient times of Earth, bank notes started appearing. “Un!” After taking a look, he knew that those notes are real and placed it into his embrace. Then, he retrieved a banknote worth a thousand and walked over to ‘Master Mo Yang’. “You paid 200 gold coins for me earlier. Here is a thousand, keep the change. Treat it as a tip!” 46 Exposing the Scam “Tip?” Hearing these words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ staggered and almost puked blood. [Tip your head! I am a master appraiser, I don’t lack money. Like I will take your tip…] With a hardened face, ‘Master Mo Yang’ was on the verge of exploding. At this point, he would be placed in an awkward situation regardless of whether he took it or not. If he took it, it meant he would be accepting the tip of other’s tip. In that case, he would be no different from a waiter or a servant. If he refused… Just the action of the other party alone caused him to feel embarrassed! Suddenly, a thought floated into his mind… Could the lad have foreseen this in advance, that’s why he took his money, so as to intentionally cause him embarrassment? “You don’t want it? Great, I can save a thousand then. You must know that one can buy a lot of things with a thousand gold coins!” Sensing his hesitation, Zhang Xuan placed the note back into his embrace and muttered by the side. “…” Hearing these words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ was on the verge of collapsing. “You sure are lucky, choosing the right one. However, this doesn’t mean that you have won! Alright, I still have things to attend to, so it is about time for me to leave!” With coldness in his gaze, ‘Master Mo Yang’ stood up, flung his arm and prepared to leave. His decisive action impressed Zhang Xuan. [As expected of a professional scammer. The moment things go awry, he leaves. His decisiveness is truly worthy of respect.] Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was lucky or he was truly skilled in appraising, he would no longer be treated as a lunatic after earning so much in an instant. Rather than grinding it out with him, it was much wiser for him to end it here. After all, he had already profited greatly from appraising for the others. The longer the argument carried on for, the higher the possibility of something going wrong for him. “The results of our competition isn’t conclusive yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave!” Given ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ previous actions, there was no way Zhang Xuan could allow him to escape just like this. “Indeed, master, don’t be in such a hurry to leave! You also made a profit from the item you bought, this can’t be considered as his victory!” “Master has only underestimated his enemy, that’s why he didn’t choose the most valuable treasure from the start. We believe in you…” After numerous days of effort, the master had roped in a large group of loyal followers. “I have already said before that I have matters to attend to. Farewell!” ‘Master Mo Yang’ waved his hand. “Even if you have urgent matters to attend to, I doubt that a few minutes will matter much. There are still things that I would like your guidance on!” Zhang Xuan blocked the other party’s escape path. “What kind of things?” ‘Master Mo Yang’ stopped and harrumphed coldly. “This friend…” Seeing him cease his movements, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and stared at the elderly who had obtained the slot for appraisal and bought the ornamental vase. “What is it? The elderly walked over. He was still hugging the artifact containing the ornamental vase as though he was hugging a precious treasure. Given its size, he would be unable to clean it up within a short period of time. Thus, he chose to stay to join in the spectacle. “If I’m not wrong, the item you spent 80000 gold coins to purchase is an ornamental vase. Furthermore, it is a broken one and it is not even worth a single gold coin!” Zhang Xuan pointed to his artifact and stated. “Ornamental vase? Not even worth a single cent? What kind of joke is this? This is something the master chose for me…” The face of the elderly darkened as he chastised Zhang Xuan. “Cleaning up such a large artifact will take a long time. At the minimum, you will require at least a day. How about this, you smash it on the floor directly and if I’m wrong, I will pay you 80000 gold coins! However, if I’m right, it means that you have fallen into his trap and got scammed. If so, you can just demand the money back from the one who scammed your money!” Zhang Xuan offered with a grin. “Smash it?” The elderly was taken aback by his words. The words of the other party made sense. Cleaning up such a large artifact would surely take a lot of time. However, if he were to smash it on the floor, it would only take an instant. If it was truly as the other party claimed and it turns out to be just an ornamental vase, then he would have made a big loss. Even for him, a loss of 80000 gold coins was enough to send him into bankruptcy. If the artifact turned out to be a fake, he would probably commit suicide. If the young man were to say these words a moment ago, he would simply scoff and disregard his words. However, the other party had just bought a treasure, which won him a revenue of 765 times. This very fact made his determination waver. “Worry not, a true treasure won’t shatter that easily. Even if you were to smash it, it is very unlikely for it to break. You won’t make a loss!” Sensing his hesitation, Zhang Xuan pushed on. “Alright!” After a short moment of contemplation, the elderly casually smashed the artifact in his embrace on the floor. Dang lang! With a crisp sound, the giant artifact shattered apart, and its true form revealed itself amidst the moss and mud… Indeed, it turned out to be a shattered vase. “It is really… an ornamental vase?” After taking a look, the crowd verified that it was indubitably an ornamental vase. Even if this object was an antique left behind from the ancient times, it still wasn’t worth much money. Needless to say 80000 gold coin, no one would buy it for even 10 gold coins. “What is going on here…” Seeing the broken fragments on the floor, the elderly froze in shock. Initially, he had placed all of his hope on this artifact to earn him big bucks, yet it all ended up like this. How could he possibly not go berserk? “What is happening? You will have to ask this Master Mo Yang! If I’m not wrong, he worked together with the dealer to build his fame as an appraiser so as to attract everyone’s attention. Then, through his appraisals, he is able to get you all to spend big bucks to buy the artifacts he decides upon, thus profiting from it!” Zhang Xuan looked at ‘Master Mo Yang’ and the dealer, and the corners of his mouth crept upwards. “As for why he was able to choose objects of high value, the reason is simple. Since the cleaning process did not happen before you, they are able to switch the item inside with another treasure they prepared beforehand and claim that it is the one he had just picked out. Anyway, no one saw the cleaning process, so no one is able to refute his claims.” “This…” “Is that true?” … Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone’s trust in ‘Master Mo Yang’ wavered. After picking out a treasure before everyone else, Zhang Xuan successfully exposed a fake treasure that ‘Master Mo Yang’ appraised. The crowd who had complete trust in ‘Master Mo Yang’ a moment ago was starting to get suspicious. Dang lang! While they were still busy contemplating over who was right and who was wrong, another crisp sound echoed amidst the crowd. Another fellow who had received the appraisal slot smashed the artifact he bought as well. This time, it wasn’t an ornamental vase, but a useless pottery. It was clear with a single look that it wasn’t worth much. “Fake, it is a fake! I spent 60000 gold coins to buy this… They are scammers!” Seeing the broken shards on the floor, those who bought the appraised items knew that they have been scammed as well and started roaring frenziedly. Peng! Hong! Puhe! With the two precedents, the remaining few could no longer hold it in. One after another, towards the artifacts they just bought, they either threw, smashed with a hammer, or cut it open with a blade. Taking a look at what was inside, all of their faces paled. “They are all fakes… They are all worthless trash!” “We have been duped. This Master Mo Yang is a fraud…” If there was only one fake, the crowd would still be able to accept it. After all, even an appraiser couldn’t possibly pick treasures out of artifacts hundred percent of the time. However, when all nine of the artifacts that he had appraised turned out to be trash, it could only mean to say that he was a scammer! [To think that you still acted so compassionate and benevolent… Pui! You are just a fraudster!] The berserk crowd surrounded ‘Master Mo Yang’ and the dealer tightly as they glared at them intensely. At this moment, even the thought of killing them flashed through their minds. After all, no one’s money came from the sky. If no one saw through the sham, and they only realized that it was a scam after they were done cleaning, who could they find to redress their grievances? “Don’t listen to the nonsense of this lad! Even master appraisers have moments when they are off, I am truly unacquainted with this artifact dealer…” Seeing the murderous glare in the eyes of the crowd, ‘Master Mo Yang’ realized that it was no longer possible to fool them and roared in anger instead. If it was a moment ago, the crowd would have definitely listened to his words. But now… No one paid him any heed anymore. Peng peng peng peng! The sound of someone hitting on a human sandbag echoed from the congregation of the crowd. Following which, cries of agony could be heard. In this ordeal, not even the artifact dealer was spared. As for the initiator of the incident, Zhang Xuan, he had sneaked off the moment chaos broke out inside. The world was humongous, and everyday, there were people who were going about scamming others, and there were people who were scammed by them. He wasn’t an omnipotent god, and it was impossible for him to interfere in all of them. If it wasn’t for ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ excessive mouth, he couldn’t be bothered to expose him. Now that those who were scammed were aware of the situation, naturally, they have their own ways of dealing with the problem. There was no need for Zhang Xuan to worry about them. “Huang Yu Bookstore…” Walking slowly along the market, a giant store appeared before him. In it, there were all kinds of books filling the bookshelves within. The store dealt with medicinal herbs, weapons, savage beasts and naturally, books. That was also his main motive for choosing to enter this store. “Let me take a look!” Zhang Xuan lifted his leg and stepped into the store. 47 Huang Yu “Gongzi, are you here to buy books or to browse through books?” The moment he stepped into the bookstore, a young lady stepped forward to welcome him. Around seventeen to eighteen years old, her pure face and appearance were particularly alluring. Even though she was still slightly lacking compared to Shen Bi Ru laoshi, she could be considered as an exceptional beauty. “Are there… secret manuals on Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique here?” Zhang Xuan revealed his objective to her. “Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique? Gongzi must be joking. Such secret manuals on cultivation technique cost a hefty sum, a little business like ours doesn’t have the qualifications to be selling them… If you want some entrance level cultivation technique manuals, we have a few of it here though…” The lady shook her head. The books sold in their store mainly consisted of human geography, biographies of reputable figures and such. Cultivation techniques were something highly confidential to cultivators, so how could it be allowed to be browsed through or sold freely? “Then… Do you know any stores that sell them?” Confirming his suspicion that the manuals weren’t on sale here, Zhang Xuan sighed and looked at her with expectation. “Sell them?” The lady shook her head. “It is impossible for anyone in Tianxuan Royal City to be selling cultivation techniques of this level. However… Some experts do collect quite a few of them. If you have an amicable relationship with them, it might be possible for them to allow you to look through them!” “Allow me to look through them? Taking a look is great as well!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, there was no need for him to buy the books. As long as he was able to lay his hand on those books, just by flipping through it, a corresponding book would be compiled automatically. “Do you know any seniors who collect such manuals in their residence and allow others to browse through them?” He couldn’t resist asking. “Allow others to browse through them?” The lady frowned and just as she was about to shake her head, she suddenly thought of something and slyness flitted across her eyes. She smiles and says, “I do know of one. However, he is known for being eccentric! When he is in high spirits, he won’t mind even if you were to take all of the books in his house. But if he is in a bad mood, ignoring the fact whether he will allow you to browse through his books or not, he might not even allow you to walk through his door…” “Such a person exists in the world?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He continued, “Then, may I trouble you to guide me to seek that senior?” “It just happens that there isn’t much business today. I will bring you there now!” The young lady smiled. “Thanks for the trouble!” He didn’t expect the lady to be so helpful as to bring him there personally, so he nodded his head in gratitude. With the lady leading ahead, the two of them walked out of the bookstore. Through their idle chatter, Zhang Xuan learned that the name of the lady was Huang Yu. This bookstore was opened by her. Judging from the appearance of the bookstore, it seemed to be newly opened, at maximum around ten days or so. “You are saying that there are many books in the home of that senior?” After walking a distance, Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist asking. “Naturally. That senior is a famous scholar in the entire kingdom, and he was once Emperor Shen Zhui’s tutor! He is a person who is able to freely go in and out of the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Do you think that it is possible for the books in his home to not be many?” Huang Yu said reverently. “Emperor Shen Zhui’s teacher? That means, he used to be an emperor’s tutor?” Zhang Xuan was stunned. The current emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom was named Shen Zhui. No one was aware of the specific level of his cultivation, they only knew that he was the strongest person in the entire kingdom, unmatched by anyone! The tutors of such a figure were carefully handpicked and have to undergo numerous selection processes before their positions were confirmed. Even the principal of Hongtian Academy didn’t possess such qualifications! “He is his painting and calligraphy teacher, and not his martial arts teacher. Even so, he is still an incredible figure who is deeply respected by the emperor!” At this point, Huang Yu’s face turned solemn as she warned Zhang Xuan, “This old mister Lu Chen is an elegant person who is very particular about decorum. He detests juniors talking nonsense before him. When we arrive, it is best for you not to speak too easily. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to be given permission to browse through his books!” “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Also, I also have my own matters to attend to. When we arrive, you will have to deal with the matter of borrowing books yourself, don’t mess up my matter along with yours!” Huang Yu glanced over with her beautiful eyes as she spoke. “Don’t worry, I won’t put you in a difficult position!” Comprehending the meaning behind her words, Zhang Xuan smiled in response. He was already grateful over the fact that she was willing to bring him over. If he was capable, he would be able to borrow the books. However, even if he ended up in failure, nothing could be done about it. No matter what, he was still a teacher. How could he put a young lady in an awkward position? “The old mister prefers juniors who are more obedient. No matter what the old mister says, you just have to nod your head. You should also know that a great scholar like him tend to be more conservative so his thoughts may diverge from that of us, youngsters. Just try not to squabble with him over these!” Huang Yu reminded him once again. The two of them soon walked out of the market. After passing by a series of alleys that would leave one confused, they arrived at a residence. “This is the residence of old mister Lu Chen!” Huang Yu pointed towards the residence. Zhang Xuan raised his head to take a look at the entire residence. It wasn’t as vast and extravagant as he expected. It seemed like the residence of an ordinary household and there wasn’t even a door plaque at the entrance. If it weren’t for Huang Yu leading him here, he might have thought that this was the residence of a normal civilian. [This is… the place where the emperor’s tutor lives?] Zhang Xuan found it hard to believe. “Old mister Lu Chen lives a thrifty life. There were many times when Emperor Shen Zhui offered to reconstruct his residence, but he firmly rejected the offers!” Noticing his doubt, Huang Yu explained. Zhang Xuan nodded his head as his respect for the emperor’s tutor grew. Despite possessing such social status, he was able to remain incorruptible and thrifty without being changed by power. It seemed like this old mister was a sentimental and straightforward person. Da da da da! Just as they were about to knock on the door, a carriage rushed over. The distinct sound of galloping horses echoed through the alley. Jiyaaaa! The carriage stopped beside the two. A young man parted the curtains of the carriage and walked out. He was a seventeen- to eighteen-year old youth dressed in white. Tall and slim, his face was exquisite, similar to a white jade. With a single look, it was clear to see that he was a scion, and he exuded an aura of superiority. “Xiao Yu [1]? You are here, too!” Seeing Huang Yu, the white-clothed gongzi‘s eyes twinkled and immediately tried to fawn upon her. “I am Huang Yu, don’t give me such a mushy nickname. We aren’t that familiar with one another yet!” Huang Yu curled her lips contemptuously. “Given the relationship between our families, it isn’t too much to call you Xiao Yu. Besides, wasn’t that how I called you when you were younger as well? Are you here to visit old mister Lu Chen as well?” The white-clothed gongzi smiled and flung his robe. He struck a pose, as though declaring that victory was in his hands. “Hehe, don’t think too much about that object. It will definitely come under my possession!” “It is hard to tell whose it will be at this point! I only fear that you will cry then!” Huang Yu didn’t step down to his taunting. “We’ll see then!” The white-clothed gongzi chuckled. At this point, he finally noticed Zhang Xuan and frowned, “Who is this? Xiao Yu, why did you bring an outsider here…” “No matter who is it that I bring, it is none of your business!” Huang Yu pursed her lips, not sparing the other party any face. “Hmph, lad. No matter who you are, I advise you to stay away from Xiao Yu. She isn’t someone a small figure like you can lay your hands upon!” Looking at Zhang Xuan, the white- clothed gongzi narrowed his eyes and spat coldly. “…” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect to be threatened when he was only here to borrow a book. A strong feeling of helplessness surged through him. Using the words from his previous world, he was lucky like a dead mongoose. All Huang Yu did was to bring him here; they were just barely acquaintances. [Do you really have to go that far?] Threatened by someone, Zhang Xuan felt displeased. He stretched his back and waved away his concerns, “You interfere too much. My apologies, but I don’t think that you need to concern yourself over this!” “Fine, I hope that you don’t regret your words!” He didn’t expect that a lad he had never met before would dare to speak to him in such a manner. The white-clothed gongzi‘s eyebrows shot up and his eyes narrowed. Turning around, he ignored the other two and walked over to the front of the courtyard to knock on the door. “Why are you so rash…” As the white-clothed man knocked on the door, Huang Yu’s anxious voice sounded by Zhang Xuan’s ears. “Why?” Zhang Xuan looked at her in puzzlement. “Do you know who he is, for you to dare to speak to him like that?” Seeing the oblivious look on the other party’s face, Huang Yu felt a little helpless. It was truly hard to tell whether this fellow has a strong heart, or that there was something wrong with his head. “Who cares about who he is…” Zhang Xuan shrugged. [What does his identity have to do with me?] “You…” Seeing the expression on the young man’s face, Huang Yu was starting to doubt if she had brought a fool over. Seeing the indifferent look in his eyes, she was able to tell that he truly wasn’t bothered over the identity of the person he just offended. At a loss for words, she could only introduce the person before to him, “He is the sole son of Zhennan Wang, Bai Xun!” Zhennan Wang was known as the number one authoritative subject of Tianxuan Kingdom, his position beneath only that of Emperor Shen Zhui. Offending his only son meant that it would be hard for him to make a living in Tianxuan Kingdom. Initially, she thought that revealing the identity of the other party would induce fear in this fellow and that he would ask her on how he should resolve the problem. Contrary to her expectations, Zhang Xuan looked over with a confused expression, “Zhennan Wang… Who is he?” –– [1] Xiao Yu -> Little Yu (A pet name for Huang Yu) 48 What the Heck is This Toy “Gongzi, are you here to buy books or to browse through books?” The moment he stepped into the bookstore, a young lady stepped forward to welcome him. Around seventeen to eighteen years old, her pure face and appearance were particularly alluring. Even though she was still slightly lacking compared to Shen Bi Ru laoshi, she could be considered as an exceptional beauty. “Are there… secret manuals on Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique here?” Zhang Xuan revealed his objective to her. “Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique? Gongzi must be joking. Such secret manuals on cultivation technique cost a hefty sum, a little business like ours doesn’t have the qualifications to be selling them… If you want some entrance level cultivation technique manuals, we have a few of it here though…” The lady shook her head. The books sold in their store mainly consisted of human geography, biographies of reputable figures and such. Cultivation techniques were something highly confidential to cultivators, so how could it be allowed to be browsed through or sold freely? “Then… Do you know any stores that sell them?” Confirming his suspicion that the manuals weren’t on sale here, Zhang Xuan sighed and looked at her with expectation. “Sell them?” The lady shook her head. “It is impossible for anyone in Tianxuan Royal City to be selling cultivation techniques of this level. However… Some experts do collect quite a few of them. If you have an amicable relationship with them, it might be possible for them to allow you to look through them!” “Allow me to look through them? Taking a look is great as well!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, there was no need for him to buy the books. As long as he was able to lay his hand on those books, just by flipping through it, a corresponding book would be compiled automatically. “Do you know any seniors who collect such manuals in their residence and allow others to browse through them?” He couldn’t resist asking. “Allow others to browse through them?” The lady frowned and just as she was about to shake her head, she suddenly thought of something and slyness flitted across her eyes. She smiles and says, “I do know of one. However, he is known for being eccentric! When he is in high spirits, he won’t mind even if you were to take all of the books in his house. But if he is in a bad mood, ignoring the fact whether he will allow you to browse through his books or not, he might not even allow you to walk through his door…” “Such a person exists in the world?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He continued, “Then, may I trouble you to guide me to seek that senior?” “It just happens that there isn’t much business today. I will bring you there now!” The young lady smiled. “Thanks for the trouble!” He didn’t expect the lady to be so helpful as to bring him there personally, so he nodded his head in gratitude. With the lady leading ahead, the two of them walked out of the bookstore. Through their idle chatter, Zhang Xuan learned that the name of the lady was Huang Yu. This bookstore was opened by her. Judging from the appearance of the bookstore, it seemed to be newly opened, at maximum around ten days or so. “You are saying that there are many books in the home of that senior?” After walking a distance, Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist asking. “Naturally. That senior is a famous scholar in the entire kingdom, and he was once Emperor Shen Zhui’s tutor! He is a person who is able to freely go in and out of the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Do you think that it is possible for the books in his home to not be many?” Huang Yu said reverently. “Emperor Shen Zhui’s teacher? That means, he used to be an emperor’s tutor?” Zhang Xuan was stunned. The current emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom was named Shen Zhui. No one was aware of the specific level of his cultivation, they only knew that he was the strongest person in the entire kingdom, unmatched by anyone! The tutors of such a figure were carefully handpicked and have to undergo numerous selection processes before their positions were confirmed. Even the principal of Hongtian Academy didn’t possess such qualifications! “He is his painting and calligraphy teacher, and not his martial arts teacher. Even so, he is still an incredible figure who is deeply respected by the emperor!” At this point, Huang Yu’s face turned solemn as she warned Zhang Xuan, “This old mister Lu Chen is an elegant person who is very particular about decorum. He detests juniors talking nonsense before him. When we arrive, it is best for you not to speak too easily. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to be given permission to browse through his books!” “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Also, I also have my own matters to attend to. When we arrive, you will have to deal with the matter of borrowing books yourself, don’t mess up my matter along with yours!” Huang Yu glanced over with her beautiful eyes as she spoke. “Don’t worry, I won’t put you in a difficult position!” Comprehending the meaning behind her words, Zhang Xuan smiled in response. He was already grateful over the fact that she was willing to bring him over. If he was capable, he would be able to borrow the books. However, even if he ended up in failure, nothing could be done about it. No matter what, he was still a teacher. How could he put a young lady in an awkward position? “The old mister prefers juniors who are more obedient. No matter what the old mister says, you just have to nod your head. You should also know that a great scholar like him tend to be more conservative so his thoughts may diverge from that of us, youngsters. Just try not to squabble with him over these!” Huang Yu reminded him once again. The two of them soon walked out of the market. After passing by a series of alleys that would leave one confused, they arrived at a residence. “This is the residence of old mister Lu Chen!” Huang Yu pointed towards the residence. Zhang Xuan raised his head to take a look at the entire residence. It wasn’t as vast and extravagant as he expected. It seemed like the residence of an ordinary household and there wasn’t even a door plaque at the entrance. If it weren’t for Huang Yu leading him here, he might have thought that this was the residence of a normal civilian. [This is… the place where the emperor’s tutor lives?] Zhang Xuan found it hard to believe. “Old mister Lu Chen lives a thrifty life. There were many times when Emperor Shen Zhui offered to reconstruct his residence, but he firmly rejected the offers!” Noticing his doubt, Huang Yu explained. Zhang Xuan nodded his head as his respect for the emperor’s tutor grew. Despite possessing such social status, he was able to remain incorruptible and thrifty without being changed by power. It seemed like this old mister was a sentimental and straightforward person. Da da da da! Just as they were about to knock on the door, a carriage rushed over. The distinct sound of galloping horses echoed through the alley. Jiyaaaa! The carriage stopped beside the two. A young man parted the curtains of the carriage and walked out. He was a seventeen- to eighteen-year old youth dressed in white. Tall and slim, his face was exquisite, similar to a white jade. With a single look, it was clear to see that he was a scion, and he exuded an aura of superiority. “Xiao Yu [1]? You are here, too!” Seeing Huang Yu, the white-clothed gongzi‘s eyes twinkled and immediately tried to fawn upon her. “I am Huang Yu, don’t give me such a mushy nickname. We aren’t that familiar with one another yet!” Huang Yu curled her lips contemptuously. “Given the relationship between our families, it isn’t too much to call you Xiao Yu. Besides, wasn’t that how I called you when you were younger as well? Are you here to visit old mister Lu Chen as well?” The white-clothed gongzi smiled and flung his robe. He struck a pose, as though declaring that victory was in his hands. “Hehe, don’t think too much about that object. It will definitely come under my possession!” “It is hard to tell whose it will be at this point! I only fear that you will cry then!” Huang Yu didn’t step down to his taunting. “We’ll see then!” The white-clothed gongzi chuckled. At this point, he finally noticed Zhang Xuan and frowned, “Who is this? Xiao Yu, why did you bring an outsider here…” “No matter who is it that I bring, it is none of your business!” Huang Yu pursed her lips, not sparing the other party any face. “Hmph, lad. No matter who you are, I advise you to stay away from Xiao Yu. She isn’t someone a small figure like you can lay your hands upon!” Looking at Zhang Xuan, the white- clothed gongzi narrowed his eyes and spat coldly. “…” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect to be threatened when he was only here to borrow a book. A strong feeling of helplessness surged through him. Using the words from his previous world, he was lucky like a dead mongoose. All Huang Yu did was to bring him here; they were just barely acquaintances. [Do you really have to go that far?] Threatened by someone, Zhang Xuan felt displeased. He stretched his back and waved away his concerns, “You interfere too much. My apologies, but I don’t think that you need to concern yourself over this!” “Fine, I hope that you don’t regret your words!” He didn’t expect that a lad he had never met before would dare to speak to him in such a manner. The white-clothed gongzi‘s eyebrows shot up and his eyes narrowed. Turning around, he ignored the other two and walked over to the front of the courtyard to knock on the door. “Why are you so rash…” As the white-clothed man knocked on the door, Huang Yu’s anxious voice sounded by Zhang Xuan’s ears. “Why?” Zhang Xuan looked at her in puzzlement. “Do you know who he is, for you to dare to speak to him like that?” Seeing the oblivious look on the other party’s face, Huang Yu felt a little helpless. It was truly hard to tell whether this fellow has a strong heart, or that there was something wrong with his head. “Who cares about who he is…” Zhang Xuan shrugged. [What does his identity have to do with me?] “You…” Seeing the expression on the young man’s face, Huang Yu was starting to doubt if she had brought a fool over. Seeing the indifferent look in his eyes, she was able to tell that he truly wasn’t bothered over the identity of the person he just offended. At a loss for words, she could only introduce the person before to him, “He is the sole son of Zhennan Wang, Bai Xun!” Zhennan Wang was known as the number one authoritative subject of Tianxuan Kingdom, his position beneath only that of Emperor Shen Zhui. Offending his only son meant that it would be hard for him to make a living in Tianxuan Kingdom. Initially, she thought that revealing the identity of the other party would induce fear in this fellow and that he would ask her on how he should resolve the problem. Contrary to her expectations, Zhang Xuan looked over with a confused expression, “Zhennan Wang… Who is he?” –– [1] Xiao Yu -> Little Yu (A pet name for Huang Yu) 49 How Did He Do It? “A painting left behind by the master?” By the side, Huang Yu felt like she was going insane. She almost lost her balance and fell to the floor. [In the past, Master Lu Chen had brought out paintings for them to appraise, as well as to test them. However… he had never brought out his own works! This time, why would he… If the fellow before her had praised the work the master took out, perhaps, the master will be delighted with his evaluation and let it pass. However… what did you say — Downright senseless, what the heck is this toy? Is this something a human should say? To evaluate Master Lu Chen’s drawing as ‘downright senseless, what the heck is this toy’…] Huang Yu felt like vomiting blood. [Didn’t you say that you won’t put me in a difficult position? This… What is going on?] If she knew that Zhang Xuan had decided afterwards that as a teacher, he shouldn’t put her in an awkward situation… more blood would probably come spurting out from her mouth! [Is this what you call not putting me in an awkward situation? You are obviously pushing me down the cliff…] She was regretting her action of bringing this fellow here! Master Lu Chen favored youngsters who learn with humility. He never discriminated against people, and he liked people coming over to learn from him. This fellow seemed scholarly on the surface, as well as a person who knew his boundaries, so she thought that he was the type to learn with humility. Thus, she brought him over, so she could please the master. If things went well, she could make use of the opportunity to achieve her goals as well. Yet, she never would have expected that… he was so unreliable! Huang Yu felt her guts turn green with regret. If only she knew that this would happen, she would have rejected him on the spot. Why did she guide him over just to bring trouble on herself… While she was on the verge of going berserk, Bai Xun was on the verge of laughing. Indeed, what was scary was not a godlike opponent, but a pig- like teammate. This fellow actually dared to describe Master Lu Chen’s work as ‘what the heck is this toy’. Needless to think, he must have offended the master thoroughly with his words. Even if he didn’t make a move, the master would probably teach this ignorant lad a lesson! “Is this the knowledge and talent you speak of? Skilled in zither, chess, literature and painting?” Chuckling softly, he gazed at Huang Yu teasingly. Huang Yu had just praised Zhang Xuan a moment ago, yet in the next, the latter spoke such words. [Have you ever seen a knowledgeable and talented person act like this?] “Silence!” In contrast to butler Uncle Cheng’s anxiety, Huang Yu’s regret and Bai Xun’s glee, Master Lu Chen didn’t get mad due to the other party’s words. He interrupted the commotion going on and looked at Lu Chen calmly, “This little brother over here, why would you make such an evaluation? Is there a problem with my drawing?” “I didn’t know that it was master’s work. I seek your forgiveness for my brashness!” Zhang Xuan feigned shock and hurriedly bowed apologetically. The book compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path allowed him to look into the flaws of the painting, and the artist was also labeled in it. Naturally, he knew that the painting before him was Lu Chen’s work, just that he was intentionally feigning ignorance! “Don’t worry about it. This is just a painting. I am only asking you to appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the painting, and not the painter of it!” Master Lu Chen gestured. “With your words, I am reassured!” Zhang Xuan smiled. Facing the painting again, he stroked it and said, “If we are just talking about this painting, even if it is drawn by the master… I can only use these eight words to evaluate it! Downright senseless, what the heck is this toy!” Huang Yu and the butler looked calm on the surface, but panicked on the inside. [To say such words after knowing that this is a work of the master. Lad, are you insane?] “However…” Zhang Xuan paused for a moment. “However what?” “This painting is indeed nothing much. Any artist by the street would be able to draw it. It is already an overestimation by calling it a toy! However, if one is able to see beyond its surface, then it is definitely an astonishing creation that will leave its viewers in disbelief!” Zhang Xuan said. “Look beyond the surface? How should we look?” Master Lu Chen smiled gently. “Simple!” Zhang Xuan looked at the butler Uncle Cheng. “May I trouble you to bring a dagger over!” “Alright!” After taking a look at Master Lu Chen and noticing the lack of disapproval, Uncle Cheng turned around and walked out. After a short moment, he returned with a dagger and passed it to Zhang Xuan. “Then, I will be making an embarrassment of myself!” Grabbing the dagger, Zhang Xuan walked over to the painting and stabbed the dagger into it. “What are you doing?” Seeing his actions, Bai Xun stepped forward. “That is the master’s work, every single painting of his is incomparably valuable that some even label them as priceless treasures. Are you sure you can compensate him if you damage it?” Huang Yu also looked at his actions in bewilderment. [Why would you need a dagger to appraise a painting?] Ignoring Bai Xun’s rebuke, Zhang Xuan cut the unblemished painting with the dagger. Tzzzzzzz, the sound of paper being cut echoed in the air. The portion of the drawing that was cut curled upwards. Tugging lightly on it, the top portion of the drawing separated from the bottom layer. This was similar to how there were different levels to a building. A layer of xuan paper [1] formed the top layer of the painting, whereas the bottom layer consisted of goatskin. Huala! The tearing of the top xuan paper exposed what was on top of the goatskin. There was also a painting on top of the goatskin, and it was similar to what was on the xuan paper. However, there was more spirit to this one and the depictions were much more vivid. It was as though the mountainous rocks, trees, village and children would pop out from within at any moment. “If I’m not wrong, the drawing on top of the xuan paper is just a layer of deception. The true drawing is imprinted through the xuan paper, onto the goatskin. This is the true secret behind the master’s drawing!” After tearing the xuan paper carefully away, Zhang Xuan smiled. “This…” Regardless of whether it is Huang Yu, the butler or Bai Xun, all of their eyes widened in disbelief. To imprint the ink beyond the xuan paper onto the goatskin through force, not to mention that the drawing on top of the paper must retain a certain level of clarity such that no flaws could be seen on it… This was way too incredible! These two paintings were stacked on top of one another flawlessly… How was he able to tell? “Not bad, not bad!” Upon seeing the young man easily expose the secret behind his painting, Master Lu Chen’s eyes lit up. This time, his gaze towards the youngster was full of praise. At the same time, he was also filled with shock. His ability to imprint on goatskin through a layer of paper via force was something he just comprehended. He had never showcased it in front of anyone else. Yet, this youngster was able to see through it in an instant. [His eye of discernment is way too formidable!] “Then, what about this drawing?” Master Lu Chen turned around and pointed to a painting hung on the wall. There was a giant savage beast painted on it. Similar to a savage tiger descending from the mountain, its ferocious aura left its viewers with astonishment. If a timid person were to catch sight of this painting, they might fall limply onto the ground, fearing to make a single noise. Zhang Xuan stepped forward and stroked it lightly. Then, he smiled, “This painting isn’t bad, but it is lacking in disposition. If I am not wrong, the painter of the work has never seen the savage beast portrayed in the drawing before! This drawing is just based on his personal interpretation!” “This…” Master Lu Chen’s body trembled as his eyes widened into complete circles. Others might be confused by what Zhang Xuan was saying, but he understood what the other party meant. That was because this painting was his work as well. The savage beast on the painting was known as ‘Chi Xiong‘, and it was a rare life-form. It was said to possess boundless strength and invincible defense, to the point that no weapon was able to wound it. Just like what the other party said, it was true that he had never met such a life-form. The reason why he was able to draw this painting was because he had flipped through numerous books, so as to feed his imagination. This painting was one of his prided works. This was also the reason why it was hung at the middlemost location of the lounge. Innumerable painting masters have come to visit and they were filled with praises for it. They all found the painting majestic and lifelike. Why would the youngster say that it was lacking in disposition? Since the other party was able to see through the overall situation behind the other painting in an instant, his eye for such stuff should be topnotch. Furthermore, he was able to tell that he had never seen a Chi Xiong just by glancing at the painting, so it was very probable that he had his own reasons for saying so! “Which part of it is lacking in disposition, would you be kind to enlighten me?” At this point, Master Lu Chen no longer had the attitude of superiority from before as he hurriedly asked. “Ah?” Seeing the emperor’s tutor who kept testing them, causing them to scratch their heads helplessly innumerable times, seeking guidance with humility from a young man who wasn’t even twenty yet, Huang Yu and Bai Xun stared at one another and they felt like fainting. Especially Huang Yu, her eyes couldn’t stop blinking. The shock struck her mind like billowing waves. [That fellow… how did he do it?] –– [1] Xuan paper -> A type of paper suitable for drawing. 50 Peer “That’s simple!” Oblivious to the shock and the thoughts going through the minds of others, Zhang Xuan smiled. “Even though the Chi Xiong is known for its invincible defense, its body is streamlined like a sharp sword. It specializes in quick assaults and overcomes its opponents through speed rather than strength! From this, it can be inferred that its disposition should be that of a sharp sword rather than a heavy mountain. Given how the painter got the disposition of the savage beast wrong, it is clear to see that it is an interpretation.” Master Lu Chen’s body swayed. It wasn’t that the other party was inaccurate in his appraisal, but he was too accurate in it! All along, he had thought that since the Chi Xiong was known for its invincible defense, its disposition should be heavy like a mountain. The reminder from the youngster made him recall an introduction on the savage beast from a book. It mentioned that it was extremely fast, killing its opponent without even revealing itself. This was precisely the reason why very few people have seen its true form! One of the greatest taboos of a painter was to mistake the disposition their painting should carry. If even the disposition was unfitting for the subject, then even the most valuable of paintings would be reduced to trash. Zhang Xuan was already sparing his pride by saying that the painting wasn’t bad, instead of saying something more extreme. “Excellent! Incredible!” With his face flushed red with excitement, Master Lu Chen expressed his high appraisal of Zhang Xuan. If it was just a single painting, it was possible that it might just be luck or coincidence. However, to see the crux behind two different paintings in an instant, he could confidently say that the youngster before him might look young, but he was a true master painter! His skills could only be superior to his own! It was easy to make friends, but it was hard to find a soulmate. Throughout his career as a painter, he was unable to find an equal in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Usually, when he deciphered a painting to others, they would only respond to it perfunctorily and instead, focus their efforts on praising him. No one was able to truly understand the essence of those paintings, needless to say, point out the flaws in them. This was precisely the reason why he felt desolate, and often opened up his residence to encourage diligent juniors in the hope that there would be someone to succeed him. At this moment, upon meeting someone who was able to point out the flaws and weaknesses of a painting, he felt as though he had met a soulmate. How could he not be delighted over it? If not for his strong will and self-control, he might have leapt in joy on the spot. Seeing the master so exuberant, Huang Yu and Bai Xun no longer bickered and stared at one another. Their eyes widened into complete circles, almost popping out from their heads. They have been acquainted with this master since young. He was always calm, and no matter what came in his way, he never allowed it to interfere with his mind. The last time the emperor sent some servants to deliver the 【Harsh Lands Night Illumination Pearl】 to him, a gift that was worth a king’s ransom, he didn’t even take a look at it before ordering a servant to keep it in the warehouse. Yet, a casual answer from the young man left him in such a state… Could it be that his words were true? At this point, the two of them shot their gazes towards the young man. However, no matter how they stared at him, he looked nothing but ordinary to them. “Xiao Yu, aren’t you going to introduce this gongzi to me?” While she was still struck with bewilderment, Master Lu Chen’s words echoed in the room. “Introduce? He…” Upon being questioned, Huang Yu was taken aback. Only now did she realize that she had not asked for the other party’s name. Her face turned red and she scratched her head awkwardly as she turned towards Zhang Xuan and asked, “Ah, right, what is your name…” Hearing these words, Bai Xun, who was sitting beside her, looked constipated. Just a moment ago, he was still overwhelmed by jealousy, thinking that someone had beaten him to his goddess, causing the urge to beat up this youngster to well up in him. Only now did he realize that… Huang Yu didn’t even know his name! If only he knew earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten so angry over nothing. However, his dilemma didn’t end here. Immediately after, he heard Master Lu Chen’s angry voice, “What do you mean by he! No decorum at all! This little brother here is a peer of mine, you will have to address him as a master in the future!” “Peer?” This time, not only Huang Yu and Bai Xun felt lightheaded, even the butler Uncle Cheng froze in shock. The three of them stared at Zhang Xuan as though they were looking at a monster. [What kind of standing does Master Lu Chen possess? Emperor Shen Zhui’s teacher, a true emperor’s tutor! There isn’t a single person in the entire kingdom who dares to claim to be his peer. If one were to do it, it would mean that one is claiming to be the senior of the country’s emperor! For a person of such standing to view a youngster who isn’t even twenty as a fellow peer of his? Surely I am hearing things?] “Didn’t you all hear my words?” Seeing the two of them in a daze, Lu Chen chastised them again. “Yes!” Bai Xun and Huang Yu hurriedly bowed. “Paying respect to the master!” “There is no need to be so formal!” Zhang Xuan didn’t expect Lu Chen to be so polite. He nodded his head helplessly and said, “I am Zhang Xuan. I just happen to understand master’s paintings out of coincidence. I am not fitting of the title of a master!” “So it is little brother Zhang Xuan. You can’t put it like that, manners are manners! You are able to see through the flaws in my work with just a glance, this means that you are well- versed in paintings, and you possess an exceptional eye for them. If you aren’t worthy of the title of master with your standards, wouldn’t that mean that I am unable to live up to my title as a master as well?” Lu Chen said. Zhang Xuan laughed dryly. It was true that he was able to point the flaws in the paintings, but that wasn’t because of his abilities in that aspect. He only made use of the cheat called “Library of Heaven’s Path”. Without this, needless to say appraising it, he might be scratching his head with a confused expression, unable to even identify what was being drawn. “Alright, stop being so polite. Feel free to reprimand these juniors when you meet them in the future!” Unsure about what Zhang Xuan was thinking about, Lu Chen casually said. “Juniors? Feel free to reprimand?” Bai Xun and Huang Yu were on the verge of crying. [The heck, we are around the same age and yet you became a senior of our grandfather’s generation in an instant… Dude, you are way too formidable!] Ignoring the despondent duo, Master Lu Chen looked over in puzzlement, “Little brother, to follow Xiao Yu here, you probably aren’t here for leisure. May I ask what is it that you require my help on?” “I have heard that master has a wide collection of books. The reason why I am here today is to find some Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique manuals to browse through…” Hearing Master Lu Chen questioned his purpose, Zhang Xuan hurriedly replied. The main aim of his journey here was this, so he mustn’t let this opportunity slip by. “My collection of books is quite vast, but they are mainly on painting. I do not possess many books on cultivation techniques here. As for those on Fighter 6-dan, I only have a couple of them. They are in my study. Come, I will bring you over to take a look!” Hearing his purpose, Master Lu Chen stroked his beard with a smile and stood up. “Laoye, your study…” The butler Uncle Cheng quickly walked forward and asked questioningly. Laoye‘s study did possess quite a lot of one-of-a-kind limited edition books, and each of them were extremely valuable. He had never allowed any outsiders to enter his study, and even Emperor Shen Zhui was blocked at the door when he came the previous time! There was a maid who wasn’t aware of the rules and ran in to clean the room. In the end, she was beaten to death! This was precisely the reason why the study of the Lu residence was the forbidden zone within forbidden zones, and no one dared to enter it… Yet, laoye intended to bring in a young man whom he had just met, leaving him at a loss. “The reason why I don’t allow others to enter my study is for fear that they would afflict it with their vulgarity. Little brother Zhang Xuan is a fellow peer of mine and a master painter. It is an honor of mine to have him enter to offer me some pointers. There is no reason for me to stop him from entering at all.” Master Lu Chen’s face darkened. “Yes!” Uncle Cheng retreated in a fluster. He might be ignorant about painting, but even he was able to tell at this point that there wasn’t a single error in the appraisal of the young man! Otherwise, it was impossible for laoye‘s attitude to do a 180 degree turn and act so amiably. “Let’s go!” Master Lu Chen led the way while Zhang Xuan followed behind him. After a moment, they reached a wide room. As expected of a master whom Huang Yu was full of praises for, the collection of books in his study was massive. All kinds of manuals filled the shelves, and there were at least hundreds of thousands of books here. Zhang Xuan felt as though he had walked into a library. Walking between the shelves while taking a casual look, it was exactly as the other party said. The books were all about painting, and there were barely any on cultivation techniques and martial arts. “Those about cultivation techniques are over here. There are only a handful of them. They were left behind from back when I was still cultivating!” Master Lu Chen introduced with a smile as he brought Zhang Xuan towards the corner of the study. 51 Heaven’s Path Golden Body By the corner, books were stacked densely on the bookshelves and they were all about cultivation techniques and related subjects. There were manuals on Fighter 1-dan, 2-dan, 3-dan and 4-dan. Similar to Hongtian Academy, the higher the tier was, the less the number of books there were on it. As for Fighter 6-dan manuals, there were only about ten books or so on it. “The number of books may be few, but it beats having none at all!” Initially, he thought that it would be like the Compendium Pavilion and that he would be able to find a few hundred or even a thousand books here for his choosing. Now, it was clear to see that he was overthinking it. However, after pondering over it for a moment, the reason for the difference between the two became apparent to him. Everyone had a different physique, and thus, the suitable cultivation technique for them differed from one individual to the other. Thus, it was clear that the academy would require a huge amount of secret manuals and books so as to ensure that there were sufficient resources for the teachers to cater to the needs of their students, as well as to expand their horizons. However, for an individual, they only required one or two cultivation techniques suited for them. It was already considered a huge collection for Lu Chen to have over ten books on Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques. Casually picking up the ten books, he flipped through them lightly, hualala, and corresponding secret manuals appeared in his mind. “Why? Are these cultivation techniques too inferior to appeal to you?” Seeing the youngster pick those books up, flip through them and put them down before taking a good look at the contents, Master Lu Chen was slightly bewildered. “That’s not it, I am just taking a casual look!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Scanning the surrounding once again, he affirmed that there were only these few books in here. Just as he was about to take his leave from the study, he suddenly caught sight of a pile of manuals placed not too far away from his current position. Curious, he asked, “These are…” “Oh, these are left behind by that disappointing son of mine! He likes brute strength, so he collected quite a few secret manuals on enhancing one’s physical strength! In fact, he even went to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault and moved all related books here!” Master Lu Chen smiled bitterly. “In the cultivation of a fighter, zhenqi [1] is the most important factor of all. One’s physical body only plays a small role in it, and it is not worth mentioning at all!” Although there was the Pigu realm, which tempered one’s skin and bones in a fighter’s cultivation, what truly mattered was still zhenqi. Only when one’s zhenqi was pure and concentrated could they be truly strong. In the eyes of most cultivators, the physical body was just an auxiliary tool to one’s strength, and was of little importance! “Can I take a look?” Seeing the thousands of secret manuals on heightening the strength of one’s physical body, Zhang Xuan felt a little moved. Thus, he couldn’t resist the urge to ask Master Lu Chen for permission to browse through them. He possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, so he didn’t need the cultivation techniques in his possession to be profound. Only with sufficient quantity, would he be able to extract the essence of each to authenticate the true and the false, and distil the truly useful portions from each of them. Even though training one’s physical body might seem to be unimportant, and it might be unable to allow one’s strength to soar up rapidly, if there were these many books to correct the errors and point out the correct path, the effects might turn out to be significant. Anyway, he didn’t have sufficient books in his hands on 6-dan cultivation technique for him to raise his cultivation realm, so he might as well flip through these first. Perhaps, he might even get some pointers on it from the information contained within them. “Little brother, feel free!” Master Lu Chen smiled. Since he had already brought him in, he wouldn’t be stingy about it, allowing him to browse through the books. “I will be impertinent then!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and walked over to the pile of manuals. Just like before, he casually flipped through them. Hualala! Hualala! “He is…” Looking at his actions by the side, Master Lu Chen was bewildered. [I thought that he wanted to read the books? What is he doing, flipping through them like that? Could it be that… These books do not fit his taste? That makes sense though. Given how he is trying to look for Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, he is probably already at Fighter 5-dan pinnacle. Given his current strength, he has already undergone the Pigu realm, and it matters not whether he trains his physical body or not. Perhaps, he might be browsing through them out of curiosity.] Coming to a realization, he no longer bothered with it. Casually picking up a treasured painting left behind by a master, he examined it attentively. Zhang Xuan finished flipping through that pile of physical body enhancement techniques within ten minutes or so. “The correct cultivation method!” Thousands of manuals appeared in the library. Zhang Xuan’s mind jolted and light enveloped his sight. Then, a flawless manual appeared in his mind. Similar to the cultivation technique manuals from before, the book contained the perfect sequence of the correct methods recorded in the thousands of books. “Let me take a look…” Flipping over the cover, a line of words assaulted him and entered his mind. “Zhenqi is reminiscent of water, whereas the physical body is the bucket containing the water. With a sturdy bucket, one can fill more water, and the quality of which would be higher…” The opening verse caused him to feel enlightened. “That’s right!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Previously, his thoughts were like the others. He felt that it was of no importance whether he cultivated his physical body or not, what truly mattered was his zhenqi cultivation. Only upon reading this did he realize how shallow his thinking was. [If one loses their skin, where can their hairs lodge into? The same goes for the relationship between zhenqi and one’s physical body. Only a powerful physical body is capable of withstanding violent zhenqi strength to exert even greater prowess.] Feeling as though a door had just opened before him, Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist the urge to read on. The more he read, the more exhilarated he felt. The zhenqi within his body subconsciously followed the method recorded in the book and flowed continuously. Geji! Geji! Under the flow of zhenqi, his physical body, which wasn’t weak from the start, evolved once again. His muscle fibers thickened and his skin membrane became more sturdy. His body evolved towards a much more correct and rational path. Kacha! Kacha! As his mind was absorbed in the explanations contained within the book, Zhang Xuan wasn’t aware of the astounding changes that were occurring within his physical body. It was as though an infrastructure had been washed with molten metal, his body gradually becoming a powerful weapon that surpassed that of ordinary humans. “As expected of a technique filtered by the library, it is indeed formidable! From now on, I will call this Heaven’s Path Golden Body!” An hour later. Zhang Xuan finally finished his book. His zhenqi had also circulated a single time through his body according to the methods recorded in the book. Weng! After he finishes naming the book, the book glowed radiantly and four large words appeared on the cover of the book ‘Heaven’s Path Golden Body!’. “In the future, I will have to make sure to train in it properly… Un? I am already done training?” After finishing the book, just when he had decided to cultivate using the methods recorded on it after returning, he realized that he had unknowingly completed the cultivation of this body enhancement technique while looking through it. That was to say, he had mastered this body enhancement cultivation technique. “There are no errors in the cultivation techniques of Heaven’s Path, thus the pace of training is swift. Even though I knew this beforehand, never would have I expected that I would be able to master Heaven’s Path Golden Body unknowingly like this…” With the experience from Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he knew that a flawless cultivation technique was much more effective and allowed one to cultivate at an extremely rapid speed, thus he had expected the cultivation of the Heaven’s Path Golden Body to not be too difficult as well. Just that, he never imagined that… he would complete the cultivation just by reading through the contents of it once. At this moment, he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. “Forget it, even though I wasn’t able to find sufficient Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, my strength should have increased significantly with this set of physical body enhancement cultivation technique!” Coming to Master Lu Chen’s house, he might not have accomplished his objective of finding sufficient Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, but in exchange, he received the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, so it was still a meaningful trip. Just that, the physical body was different from zhenqi. Zhenqi could be easily quantified and it wasn’t difficult to gauge how much strength one possessed after one was done with one’s training. On the other hand, muscles were hidden beneath the skin, so it was hard to measure one’s improvement clearly. That’s to say, even though he had mastered Heaven’s Path Golden Body, he had no idea how strong he had grown, or even whether his physical body had grown stronger or not. Of course, this wasn’t important. Since he was successfully completed his cultivation of it, he could simply find a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar when he returned to test his strength. “What is little brother Zhang Xuan doing?” At this moment, Master Lu Chen, who accompanied him here, had his mind filled with question marks. While reading his book, he sneaked glances towards the other party occasionally. After flipping through the manuals, this fellow had been standing on the spot without moving at all for two whole hours by now. [What the heck is he doing? Could it be that he has read too many books and went berserk? It isn’t like this kind of situation has never happened before.] In the past, there was an extremely talented genius in Tianxuan Kingdom. The cultivation techniques and battle techniques that took other people two to three years to learn, he only took two to three days! This was precisely the reason why he wanted to learn all of the cultivation techniques and battle techniques to piece them together so as to create a set of new skills… In the end, before a new mystical cultivation technique could be born, he went berserk! The youngster before him was able to raise his level of cultivation to Fighter 5-dan pinnacle at such a young age. At the same time, he possessed a master-level competency in painting. Could it be that… just like that senior, he got greedy and some problems popped up within him! “Little brother…” Filled with suspicions, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Thus, he stepped forward and tried to interrupt Zhang Xuan’s thoughts to prevent him from sinking in even deeper. Just as Zhang Xuan was impressed over the might of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he heard a shout, and following which, a palm nudged his body. “Oh, Master Lu Chen…” Returning back to his consciousness, he hurriedly turned around and his shoulders accidentally bumped into the latter. Peng! A deep echo resounded, and Master Lu Chen was sent flying instantaneously. His back knocked onto a bookshelf, and the books scattered on the floor. –– [1] Zhenqi -\u003e True essence 52 Master Lu Chen on the Verge of Tears “Ah?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He didn’t turn around that quickly, neither did he use that much strength. Why did Master Lu Chen fly backward? Could he be jumping around for fun? “Master…” He rushed forward to help the other party up. He placed his palm on the back of Master Lu Chen’s body to support him up. “I’m fine…” Sou! Before his words could escape his mouth, Master Lu Chen felt his entire body go weightless as he somersaulted forward. His head knocked into another bookshelf, causing his face to be showered with books. “I…” The master was on the verge of tears. [Are you playing with me? Must you use so much strength to help me up?] “Master…” Seeing his current state, Zhang Xuan rushed forward to continue helping him up. Upon seeing this sight, Master Lu Chen hurriedly struggled upwards and said, “You… Don’t come over. I can do it myself!” “Keng…” Zhang Xuan could only stop on the spot. He blinked his eyes as he looked at the elderly before him doubtfully. He couldn’t help but ask the question that had been plaguing his mind, “Master, are you jumping around for fun?” “Jumping around for fun…” Master Lu Chen almost cried on the spot. [The heck, you are the one who is jumping around for fun! Your whole family is jumping around for fun! I am a master painter, an elegant person. How bored must I be to be jumping around for fun? Besides, even if I wanted to play, I won’t be doing it here! My collection of books, my treasures, are here…] Master Lu Chen felt a stifling sensation in his chest, which caused him to be short of breath. “Why? Are you feeling uncomfortable in your chest?” Zhang Xuan walked forward to aid him, and he pounded his back to relieve his discomfort. “No…” Peng! Before Master Lu Chen could finish his words, Zhang Xuan’s fist landed on his back, causing his eyes to narrow. Sou! He flew forward and crashed into the wall of the study, creating a huge crevice on it. “Master…” Seeing him charge ahead, Zhang Xuan scratched his head in bewilderment. [What is this master trying to do? Jumping backward a moment ago and jumping forward now, is he afflicted with epilepsy?] If his epilepsy was acting up, it wouldn’t do for Zhang Xuan to ignore his current situation. He immediately rushed forward towards Lu Chen to try to help him up again. “Don’t come over here…” Master Lu Chen wiped the fresh blood off the corner of his lips and hurriedly retreated. He stared at the youngster before him as though staring at a monster, and he looked as though he would cry at any moment. [I only felt a coldness in my heart, I am not trying to seek death! Your pound… Aiyo, my old arms, my old legs…] “Master, what is going on?” Seeing him in such a state, Zhang Xuan asked. [You acted so maturely a moment ago, so why would you pounce and leap around suddenly? What are you trying to do?] “What is going on?” Master Lu Chen stared at him fearfully as tears start to fall from his eyes. [You don’t know what is going on? Fearing that you might have gone berserk, I came forward to remind you out of goodwill. Yet, with a single turn, you sent me flying. Then, you ran over to push me forward. The final blow was the most vicious of them all, a straight pound at my back. If it weren’t for the slight cultivation that I possess, I might have lost my life already… Yet, you dare to ask me what is going on?] Right when he was about to lash out, he saw the puzzled look on the youngster and he didn’t seem like he was lying. A thought flashed through his mind and he recalled something. With his eyes filled with disbelief, he asked, “You… Could you have just achieved a breakthrough?” “Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Mastering the Heaven’s Path Golden Body should be considered as a type of breakthrough! “But… Even if it’s a breakthrough, it is impossible for one to improve so swiftly…” Master Lu Chen finally understood what was happening, but he still dared not believe it. There were a few people who used special means to allow their cultivation to leap in an instant. After the gigantic soar in strength, their bodies were unable to adapt to the difference in strength in the short run, causing them to be unable to control their might. What seemed like their normal exertion of strength would become an attack of full strength in the eyes of others. When one who possessed 100kg of strength exerted a tenth of their strength, it would only be 10kg. With such strength, they were able to freely lift cups and such without much hindrance. However, if one tried to use the same ratio of strength to lift a cup after his strength had suddenly surged to 10000kg, the overwhelming strength of 1000kg would exceed the durability of the cup and cause it to shatter instantly! It was highly possible that this was the case with Zhang Xuan. As the person in question wasn’t even aware of how much his strength had grown, it was natural that Lu Chen would be unable to take it when he was using his previous strength ratio to operate. He had read of this condition in books before, and it would take a period of time before the person in question was able to adapt to the difference in strength. Initially, he thought that it was only a legend. Never would he have thought that… such a thing really existed! Just that, he found it unbelievable that the strength of this fellow would surge by simply after flipping through some books and daydreaming away afterwards. Could this be a sudden leap due to his deep accumulation? He might have happened to read something which caused his enlightenment, allowing him to break through in an instant. If that was the case, then his luck was really way too bad. “Follow me to the lounge!” While holding doubts in his mind, Master Lu Chen didn’t say anything more and instead, led the way back to the lounge. It was easy to tell whether the situation was as he suspected. He only needed to find a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar for Zhang Xuan to test his strength on. Since the youngster was seeking for Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, then he surely had yet to break through Pixue realm. Since he had not reached Fighter 6-dan, then as a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, he could only possess a maximum of 4 ding of strength. If his strength were to exceed this amount, this would mean that he had improved significantly. If so, the situation back then could be explained. …………………………………… In the lounge. Huang Yu and Bai Xun have yet to leave. They were still sitting in the living room as they stared in the direction of the study anxiously. They came here with a request, but Master Lu Chen took Zhang Xuan away with him right after he finished testing him, not even giving them an opportunity to speak. At the same time, it wasn’t appropriate for them to leave abruptly, so they could only continue waiting patiently. “Xiao Yu, just now that… Master Zhang Xuan, has he really reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Bai Xun no longer viewed Zhang Xuan hostilely as he did previously. On the contrary, his voice held a tinge of excitement. Actually, he wasn’t interested in painting at all. If it wasn’t for his father coercing him, he definitely would not have come here! What truly interested him was cultivating. He only felt excitement upon meeting powerful people. All along, he had thought of himself as a genius. Despite being just eighteen this year, he had already reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle. There weren’t many in the capital who could compete with him in terms of cultivation speed! Yet, he didn’t expect that a seemingly average young man who wasn’t much older than him would have reached such a realm as well! How could he not feel excited over this? “I’m not sure as well. I’ve already told you that he only came to my store to buy books… I don’t know much about him as well! However, since he is looking for Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, he should have already reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle!” Huang Yu said. As Zhang Xuan had yet to make a move, they weren’t very sure about Zhang Xuan’s exact prowess. However, since he was looking for 6-dan manuals, it was very probable that he had already reached 5-dan pinnacle. Otherwise, there was no point to him looking for such a high- tier manual! “To be able to reach such a level at a young age, I wonder how powerful he is. Let me try it out myself later…” Bai Xun tittered. He was a battle maniac, and his heart could no longer suppress the urge to duel with someone of the same age who had attained the same level as him. Da da da! Just as the two of them were speaking, someone walked over. Turning around to take a look, the both of them were taken aback. Master Lu Chen, who was still incomparably elegant a moment ago, was currently extremely gloomy and red blood filled his entire face as he walked over disheveled. 53 Bai Xun’s Breakdown “This…” The crowd stared at one another, dumbfounded. [This is Master Lu Chen, the emperor’s tutor. Who dares to lay his hands on him, beating him into such a state? Besides, didn’t you two go to the study? Why did he return… like this? Could it be that they didn’t go to the study to read books, but to… fight? The elegant Master Lu Chen has such interest?] “I’m fine…” Master Lu Chen waved his hands awkwardly. After all, he couldn’t possibly say that… Zhang Xuan had just achieved a breakthrough and unintentionally injured him due to the lack of control in his strength. He also knew that it would be difficult to explain. Thus, Master Lu Chen walked over to the main seat, then turned to look at Uncle Cheng and said, “Ah Cheng, go and fetch a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar over!” He was a master painter, not a fighter. Thus, no Strength Measuring Rock Pillars were placed in his lounge. However, as this item was related to one’s cultivation, there were still a few of them in his house, so it would be fine bringing one over. “Yes!” Despite being unsure of what his master was up to, Uncle Cheng still nodded his head and retreated out of the room. “Master Zhang, have you really reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Upon seeing the room turn silent, Bai Xun couldn’t resist walking up towards him with an excited expression. “Un!” It might be inconvenient to speak of it in the academy, but it wasn’t any secret here, so there’s no need for Zhang Xuan to conceal the fact. “I’m also on the same level. May I exchange some blows with you?” Hearing the young man’s confirmation, Bai Xun’s eyes burned with enthusiasm. “Bai Xun, what are you doing. Look at where you are…” Taken aback, Huang Yu quickly tried to advise him otherwise. Master Lu Chen was an elegant person, and he hated people arguing and fighting before him. [Don’t you think that it’s a joke to be issuing a challenge in his lounge?] It was just as Huang Yu said, Lu Chen didn’t like others to be brandishing their spears and swords before him. However, while the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar wasn’t here yet, the best way to test whether Zhang Xuan had improved was through Bai Xun. He was aware of the fact that the latter had reached Fighter 5- dan pinnacle. With the same level of cultivation, he should be able to see whether Zhang Xuan’s strength had surged. At this point, he raised his head and said, “I don’t have any objections if it is just ordinary sparring. However, don’t go too far!” “Great!” Initially, Bai Xun thought that Master Lu Chen would object to it. However, contrary to his expectation, he approved. Bai Xun almost leapt up due to overwhelming excitement. With a delighted expression, he took two step towards the center of the lounge and with a cool pose, he beckoned Zhang Xuan. “Come!” “Alright!” Zhang Xuan had just completed his cultivation of Heaven’s Path Golden Body and he was curious to know how far his strength has progressed as well. Thus, he didn’t reject the other party’s challenge and walked over to the center of the lounge as well. “The strength behind my fists are great, so be careful!” With hardened eyes, Bai Xun no longer had that gentlemanly look he usually had and replacing it was the aura of a powerful person unmatched by anyone. As someone on the level of Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, in terms of strength, he was above even Shang Bin! Huala! After gathering his might, Bai Xun stepped forward. With his strength as a sword, the shockwave of his punch as a blade, he sent a jab straight towards Zhang Xuan. To test his level of cultivation, Zhang Xuan didn’t bother to look at the flaws on Bai Xun compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path and instead, he faced his fist with one of his own. Hu! The two fists connected midair and Zhang Xuan frowned. “Why is the strength behind his fist so lacking? Could it be that he isn’t Fighter 5-dan pinnacle?” Zhang Xuan’s fist went straight through the other party’s fist without slowing at all, completely overpowering him, as though a stone had met with a bubble. Thinking that the other party wasn’t well-prepared and had yet to exert his full strength yet, Zhang Xuan quickly reduced his strength by half. Even so, Bai Xun’s face paled and he was sent flying like a rubber ball. Sou! He only came to a stop when his back crashed onto a pillar forcefully. “Why aren’t you using your full strength?” Retracting his fist, Zhang Xuan walked forward and stretched out his hand to help the latter up. “Don’t…” Upon seeing this sight, Master Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed. He immediately tried to stop them, but he was too late. Sou! Bai Xun, who was pulled by the young man, flew away like a kite who had its string snapped. With a whistle of the wind, he flew in the air once again. Paji! After flying for a dozen meters, his face crashed into the wall and fresh blood spurted out from his mouth and nose. “Wuuu….” Bai Xun almost cried on the spot. [Big brother, I know that I’m not a match for you, but you don’t have to be so merciless. My dashing features, my face…] “Why are you…” Seeing Bai Xun fly away with a pull of his, Zhang Xuan scratched his head with an innocent look. [What are they doing? First Master Lu Chen, and now Bai Xun. Is it really alright for the both of you to be leaping around?] If the two of them were to know the thoughts that were running through his mind, they would have surely vomited blood on the spot out of depression. [You are the one who is leaping around… We were thrown by you, alright…] “This fellow…” Standing by the side, Huang Yu’s eyebrows twitched and she found her head unable to cope. Bai Xun could be considered one of the outstanding ones among the younger generation. Except for a few others, he was practically unmatched. This was precisely the reason why he cultivated a ‘competitive-but-reluctant-to-admit-defeat’ personality. He thought that the latter would not be able to match up to him in a duel, but never did he imagine that he would be sent flying in a single punch. He lost thoroughly! [This fellow looks ordinary, but how does he possess such overwhelming might?] “Are you alright?” Unsure of what the others were thinking about, Zhang Xuan walked up to Bai Xun with an apologetic look. “I’m fine…” Bai Xun struggled upwards and patted the dust off his clothes. As Fighter 5-dan who had tempered his bones and skin, small wounds like these did not pose a problem. “Great. I realized that you have not used your full strength previously. How about this, let’s spar once more with you using your full strength….” Zhang Xuan said with a serious expression. “Again?” Bai Xun’s face twitched and he almost cried. [If we were to continue fighting, I might die here…] He immediately waved his hand and said, “No need, master is indeed stronger than me. I don’t think there’s a need to continue sparring…” “There’s no need to be courteous, it is just friendly sparring, so you don’t have to be so restrained. Also, don’t call me master, that sounds so distant…” Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was acting cautiously due to his identity as Master Lu Chen’s peer, causing his reluctance to give his all in the spar, thus resulting in his weakness as perceived by Zhang Xuan. When his cultivation had just reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, he crossed blows with Yao Han, and the latter gave him a lot of pressure through his formidable strength. Yao Han’s cultivation realm was higher than Bai Xun, but as there wasn’t too much of a difference between the two, he thought that it would be the same as when he faced him. Yet, Bai Xun was sent flying with a single fist. Finding it unbelievable, he attributed it to him not exerting his full strength. Otherwise, with his 8 ding of strength, it was impossible for him to send a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle who possessed 4 ding of strength flying with a single fist. “Spar?” Bai Xun trembled in fear. [You call this sparring? With just that single fist of yours, I almost ascended to the heavens, you know that? Besides, as a fellow peer of Grandpa Lu Chen, what do I call you if not master?] A thought flashed through his mind and his face twitched, seemingly on the verge of tears. “Since you said that it feels distant calling you master, then why don’t I call you grandpa? Grandpa Zhang, I admit my mistake, okay? I shouldn’t have been so hostile towards you, so I beg of you… Stop asking me to spar with you!” “The Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is here!” At this moment, Uncle Cheng walked over and saw such a sight unfolding before him. Upon hearing Bai Xun’s shouting plea, he became petrified on the spot. “What?” 54 Hongjin Pearl Frui [Who is this? The sole son of the number one authoritative subject of Tianxuan Kingdom, Zhennan Wang! For him to be crying Zhang Xuan as his grandpa? Surely, I am hearing things…] Uncle Cheng only felt his vision blurring before him and almost lost consciousness. [I just stepped away for a moment to grab a Strength Measuring Rock Pillar… What happened? Can anyone enlighten me…] “Cough cough, alright. Little brother Zhang Xuan, there are plenty of opportunities for the both of you to spar in the future. Bai Xun is injured and needs to regulate his cultivation for awhile! Anyway, since the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is already here, I think it would be best for you to try out your strength first!” Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Master Lu Chen quickly stepped in. “Alright!” Seeing that Bai Xun was unwilling to spar, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. He looked at the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar, which was just inserted into a crevice on the ground and walked over to it. With a slight smile, he said, “Actually, I have tested my strength yesterday and it was about 4 ding or so. There probably won’t much of a difference testing it today…” It was just this morning that he had beaten Yao Han into a pig head. Before that, he had tested his strength and had ascertained it to be 8 ding! He had been busy the entire day. Furthermore, without a cultivation technique for him to cultivate, not a single one of his acupoints have been broken through yet. Thus, there shouldn’t be a rise in his strength. Although he had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, in Zhang Xuan’s opinion, even if there was an improvement with his physical body, it couldn’t possibly rival up to the significance of zhenqi in determining one’s might. As for why he said that his strength was 4 ding, it was because this was the standard strength a Dingli realm pinnacle could possess. He didn’t want to reveal too much of his secrets. At worst, he just had to hold back half of his strength when testing it later on. “Since the pillar has been brought here, give it a try!” Master Lu Chen said. “Alright!” Zhang Xuan smiled as he accepted the offer. With the intention to only use half of his strength, his fist flew towards the rock pillar before him. His fist propelled forward like a lightning strike, swift and fierce, and the shockwave of his fist caused the wind to rustle. Peng! Light shone from the pillar and figures started to slowly appear on it. “Look, as I said, 4 ding…” Seeing the figures that had floated onto the surface of the pillar, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and turned around to look at the others with a smile. However, before he could finish his words, he saw Bai Xun, Huang Yu, Master Lu Chen and Uncle Cheng look at him as though he was a monster. Every single one of their eyes was almost popping out of their sockets. “What’s the matter?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He lowered his head to look at himself, there shouldn’t be anything off about him though? “Look at the… Strength Measuring Rock Pillar again!” Huang Yu said in agitation. “What is wrong with the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar? Isn’t it just 4 ding? Do you all have to be so shocked…” Turning around to take a look, Zhang Xuan’s body staggered and he almost fell to the floor. Unsure of when it happened, but the number ‘9’ had appeared behind the number ‘4’ that he saw previously. Putting it together… 49! “The fist that I just threw had the strength of… 49 ding?” Zhang Xuan was also astonished. When he tested it this morning, he only had 8 ding of strength. Furthermore, he intentionally restrained half of his strength when striking on the rock pillar, so how could he possibly reach a might of 49 ding? Didn’t this mean that if he didn’t contain his strength, his fist could hold a might of almost 100 ding behind it? A Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle possessed 4 ding of strength while the strength of a Pixue realm pinnacle expert wouldn’t exceed 80 ding. To be capable of hitting 100 ding with his fist, didn’t this mean that his strength is equal to a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert, surpassing the latter even? This… “Could it be that… the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar is malfunctioning?” A thought flashed through his mind and Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist raising his doubt. “The rock pillar isn’t malfunctioning. Didn’t you achieve a breakthrough in the study previously? It caused your strength to soar. Furthermore, you have yet to adapt to your newfound strength, that’s why you… thrashed Bai Xun so overwhelmingly!” Seeing his thoughts being verified, Master Lu Chen explained. Initially, he wanted to say that he himself was beaten into a pulp by Zhang Xuan, but he stopped at the crucial point. After all, no matter what, he was still a master and had to consider his reputation… “A breakthrough? An inflation from 4 ding to 49 ding? It can’t be that you broke through 45 acupoints at once?” It was one thing to not hear his explanation, but the moment they heard it, Bai Xun and Huang Yu almost fainted on the spot. [Surely you are jesting?] At Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, one can open up his acupoints to raise one’s cultivation. For every acupoint opened, one will gain 1 ding of strength. It is said that there is a total of 108 acupoints in the human body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific order to opening these acupoints. Due to the difference in physique for every individual, they require a different sequence in breaking through them to achieve the optimal effect. If one fails to find the ideal sequence, they could possibly only end up opening thirty to forty acupoints in their life and find themselves unable to advance forward. Normally, one breaks through them one by one, and one’s strength will increase slowly 1 ding at a time. For Zhang Xuan’s strength to increase by 45 ding in an instant… Dude, you are about to bash through the heavens! It is not that I have never seen people breaking through, but I have never seen someone… break through in such a way!] Actually, it wasn’t just the others who were giddy and in a state of disbelief, even Zhang Xuan himself didn’t know what was going on. Was such a massive improvement induced just from cultivating Heaven’s Path Golden Body? Allowing his strength to increase by 90 ding instantaneously? Normally, when he casually sent Master Lu Chen flying and defeated Bai Xun, he should have understood how much of an improvement he had made and how much his strength had grown by, and not be as ignorant as he is now. However, as a transcender and someone who had just started cultivating two days ago, it was already incredible that he was able to control his cultivation to exert the correct amount of strength. Going into the specifics to control his strength, so as to manipulate it as he pleases, was simply expecting too much of him! This was just like an ordinary person who was suddenly granted superhuman strength. He wouldn’t be able to get used to it initially, and, perhaps, might even feel slightly lost about the matter. This was exactly the situation that was occurring with Zhang Xuan. Initially, he only possessed 8 ding of strength. However, it suddenly increased by 90 ding, an increment of more than tenfold. Furthermore, as this increment originated from his physical body, it was undetectable… Rather, it would be weird if he knew it in advance! It was already a blessing for him to not have reduced Bai Xun into a lump of meat. “Little brother Zhang, you can’t possibly have… opened 45 acupoints just now?” Seeing him in a daze, Master Lu Chen asked slowly. It was unheard of to open 45 acupoints in an instant… But if that wasn’t the case, where could have the sudden boost of strength possibly came from? “I… am still Dingli realm pinnacle. My cultivation has yet to advance, just that… my physical body grew stronger by a bit!” Zhang Xuan said. “Physical body?” Master Lu Chen was astounded, not daring to believe what he had just heard. “I have heard that there are some treasures in the world that allow one’s physical body to rival steel when consumed, giving one the strength equivalent to a Pixue realm pinnacle. Could it be that… it is possible to reach such a level through cultivating one’s physical body as well?” “Keng… I seem to have eaten some unidentifiable fruit today. Initially, I felt my body heat up after eating it, but I didn’t pay much heed to it. Perhaps, that could be the reason for the sudden increase in the strength of my physical body!” Zhang Xuan said. As a member of modern civilization, he understood the logic that possessing a treasure beyond one’s ability would attract calamity. If he were to acknowledge that he had reached such a level through cultivation, innumerable people might go red- eyed and try to extort him of his cultivation technique. Perhaps, some might even kidnap him to research on. Since Master Lu Chen had mentioned that there were some treasures that could induce a massive enhancement in one’s physical body, he decided to go along with it. “Fate, this is truly fate!” Master Lu Chen didn’t doubt Zhang Xuan’s words at all. Actually, it wasn’t that he isn’t doubtful, but even if he was, he had no choice but to believe Zhang Xuan’s words! For one’s physical strength to increase by a few dozen ding through two hours of cultivation? Wasn’t this daydreaming? It was as laughable as trying to get a male to bear children! Rather than believing that nonsense, it was more probable that he might have consumed some treasure. “May I know the appearance of the fruit that little brother ate?” Master Lu Chen continued asking. “Appearance?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He was spouting nonsense, so how could he have possibly known how it would look like? However, since they have already gotten to this point, keeping silent would seem much more suspicious instead. Thus, he replied, “It is a red-colored fruit…” Previously, when he was flipping through the books in the academy’s Compendium Pavilion, he recalled seeing a record of a fruit similar to what Lu Chen had just described. The book was an epic of a person’s travels, and a character in it had eaten a red-colored fruit and had his strength raised massively. At this moment, he could only blindly try his luck. “Red-colored? Could it be crimson-colored? Indeed, it is that thing!” Master Lu Chen seemed to have thought of something and his breathing hastened. “Master knows of it?” “It is the【Hongjin Pearl Fruit】! Legend has it that consuming it will allow one’s physical body to soar rapidly, granting one the strength that even a Pixue realm pinnacle expert is unable to withstand!” Master Lu Chen said excitedly. “Hongjin Pearl Fruit?” Zhang Xuan said with a bizarre look on his face. Could it be that… such a thing really exists? 55 Surrounded 1 Chatting for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan was questioned on where he obtained the Hongjin Pearl Fruit from. He casually replied that he got it from the market, causing Master Lu Chen and the rest to exclaim at his fortune. “Right, brother Zhang Xuan, are you a local or…” Lu Chen asked. “I am a teacher at Hongtian Academy!” Zhang Xuan replied. “No wonder you possess such strength and a deep understanding towards painting!” Master Lu Chen praised him. He turned around to Huang Yu and Bai Xun, who were sitting by the side, and said, “Painting can mold a person’s personality and train their character. Don’t let fighting and killing occupy your mind all day long! Since brother Zhang Xuan is a teacher of the academy, go and visit him to learn from him whenever the both of you are free. I will consider giving the person who learns a thing or two from him a pass and give them what they want!” “Yes!” Huang Yu replied with a bitter expression whereas Bai Xun’s eyes were glittering with excitement. Through their crossing of blows, he understood that Zhang Xuan’s current ability far surpassed him. To be able to learn from such an expert was definitely much more interesting than simply just learning boring painting! At the very least, he felt more relaxed learning from him than Master Lu Chen. “My apologies for the sudden intrusion today. It is getting a little late, so master, I will be bidding you farewell. I will visit you another day!” After accomplishing what he came for, Zhang Xuan decided to take his leave and clasped his hands together towards Lu Chen. “This time, you came here to look for Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, but it is a pity that I don’t have many of them here. I will speak to Shen Zhui about this matter a few days later to bring you to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault to browse through them! It just happens that he seems to be out hunting these few days, so he isn’t in the capital at the moment!” Master Lu Chen said. “You have my utmost gratitude, master!” Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. It was impossible to find more than a few Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique manuals at any ordinary location. However, in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, the location that was reputed to have the most complete collection of books in Tianxuan Kingdom, he was surely able to find many of them! If he was able to enter the vault to browse through the Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques, he might be able to form Heaven’s Path Divine Art and break through successfully! “You’re too courteous…” Lu Chen nodded his head with a smile… Leaving the master’s residence, Zhang Xuan headed towards the academy. The sun had already set when he was still having dinner with Shen Bi Ru. At this moment, the moon hung high up in the sky, illuminating the ground with a cold silver glow. Going by the clock of his previous life, it should be around twelve already! Despite the time, he didn’t feel fatigued in the least. Instead, his eyes were glowing in exhilaration. The trip to the master’s residence was truly worth it! Compiling the Heaven’s Path Golden Body has propelled the strengthening of his physical body, causing his prowess to soar. With his current cultivation, even if he were to meet with a Pixue realm pinnacle expert, he would be able to easily subdue them! Besides, he also found a dozen books or so on Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques. Even if it was insufficient for him to compile a complete version of Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it should still be beneficial to his training. “My physical body has already reached 90 ding of strength. If I were to find higher tier physical body enhancement techniques, will I grow even stronger?” There might be many different secret manuals on training one’s physical body in Master Lu Chen’s study, but they were the simplest and most basic cultivation methods. If such books could possess such effects after being compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path, didn’t this mean that if he were to assemble together a set of more profound physical body cultivation manuals, the book compiled would be even more incredible? If this was true, his physical body would probably play a significant part in his battle prowess in the future! Just as he was immersing himself in his delight, his ears suddenly quivered. The growth in strength of his physical body had also caused his hearing and vision to sharpen. He suddenly realized that someone was stalking him! His footsteps swayed and he came to a stop. “Those friends who are following behind me, come out!” “Hehe, I didn’t expect that you would be so wary!” “What is the use of being wary! Lad, you made us lose money, don’t even dream about escaping from us today…” Hualala! As his voice trailed off, a few human silhouettes dashed out from the darkness and surrounded him. Every one of them looked at Zhang Xuan coldly, as though staring at a corpse. “It’s you all?” Zhang Xuan recognized them. He recognizesd two of those in the group as Master Mo Yang, who was exposed in the market earlier today by him, and the artifact dealer who was working with him. The remaining few should be the ‘supports’ who were hidden within the crowd. At this moment, ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ face was swollen red and the skin around his eyes was bruised black. A few parts of his clothes were torn off and he no longer possessed the serene and enlightened disposition and appearance from before. In fact, if one were to claim that he was a beggar on the street, people would believe him. Looks like after being exposed, those ‘victims’ didn’t let him off the hook so easily. But that’s to be expected as well. After all, which of those who were able to engage in the expensive sport of treasure speculation didn’t come from extraordinary families? After realizing that they were scammed, they could already be considered to be kind for not killing him on the spot. The artifact dealer didn’t seem to be in a much better state than him. His two eyes were bruised black and two sausage-like swells hung by his mouth, causing his speech to be indistinct. Glaring at Zhang Xuan, the resentment and anger in their gazes were clear to see. This was a ploy that they spent a fortune to set up, only for it to be wrecked by this young man here. Not mentioning how they had to spit out the meat that was already in their mouths, they even almost got beaten to death. Thus, it was understandable that they would feel intense resentment against him. “You little bastard, you sure ran away fast back then. Let’s see where you can run off to now!” A maniacal gleam flashed across the eyes of the artifact dealer. “You all want to kill me?” Noticing the aura of the surroundings growing eerily cold, Zhang Xuan frowned. “If you have to blame, blame it for your big mouth for saying things that shouldn’t be said. In your next life, remember to keep your mouth in check!” Master Mo Yang sneered savagely as he clenched his fists, causing jiya jiya sounds to echo in the surroundings. The reason why their fraud failed was due to this fellow. It took them awhile before they managed to find him, so naturally, they wouldn’t allow him to escape easily! “I’m sorry, but I don’t wish to die for now, and neither do I wish to keep my mouth in check!” Zhang Xuan said. “You don’t wish to die?” Ruthlessness flickered across in the eyes of Master Mo Yang. “This isn’t up to you. Brothers, kill him, slice him apart and feed him to the dogs!” “Roger!” With a cold snort, one of the ‘support’ stepped forward, and lifting his arms up, he sent a palm down towards Zhang Xuan. The moment he made his move, his cultivation realm was made apparent. Fighter 5-dan pinnacle! No wonder he could still escape to Tianxuan Kingdom to conduct fraud even after being outlawed by Liuzhu Kingdom. He did indeed possess some capabilities. If it was yesterday night, even if Zhang Xuan was able to emerge victorious against this fellow, he would have to utilize the strength of the Library of Heaven’s Path to exploit his weakness. However, with an overwhelming progress in the strength of his physical body, possessing nearly a hundred ding of strength now, Dingli pinnacle meant nothing to him now. Chuckling softly, he sent a slap towards his attacker. “You’re courting death!” “Number Four’s nickname is Metal Palms. His hands are capable of splitting rocks. Back then, in Liuzhu Kingdom, a Pixue realm primary stage was killed by a single palm of his. Yet, this fellow dares to exchange blows with him without any preparation? The ignorant sure are fearless!” “To think that we were done in by such a fellow, what misfortune!” … Seeing that fellow going against Number Four without dodging at all, Master Mo Yang and the rest sneered. [This ‘support’ may not seem unexceptional, but his strength isn’t for show. His palms are capable of even striking through metal, what does a young man who isn’t even twenty mean before that? To face it head on, what else can he be doing other than courting death?] Just when they thought that Zhang Xuan would be crippled by the blow, they saw the one whom they called ‘Number Four’ Metal Palms being as weak as a slab of tofu. Unable to withstand Zhang Xuan’s blow, his bones shattered and his ribcage sank in as he was blasted away by the force of the blow. His head stabbed onto the ground first, causing him to look like a bulb of wild onion. 56 Surrounded 2 “So, it seems that he isn’t weak. No wonder he is so arrogant!” Seeing ‘Number Four‘ being sent flying by a single palm, Master Mo Yang froze for a moment before his expression turned even more savage. Waving his hands grandly, as though he was in control of the entire situation, he said, “However, your luck ends here!” After which, he turned to look at the artifact dealer by the side and said, “End it fast. We still have matters to attend to!” “Un!” The artifact dealer nodded his head and advances forward. Boom! Before he even struck, he already emanated an aura from his body. It was similar to the mountains and the oceans, immeasurable. If one were to close their eyes, they could clearly feel ten acupoints in the other party’s body absorbing and exuding spiritual energy, each of them bright as though they were the stars. “Pixue realm expert?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. At Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, one could start opening up the acupoints within their body to absorb the spiritual energy from the world and refine it for their own usage. At this level of cultivation, regardless of whether it was reaction speed or strength, they would be enhanced significantly. In Hongtian Academy, this was the level of strength an elder possessed! It was beyond his expectations that a scammer possessed such strength. “Are you afraid? If so, kneel down, apologize and compensate our losses! Otherwise, death awaits you!” Noticing Zhang Xuan’s astonishment, he thought that he was apprehensive of his strength. Thus, with a long cry, he stepped forward, reminiscent of a god who governed over life and death. “Kneel down? Apologize? Compensate your losses?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I am not that free to be apologizing and giving compensation to a scammer. If you all have such an interest, you all could kneel down to me instead and compensate my losses from your assault today. This way, I can consider letting you all off the hook!” “What did you say?” “Is this fellow mad?” Master Mo Yang and the artifact owner started to suspect whether this fellow was insane. [Our people far outnumber you. Furthermore, we have Pixue realm experts on our side. Yet, you expect us to kneel down to a lonesome young man like you? What are you trying to act cool for? Besides, compensate your losses for the assault? You have losses my ass! The head of our Number Four is still lodged into the ground. If we are speaking about losses, ours are significantly greater, okay?] “Stop spouting nonsense with him, just kill him!” Master Mo Yang gestured. “Un!” The artifact owner nodded his head. Exerting force on the soles of his feet, he charged towards Zhang Xuan with his fingers wide open in the shape of a palm. Huhu! Before he could get close, the rustling of the wind could be heard, as though an eagle trying to prey on a rabbit. It gave others an oppressing sensation, a massive pressure that they were seemingly unable to withstand. “It is Number Two‘s battle technique, 【Soaring Eagle】!” “This battle technique can be considered to be superior even among those in the mortal intermediate tier. Isn’t it a little too excessive to be using it to deal with a young lad?” “Hehe, it isn’t excessive. This lad is able to smack away Number Four with a single palm strike of his. This shows that he is pretty capable as well. However, his luck has come to an end, now that he is facing Number Two‘s Soaring Eagle!” … Seeing the artifact dealer executing such an incredible technique, the crowd nodded their heads in approval. Soaring Eagle was in the forefront even among the mortal intermediate tier battle techniques. The moment it was executed, one would emit a majestic aura, reminiscent of an eagle hunting down a rabbit, leaving his opponent with the impression of mountains and oceans, as well as a feeling of helplessness before such overwhelming might. Even if their leader ‘Master Mo Yang’ were to encounter it, he would have to retreat temporarily so as to avoid facing it head on. “Soaring Eagle?” The moment the other party executed his battle technique, a manual appeared in Zhang Xuan’s head and written on it were the flaws and the history of this artifact dealer. Scanning through it with his consciousness, Zhang Xuan imprinted this information into his mind and suddenly, a bizarre expression appeared on his face. Hu! Due to the lack of time, he couldn’t thoroughly ponder over it. The battle technique executed by the artifact dealer was already right before him. A battle technique allowed one to unleash their strength better, thus bringing them to greater heights. As a Pixue realm expert who had opened ten acupoints, the artifact dealer wasn’t weak at all. Complemented with the mortal intermediate-tier battle technique, he carried with him a very powerful and oppressive aura. “Die…” A savage smile appearing on his face was similar to the radiance of a flower. However, before this flower could finish blooming, his eyes narrowed and a ghastly cry sounded, “Ah…” A tragic howl echoed across the night sky, as though a stone grinder had crushed the ears of a dog. “What happened?” At the very start, ‘Master Mo Yang’ and the rest thought that Zhang Xuan would be crushed in an instant by the strength of Number Four. However, they didn’t expect that the latter would end up so tragically. Recalling the defeat of Number Four, they swiftly turned their heads to take a look and the sight before them caused their face to twitch, almost passing out on the spot. The young man before them totally ignored the magnificence of the artifact dealer and sent a kick upwards toward his dignity as a man. Kacha, the sound of egg breaking apart caused everyone’s face to twitch uncontrollably. Sou! The next moment, the artifact dealer was sent flying as though he was a rubber ball, crashing into a wall not too far away, forming a 大 word. Initially, it should have been a 太 word, but from the looks of it, there probably wasn’t a chance for it anymore. “Incredible!” Seeing how he was able to easily kick away the Pixue realm artifact dealer who was in the midst of executing his battle technique, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in approval. Even though his physical body was significantly stronger than the other party, the other party was skilled in fighting techniques and also possessed great speed. If Zhang Xuan fought normally, he would’ve had to resort to several means to cripple him, and even so, it would have taken several blows to do it. However, with the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to clearly see through the flaws of the other party. As such, subduing him became an easy task. With a single kick… the bird flew away and the egg shattered. Even if he was a Pixue realm expert, he wasn’t too far off from death from that kick. “Something is amiss about this lad. Let’s attack him together!” Seeing Zhang Xuan smacked Number Four into the ground and kicked Number Two to the point that he no longer possessed his lower companion, no matter how foolish ‘Master Mo Yang’ could be, he clearly understood that the lad before him wasn’t simple, and his previous contemptuous gaze hardened. Hualala! Upon hearing the orders, even though the remaining few were sweating profusely and a numbing sensation pervaded their crotches, they dared not disobey the orders and stepped forward to encircle Zhang Xuan. “Go!” With a bellow, the remaining few immediately charged forward. All kinds of powerful attacks fell relentlessly onto Zhang Xuan. Their zhenqi gushed through their meridians and the might of their attacks generated powerful shockwaves. Just like the previous Number Four, the rest of them were all Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm experts. Despite the fact that they outnumbered Zhang Xuan, due to his ability to see through the flaws of others and his Pixue realm pinnacle level fighting prowess, they did not pose a threat to him at all. “Something is not right. Why are there only these few attacks?” Parrying all of the attacks that came flying towards him, a thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Xuan’s mind, causing him to pause for a moment. The artifact dealer, who was only the number two in their midst, possessed the strength of Pixue realm. Logically speaking, the fake ‘Master Mo Yang’ should be significantly stronger than him. However, why was he not attacking with the rest of the lot? If he were to attack, perhaps Zhang Xuan might have a difficult time coping with the attacks… Just as he was bewildered over the bizarre situation, he noticed a figure who had already retreated ten meters away. In the midst of his escape, he shouted, “You all kill him, I’ll be back soon…” “Ah?” Hearing these words, the attacking crowd staggered. There was no need to guess the situation. It was clear to see that their boss… upon sensing that the situation had gone awry, had abandoned them and fled… “Shameless!” Zhang Xuan shouted in surprising harmony with the rest of the ‘supports’. Just a moment ago, he was still bellowing so righteously. Yet, at the next moment, he turned around to flee, leaving his subordinates in a lurch. No wonder he was able to escape the pursuit of Liuzhu Kingdom, he is simply way too shameless to be caught that easily! 57 Storage Ring “You won’t get away that easily!” This fellow had Zhang Xuan surrounded, and demanded him to kneel down and compensate him. Naturally, Zhang Xuan couldn’t possibly let him off the hook so easily. Zhang Xuan did a quick job out of the several Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle ‘supports’ and after turning his body around, he headed straight for the ‘Master Mo Yang’ ahead of him. With the significant breakthrough in the strength of his physical body, Zhang Xuan’s body movement was reminiscent of a frog. Every single time the base of his foot came into contact with the ground, he would fly 10 meters forward. Despite not possessing any footwork techniques, his speed was already swift like a roc. “The heck!” The frantically escaping ‘Master Mo Yang’ turned his head, just to see the other party flitting towards him with large strides, his movements similar to that of the immortals. The overwhelming shock caused him to forget to breathe for a split moment, almost making himself tumble over. He thought that Zhang Xuan was a lamb that he could easily squeeze to death, so he fervently hunted him down to wash away the shame from the incident earlier this day. Yet, never did he expect that he would run into a lion’s den. If only he knew that Zhang Xuan was that formidable, he would have never come looking for him. Judging from how young that fellow was, even if he started training inside his mother’s womb, it was still illogical for his strength to rise that quickly… ‘Master Mo Yang’ felt endless regret, to the point that even the thought of suicide popped up in his head. If only his mouth wasn’t that inauspicious for him to pick out that fellow out of the entire crowd when he was scamming others in the treasure speculation hall, the other party would not have exposed his deeds and he could have walked out of the hall pompously under the gazes of respect from the crowd, despite scamming their money. Even after his ploy was exposed, he could have just escaped the capital, and nothing would have happened. Yet, he just had to decide on exacting vengeance. Now, not only did he fail to exact vengeance, on the contrary, he became the one who was being chased like a weakling. What the heck is this… [Truly, if one doesn’t dedicate one’s soul to committing suicide, one wouldn’t die. Ah, my heart…] Despite being just nineteen, Zhang Xuan had cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art and Heaven’s Path Golden Body. His body had been nourished by zhenqi and cleared of all impurities, his bones tempered and forged anew, causing him to look younger than his real age. At one look, he looked barely seventeen or eighteen. At such an age, an average person would only be at Fighter 1- dan or 2-dan. Yet, the moment they all made a move, it was clear to see that not even with all of them combined could they match up with Zhang Xuan. Thus, it would actually be more bizarre if he didn’t choose to escape. “Stop!” While complaining in his mind, he felt a stifling sensation in his chest. Following which, a flat voice sounded from his back. Peng! Before he could turn around to counterattack, he felt a sharp pain at the center of his spinal cord. He stumbled forward and with his face in contact with the ground, he flew forward, creating a deep gorge on the ground in his track. “My face…” ‘Master Mo Yang’ was on the verge of tears. Without taking a look, it was clear that his face was already ruined. Kacha! As though not sparing the moment for him to wallow in self- pity, a foot stepped on his head. “You should have thought of the possibility of such an outcome when you came for my life…” Zhang Xuan stepped on the head of the other party with an impassive expression. He had only been an ordinary librarian in his previous life. However, ever since becoming a part of this world, he had comprehended the logic of might reigning supreme here. If his strength turned out to be inadequate today, he might have possibly died already. “Don’t kill me. Lord, as long as you do not kill me, I am willing to hand over my years of savings to you…” Clearly feeling the other party’s ability to crush his head by exerting force through the foot that’s on his head, ‘Master Mo Yang’ trembled uncontrollably. Comparing money with life, it was clear that the latter was much more valuable. “Oh? Show it to me then. I’ll see if it is sufficient to buy your life!” Zhang Xuan replied blandly. “Yes, yes!” Hearing the other party’s words, ‘Master Mo Yang’ hurriedly took off his ring with trembling fingers and presented it to Zhang Xuan. “Everything is inside. I beseech lord… to take a look!” “Inside?” Zhang Xuan frowned. What could be fitted into a ring? However, as an ‘expert’, he couldn’t be posing such an inquiry to the other party. His mind jolted and a book appeared. “Low-tier Storage Ring. Possesses three meters square of space within. Flaws: Inferior method of creation…” The book described the details of the ring thoroughly. “Storage ring? To think that a giant fraudster like him would possess such a good item. Looks like I’ve made a huge earning this time!” When browsing through the books in the academy’s Compendium Pavilion, he became aware of the existence of the ‘mountain in a seed’ mystical treasure. Initially, he thought that it was a treasure that was far from his reach, to think that this fellow possessed it! Even though it was a low-tier storage ring, it should be worth at least 500000 gold coins. Even the elders of the academy might not be able to afford such a luxury. He couldn’t help but feel surprised by a fraudster possessing such an item. However, after giving this matter some thoughts, he came to a realization. Without this item, how could he bring away the money he earned? If he were to carry the stack of money around, it would just be a matter of time before he got discovered, caught and executed. Looks like this fellow had spent much of his fortune just to buy this. As Zhang Xuan expected, a face of heartache appeared on the face of the other party as he passed the object over. Recalling the details of storage rings in the book he had read regarding it previously, he dripped a drop of fresh blood on it. Weng! With a jolt of his mind, a three-meter-square space appeared in his vision. It was filled with gold coins, numbering up to a hundred thousand. His character might be subpar, but he did have quite a bit of saving. “Lord, since you have accepted the item, I beg you to spare my life…” Seeing the young man, ‘Master Mo Yang’ hurriedly said. “Spare your life? It is not impossible for me to do that. If you hand over the banknotes that you have secretly hidden on your body, sparing you is just a small matter!” Zhang Xuan looked at him with a bright smile. “You… You…” With narrowed eyes, ‘Master Mo Yang’ looked as though he had met a ghost as disbelief shrouded his features. A cunning rabbit had three burrows. As an experienced scammer, he had already prepared a course of action in case he got captured. Thus, when he was running away, he secretly moved to his body the banknotes he had accumulated throughout the years. This was also the reason why he generously offered his storage ring over. The goal of it was to numb the other party so that he wouldn’t conduct a body search on him. As long as he was able to get away safely, even if he lost the storage ring and the wealth stored within it, with such banknotes in his possession, he would be able to live without worries as a wealthy man and start anew! He thought that his actions were extremely covert. He couldn’t have imagined that this young-looking man had seen through his actions from the start. He… How did he know? Even if he was powerful, it was impossible for him to see through his clothes and notice the banknotes hidden within! Huala! Couldn’t be bothered to argue with the other party, with a claw, Zhang Xuan ripped apart his clothes, and in accordance with his expectations, ten banknotes exposed themselves between the tattered clothes. Each of them was worth 100,000, and they added up to a massive sum of 1,000,000! “Looks like I have made a huge profit this time…” Delighted to see the enormous amount of money, Zhang Xuan’s eyes radiated light. “I have given you all my money, so you can let me go now…” Seeing how the other party was aware even of his hidden stash, ‘Master Mo Yang’ became disconsolate, his previous haughty aura gone without a trace as cries threatened to escape from his throat. “Hehe. Yang Mo, an apprentice appraiser. A scammer in Liuzhu Kingdom who made his name as an appraiser, notorious for his frauds to earn wealth and the favor of women. Skilled in Voice of Allurement, which beguiles the mind of others through words, making it easier to convince them…” Zhang Xuan’s foot remained firmly on his head as he revealed the information compiled on this ‘master’ from the library with a smiling face. “You… You… How did you know? Who the hell are you?!” ‘Master Mo Yang’s’ eyes narrowed as his whole body trembled intensely, fear reflected on his face. 58 How Did He Do It? A moment ago when his hidden stash was exposed by Zhang Xuan, he panicked, but a portion of it was still feigned. However, the current fear that he was expressing on his face at this very moment was completely real. He felt a chill rushing down through his body, threatening to freeze him into a snowman. It wouldn’t be weird if the other party could identify him. After all, he could be considered a wanted serial offender, so there’s always the possibility of an attentive person seeing through his disguise. However… The fact that he practiced the Voice of Allurement was something that not even Lao er and the rest are aware of. Furthermore, he had not dared reveal the fact to anyone, so how could this fellow be aware of it? This was a secret manual that he attained with much difficulty during a chance encounter. He had hidden this fact in the depths of his heart, and he could proudly declare that not a second person in this world knew of this secret. Yet, the other party was aware of it. The overwhelming shock he was feeling at the moment was about to scare him to death. There were many kinds of secret manuals. There were those on the physical body, battle techniques, cultivation techniques… However, most of these could be found easily. If one had to talk about the most valuable secret manuals in the entire kingdom, most probably, the position would have to go to those regarding secret arts that affects one’s psyche. Voice of Allurement was an extremely low-tier psyche secret art. However, no matter how low-tiered it was, it was still an attack on one’s psyche. Once it was executed, no matter how powerful a person was, if they were unprepared, they would still fall for it. Previously, he had been captured by a Fighter 7- dan expert, he relied on this to coax the other party into sparing his life. The reason why he intentionally begged for his life was to numb the other party through such a method! Never would he have expected that not only was the other party unaffected by his tricks, he seemed to be omniscient, as though nothing about him could escape his notice. Before Zhang Xuan, he felt his facade falling off, and that he was standing buck naked before him, without a single concealment. How could he possibly not feel anxious? If he was afraid a moment ago, then right now, he was feeling terror-stricken. “You don’t have to bother how I was made aware of these, you just have to know that these aren’t the only things I am aware of. Your mingmen and such, I am also cognizant of them! I can spare you, but from today onwards, if I were to find out that you are still scamming others, bringing harm onto others, death would be the only thing that awaits you!” Stopping there, Zhang Xuan kicked the other party’s body. Kacha! The sound of an egg shattering. The scammer Yang Mo sensed a resounding blast from his dantian, and the strength derived from his many years of cultivation seeped away. Without strength, he dared not scam others even if he wanted to. “My cultivation…” Sensing the loss of his strength, Yang Mo was filled with hatred, but he did not dare to snap at him. The other party was simply too frightening. He was no human, but a demon. How could he possibly dare to retaliate when it’s a demon who broke his dantian and ruined his cultivation? “Scram!” After receiving his benefits and dealing with the scammer, Zhang Xuan walked back to the academy with widened strides. The other party was just a scammer, he wasn’t worth soiling his hands over. It was already around one in the morning by the time he reached his dormitory. However, Zhang Xuan wasn’t fatigued at all. Too many things had happened tonight, with events coming one after another. If it wasn’t for the godly cheat Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan would had been at a loss from dealing with those situations. “Let’s see if I can organise those Fighter 6-dan cultivation technique manuals that I got from Master Lu Chen!” Back then, he was too preoccupied with cultivating the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, so he had yet to take a good look at the Fighter 6-dan cultivation techniques. Now that he had free time, it was a good opportunity for him to examine them. Soon, the correct cultivation method of the dozen or so secret manuals were extracted. However, taking a look at it, Zhang Xuan felt his head bloating up. “They aren’t connected with one another in the least… If I were to cultivate this, my cultivation would definitely go berserk and I will die!” Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He might have a dozen secret manuals in his possession, but there were still too many flaws in it. Even if he were to extract the correct methods from them, he was still unable to form a complete cultivation technique set. In fact, the cultivation technique set formed would be filled with even more gaps, making it impossible to cultivate it. “Forget it. I better find a way to look for more manuals first!” Knowing that the cultivation technique could not be used, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic. Instead, he re-cultivated the cultivation techniques of the first three dans compiled by the library. Only after ensuring that his cultivation had completely integrated as one did he go to sleep. …………………………………… Zhang Xuan didn’t know that in the period that he went to the market to purchase items, in the academy, Elder Shang Chen’s backyard was on the verge of exploding. “Grandfather, you have to redress my grievances!” With tears and snot flowing down his face, Shang Bin’s cry tremored even the heavens. As the grandson of an elder, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Furthermore, being talented, he had always been respected by others. Yet, he had suffered all the setbacks he had never suffered in his whole life today. It was already a great blessing that he had yet to go insane. When bringing trouble upon someone, a lunatic dashed out and beat him up to a pig head. When going out for dinner, he saw his goddess dining happily with that lad… He could still take it if his framing failed and if he embarrassed himself, but… “Grandfather, didn’t you say that this Sky Shattering Lion is very obedient? I ordered it to teach that useless Zhang Xuan a lesson, but not only did it not obey my orders, it even beat me up instead…” The more he thought about it, the more furious he got. At this moment, Shang Bin was full of tears for himself. This Sky Shattering Lion before him had been squandering off his family, yet, at a crucial period, not only did it not obey orders, it even helped an outsider to assault him… He felt like tearing his hair out whenever he thought about it. “It is usually rather obedient…” Shang Chen felt a little awkward. He looked at the Sky Shattering Lion in front of him with a puzzled expression. He was just a normal beast tamer, and his expertise in the field wasn’t particularly high. Even if he were to tame savage beasts, he could only interact with them on equal footing and not that of a master and servant. This was precisely why the Sky Shattering Lion need not bother about his emotions and second guess his thoughts whenever it wanted to do something. However… No matter what, they were contractually related to one another. After asking it to protect his grandson, why… did it listen to the words of the outsider and assault Shang Bin instead? “Roar!” Upon noticing Shang Bin, the Sky Shattering Lion held its head up high with a proud expression on its face, seemingly proud of its deed. Seeing the expression on the Sky Shattering Lion, Shang Bin received another 10000 damage internally. [When it was with Zhang Xuan, it licked the other party’s hand affectionately and treated him respectfully, as though a pug. Yet now, it was acting as haughty as a king… The heck, is my grandfather your owner or he is?] “Cough cough, I’ll persuade the Sky Shattering Lion later when I get back.” Seeing his beast pet behaving like this, clearly rejecting cooperation with him, Elder Shang Chen’s face turned red as he waved away the matter. “Grandfather, this time, you have to teach this Zhang Xuan a lesson in my stead. It would be best if his teaching license is revoked and he is chased out of the academy!” Knowing that his grandfather and the Sky Shattering Lion were of equal standing in their contract and was unable to teach it a lesson, Shang Bin didn’t dawdle on the matter and gritting his teeth, diverted the topic towards Zhang Xuan. A trash who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination had caused him so much embarrassment and left innumerable wounds all over his body, causing him to almost die even. This kind of grudge could not be washed away even by the rapid flow of the river! “Rest assured, I will settle this matter! But this Zhang Xuan, who knows what kind of luck did he stumble over, he actually managed to recruit five students. Without a reasonable excuse, even for me, it will be difficult to expel a registered teacher!” Elder Shang Chen said. Registered with the continent’s Teacher Guild, Zhang Xuan could be considered formally as a teacher. Even as an elder of the academy, the head of the Education Bureau, as long as the other party didn’t sin deeply, he had no rights to expel him. While shaking his head, doubt flashed across his eyes. As a fellow who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, everyone thought that it would be impossible for any student to acknowledge him. Yet, contrary to their expectations, not only did students acknowledge him, there were even five of them. Furthermore, a few of them were within the top hundred! No one would have thought it possible if they didn’t witness it for themselves. In fact… despite seeing the results compiled by the Education Bureau, he still found it unbelievable. [This fellow… how did he do it? It is totally irrational, isn’t it?] 59 The Frenzied Students The Frenzied Students “I have already found an excuse for grandfather to take action. Cao Xiong laoshi has a student named Liu Yang, and this Liu Yang was coerced by Zhang Xuan to become his student. Cao Xiong laoshi has already applied for an “Enlightenment Will Trial”, which will be conducted tomorrow. By then, as long as grandfather makes a move, it would be an easy task to strip him of his license!” Shang Bin squeezed these words through gritted teeth. The deception Cao Xiong spoke of turned into coercion through his words. There was a world of difference between these two words. Deception only meant that there’s something wrong with that person’s personality. On the other hand, coercion was a matter of morals. “Coercion? Are you sure?” Elder Shang Chen was taken aback. “I’m sure!” Shang Bin nodded his head affirmatively. “If that’s the case… How about this, tomorrow, I will invite Elder Mo over for him to witness the process. If the result of the Enlightenment Will Trial shows that Liu Yang did not willingly become his student, then there is the possibility for him to be stripped of his teaching license!” After hesitating for a moment, Elder Shang Chen said. “Thank you, grandfather!” Excitement shone in Shang Bin’s eyes. With the presence of teachers came qualifications, and the organization that protected the identity of teachers was the Teacher Guild. The guild had the authority to inspect the actions of teachers, as well as to strip them of their license. There was a similar organization called the Ministry of Education in Zhang Xuan’s previous world. Teachers were role models. To guide a student along their path, they must first make the students concede to them, so that they were willing to learn from them. If they were to coerce them, thus causing the student to be jaundiced, it was possible for their licenses to be revoked. As for how to gauge whether one was truly willing to become the student of a teacher, the Enlightenment Will Trial was the most impartial method. “Brat, you might be gleeful now, but let’s see how you can continue being so arrogant when your teaching license is revoked tomorrow!” Upon the thought that he would be able to exact vengeance for all of the grudges in the past, Shang Bin clenched his fist subconsciously and a surge of exhilaration ran through his body. ……………………………… Zhang Xuan didn’t know that someone had already set up a ploy against him. After a night of rest, he felt energized. Looking into the mirror, he noticed that after cultivating the Heaven’s Path Golden Body yesterday, his body became even whiter and smoother, similar to that of an infant. There wasn’t a single scar or such on his body. Overall, he looked much younger as well. Those who were oblivious to his identity might even think that he was a student. “Not bad!” He said, before heading to the classroom with giant strides. Arriving at the classroom, the first thing he noticed was that the interiors of the room had been cleaned spick and span by his five students, and even the drinking water had already been boiled. Wang Ying, Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao were all energised. All of them stared at Zhang Xuan with looks of reverence and excitement. Initially, these few students had all thought that they were deceived into acknowledging a fellow who was last in the Teacher Qualification Examination as their teacher. However, after the lesson yesterday, they realized that even though his reputation was terrible, he was, indubitably, an incredibly capable figure! This feeling resonated especially so for Wang Ying. After reciting those theories her teacher spoke of to her father and the elders of the family, they were all filled with praises for him. In fact, there were even some parts of it that they were incapable of comprehending. After which, they insisted in bringing Wang Tao over to acknowledge him as his teacher! From this incident itself, his standards were clear to see! How could one not feel excited upon having such a person as their teacher? “Un, seems like everything is in order today. Zhao Ya, take this medicinal herb, crush it into powder and swallow it along with water. Also, this is a cultivation technique that I have just handwritten. If you cultivate by the methods written on it, you should be able to fully recover in three days or so!” Seeing the expressions reflected in everyone’s eyes, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to not know what they were thinking. Nodding his head, he passed the Frigid Sun Mother Grass, which he bought yesterday night, and a book to Zhao Ya. Zhao Ya’s illness was caused by her cultivation of a pure yin cultivation technique. After browsing through all of the books in the teacher’s Compendium Pavilion, Zhang Xuan used the Library of Heaven’s Path to derive a solution for her problem. Even though the cultivation technique paled far in comparison to his Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it was still a skill derived from the extraction of the essence of ten different books, and it was extraordinarily valuable. There were still flaws within it, but the remaining ones didn’t really affect the whole situation. “Yes!” Zhao Ya grabbed the medicinal herb and placed it into her embrace before casually flipping open the book. She noticed that the ink was still fresh, and it was clear that it was just written. After taking a brief look at it, her eyes narrowed and she looked at him in disbelief. “Zhang laoshi, although I am new here, I have heard of most of the renowned secret manuals in the academy. This manual… is several times more incredible than my White Jade Pure Maiden Skill. Why… have I never heard of it? Furthermore… why isn’t there a name on this book!” As the daughter of a city lord, Zhao Ya had a massive collection of books in her home. She had browsed through many different secret manuals, which helped build her eye of discernment. This book in her hand was clearly several folds stronger than the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill that she cultivated before. However… why had she never heard of it? Whenever one copied a cultivation technique, one would always write the name of the creator on it. However, not a trace of information on its creator could be seen on this book, causing Zhao Ya to be puzzled. “Oh, this book is something that I have just compiled and wrote down based on your physical condition, so there’s no name for it. If you find it difficult to refer to it like that, you can name it as you like!” Zhang Xuan said. The Library of Heaven’s Path extracted the correct portions of each secret manual and compiled them into a book. The book that was compiled by the library did not have a name, and he couldn’t be bothered to name it either. Thus, he passed it to her right after he casually copied it down. He didn’t expect for Zhao Ya to ask about it, thus he answered it casually. “What? Teacher… wrote it himself? This means… this is a cultivation technique created by teacher?” Not only Zhao Ya was taken aback, the others also narrowed their eyes and all of them nearly passed out on the spot. Every single one of those who managed to successfully create a cultivation technique was grandmaster level figures, experts who left a mark in history! For their obscure teacher to be capable of creating a cultivation technique… Not to mention, such an advanced one, are you for real? “You can say so!” The Library of Heaven’s Path could not be explained, and these books came out of nowhere. Thus, it didn’t matter whether Zhang Xuan said if he was the one who created them or not. Thinking nothing about it, he casually nodded his head. “Incredible…” “White Jade Pure Maiden Skill, this skill was created by a Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm expert in our family. For teacher to be able to create a cultivation technique of much higher tier than this so easily, exactly how strong is he?” … Seeing him admit to it, the five students found themselves on the verge of going insane. Since the inception of Hongtian Academy, there had been less than a few who had successfully created a cultivation technique throughout its century of history. Every single one of them was reputable and influential figures. Yet, their own teacher was capable of the very same feat as well. They found themselves giddy-headed from the reverence they were feeling towards him. [Furthermore… The most important of all, what did Zhang laoshi just say? He said that ‘If you find it difficult to refer to it like that, you can name it as you like’… The heck!] Every master went through a lot just to create their own cultivation technique. Thus, they viewed it as their treasure and only passed it down to their main disciples! Yet, after creating a cultivation technique, not only did this Zhang laoshi freely gift it to others, he was even lazy to name them, allowing his students to name them as they pleased… One must know that the future generations tend to only remember the one who named the skill, rather than the creator himself. [Such an opportunity to leave his mark in history, but he wasn’t bothered by it in the least… Isn’t he way too indifferent to material successes? One’s conduct can’t get any nobler than that! No wonder Zhang laoshi still remains an obscure figure despite being so capable, even carrying the notoriety as the worst teacher in the academy. To think that he would be such a noble person, a person who views fame as dirt…] “Zhang laoshi…” Upon thinking about these, the eyes of the five students reddened. They were so moved that they were on the verge of bursting into tears. “What’s wrong with you all?” Seeing his students who were still acting normally a moment ago suddenly staring at him with reddened eyes, Zhang Xuan was confused. [These students, could they have… gone mad at the same time?] 60 The Greatest Person Zhang Xuan was a transcender, so how could he have known that creating a cultivation technique would result in such astonishment and commotion? As such, he was unable to understand the reason behind the expressions of the students. With a calm face, he took out another book. “Liu Yang, this manual is something I just wrote based on your situation. Cultivate according to it, and your right hand should recover completely within half a month or so!” Before anyone could even react, he took out a few more books again and passed them over. “Yuan Tao, you have good defensive abilities. The book I passed you the previous time is your fundamental cultivation technique while this one is aimed at improving your defensive abilities. Wang Ying and Zheng Yang as well, I have compiled your unique characteristics and wrote a book for you two each. If you two were to train according to it, your cultivation should rise swiftly!” Since they were all his students, naturally, he couldn’t favor one more than the other. Thus, there was a gift for every one of them. These cultivation techniques were made from combining multiple secret manuals from the teacher’s Compendium Pavilion using the Library of Heaven’s Path. They were tailored specially for Wang Ying, Liu Yang and the rest of them based on their physical conditions. There were still flaws in there, but there were significantly less of them compared to the other secret manuals. “These secret manuals…” “What an impressive cultivation technique…” … Regardless of whether it is Wang Ying, Liu Yang or Zheng Yang, they were all people who were capable of telling the value of a manual. Just by taking a look at these nameless manuals, all of them trembled vigorously in agitation. The manuals could be said to be tailored perfectly to them, not to mention how incredibly high tiered they are. Comparing the manuals they just received with the ones they cultivated before, the other ones were like trash amongst all trash; there was totally no way to put the both of them together! “Teacher, these books… we are allowed to name them?” Unable to hold it in anymore, Wang Ying asked. “Un, feel free to do so!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand. “Ah…” His students stared at one another, their fists subconsciously clenched tightly together. Writing a single cultivation technique was already an incredible feat. Yet, to write five of them, and each one was tailored for each of them, even allowing them to name their technique themselves… This capability and this generosity! It was unheard of in the entire Hongtian Academy! The crux of it all was that these cultivation techniques were made specially to cater to their needs… No matter how vast one’s knowledge was and how enlightened one was towards the path of cultivation, they would have surely expended a lot of effort to create them. It was very likely that he hadn’t slept for the entire night! Their teacher stayed awake for the entire night to toil on these cultivation techniques for them, and yet they doubted if their teacher possessed the abilities to guide them… This was too… The eyes of the crowd turned red again. This sentiment, was equivalent to changing their entire lives! “Thank you, teacher!” The five of them knelt down simultaneously. Staring at Zhang Xuan who was standing before them, unwavering determination appeared in their eyes, “Zhang laoshi, rest easy. We promise to never divulge these cultivation techniques outwards. Whoever divulges them will receive any type of punishment you mete out willingly!” “Never divulge them? Alright!” These cultivation techniques created using the Library of Heaven’s Path paled far in comparison to the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, so Zhang Xuan wan’t too bothered about it. At this moment, hearing his students say these words, he agreed with it nonchalantly. “This is the disposition of a true master!” Seeing Zhang laoshi indifferent to this matter, the students conceded to him willingly. [What is a master? This is! Who is the greatest person? He is! To be capable but humble, misunderstood but unfazed, humiliated but composed and calm in the face of sudden situations… To have such a teacher is a tremendous blessing of theirs!] Zhang Xuan didn’t know that in this moment, he had already ascended from the ranks of a mortal to a god within the hearts of his students. After instructing everyone to cultivate as soon as possible, Zhang Xuan was free once more. A teacher should not be keeping a watch on his students, but rather, allow them to train and learn by themselves. A teacher was only responsible for pointing out their faults and direct them towards the correct path. Now that all of them have suitable cultivation techniques, as long as they cultivated as per normal, they would be able to achieve acceptable results. …………………………………… Hesitation appeared on Shen Bi Ru’s flawless face. However, thinking about the wonders the young man showed her yesterday, her curiosity burned once more and she determinedly walked over. She was the goddess of the academy, the idol of all male teachers and students. Everyday, the number of flowers and presents the teachers and students gifted her was countless. Even so, she was nonchalant to it and never tried to approach a teacher of the opposite sex of her own accord. However… the young man yesterday attracted her as though a mystery, causing her to walk over without any say on the matter. In fact, she wasn’t even able to conduct a lesson properly this morning due to it. “I’m just going over to expose him… There isn’t any other reason to it!” Finding an excuse for herself, she heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded forward in large strides. Speaking of this Zhang Xuan laoshi, she had known him since a long time ago. However, as she never really interacted with him, she wasn’t too knowledgeable of his affairs. Even so, based on the descriptions of others, there were only three adjectives to describe him. Worst! Worst! And finally, still worst! He was reputed for being the worst teacher in the academy. All along, she had thought so as well. However, yesterday, her thoughts were overturned. He could remember all the contents of a book just by casually flipping through it. Despite scoring a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination, he was able to come up with multiple answers for the questions in it. Just by eating a meal, she realized that he was a gourmet. Furthermore, to be able to persuade the Sky Shattering Lion to listen to him so easily… What used to be the worst teacher in her eyes became an enigma. Incomprehension clouded over her no matter how she contemplated over it. “Forget it, I will stop thinking about it. Today, I will definitely get an answer out of him…” Harrumphing coldly, she raised her jade-like face. Only then did she realize that she was already standing right before Zhang Xuan’s classroom. Just as she was about to enter, she saw a mummy-like person standing outside the door. Yao Han was in a dilemma. Yesterday, when he made a move and roared publicly at Zhang Xuan in the classroom, he was reprimanded by the young mistress when they returned. After which, when he returned back to his dwelling at night, he thought about the matter and rage welled up in him. The origin of this mess was that trash of a teacher, Zhang Xuan. If not for him committing something indecent to the young mistress, causing the young mistress to be blackmailed by him, how could her face blush completely red as she insisted on becoming his student? If not for that, he wouldn’t have been beaten up to such a state when he went over to assault him at night. Unable to persuade his young mistress, his original intention was to inform the city lord of the matter, so that he could step forth and settle the issue. However, Baiyu City was a long distance away, and even the best horse would take at least half a month for a two-way journey. If he were to really leave… What if that beast of a teacher were to do something immoral? If so, even if he were to die, it would be hard for him to swallow the blame! “What should I do? Young mistress would definitely be unhappy with me if I were to barge in right now. However, if I do not barge in, she might get bullied and hurt…” Just like that, Yao Han stood at the entrance for a very long time, perplexed. “Who are you?” While he was still in a dilemma between the two course of action to take, an oriole-like voice sounded. Lifting his head to take a look, he saw a beautiful lady standing at a short distance away looking at him with a puzzled expression. This beautiful lady was around twenty year old or so. She was dressed in a light purple robe, which brought out her elegant figure perfectly. With skin as smooth as cream, despite not moving much, she was still absolutely gorgeous. “I don’t think that there’s any need for me to tell you who I am!” No matter what, Yao Han was a veteran who had experienced the harsh world. Thus, he recovered quickly and harrumphed. [You are just a little girl while I am the butler of Baiyu City Lord’s Residence. Are you worthy of having me report my identity to you? Besides… Most importantly of all, how can I dare to proclaim my identity in such a state…] “Refusing to identify yourself? What do you intend to do here by covering your face then?” The beautiful lady frowned. Gedeng, her heart suddenly pounded and a thought flashed through her mind. “This fellow, it can’t be that… He is hired by Shang Bin to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson!” 61 She Loves Me? After inviting Zhang Xuan out for dinner yesterday, they ended up meeting with Shang Bin. For him, the grandson of an elder and a high-level teacher of the academy, to be pummeled to such a state, it would be bizarre instead for him not to seek vengeance! However, since the academy banned private duels between teachers in its compounds, could it be possible that the fellow sent someone else to intentionally mask himself so as to assault Zhang Xuan here? It was no wonder that Shen Bi Ru would think so. After all, Yao Han’s dress up was way too bizarre. A thick layer of white cloth covered his entire face, revealing only his eyes. At a glance, the impression he gave others was of one unwilling to reveal his true identity! Furthermore, he refused to answer upon being questioned! Thinking about it now, the reason why Zhang Xuan forbade her from following him yesterday was because he knew that Shang Bin would be unable to take it lying down. He knew that Shang Bin would definitely find someone to take revenge on him! A cold gleam flashed across Shen Bi Ru’s narrowed eyes. She was the cause of this entire situation, so naturally, it wasn’t right for her to be watching by the sidelines. “Do you know the punishment for attacking a teacher in the academy?” “Attacking a teacher?” Yao Han didn’t expect the beautiful lady to ask such a question. He was first taken aback, but he soon recalled the event with Shang Bin yesterday. In an instant, realization struck him. “Could it be that you are that Shen Bi Ru?” The cause of Shang Bin pummeling him was due to Shang Bin getting jealous of Zhang Xuan as the both of them were vying for Shen Bi Ru’s favor. He would never forget this incident even if he was beaten to death. Yet, at this moment, a beautiful lady suddenly popped up and asked him whether he knew that attacking a teacher could result in a penalty. Who else could this beautiful lady be other than her? Looks like she was here to seek vengeance for Shang Bin after he pounded her pursuer yesterday. “That’s right!” Shen Bi Ru put on a wary expression as her fists clenched tightly together. Her aura billowed, “If you want avoid any trouble, leave right now. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!” Being a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, she exerted intense pressure on others upon releasing her full strength. “Impolite? Aren’t you here to find trouble with me? What a lousy excuse!” Seeing how she was preparing to make a move when the both of them had barely spoken a few words, Yao Han’s face darkened to the extremities. As a butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, he was a powerful figure in Baiyu City. No matter who he met, they would always show some deference to him. Yet, over here, he was first beaten to a pulp by someone, and now, a lowly ordinary teacher didn’t even show him respect. Rage surged through him. How could he still tolerate it after hearing these words? His complexion darkened as he clenched his fist. Without a word, he charged forward. The moment he made a move, the rebuke that Shen Bi Ru was about to direct towards him got choked in her throat. With no other choice, she could only face up to him. Peng peng peng! In a moment, the both of them started crossing blows. Shen Bi Ru might just be Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, but she possessed incredible stamina and profound techniques. Furthermore, even though Yao Han’s fighting prowess surpassed her, due to his injury, he wasn’t able to take her down within a short moment. ……………………………… “Shang shaoye, what did Elder Shang say?” On the pavement in the academy, Cao Xiong couldn’t resist the urge to ask the young man walking over. “Rest assured. As long as that student of yours did not willingly acknowledge Zhang Xuan as his teacher, he is dead meat this time!” Shang Bin sneered coldly. This morning, Elder Shang ran over to the Teacher Guild to find Elder Mo and invited him here. As long as he brought Zhang Xuan and his student to the 【Enlightenment Will Tower】, the latter’s reputation would be ruined and he would be expelled from Hongtian Academy! “That’s great. The moment Zhang Xuan is expelled from the academy, Shen laoshi would definitely give in to gongzi‘s persistence! By then, it would be difficult for her to stay away from you…” Cao Xiong flattered him with a smile. “Un! No doubt about it, Shen Bi Ru was deceived by that lad’s flowery talk yesterday, that’s why she gave in and had a meal with him. As long as that lad scrams from the academy, I don’t believe that my efforts to woo her will remain in vain!” The moment Shen Bi Ru flashed through his mind, self- confidence welled up in Shang Bin once again. He was the grandson of an elder, as well as a high-level teacher, not to mention that he was tall and dashing. Regardless of which aspect one was speaking of, he was countless times more outstanding than Zhang Xuan! In the entire academy, only he was worthy of an enchanting lady like Shen Bi Ru. As long as he persisted on, who else could she fancy other than him? “Then, I will be giving my blessings to Shang shaoye to bring the beauty home soon!” Cao Xiong quickly followed up with a fawn. “Rest assured, if I were to become a couple with Shen laoshi, I will make sure to reward you greatly…” Shang Bin wanted to laugh heartily, but the next moment, he accidentally tugged on his wounded muscles and excruciating pain surged through him. “Also, other than Zhang Xuan, I will not forgive the one who beat me up yesterday, Yao Han! So what if he is the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence? This is Tianxuan Royal City, not a place for him to do as he pleases!” That fellow pounded his face in public, leaving him disfigured. How could he possibly forgive him! “Naturally!” Cao Xiong nodded his head. Suddenly, he froze before quickly pointing forward, “Shang shaoye, quickly, look…” “What happened?” Shang Bin was bewildered. Unable to hold in his curiosity, he turned to take a look. In that instant, his eyes narrowed, “Isn’t that Shen laoshi? Why is she battling with someone else? That is… Yao Han!” Right outside Zhang Xuan’s classroom, the two were fighting intensely. One was the goddess that he thought of even in his sleep, Shen Bi Ru, while the other was the person whom he just spoke of, the one who made him grind his teeth in resentment, Yao Han. The two of them weren’t acquainted with one another, so why were they fighting? “Shang shaoye, could it be… Shen laoshi found out that you were beaten up by this fellow, so she felt angered and wanted to take revenge for you?” After hesitating for a moment, Cao Xiong suddenly thought of a possibility and commented. “Un? Is that true?” Shang Bin was taken aback. “Indeed. Otherwise, there is no reason for the two to be fighting one another! Shen laoshi has a gentle personality and treats others kindly, she doesn’t get into fights easily. You should be well aware of that as well. Right after you were beaten up, she gets into a huge fight with him. If she didn’t do it for Shang shaoye… I can’t think of any other plausible reason behind this! To be willing to go so far for you, I dare to confirm that Shen laoshi has some feelings for you, and very possibly, it could be… love!” Cao Xiong said. “She loves me?” Shang Bin’s body froze, as a wave of happiness gushed through his heart. [That’s right, there’s no other possible reason for Shen Bi Ru to fight with that guy.] Never would he have thought that this woman, despite refusing his dates and keeping her distance from him, she would actually… love him so much, and care so much for him! Even going to the extent of… battling a Fighter 6-dan expert despite being at Fighter 5-dan! “This cannot do. I cannot allow her to get injured because of me!” Agitation filled his heart. Shang Bin felt as though he had been revived and fighting spirit gushed through him. The debt that was the hardest to bear was one from a beauty. The other party had already gone this far. What did he have to hesitate about? If he continued hesitating, then he wouldn’t be a man anymore! “Shen laoshi, I am here to help you…” With a furious roar, Shang Bin rushed upwards. Yao Han was in the midst of battling with Shen Bi Ru. After testing her out for a few dozens of blows, he had already grasped onto the offensive methods of the other party. He was confident that as long as he got serious, he would be able to defeat her within a few blows. Just as he was about to execute his ultimate technique, he heard a shout and Shang Bin appeared before him. “As I expected, they are a team. Damn it, damn it!” Seeing his arrival, Yao Han’s rage flared up once more. He was suspecting whether the incident might just be a misunderstanding a moment ago, but by the looks of it now, the heck it was a misunderstanding! It was obvious that these two were in it together, and they were intent on finding trouble with him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. As such, he no longer held back and struck down mercilessly upon Shang Bin. “Un?” Shang Bin rushed in all of the sudden spiritedly and in the turn of an eye, he started crossing blows with Yao Han. Shen Bi Ru was unable to react to the sudden change of situation. Upon seeing the two of them battle one another, she couldn’t help but be taken aback. “Can it be that I have guessed wrongly, and this man isn’t sent by him?” The moment such an idea popped into her head, another possibility flashed through her mind and her face darkened, “I see, he is trying to kill two birds with one stone. No wonder I found it weird. If this masked fellow wanted to find trouble with Zhang Xuan, he could have just rushed in straight. There is no reason for him to be loitering around the entrance. From the looks of it now, it seems that he wants to play out the act of a hero rescuing the beauty so as to attract my attention. Hmph!” 62 Shang Bin on the Brink of Collapsing No matter where a beauty went, she would always attract the attention of males. For her, many have come up with all kinds of methods just to make her spare them an additional glance. This kind of ‘hero rescuing the beauty’ was one of the lousiest tricks in the book! In such a play, either he would showcase his incredible prowess, or he would allow the other party to bash him up, thus inducing her to feel pity for him. From then on, the pity would slowly give rise to love… In any case, regardless of which, those were doings with purposeful intentions and it incurred her irritation. Upon coming to this realization, Shen Bi Ru retreated from the vicinity of the battle. [Since the both of you are doing it purposely, I won’t bother with it then. You can carry on doing whatever you like…] Peng peng peng peng! Seeing his nemesis charging in frenziedly, Yao Han gave his all without showing any mercy whatsoever. In just a few moments, the fearless and resolute Shang Bin was beaten to a pulp once again and fresh blood trickled down his face. Yao Han wasn’t any better either. Blood permeated through the layers of cloth on his mummy-like face. “Such realistic acting… Go on with it…” Shen Bi Ru commented with arms akimbo. “Shen laoshi, help Shang shaoye quickly, he is on the verge of losing…” Seeing Shang Bin beaten to the verge of death, Cao Xiong couldn’t resist stepping forward to persuade her. Being just Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm, he paled far too much in comparison to the two who were battling at the moment. He would just be courting death if he interfered in the fight. As such, the only viable solution was to plead with the Shen laoshi standing before him. “Is it alright for me to help him?” Seeing the other party’s ‘support’ coming up to her, Shen Bi Ru sneered coldly. “Yes, if you don’t save him, Shang shaoye will definitely die…” Unable to see through her cold intentions, Cao Xiong hurriedly said. “Fine, I will go then!” Shen Bi Ru stepped forward. Hu! Seeing her walking over to join the fray once more, Yao Han pushed Shang Bin away with both of his hands, causing the latter to retreat two steps. Then, he stepped out of the battle and said, “Very well, I will remember this. Your nobility, as well as the favor the both of you have showered me with, I will make sure to return it in the future!” He was wounded at the moment, and just with Shen Bi Ru herself was already pushing it for him. Furthermore, even if he was able to defeat the both of them, they were currently in Hongtian Academy. The longer the battle dragged on here for, the more likely troublesome matters would come his way. If the other party had prepared some scheme beforehand, he might even find himself unable to escape then. Thus, after hesitating for a moment, he decisively chose to leave. The two of them might have failed to exact vengeance upon him, and the other party had been reduced to quite a pitiful state by him as well, but this grudge had been established. It was just a matter of time before he returned it back to them… After which, Yao Han turned around to leave. In an instant, he disappeared from the vision of the crowd. If a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert were to flee, even Shen Bi Ru would be unable to catch up with him. Besides, she didn’t have the intention to pursue him either. At this moment, the cold intention on her face deepened. The moment she was about to step in, the other party fled. What did this mean? Simple, it meant that the show had come to an end. Naturally, he would have to leave… “Shen laoshi, I didn’t expect that you would treat me so well. I understand your intentions…” Seeing Shen Bi Ru charging ahead to save him, Shang Bin was filled with joy. He turned his completely swollen red face over, smiled and struck a pose that he finds dashing. “Actually, I love you as well…” Still furious with him, she was curious to see what kind of lousy tricks this fellow would use to attract her attention. Hearing these words, Shen Bi Ru almost exploded from rage. [My intentions? My intentions your head!] “You hoodlum!” Shen Bi Ru spat through gritted teeth. Pah! A slap flew over. “What?” After mustering his courage to confess, just as he thought the beauty would leap into his embrace, he felt intense pain on his face. Uncontrollably, his body staggered and he knocked onto the metal gate. Shang Bin’s eyes spun and he almost fainted on the spot. [The heck did you slap me for? Didn’t you battle with someone else for me?] He was almost about to go crazy. [What the heck is going on? Friendly at one moment, furious at the next. Spring at one moment, winter at the next… Did I offend you or what…] Jiya! Just as Shang Bin’s heart had broken down and was still trying to comprehend the situation, the door to the classroom slowly opened. Zhang Xuan walked out and frowned upon seeing everyone else. “I am the in the midst of my lessons, it is unbecoming for you all to be making a ruckus here.” “Zhang Xuan, you came at the perfect timing!” Just as his heart was in the midst of crumbling, upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s appearance, Shang Bin’s rage immediately flurried, “Cao Xiong laoshi has already submitted an appeal to the school, accusing you of using deception to coerce his student, Liu Yang, to become your student! The academy has already approved the usage of the Enlightenment Will Trial, so I advise you to quickly bring Liu Yang over!” “Enlightenment Will Trial?” Zhang Xuan was puzzled for a moment. Then, recalling the memories of his previous self, he came to a realization and frowned. “Indeed. Right now, I am passing this message to you as a representative of the Education Bureau. If you don’t go, that would be tantamount to disobeying the rules of the academy and similarly, you will be fired as well!” Shang Bin sneered coldly. He might be unable to defeat Yao Han, and he didn’t dare to say too much to Goddess Shen. Thus, he could only direct all of his wrath onto this trash of a teacher. “Zhang Xuan laoshi, don’t go…” Shen Bi Ru’s beautiful eyebrows knitted together. She might not know what tricks Shang Bin had under his sleeves for doing this, but regardless of what, this was definitely a ploy directed towards Zhang Xuan. The moment he agreed and a problem occurred with the Enlightenment Will Trial, not only would he lose his teaching license, he might even get fired! However, before she could finish her words, Zhang Xuan interrupted her with a hand gesture and said, “Alright, I’ll go!” It was true that Liu Yang felt indignant upon becoming Zhang Xuan’s student before. However, at this moment, Liu Yang was already completely impressed with him. Even if the latter were to tell him to jump off from a tall building to practice movement techniques, he would most probably agree to it without any hesitation. With such level of trust, what did he have to fear from an Enlightenment Will Trial? [Given how confident this fellow is, let’s see who will be the one to be embarrassed in the end!] “If you dare not go, I will inform the Security Bureau in the academy and have them take you…” Thinking that Zhang Xuan would be resistant to it, Shang Bin went on shouting righteously when the situation finally struck him, “Ah? What did you say? You will go?” Zhang Xuan didn’t reply. With a faint smile, he turned around and walked to the entrance of the classroom, “Liu Yang, come with me!” “Yes!” Liu Yang walked out from the classroom. “This…” Not expecting the other party to be so cooperative, traces of hesitation appeared on Shang Bin’s confident face. “Shang shaoye, don’t be worried. This Liu Yang is a student that I brought in specially. I am confident that he wishes to be my student!” Cao Xiong said with a suppressed voice. “Alright!” Hearing his guarantee, Shang Bin nodded his head and walked forward with large strides, “Let’s go!” “You…” Seeing the young man agreeing so recklessly, Shen Bi Ru felt anxious. The Enlightenment Will Trial was a method of settling disputes when two teachers have fallen out with one another, but were still unable to settle the matter. The moment the trial started, the side that was proven to be guilty of deception would receive a severe punishment! How could such a thing be accepted that easily? No matter what, he should try to push it down and ideally, settle it peacefully. Otherwise… he could be in deep trouble! “It’s nothing much!” Knowing that the other party was worrying for him, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly. Without explaining anything, he lifted his leg and followed behind Shang Bin towards the academy’s 【Enlightenment Will Tower】. “This fellow…” Seeing how the young man took her advice for granted, Shen Bi Ru was furious and anxious. As a beauty, others would always happily listen to her own words. Yet, not only did this fellow ignore her advice, he even charged towards what she was warning him against. Wasn’t this courting death? One must know that Shang Bin’s grandfather was the head of the Education Bureau. If he dared to do so, then he must have already prepared a trap beforehand against him… “Leaping into misfortune on your own accord, you deserve it if anything happens to you!” Shen Bi Ru stomped her leg furiously. However, after a slight moment of hesitation, she still quickly caught up with the lot. Towards Zhang Xuan, she only felt curiosity. Love was out of the equation. However, she was the reason why Shang Bin was going against him. No matter what, she couldn’t just stand idly by the sidelines! 63 Elder Mo Xiang In the lofty “Enlightenment Will Tower”. “Elder Mo, I will be depending on you this time!” Elder Shang Chen looked at the elderly who was sitting by his side. An elder from the Teacher Guild, Mo Xiang! “Elder Shang, there is no need to be so formal. After all, we are already old friends!” Elder Mo Xiang was in his fifties and a sparse gray-colored beard could be seen on his face. “Worry not, if this teacher really resorts to coercion and forces others to become his students, I will definitely report it up to the guild to strip him of his teaching license!” “Sigh, it is negligence on my part!” Elder Shang Chen shook his head. With a bewailing look, he lamented, “When this teacher scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, I gave him an ultimatum. If he doesn’t recruit any students, he would be fired immediately… Perhaps due to pressure, he resorted to such means… It is all my fault!” He sighed. “Elder Shang, you shouldn’t blame yourself. Out of sheer kindness, you gave him another chance. Yet, this fellow knows no gratitude, and instead, he chose to commit such despicable actions. He is truly shameless and vile!” Elder Mo’s face darkened as he exuded a forceful aura. “As a teacher, instead of pondering on how to better nurture others, he spends his time on such underhanded tricks. I would like to see the one who gave him the guts to resort to such means!” Elder Mo Xiang was well-reputed for his hatred towards villains and villainous acts. Upon hearing about a teacher coercing the students, he was on the verge of erupting from anger. “If it wasn’t for Cao Xiong laoshi‘s righteousness in reporting the incident to say that his student has been coerced by that teacher, even going to the extent of applying for the Enlightenment Will Trial to resolve the issue, I would still be oblivious to all these happenings.” With both of his hands behind his back, Elder Shang Chen shook his head continuously. His contemplating eyes were directed towards the empty sky, as though he had committed the world’s greatest negligence. If Zhang Xuan was here, he would definitely be surprised. This fellow’s ability at zhuangbi [1] was far more superior than him. “Although the Enlightenment Will Trial wounds the harmony and camaraderie between teachers, it is still worth it if it weeds out the poisonous ones of the lot. Don’t blame yourself too much!” Seeing his expression, Elder Mo Xiang was secretly impressed. Oftentimes, a student whom several teachers favor at the same time would appear in the academy. At such a moment, everyone would try to settle the issue privately. This way, not only was the fellowship between colleagues not wounded, order was also maintained in the institution. Only when the problem was truly unable to be settled privately would they apply for such a method to resolve it. Enlightenment Will Trial, just as its name dictated, was a test on the heart of the student, allowing him to make a choice based on his true will. However, this meant that the relationship between the competing teachers would become totally hostile, thus wounding the harmonious spirit between teachers. This was the reason why in the century since the inception of Hongtian Academy, there were only slightly more than ten applications for the Enlightenment Will Trial. They didn’t expect that they would be able to encounter such an incident as well. After feigning contemplation, Elder Shang Chen secretly chuckled upon seeing that he had managed to rile up the rage of the other party. He gestured with his hand and passed down an order, “Let them enter!” Jiya! Immediately after his words sounded out, the heavy doors slowly opened and Zhang Xuan, Cao Xiong, Shang Bin, Shen Bi Ru and Liu Yang walked in. “Cao Xiong laoshi, are you the one who has applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial?” The moment everyone stopped in their footsteps, Elder Shang Chen asked with raised eyebrows. “I beg of elder to redress my grievance!” Cao Xiong cried loudly. “This Zhang Xuan coerced my student, Liu Yang, who has already acknowledged me as his teacher, thus violating the rules of fair competition among teachers. As such, I specially applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial so as to bring Liu Yang justice. At the same time, I hope that the academy can punish this shameless fellow!” “Bring justice?” Liu Yang was oblivious to what was going on as he was simply ordered to follow the group here. Upon hearing the words of the other party, he finally understood that Cao Xiong was trying to make use of him to deal with his benefactor. As such, he hurriedly sent a gaze towards Zhang Xuan, “Teacher…” Before he could finish his words, he saw a fluster flashing across the Zhang laoshi, who was calm and formidable a moment ago in the classroom. Indignantly, he said, “Cao laoshi, you are spouting nonsense… Liu Yang is… willing to become my student! I… I… had never coerced him!” His voice carried a trace of unconfidence and panic, as though his lie had been exposed. “Err?” Unable to believe this sight, Liu Yang blinked his eyes. After two lessons, he was already completely impressed with Zhang Xuan, even to the extent of thinking that he was omnipotent. He felt that becoming his student was a result of fair competition between two teachers and that it could be explained easily. How did the situation evolve to such a point all of a sudden? Zhang Xuan’s eyes were filled with fear and his body trembled slightly, as though he was caught red-handed in the bed with someone else. Liu Yang was unable to make heads or tails of the situation… Which nerve of Zhang laoshi’s brain was convulsing for him to behave like this? “Teacher…” Liu Yang looked over, but before he could voice out the doubts in his heart, he saw Zhang laoshi turning over to harrumph, “Liu Yang, you better explain it properly. Did I coerce you or not?” As he said so, he secretly blinked his eyes. “Ah… No, no!” Liu Yang hurriedly shook his head. No matter how dimwitted he might be, it was clear to see that Zhang laoshi was trying to pull one over the other party! It will do as long as he cooperated with him. The both of them were aware of what was going on, but in the eyes of others, it seemed as though Zhang Xuan was threatening Liu Yang to say something against his will. Otherwise, why would Liu Yang answer so hesitantly? As expected, upon seeing this sight, Elder Mo’s complexion turned slightly awful. “You must be Zhang Xuan! I will give you one more chance. As long as you obediently cancel the lessons of this Liu Yang and allow him to come under Cao laoshi‘s tutelage once more, I can choose not to proceed ahead with the Enlightenment Will Trial!” “Cancel lessons?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. “Liu Yang has acknowledged me as his teacher out of his own will. It would be unfair to him if I were to push him away…” “Unfair? Own will?” The corner of Elder Mo’s lips twitched. [Don’t you feel embarrassed for saying these words? You are just a teacher who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. He can’t be happier to push away your lessons, yet you speak of unfairness… Where did your self-confidence come from?] Just as he was about to continue speaking, he heard Cao Xiong and Shang Bin shouting simultaneously, “Elder Mo, this won’t do!” “Why?” The Enlightenment Will Trial was something very troublesome. The moment it started, someone had to be punished. Otherwise, if everyone were to follow through with this process, the academy would be unable to upkeep with the expenditure! Initially, Elder Mo intended to have this incident resolved peacefully. Upon hearing the obstruction of the duo, he turned around and looked at them. “Elder Mo, Cao laoshi has already applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial and the academy has already agreed to it. If it were to stop abruptly at this moment, doesn’t this mean… mean that the academy’s rules are being taken lightly?” Shang Bin hurriedly said. What kind of joke was this! It wasn’t easy for them to set up this situation to push Zhang Xuan off the cliff. If they were to settle peacefully, didn’t this mean that all their efforts would be in vain? If so, wouldn’t the humiliation he was put under yesterday be in vain? “Indeed, Elder Mo. I am also thinking in the stead of the student. I hope that he can follow his own heart and choose the teacher that he favors the most, rather than being coerced into making a choice!” Cao Xiong hurriedly said. His words were righteous and emotional. If not for the crimson palm print from Shang Bin’s slap yesterday, he would’ve surely be able to impress many. “Alright then!” Upon hearing the words of the two, Elder Mo nodded his head, no longer holding up the process. “Since you all have chosen the Enlightenment Will Trial, then naturally, I will have to list the rules out clearly first. After the test is completed, whoever the examinee Liu Yang ultimately chooses to acknowledge as his teacher will be victorious in this trial. Of course, the one who loses will be punished. Thus, let’s clarify the punishment first!” At this point, the quiet Elder Shang Chen surveyed the surroundings before saying, “This time, Cao Xiong laoshi has chosen the harshest punishment, that is, upon the end of the trial, the losing side will be expelled from the academy! Zhang Xuan, do you have any objection to it?” Upon hearing that it was the harshest punishment, Zhang Xuan looked over in disbelief. With a sincere face, he said, “There isn’t a deep grudge between me and Cao laoshi, to have him expelled… Isn’t it going a little too far?” “Err?” Upon hearing these words, Elder Shang and the others froze. They turned and stared at Zhang Xuan as though they were looking at an idiot. [Is there something wrong with the head of this fellow… You are the one who is going to be expelled, alright?] “Hmph, regardless of your opinion, you will have to agree to undertake the Enlightenment Will Trial! It is already too late to turn back now!” Thinking that Zhang Xuan was spouting rubbish to reject the trial, Cao Xiong sneered coldly. “I am really doing this for your good… I still think that expelling straight away is too harsh. How about this!” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Why don’t we… drop with the expulsion. We will just strip the losing side of his teaching license then… add in another hundred God Slaying Flogs!” “Strip teaching license? Hundred God Slaying Flogs?” The crowd blinked their eyes simultaneously and stared at one another. Every single one of them felt as though they were going mad. It seemed as though the losing side had managed to retain his position, so that he wouldn’t end up jobless. However, in reality, this was much harsher than a direct expulsion. [Are you sure that you didn’t misspeak?] –– [1] Zhuangbi -> Acting cool (Putting on an act) 64 Trust Level If one was expelled from the school, at the very least, he would still be a teacher. Even if not in Hongtian Academy, he could still teach at other academies! On the other hand, if one’s teaching license was revoked, it would mean losing their identity. No matter where they go, it would remain as a stain on their history and they would suffer from the mocking of others! That’s precisely the reason why Elder Shang Chen got Elder Mo from the Teacher Guild here. After all, despite being the head of the Education Bureau in Hongtian Academy, he didn’t have the qualifications to strip a teacher of his teaching license. Just then, he didn’t expect that… before he could even talk about it, this fellow had already brought it up! Furthermore, adding a hundred God Slaying Flogs into the mix… God Slaying Flog was a unique object created specially within Tianxuan Kingdom. One’s flesh would tear apart and they would feel excruciating pain when beaten by it. Yet, it didn’t hurt their core. No matter how powerful a person was, they would probably be half-dead by the time the sentence was completed. [Do you find the punishment insufficiently harsh, or do you think that you aren’t dying fast enough?] Everyone looked at the young man as though he was an idiot. “Zhang Xuan laoshi, you…” From behind, Shen Bi Ru laoshi barely managed to avoid fainting on the spot. [Are you really unable to tell that this is a trap Shang Bin and Cao Xiong specially dug out for you? Their purpose is for you to leap in. Initially, being expelled from the school is already harsh enough. Yet, not only do you not try to push it down, you even raise the stakes up higher. Have you really gone insane…] “Don’t blame anyone else since you are courting death!” Harrumphing coldly, Cao Xiong looked at Shang Chen, who was standing in the middle of the crowd. “Elder Shang, I concur with Zhang laoshi‘s suggestion. I hope that the academy can grant our request.” Seeing him accept it so readily, Liu Yang slapped his forehead and looked at him with eyes of sympathy. [Zhang laoshi is really evil! He first feigns guilt so as to boost the other party’s confidence. After which, he makes use of the situation to up the stakes. Most probably, Cao Xiong laoshi won’t even know what is going on even after he is played to his death!] “It is fortunate that he became my teacher. Otherwise, my life would be over…” Upon recalling how he almost became the student of this Cao laoshi, Liu Yang shuddered and cowered backward. “Un, alright then. Since both parties have agreed on the stakes, then let’s start the process!” Elder Shang Chen nodded his head. Two crystal balls, about the size of a watermelon each, were brought forward and placed on a stone pedestal. Completely transparent, they radiated warm light. “These are crystal balls made of 【Will Inquisition Stone】. Zhang Xuan and Cao Xiong, both of you will drip a droplet of fresh blood on one of them each! After which, Liu Yang will touch them and the crystal balls will reflect the true thoughts in his mind in the form of 【Trust Level】! The one whose trust level is higher, he will emerge victorious! Are there any other questions?” Elder Shang Chen asked. “None at all!” Zhang Xuan and Cao Xiong nodded their heads. The Enlightenment Will Trial was actually a simple process. It only involved making use of the Will Inquisition Stone to peer into the innate world of the student. Whichever teacher the student trusted more, that teacher would win. The rules might be simple, but the Will Inquisition Stone was an expensive commodity, not to mention that it was the type of product that was exceptionally rare. Furthermore, it was a single-use consumable. Thus, unless required, the academy was unwilling to use such means. As for the expenditure required for the process, normally, it was compensated by the losing side. In the eyes of Cao Xiong and the rest, Zhang Xuan was just an incapable trash who had scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. How could it be possible for Liu Yang, a student among the top hundred, to become his student willingly? He was bound to lose the moment the trial started! By then, not only would he be expelled from the academy shamefully, he would be bankrupt as well and his reputation would be in the gutters. Truly killing three birds with one stone. “Let’s begin!” Seeing that the two have no objections to it, Elder Shang Chen gestured with his hand. Zhang Xuan and Cao Xiong walked upwards to a crystal ball each and dripped a droplet of their fresh blood on the crystal balls. A warm glow radiated and their faces reflected in the Will Inquisition Crystal Balls. “Go!” Elder Shang Chen said. Liu Yang walked over and placed his left and right hands on a crystal ball each. Weng! The crystal balls immediately lit up and their radiance enveloped his entire body. “The Will Inquisition Stone has hypnotic abilities. The moment one comes into contact with it, one will descend into an illusory realm. In there, all actions done will be a result of one’s true will, and no external factors will influence one’s will. If one was truly forced to become a student, not only will one not hold any trust towards his teacher, one might even hold feelings of abhorrence towards him! As such, the Enlightenment Will Trial is the most straightforward and accurate method to differentiate whether a student is truly willing to acknowledge a teacher!” Gazing upon Liu Yang who had already closed his eyes and descended into the illusory realm, Elder Mo Xiang slowly said. “Indeed, trust level represents the level of trust one holds towards another, and the maximum of which is a hundred points. Every ten points is a demarcation zone and zero points means an absolute lack of trust! Ten points means slight trust, twenty means average trust… The relationship between a teacher and student tends to be around thirty. It is said that the more incredible teachers can make a student’s trust in them reach fifty. That is considered an extremely fearsome result, and it is extremely rare for such results to appear, even considering the entire Tianxuan Kingdom! After all, a child’s trust towards their parents only hovers around sixty or such!” Elder Shang Chen stroked his beard as he continued. The conversation between the two was, in fact, telling the others about the concepts behind the Enlightenment Will Trial. Humans were thinking creatures and each of them had their own thoughts. It wasn’t that easy a feat to have one trust in another. Not mentioning others, even one’s parents, who have lived with them since young, were unable to reach a hundred points of trust! Needless to say, a teacher. Only through long periods of interaction could one’s trust level in another slowly rise up. Yet, it had been barely two days since the start of school. Furthermore, given Zhang Xuan’s horrid reputation, how could he induce trust in any of his students? It was clear to see even when thinking with one’s toes. “Right, Elder Mo, I heard that one of the prerequisites to become a master teacher seems to be the student’s trust level, may I know if it is true?” After explaining the process, Elder Shang Chen remembered something and was unable to hold in his curiosity, he asked. Teachers could be divided into low-level, intermediate-level and high-level. Zhang Xuan belonged to the bottom category, low-level, whereas Shen Bi Ru and Shang Bin have already attained the ranking of high-level. Most people’s journey came to an end as a high-level teacher. The two famous teachers of Hongtian Academy, Lu Xun and Wang Chao, were also at this level. Master teachers, however, were a level above that of high- level teachers! Master teachers weren’t just famous for their reputation, they possessed their unique insights into cultivation. One could only become stronger under the tutelage of such a person, allowing them to eventually becoming a heroic figure of a territory. Emperor Shen Zhui was neither the queen’s son or the eldest son. By logic, it was impossible for the crown to be passed down to him. However, it was said that during his youth, he once studied under a master teacher for a few days, causing his strength to increase by leaps and bounds, thus becoming the strongest of the younger generation. Eventually, he even became the number one expert of the royal family, therefore forming the basis for him to inherit the throne to further the country’s greatness! It was the dream of countless people to study under a master teacher! Teachers could only be considered as a lower occupation of the Upper Nine Paths. However, if one were to become a master teacher, then even among the numerous occupations among the Upper Nine Paths, they were without a doubt, and indisputably, a member of the number one occupation. This was especially so, given the occupation’s frightening ability to rally people. Even the popular occupations like apothecary, blacksmith, formation masters… weren’t able to compete at all! Teachers were known to have innumerable students all over the world. This was even more true for a master teacher. It was very possible for any expert one sees or hears of to be his student. The moment something happened, many people would answer to their calls, to the point that even those in authority dared not offend them. It was said that there was once an emperor from a great kingdom who offended a master teacher. With a single call, dozens of Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm experts surged in and in less than a day, the entire kingdom was destroyed. The royal family was completely purged, not a single descendant of their bloodline remained. This was precisely why it is a known fact among cultivators that one could offend anyone, just not a master teacher! Who knew how many students he has? Who knew how many experts there are in their midst? Offending them was equivalent to stirring a hornet’s nest. Even if one didn’t die, he would be crippled! Of course, the title of a master teacher wasn’t that easily attainable. There were many conditions and prerequisites to it, and earning a student’s trust rapidly was one of it. 65 Ten? “Indeed, one of the requirements in becoming a master teacher is to have a student’s trust in him exceed 60. This is a standard prerequisite! Otherwise, they won’t be qualified!” Elder Mo Xiang nodded his head. “60…” Elder Shang Chen couldn’t help but be astonished. “This level of trust is equivalent to the position of their parents in the heart of the students!” Despite being together for their entire life, the trust level between parents and children were only 60. It was clear to see how difficult it would be for the relationship between a teacher and a student to reach such a level as well! It was no wonder that there wasn’t a single Master Teacher in Tianxuan Kingdom. The prerequisites were simply too harsh! “If Lu Xun and Wang Chao of your academy were to maintain this standard for thirty years or so, there is a possibly of them becoming an associate master teacher!” Elder Mo stroked his beard. There’s no need for master teachers to do everything by themselves. Sometimes, they would delegate tasks to their assistants to help them. The role of an associate master teacher was similar to that of an apprentice. It was a path one must walk on if they intended to become a master teacher. “Associate master teacher?” Elder Shang Chen gasped in surprise. For them to be able to become associate master teachers, this clearly showed the standards Lu Xun and Wang Chao possessed. “I wonder what the trust levels the students the both of them are guiding have towards them are…” he couldn’t help but ask. “Throughout these years, they have garnered quite a positive reputation. Those older students whom they have guided for many years should be able to reach up to 40! However, it will be difficult for it to rise any higher!” Elder Mo shook his head. Being an elder from the Teacher Guild, he was knowledgeable about the circumstances of many teachers. “That’s true!” Shang Chen nodded his head. It was difficult to accrue trust and yet, it falls exceptionally easy. Oftentimes, it could be torn apart by just a small incident. If that wasn’t the case, master teachers wouldn’t possess such tremendous reputation! “I’ve heard that… a genius young lady has appeared in our Teacher Guild. Despite being just eighteen or nineteen this year, she has already become a low-level associate master teacher?” Upon recalling a news, Elder Shang Chen couldn’t resist asking. “She’s the daughter of our guild leader. She is indeed a talent!” Upon bringing up this person, Elder Mo stroked his beard and nodded his head in commendation. Associate master teachers could be split into low-level, intermediate-level and high-level as well. To join one of their ranks under twenty was a fearsome accomplishment, even considering the fact that she was only a low-level associate master teacher. “Incredible!” Upon receiving confirmation of the fact, Elder Shang Chen nodded his head in commendation. He might be the head of the Education Bureau of Hongtian Academy, but in reality, he was just a high-level teacher. He didn’t have the qualifications to become a low-level associate master teacher. After which, Shang Chen didn’t go on further on the topic. Instead, he looked at Zhang Xuan and Cao Xiong, “Elder Mo, how much trust level do you think the both of them will receive?” ………………………… “You… It’s best for you to leave now. Leave Hongtian Academy and never come back…” Seeing the young man standing there foolishly to await the results of the Enlightenment Will Trial, Shen Bi Ru couldn’t help but to walk forward and direct these words to him with a suppressed voice. In her perspective, Zhang Xuan and Shang Bin were two people from completely different worlds. If it weren’t for her, there was no way the two would mix together. Such a circumstance had arisen because of her. If Zhang Xuan were to be beaten a hundred times by the God Slaying Flog and have his teaching license revoked, she would definitely feel guilty about his plight. “You wish to leave now? It’s a little too late!” Seeing his goddess showing concern towards another man, Shang Bin spat out these words through gritted teeth. [You don’t even show the slightest concern when I am reduced to this state, and yet, you worry about this fellow who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. Damn it, damn it!] His face turned savage and he was so angry that he might explode at any moment now. “That’s right, the Enlightenment Will Trial has already begun. You wish to leave? Dream on!” Cao Xiong walked forward and revealed a face of enthusiastic savagery. “The results are about to be out. By then, you will understand how foolish your actions were!” “Are you that certain that you will achieve victory?” Seeing how confident the other party was, as though the winning ticket was in his hand, Zhang Xuan shook his head and asked. “Hehe!” Staring at the young man as though he was a fool, Cao Xiong sneered coldly, “Let me tell you the truth then. This Liu Yang was specially invited here by me. I have been living with him for half a month and our trust level should probably exceed 20! What about you? Do you think you are capable of reaching 10 points? After deceiving him over to your side from me forcefully, I think it is very possible for your score to be negative!” While zero meant no trust whatsoever, negative meant resentment. The greater the resentment, the more negative the number would be. He still clearly remembered Liu Yang’s lingering and reluctant gaze when he was pulled away from him. How could someone who had guided a student to go berserk make this proud fellow concede to them! It was very probable for the relationship between the two to still be frosty, so how could Liu Yang not bear any resentment toward this fellow! “Hongtian Academy is the number one academy of Tianxuan Kingdom. If a student were to really hold a trust level below that of ten points towards his teacher, his teacher will probably become a laughingstock and the event will be known across the entire kingdom!” Shang Bin laughed mockingly. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Since your reputation is already as bad as it can get, there is no need for you to worry about becoming a laughingstock…” “You all…” Seeing the two of them putting him down, Shen Bi Ru’s angry face flushed pink. Just as she was about to refute them, she noticed that the person in question, Zhang Xuan, was still maintaining an impassive and calm face toward their insults, as though he wasn’t bothered by their mocking at all. To tell the truth, Zhang Xuan really didn’t care about it. [These fellows can talk as much as they can now. When the result comes out in awhile, it will be interesting to see them cry…] ………………………… “The two of them?” Hearing Elder Shang Chen’s words, Elder Mo Xiang hesitated for a moment before deducing, “This Liu Yang was recommended here by Cao Xiong laoshi, so his trust level towards him should be slightly higher. Even so, in my opinion, it should only be around 18 or 19. After all, 20 is a large hurdle to overcome! As for Zhang Xuan… If he truly coerced Liu Yang, then it is likely for the trust level to be negative!” “If the trust level turns out to be negative, Hongtian Academy will be embarrassed. At that moment, I will be depending on Elder Mo!” Elder Shang Chen said. “Naturally!” Elder Mo’s eyes were bright and stern. “As an elder from the Teacher Guild, I will not allow such scum to appear in our midst! If it turns out to be negative, then there is no doubt that Liu Yang has been coerced into acknowledging him. I will report the incident up to the guild and adamantly push for Zhang Xuan’s teaching license to be revoked!” Hearing the other party’s promise, Elder Shang Chen smiled. Then, his eyes twinkled and he pointed forward, “Look, the results are about to be out!” The moment his voice sounded, the light the two crystal balls were emanating from the center of the room started to waver and gradually dim. In the Enlightenment Will Trial, the person who was involved in the trial had to go through all kinds of illusory realms before they were able to make a choice from the bottom of their heart. At this instant, the fading of the light meant that he had already undergone the experiences required for the test, and the results were about to be revealed. Weng! Numbers lightly wavered into existence on the crystal ball by the left. “The results are out. Misfortune is about to befall you…” Seeing the numbers slowly floating into existence on the crystal ball, Cao Xiong’s excited eyes gleamed. This time, not only would he be able to accept Liu Yang back under his tutelage, he would also be able to throw Zhang Xuan out and earn the favor of Shang Bin shaoye. With such a pillar of support, wouldn’t his future in the academy be smooth- sailing? Shaoye -> Young master Probably, in less than a few years, he would be able to rise through the ranks successfully to become a high-level teacher. Just as he was getting excited over the scene playing in his mind, the numbers in the crystal ball finally stopped wavering, and they appeared before the crowd. “His trust level in me definitely exceeds twenty…” Roaring, Cao Xiong hurriedly turned his attention to the crystal ball. Yet, with a glance, his excitement choked in his throat and he felt like a duck being grasped at its neck. His eyes widened to the point that they were about to fall onto the floor, “This… How can this be possible?” The results unfolding before him drove him to the brink of insanity! This was something he dared not to imagine! Liu Yang was a student whom he personally invited over. Furthermore, the two even accompanied one another for half a month, giving rise to their close relationship. How could he possibly only hold such a level of trust towards him? The giant numbers on the crystal ball were clear and conspicuous. As though it was a long sword, it stabbed into his heart—— 10! Liu Yang’s trust level toward him was a mere 10 points! Anything below ten meant a lack of trust. Ten was right at the boundary, but it wasn’t too far off from it. Just a moment ago, he even narcissistically boasted that the trust level would be at least twenty. Yet, the result slapped him hard in his face. “Is this the basis of your confidence?” Zhang Xuan looked over. “I…” Cao Xiong failed to catch his breath and almost fainted on the spot. [I had gone through so much trouble, traveling the distance to find you and bring you over. After which, we even spent so much time together. Yet, how can your trust level be so low… Brother, what is wrong with you…] Looking at Liu Yang, the thought of suicide even flashed through Cao Xiong’s mind. [Where is the trust? Where is the basic trust between humans?] 66 This Can’t Be True! “Only 10 points?” Not only did Cao Xiong feel himself going insane, even Elder Mo and Elder Shang Chen couldn’t help but blink their eyes in disbelief. [To apply for an Enlightenment Will Trial with just that meager trust level. May I ask… where did your self- confidence come from? If you wish to take a student off the hands of another teacher, you should at least possess unparalleled standing in the heart of the student. Otherwise, you are just making a fool out of yourself. Initially, we thought that his trust level toward you should be able to reach at least twenty. Even though it isn’t a really high number, it is still within an acceptable range. Yet… The heck, 10? Are you sure that you aren’t joking with us!] Elder Shang Chen’s face darkened. An inauspicious omen loomed in his mind. One didn’t fear a godly opponent, only a pig-like teammate. It was clear that the pig-like teammate had already appeared. By the side, the corners of Shang Bin’s mouth twitched and white foam almost spilled from it. [Before we came here, you declared proudly that Liu Yang would definitely be willing to come under your tutelage once more. With this level of trust, tutelage it was you said? Tutelage your head! The heck! You are trying to fool me, aren’t you!] “So what if his trust level in me is just ten? Liu Yang has a skeptical personality and he doesn’t believe anyone easily! His trust level in me might just be ten, but as long as you fail to exceed that, I will still be the victor!” A moment later, Cao Xiong recovered and howled at Zhang Xuan. “Skeptical personality? If he truly has such a personality, then the situation makes sense!” Elder Mo nodded his head. Humans differed from one to the other. There were a few who were born trusting, while others were born skeptical. No matter how close and amiable a relationship one possessed with him, he couldn’t help but be suspicious of them. This had something to do with the situation one grew up in. If one was born in a treacherous place full of schemes, it wouldn’t be an easy task to establish trust with them. Based on his judgement, Liu Yang should possess a trust level of around seventeen to eighteen towards Cao Xiong. Yet, it turned out to just be ten. If it was true that the former had this kind of personality, then everything fitted together perfectly. “That’s right. As long as his trust level towards you does not exceed 10 points, then it is still unknown who the one laughing at the end will be!” Shang Bin’s eyes lit up and he nodded his head. He decided to place his trust in Cao Xiong once more. Cao laoshi might not be famous in the academy, and he wasn’t a star teacher either. However, he had many good reviews. When put against Zhang Xuan, it was like the difference between a delicacy and dung, totally incomparable. If the former only had ten points, the latter was bound to have far worse results! At this point, the crowd continued staring at the other crystal ball. The light had yet to fully fade from it yet, and it was still shrouded in a thin layer of light. “Why isn’t the result out yet?” Shen Bi Ru frowned slightly. “Different illusory realms appear in the tests of the Will Inquisition Crystal, so naturally, the time taken for each of them will be different as well. It is normal for some to be faster than the others!” Hearing the words of his goddess, Shang Bin stepped forward and putting on a knowledgeable look, he explained. As the grandson of the head of the Education Bureau, he knew quite a lot more about the Enlightenment Will Trial than most of the other teachers. Normally, this kind of acting cool could attract quite a lot of screams, given his dashing looks and extraordinary aura. Just that, it was a pity that the areas around his eyes were bruised black and his face was swollen red. His lips were as though two hanging sausages and he wasn’t much different from the hunchback from the clocktower. In fact, it seemed as though the word ‘dashing’ had nothing to do with him at all. “Then, will be results be better if the test is completed faster, or if it is completed slower?” Ignoring his attempt to act cool, Shen Bi Ru continued asking. “Of course faster is better! If the trial is completed faster, it shows that the student undergoing the trial trusts his teacher from the bottom of his heart to the point that there is no need to even ponder over his instructions. On the other hand, if the trial takes a long period of time, it means that the student does not trust his teacher, and a negative score could very possibly appear…” With his hands behind his back, Shang Bin smiled faintly. With a confident look, he said, “Shen laoshi, trust me. I might not have undergone the Enlightenment Will Trial, but I have read numerous books regarding it. For Liu Yang to be coerced by Zhang Xuan laoshi to acknowledge him as his master, he is bound to hold some resentment against him. It would be normal for him to score a negative ten or so…” Just as he was declaring proudly, rationalizing the reason behind the theory out for Shen Bi Ru, he felt a tug on his shirt, interrupting him from his recount on the ending he expected to occur. “What are you doing?” Shang Bin knitted his eyebrows together in displeasure. It was hard to him to gain an opportunity to perform before his goddess. Yet, someone just had to interrupt him at such an untimely period. Turning around, it was Cao Xiong. At this moment, Cao Xiong laoshi‘s eyes were filled with fear and his body trembled uncontrollably. The confidence he had a moment ago had completely faded. He pointed forward and said, “Shang shaoye, look…” Shaoye -\u003e Young master Looking towards the direction of the finger, the glow from the crystal had finally disappeared without a trace, and a line of numbers had floated to the surface. “Why? Could it be that his score isn’t a negative…” In the midst of his words, Shang Bin glanced at the numbers that have appeared on the crystal and in that instant, he almost bit his tongue to commit suicide. “How is this possible? This… I don’t believe it!” Shang Bin was about to go crazy. The numbers were clearly displayed on the crystal ball—— 64! This meant that the level of trust had reached 64 points! A fellow who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination actually managed to get his student’s trust in him to reach the level of a Master Teacher, comparable to that of the trust between a child and his parents… How was this possible? Shang Bin looked at Cao Xiong. At this moment, the thought of killing him even flashed through his mind. He felt a stifling sensation in his chest and blood seemed to be welling up at the back of his throat. It was difficult for him to find an opportunity to act cool before his goddess. He proudly declared that one’s results would get worse as time went by, only for such a situation to occur… [The heck, are you playing with me? Furthermore… Cao laoshi, can you be a bit more useful? Didn’t you say that this student has a skeptical personality? My ass he has a skeptical personality! How can someone skeptical hold 64 points of trust towards others? Didn’t you say that you are confident in winning? 10 points against 64 points… The heck do you intend to win like this…] Tears streaming down his face, Shang Bin felt a stinging sensation on his face. It felt as though his face had been slapped mercilessly by someone else several times. At this moment, he wished fervently to find a hole to hide in. “64?” Different from the disbelief and mental breakdown of the other two, Elder Mo stood up abruptly and trembled in agitation. This level of trust had already reached the standards of a master teacher. Even for him, it was the first time he had seen such results! A fellow who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination could actually induce such trust from his students? How did he do it? Furthermore… It had just been two days since the start of school. Even if this Zhang Xuan laoshi and Liu Yang had stayed together throughout the entire period, at maximum, they could only have thirty hours of interaction with one another. In such a short period of time, to get one’s trust level beyond 60… Even the legendary 1-star master teacher would find it difficult to achieve such a feat. There were also different tiers to master teachers. 1-star was the lowest of them all. Even so, the prestige and influence they held were sufficient to drive others insane. “The two elders, is this considered as my victory?” Couldn’t be bothered with the stunned Shang Bin and Cao Xiong, Zhang Xuan directed his gaze toward Shang Chen and Mo Xiang. “Impossible, there must be a problem with the crystal. Otherwise, how can he have such a high trust level? I will not accept this result!” Cao Xiong howled. It was no wonder that he is unwilling to accept it. It was as though a beggar he had been interacting with suddenly turned out to be an emperor. As someone who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, he thought that the results would definitely end up as a negative. Yet… Not only was it not a negative, it turned out to be an overwhelming 64, surpassing all teachers within the school. His will could already be considered rather strong given that he had yet to go insane at this point. “I also agree with Cao laoshi‘s words. How can he induce such a level of trust in his students? If it is true, doesn’t that mean that even Lu Xun and Wang Chao are incomparable to him…” Shang Bin stepped forward and said through gritted teeth. Hearing the words of the two, Elder Mo was about to say something when he saw Liu Yang, who had just completed the trial, walking over to Zhang Xuan with glowing eyes that were filled with reverence. 67 The Arrival of the Wang Clan This reverence came from the depth of his heart. There was no way to feign those bright and clear eyes. That gaze was indubitably the gaze that one directs at someone whom he was impressed with. There wasn’t the slightest impurity in his gaze. With a single look, Elder Mo Xiang knew that Liu Yang truly revered this Zhang laoshi, and that it wasn’t a fault with the crystal! “Shut up!” Knowing this, Elder Mo’s face darkened. Cold intent exuded from his glare, “The Will Inquisition Crystal tests one’s heart, forcing them to make the most correct decision in their opinion. Never has a problem occurred with it, and it is impossible for it to malfunction! If you continue on with this nonsense, I will throw you both out!” “I…” Seeing Elder Mo so angry, Shang Bin and Cao Xiong went mute, not daring to say a single word more. “You… How did you do it?” Upon seeing this result, Shen Bi Ru covered her mouth in shock, unable to believe that such a result was possible. A trust level of 64, even the star teachers of Hongtian Academy who had led their students for several years couldn’t possibly obtain such results. From yesterday, this young man had been bringing her countless surprises. She didn’t expect that the surprise today would be even greater! [No wonder he is fearless. Looks like he has already known that he would win!] “Since I have won, should we carry out the terms we had agreed on, stripping Cao laoshi of his teaching license and lashing him with a hundred God Slaying Flogs?” Zhang Xuan looked over. [Since he started the affair, then he should have realized that the same could happen to him as well! I am a transcender from the modern civilization with a gift pack, do you think that I will allow an ancient person like you bully me?] “This…” Elder Shang Chen was in a dilemma. He had intended to help his grandson vent his anger, yet… Not only did he fail to vent his anger, he was slapped in the face once more. With an awkward expression, he was at a loss of what he should do. “Let’s not let things go too far. Zhang laoshi, since you have won, let’s just let this matter drop!” After a moment, Elder Shang Chen said. “Let this matter drop? If I was the one who lost, Elder Shang Chen probably won’t be saying such words!” Zhang Xuan frowned. If he was the one who lost today, it was within expectations that the Education Bureau would pursue this matter to no end. It would be impossible for him to not be expelled! Yet, now that he has won, he actually wanted to try to settle this with just a few words… What kind of joke was this! “Audacious!” Elder Shang Chen’s face darkened. “Mind your identity! You are just a lowly low-level teacher who managed to stumble upon some luck that allowed your student’s trust towards you to grow rapidly. This is just a one-time exception, is there anything about it to be gleeful about? If you are truly capable, then raise their cultivation realms before we talk about this matter! You have only earned the trust of a single individual, what significance can this hold?” “That’s right! This Zhang Xuan is born with the innate ability to deceive others, so what if the trust level towards him is high! If I’m not wrong, the reason why the student he had taught previously went berserk is because he had trusted him too much, that’s why he was deceived, causing him to regret his entire life!” Hearing the chastise, Cao Xiong laoshi quickly reacted and pushed on. [Trust level is just a criterion to evaluate a teacher’s standards. It isn’t reflective of their true abilities. There is only one way to prove a teacher’s capabilities. That is… to make their student’s strength grow rapidly! So what if your student trusts you as though you are their parents? If you don’t have the ability to guide them along, you still aren’t a qualified teacher!] “Berserk?” Elder Mo frowned. “Elder Mo might not have heard of it, but this Zhang Xuan has once caused the cultivation of his student to go berserk! Due to this incident, all of his students fled from him. That’s also the reason why his Teacher Qualification Examination ended with zero marks!” Cao Xiong said with a savage expression. “I suspect that the reason why Liu Yang trusts him so much is because he used some special deception methods. Otherwise, how can a fellow who has scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination raise the trust level of a student to be above 60 in just two short days?” “This…” It wasn’t impossible for the words that they speak of to be true. In the past, there was a teacher that used a special method to delude a student so as to take the examination to become a master teacher. The method he used is similar to hypnotism, causing even the subconsciousness of the student to think that he was worthy of trust! However, these methods were limited by time. After the duration ends, the student’s psyche would be severely damaged! Could it be that… this Zhang Xuan had used a method similar to that? If that’s truly the case, it would mean that he didn’t care about the safety of his students at all. Not only was he an unqualified teacher, he would be a criminal as well! “A teacher should concentrate mainly on nurturing others. If one were to win the trust of his students, yet not possessing the relevant knowledge to impart to them, his students will only be misguided, causing an even greater catastrophe! That’s precisely the reason why no one in or out of the academy trusts him, and why he is unable to recruit many students! His results this term are better than the previous one, but even so, he had only recruited five students!” Shang Bin interrupted the conversation contemptuously. “Only recruited five students? That number is indeed a little low…” Elder Mo nodded his head. “Regardless of the number of students I have recruited, and whether I am able to teach my students well or not, this is the Enlightenment Will Tower, and my student and I are here to participate in the Enlightenment Will Trial. We have already come to an agreement on the stakes beforehand. Now that I have won, do you all intend to go back on your words?” Zhang Xuan said. [There’s no use rambling on about those useless things, the other party is clearly trying to divert the topic after their loss.] “Audacious! How can a teacher’s teaching license be revoked so easily because of a gamble? Aren’t you taking this too lightly? Ever since Cao Xiong laoshi joined our academy last year, he has been working diligently. He has nurtured a Fighter 2-dan intermediate stage and innumerable talents joining our ranks had identified him as the teacher they want to acknowledge. He has brought glory and honor to our academy! What about you? You are the only person to have scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination in the hundred years of history of Hongtian Academy, what rights do you have to be spouting nonsense here?” Elder Shang Chen flung his sleeves and said, “Alright, let’s just end the matter like that! We will talk about it when you are able to cultivate a student to Fighter 2-dan intermediate stage and when more students are willing to acknowledge you as their teachers!” “Elder Shang…” Shen Bi Ru raised her eyebrows. Initially, she didn’t intend to say anything, but never did she expect that an elder would actually help Cao Xiong laoshi cheat. Fury raged in her heart. [They shouldn’t have made this gamble if they were afraid to carry out the punishment! They were the one who proposed the gamble, and yet now, they are trying to push away the consequences upon losing. Aren’t they being too shameless!] “Shen laoshi, my grandfather is right. No matter what, Cao Xiong is a respectable teacher of our academy. It is making a big fuss to have him expelled over such a minute affair! Besides, firing such a talent is a loss to our academy…” Shang Bin said with a bright smile. “You… You are being unreasonable!” Shen Bi Ru’s face flushed red. “Just like what Zhang Xuan said, if he had lost, will you all let him off just like that?” “What does he count as? Can he be compared with Cao Xiong laoshi? Can he nurture a Fighter 2-dan student? Can he attract countless students to the academy through his reputation…” Shang Bin sneered coldly. Dong dong dong! Before he could finish his words, knocking sounds echoed from outside the hall. “Is there anything?” Elder Shang Chen frowned. Following which, Zhou laoshi, the teacher on duty today, pushed the door open and walked in. “Elder Shang, there are people outside seeking an audience. They claim to be… Clan Head Wang Hong and elders of the Wang Clan of Tianxuan Royal City!” The teacher said. “Clan Head Wang Hong? Hurry up and invite him in!” Upon hearing that Clan Head Wang Hong had come personally, Elder Shang Chen stood up abruptly, his eyes twinkling with enthusiasm. The powers in Tianxuan Royal City were complicated. To become one of the Four Great Clans and remain standing even after a hundred years, their accumulation through the ages and strength was one to behold! In fact, the standing of Clan Head Wang Hong was in no way inferior to their vice-principal! For a person of such standing to pay a visit to him along with the elders of his family, just the honor from the act itself was enough to send him into a frenzy. If word were to spread out, it would definitely add a beautiful and powerful stroke to his reputation and qualifications. 68 Paying Respect to Teacher Zhang Xuan “Grandfather, I have heard of Clan Head Wang Hong. He is listed in the potential Zongshi board and he ranks within the top ten most influential figures within the kingdom. His cultivation has already reached Fighter 7-dan pinnacle, just a step off from Zongshi! Why would a person of such standing pay a visit to you?” Shang Bin’s eyes shone in excitement, although he still found the situation before him unbelievable. In Tianxuan Kingdom, those who knew of the royal family were aware of the Four Great Clans as well. Clan Head Wang Hong, as the strongest individual in the Wang Clan, had already reached Fighter 7-dan pinnacle and his name spread far and wide. Normally, it was impossible to fawn on such a person even if one intended to. Yet, today, he specially made the journey to pay a visit to his grandfather. If it weren’t for him hearing the news firsthand, it would be hard for him to think of it to be true! “Haha, it must be Wang Tao!” Elder Shang Chen chuckled. “Wang Tao shaoye?” Shaoye -> Young master “That’s right. Wang Tao is the eldest son of Clan Head Wang Hong and eventually, he will succeed his position in the Wang clan. Not only did I accept him as my disciple, I even successfully brought his strength up to Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm. Thinking of it now, the clan head might be aware of my efforts to nurture him, thus, he came here specially to express his gratitude!” Elder Shang Chen stroked his beard, indescribable gleefulness could be heard from his words. “Wang Tao… is his student?” Listening to their conversation, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He was aware that Wang Ying’s brother was accepted as a disciple by an elder. However, never would he have imagined that the elder would be him. “Yes!” Shen Bi Ru nodded her head, although her complexion was still awful. “It would be better for you to expend your energy on thinking of a solution to your problem. Elder Shang Chen is obviously against you, and now, he has the Wang clan behind his back as well. In the future, he will be even more domineering. Even if you were to stay in the academy, you will be in for a difficult time!” “We’ll talk about it in the future!” Zhang Xuan didn’t care about it at all. Even if the other party were to pick against him, he wasn’t someone that could be bullied so easily. At most, he just had to reveal his strength and settle the matter with strength! After all, with the Library of Heaven’s Path which allowed him to see through the flaws of others, it was hard to say which one of them would emerge victorious. “You…” Seeing the fellow behaving so nonchalantly, Shen Bi Ru stomped her feet furiously. She had been worrying about him, and yet he didn’t care about it at all. How infuriating! “Let’s go and welcome them!” Gleefully, Elder Shang Chen hurriedly led Shang Bin and the rest to the entrance of the academy. A personal visit from the clan head of one of the Four Great Clans, it would be worth the effort even if they had to welcome him from outside the academy, needless to say, its entrance. If he could strike a connection with them, then it was possible that he might even become a candidate for the position of vice- principal for the selection that was going to be held next year! “Elder Shang!” Before reaching the entrance, a group of seven to eight people walked over with widened strides. The one leading the group was a middle-aged man. There was an authoritative tone between his brows. It was clear with one look that he had been in an esteemed position for a long time. The clan head of the Wang clan, Wang Hong! There were a few elderly following behind him, and every movement of theirs exuded the strength of one that was at minimum Pixue realm. Without guessing, it was clear to see that they are the elders of the Wang clan. At the very back, there were two youngsters. One of them was Wang Tao while the other one was the grandson of the 2nd Elder, Wang Yan, who was just admitted into the academy this year. It was said that he had been admitted as a student of Lu Xun laoshi. Possessing decent talent, he was favored by him. “I am flattered by the personal visit of Clan Head Wang. If there is any matter, you can always just pass a message to me. Coming over like this, I am… very honored!” Elder Shang Chen hurriedly said. “There is no need to be so formal. To tell the truth, I do have a matter that I require your help on…” Clan Head Wang Hong replied with a smile. “Clan Head Wang, feel free to speak!” Elder Shang Chen quickly responded. If he was able to do him a favor, then surely he would be able to successfully climb on the massive tree known as the Wang clan… “I’m sure Elder Shang has already heard of my youngest daughter, Wang Ying. I’ve heard that she had acknowledged a teacher named Zhang Xuan…” Clan Head Wang Hong spoke slowly. “Zhang Xuan? Is Clan Head Wang here to find trouble with him?” Shang Bin’s eyes twinkled. He almost leapt from the overwhelming elation upon hearing those words. Previously, he saw Wang Tao shaoye outside Zhang Xuan’s classroom, and he knew that Wang Ying was deceived into becoming Zhang Xuan’s student. It was within his expectations that the Wang clan would not allow such a thing to happen. However, not even in his dreams would he have expected that the other party would make a move so swiftly, even having their clan head to come in person to settle the issue! Clenching his fists tightly, Shang Bin roared frenziedly in laughter in his mind. [So what if you have won the Enlightenment Will Trial? This is the Wang clan, one of the Four Great Clans of Tianxuan Royal City! Not mentioning how you are the worst teacher of the entire academy, even if a reputable teacher like Wang Chao were to offend them, he will also be in for a ride of misfortune!] Given that Shang Bin was able to think of such a possibility, naturally, Cao Xiong also arrived at the same conclusion. His entire body trembled intensely in excitement, as though he was afflicted with epilepsy. “Shut up! This isn’t the place for you to speak!” Hearing his grandson interrupt Clan Head Wang’s words, Elder Shang Chen quickly chastised him. Even though he was the head of the Education Bureau, he had too much work that required his attention. All he knew was that Zhang Xuan had recruited five students, but as for who the five are, he was completely oblivious to it. As such, he didn’t know that Wang Ying was also his student. “Don’t worry about…” Clan Head Wang Hong waved his hand to show that he wasn’t bothered by Shang Bin’s interruption. However, halfway through his words, Wang Tao stepped forward and shouted, “Father!” “What’s wrong?” Clan Head Wang Hong frowned. “That person there is Zhang Xuan laoshi!” Wang Tao pointed. Upon walking into the hall of the Enlightenment Will Tower, he spotted and recognized Zhang Xuan. “He is Zhang laoshi?” Looking over, Clan Head Wang Hong’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s right, this person over here is our academy’s Zhang Xuan!” He never thought that Zhang laoshi would be so daring to even deceive Wang Ying. A gleam flashed across Elder Shang Chen’s eyes as he introduced him with a smile. “Hehe! This time, he is in for a tough time. Clan Head Wang is decisive when it comes to killing others. He isn’t as law- abiding as us teachers…” “He deserves it, to dare to even deceive the precious daughter of Clan Head Wang. Aren’t his guts a little much too inflated…” Seeing Clan Head Wang Hong turning his attention to Zhang Xuan the moment he walked into the hall, Shang Bin and Cao Xiong laughed heartily in their hearts at his misfortune. [Which of those who managed to become a clan head of the Four Great Clans aren’t vicious? As the academy’s worst teacher, he is courting death for trying to coax the daughter of such a person!] Just when the two thought that Zhang Xuan was doomed this time, an incredulous spectacle suddenly unfolded before them. They only saw Clan Head Wang Hong taking two steps forward to stand before Zhang Xuan. He wasn’t as angry as they expected him to be, neither did he assault him as they expected him to. Rather… with an excited expression, he bowed deeply and carefully, “Wang Hong pays his respects to Zhang Xuan laoshi!” His attitude made it feel as though he was paying respects to some great leader, fearful that his abrupt appearance and words would incur the displeasure of the other party. “The heck!” “Surely my eyes are mistaken! This… How can this be?” Shang Bin and Cao Xiong spasmed simultaneously, and the both of them almost lost consciousness on the spot. [What is going on? This isn’t how the script should go. Shouldn’t Clan Head Wang Hong roar at Zhang Xuan upon catching sight of him, then pummel him while he’s at it? Why did he suddenly bow, and even ‘pay respects’…] It might just be a formality, but not even his own grandfather, Elder Shang Chen, had the privilege of being greeted like this just now… What rights did a fellow with a score of zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination have to be entitled to such a greeting? “Calm down, Clan Head Wang Hong. Being angry hurts one’s liver. The worst teacher in the academy isn’t worthy of your wrath… Un? Cough cough…” Initially, Elder Shang Chen had wanted to play the role of a good person so as to pretend to persuade him otherwise. However, halfway through his words, he saw that sight unfolding before him. In this instant, he felt as though he had eaten a dead rat. His smile froze on his face and he almost choked to death on his saliva. [Didn’t you say that Zhang Xuan deceived Wang Ying to become his student? Didn’t you say that Clan Head Wang Hong is here to find trouble with him? Can someone tell me, what the heck is going on here?] 69 Withdrawing from Tutelage “Clan Head Wang, you…” Not just the crowd was shocked, even Zhang Xuan was slightly bewildered by the current situation. Even if he had taught Wang Ying, there shouldn’t be any need for him to specially make the journey to visit him. “You treated my daughter’s legs and imparted to her incredibly profound knowledge. It is only fitting for me to come in person to show you my gratitude!” Clan Head Wang nodded his head. The issue with Wang Ying’s legs had always been a weight on his heart. Not only did this teacher treat her disability, he even brought about a rise in her strength. His capabilities were already comparable to a master teacher! Before a master teacher, even his identity as the head of the Wang clan meant nothing at all! “She is my student, so it is natural that I have to guide her well. This is where my responsibility lies, so there’s no need for you to be thankful to me!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. The responsibility of an educator was to impart knowledge, impart skills and clarify doubts! In his previous life, although he might have just been a librarian in a high school, he was still a member of the teaching faculty. As such, he held high respect and love toward this occupation. Since Wang Ying was his student, there was no reason for him to feel smug for solving her problems to allow her to cultivate better. Upon seeing the calmness he spoke with, the crowd went insane once more. This was the head of the Wang clan! It was like a beggar meeting a billionaire! How could he still remain so calm, not anxious in the least at all? “This is where my responsibility lies. Good, good!” Taking this scene into sight, Elder Mo stroked his beard and he nodded his head in approval. As the winds of the world changed, the ancient values gradually corroded. In the pursuit of fame and benefits, many teachers have already forgotten their primary objective. It was respectable for this Zhang Xuan laoshi to be able to remain true to his core. “With this kind of mindset, along with Liu Yang’s high level of trust and Clan Head Wang Hong’s commendation and respect, could Elder Shang Chen be mistaken?” At this point, doubts started to bloom in Elder Mo’s mind. Before he came, he had heard many criticisms about Zhang Xuan laoshi from Shang Chen, causing him to think that he was truly a useless trash who is only capable of deceit, flattery and bringing harm upon others. However, by the looks of it now, this didn’t seem to be the case at all! However, he chose to keep his misgivings to himself and continued to watch over the situation. “Clan Head Wang, please proceed in!” As expected of an elder, Shang Chen’s awkward expression recovered swiftly as he invited the group from the Wang clan to their respective seats. “Clan Head Wang Hong!” Elder Mo clasped his hand. “Oh, it is Elder Mo Xiang from the Teacher Guild. What kind of wind brought you here today?” Only noticing Elder Mo now, Wang Hong quickly stood up. The Teacher Guild was the number one guild, rising above that of the Apothecary Guild, Formation Master Guild and many others. Even if the cultivation of the elders in the guild was not comparable to his own, they still weren’t people that a mere Wang clan could afford to offend. “There is some minor matter that requires my attention!” Elder Mo casually replied. Then, with a puzzled look, he gazed over, “Even if Wang Ying xiaojie were to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as her teacher, there shouldn’t be any need for you to come over personally to pay a visit to him!” Xiaojie -> Miss/ Young mistress Who was this person before him? The clan head of one of the Four Great Clans, an incredible expert who lords over a formidable power! Even if his daughter had acknowledged Zhang Xuan as her teacher, and Zhang Xuan had treated the disability that had been plaguing her for a long time, the situation still shouldn’t warrant a personal visit on his part. “Looks like Elder Mo is still as wise as always! Indeed, I have something that I need to trouble Elder Shang Chen for!” Clan Head Wang Hong nodded his head with a smile. “Oh? Trouble me? Clan Head Wang is too polite. Feel free to speak whatever you need me! As long as it is within my abilities, I will try my best to accomplish it!” Hearing that the other party had something to ask of him, Elder Shang Chen’s self-confidence recovered. He looked at Zhang Xuan gleefully as he stroked his beard, putting on an attitude of superiority. [You just happened to treat Wang Ying’s disability by coincidence, thus impelling Clan Head Wang to spare you an additional glance. However, if we were to look at the situation carefully, regardless of identity or the ability to nurture others, you still pale too much in comparison to me! Look, Clan Head Wang has something to ask of me…] “It’s like this. My son has been under your tutelage for these few days and he has been under Shang laoshi’s care. I apologize for not coming over personally earlier to express my gratitude to you!” With a hand gesture from Clan Head Wang, an elder walked forward and presented something. “This is a token of my appreciation for the concern you have shown my son these few days!” “Clan Head Wang, there’s no need to be so polite. Teaching and nurturing the young generation is the duty of a teacher, I dare not accept your present!” Elder Shang Chen quickly rejected it. Given that Elder Mo from the Teacher Guild was here, even if he wanted to accept the presents, he would need the guts to do so! “Elder Shang’s upright character is worthy of admiration!” Upon the other party’s refusal, Clan Head Wang Hong waved his hand as he dropped the matter. Then, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with Elder Shang today. Recently, my son has been facing some problems in his cultivation. He realized that elder’s lessons weren’t compatible with him. So… can you withdraw him from your tutelage?” “Withdraw from my tutelage?” Upon hearing these words, the calm on the surface but gleeful on the inside Elder Shang Chen staggered and almost fell down. [Withdraw from my tutelage? Why would you want to withdraw from my tutelage all of a sudden?] A student withdrawing from a teacher’s tutelage was equivalent to slapping him in his face, as this meant that the teacher’s ability to impart knowledge was subpar. Initially, he thought that Clan Head Wang Hong was here to delegate some task to him, so he was feeling gleeful about it. In the end, the reason for his visit turned out to be this matter. The heck, if news of it were to spread out, he might even lose his position as head of the Education Bureau! He could very well die from the shame! “Indeed! I hope that elder can fulfill this request of mine!” Clan Head Wang Hong said. “This…” Elder Shang Chen felt a fiery sensation on his face, as though someone slapped it. He felt like throwing a temper, but at the same time, he dared not to. After hesitating for a long period of time, he squeezed out a smile and said, “Clan Head Wang, don’t worry about it. Since your son has already made his decision, then I will grant his request!” After which, he took the identity jade token from the other party and drips a droplet of his fresh blood on it. Weng! His lessons plan on it had been erased. “My gratitude, Elder Shang!” Clan Head Wang Hong nodded his head in satisfaction as he passed the jade token to Wang Tao. “There’s no need for such words. The relationship between a teacher and a student should be mutual. If he is unable to adapt to my teachings, it is perfectly normal for him to want to withdraw from my tutelage. Just that, may I know which teacher Wang Tao wants to acknowledge after withdrawing from my tutelage?” As his heart bled, Elder Shang Chen squeezed out a smile. Wang Tao was an extremely famous student under his wing. He was an incredible existence that was able to score within the top ten in the level examinations every year! For such a person to withdraw from his tutelage… Just by thinking about it, he felt like pulling his hair out. At the same time, he was also perplexed. Since Clan Head Wang Hong was adamant to have his son withdraw from his tutelage, who would he have him acknowledge? He was an elder, as well as the head of the Education Bureau. He might not be the best teacher in the entire academy, but he was considered as a star teacher. There were many people who would squeeze their way to come under his wing! He truly couldn’t think of anyone who could make the head of the Wang clan specially make the journey here to help his son withdraw from his tutelage and switch to that of theirs. “Oh, I already have a candidate in mind!” Clan Head Wang Hong stood up and walked over to Zhang Xuan. Courteously, he asked, “Zhang laoshi, is it possible for you to accept my son, Wang Tao, under your tutelage? Can you accept him as your student?” “What?” “This…” “This shouldn’t be happening? To withdraw from Elder Shang Chen’s lessons, just to become Zhang Xuan’s student?” Seeing his actions and hearing those words, the entire Enlightenment Will Tower went deathly silent. Everyone had gone insane. Especially Elder Shang Chen, he almost puked a mouthful of blood and died on the spot. [Clan head Wang Hong, you must be joking! Withdrawing from my lessons just to come under the tutelage of a fellow who has scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination?] Shang Bin and Cao Xiong were dumbfounded. The trash teacher whom they had viewed contemptuously before actually made the head of a clan personally step forth to persuade an elder to withdraw his son from his tutelage, so that his son could come under his wing. [The great heavens and the vast earth, can you be any more unreasonable…] However, before the crowd could recover from their insanity, they heard the faint voice of a young man echoing in the room. “My apologies, but I refuse!” Gudong! Everyone fell to the floor. 70 Doubts “The heck!” “Refuse? Brother, are you serious?” Shang Bin, Cao Xiong and Shen Bi Ru tugged on their hair, every single one of them on the verge of going mad. The thrill that they had experienced today was much more than what they had experienced in their entire lifetime. [Who is Wang Tao? One of the top ten geniuses in the academy. There isn’t a single teacher who isn’t vying to pull him under their wing. Back then, Elder Shang Chen only managed to rope him in through exploiting his identity as the head of the Education Bureau… A genius like that, accompanied with the personal plea from the Wang clan’s head… The hell, you actually refused it?] Shang Bin and others felt as though they have just incurred 10000 damage, and they found themselves unable to catch their breath. Just a moment ago, he just criticized him for being unable to recruit students. Yet, the next moment… the Wang clan’s head sent his son over to him! However, what was the most shocking of all was that… he refused to accept him! “My heart, my liver…” Elder Shang Chen felt fresh blood coursing erratically around his throat, threatening to spurt out at any moment. [Is there still justice in the world? Is there still law in the world? I am an elder, not to mention the head of the Education Bureau. It is one thing that you withdrew from my tutelage to acknowledge a fellow who scored zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination as your teacher. The worst of it all is that he refuses to accept…] Elder Shang Chen felt as though his face had been torn off violently, ground and scattered onto the floor. At this moment, he wished fervently for a hole to appear in the ground so that he could conceal himself in it. Too embarrassing! He felt as though his dignity had been thrown away all the way to his grandmother’s house! Standing by the side, Elder Mo Xiang’s eyeballs were also about to fall to the floor. Just a moment ago, his opinion of Zhang laoshi had improved, but by the looks of it now, it seemed that it was still insufficient! “Refuse?” Awkwardness reflected on the face of Clan Head Wang. He immediately shot a glance at his son. “I beg Zhang laoshi to accept me as your disciple!” Wang Tao hurriedly stepped forward, knelt on the floor and looked at Zhang Xuan with a sincere expression. It was true that he had looked down on this Zhang laoshi before. However, upon seeing his younger sister’s legs being healed and an explosive surge in her strength, as well as recalling how his sword was clamped by two mere fingers of the other party, he was already impressed with him from the bottom of his heart. “I refuse!” Zhang Xuan waved him away. A student could choose his teacher. Similarly, a teacher could also choose his students as well! Yesterday, this Wang Tao barged into his classroom. Not only was he disrespectful, he even pointed a weapon at him. How could he possibly accept such a student under his wing? Back then, even though Zhao Ya had only challenged him verbally, she was still punished to clean the washroom! If a teacher were to not have any dignity, his students would look down on him. If that’s the case, how could his guidance bear any results on them? “I know that I was rash and I had offended Zhang laoshi, but on the account that I am still immature and ignorant of etiquette, I hope that you will not hold it against me!” Knowing the reason behind his refusal, Wang Tao hurriedly spoke. The dignity of a teacher could not be sullied. After he wielded a sword to attack Zhang Xuan, it was one thing for the other party to not to fuss over the matter. Yet, at this moment, he still hoped to be admitted under his tutelage. It was no wonder that his request would be rejected! “Indeed, my son is ignorant of teacher’s greatness, so he was a little rash back then. I hope that you can forgive…”Clan Head Wang Hong quickly explained. “Wang clan head, there is no need to say these. I don’t think that this is the reason why Zhang laoshi refuses to accept your son!” At this point, an abrupt voice echoed in the room. Tracing the source of the voice, it came from the one who had just lost in the Enlightenment Will Trial a moment ago, Cao Xiong. If it was just a moment ago, with Elder Shang Chen’s prestige and standing, he was surely able to annul the punishment for him. If that failed, he could also think of methods to drag the punishment out, allowing the agreement to gradually fade out of view. Yet, at this moment, the clan head of the Wang clan, Wang Hong, came over to beg Zhang Xuan. It was very probable that he would be unable to escape the punishment from the Enlightenment Will Trial if the situation were to continue on like this. In any case, the situation was already irreversible. There was no need for him to worry about souring his relationship with Zhang Xuan even further. “Un?” Hearing someone interrupt his words, Clan Head Wang Hong’s face darkened in displeasure. “This Zhang Xuan only has the strength of a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm whereas Wang Tao shaoye‘s current level of cultivation is Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm. Since his strength is unable to match up with him, how can he guide him or give him pointers? The reason why he is reluctant to accept him as his student is because he is aware of it as well!” Shaoye -> Young master With a savage expression on his face, Cao Xiong roared. “Indeed, his strength doesn’t even match up to Wang Tao shaoye. To think that he would even consider accepting him as his student, what a joke!” Shang Bin immediately reacted and hurriedly added in. “Clan Head Wang, please reconsider your decision. It’s alright for Wang Tao shaoye to withdraw from my tutelage, but if he were to acknowledge someone whose cultivation realm is lower than him as his teacher, it would be difficult for him to raise his cultivation level in the future!” A gleam flashed across Elder Shang Chen’s eyes as well. That’s right, the Zhang Xuan standing before them only had the strength of a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm. This was a fact well-known by everyone in the academy. A Fighter 4-dan expert acknowledging someone weaker than him as his master, this in itself was a joke! “This…” Gedeng, Clan Head Wang Hong’s heart beat. He had heard of Zhang Xuan’s incredible theories from Wang Ying’s mouth, but he didn’t know his exact level of cultivation. Although Wang Tao had attacked him before, as he had never told him about it, he wasn’t aware of it either. If what the other party said was true, and this Zhang laoshi only had the strength of Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm, then he was truly incapable of teaching Wang Tao! It was true that a teacher who was knowledgeable in theories could impart them to his student, but only by cultivating it and testing it out firsthand would he have a greater comprehension of it. If the teacher himself had yet to reach such heights, then it was unlikely that he is able to teach them well. This was just like in Zhang Xuan’s previous life. If the teacher himself was incapable of solving a problem, then how could he teach his student to do it? There were many matters that a teacher was required to be precognizant of, so that the student could take note of them while cultivating. Otherwise, no matter how many incredible theories a teacher might wield in their brain, they were just like a reflection of the moon on the lake, unable to come to be of practical use. “Zhang Xuan, even if you wish to teach Wang Tao shaoye, do you have the ability to? If you don’t, stop putting on an act here. With your strength as a Fighter 3-dan, you might be able to muddle some freshmen who have just entered the academy, but don’t dream about doing the same with the older students!” Seeing Zhang Xuan remaining silent, savagery and excitement gleamed in Cao Xiong’s eyes. “Indeed, Clan Head Wang. What Cao Xiong laoshi says makes sense. Zhang Xuan himself has yet to break through to Fighter 4-dan, so it is natural that he is unsure of the method of cultivation at that level. How can he guide a student’s Pigu realm cultivation like that!” Regaining his confidence once more, Elder Shang Chen said as he stroked his beard. “No, your words are wrong!” Hearing the mocking of the crowd, Wang Tao hurriedly stood up to explain. “Who says that Zhang laoshi‘s strength is unable to match up to me? Yesterday, when I unintentionally offended him, I attacked him with my sword using my full strength. Yet, he managed to catch my sword easily with just two fingers of his. Such a feat is impossible if he is only at Zhenqi realm!” “Catch with two fingers? Haha, Wang Tao shaoye, even if you wanted to spare him some dignity, you need to come up with something more believable!” Cao Xiong sneered coldly, “You are a Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm expert and your strength exceeds 700kg. Furthermore, given the weight and the speed of your blade, even a Pixue realm primary stage expert will find it hard to take it on bare- handed, needless to say with two fingers… You can’t be trying to tell me that our Zhang laoshi, who scored zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination, has reached Pixue realm, just like the elders of our school!” [A sword is light and flexible in its movements, and the full strength attack of a Pigu realm advanced stage expert is fast as lightning. If the other party isn’t well-versed in the opponent’s swordsmanship and know precisely where the attack is going to land beforehand, even a Pixue realm primary stage expert will find it hard to catch his attack… Yet, Wang Tao actually said that the worst teacher in the academy managed to catch his attack easily… You must be joking!] “I’ve seen it too, teacher used two fingers to hold his sword in place!” Liu Yang explained in a fluster as well. He had seen the situation that day with his own eyes and there wasn’t any falsehood in his words. However, given his high trust level in Zhang Xuan, the moment he said it, it seemed as though he was helping him to cover up the lie. “Clan Head Wang Hong, you are a great clan of cultivators!” Ignoring the explanations of the two, Elder Shang Chen sneered coldly. “Do you think that someone who isn’t at Pixue realm intermediate stage is capable of catching Wang Tao shaoye‘s full strength attack?” “This…” Clan Head Wang Hong hesitated. Catching Wang Tao’s attack at full strength with just two fingers, this was a feat that average Pixue realm experts would find difficult to accomplish! This Zhang laoshi might have incredible theories, but to reach Pixue realm intermediate stage at such a young age… Even he found it hard to believe. After all, it was too shocking! “Wang Tao shaoye, I understand that you said those things intentionally to bring up Zhang Xuan’s reputation because you want him to accept you as his student. However, there is a limit to everything. Sometimes, going too far isn’t good…” Seeing Wang Hong stumped, Elder Shang Chen opened up his arms majestically and spoke with a wise demeanor. Just as he was about to continue chatting casually with Clan Head Wang Hong and bring up some profound theories to prove that what Wang Tao said was untrue, he heard the voice of the teacher on duty sounding from beyond the room once more. “Elder Shang!” “What’s the matter?” Elder Shang Chen frowned in displeasure. [Didn’t you see that I am in the midst of acting cool? How can one be so incapable of reading the situation!] “There is someone outside who is seeking an audience with Zhang Xuan laoshi…” the teacher on duty said in a fluster. “Looking for Zhang Xuan? Who?” [What’s going on today? Why is everyone looking for Zhang Xuan today?] “It is… the son of Zhennan Wang, Bai Xun xiao wangye!” the teacher on duty said. 71 The Arrogant Young “Bai Wang Ye” “Bai Xun ‘Xiao Wang Ye’?” [1] Xiao -> Young Everyone in the room was taken aback. This Bai Xun might be young, but he was a martial arts genius. At just seventeen years old, he had already reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle, causing his name to spread far and wide in the entire Tianxuan City. Emperor Shen Zhui once commented that it was very possible for him to become the youngest Pixue realm expert in the kingdom. Zhennan Wang was preoccupied with guarding the southern borders and thus, he didn’t reside in the capital. As a result, this young wangye didn’t attend classes at Hongtian Academy. However, due to his outstanding results, he managed to be admitted into the even more incredible Beiwu Academy! Beiwu Academy was a school with a 1-star master teacher in it! All those who were able to pass the examination to join its ranks were all famous geniuses. [These few days, Zhennan Wang returned to Tianxuan City to report on his duty. As such, Bai Xun followed him to the capital as well. Just that… What is he doing here, looking for Zhang Xuan laoshi… One is the worst teacher in the academy while the other one is a supreme genius, son of an influential and powerful official… There is no way to compare the two at all! Is it possible for the two of them to know each other? But their social positions are way too different!] “Hurry, invite him in!” Elder Shang Chen might not know what is going on, but he dared not to be discourteous to him. As such, he quickly gestured for the teacher on duty to escort him in. Hu! After a moment, a white-clothed young man walked in with large strides. There were a few retainers following behind him. They were all equipped with metal armor and their eyes were cold. The young man might not be advanced in age, but he exuded a powerful aura. The might of his entire body radiated as though the sun, exerting an intense pressure upon others. Despite being Fighter 5-dan pinnacle experts as well, just by the aura itself, it was clear that he is much stronger than Shang Bin and Shen Bi Ru. “Paying respect to xiao wangye…” Shang Chen, Clan Head Wang Hong and the others stood up from their seats at the same moment. The Wang clan might be titled as one of the Four Great Clans, but compared to the powerful official who was tasked with the duty of guarding the kingdom’s south, they were still lacking. Regardless of when and where, those who were in command of military might were always the ones who had the loudest words. “Ah! Master Zhang, you are here indeed…” Casually waving them away, he ignored the respectful Shang Chen and the others and scanned the surroundings. He suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure and excitedly rushed forward to Zhang Xuan. “Why are you here?” Zhang Xuan frowned. [Master Lu Chen has asked you to learn from me, but… You don’t have to be so obedient to really come knocking!] “My dad will be leaving after he is done reporting on his duty, so I can’t remain in the capital for long. Thus, I have to make use of every second to learn from master so that I can pass the test!” Bai Xun explained. “Master?” “How did Bai Xun xiao wangye get acquainted with him? Furthermore, they seem to have a close relationship? Isn’t his title a teacher? Why did he call him a master instead?” Upon seeing that Bai Xun was indeed here to seek Zhang Xuan and that the both of them seemed to be in a close relationship, everyone was dumbfounded once more. [What is going on? They actually know each other… Isn’t Zhang Xuan a teacher? Master… What does this title mean? Furthermore… Zhang Xuan, what’s with your attitude? Didn’t you see that even Elder Shang and Clan Head Wang bow upon seeing the young wangye? Not only did you not bow, you even frowned. Frown your head… Who gave you such guts?] “Audacious!” Elder Shang Chen couldn’t hold it in anymore. He walked forward with an intimidating aura. “Zhang Xuan, how can you speak to the young wangye like this? Hurry up, bow and pay your respects to him! To think that you would be oblivious to basic etiquette despite being a teacher. Such a lack of propriety, you are truly a disgrace!” After which, with a face full of smiles, he turned to Bai Xun, “Bai xiao wangye, don’t get angry. This Zhang Xuan possesses weak strength, not to mention that he is clumsy and ignorant of etiquette…” Before he could finish his words, he saw Bai xiao wangye‘s eyebrows knit tightly together. A frosty aura appeared in his eyes and he seemed as though a lion whose hair was standing on ends, ready to strike. “Who the heck are you? Scram to the side! Going by seniority, Master Zhang Xuan belongs to my grandfather’s generation, yet you dare to speak of such words! Are you trying to court death?” “Grandfather?” Gudong! Everyone fell to the floor once more. [What the heck is with this method of addressing? Bai xiao wangye‘s father is Zhennan Wang, who is a peer of Emperor Shen Zhui… Yet, you say that his seniority is equal to that of your grandfather. Doesn’t that mean that he is of even higher standing than Emperor Shen Zhui?] Elder Shang Chen, who was incomparably arrogant a moment ago, trembled uncontrollably, nearly passing out from shock. [What the heck is going on? What in the world happened…] Especially for Shang Bin and Cao Xiong, the both of them felt as though they were going psychotic. Grabbing bunch after bunch of their hair out, their eyes seemed as though they were about to leave their sockets at any moment now. Even Elder Mo, who had been watching the situation with composure all along, felt an ache on his chin. Unknowingly, he had torn his beard out. “That’s right! Grandpa Zhang is a master painter of an era, and his prowess is incredible to the point that even three of me are incapable of matching up to him. Yet, you dare to say that he is audacious and weak? The heck, you must be tired of living! Or perhaps, you are trying to look for a sparring partner? Bai Yang!” Bai Xun gestured his subordinate forward. “Your humble subordinate is here!” Immediately, a middle- aged man stepped forward from his back. “Slap him!” Bai Xun commanded. “Yes!” The middle-aged man wasn’t conspicuous in any way when he walked in. However, at this moment, when he lifted his eyelids, a bloodthirsty aura gushed out instantaneously, as though a demon that had stepped over a million corpses to climb out of hell. He might be the same cultivation realm as Elder Shang Chen, the both of them being of Pixue realm, but his aura was much stronger compared to the latter. “Supreme soldier!” The hearts of the crowd skipped a beat. Such bloodthirsty aura could only be tempered from countless life and death situations. Soldiers possessing such an aura were termed as supreme soldiers. Every single one of them possessed unwavering will and incredible prowess, capable of dueling with those who were of higher cultivation realm than them. After leaving everyone flabbergasted by his bloodthirsty aura, the middle-aged man, Bai Yang, dashed forward. In an instant, he appeared before Elder Shang Chen and sent a slap to him. Pah! A crisp sound echoed throughout the hall. Before Elder Shang Chen could even react, he rotated like a top, turning a complete round before falling to the ground. Fresh blood spurted out of his mouth and a dozen of his teeth could be found in a puddle of blood. “You…” Steadying his figure, Elder Shang Chen was on the verge of erupting. As an elder of Hongtian Academy, a Pixue realm expert, to think he would be slapped publicly… However… He couldn’t do anything about it despite being so angry! After all, the other party was the sole son of Zhennan Wang, Bai xiao wangye. If he really dared to do anything to him, Zhennan Wang would probably come killing in and flip the entire academy upside down! It was not like he had never done such a thing before. Back then, a person who had backing comparable to the Wang clan went looking for trouble with Bai xiao wangye and wounded him. This infuriated Zhennan Wang and he led his army into their residence and purged their entire household. In the end, not only did Emperor Shen Zhui not chastise him over the incident, he even conferred his son the title of xiao wangye to appease him. Otherwise, even though he was the sole successor to the family, he didn’t have the qualifications of being called xiao wangye. “This is all Zhang Xuan’s fault…” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He could only direct the rage he dared not vent on Bai Xun toward Zhang Xuan. If not for this fellow, how could he possibly be embarrassed like this today? “Why, are you unhappy with my actions?” Seeing his awful complexion, Bai Xun raised his eyebrows and asked haughtily. “I dare not to!” Elder Shang Chen’s heart was bleeding, but he still squeezed out these words through gritted teeth. “It is best if you dare not to. Let me tell you the truth, I am actually saving you. If my Grandpa Zhang were to make a move personally and if he were to fail to control his strength properly, you would be dead by now!” Upon this, Bai Xun recalled the spar he had that night and his body shuddered subconsciously. What he spoke of was true. [This Master Zhang, just by his physical body itself, has a strength of more than 40 ding. What’s worse is that he is unable to control his strength. He might not feel anything when he sends a slap over, but you will be gone by then…] 72 Unable to be Revoked “Save him? Unable to control his strength?” “Based on xiao wangye‘s words, Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s strength is superior to Elder Shang Chen? How… is this possible?” Without taking too much time, everyone managed to process the events that just occurred. This was especially so for Shang Bin and Cao Xiong, who claimed that Zhang Xuan was weak and that Wang Tao was lying. The both of them were unable to believe the situation unfolding before them. In the previous examination, Zhang Xuan was confirmed to be only Zhenqi realm pinnacle. This was something that the entire academy was aware of, and there weren’t any news of him breaking through. If so, how could he be stronger than Bai xiao wangye? Furthermore, based on his words, it seemed that even Elder Shang Chen was incapable of matching up to him. It might be bizarre and unbelievable, but no one thought that Bai Xun was lying. Everyone knew that not only is Bai xiao wangye incredibly talented, he was also fond of competing and sparring with others! He would feel uncomfortable if he didn’t spar a couple of rounds everyday! Since he was so in awe of this Zhang Xuan, did that mean that he really possessed the strength he spoke of? At this point, every single of them widened their eyes to look at the young man whom they thought was trash previously. There was nothing spectacular about him, except for his white and smooth skin which made him look even younger than his actual age. How could he possibly be an expert? “Cough cough!” Upon seeing the doubtful gazes of everyone else centered on him, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. He was probably unable to hide his true strength any longer. But… After scoring at the bottom for the Teacher Qualification Examination as a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm, to become comparable to a Pixue realm expert after a short break… No one would believe it! “Is it that difficult to keep a low profile?” Zhang Xuan felt a migraine working up. He wanted to hide his strength, keep a low profile and secretly zhuangbi from the shadows. Initially, he thought that Bai Xun was completely unrelated to the academy whatsoever, so no one else here would learn of it. However, never in his dreams did he expect that in just a single night, that fellow would come rushing over… After making such a huge ruckus, it was impossible for him to hide his strength any longer even if he wanted to. Such ill-fortune! Just as he was still perplexed over the situation, he saw Bai Xun xiao wangye‘s face popping up right in front of him with a fawning expression on it. “Hehe, Master Zhang, Grandpa Zhang, did I settle the matter well?” However, he couldn’t blame Bai Xun for behaving like this either. Master Lu Chen had already said it clearly that whether he was able to pass the examination or not depended heavily on him. It was natural that he would intentionally try to please him so as to get in his good books. That’s the reason why he woke up so early, and upon hearing that Zhang Xuan was here, he barged in along with his subordinates. “Still acceptable!” Since what’s done was done, Zhang Xuan could only acknowledge it. Thus, he nodded his head. “Zhang laoshi, accept me as your disciple…” Aware that Zhang Xuan’s strength wasn’t just Zhenqi realm, Clan Head Wang Hong did not hesitate anymore. He signaled to Wang Tao with a glance; Wang Tao stepped forward once more and knelt before him. “Acknowledging Master Zhang as your teacher, who do you think you are? I haven’t even acknowledged him yet, and you want to vie with me? How about we spar for a little bit?” Before Zhang Xuan could even speak, Bai xiao wangye glared at him. “I dare not…” Wang Tao was startled. Even though Bai Xun was around the same age as him, his strength had already reached Fighter 5-dan pinnacle. Given that he was several times stronger than him, sparring with him… What’s the difference between it and seeking death? “Fine, Wang Tao, you can listen in by the side of my class tomorrow. If you perform well, I can consider accepting you as my student!” Afraid that this Bai xiao wangye would stir up trouble once more and pummel Wang Tao’s life away, Zhang Xuan immediately interjected. “Thank you, Zhang laoshi!” Clan Head Wang Hong sighed in relief and hurriedly thanked him. Wang Tao wasn’t Zhang Xuan’s student yet, but from the looks of the current situation, this was the only way to settle the situation now. After all, who could he blame for the disappointing actions of his son, barging into the classroom of the other to kill the teacher… No teacher would accept such a student after meeting with such a situation! However, even though he was just listening in by the side for now, as time went by, as long as he performed well, he was surely able to become an official student. “Listening in by the side…” Elder Shang Chen was on the verge of tears. He was an elder of the academy, as well as the head of the Education Bureau. Normally, he was the one picking students out from the lot. It was one thing if someone withdrew from his tutelage to acknowledge another teacher… But he went on to listen in by the side of the lessons of another teacher instead! Not to mention, the worst teacher of the academy… Elder Shang Chen felt as though his old face was being stepped on repeatedly, and not a shred of his dignity remained. His dignity had been thrown all the way to his grand aunt’s house… Why not his grandmother’s house? Because he had already passed by it… “Master Zhang, is there anything else that you need me to settle? If so, I will help you. After which, teach me painting…” Bai Xun turned to look at Zhang laoshi. “There is still some things I need to settle!” Zhang Xuan turned to look at Sheng Chen, “Elder Shang, the results of the Enlightenment Will Trial are already out. Isn’t it about time we fulfill the terms of the bet we agreed on?” The reason why he was here was because of the Enlightenment Will Trial. After the trial had ended, many things have occurred, but it was about time for the bet they have decided upon to be carried out. “Zhang Xuan, there’s no need to be gleeful about this! I lost the Enlightenment Will Trial, but at most, I will only suffer a hundred God Slaying Flogs. I’m afraid that you don’t have the ability to strip me of my teaching license!” Knowing that he was unable to escape from this any longer, Cao Xiong chose to face it and he walked forward with a ferocious expression. “Don’t have the ability?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “Indeed. I don’t have any bad track records and I didn’t cause any of my students to go berserk either. Even though my result in the Teacher Qualification Examination is subpar, it is still a pass. To strip my teaching license just because of a bet, even the Teacher Guild doesn’t have the authority to do so!” Cao Xiong howled frenziedly. “Is this true?” Unsure of the rules and regulations, Zhang Xuan looked at Elder Mo doubtfully. He was an elder of the Teacher Guild, so he should know of these matters. “What he says is true.” Elder Mo nodded his head. “A teacher’s teaching license is issued after numerous verifications by the Teacher Guild. If the person in question does not have a bad track record, it is difficult to revoke his license…” “Is that so…” Zhang Xuan frowned. He recalled those who were in the education industry in his previous life. Over there, even if a teacher were to be inadequate in their job, the school didn’t possess the right to fire them. In fact, even the Ministry of Education didn’t have the right to do so, unless they have done something that went against the morals and values of a teacher. It seemed that the situation over here was similar as well. “Then, why didn’t you say so when we were deciding upon the bet…” Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist asking. Back then, when he was raising his stake, he thought it would be possible for his teaching license to be revoked, so he brought it up casually. If only he knew that revoking one’s teaching license was that difficult, he would have just chosen to expel him from the academy. “Cough cough, I thought that… you would lose!” Elder Mo said awkwardly. Not only did Zhang Xuan score a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, he had also caused the cultivation of a student to go berserk. If someone were to pursue the matter, it was possible for him to be expelled. As Elder Mo thought that Zhang Xuan would definitely lose, he didn’t point the matter out. He didn’t expect for Cao Xiong to lose so thoroughly to him. “It is impossible to fulfill the conditions of the bet, unless…” Elder Mo spoke but hesitated halfway through. “Unless what?” “Unless… there is a master teacher or an associate master teacher personally testifying that he is unqualified to remain as a teacher, and the testimonial is reported upwards to the Teacher Guild…” Elder Mo said. “Master teacher? Associate master teacher? Where do I look for these…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Regardless of whether it was master teacher or an associate master teacher, they were figures high up in the education circle, so how could it be possible for him to be acquainted with one? Furthermore, even if he was acquainted with one, it was impossible for the other party to bother themselves with such a minor bet! Zhang Xuan frowned. At this moment, the teacher on duty, Zhou laoshi, walked in once more and clasping his hand together, his voice echoed in the room. “Shang Chen laoshi, there is a lady outside who has identified herself as Huang Yu looking for Zhang Xuan laoshi!” 73 Cao Xiong’s Counterattack “Xiao Yu is here too?” Bai Xun’s eyes lit up. Right after Master Lu Chen tasked them to study under Zhang Xuan yesterday, he rushed here early in the morning. If so, how could Xiao Yu lag behind him! In the midst of his words, an elegant figure walked through the doors. Her light yellow top brought out her slim and delicate figure perfectly. Her skin was as white as snow and she didn’t pale in comparison even to Shen Bi Ru. “Paying respects to Zhang laoshi!” The moment she entered the room, she headed toward Zhang Xuan and bowed deeply. “Un!” Knowing that the other party was here for the same motive as Bai Xun, Zhang Xuan’s head hurt and he rubbed his glabella. Glabella -\u003e Center of eyebrows Actually, he knew nothing about painting at all and all he could do was to point out the flaws in them! He didn’t even know where he should start from to teach them about painting. “Paying respect to young mistress!” Just as he was conflicted over how he should confess this to the other party, Elder Mo walked forward and courteously, he clasped his hands and greets Huang Yu. “Young mistress?” A thought seemed to have flashed through Elder Shang Chen’s mind, causing a feeling of weakness to grasp his legs, resulting in him stumbling backward. With a face devoid of color, he asked, “Could she be… Could she be the daughter of guild leader Huang of the Teacher Guild, the… genius who managed to become a low-level Associate Master Teacher despite not even reaching her twenties?” Just a moment ago, he was still chatting with Elder Mo about the genius in the Teacher Guild who became a low-level associate master teacher at a young age, and he was thinking about how she was even more incredible than an old man like him. Never in his dreams did he expect her to be this Huang Yu xiaojie and from the looks of it… She seemed to be close with Zhang Xuan! Xiaojie -\u003e Miss/ Young Mistress [Heavens, what is going on?] The moment when he accused the other party of being incapable of imparting knowledge to nurture others, the Wang clan sent their son over to him, even withdrawing him from his tutelage to do so! The moment when he said that the other party was lacking in strength, Bai xiao wangye ran out to verify the strength of the other party, claiming that he himself wasn’t a match for him! The moment when he said that only a master teacher and an associate master teacher could revoke Cao Xiong’s teaching license, an associate master teacher came running over… [The heck… Zhang Xuan, the heavens must have specially sent you here to deal with me!] Elder Shang Chen only felt disconsolate and even suicidal thoughts ran through his head. Cao Xiong, who was still arrogant a moment ago, paled in fright and cowered backward. A moment ago, he was at least reassured by the fact that the other party would be unable to revoke his teaching license, however, at this instant, he was truly frightened. “Isn’t he just a trash who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination? Why does he know so many people? Why do they all respect him? I will not accept this…” Cao Xiong gritted his teeth and howled frenziedly in his mind. Before today, the other party meant nothing in his eyes. He wasn’t even qualified to compete with him, yet now… The other party had already become a tall mountain that he could only look up towards. “He… He…” Shang Bin’s teeth were also clattering. At this moment, Zhang Xuan seemed to have transformed from an ant whom he could crush whenever he pleased into a giant dinosaur. Such a transformation was beyond his wildest imagination! “You are an associate master teacher?” Hearing Shang Chen’s astonishing words, Zhang Xuan looked at the lady in uncertainty. This lass was even younger than him. For her to be an associate master teacher, it was indeed true that one should not judge a person by their appearance. “I just happen to catch Liu shi‘s eyes, and he brought me in to assist him!” Huang Yu smiled. Her words might be humble, but self-confidence radiated clearly from her eyes. Shi -\u003e Somewhat a shorter version of laoshi To become an assistant master teacher, first and foremost, one needed to have talents surpassing others. Secondly, one needed to be granted an opportunity! Even if you possessed overwhelming talent and your ability to guide your students and impart knowledge was incredible, if you were unable to gain the recognition of a master teacher, it was all just empty talk. Huang Yu, as the daughter of Tianxuan Kingdom Teacher Guild’s head, she had the privilege of going through a good education from young. Furthermore, given the contacts her father possessed, becoming an associate master teacher wasn’t beyond expectations. “It is great that you are an Associate Master Teacher. This Cao Xiong laoshi has lost to me in an Enlightenment Will Trial and he refuses to fulfill his end of the bet…” Previously, Elder Mo had said that Cao Xiong laoshi‘s teaching license could be revoked if an associate master teacher spoke up for the case. Against those who were out against him, Zhang Xuan would not let them off the hook so easily. “To think that there would be such a matter!” Huang Yu frowned. “As a teacher, to hold grudges over such a minor affair, even resorting to using the Enlightenment Will Trial to frame your colleagues, he will only soil the name of teachers if he were to remain as one. Elder Mo!” Elder Mo stepped forward. “I believe that he doesn’t have the qualifications to be a teacher. Go and settle the procedures required for it now!” Huang Yu said authoritatively. “Yes!” Elder Mo nodded his head. Turning to look at Cao Xiong, he shook his head. As an associate master teacher, Huang Yu was of esteemed position, not to mention that she was the daughter of the guild leader as well. With just a few words, she had sealed Cao laoshi‘s fate. Those who possessed the identity of a teacher were respected no matter where they went. If a teacher was stripped of their teaching license, that could only mean that there was a problem with his conduct. With such a track record, no one would employ him no matter where he went. “I…” Hearing the verdict, Cao Xiong collapsed onto the floor, his ashen face shrouded in despair. He had spent so much effort just to attain this teaching license. To think that… it would be revoked just like that! Just because he challenged a trash who scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination? [I won’t accept this, I refuse to accept this!] “Right…” Cao Xiong stood up once more. He looked at Zhang Xuan savagely, “Zhang Xuan, you haven’t won yet! You scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination and caused a student’s cultivation to go berserk. As long as this matter is reported to the Teacher Guild, after a thorough investigation, you will be stripped of your teaching license as well!” Zhang Xuan might have scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, but that was actually an internal examination within Hongtian Academy and wasn’t authoritative. Even so, if the matter was reported upwards to the Teacher Guild, and once the matter was proven to be true, he could be stripped of his teaching license because of it as well! Furthermore, he had a case of a student’s cultivation going berserk under his records. Just this itself crossed the bottom limits of a teacher! “That’s right, Zhang Xuan, you need not be gleeful over this! You might have gotten Cao laoshi‘s teaching license revoked, but you won’t keep yours for long either! I will report this matter up to the Teacher Guild right now and have them carry out an impartial adjudication on the matter!” Upon hearing Cao Xiong’s angry roar, Shang Bin’s eyes lit up and flames started to burn in them once more. The relationship between him and Zhang Xuan had already torn asunder. Now that the other party was proven to possess a strong backing, he probably wouldn’t be able to live in peace in the academy anymore with him here. Thus, he could not allow Zhang Xuan off the hook! Furthermore… Even the goddess was speaking up for him now. If he allowed himself to be beaten without making a move, how could he lift his head in the future? Shang Bin glared at Zhang Xuan as cold intent emanated from his gaze. [Aren’t you incredible? Liu Yang’s trust level in you exceed 60? The Wang clan urges you to accept Wang Tao? Things might be going well for you now, but let’s see how you will fare after you lose your teaching license! Let’s see what rights do you have to remain in Hongtian Academy and what rights do you have to teach your students!] “Zhang Xuan laoshi‘s capabilities and morals are indeed doubtful. Associate Master Teacher Huang Yu, Elder Mo, the words that the both of them speak of are true. This Zhang laoshi has driven the cultivation of a student berserk, and he has scored a zero in the previous Teacher Qualification Examination as well. I hope that the guild can handle this matter impartially and rid the academy of this cancerous tumor!” In an instant, Elder Shang Chen regained the glow on his face. With a straightened and dignified stature, he spoke. He might not be able to save Cao Xiong, but he would not allow Zhang Xuan to get away scot-free either! 74 The Education Bureau Has Falsified Results? “This…” Hearing the howling of the three, Elder Mo and Huang Yu glanced at one another before turning to look at Zhang Xuan. If what they said was true, the Teacher Guild would have to look into the matter! If the results of the investigation were in line with their claims, it was quite likely for this Zhang laoshi to be stripped of his teaching license! “Seems like I have underestimated them. They are also skilled at using rules to their advantage!” He didn’t expect that after suffering so many consecutive blows, they would still be able to make a counterattack. Zhang Xuan frowned. It seemed that regardless which world one was in, some things never changed. If a despicable person were to lay their fangs on someone, they could only await their death. To speak of the truth, the mess that his previous self had left him was indeed troublesome to deal with. If the academy didn’t bring it up, he would be safe and he could continue on conducting his lessons. On the other hand, if the academy decided to bring it up, they could report it to the Teacher Guild and he would face the danger of having his teaching license revoked. If he was stripped of his teaching license, his situation would not be any better than Cao Xiong! Thus, no matter what, he mustn’t let them succeed! However, it was a fact that he had scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, and he did indeed send a student’s cultivation berserk. This was the doing of his previous self, and he was unable to undo it even if he wanted to… That is to say, the mess that his previous self left him with was potentially his downfall. Even if he was able to nurture powerful students through the Library of Heaven’s Path from today onwards, it would still be difficult for him to become a Master Teacher and earn the trust of others. He must find a way to resolve the problem! Rubbing his glabella[1], Zhang Xuan felt helpless. His transcension was something he had no power over, and he was unable to decide the timeline where he would transcend into. Besides, if not for the failings of his previous self, he would be unable to transcend over as well! Could he just stand idly as they report the incident up to the Teacher Guild and have his teaching license revoked? Absolutely not! “Un? Aren’t I unable to explain the reason behind the sudden surge in my strength? What a coincidence, I can make use of this…” Just as he was at a loss of what to do, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind and an incredible idea popped into his head. Looking at Shang Chen and Shang Bin once more, the corners of his lips crept upwards, “Since neither of you are willing to leave a path for me, I will be apologizing in advance then…” … “Zhang Xuan, aren’t you gleeful? Let’s see how you can continue being so gleeful after you are summoned to the Teacher Guild…” Sensing Elder Mo and Huang Yu’s hesitation, Shang Bin laughed in anticipation. However, before his laughter could come to an end, he caught sight of Zhang Xuan. His hands were behind his back and he looked over hesitatingly, with dilemma reflected in his gaze. There seemed to be something bothering his mind, and he was contemplating whether he should speak of it or not. “Why? You want to beg for mercy?” Seeing Zhang Xuan behaving in such a manner, exultation filled Shang Bin. “However… it’s too late now!” “Beg for mercy?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You’re thinking too much about it. I am just considering… whether I should speak of it or not?” “Sigh!” At this point, he sighed. His frustration and pain, as well as sorrow and dilemma, could be felt from his sigh. All in all, it was clear from his sigh that worries plagued his mind, and that he was a sorrowful man with a story behind his back. “Speak of it? Speak of what?” Unsure about what he was up to, Shang Bin frowned. “Forget it, since that is the case…” Ignoring his words, Zhang Xuan shook his head. With a bewailing look on his face, he hesitated for a moment longer before speaking, “Initially, as colleagues and fellow teachers, for the sake of the reputation of the academy, even if you have done something overboard, I should keep the big picture in mind and let it go. From the looks of it now…” At this point, with his hands behind his back, his eyes gazed upwards, seemingly filled with pain. “Hm? What do you mean?” Seeing him sigh and shake his head, the attention of the crowd focused on him. Shang Bin and Shang Chen exchanged gazes, unsure of what that fellow was up to. What are you putting on an act for! You are about to be fired at any moment now, the fact won’t change no matter how superb your acting is! “I think he is just intentionally spouting bullshit to divert our attention! Don’t be fooled by him!” Shang Bin harrumphed. Scoring zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination and making a student go berserk were facts about him that everyone in the academy knew… No matter what he did, it was impossible for him to clean the stain off his name. So what if you are eloquent? You are unable to deny these facts! Even if you try to deny it, there are archives of your doings. Let’s see how you can round up your story then. “Master Zhang, is there something that is bothering your mind? Elder Mo and I are here, so feel free to speak up!” Huang Yu said. “Indeed!” Zhang Xuan looked at the other party in commendation as he nodded his head. Putting on an act for so long, what he had been waiting for were these words. Now that she had finally posed the question, he could proceed with the story. “Actually, I didn’t want to expose this…” Zhang Xuan shook his head bitterly and a sorrowful expression overlaid his face. Taking two steps over to the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar in the center of the hall, he clenched his fist and sent it straight at the pillar. Weng! Light flashed on it and a string of number floated into appearance! 55 ding! He only used half of his strength, but after re-cultivating the first 3 dans of his cultivation technique, the zhenqi in his body became even purer, causing his 49 ding of strength to rise slightly. “55 ding?” “Pixue realm pinnacle?” “If he possesses the strength of a Pixue realm pinnacle, then… Why does the examination reflect his strength as Zhenqi realm?” … Despite hearing from Bai xiao wangye that Zhang Xuan was stronger than him and the crowd had already prepared themselves mentally for it, they were still filled with disbelief upon seeing how much strength he held beneath his fists! Gasps of shock floated in the room as the lower jaws of everyone in the room seemed to be falling to the floor. Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, for every acupoint broken through, one’s strength would be increased by 1 ding. Most people only ended up opening 30 to 40 acupoints in their lives. Even at Pixue realm pinnacle, their strength didn’t reach such heights. To possess such strength with just a single fist, this clearly showed that… he had reached Pixue realm pinnacle! But… the examination he had undergone before the break clearly showed that he only had the strength of a Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm pinnacle. For his strength to jump several realms in the duration of a break… This was impossible! This was unheard of, even with the most incredible geniuses in the history of the kingdom! Bewildered, everyone looked at him as they awaited his explanation. “During the examination that was conducted before the break, I was only Zhenqi realm. I’m sure everyone is curious to know how I became a Pixue realm expert all of a sudden!” After taking in everyone’s reaction, Zhang Xuan slowly explained, “Actually… my cultivation didn’t soar within just a week! Just like everyone else, I trained through the conventional method! Even though my strength did not reach 50 ding before the break, I wasn’t too far off from it!” “You already possessed such strength before the break? No, that can’t be right. Back then, during the Teacher Qualification Examination, your cultivation realm was evaluated to be…” Halfway through his words, clan head Wang Hong suddenly paused. A thought flashed through his mind and he continued, “Hongtian Academy’s Teacher Qualification Examination is held under private conditions, and the results of individual teachers are released by the Education Bureau… One wouldn’t know how another fares in the examination other than through the results released by the Education Bureau! That means… the examination results of you possessing the cultivation level of Zhenqi realm from the Education Bureau is not true…” Hearing his words, everyone came to a realization. Regardless of whether it was his Teacher Qualification Examination results or his level of cultivation, they were evaluated and released by the Education Bureau. During the examination, no one else was at the scene. That is to say… It was highly possible that the Education Bureau falsified the results! [1] Glabella -> Center of eyebrows [2] 贼咬一口,入骨三分 -> If a despicable person were to lay their fangs on someone, they can only await their death. Translating literally: If a despicable person were to bite you, their fangs will sink into your bones. It describes the scenario where one is unable to redress themselves of their accusations from another. 75 Shang Chen Pukes Blood “Before, when I discussed several questions in the Teacher Qualification Examination with Zhang laoshi, not only was he able to answer them clearly, he was able to come up with seven to eight answers for each of them. Furthermore, I was unable to come up with some of the answers he proposed. His comprehensive knowledge is indeed worthy of respect! Back then, I was puzzled over how he was unable to score a single mark in the simple Teacher Qualification Examination. Turns out that… the results being released were falsified!” Shen Bi Ru suddenly recalled something and interjected. Rage could be seen in her beautiful eyes. Yesterday night, she tested Zhang Xuan and the other party managed to answer her questions easily. Back then, she thought that it was weird. Now, upon hearing the conversation, she ‘came to a realisation’. He must have answered those questions correctly, but the Education Bureau didn’t give him the marks for it. That was to say, there was nothing wrong with his paper, but… the teacher from the Education Bureau marking his paper gave him zero marks! Why? Why did he do so? “It is no wonder that Zhang laoshi refuses to speak up. After all, you are all colleagues. If he were to reveal the truth, not only will it sunder the relationship among you all, it will affect the reputation of the academy as well! Just for this, he is willing to carry the burden of being labelled as ‘trash’!” The more clan head Wang Hong pondered about the matter, the more he ‘comprehended’ and ‘came to a realisation’ of the situation. Didn’t you see how Zhang laoshi was hesitating just a moment ago over revealing the truth? If it wasn’t for him being forced to a corner, he might very well have concealed this secret deep in his heart for the rest of his life. Even if he was misunderstood by everyone else, he would bear this burden silently within… In fact, despite all of your efforts to oppress him, all he did was to display his cultivation without explaining a thing. We even had to guess the details of what happened… What was an exemplary role model? This was! What was a non-materialistic and noble teacher? This was! “Once the issue of the bias of the academy were to spread out, everyone will start to doubt the authenticity of the results of the academy’s Teacher Qualification Examination, and uncertainty will be cast over the other teacher’s ability to teach… If that’s the case, the academy will descend into chaos! He would rather be misunderstood by others and bear the burden of it by himself silently than to speak of it. This magnanimity and selflessness…” An elder from the Wang clan got more and more agitated as he spoke. To think that there would be such a noble teacher in the world. It was laughable that we even thought that he was incapable of anything, and that he was a useless trash! As they spoke, the furious eyes of the crowd turned towards Elder Shang Chen. Look at him, then look at yourself! You are both teachers, but why was there such a gap between the conduct of you two? Zhang laoshi valued friendship and he would rather take all the insults by himself than to betray his own colleagues, yet you all… “I…” Shang Chen was about to go frenzied. The heck, what was going on? What falsifying results? What value friendship… You were indeed Zhenqi realm the previous time, and your written paper is a mess. Not getting a single mark at all was perfectly normal given those standards… I personally reviewed the papers myself, so it is impossible for a mistake to occur. How did it turn into me oppressing you? Zhang Xuan, you are really despicable. I dare you to clarify everything up… Elder Shang Chen only felt a mouthful of fresh blood swirling in his mouth, ready to spurt out at any moment. …… Zhang Xuan was shocked upon seeing such a commotion break out. Actually, what I meant to say is that the Education Bureau made a mistake while marking the examinations, why did the situation… get so out of control? All of your imaginations are way too wild! However, cough cough… I kind of like the way things are going… …… “There should at least be a reason for me to oppress him! As the head of the Education Bureau, an elder of the academy, there’s no reason for me to oppress a low-level teacher!” As expected of the head of Education Bureau, Elder Shang Chen swiftly found a dissonance in the situation. There was always a motive and reason behind every action. Given his esteemed identity, there was no reason for him to scheme against an ordinary teacher! “Does anything more need to be said about the situation? Your grandson, Shang Bin, wishes to aim for the position of the star teacher of the younger generation, but due to the existence of Zhang laoshi, who possesses an incredible level of cultivation and capability at such a young age, he is unlikely to emerge victorious over him. Thus, in order to prevent such a situation from occurring, you decided to eliminate him from the race!” The one who spoke this time was Elder Mo. The more he spoke, the more furious he got, to the point that his beard was being blown into the air by his breath. “I might not have concrete proof on this incident, but I have been looking over the situation today from the start to the end. The Enlightenment Will Trial, the bet and the oppression… Shang Chen, you are indeed incredible. To think that I was friends with you for so many years, I, Mo Xiang, must truly be blind!” Elder Mo viewed villainous acts and villains with contempt. Due to the words of the other party, he made the journey here today to clean up the scums of the teaching circle. Yet, all he saw was Elder Shang using all kinds of methods to oppress Zhang Xuan laoshi. On the other hand, Zhang laoshi kept using facts to prove his innocence. Wasn’t it clear that there was a problem here? If even this much was insufficient to prove anything, then wouldn’t that mean that I, Mo Xiang, was blind? “I can also testify that I saw Elder Shang Chen intentionally oppressing Zhang laoshi with my own eyes!” “For him to do it so apparently before us, who knows what kinds of methods he resort to behind our backs!” “One really can’t judge a person by his cover. To think that the head of the Education Bureau would commit such atrocities for his grandson. He is a beast!” …… The moment Elder Mo opened his mouth, many people started to chirp in, indignant in Zhang Xuan’s stead. “…” Elder Shang Chen felt faint-headed and he was on the verge of going crazy. I… really didn’t oppress him. It’s just that he trampled on my dignity today, that’s why I am finding trouble with him… If I said that I didn’t know much about him before today, only that his standards as a teacher was inadequate, would you all believe me? However, judging by the furious expression of everyone else, he knew that there was no use trying to explain his way out of it. The current him was as though mud had fallen into his pants, it was feces regardless of whether it was true or not! Turning around to look at the one who started all these, Zhang Xuan, his hands were still behind his back and a bewailing expression covered his face, as though he was unwilling to reveal this secret. The heck you were unwilling! This was all because of your bullshit! You were the one who were incapable and scored a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination, why did it suddenly turn into our Education Bureau falsifying your results and me oppressing you? How was this incident, in any way, related to me or the Education Bureau? Pu! Unable to suppress it any longer, the fresh blood welling in his chest spurted forth. “Hmph, to think that you still have to cheek to vomit blood after committing such shameful actions. If it was me, I would have long crashed my head on a pillar to commit suicide!” “How shameless. How did someone like you become the head of the Education Bureau of Hongtian Academy?” “Not to mention, he is an elder. There is a problem with his character, I think that we should revoke his teaching license…” …… Upon seeing him spurt blood, not only did no one sympathise with him, their words grew even harsher. “How did this happen?” Shang Bin and Cao Xiong were dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, the winning ticket was in their hands and they were about to achieve victory. How did the situation get reversed so suddenly? What the heck was going on? After spurting out a mouthful of blood, Elder Shang Chen felt more comfortable and his head cleared up as well. He gazed at the surroundings and his hand trembled. Then, looking at Zhang Xuan with undisguised hatred, he said, “I am unable to vindicate myself of the claim that you scoring a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination is oppression on my part. However, what about the student who went berserk? This incident happened in your classroom, how are you going to explain it then?” You might have millions of reasons and excuses, but a student going berserk in your class is an irrefutable truth. Let’s see how you will explain that. Gedeng, Zhang Xuan’s heart beat. 76 The Student Who Went Berserk The student’s cultivation going berserk was something that had already happened and cannot be changed. No matter how much you try to argue otherwise, no matter how glib your tongue is, it is all futile. Elder Shang Chen knew that no one would believe him no matter how hard he tried to explain the incident with the Teacher Qualification Examination. Even if he were to produce the papers, others would just accuse him of falsifying the papers as well. As such, he decided to bring this entire matter out of the way for now. “This…” Zhang Xuan didn’t know how to respond to his words. “Hmph, are you trying to deny the incident? Baiyu laoshi, go and invite Zhao Yanfeng from Lu Xun laoshi’s classroom!” Elder Shang Chen said. Zhou Baiyu was the teacher on duty whereas Zhao Yanfeng was the student whose cultivation was driven berserk by Zhang Xuan previously. “How did this student… end up in Lu Xun laoshi’s class?” Upon hearing Shang Chen’s arrangement, everyone looked at him in puzzlement, even Zhang Xuan was carrying a face of bewilderment. Based on the memories of his previous self, ever since that fellow’s cultivation went berserk, he had never been to his class. As his previous self was too ashamed to look into the matter, he didn’t know that he had gone to Lu Xun laoshi’s class. Besides, who was Lu Xun laoshi? Hongtian Academy’s number one star teacher! Even Elder Mo had said that there was a high possibility of him becoming an Associate Master Teacher in the future. There were countless students who wished to come under his tutelage, so why would he pick someone whose cultivation had once went berserk as his student? “Upon going berserk, Zhao Yanfeng’s fundamentals are damaged and originally, he had intended to withdraw from the academy. However, he was noticed by Lu Xun laoshi and eventually, he was accepted as his student. After a few months of guidance and nursing, not only is the damage he sustained from going berserk gone, his cultivation has also reached Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm pinnacle, ready to break through at any moment!” Elder Shang Chen said. “Accepted as Lu Xun laoshi’s student? His luck is way too good!” “To be able to remove the damage he sustained from going berserk within a short period of time, even inducing a rise in his cultivation level, Lu Xun laoshi is indeed incredible!” …… Upon hearing Elder Shang’s words, the crowd was astonished. Going berserk created great damage to a cultivator, and it was very easy for one’s fundamentals to be wrecked in the midst of it. Cultivation was just like building a house, if the fundamentals weren’t in place, it was difficult for the building to rise up high. To be able to treat the damage a student sustained from his cultivation going berserk so quickly and even pull him up to Juxi realm pinnacle, this Lu Xun laoshi was indeed as formidable as the rumors put him out to be! Not too long later, the teacher on duty, Baiyu laoshi, returned with a student behind him. Around sixteen to seventeen year old, he had a slim build, but spirited eyes. This was the unlucky student who was taught by his previous self… Zhao Yanfeng! “Elder Shang!” Walking straight up to Elder Shang upon entering the room, he was bewildered to see so many people in here. “Un, Zhao Yanfeng. Do you recognise this person?” Elder Shang pointed at Zhang Xuan. Zhao Yanfeng turned around and noticed Zhang Xuan. His calm face immediately became agitated. Unknowingly, he clenched his fist tightly, as though trying to suppress the rage in his heart. “He is my previous teacher, Zhang Xuan!” These words seemed to have been squeezed out through gritted teeth. Through his actions, it was clear to see that he still held great resentment against Zhang Xuan. However, that was to be expected. When a student learns from a teacher, he places his trust in him unconditionally. That was equal to entrusting his fate as a cultivator into his hands. If the teacher didn’t take responsibility for him, that would be equal to ruining his student’s entire future! His previous self caused the other party’s cultivation to go berserk, nearly destroying his future as a cultivator. This made Zhao Yanfeng extremely hostile against him. If it wasn’t for his position as a teacher, he might have already made a move on him! “I’ve heard that he had once caused you to go berserk. Is that true?” Seeing Zhao Yanfeng behaving in such a manner, delight surged through Elder Shang’s mind as he continued to question him. “That’s true! If not for Lu Xun laoshi saving me, I might already be a cripple!” Zhang Yanfeng said. “Great!” Upon hearing his confirmation, Elder Shang didn’t continue posing questions to him. Instead, he turned to look at Elder Mo and Huang Yu with a savage expression, “Associate Master Teacher Huang, Elder Mo, you should have heard the conversation! Let’s not touch on the matter of the Teacher Qualification Examination first. I believe that one day, the truth of the incident will come to light! Instead, let’s touch on the matter of him causing the cultivation of his student to go berserk. The victim is here, and if you all have any doubts, you all can continue to question him! Despite being a teacher, he harmed his own student. Just this by itself forms the basis for his teaching license to be revoked!” “Errr…” Huang Yu and Elder Mo looked at one another with brows tightly knitted together. What the other party said was true. The responsibility of a teacher was to clarify doubts and lead his students down the right path. Causing a student’s cultivation to go berserk was one of the greatest taboo a teacher could commit. Even if they wanted to help Zhang laoshi, there was nothing that they could do. “Zhang laoshi, what else do you have to say for yourself? If you feel indignant, you can argue your way out. However, you will have to get past this Zhao Yanfeng first!” Seeing the two of them remaining silent, Elder Shang Chen finally felt as though he had returned the humiliation Zhang Xuan had caused him back to him. He turned around to look at him mockingly. So what if you were powerful? So what if you have won the Enlightenment Will Trial? As long as this weakness stays with you, you will lose your teaching license. Without that amulet to protect you, I will be able to do as I please with you. Even if I were to kill you, no one will say anything! Elder Shang Chen had brought the victim over, and the victim had already ascertained it to be true. The eyes of the crowd gathered onto Zhang Xuan to see how he would respond. Just when everyone thought that he would try to explain the situation and the reasons behind the incident, the young man simply shrugged and said, “Indignant? What do I have to feel indignant about? It is true that I caused his cultivation to go berserk!” “I knew that you would try to argue your way out. However, Zhao Yanfeng will recount the incident back then clearly… Ah?” Elder Shang Chen thought that the other party would try to defend himself, so he was prepared to refute him. However, before he could finish his words, he suddenly came to a realisation and looked at Zhang Xuan in disbelief. “You… You admit to it?” This… To think that you would admit to it so readily! Could it be that he had prepared something beneath his sleeves? He was already frightened of the other party at this point. After getting slapped in his face consecutively, there was already a trauma at the back of his mind. “Of course I would admit to it. After all, why would I not admit to something that I have done?” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Causing a student’s cultivation to go berserk was a doing of his previous self, it was impossible for him to argue his way out of it. Rather than wasting time arguing about it here, he might as well just come out clean. “This…” The crowd was stunned. His admittance meant that all that was said were facts. If so, the Teacher Guild would be able to establish this case and strip him of his teaching license. Besides, driving a student’s cultivation berserk wasn’t something to be proud about. To speak of it so brazenly… Where did your self-confidence come from? “It is good that you have admitted to it! Associate Master Teacher Huang, Elder Mo, the both of you should have heard it. As a teacher, not only does he feel no remorse over causing a student to go berserk, he even talks about it so brazenly. Such a person is unworthy of being a teacher…” Shang Chen roared, but before he could finish his words, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and waved his hand, “Enough, how big of an issue is this for you to keep babbling on about it! You are already advanced in age, and yet you still get excited over minor affairs so easily. Aren’t you worried that your heart might be unable to take it, causing you to die just like this?” “You…” Elder Shang Chen staggered. You are the one who gets excited easily, your whole damn family gets excited easily! “Zhao Yanfeng, you have been studying under Lu Xun laoshi? You should have improved considerably. Come, show me your punching routine!” Can’t be bothered with the furious Elder Shang, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze towards the young man. 77 Innate Sealed Meridians “Show his punching routine?” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone became stunned. Everyone is concerned about you causing the student’s cultivation to go berserk, and yet here you are, trying to get him to execute a punching routine. What are you trying to do? A peculiar expression appeared on Elder Shang Chen’s face. Punching routine? We are in the midst of investigating the matter of you driving your student’s cultivation berserk, can you not change the topic? “Cough cough, Master Zhang, I think it would be better for you to explain the details behind him going berserk. Perhaps… your teachings may not be wrong, and… it is due to some other reasons?” Huang Yu couldn’t help, but to remind him of it. There were many possible reasons behind a person’s cultivation going berserk. It could be due to the misguidance of the teacher, or the student comprehending the teachings of his teacher inaccurately and cultivating through the wrong method. If it was the latter, the teacher was still partly responsible for the incident, but it wouldn’t come down to a punishment as harsh as stripping him of his teaching license. “This teacher here, back then, I cultivated based on the method Zhang laoshi imparted me without changing a single bit of it. In the end, my cultivation still went berserk. After which, when I consulted Lu Xun laoshi about it, he said that the cultivation method is wrong and that one’s cultivation would definitely go berserk if one were to cultivate according to it!” Aware of her thoughts, Zhao Yanfeng said. He still carried deep hatred towards Zhang Xuan. Knowing that this was an opportunity to strip him of his teaching license, there was no way he would allow it to slip by him. “Master Zhang…” Upon hearing the victim say such words, there were no other possibilities that Huang Yu was able to come up with to absolve him from blame. As such, she could only look towards him helplessly. “Try executing a punching routine. Let me see if you have improved!” Ignoring the persuasion of the other party, Zhang Xuan continued to gaze at the young man. “Do as Zhang laoshi says, try executing a punching routine first!” Upon his insistence, even though Huang Yu was perplexed over what he was trying to do, she still turned around to instruct Zhao Yanfeng so. “Yes!” He might not know of Huang Yu’s identity, but judging from how respectful Elder Shang Chen treated her, Zhao Yanfeng dared not disobey her instructions. Nodding his head, he walked to the center of the hall. Huhu! The wind whistled along with his forceful fists. That fellow might be young, but the control over his strength was not bad and he was adept in his battle technique as well. He could be considered a good bud. “Not bad, looks like Lu Xun laoshi has really rid him of the damage he sustained when he went berserk!” “It is truly not bad for him to possess this level of strength at such an age!” …… Most of those who were in the room were experts on cultivation. Upon seeing Zhao Yanfeng’s punches, they nodded their head in approval. Elder Shang Chen secretly sneaked a glance towards Zhang Xuan. Since Zhang Xuan was the one who instructed Zhao Yanfeng to execute his punching routine, he thought that he would be carefully analysing his punching routine, so as to come up with an excuse for himself. Yet, this fellow had closed his eyes, and a tranquil expression appeared on his face. “What is he up to?” Question marks appeared on Elder Shang Chen’s head. It couldn’t be that this fellow knew that he would be unable to find any evidence or excuse to absolve himself of blame and go insane! “Is this enough?” Very quickly, the punching routine came to an end. Upon seeing that the Zhang laoshi that he hated had his eyes closed, not even looking at his punching routine, Zhao Yanfeng was on the verge of erupting from the accumulated rage as he spat out these words through gritted teeth. “Un!” Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. “Alright, let’s stop wasting time. Since you have already admitted to causing Zhao Yanfeng’s cultivation to go berserk with your guidance, and he himself can testify for it, then why don’t you just confess to your crime! This way, we can skip on a lot of trouble…” Afraid that the situation would go awry the longer this was dragged on for, he said. “Calm down!” Zhang Xuan interrupted his word. Sweeping the surroundings with his gaze, he said, “Since all of you are interested in listening to my explanation, then I will explain the incident to you all!” Everyone’s attention jolted and focused on him, curious to hear what he would say. Even Zhao Yanfeng couldn’t resist turning his gaze over. “Actually… I intentionally drove his cultivation berserk!” Zhang Xuan’s voice echoed in the room. “Ah?” “Intentionally?” Everyone stood dumbfounded in their spot. What kind of joke was this? There’s no way to go back once you say such words. You will surely be stripped of your teaching license like this! “Haha!” Elder Shang Chen didn’t expect that the fellow before him, after making so many mysterious and baffling actions, would actually confess to it so brazenly, even phrasing his words in such a manner. His eyes radiated with excitement, “It is good that you have confessed to it! As a teacher, to intentionally guide a student erroneously and putting him in danger, you have truly transgressed beyond what a teacher should ever do! If he isn’t stripped of his teaching license, it will be hard to appease the furious masses! Associate Master Teacher Huang, Elder Mo, there should be no problems this time right!” “…’ Huang Yu stared at Zhang Xuan helplessly. His admittance left her without a single means to help him. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Zhao Yanfeng clenching his fist tightly and gritting his teeth. He glared at Zhang Xuan with undisguised hatred reflecting in his eyes as he said, “I wonder how I offended Zhang laoshi, for you to find the need to push me off the cliff?” I am your student, but you intentionally guided me erroneously, causing my cultivation to go berserk. What kind of resentment do you hold against me? Everyone else seemed to have thought of the same point and one by one, their gazes turned towards Zhang Xuan. Clan head Wang Hong was also starting to contemplate whether having his daughter and son to come under the tutelage of this teacher was a correct choice. So what if his theories were profound and he was proficient in teaching others? What if he suddenly threw a temper and intentionally taught them erroneously? If so, the lives of his children would be doomed. A Fighter 1-dan going berserk could still be saved. However, the more advanced one’s cultivation was, the harder it would be to save them when their cultivation went berserk. Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and the gaze of one who was unable to comprehend the world reflected in his eyes. Sighing, he lamented, “Sigh! Looks like you have yet to understand!” “Understand?” A dark line appeared across Zhao Yanfeng’s face. If it wasn’t for his weak strength, he would have dashed forward to bash him. “Understand what?” You intentionally drove my cultivation berserk and you still expect me to understand? Understand what? Understand death? “Do none of you really comprehend?” Zhang Xuan looked at Huang Yu, Elder Mo and the rest of the crowd. “Comprehend?” The one sentence left the two of them dumbfounded. You intentionally guided someone erroneously, what did you expect us to comprehend from that? Comprehend… How you played your student to his death? “Alright, since none of you can tell, then allow me to explain!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Sweeping the faces of the crowd, he said, “I wonder if any of you have heard of the physique known as 【Innate Sealed Meridians】?” “Innate Sealed Meridians?” Huang Yu frowned. Then, recalling something, she said, “I have heard of it. This isn’t an innate body type, but a type of disability! Those who possess this type of physique have many points of constrictions along his meridians. As though a river blocked by silt and mud, zhenqi is unable to flow through them easily. Even if one is able to cultivate, there would be a limit to their achievements. Fighter 1-dan would normally be their upper limit, and Fighter 2-dan is an impossible goal for them!” Hearing this explanation, the crowd nodded their heads. Innate Sealed Meridians might be a rare physical condition, but there were cases of it. As teachers and leaders of powerful factions, most of them have heard of such a physique. “Zhang laoshi spoke of Innate Sealed Meridians, can it be…” Mo Xiang laoshi suddenly thought of something and he turned to look at Zhang Xuan with widened eyes. “Indeed, Zhao Yanfeng possesses this kind of physique!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Me? I possess Innate Sealed Meridians?” Zhao Yanfeng was unable to believe it. “That is impossible… I have never felt shackled when I cultivate, so how can I be afflicted with Innate Sealed Meridians?” “Never felt shackled?” Zhang Xuan looked over with a meaningful smile on his face. “Then, let me ask you, before you cultivation went berserk, did you feel short of breath when you cultivated in the past? Every time you gather spiritual energy, did you feel as though your entire body was being severed apart?” “You… How did you know?” Initially, Zhao Yanfeng did not pay any heed to Zhang Xuan’s words, thinking that he was just spouting nonsense. However, upon hearing the latter part of his words, his eyes narrowed and his body froze. 78 I Will Make You Break Through in an Hour! The words that the other party spoke of were completely true. Before his cultivation went berserk, he did meet with such a problem. Gathering spiritual energy was an exceptionally difficult task for him, and he would feel pain as though his body was ripping apart. All along, he thought it was due him cultivating in the wrong manner. Could it be that… it was really due to him possessing Innate Sealed Meridian? It was said that one who possesses Innate Sealed Meridian would feel as though their meridians were shackled, causing their blockages in their breathing. If one were to try to forcefully cultivate, it would generate pain as though their body was being ripped apart. This breathing probably refers to their body. However, he had never told of it to anyone, not even to Zhang Xuan when he was his student. In fact, even his parents were oblivious to it, so how… did he know it? Upon seeing Zhao Yanfeng’s expression, everyone shuddered. [Could it be that… what he said is true?] “Stop trying to force logic in here. So what if Zhao Yanfeng possesses the physique of Innate Sealed Meridian? What does it have to do with his cultivation going berserk?” Elder Shang Chen harrumphed. Innate Sealed Meridians was a disability that one was born with. There was no way to cure it and those who possessed such problems were fated to be unable to cultivate. Even if Zhao Yanfeng had this kind of problem, he would only lack the potential to become an expert at most. There was no need to intentionally drive his cultivation berserk! “You think that it has nothing to do with it?” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. “Then, let me ask you, what are the symptoms of one’s cultivation going berserk?” “Going berserk? One’s internal energy will go on a rampage and become uncontrollable, causing one to lose his sense of self and going into a deranged condition…” At this point, Elder Shang Chen stopped abruptly. His eyes widened into perfect circles in disbelief, “It can’t be that, you are trying to use the symptoms of berserk to break through the constrictions in his meridians so as to dispel his Innate Sealed Meridians?” “How… is this possible?” He wasn’t the only one who arrived at this conclusion. The others have also thought of it and their mouth opened wide in shock. When one goes berserk, the energy within their body goes out of control. It was true that one was able to execute strength several times beyond what one was capable of usually, but… that was a state of derangement, it was easy for one’s cultivation to be completely crippled. No one had tried it, and no one dared to. [To actually try to use berserk as a means to overcome Innate Sealed Meridians… Are you for real? If that’s true, then you are way too bold! Such a notion will revolutionize the entire world of cultivation!] “Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Then, he turned to Zhao Yanfeng and questioned, “Let me ask you, ever since your cultivation went berserk, have you felt the sensation of your body ripping apart whenever you cultivate?” “This…” Zhao Yanfeng’s body trembled stiffly. With a quivering voice, he replied, “I… I haven’t!” Back then, he felt intense pain whenever he cultivated, as though his body was going to explode. Yet, after he went berserk, he had never felt such a sensation anymore. Previously, he attributed it to Lu Xun laoshi’s guidance. Could that really… be the case? “When going berserk, the internal energy of one flowing through his body will be incomparably violent, allowing them to exert a might beyond what they are usually capable of. Even though it is incapable of resolving Innate Sealed Meridians, it can alleviate the situation, allowing one’s spiritual energy to flow through! Back then, when I induced your cultivation to go berserk, I was trying to solve the hidden problems within your body. Initially, I had prepared some steps afterward to allow your cultivation to go on more smoothly, so that you would be able to reach greater heights. Yet… Not only did you leave without bidding me farewell, you even viewed me with hostility!” At this point, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed. Solitude reflected in his gaze. Ever since Zhao Yanfeng awakened from his berserk state, he had never visited to Zhang Xuan’s classroom. Even so, he treated him as his mortal enemy, spreading malicious rumors about him everywhere. Even if Zhang Xuan were to seek him, the latter would not have trusted him. Seeing Zhang laoshi’s expression, everyone could almost feel the burden and pain he felt in his heart. However, under such pressure, he didn’t try to explain himself. Rather, he shouldered it silently, bearing with the mocking of others… In an instant, the figure of Zhang Xuan grew massively in their heart! “Rubbish, how can that be possible! Besides, even if it was true, if you explained the situation to him clearly beforehand, Zhao Yanfeng wouldn’t have left!” Elder Shang Chen gritted his teeth. “If one was able to control the process, then it wouldn’t be called berserk! If I were to inform him of it beforehand, given Zhao Yanfeng’s fearful character, do you think that he would be willing to take the risk?” Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves. One would become uncontrollable upon going berserk. If one knew that they will go berserk during their cultivation, they would start to feel fearful and cower from it subconsciously, making it hard for them to successfully go berserk. “No matter how well you put it, you cannot prove that him going berserk had resolved the issue of his Innate Sealed Body. In any case, I don’t believe your words!” After hesitating for a moment, Elder Shang Chen harrumphed. “I know that this incident is much too unorthodox and shocking, but it doesn’t matter whether you all believe it or not!” Zhang Xuan turned around to look at Zhao Yanfeng. “I’ve taken a look just now and you have already reached Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm pinnacle. You are just a step off to breaking through! If you were to train normally, how long do you think it will take for you to break through?” “Six months. Lu laoshi told me that if I were to put in effort, within half a year, it is possible for me to break into Fighter 2- dan Dantian realm!” He was still a little doubtful to the words of this Zhang laoshi, but his tone had become much more respectful and he answered his question seriously. Mo laoshi and clan head Wang Hong nodded their heads in agreement. They have seen Zhao Yanfeng execute his punching routine previously as well. Given their experience, they could tell that Lu Xun laoshi’s judgement was accurate. Zhao Yanfeng’s talent could only be considered as average and to be able to break through within half a year could be considered as good progress. “Half a year? There’s no need for that! I can help you break through within an hour!” Zhang Xuan looked over. “An hour? How is that possible?” “It is hard to tell whether he is even able to break through within half a year, and you said to help him break through in an hour? This…” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone went insane. None of them dared to believe his words. Cultivation, unlike eating or drinking, cannot satisfy one at one go. It has to be done a single step at a time. One can only progress after countless accumulation over time. Even for Zhao Yanfeng, who is already Juxi realm 1-dan pinnacle, if he isn’t able to control the spiritual energy adeptly, he is unable to open up his dantian! This accumulation is an extremely slow process. Without accumulation of experience over time, it is impossible for him to succeed! Yet, Zhang Xuan claimed that he is able to do it within an hour? This… Even if you wanted to brag, you shouldn’t brag about something so impossible! Be careful of your nose reaching the heavens! “Why, you all don’t believe me?” Ignoring the shocked crowd, the corners of Zhang Xuan’s mouth crept upwards as he continued gazing at the young man before him. “I…” Zhao Yanfeng was hesitant. He felt that what the other party said about him possessing Innate Sealed Meridians was true, but about helping him break through Fighter 1-dan in an hour… This was like a dream to him. If he was really able to break through Fighter 1-dan within an hour, then this Zhang laoshi was really way too incredible. That would also mean that his decision to induce his cultivation to go berserk to break through his Innate Sealed Meridian was a success, as well as a correct decision! After all, why would a teacher who could help others break through their cultivation realm so easily lie about such a minor matter? Since he was able to come to this conclusion, others were able to as well. Each of every one of their gazes slowly gathered onto Zhang Xuan. “I don’t blame you for not believing in me. After all, your cultivation have gone berserk once upon listening to my words!” Zhang Xuan flung his hand and a look of pity appeared in his eyes. “However, if you pass by this opportunity, you will need to take half a year, or perhaps even longer! It’s your own choice!” “This…” Zhao Yanfeng stood on the spot with clenched fists. After a period of time, he lifted his head and determination could be seen in his eyes. “Zhang laoshi, I want to give it a try!” 79 Teacher Acknowledgement Fever Just as what Zhang laoshi said, the moment he passed by the opportunity, he would need to take a significantly longer period of time to break through. Once he was a single step behind of others, he would always be a step behind of others. He didn’t want to be chasing after the footsteps of others all the time. He didn’t really trust the words of the other party, but with so many teachers here, he doubted that this Zhang laoshi would cause his cultivation to go berserk once more. “Good. I will rejoice over the decision you made!” Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan’s gaze swept around the surroundings before retrieving a box of silver needles. Then, he instructed, “Sit down with crossed legs. Don’t allow your thoughts to wander. I will use the silver needles to help you open up your acupoints so as to increase the speed of your accumulation of spiritual energy. You just have to try to break into the Dantian realm!” “Alright!” With his determination resolute, Zhao Yanfeng didn’t hesitate for long before he sat down with crossed legs. Zhang Xuan walked forward and retrieving a single needle, he placed it into one of the acupoints of the other party. At the same time, a surge of zhenqi gushed in. As he cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, his zhenqi was as clear as mineral water. The moment it entered the other party’s body, the shackles in his acupoints were immediately broken through. The acupoints of an average cultivator were similar to small holes filled with silt, and the murky zhenqi was similar to muddy water. It was impossible to wash their acupoints clean with zhenqi filled with so much impurities. On the other hand, superior zhenqi was equivalent to clear water. While others might not be able to wash their acupoints cleanly even with two years of effort, he was able to do it easily. The moment the acupoints were opened, the surrounding spiritual energy immediately gushed in frenziedly. Hu hu hu hu! With hands as swift as the wind, he consecutively jabbed another eight silver needles onto the body of the other party. The nine silver needles opened nine acupoints on Zhao Yanfeng’s body. The spiritual energy that had been flowing like a small stream in his body instantaneously turned into a torrential river and gushed through his body before gathering at his spiritual sea. Boom! Zhao Yanfeng felt as though an explosion had happened in his brain. The withdrawn dantian in his abdomen was broken through in an instant. As though a massive basin, it accommodated all spiritual energy that came flowing in. “This…” Standing up abruptly, Zhao Yanfeng pressed his palm against the Strength Measuring Rock Pillar not too far away. Boom! 150kg! Fighter 2-dan Dantian realm primary stage! “I… I…” Upon seeing the numbers float into appearance, Zhao Yanfeng was stunned. Initially, he thought that it would take at least half a year for him to successfully advance into the next realm. Yet, with Zhang laoshi’s assistance, he managed to succeed within a few moments. It seemed that it didn’t even take an hour! “Thank you, Zhang laoshi!” Padah! All of the doubts Zhao Yanfeng had of Zhang laoshi cleared from his mind and he immediately knelt before Zhang Xuan and kowtowed continuously. In this instant, from the depths of his heart, he was convinced that all the other party did was for his welfare! How could a teacher, who was able to help others break through so easily, teach erroneous theories and cause a student’s cultivation to go berserk? To think that he doubted such a noble teacher, even insulting him! He was worse than a beast! He must have been blind then to leave this teacher before to acknowledge Lu Xun laoshi. If a chance presented itself, he would withdraw from his lessons and return back to him. “He really broke through?” “To help a Fighter 1-dan successfully break through in slightly more than ten minutes…” “Surely there’s something wrong with my vision? How did he do it just by jabbing a few needles?” While Zhao Yanfeng was feeling conflicted and remorseful, clan head Wang Hong, Elder Mo and the others who had taken that scene have their eyes widened and mouth agape as they felt the world around them crumbling. They thought that Zhang Xuan was just bragging and assumed that it was impossible for him to succeed. Yet, viewing personally what they deemed impossible occurring, the striking visuals left them on the verge of tears. Looking at the other party once again, this time, their eyes were burning passionately. Back then, when they broke through 1-dan, they had to go through numerous troubles and struggles. Yet, looking at Zhao Yanfeng, he seemed to have taken as much effort as it took to eat or drink. Why didn’t they meet with Zhang laoshi back then? “Zhang laoshi, please accept me as your student!” Wang Yan, who came with Wang Tao and the others, walked forward and knelt before him. Back then, he thought that Lu Xun laoshi was the superior one, and thus, he didn’t agree with the decision of the clan head and his grandfather. Yet, upon seeing Zhang laoshi helping Zhao Yanfeng break through within ten minutes or so, he was unable to suppress the temptation any longer. “Un?” Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes. “I know that Yan-er’s talents are average, but I beseech Zhang laoshi not to reject him!” The 2nd Elder from Wang clan walked out. With a face full of smiles, he continued, “As long as Zhang laoshi accepts him, I am willing to be your disciple as well. I’m sure that Zhang laoshi’s name will spread far and wide upon accepting a Pixue realm student, no one will dare to doubt you!” “2nd Elder, can you have some decency? To think that you would try to bargain and do a buy one get one free, how shameless!” The Grand Elder flung his sleeves and looked over respectfully. “Zhang laoshi, ignore them. The 2nd Elder is lacking in decorum! Cough cough, how about me? I am a Pixue realm pinnacle expert and I would like to acknowledge you as my teacher as well. If you find it inconvenient due to my identity as an elder of the Wang clan, I can always retire.” “What is there to compete about? Each of you are already old enough to be his grandfather, and yet you still want to acknowledge him as your teacher. Don’t you all feel embarrassed?” Not expecting the Grand Elder and 2nd Elder to act so shamefully, clan head Wang Hong reprimanded them. Upon being reprimanded of the clan head, the faces of the two flushed in embarrassment. Indeed, they were no longer young and their bone structure have already solidified. It wouldn’t be an easy task for them to break through. Wang Tao and Wang Yan turned to look at the clan head in reverence. [Do you see that? Our clan head has self-restraint and wits, being able to see through the crux of the problem with a glance.] However, before they were done revering him, they saw clan head Wang Hong turning around to look at Zhang Xuan with a bundles of smile, “Zhang laoshi, I am still young, just 42 this year. Can I acknowledge you as my master?” “…” Zhang Xuan. “…” Everyone else. “Cough cough, let’s talk about the matter of acknowledging masters in the future!” In the end, Zhang Xuan had to speak up to stabilise the chaotic situation. Turning towards Zhao Yanfeng once more, he asked, “Do you still think that I caused your cultivation to go berserk because I am incapable of teaching?” “I beg of Zhang laoshi to forgive me for repaying your grooming with ingratitude!” Zhao Yanfeng hurriedly kowtowed to Zhang Xuan. “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. Then, turning around to look at Elder Shang Chen, he asked, “Elder Shang Chen, do you still have anything else that you would like to say?” “I…” Elder Shang Chen’s face stiffened. He was unable to explain the issue with the Teacher Qualification Examination, and now that everyone believed that Zhang laoshi sending Zhao Yanfeng’s cultivation berserk was to help him, what else could he say? His face was slapped on once more! Furthermore, it was the type that causes a swelling instantly! “Impossible, impossible! How can he help others to break through so easily?” By the side, Cao Xiong seemed to have gone dim-witted. His eyes were filled with confusion. This Zhang Xuan laoshi had entered the academy at the same time as him, and all along, his results were superior to his. When did he become so incredible? Furthermore, to be able to help others break through so casually, even the elders and principal of the academy weren’t capable of such a feat. How did he accomplish it? “Cao Xiong laoshi intentionally slandered his colleagues, proving that he is lacking in ethics as a teacher. I will report this up to the Teacher Guild for them to revoke your teaching license! At the same time, the hundred God Slaying Flogs will be carried out now!” With the issue settled, Elder Mo waved his hands. “Yes!” Cao Xiong gritted his teeth. Even though he was unwilling to accept it, he knew that his fate was already sealed. “Shang Bin, as a teacher, for your own benefits, you intentionally framed another teacher. Your teaching license will be suspended until further notice!” After dealing with Cao Xiong, Elder Mo looked over at Shang Bin and Shang Chen. “As for Shang Chen, as an elder, the head of the Education Bureau, not only did you not spare a consideration for other teachers, you intentionally made things difficult for them, even altering the results of the Teacher Qualification Examination at your whim. You will be stripped of your position as an elder and the head of the Education Bureau. The issue will be reported to the Teacher Guild and a verdict will be passed down on your conduct!” 80 How Do I Teach You? The elders from the Teacher Guild were of similar positions to the leaders from the Ministry of Education in Zhang Xuan’s previous world. They possessed the authority to revoke the position of the teachers of an academy. “Elder Mo, seeing how we were friends for so many years, please spare me…” Upon hearing the punishment, Shang Chen hurriedly said. At this moment, he felt his world crumbling. He was the one who got Elder Mo here. The initial intention was to have him strip Zhang Xuan of his teaching license, yet… he only managed to crush his own legs with the boulder he moved. In the end, he was the one who was fired! [Can the situation not be so damned?] “It’s all your fault, you spoiled brat!” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Looking at Shang Bin, he couldn’t help but want to rush forward to send two kicks towards him to alleviate his rage. If not for this fellow being so adamant to bring trouble onto Zhang Xuan, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. Now, not only did the other party get away scot-free and he was relieved of his duty, most importantly of all, his reputation was in the gutters. It was to be expected that once the news of him oppressing other teachers and changing their results on a whim spread out, he would become a hated figure, one scorned by everyone else. He did not do it, but… someone had to believe his words first! [Of all people, you choose to do your own grandfather in…] “Spare you? Elder Shang, it is precisely because of our years of friendship that I have already spared you of your dignity. Otherwise, if I were to report you of oppressing your colleagues to the Teacher Guild, it is likely that you would be stripped of your teaching license as well!” Elder Mo harrumphed coldly. “You better keep yourself in check from now on!” Elder Shang knew what the other party was saying was true. Weakness surged through his body and he slumped onto the floor, sorrowful as though he had lost his parents. “Zhang laoshi, we have troubled you today. For such a scum to appear among the teachers is a negligence on the Teacher Guild’s part!” After dealing with the trio, Elder Mo turned to look at Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look. “Don’t worry about it. It is normal for one or two degenerates to appear occasionally!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand to show that he wasn’t bothered by it. Seeing his attitude, everyone felt impressed with him yet again. [Did you see that, that is the magnanimity that a teacher should have.] “Great, then I will be returning to the guild to settle these matters. I will make sure to give Zhang laoshi an explanation on the situation!” After which, Elder Mo glared hatefully at Elder Shang Chen for a moment before turning around to leave. “Zhang laoshi, let’s go as well. You still have yet to teach me painting!” At this moment, Cao Xiong was being beaten to the point of nearing death. Upon seeing the situation here had been settled, Bai Xun walked up to him with a grin. “Alright!” Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan walked out of the Enlightenment Will Tower along with the rest. To tell the truth, he barely scraped past this situation safely. Were it not for the Wang clan, Bai Xun and Huang Yu’s timely arrivals, even if he could handle the situation, it would have taken him a lot of effort. Especially with the matter regarding Zhao Yanfeng. Actually, he wasn’t entirely truthful about his situation. What Zhao Yanfeng suffered from wasn’t Innate Sealed Meridians, but Innate Narrow Meridians! Innate Narrow Meridians, using the words of his previous life, meant that while others are an eight car lane, you are a bicycle track. With such narrow meridians, it was natural that he would feel his body ripping apart when spiritual energy flowed through. In fact, his speed of cultivation would slow significantly, creating an upper limit onto his future achievements. However, there was an inherent difference between it and Innate Sealed Meridians. The former, Innate Sealed Meridian, was similar to having all kinds of nails along one’s path, blocking the flow of spiritual energy entirely. On the other hand, Innate Narrow Meridians, even though one’s meridians were narrow, spiritual energy was able to flow through it, allowing one to cultivate without a problem. His cultivation going berserk did widen his narrow meridians, allowing him to cultivate even more easily. That was precisely the reason why his cultivation soared, allowing him to reach Juxi realm pinnacle. However, that incident also caused tremendous damage to his body. Juxi realm pinnacle was already his limit then. It was impossible for him to break through. In order to make it up for the other party, Zhang Xuan made a move to help him break through. At the same time, he also cleared away the trauma his previous self had left in his body, killing two birds with one stone. At the very least, after this incident, no one would use this berserk incident against him anymore. As for how he successfully helped Zhao Yanfeng break through, actually the theory behind it was simple. After flipping through all the books in the Compendium Pavilion, he had already formed the 1-dan, 2-dan and 3-dan of Heaven’s Path Divine Art. After cultivating it himself last night, he was well-aware of the correct method to breaking through. Furthermore, given the superior quality zhenqi in his body, it wasn’t a difficult task for him to guide the other party to walk on the correct path to break through. “From now on, I am no longer in danger of being expelled!” With the burden off his heart, he heaved a sigh of relief. After transcending over, he had been in danger of expulsion. Even after he accepted several students, he still felt as though there were ominous clouds looming over him. However, at this moment, this threat had been entirely removed! Walking out of the Enlightenment Will Tower, he gave permission for Wang Yan to listen in on his class, just like Wang Tao, and only then did the Wang clan leave. As for Zhao Yanfeng, he stared at Zhang laoshi. Clearly, Zhang Xuan’s capabilities have moved him and he hoped to be accepted under his tutelage once more. However, Zhang Xuan immediately rejected this suggestion. [What a joke! I am a transcender with a golden finger, someone who will become a master teacher sooner or later. If I allow people to come under me and leave as they please, wouldn’t that trample on my dignity? My previous self had left you berserk, whereas I have made it up to you by helping you break into Fighter 2-dan. Our grudges have been settled, and I don’t want to touch on that ever again.] Rejected by Zhang Xuan, depression reflected on Zhao Yanfeng’s face. However, after awhile, he seemed to recall something and resolution appeared in his eyes once more. Turning around, he followed behind Wang Yan and left. “Huang Yu xiaojie, may I know how one becomes an associate master teacher?” Walking along the way, Zhang Xuan couldn’t resist asking her. After this incident, he realized that the only way to create his own place in this world and to not be trampled over by others was to become a Master Teacher! To become a Master Teacher, one had to become an associate master teacher first. “Associate master teacher is more like a way to address someone. Unlike Master Teacher, one doesn’t need to be assessed for it! It mainly depends on luck. As long as a Master Teacher has set his eyes on you and invites you to be his assistant, then you are already considered an associate master teacher!” Huang Yu explained. “Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Actually, this associate master teacher was similar to the associate professors in his previous life. Even though they did not wield true authority and they were more like a spokesperson, they represented the dignity of a Master Teacher and possessed esteemed standing in society. “You are an associate master teacher, then that bookstore…” Zhang Xuan looked at her doubtfully. He was astonished to hear that Huang Yu is an associate master teacher. Previously, when he saw that she was able to freely walk in and out of Master Lu Chen’s residence, he knew that her identity was extraordinary. Just that, he didn’t expect her identity to be so extraordinary. Furthermore, as an associate master teacher, her identity was even more prestigious than the elders of Hongtian Academy. There was no reason for her to open a remote bookstore in the market. “I happened to catch Liu shi’s eye and became his associate master teacher, but as I am still way too young, I require some experience so as to better earn the trust of others. As such, I listened to Liu shi’s orders and chose a packed commercial city to open a small store so as to nurture my character. At the same time, I am also able to read more and become more knowledgeable…” Huang Yu explained. Shi is similar to laoshi, just a shorter version Zhang Xuan nodded his head Peering into the truth of matters was a field of knowledge by itself, and building rapport was a skill with great depth. Never underestimate small shop owners. Sometimes, these were the people who have the greatest understanding of human personality, unrivalled even by experts and academics. Sometimes, the best way to understand human nature and temper oneself was to go to the very bottom. As the daughter of the Teacher Guild’s leader, Huang Yu was born with a golden spoon in her mouth. The reason why Liu shi had asked her to do so was to groom her, as well as to give her more worldly experience. After chatting for a while, he gained a certain degree of understanding towards master teachers and associate master teachers. In this world, the path of teachers was highly-respected. Teachers were highly-regarded, even much more so than in his previous life. What apothecary, blacksmith, appraiser… Of the numerous occupations in the Upper Nine Paths, none of them could compare with master teachers. However, that was to be expected. Whether it’s about cultivation or any other occupations, one required a teacher to guide them along. If one didn’t even respect their teachers, how could they possibly improve? “Right, what is Master Lu Chen testing you all on, for you all to have to study under me?” After comprehending the social position of teachers, Zhang Xuan listed another one doubt that was lingering in his head. Bai Xun was the young son of Zhennan Wang whereas Huang Yu was the daughter of the guild leader of the Teacher Guild, not to mention that she herself was an associate master teacher. Logically speaking, given their social positions, there shouldn’t be any need for them to be tested by anyone else. “Master Lu Chen has a painting that he has hidden for countless years called the [Ink Daylily Canvas]… The both of us want it, that’s why master intentionally set such a difficult question to evaluate us!” Huang Yu explained. “Ink Daylily Canvas?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “The one drawn by the master painter Mo Chenzi, Ink Daylily Canvas? Neither of you two understand paintings… Why would you want it?” In the books Zhang Xuan looked through in the Compendium Pavilion, there were many records of this Ink Daylily Canvas. It was said to be an artistic treasure left behind by a master painter a century ago. It was an incomparably valuable painting. “It is… a gift!” Huang Yu blushed. “Gift?” Zhang Xuan came to a realization. She and Bai Xun had set their eyes upon this Ink Daylily Canvas at the same time and requested Master Lu Chen for it. The master agreed to gift it to them, but the prerequisites for it was that they had to pass his test first. The supposed test should refer to appraisal of paintings. “Master Zhang, you have such deep understanding of painting, capable of seeing through the problems in it with just a glance. Can you teach us?” Bai Xun stared expectantly at him. “Indeed, please teach us!” Huang Yu also looked over. “Teach you two?” The reason why he was able to appraise those painting was due to the help of the Library of Heaven’s Path. In reality… He didn’t know a single thing about paintings, so how could he teach them? Looking at the expectant gazes of the two, Zhang Xuan awkwardly scratched his head, unsure of what he should do. End of the first arc! 81 I Would Like to Withdraw from Your Tutelage 1 Hongtian Academy, Lu Xun’s classroom. As a star teacher of the academy, his classroom was several hundred meters wide, as big as a massive football field. Students have lined up in rows after rows, and they numbered several hundred. “As expected of Lu laoshi, I have heard rumors outside that innumerable students find it an honor to become your student and they go all out to be admitted under your tutelage, but to think that it would be true!” Looking at the number of students in the classroom, an elderly stroked his beard as he looked at a young man not too far away from him. The young man was around 26 to 27 year old. Dressed in blue, he stood upright as though a spear that would pierce through the heavens, carrying a haughty aura with him. As for the elderly, if Shang Bin is here, he would be able to recognize him. He was the master of Hongtian Pavilion, Elder Hong Hao! “You have praised me excessively, elder. I am just fulfilling my responsibility in nurturing them. They have overrated me!” The young man chuckled. His words might be humble, but his attitude exuded self- confidence and pride. “It is clear to see whether you have been overrated or not just by seeing the standards of the students. I have heard that over seventy of the top hundred students have been admitted into your class after applying for it. Furthermore, of the two hundred new students you have accepted, there doesn’t seem to be a single one who is placed beneath five hundred!” Elder Hong Hao smiled as he stroked his beard. Yesterday, when he heard the figures, he was also taken aback. Despite being young, this Lu Xun laoshi had become the most radiant star teacher in the entire academy. Almost all the good buds among the freshmen had been taken by him. Such results, despite the long history of the academy, was rarely seen. “It is my honor for students to be willing to apply for my lessons!” Hearing praises from a Fighter 7-dan elder, Lu Xun laoshi swelled in pride. After which, turning around, he asked, “Elder Hong Hao has always been a busy figure, so what kind of wind brought you here today? Could it be that you have something that requires my help? As long as it is within the scope of my abilities, I will give it my best!” He didn’t believe that a powerful elder like him would be here just to chat. “Speaking of it, there is indeed something that I need to trouble you with. I have been old friends with your father and I watched as you grew up. I know that you are an upright person, so I came here to request you investigate a teacher for me!” Elder Hong Hao said. “Do not mention my father, he is a stubborn antique!” Seeing how the other party was trying to play the emotion card, Lu Xun frowned. “Which teacher do you want me to look into?” “Zhang Xuan!” Elder Hong Hao said. After that incident with Zhang Xuan in his Hongtian Tavern, his business was now negligible. Rage had already been burning furiously in his heart. If not in consideration for his identity, he would have already ran up to the dwelling of the other party to bash him up. “Zhang Xuan? You mean the one who scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination and sent Zhao Yanfeng’s cultivation berserk?” Lu Xun looked over. He had already heard of the various ‘glorious’ deeds of that Zhang laoshi. Furthermore, he even accepted a student of his, so how could he not be aware of it. “Indeed!” Elder Hong Hao nodded his head. “He is just a trash of a teacher, he would be fired sooner or later. Does elder have a grudge with him?” Lu Xun was puzzled. On one hand was an established elder that could vie for the academy’s principal position while on the other, a teacher who could be fired at any moment. The two lived in totally different worlds, so how could they be related to one another? “It is just some minor matters! I have heard that the Education Bureau has issued an ultimatum to him. As long as he fails to accept any student this school term, his teaching license will be revoked and he will be expelled from the academy! Thus, I hope to trouble Lu laoshi to see whether you can accept those students of his under your tutelage!” Elder Hong Hao revealed the purpose behind his visit. He had already looked into Zhang Xuan’s affairs before heading here, including the fact that he had recruited five students this school term. The other party was a teacher and this identity protected him, leaving the elder without a means to deal with him. However, the moment he lost this identity, wouldn’t he be his to slaughter? “Accept under my tutelage?” Lu Xun didn’t expect the other party to look for him over such a matter. “Indeed. As the star teacher of Hongtian Academy, you are probably the only one capable of doing so! As long as you reveal such an intention, his few students would most probably withdraw from his lessons and rush to come under you!” Elder Hong Hao chuckled. “Dealing with a teacher who has students under him is troublesome. If he has no students under him, then things wouldn’t be that complicated.” “Uh…” Lu Xun hesitated. “There is nothing to hesitate about, have you forgotten about Zhao Yanfeng? If you allow Zhang Xuan to continue teaching the students like that, history will just repeat itself and the lives of his students will be ruined! You are saving them by bringing them over!” Elder Hong Hao immediately gave him another push upon seeing his hesitation. “Alright, I will help you on this matter. I will reveal my intention to accept the students under his tutelage today!” Lu Xun nodded his head. “Great!” Elder Hong Hao’s eyes lit up and excitement coursed through his heart. Now that Lu laoshi had agreed to it, he could already clearly vision the disappointed and despairing face of Zhang Xuan. [Hmph, since he dared to leave Hongtian Pavilion on the verge of closing down, he will slowly play with him and show him what true fear means!] Just as he was rejoicing over it in his mind, pondering about what he should do to punish him, a new student rushed over. “Lu laoshi!” Upon standing before Lu Xun, he knelt down. “Wang Yan, what is wrong?” Seeing this youngster, Lu Xun smiled and nodded his head. This Wang Yan was one of the few most talented ones of this batch of freshmen. Furthermore, he was the grandson of the 2nd Elder of the Wang clan, thus possessing an esteemed position. Even for him, he felt proud to accept a student of such standing. “Lu laoshi, I… I…” Wang Yan, who just came over from the Enlightenment Will Tower, knelt onto the floor and he appeared to be conflicted. “Have you met with some trouble in your cultivation? Free free to speak!” Seeing him stutter, Lu Xun spoke grandly. “Lu laoshi’s knowledge is vast, not to mention that he is the most famous teacher in the entire academy. If you have any difficulties, feel free to speak of it. He is definitely able to solve it for you!” Elder Hong Hao said with a smile as he stroked his beard. “Alright, I will speak then…” Wang Yan clenched his jaws and continued, “I would like to… withdraw from your tutelage. I hope Lu laoshi can fulfill my request!” “Withdraw from my tutelage?” Lu Xun staggered. His eyes widened in disbelief. Other people fought with one another to be admitted under him, and yet this fellow wanted to… withdraw from his tutelage? Are you for real? After teaching in Hongtian Academy for numerous years, he had never met with such a situation! “Yes!” Now that the word was out, Wang Yan heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded his head. “Do you have anything that you find hard to speak of, or were you threatened by someone else?” Lu Xun couldn’t resist asking. “No, this is a choice I made of my own free will!” Wang Yan said. “You know that after withdrawing from my tutelage, no other teachers in this academy will accept you, right?” Hearing that he made the choice out of his own free will, Lu Xun continued on. He was the most famous teacher in the academy. How could any other teachers dare to accept a student who withdrew from his tutelage? “As long as I withdraw from your tutelage, I would be able to listen in on Zhang Xuan laoshi’s lessons. This is an opportunity for me, so I hope Lu laoshi can grant my wish!” Wang Yan lowered his body. “Withdraw from my tutelage to listen in on Zhang Xuan laoshi’s lessons?” Hearing those words, a constipated expression appeared on Lu Xun. With his mouth agape and eyes in perfect circles, he felt as though something had gone wrong with the world. 82 I Would Like to Withdraw from Your Tutelage 2 Not just Lu Xun was carrying such an expression, even Elder Hong Hao felt the world spinning around him as he found it difficult to cope with the sudden turn of events. Wasn’t Zhang Xuan the worst teacher in the entire academy? Just a moment ago, he said that as long as he were to release word of his interest to accept his students, they would come rushing over. However, never in his dreams would he have expected that even before he could make a move, one of the students he held great expectations for had ran over to him! [It is one thing if the other party had accepted you, but to listen in on his lessons? The heck, are you sure you aren’t joking with me? That means that you don’t have any position at all! Instead of being my direct disciple, you chose to ran over to listen in to someone else’s lesson.] Lu Xun felt as though his face had been slapped hard and his complexion darkened. “I hope that Lu laoshi can fulfill my request!” Wang Yan hurriedly pleaded. “You…” After a long period of time, looking at the serious expression on the other party’s face, he knew that the other party was serious. With an awful expression, he said, “You do know that Zhang Xuan laoshi had once caused a student’s cultivation to go berserk? Even so, you want to listen in to his classes?” “I am aware of it, but I would still like to!” Wang Yan nodded his head, the determination on his face resolute. Just a moment ago, he got a glimpse of Zhang laoshi’s amazing capabilities that left even his grandfather in awe. At this moment, his heart was already with Zhang Xuan. Seeing how determined the other party was, Lu Xun’s complexion darkened even further. Gesturing to the few students by the side, he said, “Bring Zhao Yanfeng over!” “Lu laoshi!” A short moment later, Zhao Yanfeng arrived. “Wang Yan says that he would like to withdraw from my tutelage to listen in to Zhang Xuan laoshi’s classes. Tell him how it was when you cultivated under him and let him know how foolish his decision is!” Lu Xun flung his sleeves. Zhao Yanfeng didn’t speak and instead, he knelt down and kowtowed continuously. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you recount the situation frequently in the past?” Lu Xun frowned. Zhao Yanfeng, as the student whose cultivation was sent berserk by Zhang Xuan, had the greatest say in the matter. In the past, he often spoke badly about Zhang laoshi, only to be stopped by him. Even though was granting him permission to speak now, he seemed reluctant to do so, as if something was plaguing his mind. “Lu laoshi! Actually, just like Wang Yan, I would like to listen in on Zhang laoshi’s lessons!” Finally solidifying his resolution, Zhao Yanfeng said. “You want to go as well?” With a steeled face, Lu Xun almost stumbled to the ground. [Didn’t your cultivation go berserk because of him? Don’t you resent him for that? Didn’t you talk badly about him often? So why would you want to withdraw from my tutelage to listen in on his lessons?] Lu Xun felt that he was on the verge of going insane. “Zhang laoshi is my benefactor. I feel extremely guilty for leaving him without bidding farewell the previous time! I hope that Lu laoshi can fulfill my wish!” Zhao Yanfeng said respectfully. [Benefactor? Benefactor your head! By sending your cultivation berserk? Leaving without bidding farewell? It is clear to see that you were trying to escape from him, alright? Guilty? When you insulted Zhang Xuan laoshi every day, why didn’t I see a single trace of guilt in you?] Lu Xun felt like going on a frenzy. “Alright, alright. Since the both of you have made up your minds, I will withdraw you two from my tutelage then!” Grabbing the two jade tokens over, he bit on his finger and dripped a droplet of fresh blood on the both of them. As the star teacher of the academy, Lu Xun was a proud person. Since these two students of his have already made up their minds, stopping them would only make them resentful of him. If so, he might as well simply let go of them. “Thank you, teacher!” Grabbing over the jade token and confirming that they were withdrawn from Lu Xun laoshi’s tutelage, Wang Yan and Zhao Yanfeng’s eyes lit up simultaneously. “The both of you aren’t my students anymore, you can leave now!” Suppressing his rage that was on the verge of erupting, Lu Xun waved them away. “Yes!” The two of them walked out. “Damn it, damn it!” Upon seeing them leave, Lu Xun roared. Who was he? The number one star teacher of Hongtian Academy. Countless students vied with one another to become his student and he had to contemplate carefully before making a choice among them. He thought that no one would be able to poach his students in the academy, but… Not just one, but two students were poached from him in one go! Furthermore… If the one who poached these students from him were Wang Chao or Shen Bi Ru, he could let this matter drop. But for it to be the one who scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination, the fellow who stood at the very bottom of the academy! The strong feeling of humiliation he was feeling made him feel frenzied. Not to mention, he had just agreed to Elder Hong Hao’s request to poach the other party’s students. Yet, before he could make a move, the other party had already succeeded in poaching his. If not for his propriety and his concern over his identity, he might even rush over to beat up this Zhang Xuan! “Zhu Hong!” After venting his anger slightly, the rage Lu Xun felt cooled down slightly. He turned around to call for his student. “Lu laoshi!” A sixteen to seventeen year old youngster walked out. Zhu Hong, the student who was ranked fourth in this year’s entrance examination. He was one of the most talented students he had accepted this semester. Even though he was only sixteen, he had already reached Juxi realm pinnacle and was ready to break into the next realm at any moment. “Deliver a war letter to Zhang Xuan laoshi for me!” Lu Xun gritted his teeth. “War letter?” Hearing his decision, Elder Hong was taken aback. After which, he came to a realization and asked, “Could it be that during this Freshmen Tournament, you hope to…” “Indeed! To dare to poach my student, I, Lu Xun, have never suffered such humiliation!” Lu Xun laoshi waved his hand. Then, clenching his fist tightly together, he continued, “Since he dares to make a move on me, then he should find a way to withstand my rage as well!” After which, he retrieved a paper from the desk and wrote on it. “Pass this to Zhang Xuan, tell him that I will challenge him to a Teacher Evaluation during the Freshmen Tournament half a month from now. Ask him if he dares to accept my challenge or not. If he dares not, tell him to never do such petty actions behind my back!” Lu Xun flung his sleeves majestically. Every year, half a month after the acceptance of the freshmen, a Freshmen Tournament would be held. This tournament allowed the students to showcase their talents and improvement. It was a stage for the students to show their worth as compared to their peers. As for Teacher Evaluation, it was a battle between different teachers. During a Teacher Evaluation, the two competing teachers would choose a few of their students and compete based on their cultivation realm, their battling prowess and theoretical knowledge, so as to ensure the effectiveness of the teachers’ classes. Through such competition, the competency of the teachers were being assessed and evaluated. From the eyes of the outsiders, Lu Xun laoshi proposing the challenge to Zhang Xuan was a one-sided slaughter. “Yes!” Zhu Hong’s eyes twinkled in reverence. The results of Teacher Evaluation affected the respective teachers’ pride and honor. As a result, such challenges were usually held privately. Lu laoshi was probably the only one who was confident and proud enough to send a war letter directly to another teacher face-on. As expected of his idol, he was simply too suave! Venting his discontentment whenever he is angered, not even needing to suppress his emotions at all, he was his role model! “Go!” Lu Xun ushered him. Zhu Hong nodded his head, turned around and left. “Do you really intend to hold a Teacher Challenge?” Elder Hong Hao walked over and asked. “Not only so, I want to hold a bet with him. If he loses, all of the students under his tutelage will go to me!” A glint flashed across Lu Xun’s eyes. Ever since he became a teacher, his life had been smooth- sailing. Just as he intended to make use of these qualifications to attract the attention of a master teacher, so as to rise up to the position of an assistant master teacher, he met with such an affair. If not for such thoughts of his, there was no reason at all for him to accept Zhao Yanfeng, who didn’t have a high cultivation realm and had gone berserk once before. After all, he was a teacher, not a samaritan! If he was truly a good person, he could have just accepted all students who applied for his classes, there’s no need to select among them at all! It was all for the fame! He wanted to accrue sufficient reputation to become an assistant master teacher! If others were to hear that his student had withdrawn from his lessons to listen into the class of someone who had scored zero for the Teacher Qualification Examination, wouldn’t his reputation go into the gutters? Thus, no matter what, he had to get back at the one who inflicted such humiliation on him! 83 The Arrogant Zhu Hong “Will Zhang laoshi be okay?” In the classroom, Zhao Ya, Wang Ying and the others were worried. Cao Xiong laoshi had applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial to deal with Zhang laoshi. Even though not many people knew of it yet, as his students, they still heard some news of it. “Don’t worry, we had been through Zhang laoshi’s lessons and we were all impressed with him. Liu Yang is impressed by him, so it is impossible for anything to go wrong!” Zheng Yang said. Of the five students Zhang Xuan accepted, he was the one who was the most dissatisfied with Zhang laoshi. However, after two lessons, he was already thoroughly impressed with him. Right now, even if Wang Chao wanted to accept him in, he would reject him flat-out. Since this was the case with him, it was bound to be the same with Liu Yang as well. With such level of trust, how could Zhang Xuan fail the test? Boom! In the midst of speaking, someone abruptly sent the metal door flying with a kick from outside. After which, a young man walked in haughtily. “Where is your respected Zhang Xuan laoshi? Get him to come out!” With both hands behind his back, the young man’s eyelids rose slightly as he said those words. He intentionally emphasized on the words ‘Zhang Xuan laoshi’. Not only was there not a single trace of respect in his expression, he seemed to be mocking him. “Who are you? We don’t welcome you here, so please leave!” Upon seeing the other party speaking of Zhang laoshi with such disrespect, not to mention that he kicked the door open, Zheng Yang’s face darkened. “Zheng Yang, don’t be rash. He is the one who was ranked fourth in the entrance examinations, Zhu Hong!” Recognising the young man, Yuan Tao’s fat body shook as he hurriedly pulled Zheng Yang back and whispered to him in a hushed voice. “Zhu Hong?” Not just Zheng Yang, even the faces of Zhao Ya and the others darkened. They have heard of this name before. Zhu Hong was reputed to have already reached Juxi realm pinnacle, and it was possible for him to break through into the next realm any moment now. Ranking fourth in the entrance examination, this clearly showed that his strength and talent were something they were unable to match up to. “To be able to recognize me, looks like you aren’t as dumb as I thought. This is a war letter from Lu Xun laoshi. He wants to challenge Zhang Xuan laoshi to a Teacher Evaluation during the Freshmen Tournament half a month later. So, who is going to accept this letter in his stead?” Upon seeing the others recognize him, the edges of the young man’s lip crept upwards. With a condescending look, he spoke contemptuously to them. This person was the one who just walked out of Lu Xun’s classroom, Zhu Hong. He had long heard of Zhang Xuan, the worst teacher in the academy who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. As one blessed by the heavens and Lu Xun’s prided student, he looked down on him. “Teacher Evaluation? Lu Xun laoshi?” In that instant, everyone’s faces changed. Even though the ones to compete in the Teacher Evaluation were them, it was considered as a battle between the teacher’s ability to guide their students. This concerned the pride of their teacher and very few people chose to hold it. Lu Xun was the academy’s most famous teacher and there were countless experts under his tutelage. Why would he challenge Zhang laoshi? “Indeed, the petty actions Zhang Xuan was doing behind Lu laoshi had incurred his wrath and he had decided to teach him a lesson. I will be leaving the war letter here, pass it to him later. If you all dare not to accept the challenge, then admit defeat earlier and head to Lu laoshi’s classroom to apologize to him. Otherwise, prepare to be shamed!” Zhu Hong threw the war letter onto the table and turned around to leave. “Hold it right there!” Before he could exit the classroom, Zheng Yang dashed forward and blocked his path. “You kicked the doors to our classroom and spoke of Zhang laoshi so disrespectfully. Apologize, or don’t blame me for being discourteous!” A student had the responsibility to guard the honor of his teacher. This fellow was without a sliver of respect for their teacher. How could they allow him to do as he pleased, wanting to leave right after dumping that war letter? “You want me to apologize? You need to have the capabilities for it first!” Sneering coldly, Zhu Hong looked at him contemptuously and sent a kick at him. Zheng Yang’s skill with the spear was incredible, but his punching and kicking mastery were severely lacking. Furthermore, as his cultivation level was beneath that of the other party, before he could even react, he was kicked squarely in his chest and flew backwards, crashing heavily onto the ground. “Audacious!” Zhao Ya’s face warped in anger. With a roar, she charged forward. Just like Zhu Hong, she was Juxi realm pinnacle as well. However, her fighting prowess was slightly inferior to the other party. After trading a few blows, she was struck on her shoulder and retreated backwards. After which, Wang Ying and Yuan Tao also charged forward. However, since even Zhao Ya, who was the strongest of them all, wasn’t a match for him, how could they stand up against him? In a short moment’s time, the four of them had sustained some injuries. They were enraged by the other party’s actions, but they were helpless to do anything. They might have learnt quite a few profound theories from Zhang Xuan, but due to the lack of time, they still weren’t a match for one who was placed fourth in the entrance examination. “A bunch of trash!” After defeating the crowd, Zhu Hong flung his sleeves and said, “This is just a small punishment! He should have thought of this possibility when he challenged Lu laoshi! Tell him, if he doesn’t dare to agree, hurry up and apologize, otherwise…” “Otherwise what?” Before he could finish his words, a faint word echoed from the doorway. Along with Liu Yang, Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom. “Otherwise…” Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was a trash or not, he was a teacher. As a student of the academy, he wasn’t someone he could insult. Even though Zhang Xuan had yet to fly into rage, Zhu Hong cowered backwards. Gritting his teeth, he harrumphed, “Otherwise, prepare to lose in shame in the Teacher Evaluation!” “It is not your place to determine whether I would lose or win! Return and tell Lu Xun that I had accepted his war letter!” Zhang Xuan waved him away. Actually, he was a little dismal as well. After expending much effort to coax Huang Yu and Bai Xun to leave, he had intended to continue the lessons for a bit more. Yet, before he could enter the classroom, he heard the bellowing of this fellow. Lu Xun had challenged him. [You have a few hundred students under you. It is just a single Wang Yan who is coming to my lessons to listen in by the side, surely you don’t need to make such a big fuss out of it! Furthermore, even if you wanted to dispatch a student to send a war letter you, you should at least choose someone reliable. This fellow, despite being a junior, he was acting so arrogantly. If not in consideration for my identity, I would have extinguished his life with a single slap! If not so, do you think that I would allow him to be acting so snobbishly here?] “That’s for the best then. Farewell!” Zhu Hong prepared to leave. “Wait!” Zheng Yang struggled forward. He looked anxiously at Zhang Xuan, “Zhang laoshi, not only did he speak disrespectfully towards you and smashed our door, he even attacked us. If we were to allow him to leave like this, wouldn’t others just see us as easy targets in the future?” “Why? That thrashing wasn’t sufficient for you? Hmph! Despite being weak, you sure speak so arrogantly, you damned brat!” With his head held up high, Zhu Hong’s gaze swept across Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and the others scornfully before sneering, “Just this shabby classroom and these few students, I don’t care if that door really means anything much. After all, do you think anyone would secret listen into your lessons? Stop dreaming! Besides, you all would need more capable than that to keep me here. I will stand here, and if any of you think they’re sufficiently skilled, come at me!” At which, he paused for a moment before clasping his hands towards Zhang Xuan, “Zhang laoshi, as a teacher, surely you wouldn’t stoop down to the level of attacking a student!” Teachers had their own pride as well. If he were to really attack a student, he would be looked down by the others. This was also what the saying ‘soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals’ meant. Even if a general were to defeat a small soldier, it wouldn’t be something honorable for him. Calculating that it was unlikely Zhang Xuan would make a move on him and that none of his students was a match for him, he was fearless. “Zhang laoshi…” Seeing Zhu Hong behaving so arrogantly, the faces of Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and the others paled. They clenched their fists tightly together and an urge to charge forward and bash him surged through them. However, they also knew that they weren’t a match for Zhu Hong. They had already fallen tragically in defeat previously. They would only make a shame out of themselves if they were to continue making a move against him. “You want to teach him a lesson?” Ignoring that conceited fellow, Zhang Xuan turned to look at his students. “Yes!” All of them nodded their head simultaneously. Seeing their expression, Zhang Xuan casually waved his hand. Then, with a serious expression, he said, “No matter what, he is Lu laoshi’s student. It would be hard for me to account to him if he were to die! How about this, Yuan Tao, your strength is the weakest, and you have good self-control, go and beat him up into a pig-head and have him compensate for our door while you are at it! Remember to hold back! Also, during the fight, you must remember to play fairly and not to go overboard! Don’t wound the camaraderie you have as fellow students!” 84 Pummeling Zhu Hong 1 “Ah?” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan laoshi’s words, Zheng Yang and the others were on the verge of tears. [Teacher, can’t you tell? We aren’t afraid of you being unable to account for the matter if we were to beat him to death, but that we are unable to match up to him. Yet, you still went on and chose Yuan Tao to fight in our stead. He is still at Fighter 1-dan primary stage, how do you expect him to defeat his pinnacle expert before us?] “Beat me up into a pig-head and compensate for your door? Haha!” Zhu Hong laughed so hard that he almost failed to catch his breath. He knew what the level of strength the others were at when they crossed blows, especially for Yuan Tao, the one who scored the worst in the entrance examination. Yet, he dispatched him out to beat him up into a pig-head? He had long heard that Zhang laoshi was terrible at teaching, but he didn’t expect his eye of discernment would be so terrible as well. After which, with a trace of mock in his eyes, he declared, “Alright, if any of you can defeat me, not only will I pay for your door, I will compensate him with a thousand gold coins!” As the saying went, the poor studied while the rich trained. For Zhu Hong to possess formidable strength at such a young age, this showed the wealth his family possessed. A thousand gold coins wasn’t a small sum, but it was still something he could take out easily. “You will compensate anyone who defeats you?” Zhang Xuan asked. “Of course!” With both of his hands behind his back, Zhu Hong sneered coldly with a smug look on his face. They have just crossed blows, and these people wouldn’t be able to defeat him even if they were to cultivate for another decade! “Your time to earn money has come!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand. Looking at his students, he said, “Yuan Tao, it would be best for you to make a move first. Remember teacher’s words, go easy with your blows!” “I…” Yuan Tao’s face knitted into lumps. [This fellow is so powerful that even Zhao Ya xiaojie was unable to defeat him. How could I fight against him?] “If I say that you can win, you will win!” Knowing what he was thinking about, Zhang Xuan walked up to the podium and sat on the chair there. “That is because you are my students. You are all Zhang Xuan’s students!” Zhang Xuan’s students? Upon hearing these words, Zhu Hong burst into laughter once more. [The name of Zhang Xuan laoshi is indeed immense, almost rivaling with that of Lu Xun laoshi, but that’s notoriety alright? I might find it difficult to win against the students of other teachers, but your students…] Zhu Hong’s face was filled with disdain. While he was chuckling scornfully, Yuan Tao jolted. Hot blood surged through his body and the bitter look on his face disappeared. [That’s right, despite the incredible capabilities of Zhang laoshi, he is being mocked at at this very instant. As his student, it is my responsibility to safeguard his honor! Even if it means my death, I mustn’t allow him to be scorned by others!] At this point, zeal sprouted in his heart and he no longer felt fear. Thus, he stepped forward, ready to make a move against him. “Don’t rush!” Seeing that he was about to rush over, Zhang Xuan waved his hand once more to stop him. “Why? Does Zhang laoshi intend to go back on his words?” Zhu Hong snickered. “Go back on my words?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You are overthinking it. Yuan Tao is too incredible, it wouldn’t look good on me if he were to kill you accidentally. How about this, Yuan Tao, come over. I will teach you three basic punching moves.” “Three basic punching moves?” Yuan Tao and the others were perplexed over what this teacher of theirs was trying to do. “A last minute training? Learning battle techniques right now? I’m afraid that it’s too late!” Zhu Hong was filled with contempt. [What kind of joke is this? Every single battle technique requires countless hours of practice, training for days and nights, enduring the heat and cold, and only then will one be accomplished in it. Do you think that you can make them triumph over me by teaching them something at the last moment? Dream on!] “Teacher…” Yuan Tao had the same thoughts as well. He walked forward hesitantly and reflected on his face was confusion. Yuan Tao was truly unable to comprehend the rationale behind Zhang laoshi’s actions. Assuming that Zhang Xuan wanted to help them redress their grievances, his choice of sending Yuan Tao forward would only embarrass them further if he were to lose against Zhu Hong. “Yuan Tao, trust our teacher. He must have an idea in mind for him to say such words!” Liu Yang had witnessed the happenings in the Enlightenment Will Trial with his own eyes. He knew how formidable this notorious Zhang laoshi in front of them was and he had complete trust in him. He was able to help someone break through within ten minutes for what that would have taken the other party half a year. With such capabilities, what else could he possibly be incapable of? “Alright then!” Hearing those words, Yuan Tao clenched his jaws. Since he had been beaten up a while ago, the worst situation that could get was for him to be beaten up once more. Anyway, he had a thick skin and was resilient to beatings, so there was nothing for him to fear! “The few of you should come over to learn it as well, it will help you all win the bet later on!” Zhang Xuan looked at Zhao Ya and the others. “Yes!” The five of them walked over. “Look closely, this is the first move!” Stretching apart his five fingers, Zhang Xuan’s left hand grabbed at the empty air before him. The movement was so simple that even ordinary humans could comprehend and execute it, needless to say, them, who were well-versed in martial arts. “The second move!” Without a pause in his actions, Zhang Xuan sidestepped from the left to the right. “The third move!” With his right hand clenched into the shape of a fist, he sent an downward punch towards the other party’s chest. Withdrawing his fist, he straightened his posture. “Zhang laoshi, is that all?” Seeing that there weren’t any more movements to it, everyone was dumbfounded. [Zhang laoshi, you must be joking! These three moves are as trashy as the fighting methods of those ruffians outside, there isn’t a single depth to them at all! We can achieve victory with these three moves? Are you sure you aren’t joking!] Zhao Ya and the others could feel tears welling in their eyes. Even Zhu Hong had his eyes widened in complete circles. He felt as though the world had gone insane. [You declared that your students will beat me up into a pig- head, so I thought that you will teach them some profound moves. What the heck is this toy? You call this battle technique? Furthermore, when you were teaching them, you didn’t even try to conceal them from my sight. Teaching such trashy moves in front of me, do you take me for a corpse?] “Alright, these three moves are extremely simple, so you all should have comprehended them already. Yuan Tao, go. As long as you use them well, defeating this fellow isn’t a problem!” Zhang Xuan ushered him over. “I…” Yuan Tao’s face was filled with bitterness. He knew that he wasn’t a reliable person, but what Zhang laoshi had just taught them was even more unreliable! He wouldn’t even use these three moves in his usual fights against others because they were too lousy. There was not a single depth behind them at all. Even a dog could dodge those easily, not to mention, a human. “Go!” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. “Yes!” Gritting his teeth, with the emotions of a brave warrior charging to his death, Yuan Tao walked over to Zhu Hong and declared, “Let’s get on with it!” “Are you sure you want to fight with me?” Zhu Hong looked at him as though he was looking at a fool. [Truly eccentric teachers and students. If you could defeat me after learning three farmer brawling techniques, I should just kill myself.] “Hmph!” Ignoring the other party, Yuan Tao, who was already prepared to be pummeled, roared and lunged forward. There was no depth to the techniques he was using at all, and there wasn’t much difference between his fighting style and those ruffians in the alleys. He didn’t use the movements Zhang Xuan had just taught him. In his perspective, since he was going to be beaten up, it was best for him to not to make a fool of himself. “You are courting death!” With a cold sneer, Zhu Hong took a step back, dodging the other party’s offense. At the same time, he pushed him with his palm. Padah! Flying straight out, Yuan Tao crashed onto the floor. However, due to his thick skin, he didn’t feel any pain from the fall. He stood up and charged forth once more with clenched jaws. It hadn’t been long since he started learning battle techniques. He didn’t have time to comprehend or execute any techniques and thus, he could only rely on the instinctive brawling techniques that he used in the past. These moves might work against those ruffians by the alley, but to Zhu Hong, a cultivator, it was as laughable as playing house. He had already decided to fight for Zhang Xuan laoshi’s honor. Even if he was beaten to death, he would not give up! In the midst of his charge to go all out against the other party, Zhang laoshi’s voice rang by his ear. 穷文富武 ‘The poor studies while the rich trains.’ As long as the poor has books, regardless of their condition, they are able to study. (In fact, some went as far as catching fireflies or camping outside the rich households with light at night just to cram a little more in) If they were to strike it out big, they would be able to bring riches and glory back to their province/town. On the other hand, to learn martial arts, one has to first find a capable teacher. Furthermore, they would need money to feed themselves correctly to strengthen their body as well. 85 Pummeling Zhu Hong 2 Zhenqi Telepathy! “You fool, use the three moves that I have just taught you! Execute the first two moves inversely, use your right hand and right foot instead of your left hand and left foot! Execute the last move as it is, just change the fist into a finger strike and strike at the spot three inches lower. Remember, it has to be three inches. It mustn’t be any more and or any less. One had to be at least Fighter 5-dan to use Zhenqi Telepathy. Zhang laoshi’s telepathy caused Yuan Tao’s body to jolt. Somehow, he felt inclined to trust him. “Let’s just do it! Things are already bad as it is anyway!” Without time to think too deeply into it, Yuan Tao decided to just go through with it. After all, it wasn’t like he had any other ideas. Thus, without any hesitation, he did as the voice commanded him to. As a cultivator, switching a left hand movement to the right was an extremely simple task. That left hand grab turned into a right hand grab, causing Zhu Hong to be taken aback. He tilted his head to dodge it and sent a punch back at him. However, before his fist could even reach Yuan Tao, the latter had already sidestepped from the right to the left, dodging his attack. “Crap, he is using the inverse version of the technique!” Zhu Hong immediately understood what is going on. Thus, he quickly withdrew his hands to cover his face. Previously, the third blow was a downward punch. Since his techniques were inversed, this move would be an upper cut instead. Furthermore, Zhang Xuan had said earlier to beat him up into a pig-head. He reacted extremely quickly and his movements were swift. However, it was a pity that Yuan Tao’s third move wasn’t inversed. It was still a downward motion and furthermore, it was aimed three inches below what Zhang Xuan had shown earlier. Pu! Before Zhu Hong could even react, he felt a stabbing pain at his waist and his entire body went numb. “This is bad, he struck my mingmen! How did he know where my mingmen is?” Zhu Hong’s face turned deathly white. He had carefully guarded the fact that his cultivation mingmen was in his waist from others. Previously, the two inverse movements used by Yuan Tao made him instinctively think of protecting his own face. Never would he have thought that the other party’s true motive lied here. The moment his mingmen was struck, his entire body went stiff as though he was paralyzed. “This is a good opportunity!” Seeing Zhu Hong’s body go stiff, no matter how foolish Yuan Tao could be, at this moment, he knew that he had struck the other party’s mingmen. After yelling excitedly, he charged over. He would be a fool if he didn’t exploit such a godsent opportunity. Peng peng peng peng! At this moment, the techniques of the alley ruffians that should have never reached Zhu Hong landed like torrential rain on Zhu Hong’s face. Before he could recover, his vision went dark. Yuan Tao’s massive punch had sent him to the floor. At this moment, his years of experience brawling gave him the upper hand. Without much hesitation, he leapt over and sat heavily on the other party’s chest. His two fists smashed violently onto the other party’s face. “You…” Recovering from his numbness, upon seeing a fatty crushing his body and striking his fist, Zhu Hong felt so dismal that he was about to vomit blood. He was an apprentice of Lu Xun laoshi, an expert who was in the fourth place in the entrance examination. Yet, at this moment, he was being beaten up by the fellow who was last in the entrance examinations. He felt as though he was going mad. “Scram…” He tried to push the other party away, but the other party is simply too heavy. As though a tiny mountain, no matter how much effort he put into his arms, the other party didn’t budge in the least. Furthermore, his fists were as hard as rocks and they smashed down on him relentlessly. Before he can finish his words, he felt his mouth getting more and more swollen as though a bun, and quite a few of his teeth had fallen off as well. “Are my eyes deceiving me?” Zhao Ya and the rest were flabbergasted by the sight before them. They had experienced Zhu Hong’s strength a moment ago and they had confirmed that even they were not a match for him. Yet, Yuan Tao, the weakest of them all, was about to achieve victory against him at this moment. When did he become so incredible? However, the most shocking thing of all was that their teacher’s three moves actually worked? “Enough! Yuan Tao. I have already said that beating him up into a pig-head is enough, don’t kill him!” Upon seeing Zhu Hong losing his human appearance under Yuan Tao’s frenzied punching, Zhang Xuan hurriedly stepped in to stop him. No matter what, he was an envoy sent over by Lu Xun. It wasn’t appropriate for them to go too far. How awkward the situation would be if he were to be crippled under his pummeling! Other teachers, even the elders, would have to contemplate for a long moment before they could teach their students how they could counter their opponents. After all, a battle was constantly changing and evolving! However, Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to know in advance what battle techniques the other party would execute and what responses the other party would come up with. As such, through exploiting the flaws in their techniques, he was able to come up with a strategy to counter them even before the battle begins! Even though Yuan Tao’s strength paled much in comparison to Zhu Hong’s, if he were to know the other party’s mingmen and make preparations in advance, defeating him was an easy feat. “Yes!” After sending a few more fists at his face, Yuan Tao felt the anger he had accumulated being vented out. Only then did he stand up and get off the Zhu Hong’s chest. At this moment, Zhu Hong was already no different from a pig-head. His eyes were swollen red, and his entire face had bloated up. His dignified look from before had disappeared without a trace. “You are despicable!” Struggling up, Zhu Hong gritted his teeth and glared at Yuan Tao. In his view, this fatty must have been putting on a show. He intentionally feigned weakness so as to put him off his guard, before doing a sudden assault to achieve victory! Damn it! “Despicable? I am despicable, what about it? Do you want to give it another go?” Yuan Tao didn’t care about whether the other party thought if he was despicable or not. At this moment, he was still immersed in the exhilaration from bashing the other party up and stared back at him shamelessly. “You…” Seeing his fearlessness, Zhu Hong’s complexion turned awful. Even so, he dared not to agree to his challenge. This fatty obviously knew where his mingmen was. If he were to happen to strike it once more, he would just be beaten up again! Just as he was in a dilemma, Zhang laoshi’s words echoed in his ear. “Alright, you have already left the other party in such a state. Yuan Tao, you should give it a rest!” Zhang Xuan had a stern expression on his face. “Good.” Upon hearing those words, Zhu Hong heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say some pleasantries and leave the classroom, he heard Zhang laoshi speaking once more, “Zheng Yang, didn’t you want to give it a try just now? Go on!” “Ah?” Zhu Hong was taken aback. [Didn’t you stop him so that I can leave? Why are you asking others to get a go on me?] After a temporary pause, a gleam of ruthlessness flashed across his eyes. [It’s fine this way as well.] Previously, that Zheng Yang was the first to charge over, and given the fact that he was able to send him flying with a single kick, it was clear that his strength was sub-par. Furthermore, given the experience he had with Yuan Tao, he should be fine as long as he guarded himself against the inversion the three moves! Besides, after getting pummeled so tragically, how could he account the situation after returning without repaying the favor back to them? At this point, even though he still held doubts, Zhu Hong gritted his teeth and sneered, “Come!” “Fine!” Zheng Yang stepped forward. Peng peng peng! The two of them started crossing blows. Zheng Yang, who was sent flying with a single kick previously, seemed as though he had eaten some incredible tonic. He flew around the field, refusing to face Zhu Hong directly. “I dare you to fight with me face on!” Zhu Hong bellowed. Normally, even if Zheng Yang were to skirt around him, he would have the strength to catch him and defeat him. However, he was just beaten to a pulp by Yuan Tao and his body is aching tremendously. It is almost impossible for him to land a blow on a Zheng Yang, who was focusing all of his efforts on dodging his blows. “Sure!” Upon replying, Zheng Yang’s left hand grabbed forward. After which, he sidestepped to the right. He used the first move as it is, inverting only the second move. After which, before the other party could react to the abrupt changes, he used his finger as a sword and jabbed straight at Zhu Hong’s waist. 86 Pummeling Zhu Hong 3 “I knew you would react like this!” Knowing that his three techniques would either be as it is or inverted, Zhu Hong was well-prepared in reacting to both scenarios instantaneously. As the one who was the fourth in the academy’s entrance examination, he had undergone all kinds of major and minor battles. He might have let his guard down toward such a superficial technique, which allowed the enemy to get the better of him. However, now that he was guarded, how could the same trick possibly work again? Sneering coldly in his mind, he deflected Zheng Yang’s finger stab with his right hand, thwarting the enemy’s attempt to strike his mingmen. Just at the moment he was about to counterattack, he noticed that Zheng Yang’s attack below was actually a feint, and another fist was already right before him, aiming straight at his face. Peng! Before he could even react, he was struck squarely by it. “The heck, how can you be so despicable…” Retreating two steps consecutively, Zhu Hong’s tears flowed down his face. Zheng Yang’s fist was much more formidable than Yuan Tao’s. With a single fist, Zhu Hong was already on the verge of fainting. “Despicable? There is no such thing as despicable in the middle of a battle!” Zheng Yang couldn’t be bothered to continue speaking with him. After getting him with that single blow, he continued pushing ahead. As the finger on his left hand continued to jab at Zhu Hong’s mingmen, his other fist kept smashing down on the other party’s face. The two different attacks came straight onto Zhu Hong consecutively. There was no hesitation behind the attacks, not even the slightest pang of conscience. “You…” Every time Zhu Hong decided to block, he realized that one of them was a feint. After a few went past his guard, his face had swelled up even further and his vision went blurry. He felt so frustrated and at the same time, stifled that he was on the verge of puking blood. [Too shameless! Even if you all know where my mingmen is, there should be no need for you all to constantly assault it, right? It is just like continuously checking a king in chess, is there a point to it? Where’s your sportsmanship? My face is already swollen to such an extent, and yet you still smash on it mercilessly… Didn’t you speak about playing fairly in the duel? Where is the fairness? Where is the justice? You still dared to say not to go overboard… Not to wound the camaraderie among fellow students… Where the hell is your boundary of going overboard…] “Stop…” Knowing that he might die if he continued on like this, Zhu Hong could only suppress the pain he felt in his heart and hurriedly withdrew from the fight, “I admit defeat…” There was no other choice for him than to admit defeat. The other party knew where his mingmen was, and the crux of it all was that his opponent had no decency at all. Attacking his weak point over and over again, how could he possibly cope with it? If he wasn’t injured, he could have escaped his attacks by utilizing his movement techniques and seeking for another opportunity to counterattack. However, given how he could barely squint through the slits of his swollen eyes, if this were to go on, he might very well die here. “It is good that you admitted defeat. Zhao Ya, it’s your turn…” Zhang Xuan said. “Please enlighten me!” Zhao Ya walked over. Without even giving the other party time to react, she immediately attacked him frenziedly. Her attack routine was no different from Zheng Yang’s, striking either at Zhu Hong’s mingmen or his face. “……” “…” Zhu Hong cried. “Alright, Wang Ying, give it a try as well!” After admitting defeat once more, even before he had the time to speak, Wang Ying walked over. After which, Liu Yang… Very quickly, each of Zhang laoshi’s five students had pummeled him once. At this time, Zhu Hong’s eyes were truly narrowed to only that of a slit, making him not much different from a blind person. “Alright, hurry up and pay up. 1000 for each of us here, and taking into account the cost of the door as well, a total of 10000!” Yuan Tao walked forward. “10000? There are only five of you here, how can it possibly add up to 10000?” Zhu Hong was about to go insane. “Our door costs 5000!” Yuan Tao declared. “5000?” Zhu Hong’s tears streamed freely down his face. [A hundred gold coins can probably be exchanged for five of these broken doors, and yet you are claiming 5000 gold coins from me as reparation fee? Even scammers don’t scam others like that!] “It’s fine if you don’t want to pay. Zhang laoshi, the few of us would still like to spar with this expert who was placed fourth in the entrance examination, I hope that teacher can grant our request!” Zheng Yang said. “Alright, but you mustn’t go overboard when sparring among fellow students!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head seriously. “Mustn’t go overboard? Forget it… There’s no need for it, I will pay for it, is that enough?” Hearing Zhang laoshi replying with the words he said a moment ago, the edges of Zhu Hong’s mouth twitched. How could he possibly dare to retort at a time like this? He quickly retrieved 10000 dollar notes over. He could feel his heart bleeding as he watched the other party take the notes from his hands. …… He might be from a wealthy family, but 10000 gold coins were around what he had saved throughout these years. For him to lose all of his fortunes here because of this war letter… As though afraid that he might be pummeled to death, Zhu Hong swiftly escaped after paying the sum. A moment ago, he charged in here arrogantly, acting as though he was superior to everyone else. Yet, never would he have expected that he would be beaten to such a state. “Teacher…” The moment Zhu Hong left, Zheng Yang, Yuan Yao and the others stared at their Zhang laoshi, who was sitting at the center of the room, with eyes filled with reverence! The main reason why they were able to defeat Zhu Hong was thanks to the three movements that he had imparted them. To allow them to defeat a stronger adversary with just a few casual pointers, it was as though he knew what kinds of battle techniques the other party would use. How did he manage to achieve such an incredible feat? …………………………………… “Lu laoshi, do you think that Zhang Xuan will accept your challenge?” Elder Hong Hao chuckled as he stroked his beard. [Now that Lu Xun laoshi has made a move, Zhang Xuan is surely in for a ride of misfortune. It is just a matter of time before his students are taken over, leaving him without a student under his tutelage once more.] “It doesn’t matter whether he accepts it or not. If I don’t show him the consequences of stealing my students, how can I, Lu Xun, uphold my dignity in Hongtian Academy?” Lu Xun laoshi harrumphed coldly. “That’s right!” Elder Hong Hao nodded his head. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw a fellow with a completely swollen face, similar to that of a pig, walking in. “Lu laoshi, please redress my grievances…” The moment the person walked in, he started to bawl. “You are…” Lu Xun was a little startled by the unfamiliar visitor. “I am Zhu Hong…” The visitor took another 10000 points of damage. “Zhu Hong? Didn’t I just send you to deliver the war letter? How did you land yourself in such a state?” Hearing the other party identifying himself, Lu Xun took a closer glance and found certain traces of Zhu Hong on the other party’s face. Surprised, he couldn’t help but ask. [How did you get into such a state just by sending a war letter?] “I was beaten up…” Zhu Hong’s tears gushed down from his eyes. “Zhang Xuan actually paid no regards to his identity as a teacher and attacked you?” Lu Xun’s face suddenly darkened. He abruptly stood up and a powerful aura burst forth within the classroom. He had already opened dozens of acupoints and was a true- blue Pixue realm expert. No wonder he was a star teacher, his strength was already befitting for the position of an elder within the academy. Zhu Hong was the fourth strongest student among the freshmen, as assessed during the entrance examination. Even though this ranking system wasn’t completely indicative his fighting prowess, it still reflected his exceptional ability among the freshmen. There were no veteran students under Zhang Xuan’s tutelage. The only one who could have possibly left him in such a state was Zhang laoshi himself! “It’s… the students under his tutelage… Zhang laoshi… didn’t have a move!” Zhu Hong’s face blushed crimson in embarrassment. “Student? You mean Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and the rest?” Since Lu Xun had already challenged the other party, he sent some students out to look into the students under Zhang Xuan and realized that the students under him in this semester were, surprisingly, not that bad. “They ganged up together against you? That isn’t right. Their placings in the entrance examinations weren’t too bad, but I have already guided you in your training personally. Your cultivation is just a step from breaking through into the next realm. Even if they were to gang up on you, they shouldn’t be a match for you!” The strength of Zhao Ya and the others weren’t too bad, but this Zhu Hong was significantly stronger than them. These two days, Lu Xun had spent quite a bit of effort on him as well. In terms of individual fighting ability, there shouldn’t be anyone beneath Fighter 2-dan who should be a match for him. Even if the few of them were to gang up against him, Zhu Hong should still be more than a match for them! How did he get beaten up to such a state in a short moment’s time? 87 Is He Really The Worst Teacher? “Initially, they weren’t a match for me when they ganged up on me… However, at this moment, Zhang laoshi came in. He taught them three movements and somehow, every one of them seemed to have powered up suddenly. The first one to fight me was Yuan Tao…” Zhu Hong explained everything that had just happened previously once. He even demonstrated the three movements which Zhang Xuan had imparted them. Hearing his story and looking at the three movements Zhu Hong demonstrated to them, Lu Xun and Elder Hong Hao stared at one another in disbelief. They doubted if their ears were playing tricks on them, and their complexion looked as awful as one afflicted by constipation. “You mean to say… the Yuan Tao who was the ranked the last in the entrance examination? Just these three moves and yet… You weren’t a match for him?” [You must be jesting with us! The results of the investigation that just came in earlier contained Yuan Tao’s information as well. His parents died when he was young, and he had never learned any battle techniques or cultivation techniques. The only strength he had was his thick skin, granting him powerful defensive abilities. Even so, he scored the last in the entrance examination, thus clearly indicating his level of ability as compared to his peers. How can someone like that defeat an expert like you who was ranked fourth? Do you have to be so exaggerated?] Furthermore, after taking a look at those three movements, they had confirmed that they were trash. Could those movements even be considered a battle technique? Even if the other party were to use it inversely, swapping their left and right, it should mean nothing at all! “He despicably…” Zhu Hong recounted the happenings in the battle detailedly with a pained look. “Looks like your mingmen was exposed, those three movements were only a distraction to attract your attention. Their main goal was your mingmen!” Lu Xun came to a realization after the other party recounted the entire incident. This student of his was too careless. Mingmen was the location where the strength of a cultivator gathers. It was the core of a cultivator’s strength, and one had to guard it properly. For him to allow his mingmen to be seen through so easily, he was truly too negligent. Finding an opponent’s mingmen didn’t mean that one can defeat him with hundred percent possibility. After all, battles weren’t just simple math, it involved one’s reaction speed and ability to adapt to sudden situations. However, when two people of similar cultivation level were to fight with one another, it was still a dangerous scenario if the opponent were to locate one’s mingmen. “It is impossible for those students of his to find your mingmen and exploit that flaw of yours. It seems that this Zhang Xuan laoshi isn’t simple. Initially, I thought that it would be a simple and meaningless win. However, from the looks of it, things aren’t as they seem on the surface. Interesting!” As expected of the academy’s star teacher, Lu Xun swiftly analyzed the crux of the issue. [Mingmen is a weakness of all cultivators. Usually, one would guard it properly, making it difficult for others to locate it. Furthermore, even if one were to locate an opponent’s mingmen, if one doesn’t have the sufficient strength to stand up against one’s opponent, it is still difficult for one to achieve a victory. It is as though giving an ordinary human a dagger. Even though the human knows that the other party would die with a single stab through his heart, he is still unable to defeat a boxing expert. If the few students of Zhang Xuan could see through his mingmen beforehand, they would have won against Zhu Yang from the very start. It is apparent that Zhang Xuan had told them of it in secret.] “However, it matters not. I will find a way for you to break through to Fighter 2-dan now. Once you succeed, your mingmen will move and by then, you will be able to exact your vengeance!” Waving his hand grandly, Lu Xun consoled him. A cultivator’s mingmen didn’t stay at the same location. Depending on one’s cultivation technique, cultivation realm and battle technique, their mingmen would be in different locations. At this moment, Zhu Hong’s mingmen was by his waist. Once he broke through Fighter 1-dan, his mingmen would move to another point. By then, he would be able to completely neglect those petty tricks of theirs. It was rumored that those who cultivate an incredible cultivation technique, upon reaching a certain powerful realm, would not have any mingmen or weakness. It was impossible to find even if one were to jab every single spot of their body. “Yes!” Zhu Hong nodded his head. “A while later, I will look for Elder Shang Chen to ascertain the nominal roll for the competition. Cultivate properly and don’t disappoint me. When the time comes, I will allow you to exact vengeance with your own hands!” “Thank you, Lu laoshi!” Motivated, Zhu Hong regained his confidence once more. “Right, Elder Hong Hao, don’t you have a good relationship with Elder Shang Chen? It should be much more efficient for you to deal with a trash teacher like Shang Chen by knocking on the Education Bureau than looking for me!” Upon recalling Elder Shang Chen, Lu Xun couldn’t help but look at him doubtfully. Back then, Elder Hong Hao was a serious contender for the position of the academy’s principal. He had amiable relations with many elders and Shang Chen was one of them. Logically speaking, if he really had something against Zhang Xuan, wouldn’t getting the Education Bureau to make a move be much more convenient than seeking for his assistance? “Actually, it isn’t convenient for the Education Bureau to make a move under such circumstances. After all, we can’t forcefully pull a student away from his teacher! If we were to do so and he complains up to the Teacher Guild, saying that he has been oppressed, wouldn’t the matter just blow big?” Elder Hong Hao replied. If a student were to acknowledge a teacher by their own will, even the Education Bureau had no rights to interfere in their choices. Most importantly, in his eyes, Zhang Xuan was nothing more than a trash who had scored zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination. If so, was there a need to look for the head of the Education Bureau? He would be making a mountain out of a molehill! [1] Of course, he couldn’t say such words out loud. Otherwise, Lu Xun laoshi would find his actions disrespectful. Actually, given Lu Xun’s wits, it was likely that he had already guessed the truth. If it wasn’t for two of his students being poached from his side, he wouldn’t be bothered to interfere in these matters, needless to say, propose a Teacher Evaluation against Zhang Xuan! As the both of them was in the midst of chatting, they suddenly spotted a young man walked over with widened strides. “Lu Xun…” Before the young man reached the duo, he had already shouted out Lu Xun’s name. “Oh, it’s Wang laoshi. What are you doing here?” Lu Xun smiled. The one who came was the other star teacher of the academy, Wang Chao! The spear expert whom Zheng Yang wanted to acknowledge as his teacher! “Elder Hong Hao!” Upon reaching, Wang Chao noticed Hong Hao, who was sitting beside Lu Xun, and bowed. After which, he hurriedly turned to look at Lu Xun and asked, “Have you heard about the happenings with the Education Bureau?” “Heard of what?” Lu Xun was puzzled. “You don’t know about it? Elder Shang Chen has been stripped of his position and is currently undergoing investigation!” Wang Chao exclaimed. “The Teacher Guild has just passed down the orders!” “Elder Shang Chen has been stripped of his position and is undergoing investigation? What’s going on?” Not only was Lu Xun in a state of disbelief, even Elder Hong Hao was taken aback by this sudden news. [How can the head of Hongtian Academy’s Education Bureau be stripped of his position and undergo investigation all of a sudden without any forewarning?] “It is rumored that he had oppressed a teacher and lacked impartiality in his actions. Some also say that he was unfair when conducting the Enlightenment Will Trial. Anyway, the Teacher Guild had been informed of these matters and he was immediately stripped of his position!” Wang Chao said. Cao Xiong had caused quite a ruckus when he applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial, so quite a few teachers knew about it. “Oppress? Lack impartiality? Which teacher is so formidable to be able to prompt the Teacher Guild to make a move and drag Elder Shang Chen off his authoritative position?” Lu Xun couldn’t help but comment. Elder Shang Chen might just be a head of Education Bureau, but he had a powerful backing. Several elders in the Teacher Guild were his friends, so overthrowing him, not to mention doing it so thoroughly, should be an extremely difficult task! Elder Hong Hao could also infer that much, and he was curious to know which influential figure it is to be capable of wielding such power. “According to the rumors, it is that trash of a teacher in our academy… Zhang Xuan!” Wang Chao pondered for a moment before replying their doubts. “Zhang Xuan? How is that possible?” In that instant, as though their tails have been stepped on, Elder Hong Hao and Lu Xun leapt up simultaneously. Their eyes were widened to complete circles and they felt as though the world was going mad. Just by eating a few food, he was able to topple an established tavern with more than a decade of history behind it. Also, he was able to impel students to withdraw from the tutelage of the academy’s number one teacher. Furthermore, just casually teaching his students, his students were able to beat the fourth- ranked freshman up into a pighead. Lastly, and the most shocking of all, he was able to topple the head of the Education Bureau, Shang Chen… Zhang Xuan, was he really the worst teacher in the academy? [1] This phrase is an idiomatic expression that means making a big deal out of a small issue. 88 Apothecary Guild “Alright, let’s stop lessons here today. When you go back, cultivate based on what I have taught you all today. I don’t wish to lose in the Teacher Evaluation half a month later! I also wish that your thoughts are the same as me!” After talking a little more about cultivation in the classroom, Zhang Xuan waved his hands to signal the end of the lesson. After interacting with the others these two days, he was gradually getting used to his profession as a teacher, and the disposition of a teacher slowly built on him. “Yes, Zhang laoshi!” Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and the others clenched their fists with reddened faces. After the previous incident, they knew that Lu Xun laoshi had challenged Zhang laoshi and they were the stakes in this challenge. If it was two days ago, they would have gone insomniac over the excitement of being able to come under Lu laoshi’s tutelage. However, at this moment, they were absolutely unwilling to acknowledge anyone except for Zhang Xuan as their teacher, even if they were beaten to death! He was able to see through the flaws on them with a single glance, treat the disabilities of Zhao Ya, Wang Ying and the others, whip out profound cultivation techniques on a whim and even helping them find Zhu Hong’s mingmen, allowing them to easily achieve a victory over him. Zhang laoshi seemed to possess a unique charm, causing them to be astonished and impressed at the same time, making it difficult for them think of anything else. “Goodbye, teacher!” The few of them left the classroom. “You said that Zhang laoshi was able to strike 55 ding with a single punch?” “Even Bai Xun xiao wangye was trying to seek guidance from him?” The moment they walked out of the classroom, the crowd couldn’t help but to question Liu Yang about the happenings in the Enlightenment Will Trial today. Liu Yang didn’t hide anything and revealed everything that had happened. When the crowd heard that Zhang laoshi actually possessed the strength of a Pixue realm expert, the astonishment in every single one of their eyes could not possibly be faked. In that instant, their eyes glowed in reverence. When they heard about the shameless doings of the Education Bureau, every single one of them felt so indignant for Zhang Xuan that they were about to erupt from the rage welling in them. “Everyone, Lu Xun laoshi’s challenge is actually a good opportunity for us to cleanse Zhang laoshi’s reputation!” After recounting the happenings in the Enlightenment Will Tower, Liu Yang scanned the faces of his fellow peers before continuing, “Thus, I hope that all of us would train properly this half a month so as to win glory and honor for our teacher, as well as to forge a reputation for ourselves!” “Indeed, Zhang laoshi is noble and magnanimous, so he might not be bothered with the slander of these despicable people. However, as his students, we have the responsibility to right his reputation!” Zhao Ya’s beautiful eyes were twinkling, and a resolute gleam could be seen within it. “I agree as well!” The dense Wang Ying also gritted her teeth in anger. Zhang laoshi had healed her legs for her, even specially creating a cultivation technique for her. Even if she were to crush her bones into powder, it would be hard for her to repay this gratitude. “Count us in!” Yuan Tao and Zheng Yang stepped forward as well. “It’s a promise then. This half a month, we will give our all into our training. Then, during the Freshmen Tournament, we will make those who looked down on Zhang laoshi see…” Unwavering determination reflected in Liu Yang’s eyes. With a slow but powerful voice, he said, “… that his students are the best!” “The battle half a month later…” Unaware of his students’ blazing morale, at this moment, Zhang Xuan was seated in the staff room. A frown so deep that lumps formed could be seen on his face. He didn’t worry much about Zhao Ya and Wang Ying. Given their strong foundations, accompanied with the cultivation techniques that he has imparted them, their strength would definitely make a big leap half a month later. As for Zheng Yang and Liu Yang, they possessed acceptable talent and they were ambitious as well. As long they were properly guided, it wasn’t a problem for their strength to soar. However, Yuan Tao remained a factor of anxiety for him. [This fellow is a wandering cultivator. He has no backing or connections whatsoever. In fact, he never really came into contact with cultivation techniques before, so it would be difficult for him to improve swiftly within half a month.] “Unless his Ancient Emperor Bloodline awakens!” A thought flashed through his mind. He had checked Yuan Tao’s condition with the Library of Heaven’s Path a few days ago. He had confirmed that he possesses the Ancient Emperor Bloodline. As long as it was awakened, regardless of whether it was Yuan Tao’s level of cultivation, his defense or speed, they would all rise exponentially. This seemed to be the only plausible method for his strength to rise swiftly. “But how can the Emperor Bloodline be awakened?” The answer of his problem brought about another problem. The Emperor Bloodline was a type of bloodline passed down from the ancient times and it was incomparably valuable. There were sporadic records of it and most of those who know of it only knew of its name. Most probably, there wasn’t a single person in Tianxuan Kingdom who knew how to awaken it. “There are normally three methods to awaken a person’s unique constitution. Firstly, continue training the conventional method. Once one reaches a certain level, it is possible for their unique constitution to be awakened! This is the most reliable but lengthiest method. In fact, most people died even before they got a chance to awaken their potential! Secondly, one can also check the nature of the unique constitution and consume a pill corresponding to the attribute of the body. With powerful medicinal effects, there is a certain level of possibility for one to successfully awaken their unique constitution!” “Thirdly, forcefully awakening one’s potential through special experiences, such as death or poison. There was an expert whose unique constitution awoke after his body was slashed over seventy times consecutively. There was also another one who, after being poisoned, bled from the seven apertures of his body. After losing his breath for three days, his unique constitution awoke and he successfully resurrected.” With a jolt in his mind, a book regarding unique constitutions floated into his mind and a few methods of awakening them were written on it. After taking a look at it, dark lines appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. [The first and the second method is still acceptable, but what the heck is the third method? Either death or poison? What if one fails to awaken their unique constitution after being consecutively stabbed seventy times or consuming lethal poison and bleeding from their seven apertures? If so, wouldn’t they really die for sure?] “Looks like only the second method is viable!” He rubbed his glabella. The third method was definitely out of question. On the other hand, with only half a month, the first method could not be relied on either. After thinking about it, it seemed that only the second method was the feasible one. “Since that’s the case, I should head over to the Apothecary Guild to take a look. Perhaps, I might find some suitable pills to awaken Yuan Tao’s Emperor Bloodline and Zhao Ya’s Pure Yin Body!” Standing up, he walked out of the staff room. If Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao were to awaken their unique constitutions, it was definite that their cultivation realm would soar. Almost all of the occupations of the Upper Nine Paths have their own alliance organization, such as the Teacher Guild, Blacksmith and Appraiser Guild, Formation Master Guild, Beast Tamer Guild and such. The apothecaries were no different as well. As one of the unique occupations in the continent, even though apothecaries paled slightly in comparison to master teachers, they were still of esteemed standing and it was an occupation many looked forward to. After all, there wasn’t a single cultivator who didn’t want to break through his current realm, and didn’t get injured. Most of the time, a cultivator would require the help of an apothecary to solve these problems of theirs. The pills that they forged boost the medicinal properties of the herbs, thus creating a greater effect on the cultivators. That’s precisely the reason why the Apothecary Guild was extremely crowded. Every day, crowds of people would gather in there for inquiries and procurement of medicine. Zhang Xuan’s previous self had never been there before. However, as one of the greatest power within the kingdom, he still knew the rough position of it. After walking along the streets for an hour, he arrived at his destination. A magnificent building, as though a massive church. A board hung on top of the entrance, and two majestic words were carved on it, Apothecary Guild! Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan walked in. A vast lounge appeared before him the moment he entered. The interiors of the Apothecary Guild was bustling with people walking to and fro. “I should either inquire with an apothecary or look up books on pills if I want to know what kinds of pills can awaken the Emperor Bloodline and Pure Yin Body!” Zhang Xuan’s main goal for coming here was to look into this matter rather than to purchase pills. There were only two methods for him to fulfill his objective here. However, he didn’t know a single person in the Apothecary Guild, and it wasn’t suitable for him to ask about it from others. In fact, even if he were to have an acquaintance here, it was unlikely for the other party to have heard of it! After all, Emperor Bloodline and Pure Yin Body were extremely rare constitutions. On the other hand, looking for a specific information among countless books might be like searching for a needle in the middle of a deep ocean for the others, but for Zhang Xuan, who possesses the cheat known as the Library of Heaven’s Path, the situation was vastly different. Thus, making up his mind, he walked forward to the reception of the Apothecary Guild. 89 Wen Xue’s Rage Wen Xue was a receptionist at the front desk of the Apothecary Guild. Her greatest wish was to become an apothecary. However, it was a pity that she was lacking in talent and even after numerous tries, she still had yet to pass the examination to become an apprentice. Helpless, she could only work at the front desk while trying her best to study. Working as a receptionist at the front desk of the Apothecary Guild might seem like nothing, but the income was truly not bad. She would get a commission on every pill sold and while the commission isn’t a large sum, the more pills were sold, the more she would earn. Thus, her salary in a single year tend to be six or seven times of those working in the same job. However, despite the generous pay, she didn’t want to stay in this job for a single day longer. It wasn’t because of the difficulty of the job but rather… her outer appearance. She was in her early twenties, the pinnacle of her youth and beauty. Furthermore, her parents had gifted her with a spectacular face. While it might not be top-notch, it could be considered as one in a hundred. Being beautiful should have been a blessing. As long as one was a woman, one would be proud of it. However, it would be a totally different matter if the woman were to work here. Often having to stand in the frontlines in receiving customers, countless young masters of distinguished families would intentionally run over here to chat her up, coming up with all kinds of ridiculous demands. There were even a few who were incredibly persistent, visiting her every single day and using every single trick in the book, leaving her incredibly annoyed. However, as a salesperson, she wasn’t allowed to chase them away. If she were to do so and her pursuers claimed that they were only here to purchase pills, she would be in for a lot of trouble! “Let’s hope that I will not meet those shameless flies today!” Muttering under her breath, she tidied up her uniform and stood at the reception with a smile. Soon afterward, a young man walked over. This young man didn’t seem too old, probably below twenty. His complexion was well-maintained, smooth and radiant even when compared to hers. “Mister, is there anything that you need?” Wen Xue flashed a business-like smile at him. “Do you all… sell books here? Those kind about the effects of pills that awaken unique constitutions!” the young man said. The young man was Zhang Xuan. As his previous self had never been here, he didn’t know how the Apothecary Guild worked, so he could only inquire at the front reception. “Please head to the bookstore if you wish to purchase books, this is the Apothecary Guild!” Upon hearing the other party’s words, the smile Wen Xue was hanging on her face collapsed and her complexion turned awful. [Even if you want to hit on me, you should be more professional about it! Asking about books at the Apothecary Guild… Why don’t you buy shoes at a restaurant?] “No, that’s not it. I am here to look for books on the effects of pills, such books surely cannot be found in the bookstore!” Not noticing the sudden changes that have occurred with the attitude of the female receptionist, Zhang Xuan contemplated for a moment before asking again. [Since you want to put on a show, I will quietly watch your monologue!] With her arms akimbo, Wen Xue’s eyes emanated cold intent. Seeing the other party remaining silent to his words, Zhang Xuan thought that she did not understand his words. Thus, he continued explaining, “Actually, I want to look for pills that can awaken unique constitutions. However, I am unsure of the herbs that are compatible with them so I would like to browse through some books. Do you have any of them here? I am willing to buy them off you, or else… just borrowing them to take a look is fine as well!” “I have already said, there isn’t any!” [Now that I’m ignoring you, you become even more aggressive? Buying books and borrowing books… Do you think that you can fool a girl with such old lines?] Wen Xue has already decided that this fellow is here to cause trouble to attract her attention. Otherwise, who would run to the Apothecary Guild to buy books? Wasn’t he looking for a beating like this? At this moment, Zhang Xuan noticed the snappish attitude of the other party. He couldn’t help but be bewildered by her queer actions. He didn’t offend her, so why would she behave like this? “It might be menopause!” Shaking his head, he didn’t allow the issue to linger in his mind. As a civilized and wise transcender, he couldn’t be bothered to squabble with a woman over such a minor affair. If Wen Xue were to know of his thoughts, she would surely be driven mad. [I am just 20, okay! You are the one who is having menopause…] “How about this, the Apothecary Guild should have a book collection vault right? Can you bring me over to take a look?” Know that it was impossible to explain his way through the matter, Zhang Xuan mused for a moment and arrived at a solution. Regardless of whether it was the Teacher Guild or Apothecary Guild, they were established for the convenience for of the respective occupations. Thus, it was natural for them to have a book collection vault in the buildings so that those treading on the path of these unique occupations and continue to study and improve. Even if the other party was unwilling to sell these books to him, as long as he was able to take a look around the book collection vault, he should be able to achieve his goals. “Book collection vault? You still wish to enter the book collection vault?” Seeing how the request of the fellow before her was getting more and more ludicrous, Wen Xue spoke in a sharp tone, “If you aren’t here to buy pills, please leave!” “Why, you are banning people from entering the book collection vault? How much money does it take to enter it? It is not like I am unwilling to pay for the entry!” Zhang Xuan was displeased. Was there something wrong with this woman? He was just here to inquire about some matter, and yet the other party reacted as though she had eaten gunpowder or something. Upon hearing the other party acting haughtily the way young masters of distinguished families do, viewing money as though dirt, Wen Xue was even more repulsed. “So what if you have money! Do you think that money makes the world go round? Let me tell you the truth, the Apothecary Guild does have a book collection vault and it is split into basic and advanced tiers. Even the basic tier book collection vault requires one to be an apprentice apothecary before he is able to enter. Are you an apothecary? Or are you an apprentice apothecary?” “Apprentice apothecary?” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before coming to a realization. He didn’t know much about the Apothecary Guild, but at the very least, he knew about the situation in the academy. The students have a Compendium Pavilion of their own and the teachers another one of their own, and the latter required a teaching license to enter. Otherwise, if everyone was allowed to browse through as they please, then those secret manuals could no longer be referred to as such. Furthermore, browsing through them was one thing, but if a student were to fancy a cultivation technique written in one of the books and cultivate it on a whim, who could they push the responsibility to if his cultivation were to go berserk? The Apothecary Guild should be the same as well. The rationale behind splitting the book collection vault into the basic and advanced tier and limiting the access to it to only those who have reached a certain standard was to prevent people from getting greedy and only pick out bits and pieces of it to form incomplete knowledge, which could prove to be dangerous. At the same time, they could also prevent the secret manuals from leaking out. “Apprentice apothecary… I am not it, but can anyone take the examinations?” He was just an ordinary teacher who had never learned pill forging before. As such, it was impossible for him to be an apprentice apothecary. However, these were all just titles which one could take a test for, and to become a master teacher, he needed to accumulate even more knowledge. “Examination? You wish to take the test to become an apprentice apothecary?” At this moment, Wen Xue, who was absolutely certain that the other fellow is here to hit on her, seethed in anger. Seeing how the other party was continuing on with his facade and even declaring his intention to take the examination to become an apprentice apothecary, she could no longer suppress her rage any further. “Fine! The test is over there, I will take you over right now!” [Aren’t you good at acting? I will bring you over right now, let’s see whether you can continue acting like this!] Even though it was just an examination for an apprentice apothecary, it was similar to an assistant master teacher selection in the sense that it required one go through numerous trials, assessed on all kinds of basic knowledge an apothecary had to know. She had already taken the test for numerous years now, only to fail dismally. [Yet, you, a playboy who has never gone for any lessons for the apprentice examinations or read any books on medicinal herbs or pill forging, hope to take the test as well? What kind of joke is this? Hmph, if I don’t expose your fraud and humiliate you in public, you might just take me as an easy target!] Wen Xue’s lips pouted as she harrumphed coldly. “The test is over there?” “Why? Chickening out?” Wen Xue sneered coldly. “Great!” Seeing the other party behave as though she had eaten gunpowder, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Just as he was about to follow behind her, he suddenly looked over with an awkward expression. “Examination… What contents are tested in the apprentice apothecary examination? Do I have to read any books?” 90 Examination Hall “You…” It was one thing if she didn’t hear those words. Now, upon hearing these words, Wen Xue felt as though someone was beating on her chest and she was on the verge of erupting. [Hitting on me? I will tolerate it! Your intentional rambling? I will tolerate it as well… However, to win my favor, you should at least feign to be knowledgeable! You claim to want to be an apprentice apothecary, yet you are unaware of the basic contents that are being tested, not even knowing what books to read… Do you dare to shout those words out any louder?] “Why? You also don’t know? Fine, I will ask someone else then!” Seeing the intense movements at her chest as though it was a ventilation fan, Zhang Xuan felt a little indignant and depressed. [What is wrong with this lady? If you know about it, just explain it to me. Why do you have to make a big fuss over everything as though you just had a seizure?] Seeing how the other party was behaving as though saying ‘if you don’t know anything, don’t confuse me’, Wen Xue almost turned insane. [Fine, continue putting on your facade then! We will see in a while how you embarrass yourself!] “In the examination to become an apprentice apothecary, one has to remember the medicinal properties of over a hundred thousands of medicinal herbs, as well as the history and founding of apothecaries…” Forcefully suppressing the rage from erupting, Wen Xue started to explain. Apothecary was a job that involves medicinal herb. If one was incapable of even identifying and differentiating the herbs, how could one forge pills? The continent was vast and boundless. There were countless medicinal herbs in it, and even though hundred thousand might seem like a huge quantity, it could only be considered as the basics. Despite accompanying medicinal herbs their entire life, some apothecaries were still unable to recognize quite a few of them, needless to say, the apprentices. “Just these? That’s simple! Where can I find books on medicinal herbs? I will take a look on them right now!” Upon hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan was taken aback by the simplicity of the examination. As long as there were books on it, the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to compile books inside his head and be stored in his brain as his knowledge. As long as only these contents were tested, the examination could be considered as easy to him. After all, this was an ability much more incredible than photographic memory. “Simple?” The corner of Wen Xue’s mouth twitched. If not in consideration of the fact that the other party was a customer and she was only a receptionist, she would have long assaulted him. Just remembering hundred thousand medicinal herbs was an extremely daunting task! Furthermore, every single medicinal herb had different traits and different reactions would arise when different medicinal herbs were mixed with a specific medicinal herb. Even though Wen Xue self-acknowledged that she had a good memory, she was still unable to remember them all even after several years and she would easily get confused between the different herbs during the examination. [He, a playboy who only knows how to flirt with girls, actually said that the test is easy? Act, continue acting! I’ll see how you intend on wrapping up the situation later!] “There are books on sale at where the apprentice apothecary examination is held. Come with me!” Upon coming to a conclusion that the other party was intentionally bragging to capture her attention, Wen Xue’s rage calmed down slightly. Sneering coldly, she led Zhang Xuan over. Soon, they arrived at a spacious room. At the top, two words ‘Examination Hall’ was written. A middle-aged man was sitting by the entrance while reading a book. The examination hall was a place where apprentice apothecaries were being tested. As such, outsiders were usually forbidden from entering the premises. This middle-aged man was also one of those who wished to become an apprentice apothecary. Even after persisting for over twenty years, he had still yet to succeed. Similar to Wen Xue, he was studying alongside his work. For someone to be unable to pass the examination even after twenty years, the difficulty of the examination was clear to see. “Uncle Li!” Wen Xue stopped before the middle-aged man and greeted him. “You’re here. Are you here to buy books or for the examination?” The middle-aged man named Uncle Li raised his head and smiled. “Not me, it is this mister over here. He says that he wishes to take the apprentice apothecary examination!” Sneering coldly in her mind, Wen Xue pointed to Zhang Xuan. [Didn’t you say that you want to take the examination? Fine, I will register you right now. Let’s see how you intend to resolve the situation given how ignorant you are!] …… [The questions for the examination are brainstormed by the apothecaries themselves. Yet, you dare to charge in here despite not knowing anything at all? This is equivalent to challenging their dignity. Let’s see how you cry after you incur their wrath…] “You wish to take the examination?” The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Xuan and frowned. He had studied for twenty years and yet, he had yet to pass the examination. This fellow looked barely eighteen to nineteen and he intended to take the examination? “Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Only when he became an apprentice apothecary could he enter the Apothecary Guild’s basic tier library to browse their books. Without a choice, he could only give it a try. If the other two were to know of his thoughts, they would definitely spurt blood and die from excessive blood loss. [All of us study every day to memorize those contents, spending several decades of efforts only to end in vain. Yet, despite not reading a single book, you intend to go for the examination, not to mention just to give it a try… Are you sure it is okay to be acting cool like this?] “The registration fee is 2000 gold coins. If you pass the examination, the money will be refunded to you. However, if you fail, the money will be the Apothecary Guild’s! This is to prevent others from wasting resources here despite not knowing anything at all!” Upon seeing him confirm his intention, the middle-aged Uncle Li mentioned the rules for the registration of the examination. “Alright!” Zhang Xuan casually whipped out two-thousand dollar notes and passed it over. After the treasure speculation and the incident with the scammer Yang Mo, he had earned quite a wealth. 2000 gold coins meant nothing much to him. “As expected, he is a rich playboy!” Seeing him hand over the money so casually without a shred of hesitation, Wen Xue was even more ascertain of her judgement. 2000 gold coins. If it was them, they would have to work for quite a period of time before they could whip out such a sum. This fellow was obviously doing this to catch her attention. To hand over this sum of money so easily, what could he be if not a playboy? However, it was a pity that he used the money incorrectly. Not only would it not generate the effects he had intended, he would also become a laughingstock! “Un!” Taking the money over, Uncle Li nodded his head and passed a personal particulars form to Zhang Xuan. After which, he said, “It just happens that there is an examination that will be held today. However, there is still four hours before its start, so you just have to return within four hours!” “Four hours?” A trip from the academy toward here took an entire two hours, so naturally, he couldn’t head back now. Looking at the middle-aged man, he asked, “Is there any books for those taking the apprentice apothecary examination? Can I take a look at them here?” “You wish to do a last moment sharpening of your knowledge? Sure! That room is full of books so you can feel free to pick any book of your choice! However, studying four hours from the examination seems a little too late!” As he spoke, Uncle Li pointed towards Zhang Xuan’s back. Turning around to take a look, he saw a huge collection of books filling up dozens of bookshelves behind him. From the looks of it, there were at least ten thousand books over there. “So many?” It was no wonder that the apprentice apothecary examination wasn’t easy. Just finishing these books were enough to tire a person to death, needless to say, remember them! “I will just take a casual look. I won’t be buying any of it…” At which, Zhang Xuan walked into the room. To him, there was no point in purchasing books. Just by flipping through it, he was able to imprint the knowledge into the library to become his own, so there’s no use in buying them. “Seems like you are quite tolerant. Today, I will go all out with you, let’s see how long you can keep up your facade for!” Seeing how the other party walking in and saying that he would take a look even after seeing so many books stacked on the bookshelves, Wen Xue didn’t leave and instead, sneered coldly at his back. To tell the truth, she had seen many shameless people, but she had never seen such a shameless person! …… [Despite not knowing anything at all, he brazenly registers himself for the apprentice apothecary examination. Not only so, he still publicly declares that he is going to study… If it wasn’t to put on an act, anyone who sees the amount of book on the bookshelf would feel a little conscience-stricken upon seeing that number of books and think that it is an impossible mission! Nearly ten thousand books… It takes nearly half a day just to move them all, needless to say, to read them. Since you are so shameless, I will quietly watch by the side at how you will continue to act cool. Even if my wage today is deducted, I must see you make a fool out of yourself! Let’s see how you will deal with the embarrassment four hours from now!] Wen Xue’s wrath had been incurred quite a fair bit, and she intended to go until the end with that fellow. 91 Three Rounds of Examination In his previous life, Zhang Xuan was a bachelor and had never dated anyone. Thus, he was incapable of guessing the thoughts of a woman, needless to say, fathom that he had infuriated the receptionist Wen Xue to the verge of exploding in a mere ten minutes. However, even if he were to know, it didn’t make a difference. [After all, beauty cannot be eaten anyway. Besides, you are thousands of miles off in comparison with Shen laoshi and Huang Yu, so where does your self-confidence come from?] At this moment, he didn’t have any spare effort to be thinking about these though. After walking into the room, he headed to the first row of the bookshelves, casually grabbed a dozen of books and lightly flipped through them. After which, he hurriedly placed them back in position before doing the same with another dozen of books. Hualala! Hualala! Along with the ceaseless sound of book flipping, books were swiftly being compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Zhang Xuan read the book as he imprinted them in his head. He could tell that it was just as the receptionist said, these were all the most basic knowledge that an apothecary needed to know. It contained the methods to differentiating different medicinal herbs, their detailed explanation, properties, types, effects when put together with others herbs and whether the effects would be in conflict with one another… If he had to memorize them manually, he would surely find it difficult to accomplish even when he tired himself to death. It was no wonder that the position of apothecaries was so well- respected. Just to become an apprentice, they had to put in a lot more effort than the other occupations in order to remember this vast amount of knowledge. “What is he doing?” Wen Xue had been wanting to see Zhang Xuan make an embarrassment out of himself. However, at this moment, looking at him flip through the books, seemingly without the intention to study them, her beautiful eyes blinked in incomprehension. “Perhaps he is just trying to look for a specific book to read. Ignore him!” The middle-aged man Uncle Li glanced at him before picking up a book and passed it over to her, “Take a look at it as well. Time is precious. One additional sentence memorized may just happen to be the determining factor in the results of the exam!” “Un!” Wen Xue nodded her head. Grabbing the book, she started to absorb herself in it. All occupations required one to have unwavering determination to study. It was impossible for one to soar to the heavens in one go, and apothecaries were the same as well. When forging pills, a single formula tended to require more than a hundred of medicinal herbs. If one were to fail in recognizing even a single herb, it would cause all of the herbs, which they spent countless gold coins to buy, become useless trash. Thus, it was especially unbecoming for an apothecary to be ignorant or negligent. Soon, four hours passed. At the same time, Zhang Xuan happened to be flipping through the last few books on the bookshelves as well and he heaved a sigh of relief. “It is no wonder that master teachers are so rare. Not speaking of any other occupations, just apothecary itself is such a profound occupation!” An epiphany struck Zhang Xuan. Teachers, the imparter of knowledge and heritage, were required in every single occupation. Formidable master teachers were well-versed in all occupations. That was to say, not only could a master teacher guide a person in his cultivation, he was also able to offer pointers in pill forging, smithing, formation and such. This was precisely the reason why the occupation was so well- respected and was regarded as the top of the Upper Nine Paths. Initially, Zhang Xuan thought that pill forging would be an easy task. As long as one possessed the pill formula, followed it step by step and added in the herbs systematically, the pill should be formed. However, from the looks of it now, that wasn’t the case at all. The maturity of a medicinal herb affected the herb’s properties as well. As such, when it is added along with other herbs, it would result in all kinds of different reaction. If one only knew the sequence to adding the herbs, it was impossible for them to successfully forge the pill they are aiming to create. Just pill forging itself was such a complicated process. It was truly amazing how the more formidable master teachers were able to wield the knowledge of numerous occupations at the tip of their mind. Upon walking out of the room, Zhang Xuan saw Wen Xue standing not too far away with a cold and supercilious expression. “You must have thought that I wouldn’t be here!” “What matter of mine is it whether you are here or not?” Zhang Xuan looked over speechlessly. [I only want to take the apprentice apothecary examination, your presence shouldn’t make a difference at all!] “Continue acting then. I’ll see how you will cry in a moment’s time!” Wen Xue gritted her teeth. “The examinations are about to begin, let’s go in!” The middle-aged man ushered him in. “Un!” Ignoring the self-assuming woman, Zhang Xuan walked into the room. The room wasn’t large, just a few dozen meters square large. There were a few people who were already seated inside and what was common of them all was that a nervous expression painted their faces. Soon, an elderly walked in. “That is the only 1-star intermediate-stage apothecary of Tianxuan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild, Senior Ouyang Cheng, as well as the head of Tianxuan Kingdom’s branch!” “That’s right! I thought that it would be Apothecary Du Man, I didn’t expect that it would be him!” “Crap, I heard that he is reputed to be strict. Now, all possibility of passing the exam by luck is gone…” Upon catching sight of the elderly, despondent expressions appeared on the faces of the few seated in the room. Just like master teachers, apothecaries were classified based on stars as well and 1-star was the lowest rank. Even so, given how Tianxuan Kingdom didn’t even have a 1- star master teacher, possessing a 1-star apothecary was already not bad. Ignoring the mutterings of the crowd, Ouyang Cheng walked into the room, swept through the room with his gaze and said, “I’m sure you all are confident in your abilities to join in this examination!” “Er…” Everyone felt a little awkward. No one dared to say that they were hundred percent certain that they would pass the examination. “Since all of you are here for the examination, I will make things clear. If I were to catch any of you cheating, you will be banned from the examination for life!” Ouyang Cheng gestured grandly, creating an intimidating aura. “Yes!” The crowd nodded their head hurriedly. Seeing them agree to it, Ouyang Cheng nodded his head in approval. “Now that I am done with the rules, I will talk about the contents of the examination. There are three rounds to the examinations! Firstly, Written Paper! Questions on medicinal herbs will be randomly tested in it and one can only be considered to have passed if he were to be right for at least 90% of the questions!” “Secondly, Medicinal Herb Discernment Time Trial! You will be given a few herbs and within a fixed period of time, you have to determine what herb it is and what kind of properties and effects it possesses! The requirements for this test is higher and one has to be 100% correct!” “The third test is much more easy, Cultivation Realm Inspection! One must be at least Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm pinnacle! Why is there such a requirement? Simple, as an apprentice apothecary, one would be sent to do odd jobs for an apothecary. If your cultivation realm is too lacking, how can you have the strength to move cauldrons or to swiftly differentiate herbs?” Those who were for the examination had been studying for numerous years, so they were well-aware of the flow of the examination. Only Zhang Xuan was foreign to it. However, after hearing the explanation, he came to a comprehension. [It’s actually quite simple. As long as I were to get everything right, I will be able to pass the examination. It isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be…] “Since everyone has understood the rules and the contents of the examination, let’s start with the first round, written paper. The duration is two hours!” After which, Ouyang Cheng passed the examination paper down. After taking a look at it, the corners of Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched. The test paper was a thick stack consisting of at least several dozens of paper. Several dozens of test paper within two hours? Why did this scene seem weirdly reminiscent to that of his previous life? He didn’t expect that after becoming a teacher upon transcending to a foreign world, he would still have to undergo examinations… He found the situation a little peculiar. “You may begin answering the question!” After giving out the papers, Ouyang Cheng ignored the rest of them and stood coldly at one corner with his hands behind his back. Even though he wasn’t looking at the examinees, if someone were to cheat, the perpetrator would surely be discovered and expelled from the examination hall. However, it didn’t really matter to Zhang Xuan since he didn’t have any intentions to cheat anyway. Lowering his head, his attention focused onto the test paper. “Flaws!” Upon picking up the paper, he shouted out loud in his mind. Then, his mind jolted and a book appeared. After taking a look, Zhang Xuan was at a loss of whether he should be laughing or crying. Written in the book was: Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild’s Apprentice Apothecary Test Papers. Made from a 1- mo craftsman in Baiyi Mill using straws. Flaws: No. 1, the quality of the paper is too inferior, making it unsuitable for storage. Also, it attracts bugs easily. No. 2, it doesn’t hold onto ink very well, making it easy for it to smudge… [The heck, what I want are answers, not the flaws of the material of this paper!] Suppressing the urge to vomit blood, Zhang Xuan ignored the book and focused on the questions on it instead. 92 Just Give Up! “Describe the different classification of Green Leafed Grass and the unique traits of Gray Earth Flower…” “How many medicinal herbs can the Swineheart Leaf be complemented with…” …… Questions filled the examination papers densely. Just like the receptionist Wen Xue said, they were all related to medicinal herbs. “Search!” Upon seeing these questions, Zhang Xuan’s mind jolted. Different books came flying over from the shelves and stopped right before him before flipping open. “The Green Leafed Grasses have different stems and can be classified as purple stems, yellow stems and black stems. The unique traits of the Gray Earth Flower are…” As he looked at the contents of the books in his mind, Zhang Xuan’s hands moved quickly as he swiftly answered those questions. He was used to using mechanical pens in his previous life and as such, brush was a difficult tool for him to use. However, as his previous self had specially learned how to use it before, his handwriting was still legible. Hualala! As he was filling in the blanks and reading through the questions too quickly, the sound of pages flipping echoed through the air. Other people depended solely on their memories to answer questions and as such, they had to struggle hard to jot the respective knowledge in their minds. On the other hand, with the Library of Heaven’s Path in his hands, he was able to obtain the answer to the questions instantaneously without even thinking. It was no different from copying from the answer key. The speed he was going through his paper at left others with gaping mouths. “Un?” Upon scanning the surroundings to see how the examinees were faring in the examination, Ouyang Cheng caught sight of Zhang Xuan and frowned. His face darkened. “Looks like it is another scion trying his luck!” In every apprentice apothecary examination, there were quite a few people who joined the examination to try their luck despite knowing that it was impossible for them to pass. These people tended to be from wealthy families and cared not for the two thousand gold coins entrance fee. They just hoped to analyze the type of questions so that they could memorize contents specifically against those questions. Ouyang Cheng despised such people. [These people hope to make it big without putting in effort. How can one possibly become an apprentice apothecary without memorizing the hundred thousand types of medicinal herbs, relying on sheer luck instead?] “Hmph, the type of questions and the question itself changes in every single examination, there hasn’t ever been a reused question before, so it doesn’t matter how many times you come. Looks like it is about time to clamp down on those who are coming for the examination with this kind of mindset. Otherwise, if they were to come for the examinations every time just because they have the money to do so, we will become the laughingstock of the other occupations!” Flinging his sleeve, he harrumphed in his mind. Although it was impossible to test the unique properties and traits of the hundred thousand medicinal herbs in the test paper, the questions in the paper were varied and the scope was wide. If one didn’t have a deep understanding of medicinal herbs and their properties, it was impossible to score 90% and above. Given Zhang Xuan’s young age and his random flipping and answering of the question without contemplating deeply into them, he was immediately labeled as an opportunistic and indolent scion. The greatest taboo of an apothecary was to pretend to be knowledgeable despite being ignorant. If one were to be negligent and make an error, even if it was just a seemingly slight one, it could cause person’s death! That was precisely the reason why the examinee’s personality, attitude and meticulousness were being assessed on top of the three rounds of tests of the apprentice apothecary examination. A fellow like the one before him who flipped through the papers and filled them in casually without reading the question properly was surely one who has an attitude problem. Without even marking the papers, he had already given Zhang Xuan a failing grade in the depths of his heart. This wasn’t because he was being too assuming. [Have you ever seen a person who answers a question without even reading through it properly? Have you ever seen a person whose brush goes flying about the paper without even requiring to muse over the problem? An answer without contemplation is surely nonsense! No one else would have the confidence to have answered all the questions accurately.] In less than an hour, Zhang Xuan had finished filling in the several dozens of paper. Hu! Sighing a breath of relief, Zhang Xuan looked through the paper once more and upon confirming that there was no problem in it, he submitted it. “Submitting the paper? So quickly?” “Perhaps, he knows that it is impossible to pass, so he decided to simply give up!” “Sigh, to tell the truth, the examination is too difficult. It is normal to give up…” “Giving up the examination is nothing much, but the problem is that the examiner is Senior Ouyang. I think this lad is in for a ride of misfortune…” …… Upon seeing Zhang Xuan handing the papers over, a commotion broke out among the examinees. For a two-hour paper to be submitted in less than an hour, this was something unprecedented in the apprentice apothecary examination. Everyone thought that it wasn’t that he was finished with the paper, but rather, he was incapable of answering it and did not have the confidence to continue on with it. “When will be next round of examinations begin?” Ignoring the commotion of the crowd behind him, Zhang Xuan passed the papers over to Ouyang Cheng and asked. Time would be required in the marking of the papers after the papers were collected. If he knew what time the next examination would be held, he could wait at the predetermined location beforehand. It was one thing if he didn’t ask, but upon hearing these words, Ouyang Cheng felt rage flurrying within him, threatening to burst from his body. [Given how ignorant you are, filling in everything so arbitrarily, even if there is a next round of examinations, it should have nothing to do with you! Only those who pass the first round of the apprentice apothecary examination can carry on into the second round. Given your standards, you still dare to inquire about the next round of examinations… Are you daydreaming?] However, no matter what, he was a formal apothecary. Even though he was angry, he wouldn’t stoop down to the level of venting his anger on a small figure who had yet to even reach the level of an apprentice. Gesturing outwards, he said, “Wait outside. If you were notified, it would mean that you have passed the examination. If not, you can return home!” “Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and walked out of the room. “Arrogant!” After his departure, Ouyang Cheng crushed his paper into a ball and threw it into the corner. There was no need to read the papers of such people, it would just add to his wrath. …… Zhang Xuan walked out of the room. Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, those questions in the exam that tested one’s knowledge could not be any easier for him. “You have submitted your papers? Isn’t the test a two-hour one? Why are you out in a single hour?” Upon seeing him walk out of the examination hall, the middle- aged man Uncle Li was astonished. The number of questions in the apprentice apothecary examination was massive. He could only barely finish the papers every time within the allocated time for two hours. In fact, he didn’t even manage to read a few questions, resulting in inaccurate answers and his failure in the examinations. Wasn’t it too fast for him to walk out in just a single hour? “Do you even have to ask about it? He must have found the paper too difficult and gave up on it!” Wen Xue scoffed. [Aren’t you good at acting? Despite not knowing anything at all, you insisted on wanting to take the apprentice apothecary examination. You should know how tough the exam is now!] “Hehe!” Despite hearing her contemptuous words, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to explain. Besides, even if he were to explain, the other party wouldn’t believe it. Rather than wasting his effort to explain it to them, he might as well wait for the results. By then, everything would be clear. “Why? Conscience-stricken? If you don’t have the capabilities, you shouldn’t be feigning so. See, now you can’t continue on with the act any longer!” In Wen Xue eyes, that expression on Zhang Xuan’s face was one who is embarrassed. “If there is something wrong with your head, you should hurry and get it checked out instead of nagging here.” Zhang Xuan was a little speechless. From the moment they met, this woman seemed to be all out against him, as though he had done something unbecoming to her. [She must really be sick!] No matter how hard Zhang Xuan tried to jog his memory, his previous self didn’t seem to be acquainted with her either? Since they were unacquainted, why was she looking for trouble with him? Zhang Xuan was stumped. “You…” Initially, she thought that this fellow would find the nearest hole to hide out of shame upon being exposed. Yet, this fellow still brazenly dared to say that there was something wrong with her head! [You are the one who is sick! Your entire body is full of sickness!] Wen Xue’s breathing quickened due to her anger. Her proud chests undulated up and down and she looked as though she was on the verge of erupting. “Oh, I know!” A thought flashed through Zhang Xuan’s mind. He finally understood why the other party kept provoking him. With a bemoaning look in his eyes, he shook his head and with a sincere voice, he said. “Your provocations won’t attract my attention and win my fancy! Such thinking is childish. Let me tell you straight on, this will only incur my ire!” At this point, he sighed. “I only like gentle and elegant ladies. It is impossible for me to like you, so just give up!” 93 Marking the Examination Papers In his previous life, when he was a middle schooler, he once had a crush on a girl and intentionally tried to perform before her even if it meant going against her. This was all just to capture her attention! From the very beginning, this woman had been going against him no matter what he did. It was highly probable that she might be up to the same thing as well. Otherwise, was there a need for her to treat him with such ill attitude? [Sigh, you aren’t ugly yourself, there must be many males pursuing you, so why must you get so obsessed over me?] Zhang Xuan felt incomparably complexed. Looks like being pursued by others wasn’t anything good either. The pressure on a transcender was as heavy as a mountain! “Give up?” Wen Xue staggered. She felt a mouthful of fresh blood regurgitating in her mouth, threatening to spit out at any moment. [You were the one who was trying to attract my attention to get on my good books, alright? When did I become the one who intentionally caused you trouble? The heck! Explain yourself! What does that look of pity mean? What the heck do you mean by that I should give up on you? No matter what, I am a beauty who is pursued by many. How did it turn out as though I am unable to be wedded and had to latch onto you?] Grinding her teeth, Wen Xue’s face twitched and the wrath raging within her was on the verge of erupting. Just when she was about to lose control over her emotions and attack this self-assuming man, the young man shook his head, walked towards a bench by the side and sat on it. His footsteps were light and inconspicuous. “Wen Xue, this is the entrance of the examination hall. If an apothecary were to see it, it would be difficult for you to take the exam in the future!” Uncle Li spoke up. “Yes!” Upon hearing his words, Wen Xue could only forcefully suppress the rage within her and sit down quietly. This was the entrance of the examination hall and apothecaries often appeared here. If they were to see her fighting out of rage with another person, she would definitely leave a bad impression with them. If so, it would be difficult for her to pass the apprentice apothecary examination in the future. “Fine, I’ll let you off for now. When the results come out later on, look at how I’ll teach you a lesson!” Glaring coldly at the self-assuming fellow, Wen Xue clenched her jaws furiously. Couldn’t be bothered with this woman who had a ‘crush’ on him, Zhang Xuan sat on the bench and began to organize the knowledge within his head. Most of the information on the medicinal herbs were the crystallization of the knowledge of numerous predecessors, so there weren’t many mistakes in them. Zhang Xuan isolated the remaining few mistakes and studied them carefully. When his consciousness was still absorbed in the Library of Heaven’s Path, the examination came to an end. It was finally time for everyone to submit the papers. “Wait at the entrance. Those who passed the examination will be notified to attend the next round!” Ouyang Cheng shook his hand and chased out the crowd. Picking up a brush, he started to mark the papers one by one. As he marks, his eyebrows slowly knitted together and his complexion darkened. “Brother Ouyang, how is it? Is there anyone who passed the examinations this time? I happen to need an apprentice!” Just when he was done marking all of the papers, a middle- aged man walked in. The other 1-star apothecary of the Apothecary Guild, Du Man. “Pass? Look at these, these answers are all gibberish! If they were to be accepted as apprentices, the Apothecary Guild will be shamed!” Putting the brush by one side, Ouyang Cheng picked up the stack of the marked examination paper and lashed out furiously. “Let me take a look!” Du Man walked to the table and flipped through the marked examination paper. In a short moment, he frowned a well. In their perspective, the questions in the examinations weren’t too difficult. However, the answers the examinees wrote in were all around the place, they even answered the properties of common medicinal herbs wrongly! If these kind of people were to accepted by apprentices, it would definitely stain the reputation of the Apothecary Guild. “Un? What’s wrong with this paper? Brother Ouyang, you didn’t mark this one.” He was unable to find a single satisfactory one even after flipping through seven to eight papers. Suddenly, Apothecary Du Man caught sight of the crumpled examination paper by the desk. The answers on the paper weren’t marked at all. “It is the paper of a playboy, so the results must be even worse than the others. It is clear that he wouldn’t pass even if I don’t look through it. Rather than get angry while marking it, I might as well just leave it there…” Remembering the fellow who sped through the paper, Ouyang Cheng’s mood took a dive. [A fellow who submitted his papers after answering the questions for an hour, it is obvious that he won’t pass the examinations. There’s no need to mark the papers at all! What is going on? The previous two examinations, there were at least three to four people who were able to pass the first round. Yet, this time, after spending so much time marking the paper, only two people were qualified for the next round. The scripts of the other examinees were all a mess!] “Playboy? Let me see what kind of script would cause you to determine his failure without even looking at it…” Du Man shook his head with a smile on his face as he casually flipped open the papers. “Un?” A moment after his gaze falls on the paper, he exclaimed in shock. Huala! Huala! As the sound of the flipping of papers echoed in the room, the shock on Du Man’s face deepened. His nonchalant expression gradually turned grim. “What’s wrong? Are the answers provided by this fellow too ridiculous?” Taking the expression of his colleague in sight, Ouyang Cheng harrumphed. “Just an ignorant playboy who makes use of his money to join the examination, he truly has no respect for the Apothecary Guild…” “That’s not it… Brother Ouyang, take a look at it…” Hearing the furious complaints of the other party, Du Man hurriedly interrupted him and passed the paper over to him. “What’s there to see? No matter what, it is a fail…” Muttering for a bit, Ouyang Cheng lowered his head to look at the papers. With a single glance, his eyes widened into complete circles just like how Du Man’s did a moment ago. He couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, “Oh?” Flipping over to the second page, “Hm?” Flipping over to the third page, “Ah?” Flipping over to the fourth page, “The heck!” …… … Many different expressions flashed through his face, but even so, he continued flipping through the paper quickly. Very soon, he finished looking through the dozens of paper thick script. Ouyang Cheng’s eyes almost fell to the floor. He stared at it with a look of disbelief, “How can this be? Not… Not a single error?” “Indeed! For there to not be a single error! We intentionally left a few difficult questions at some parts and even if I were to answer it myself, I would have most probably fallen into those traps and commit a mistake…” Du Man’s face was also filled with incredulity. The reason why he was so confident with the paper was because the questions on this paper were rather abstract, such that even official apothecaries like them would be unable to derive the correct answer without jogging their memory, logically rationalizing from it and even flipping through the books to double check their contents. However, not only was there not a single mistake in the answers, they were actually… phrased out extremely succinctly! This… How was this possible? “There isn’t a single mistake in this paper… Brother Ouyang, why were you so certain that he would be unable to pass the examination?” After getting through the shock, Du Man couldn’t help but ask him. There was never a candidate in the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild who answered the examination paper so well before. For Brother Ouyang to fail such a genius without even looking at his script, he was too rash! “I…” Ouyang’s face flushed. He felt so embarrassed that not a single word came out from him for a very long time. He was known for being strict and meticulous, earning the respect of many through such. Yet, today… The slap on his face stung as though it was on fire. He clearly saw the fellow finishing the paper in less than an hour without putting much effort into it, how did he… get it all right? Even he was unable to accomplish such a feat with that speed! Could it be that the fellow’s knowledge had already exceeded that of his? To label a person whose knowledge of medicinal herbs exceeded his as a playboy and a failure? [The heck, can reality not be so damned?] Ouyang Cheng felt his entire body go stiff, as though constipated. 94 Discernment Time Trial Hu! Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. After a moment of studying, his knowledge of medicinal herbs had deepened significantly. The knowledge in the books he flipped through in the room back then had finally assimilated into his mind and became his. Not only could the Library of Heaven’s Path replicate secret manuals and compile the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it could also hasten the rate which one learnt new knowledge. Deng deng deng deng! A series of footsteps could be heard. “It is Apprentice Zhu Hua Hua, he passed the examination half a year ago!” “Didn’t he become Apothecary Du Man’s apprentice?” “Indeed, he must be here to announce the results!” “I hope that I am able to pass the examination…” …… … Upon seeing the owner of the footsteps, the people outside the examination hall quickly stood up. “The results are out now. Finally, your facade will be exposed, let’s see whether you can continue on with the act then!” Wen Xue sneered as she glanced coldly at the young man beside her. To tell truth, if she didn’t know that this fellow was a playboy scion in advance, she would have thought that he might actually possess true capabilities. That was because… His acting was way too realistic! In the two hours after the examination, he sat on the bench without moving in the least. He truly went all out just to attract her attention. However… It was useless! He had already offended her thoroughly a moment ago. It was impossible to change her perception of him now! “There are three people who passed the first round of examinations!” The apprentice named Zhu Hua Hua walked out of the examination hall with a sheet of paper in his hand. He began to read out the names written on it. “Firstly, Sun Tao from Luyuan City. 91 out of 100!” “Ah, me? I passed…” The moment the voice sounded, a young man leapt in joy. His response attracted countless looks of envy from the other examinees. Even though he had only passed one of the three rounds, he was at least a step closer to becoming an apprentice apothecary. Even Wen Xue’s eyes were twinkling in respect toward him. “Second, Qian Wen Man from Ziyun City. 90 out of 100!” “It’s me…” Upon hearing the words, another person stood up with a flushed face. “Finally, Zhang Xuan from Tianxuan City…” Suddenly, Zhu Hua Hua’s face warped in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the paper once more. Only now did he confirm that his sight wasn’t playing tricks on him, and with a trembling voice, he said, “100 out of 100!” “What?” “100 out of 100?” “That means… He answered every single question correctly?” “How is that possible?” “To be able to achieve a perfect score for such a difficult paper, who is this expert Zhang Xuan?” “Right, who is it?” …… … Upon hearing that the third person who passed the examination achieved a perfect score, the entire area exploded into commotion. Everyone looked around to find the person named Zhang Xuan. “Alright, the three people who passed the first round, enter the examination hall for the second round!” Zhu Hua Hua interrupted the commotion and walked into the room. The two person whose names were called previously also hurriedly followed behind him. Zhang Xuan stood up as well. “The names of the three people who passed the examination has already been announced. Why, are you still not going to admit your incapability…” Seeing him stand up, Wen Xue sneered coldly. However, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind and she stopped halfway through her words. Her eyes widened into complete circles and with a quivering voice, she asked, “Wh… What… is your name?” “Zhang Xuan!” Couldn’t be bothered with this shallow woman, Zhang Xuan turned around and walked into the examination hall. “Zhang Xuan? He… is Zhang Xuan?” “The one who scored hundred out of hundred?” Wen Xue shuddered and her face paled ghastly white. In this instant, she felt as though a clown, making a fool out of herself. She kept saying that the other party was putting up a facade and had no abilities whatsoever. In the end… he proved her wrong with an unprecedented perfect score! [Are you for real? Didn’t you know nothing at all before the examination? Weren’t you ignorant of what was being tested? You liar… You big liar! Acting as though an ignorant fool, only to score a full mark… Brother, you must be joking with me!] Wen Xue felt a burning sensation on her face and she felt herself going insane. “The fellow who simply flipped through all of the books just now… got a perfect score?” At the side, Uncle Li’s eyes were about to fall to the ground at any moment now. The heck! Just a moment ago, he was thinking that perhaps the other party was here to play. He didn’t expect the other party to be such a formidable character. He had never passed the examination despite taking the test frequently ever since he was a teenager. Yet, this fellow received a perfect score in his first attempt… Truly, comparisons between fellow humans were what that turned out to be the most infuriating… “It’s that fellow who handed up the papers after an hour into the examination!” “I thought he had given up, to think that he had obtained a perfect score…” “Too incredible! Getting all of the questions correct in just an hour, how did he study to reach such an incredible level?” The other examinees also recognized him and a dizzy spell assaulted them. …… … Oblivious to the shock and disbelief of the others outside, Zhang Xuan sat down before the desk once more. On the table before him, several rarely-seen herbs that could not be seen in the market were laid out before him. “There is a total of ten medicinal herbs on the table. Before this incense burns out, you have to write out its name, properties, and its uses out! For this round, you have to achieve a perfect score to pass!” ~15 minutes Standing at the front, Ouyang Cheng gestured, “The time starts now!” In the second round, Medicinal Herb Discernment, one had to achieve a perfect score to pass. That is to say, if one recognized even a single of the ten medicinal herbs inaccurately, one would be disqualified. Zhang Xuan looked at the first stalk of herb. It had a green flower, a green stem, and green leaves. “Green Mane Grass!” Upon recalling such a plant being recorded in the books, a name floated into his mind. Following closely behind, the description of Green Mane Grass appeared before him in the Library of Heaven’s Path. He casually jotted it down. After he was done with the first one, he proceeded onto the second one. Even though these medicinal herbs were not commonly seen, to him who had an archive in his mind, the examination wasn’t difficult at all. Soon, he finished writing down the information of nine of the plants, with only a single one remaining. This was a bizarre plant with a yellow flower, a gray stem, and white leaves. Just as he was struggling to figure out what plant it was, a thought flashed through his mind and he froze. Smiling bitterly, he patted his forehead. Why didn’t he think of it earlier! With the cheating machine called the Library of Heaven’s Path, he didn’t have to go through so much trouble to discern the medicinal herbs! He stretched out his hands and gently picked up the medicinal herb. Hu! A book appeared before him and a detailed explanation of the medicinal herb was compiled within the book, with all of its strengths and flaws recorded within. He casually copied it onto the paper. Then, he touched the other nine of the herbs to double confirm his answer. The results were exactly as how he discerned it, except for a particular stalk. Zhang Xuan knew that it is impossible for the Library of Heaven’s Path to make a mistake and thus, he edited his answer. The incense had barely burnt halfway through by the time he was finished. He passed the answer sheet. Previously, Ouyang Cheng thought that Zhang Xuan was here to fool about, so he didn’t have a good opinion of him. However, upon seeing him achieve a perfect score in the first round of examinations, he dared not underestimate him any further and hurriedly picked up his paper to take a look. Apothecary Du Man walked over by the corner to look at the paper as well. The answers on the paper were all correct. They nod their head in satisfaction as they browsed through his paper. Not just the name, even the properties, unique traits and uses of the medicinal herb written in the script of the young man were flawless. Just as they were certain that he would pass the examination and were about to offer him compliments, they suddenly paused simultaneously and stared intently at his paper once more. “Alright, there is only one person who passed the second round of examinations. I will announce his name now…” Soon, after the remaining two candidates handed in their papers, Ouyang Cheng swiftly marked their papers. Then, his gaze swept through the surrounding as he announced the result, “Sun Tao from Luyuan City!” 95 Dragon Scale Grass “Me?” Sun Tao clenched his fists delightfully. Turning around, he looked at Zhang Xuan and the other candidate. His neck was tilted upwards as he emanated an aura of superiority. After getting through the first two examinations, his identity as an apprentice was already confirmed. Ignoring the incomparably narcissistic Sun Tao, upon hearing his name wasn’t announced, Zhang Xuan frowned. That shouldn’t be. He had double checked all of his answers with the Library of Heaven’s Path, so it was impossible for him to have committed an error. Why did he fail? “Master Apothecaries, may I know where did I go wrong?” Unable to contain his doubts, Zhang Xuan stepped forward. “Why? Are you going to challenge the two masters’ evaluation? A mistake is a mistake. You must have identified a certain medicinal herb inaccurately or made a mistake while writing your answer down!” Sun Tao stepped before him, flung his sleeve and lectured him as though an earnest teacher, “Study hard after you return. Theoretical knowledge are different from the practical knowledge after all. Your theoretical answers are not bad, but if you are unable to recognize the medicinal herbs, you are still unable to become an apprentice apothecary!” His voice was deep and his actions were refined. [Lad, weren’t you gleeful just now? It is shocking that you are able to achieve a perfect score in the written examination, but it is useless!] “You have identified the Fish Scale Grass erroneously, stating it as Dragon Scale Grass instead!” Seeing his doubtful expression, Ouyang Cheng explained. “However, don’t be disheartened. Just the very fact that you were able to achieve perfect accuracy in your written examination shows that you have reached an acceptable level of understanding towards medicinal herbs. As long as you observe and study medicinal herbs properly from now on and integrate your knowledge together, you will surely pass the examination the next time around!” “Indeed, you are still young. There is no need to hurry. As long as you continue to learn humbly and integrate your theoretical knowledge with your technical skills, you should be able to become a true apprentice apothecary very soon!” Apothecary Du Man also chipped in. If it was anyone else, the two would be less than bothered to explain. However, the person before them had just achieved a perfect score, even the two of them felt that it was a pity for him to fail this round. “You mean this?” Zhang Xuan finally understood why he failed the second round of examination. He headed to the table and picked up the stalk of medicinal herb. Studying it carefully once more, he asked, “Are you sure that this is Fish Scale Grass?” “Of course, its stem is similar to that of fish scale and its leaves are gray color. What else could it be if not Fish Scale Grass?” Before Ouyang Cheng and Du Man could answer, Sun Tao quickly spoke out proudly. Fish Scale Grass was an extremely rare herb and its traits were as what Sun Tao said, fish scale-like stem and gray leaves. Even though it was rare, information on the herb was recorded in the books. The one that Zhang Xuan identified inaccurately previously was also this herb. “Could it be that it isn’t?” Ouyang Cheng clearly agreed with Sun Tao’s judgement, and he stared at Zhang Xuan with a doubtful expression. “Of course not!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Aren’t the two apothecaries a little too rash to use a herb which you both aren’t sure of in an examination and conclude that I have failed the test?” “Audacious!” Thinking that the young man before him was trying to win praises by starting a commotion, he quickly interjected. “How could the questions come up by the master apothecaries be wrong? Stop spouting nonsense here…” After passing the examination, it was highly likely that he would become the apprentice of one of the two apothecaries here, so he had to fawn on them in advance. “It is easy to tell whether it is nonsense or not! There are books in the room outside the examination hall. May I busy someone to fetch a book on the bottommost of the seventh shelf here!” Couldn’t be bothered to argue with this fellow, Zhang Xuan calmly said so. “Hua Hua, fetch the book here!” Ouyang Cheng and Du Man traded gazes for a moment before the latter ordered his apprentice to fetch the book. The apprentice apothecary who brought the candidates into the room nodded his head before walking out. In a moment’s time, he returned with a book on unique medicinal herbs, the one that Zhang Xuan had described previously. “Flip to the 17th page, there is a detailed description on Fish Scale Grass there!” Zhang Xuan said. The apprentice Zhu Hua Hua couldn’t resist the urge to flip the book and in the next instant, information on Fish Scale Grass appeared before him. “He can even remember this?” The two apothecaries, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man, glanced over and their bodies shuddered, revealing their incredulity. Fish Scale Grass was an ingredient that they took randomly, and no one knew about it beforehand. As such, it was impossible for anyone to cheat! [To be able to remember which book holds the description of the medicinal herb, which page the description is on and where the book was placed… His memory is nothing short of incredible.] “May I trouble you to recite the introduction on Fish Scale Grass!” Ignoring their shock, Zhang Xuan carried on. “Fish Scale Grass usually grows in marshlands. It is named as such due to its unique fish scale-like stem. Its entire body is gray and there are slight white spots on top of the leaves. The scales on mature Fish Scale Grasses are around the size of a soybean…” The voice of the apprentice apothecary, Hua Hua, gradually faded away as he recited the introduction. Because, even him, had realized that there were many differences between the ‘Fish Scale Grass’ on the table and what was described in the book. “There are faint white spots on the top of the leaves of Fish Scale Grass, but this herb doesn’t have any of it! The scales of a mature Fish Scale Grass should be around the size of a soybean, but the scales on this herb are around the size of a fingernail. It is clear that it is significantly larger than what is being described!” Zhang Xuan carried the herb up and explained the traits one by one. “This…” Ouyang Cheng and Du Man hurriedly grabbed the book from Zhu Hua Hua’s hands and browsed through it. They discovered many differences between what was being described in the book and the herb in Zhang Xuan’s hands. “Since it isn’t Fish Scale Grass, it should be something that is similar to it. Of the numerous medicinal herbs, the only thing that resembles it is the Dragon Scale Grass that I had written down in my script! If you all doubt the existence of this medicinal herb, you all can send someone to the room again and on the right upper corner of the fourth shelf, there should be a famous work by Senior Liu Da Xian. The herb is described in detail on the 54th page!” Liu Da Xian was an extremely famous apothecary thirty years ago. He had entered many barren and treacherous lands to discover new herbs and he had contributed much to the apothecary society. “Of course, if you still doubt that the herb is Dragon Scale Grass, I have a way to discern it for sure!” Zhang Xuan smiled. “Fish Scale Grass is a warm medicinal herb. A milky- white liquid will flow out if its stem is broken. On the other hand, this herb is a cold medicinal herb. If it is cut apart, a pale yellow liquid that emanates cold moist air will flow out! The two apothecaries are expert at using herbs, so you should be able to discern it easily!” “This…” Du Man shot a gaze at Zhu Hua Hua to get him to look for the book once more. At the same time, he exerted a force on his hands and lightly tore the plant apart. Padah! The stem of the ‘Fish Scale Grass’ in his hands was torn apart and a pale yellow liquid flowed out slowly, emitting frigidity into its surroundings. “It is as he says!” The duo staggered. [It is exactly as what the other party said! To think that this medicinal herb isn’t Fish Scale Grass!] At this moment, Zhu Hua Hua returned with a book in his hand. At the 54th page, records on the Dragon Scale Grass could be found and the traits stated in the book tallied perfectly with this medicinal herb. Despite being an examiner, to think that a candidate would end up correcting their mistake… Ouyang Cheng and Du Man felt a fiery sensation on their face. The room went deathly silent. Everyone stared at the young man before them as though they were staring at a monster. [The heck, remembering the difference between Dragon Scale Grass and Fish Scale Grass can still be considered minor, but to remember the exact book and page, as well as where it is placed on the shelves… You are about to break through the heavens! Are you sure you are still human?] Sun Tao, who had just mocked Zhang Xuan in an attempt to perform before the apothecaries, stood rooted to the spot in a daze and his body trembled uncontrollably. An urge to cry overwhelmed him. [Damn it, if only I knew that the other party had such outstanding memorization ability, I wouldn’t have tried to look knowledgeable even if I was beaten to death!] This time, not only did he fail to look knowledgeable, he looked like a fool! If there was a burrow in the ground at this moment, he surely would have dived in at this very instant… 96 I Will Give It a Try “It’s Dragon Scale Grass. We have made a mistake!” After a long moment, Ouyang Cheng said with a bitter smile on his face. As a famous apothecary in Tianxuan Kingdom, he had been the one to teach others all along. He didn’t expect to be the one taught today! “Since it is Dragon Scale Grass, you are the only one who passed the second round, Medicinal Herb Discernment Time Trial. As long as your cultivation realm is Zhenqi realm pinnacle and above, you are officially an apprentice apothecary!” Upon hearing these words, Sun Tao was on the verge of bursting into tears. He was probably one of the most tragic candidates ever. His qualification as an apprentice apothecary was canceled in less than ten minutes after its announcement, and it was passed on to someone else… [Does reality have to be so damned? Does reality have to slap on my face so forcefully?] However, even though he still felt discontented with the final verdict, having witnessed Zhang Xuan’s fearsome memorization ability, he could only swallow his tears back in. To take the examination with this kind of freak, he had to concede to him even if he didn’t want to! “Later, when the examination ends, I will look for a secluded location and find an opportunity to beat him up. After all, I am nearing thirty, ten years older than the other party. My cultivation realm should be higher than his. Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm pinnacle, it should be more than enough to teach him a lesson!” As such a vile thought appeared in his mind, he immediately heard the voice of the other party. “My current cultivation realm is Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle!” After which, Zhang Xuan revealed his level of cultivation. Guang dang! Sun Tao fell to the floor. [Do you need to be so terrifying? Not only is your memory so frightening, your fighting prowess just has to be the same as well. To think that I wanted to teach you a lesson, it is lucky that you revealed your cultivation realm now. Otherwise, I would surely be reduced to the state of a snake melon…] “Alright, alright! Congratulations on joining the ranks of apprentice apothecaries!” Seeing that his cultivation realm fitted the regulations as well, Ouyang Cheng went straight to the point and drew out an emblem from his embrace. “This is the emblem of an apprentice apothecary. With this, you can enter the guild’s basic tier book collection vault freely. You will also enjoy special privileges and priority when purchasing pills from the guild!” The Apothecary Guild usually sold pills to the outsiders at an exorbitant price. On the other hand, those among their ranks would receive a huge discount when purchasing pills. Even though he was just an apprentice apothecary, he could be considered as a member of the guild. “Yes!” Zhang Xuan grabbed the emblem from Ouyang Cheng’s hands joyfully. The reason why he exerted so much effort to gain the identity of an apprentice was so that he could enter the book collection vault. Finally, he had achieved his aim. “Also, upon becoming an apprentice, you can choose to follow an apothecary so as to better come into contact with pills and study them. Given your talent, I believe that you will be able to become a true Apothecary in a few years time!” Ouyang Cheng stared expectantly at Zhang Xuan as he said these words. It was very clear that he hoped to admit Zhang Xuan as his apprentice. This young man had astounding memorization ability, not to mention his incredible talents. As long as he was guided carefully, he should be able to achieve high heights soon. Having such an apprentice would help boost his fame. Du Man, who was standing by the side, had the same intentions as well and he stared at him with glowing eyes. Looking at the gazes of the two, Zhang Xuan shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry, but I do not have any intention of becoming the apprentice of any apothecary for the time being!” No matter what, he was a teacher of Hongtian Academy, as well as a transcender. How could he become an errand runner and apprentice of someone else? It would be a joke if he were to! After becoming an apprentice, one had the choice to choose whether he wanted to come under an apothecary or not. “Looks like I was too anxious. You have just become an apprentice, so there’s no need to think too much into it. You can make a choice after contemplating over the matter properly!” Upon Zhang Xuan’s rejection, Ouyang Cheng realized that he was a little too hasty and he flashed an embarrassed smile. “Indeed, you should consider it carefully. It is easier to learn under an apothecary, and you would be able to become a true apothecary faster through so!” Du Man nodded his head in agreement. “Un!” Knowing the intentions of the other party, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in response. Suddenly, he recalled something and asked, “Is there any pills in our Apothecary Guild that can awaken special constitutions?” He had asked a receptionist previously and she didn’t seem to know. However, these two over here were true apothecaries of the guild, people of respectable standing. They should at least know a little more than her. “Pills that awaken unique constitutions?” Ouyang Cheng and Du Man stared at one another for a moment before the former replied, “There is, but different constitutions require different pills to awaken. If one were to erroneously consume a wrong pill, not only will be constitution not be awakened, it might even result be severe side effects!” Having browsed through related books, Zhang Xuan understood this fact and continued, “Then… Are there any books relating to unique constitutions and the pills required to awaken them? Can you allow me to take a look at them?” Yuan Tao possessed the Emperor Bloodline, and before his unique constitution awakened, it was safer for him for fewer people to know of it. These two apothecaries seemed kind on the surface, but a human’s heart was unfathomable. It was hard to say whether revealing the fact to them would bring about a series of trouble. Thus, it was best for fewer people to know of his Emperor Bloodline. Therefore, he phrased it as a unique constitution and did not reveal any other details about the matter. At most, they would only surmise that he was the one consuming the pill. “There are quite a books on them, but they are all in the advanced tier book collection vault. According to the rules, only certified apothecaries are allowed to enter and look through them. Not even I have the qualifications to loan them to you!” Ouyang Cheng shook his head. “What he said is true. Pills and unique constitutions are something that only qualified apothecaries will research. As such, it is placed in the advanced tier book collection vault. If you really want to take a look at it, you should choose to become the apprentice of one of us. With your talent, you should be able to attempt the examination for a 1-star apothecary within a year’s time. Once you succeed, is there still anything that isn’t for your browsing?” Apothecary Du Man made use of this opportunity to help him analyze the situation. “Furthermore, a true apothecary is granted with generous privileges in all Apothecary Guild. Regardless of whether it is the purchasing of pills or scavenging for herbs, your needs will be prioritized over outsiders… You should consider it carefully. It will be slower if you try to fumble your way through to become an apothecary. Even with your superior talent, it is hard for you to succeed even in a few years time!” “They cannot be loaned?” Bitterness cloaked Zhang Xuan’s face. Didn’t this mean that his hard work has been in vain? He had wasted quite a bit of time and effort to pass the examination to become an apprentice apothecary. If Sun Tao, Wen Xue, Uncle Li and the rest were to know his thoughts, blood would definitely spurt forth from their mouth. [We spend a minimum of six to seven years memorizing the content in those books, and we haven’t even passed the examinations yet. All in all, you have only spent four hours… Do you know that four hours ago, you don’t even know what an apprentice apothecary is… You call this hard work? You dare to call this hard work? Then what is ours called?] “Indeed. If you wish to look at the books of the advanced tier book collection vault, you have to become an apothecary. This is a rule by the headquarters. If you truly wish to find out how you can utilize pills to awaken unique constitutions, you should first think of a way how you can become an official apothecary!” Ouyang Cheng said. In his opinion, the only way one could become an apothecary quickly was to learn behind a true apothecary. He was the best apothecary in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, who else could Zhang Xuan choose if not him? Just when he was about to offer an apprenticeship to Zhang Xuan, he heard the other party speaking up. “Since… only an apothecary can read books from the advanced tier book collection vault, then… how does the examination an apothecary work?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment. “Let me give it a try!” “Un, that decision is a wise one. As long as you follow me, I will expend all my effort in grooming you… What?” Halfway through his words, Ouyang Cheng realized what Zhang Xuan had just said. His voice choked in his throat and his eyes, which were fixated on the young man before him, widened as though they were about to pop out from their sockets. “What… What did you just say?” 97 Pill Debate “Give it a try?” Not only Ouyang Cheng felt as though the world was going mad, Du Man and the rest also felt faint-headed. [Brother, do you take apothecaries to be like the cabbages and cucumbers sold in the market, so easily obtainable? Give it a try? Are you playing with me? As one of the highest-standing Upper Nine Path occupations, who didn’t study for numerous years and put in effort multiple folds of that imaginable to an ordinary person to join their ranks? Yet, you said to give it a try… Your head! Do you know the content of the examination? Do you know how can one become a true apothecary?] “Cough cough cough!” Ouyang Cheng’s body staggered and he suppressed his urge to vomit blood. He looked at Zhang Xuan seriously and replied to him, “To become an apothecary, one must be more than capable of knowing and discerning medicinal herbs. One must also learn to formulate medicine, extract and refine the essence of which, condensate and forge it into a pill and many more. Just pill forging itself contains several thousands of methods to do so… It isn’t that easy to pass the examination!” “Indeed. Furthermore, one must possess sharp control over the flame in pill forging. If an error were to occur in any of the sequences, it would end in failure. Only by learning seriously and practicing continuously will one succeed. It is impossible for one to become an apothecary with a moment’s effort!” Du Man added. “So complicated?” Zhang Xuan felt helpless, “So it’s impossible for me to achieve it in half a month’s time?” The Freshmen Tournament would be held in half a month. His purpose here was simple, that was to find a pill that could awaken Yuan Tao and Zhao Ya’s unique constitution so that their cultivation would soar by leaps and bounds and they would be able to achieve victory then. Thus, he had to settle this matter in half a month’s time. If he wasn’t able to, what’s the use of him becoming an apothecary? After his conversation with Huang Yu, he had already decided on a goal. That was to become a master teacher! This time, Lu Xun laoshi’s challenge was an opportunity as much as a threat. If he was able to emerge victorious, it would prove his capabilities and it was likely that he would catch the eye of a master teacher! Similar to an apothecary, if one wanted to become a master teacher, they must become an assistant master teacher first. This was a process that they must go by. If one wasn’t valued by a master teacher, how could one become an assistant master teacher? “Half a month…” Hearing his words, the crowd went speechless once more. [Which apothecary wasn’t an apprentice apothecary for many years before daring to take the examination? Yet, right after becoming an apprentice, you wish to take the examination for an apothecary… Half a month some more, you must be joking!] Especially for Sun Tao and Zhu Hua Hua, they were just barely suppressing the urge to throw their shoes at him. [Brother, is it really alright for you to be putting on an act like this? It is even more difficult to become an apothecary than an apprentice. You should have already seen the others struggling so furiously just to become an apprentice. Becoming an apothecary in half a month? I think you should just keep it to your thoughts…] “Zhang Xuan, don’t be too ambitious and complacent. You are barely twenty, and becoming an apothecary at thirty is already something unprecedented in Tianxuan Kingdom. Fifteen days is an impossible goal! I advise you to study normally, proceed on step-by-step and don’t think too much into the future…” Ouyang Cheng offered his earnest advice to Zhang Xuan. [This fellow is talented, but he is way too impatient. To want to become an apothecary in half a month… You must be daydreaming!] “Alright, since it is so troublesome, then I will not take the examinations. I will look for another way then!” Upon listening to the words of the other party, Zhang Xuan shook his head. He didn’t have much interest in becoming an apothecary. Possessing the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, breaking through was like eating and drinking to him. Pills were completely unneeded to him. If so, what was the use of becoming an apothecary? If not for Yuan Tao, he wouldn’t come here at all. Thinking that Zhang Xuan had given up because he had found it bothersome, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man quickly tried to persuade him otherwise, “There are many occupations in the world, and apothecary is considered as one of the noblest. You possess such incredible talent and you have also specially taken the trouble to study the medicinal herbs. Wouldn’t you have wasted years of your efforts if you were to not become an apothecary at this point?” “Years of my effort?” Zhang Xuan blinked. [It was just four hours, where did the years you speak of come from?] “I still have other matters to attend to. Since becoming an apothecary is such a complicated process, requiring one to learn how to formulate pills, it is unlikely that I am able to grasp the technique of such within a short moment. I will just give up on it!” Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Calm down, there is more than one way for one to become an apothecary. Actually, there is another way other than Pill Forging!” Ouyang Cheng suddenly recalled something and spoke. “Given your formidable memory, this method might be more suited for you!” “It can’t be that you are referring to…” Astonishment appeared on Du Man’s face. “Indeed!” Ouyang Cheng nodded his head. “But… You should consider the consequences. If he fails, the penalty will be harsh. He might even lose the opportunity to ever take the examination to become an apothecary…” Du Man was filled with anxiety. “I know, but this is the only way one can become an apothecary quickly. Otherwise, one would have to walk the conventional path of practicing routinely. Given the countless medicinal herbs and each of their unique properties, it is nigh impossible for one to succeed in a short period of time!” Ouyang Cheng said. “But…” “There are no buts. We are only responsible for informing him of the possibility. The choice is up to him!” Ouyang Cheng shakes his head. “What is this method you speak of?” Upon seeing the commotion between the two, Zhang Xuan’s couldn’t help but ask. “There are actually two methods for one to become an apothecary. The first method is the usual one, Pill Forging. As long as one is able to forge a grade-1 pill, he will be able to become a 1-star apothecary. This is the standard and traditional method!” Without hesitation, Ouyang Cheng started to explain. “The second method is not Pill Forging but Pill Debate!” “Pill Debate?” Zhang Xuan was bewildered. Not just him, even Zhu Hua Hua, Sun Tao and the others seemed to have never heard of it and a perplexed expression appeared on their faces. “Indeed. You all should have heard of the noblest occupation of the Upper Nine Paths, master teacher!” Ouyang Cheng said. “Un!” The crowd nodded their heads. Those who knew of the Lower, Middle and Upper Nine Paths naturally knew of master teachers. This was the highest ranking occupation of the Upper Nine Paths and their social position was superior to that of the apothecaries by numerous folds. “The more formidable master teachers can offer pointers beyond that of cultivation, pill forging, smithing, formation creation and such are all possible for them!” Ouyang Cheng explained. “However, one has to expend quite a lot of time just to become a master teacher, so how can they have the effort to spend on learning pill forging and smithing to become an apothecary and blacksmith? “At the same time, if they do not join their ranks, how can they be qualified to teach them? “To deal with such a situation, a unique examination method was created, Pill Debate! “It is clear to see from us apothecaries that one requires a lot of practice, forging pills ceaselessly, to become a true apothecary. However, master teachers do not have the time to waste on doing so. In fact, all he needs is to comprehend and integrate the knowledge of pill forging! “That is to say, he doesn’t really need to learn how to forge pills. As long as he has complete knowledge of the theory, he is able to successfully become an apothecary! “Of course, the examination isn’t easy. It requires one to debate with ten true apothecaries about the various aspects of pill forging and one could be disqualified with just a single mistake. Furthermore, a huge penalty will be enforced on one if that happens!” Ouyang Cheng slowly explained the other method of becoming an apothecary, Pill Debate, to the others. 98 I Want to Debate Pills “Oh? There is such a way too?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Without years of practice, he knew that it was impossible for him to successfully forge a grade-1 pill. However, Pill Debate was different. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, as long as there were sufficient books and knowledge, learning was an easy task for him! “This method may seem simple, but even master teachers would rather learn to forge pills than to resort to this method!” Noticing the excitement in the other party, Ouyang Cheng interjected and shook his head. “Why?” Zhang Xuan was confused. If one was able to pass the examination based on theories itself to become an apothecary, there should be no need for them to waste their time to learn to forge pills. “To tell the truth, it is impossible for one to possess an in- depth understanding into an occupation without trying it hands-on. No matter how much theory one learns, if one doesn’t verify them practically, no one can guarantee whether they are right or not! For one who isn’t even an apothecary yet to debate with a true apothecary based on knowledge one learnt off the books? Who do you think will win?” Ouyang Cheng said. “This…” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. What one could learn from the books was shallow, to understand the essence of which, one needs to experience it first-hand! This was a famous maxim expressing the utmost truth. How could one ascertain whether something was right or wrong just by theories itself without trying it out? With just a single error, the entire pill forging would end in failure! One erroneous move would make a great difference! “Ever since Pill Debate was created, more than thousands of master teachers had undergone it and they were all incredible geniuses. Their knowledge of pill forging exceeds that of any apothecary. However, it is a pity that… most of them ended up in failure. Of the thousands of master teachers, the ones to succeed might not even exceed the number of fingers on a single hand!” Ouyang Cheng sighed. “Not exceeding the number of fingers in a single hand?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback [Out of a thousand people, not even five of them succeeded? This success rate is way too low!] “Indeed, there is a huge difference between theories and practical. This is precisely the reason why even though Pill Debate remained a possible way for one to become an apothecary, not many people used it and it was gradually forgotten!” Ouyang Cheng shook his head. Pill Debate might seem easier than Pill Forging, but in reality, the difficulty of which was much greater. Without practical experience, how could one succeed in it with just theories? If one didn’t have a single mistake in his theory, that meant that his practical should be excellent as well. If so, rather than engaging in a Pill Debate, he might as well just go for the Pill Forging method. It would be much easier that way. “Others may be unable to… But I can!” Ignoring the lamentations of the other party, Zhang Xuan’s motivation surged and his eyes glowed. Pill Debate might be much more difficult for others, but for him, it was nothing short of easy! With the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to identify errors and flaws directly. Just basing on theories itself, others were unable to tell whether something was true or not. On the other hand, with a single look via the Library of Heaven’s Path, everything was clear to him! Conducting a Pill Debate with this, it was impossible for him to make an error. He could definitely pass the test easily! “Since there’s such a method, I have decided to try becoming an apothecary through Pill Debate!” Thinking such, Zhang Xuan declared without much hesitation. “Ah?” Initially, he thought that he would be able to persuade the other party to give up after saying so much. He didn’t expect his words to cause him to become even more resolute. Ouyang Cheng was speechless. “Do you know the consequences of failing a Pill Debate?” “Consequences?” “Yes. Pill Debate requires the presence of a minimum of ten apothecaries to conduct a debate. All these apothecaries are people of high standing, and if there isn’t any price to pay for failure and everyone were to go on and try it, wouldn’t they tire themselves to death?” Ouyang Cheng said. “Thus, the guild had set a rule regarding such. If an apprentice who applied for Pill Debate were to pass the test, nothing would occur. On the other hand, if they were to fail, they will have to pay every single apothecary hundred thousand gold coins! On top of that, they will have to suffer a hundred God Slaying Flogs as punishment. Also, they will be banned from taking the examinations to become an apothecary for a decade!” Zhang Xuan was speechless. This punishment was truly severe. Given that a Pill Debate required at least ten apothecaries, if he had to pay each of them hundred thousand gold coins, that meant he would have to fork out a million gold coins in total. To an apprentice apothecary, such money was an impossibility among impossibilities. Perhaps, they might not even be able to earn that much money in their entire life! God Slaying Flog was a type of punishment. Depending on the cultivation realm of the person, it would exert a different force. A hundred God Slaying Flogs, even with his current strength, after he was done with the punishment, he would probably be unable to climb out of bed for a month or two. As for the third penalty, a human’s lifespan was only around several decades. To be banned from the examinations for a decade, it was equivalent to keeping one away from medicinal herbs and pills for ten whole years. Basically, this would create an upper limit on a person’s future achievements as an apothecary, even if they decided to continue treading on the path. “Not only are the consequences severe, it is also a daunting task to pass a Pill Debate. This is the reason why no one dares to even try it. Based on what I know, there hadn’t been a Pill Debate in Tianxuan Kingdom and the dozen or so kingdoms around it for the past few centuries!” The dissuasion in Ouyang Cheng’s tone was clear. “Given your talents, I think you should just go the conventional route and learn pill forging instead. Pill Debate isn’t a suitable option!” “I have already decided to go ahead with Pill Debate, I hope that Master Ouyang can help me make the necessary arrangements!” Zhang Xuan shook his head in response to his dissuasion. [What a joke! If Pill Debate can make me an apothecary, I have to go along with it.] Otherwise, it would take an inestimable amount of time for him to learn pill forging or that sort. Not to mention how he didn’t have sufficient time on his hand, he didn’t have the effort to waste on it either! “Make the necessary arrangements? It can’t be that… you wish to carry it out now?” Master Ouyang staggered. [You just became an apprentice apothecary. You don’t even know what pill forging is yet, and you want to undergo a Pill Debate? Are you for real? Are you sure you aren’t jesting with me?] “Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “You… Do you know the contents of a Pill Debate? Do you know what the apothecaries will ask you about? You have just barely become an apprentice and you have yet to go through the systematic education, to undergo a Pill Debate now…” Du Man, who was standing by the side, was also at a loss for words. “I can go to the basic tier book collection vault now, right? I can study those that I do not know now!” Seeing the anxiety on the other party’s faces, Zhang Xuan quickly explained. “Study?” Du Man, Ouyang Cheng, and the others were on a verge of tears. [Brother, to think that you will remember to study! You have just become an apprentice apothecary. Despite not having visited the book collection vault before, you wish to undergo a Pill Debate. Are you very certain that you aren’t pulling my leg? …… There are hundreds of thousand of books in the book collection vault, and it is impossible to finish looking through them without three to five years of intense effort. Without even paying it a visit, you wish to undergo a Pill Debate… Are your guts too inflated or is there a problem with your head?] “Un, I will head to the book collection vault to study later on. Don’t worry, it won’t take too much time. As for the Pill Debate, I will be troubling the two of you!” Zhang Xuan said. “Study later on…” Everyone felt faint-headed. [Do you intend to study last minute? Undergoing a Pill Debate without studying? To be able to do something so brainless, how did this fellow manage to become an apprentice apothecary?] “Rest assured, I know the severity of it. I won’t do anything I am unconfident of. Just go ahead and make arrangements, I have to start reading now as well!” Seeing the crowd rooted to the spot, Zhang Xuan continued. “Know the severity?” “Won’t do anything you are unconfident of?” [Your head! Do you know what a cauldron looks like? Do you know whether a pill is round of square? Do you know how do apothecaries extract the essence from medicinal herbs? You don’t know a single thing at all, yet you want to take the examination for an apothecary, not to mention, a Pill Debate… Are you sure that you are confident?] “Alright!” Upon his insistence, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man knew that they were unable to convince him otherwise at this point. Trading glances, they shook their heads. “I will make arrangements now, but it will take some time to gather so many apothecaries. So, I will set the Pill Debate to be at tomorrow afternoon! During this period of time, you better carefully contemplate over the matter. Otherwise, once the Pill Debate starts, you won’t be able to back out!” “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Then, he flung his sleeves with a confident expression and took two steps toward the entrance before abruptly turning around. “Ah, I forgot. Where is the basic tier book collection vault?” “…” Ouyang Cheng. “…” Du Man. “…” Sun Tao and Zhu Hua Hua. 99 A Completely Stunned Ouyang Cheng Ouyang Cheng and the others felt their insides crumbling apart. To not even know where the basic tier book collection vault was and to choose to undergo the difficult Pill Debate, they were starting to suspect whether this fellow’s head was once crushed by a slammed door. However, since the other party’s determination was resolute, there was no point trying to persuade him otherwise at this point. After revealing the location to Zhang Xuan and watching as he left, Du Man looked toward Ouyang Cheng and asked, “Isn’t he… being too reckless?” “He is being reckless, but didn’t you see that he is full of confidence as well!” Ouyang Cheng said incredulously. “It is truly a wonder where all that confidence came from!” “Could it be that he doesn’t understand the fearsomeness of Pill Debate?” Speaking of such an examination method, Du Man shuddered. “Even though I am a 1-star apothecary, it is definitely impossible for me to pass the Pill Debate!” Pill Debate was something extremely terrifying. It was equivalent to challenging the ten apothecaries with the knowledge of one. No matter how deep and vast one’s knowledge was, how could they compete with that of ten people? [Furthermore, the main problem is that… You have never forged a pill before! This is equivalent to the difference between a biologist and a butcher when trying to explain how to slaughter a pig. No matter how excellent your theories are, without trying it out hands-on, it is difficult to succeed!] “We have already put it out so clearly, it is impossible for him to not to understand!” Ouyang Cheng shook his head. “This person is truly an enigma!” “Indeed. In the first round, he achieved a perfect score. In the second, not only was his paper flawless, he even turned around to correct our mistakes… Furthermore, he is still so young. It is truly a wonder where his memorization and reasoning abilities came from!” Recalling what that had happened a moment ago filled Du Man with shock. The performance of the fellow previously was simply too outstanding! In terms of the ability to discern medicinal herbs, he was probably an entire level higher than them! An apprentice apothecary that was more knowledgeable than an apothecary himself… Without witnessing it firsthand, it was something no one would believe. “Actually, it is not that difficult to know where his self- confidence came from. Didn’t he go to the book collection vault to study? We can send someone over to follow him. It will just be a matter of time before he gives his secret in!” Ouyang Cheng said. Since he dared to undergo the Pill Debate, he definitely possessed vast and deep knowledge of pill forging. As long as they sent someone to follow behind him, it should be possible for them to unravel his secret. “You’re right!” Du Man nodded his head. Gesturing with his hands, he commanded his apprentice, “Hua Hua, go and see what he is doing in the basic tier book collection vault. Try to keep your movements silent and inconspicuous so as to not be noticed by him!” “Yes!” Zhu Hua Hua headed to the basic tier book collection vault. Not long later, the apprentice apothecary returned with a peculiar expression on his face. “Why? What is he doing? Is he reading some remote pill forging method?” Ouyang Cheng stared at him. Apothecaries that participated in the Pill Debate would definitely come up with extremely difficult and remote questions, making it hard for others to answer. If one wanted to pass the examination, not only must they possess vast knowledge, they must also have a deep understanding of these remote pill forging methods as well. “He isn’t!” Zhu Hua Hua’s eyes swam around, as though still in a state of disbelief over what he just witnessed. “He is… flipping books!” “Flipping books? Perhaps he is looking for a specific book. Say, what is he flipping through?” Ouyang Cheng continued his interrogation. “When I was there, he was flipping through basic pill forging books on the shelves. I secretly took a look, they were 《Basic Pill Forging Methods》, 《How to Extract the Essence of Medicinal Herbs》、《Preserving Medicinal Properties》、 《Guide to Moving Cauldrons》 and books of that such. I was afraid of getting discovered, so I dared not get near to him!” Zhu Hua Hua pondered for a moment before replying. “Basic Pill Forging Methods? How to Extract the Essence of Medicinal Herbs?” “Preserving Medicinal Properties? Guide to Moving Cauldrons? This…” Du Man and Ouyang Cheng stared at one another, dumbfounded. [Those are the most basic books for apprentice apothecaries, alright… They are knowledge that all apprentice apothecaries need to wield, just like how a human can walk and eat. This fellow is going to undergo Pill Debate tomorrow, and yet he is flipping through such books only now? Are you sure you aren’t mistaken? This is as though after challenging the top swordsman under the heavens to a duel, you suddenly recall that you had to buy a sword and learn how to use it… Are you for real?] “Are you certain that he is reading these books?” Unable to believe it, Ouyang Cheng asked once again. “I am not certain. He doesn’t seem to be reading but flipping… He flips all the book that he passes by, I have no idea what he is doing!” Zhu Hua Hua was on the verge of tears. He truly had no idea what the other party was doing. It was as though he was a lunatic, flipping all the books from the first row of books all the way over. He didn’t seem to be reading through them or searching for a specific book, so what in the world could he be doing? “Flipping books? All of the book that he passes by?” Ouyang Cheng and Du Man blinked their eyes. Why did it sound like nonsense to them? “How is he flipping through them? Show us!” Du Man said. “Alright!” It happened that there were quite a few books in the room as well. Zhu Hua Hua walked in front, grabbed a dozen of books and flipped through them. The sound of the flipping pages echoed in the room. “You’re done?” Seeing that there were no actions after he was done flipping through those books, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man’s eyes enlarged into perfect circles, unable to comprehend the situation. “Yes!” Zhu Hua Hua nodded his head. “Just like that, after he’s done, he moves on to the next shelf…” “…” Ouyang Cheng and Du Man stared at one another and saw the frenzy in the other’s eyes. They thought that this fellow went to the basic tier book collection vault to study, but in the end, he was there just to flip through books… [Furthermore, no matter how fast others flip their books, they would at least try to see what was in it. Yet he… What in the world can one see flipping through the book at such speed! Putting aside the contents in the book, he probably doesn’t even know what the book is about…] “It can’t be that… He wishes to see what material the books are made of so that he can burn them down?” After a long while, Du Man squeezed out a few words. Other than to burn these books, he truly had no idea what the use of flipping through all those books like that was. “Impossible. Even though there aren’t any secrets of the Apothecary Guild in the basic tier book collection vault, it isn’t something that one can burn down casually. As an apprentice apothecary, he shouldn’t be that rash!” Ouyang Cheng shook his head. Even though Du Man’s words seemed a little absurd, he was truly at a loss for a better explanation. His frown caused his forehead to wrinkle into large lumps. “Then, what do you think is going on? What is he trying to do?” Du Man couldn’t help but ask his colleague. “I…” Ouyang Cheng’s face reflected nothing but confusion as well. He had never heard of such a freak in his entire life, needless to say, see one. “Could it be… Is he trying to look for a specific book? Furthermore, the book is made of a special material such that one can only identify it through touch?” After a long moment of silence, he came up with a new theory. “That’s possible…” The two of them sat before the desk, frowning at one moment and showing a bitter expression at the other. No matter how hard they tried, they were unable to figure out the secrets of Zhang Xuan. In a few short moments, they had come up with all kinds of reasons, generating excuses sufficient to last them for an entire lifetime. Even so… they were still oblivious to what the other party was trying to do. In between, Zhu Hua Hua paid the book collection vault several visits and reported on the other party’s situation upon returning. Upon hearing that his movements had never stopped, and he was still flipping through the books, not even sparing books like 《What are Pills》, 《The Types of Medicinal Herbs and Their Classification》、《Do You Need Cauldrons to Forge a Pill》… Several emotions flashed across their faces: bewilderment, dilemma, contemplation, confusion… At this moment, they realized that there was still capacity in their minds to generate more peculiar excuses… –––- 3 Invitation Codes for Lucky Fans “NsxxIc” “OqGdD0” “jv8cA4” 100 Yao Han’s Doubts When Zhang Xuan was still at the Apothecary Guild, Zhao Ya returned to her living quarters. “Finally, I am able to solve this problem of mine!” Holding the medicinal herb that Zhang laoshi gave her in her hands, her excitement was apparent on her clean jade-white face. Discomfort had been torturing her since childhood, and she was already finding herself unable to endure it any further. Upon hearing that there was a solution to her problem, she could no longer sit still. “I have to grind this medicinal herb into powder before swallowing it with water…” Just as she was about to find something to grind the medicinal herb, she heard footsteps and Butler Yao Han walked over sneakily. “Xiaojie, I’ll… be leaving. No one has brought you any trouble, right!” Xiaojie -\u003e Young mistress After offending the grandson of Elder Shang Chen and fighting with several teachers in the academy, he decided to leave the academy to avoid unnecessary trouble. Upon seeing that it was about time for Zhao Ya’s classes to end, he came back to find her. “Brought me trouble? Who would bring me trouble?” Zhao Ya stared at Yao Han, “I say, Uncle Yao, you should stop being so sensitive. Zhang laoshi truly treats me well, and he is actually a capable teacher at that. Please stop troubling him!” She knew her father’s butler didn’t trust Zhang laoshi, thus she tried to persuade him otherwise. “Treat you well? Hmph, xiaojie, you have been living in the city since young, so you have never seen how vile a human’s heart can be…” Yao Han harrumphed. Before he could finish his words, his eyes happened upon the medicinal herb in Zhao Ya’s hands. His entire body froze before he started trembling uncontrollably. “Xiaojie… That medicinal herb in your hands… Where did you get it from?” “This?” Lowering her head to ascertain what Yao Han was looking at, Zhao Ya lifted the medicinal herb up and said, “Zhang laoshi gave me this. I have been feeling unwell recently, so he passed me this to have me grind it and consume it!” “Zhang laoshi gave you this? How is this possible? How can a poor teacher like him…” Yao Han was unable to believe the situation unfolding before him. “What’s wrong, Uncle Yao. Is there something wrong with this medicinal herb?” Zhao Ya knew the other party was of reliable character and there had to be a reason for that expression of his. “No, it’s not that there’s something wrong with the herb but that it is… too valuable! If I’m not wrong, this is… Frigid Sun Mother Grass!” Yao Han exclaimed. “Frigid Sun Mother Grass?” Zhao Ya was lost. “It’s the mother grass of Frigid Sun Grass. Its effects are ten times greater than that of Frigid Sun Grasses! Frigid Sun Grasses aren’t valuable, but this thing is extremely expensive! Back then when I was traveling around the kingdom alongside the city lord, I once had seen one and a single stalk was priced above hundred thousand gold coins!” Upon hearing how valuable the herb was, Zhao Ya was taken aback. “Uncle Yao, are you not… mistaken?” “I am not mistaken, this is definitely Frigid Sun Mother Grass! It is the most valuable medicinal herb that I have ever seen, so I have a deep impression of it! How can I possibly be wrong about it!” Yao Han took another glance at it to confirm his conjecture. “Frigid Sun Mother Grass? Hundred thousand gold coins?” Zhao Ya’s slim body trembled. “You said… that Zhang Xuan… Zhang laoshi gave it to you?” Yao Han dared not to believe it at all. As he spoke, he even changed his method of addressing the other party from Zhang Xuan to Zhang laoshi. [Isn’t he the worst teacher in the academy? Isn’t his wages the lowest among the teachers? To gift such a valuable medicinal herb so simply…] “Indeed!” Zhao Ya nodded her head. Back then when Zhang laoshi passed her the herb, he threw it casually to her as though it wasn’t anything valuable at all. In fact, it wasn’t even packaged, so all along, she thought of it as such… [Hundred thousand gold coins! That is sufficient to buy a residence in the capital. Furthermore, a huge one.] When others presented a gift, they would make a big fuss over it so as to make the whole world know how valuable their gift was. Yet, this Zhang laoshi created a cultivation technique just for her and gifted her such an expensive gift without demanding credit for it. He was completely nonchalant about it and if it wasn’t for Uncle Yao recognizing the herb, she would’ve just treated the herb as something invaluable and consumed it just like that… Zhao Ya felt moved and her eyes reddened slightly. “I can’t accept this. It’s too valuable!” Zhao Ya’s slim body straightened and resolution appeared in her eyes. She hoped to solve the problem plaguing her, but as a student, she couldn’t bear to receive continuously from her teacher without repaying him! Usually, it was the students who gave their teachers gifts to please them. Yet, Zhang laoshi had given so much to them. It was one thing if she didn’t know about it, but now that she realized it, she wouldn’t be a human if she accepted his gifts nonchalantly! “Uncle Yao, how much money do you have on you?” Zhao Ya turned around and asked. “Only twenty thousand!” Yao Han flipped through his pockets and retrieved several notes. He might be the butler of Baiyu City, but his mission this time was only to escort xiaojie to the academy, so he didn’t bring much money. “Give it to me!” Grabbing it over, Zhao Ya didn’t hesitate and dashed out. Feeling fretful, Yao Han hurriedly followed behind her. Soon, they arrived at the classroom, but no one was in sight. There was also no one at Zhang Xuan’s dormitory. Upon seeing xiaojie so panicked, Yao Han utilized some of his connections and swiftly, he was informed that Zhang laoshi was at the Apothecary Guild. Before leaving, Zhang Xuan didn’t try to conceal his destination. As the butler of the City Lord Residence, it was normal for him to possess such connections to gather information. “Apothecary Guild? Could it be that… Zhang laoshi bought this medicinal herb there?” Zhao Ya clenched her fist. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her jade teeth and said, “Uncle Yao, let’s go and find Zhang laoshi!” If she didn’t pass this money to the other party, she would feel too embarrassed to accept this herb. If someone treated her so selflessly, she would do the same to him! How could she, Zhao Ya, consume such an expensive medicinal herb nonchalantly now that she knew of its value? Soon, she arrived at the Apothecary Guild. Now that they were here, it was easy to find news on him. It didn’t take long for the duo to find Wen Xue, who still had an awful look on her face. “You mean… Zhang laoshi is currently taking the apprentice apothecary examinations?” “Zhang laoshi? You’re saying that playboy… Zhang Xuan is a teacher?” Wen Xue was bewildered. After a moment, she recovered and nodded her head. “Un, he is currently taking the apprentice apothecary examination!” “Apprentice apothecary?” Zhao Ya and Yao Han exchanged gazes. Disbelief was especially apparent on Yao Han’s face. “An apprentice apothecary has to memorize the properties of medicinal herbs, and there is at least a hundred thousand medicinal herb they have to remember for the examination. Without several years of studying, it is impossible for one to pass the examination…” Zhao Ya might not know too much about apothecaries, but as the butler of Baiyu City Lord Residence, Yao Han was well aware of it. Naturally, he understood the difficulty in becoming an apprentice apothecary. A young and incapable teacher went to take the apprentice apothecary examination? “He probably failed right… I know that this examination is difficult…” Yao Han couldn’t help but ask her. “Fail? Initially, I shared your thoughts!” Upon recalling the earlier occurrence, Wen Xue still felt incredulous. She bit her lips and harrumphed, “There are three rounds to the apprentice apothecary examinations. The first round is Written Paper, and not only did he pass, he even achieved a perfect score. Currently, he is undergoing the second round!” “Perfect score?” Yao Han’s body swayed. The first examination assessed a candidate’s understanding of the traits and properties of medicinal herbs. Many people found themselves halted by this barrier. Yet, this teacher whom he had always thought of as a trash successfully passed the examination, achieving a perfect score even… [To casually gift someone a medicinal herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins, to induce xiaojie to become his student so willingly and to achieve a perfect score in the first round of the apprentice apothecary examination… Is he really the trash of the legends?] For the first time, Yao Han doubted the rumors circulating around outside. 101 Zhao Ya Is Moved As xiaojie was adamant to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as her teacher, Yao Han had been looking into Zhang Xuan’s background these few days. This Zhang laoshi was once known as a genius, reaching Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm by sixteen years old. However, his legacy stopped there. He had been stuck at that cultivation realm ever since and as time passed, the genius became trash. At eighteen years old, he took the teacher examination and passed in one go, thus becoming Hongtian Academy’s youngest teacher. Back then, his name rang brightly, incurring the envy of numerous teachers. Initially, they thought that this young teacher would be able to produce good results and soar to great heights. Yet, the reality was cruel. After news of the cultivation of his student going berserk spread out, all of the students he admitted withdrew from his lessons and he was left alone. Eventually, he even scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, causing his reputation to sour further. Thus, Hongtian Academy’s youngest teacher became a joke and the greatest trash. These rumors were everywhere! So he thought that it was just a moment of folly on xiaojie’s part, but as long as he properly enlightened her, she would realize her mistake and see through the true nature of this trash of a teacher! At this moment, upon hearing that he scored perfectly for the first round of the Apothecary Examinations, his deep-rooted thoughts started to waver. Apothecaries had to have an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and also a deep understanding of the human body. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for them to concoct pills suited for cultivators. So, how could someone who passed the first round of the apprentice apothecary examination possibly cause a student’s cultivation to go berserk? “No matter how good he is in theories, it is useless if he is unable to utilize them practically. The second round of the examination is Medicinal Herb Discernment Time Trial. Of the ten medicinal herbs, if he were to get a single one of them wrong, he will fail the examination…” Wen Xue harrumphed furiously. She still felt resentment toward Zhang Xuan. Initially, she thought that he was a playboy intentionally acting to attract her attention. In the end, he turned out to be someone capable, causing her face to burn in embarrassment and become unable to face the other party. At this point, they saw two people walking over. They were the two out of the three who passed the first round of examinations, Sun Tao and Qian Wen Man. “How is it, did you two pass the examination?” Wen Xue hurried forward and asked them. As frequent candidates for the apprentice apothecary examinations, they were well-acquainted with one another. “No!” The both of them shook their heads in disappointment. They felt discontent, but this loss was something they could concede. After all, they had to concede even if they didn’t want to. The other person scored full marks in the first round, and in the second, he was even able to point out the mistakes of true apothecaries… His abilities were way beyond their imaginations. “Then… What about Zhang Xuan?” Upon hearing that they didn’t pass the second round, Wen Xue couldn’t help but ask once more. “He… passed. He is an apprentice apothecary now!” Sun Tao said. “Apprentice apothecary?” Wen Xue’s small stature staggered. Previously, when she was conversing with the other party, it had been clear to her that that fellow had zero understanding of medicinal herbs and such. In fact, he wasn’t even clear on what an apothecary was… Initially, she thought that it was a joke for him to register for the examinations, so she was filled with disdain toward him. Yet… Not only did he pass the round of examinations, he even went on to bash through the remaining two to successfully become an apprentice apothecary! This slap caused a fiery and stinging sensation on her face. She had toiled for so many years, only to be remain blocked out in the very first round… Yet, the other party became an apprentice apothecary so easily… She even mocked the other party for his thick skin… Where did her confidence originate from? “That… When will Zhang laoshi come out?” Zhao Ya looked around but didn’t see Zhang Xuan anywhere. Thus, she asked the two. She wasn’t as surprised as Wen Xue was. That’s because the image of Zhang laoshi in her heart was omnipotent, and becoming a mere apprentice apothecary should mean nothing at all to him. “He went to the book collection vault. He intends to return tomorrow afternoon to undergo Pill Debate to become a certified apothecary!” Sun Tao still found the situation unbelievable even as he said these words himself. How much guts did it take for him to choose to undergo Pill Debate right after becoming an apprentice apothecary? “Undergo Pill Debate to become a certified apothecary?” Wen Xue staggered and her eyes were about to pop out from their sockets. Giddiness filled her head. “Tomorrow afternoon?” [Are you for real! Why does it sound like a joke to me? Also… What in the world is a Pill Debate?] “Pill Debate is another method for one to become an apothecary. One has to debate with ten official apothecaries and emerge victorious over them!” Seeing the perplexed looks of the crowd, Sun Tao explained. “This examination is even more difficult than Pill Forging and the penalties upon failure are much greater!” At this point, he shook his head subconsciously. “I have once read of Pill Debate in the books. The difficulty of it is much greater than the Pill Forging examination. One needs to triumph over ten official apothecaries in terms of knowledge on practical aspects of pill forging! It is an exceptionally difficult test!” Uncle Li suppressed the shock he was experiencing and nodded his head to affirm what Sun Tao said. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be baffled, “He is able to become an apprentice apothecary at such a young age, so he shouldn’t lack time. Why is he so anxious such that he had to choose to undergo Pill Debate. He could just tread upon the normal route to learn Pill Forging. After all, the consequences of failing a Pill Debate is difficult to bear!” His accomplishment of becoming an apprentice apothecary under twenty years old was an incredible feat even when taking the previous thousand years of history of Tianxuan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild into account. He wouldn’t lose out much to slow down and learn Pill Forging properly. There was no need for him to put himself at risk by undergoing Pill Debate. One must know that the difficulty of Pill Debate was several times that of Pill Forging and successes were rare. “I’m not sure too. He seems to be looking for books regarding unique constitutions! However, these books are only available to certified apothecaries,” Sun Tao mused for a moment and recalled the conversation between Zhang Xuan and Ouyang Cheng, “oh, he also mentioned something about half a month. It seems that there is something urgent that requires him to become an apothecary within half a month to find those books!” “Half a month? Unique constitution?” While Wen Xue and the others simply found the situation baffling, Zhao Ya paled and trembled uncontrollably. She had a unique constitution, Pure Yin Body. This was something that Zhang laoshi told her. Half a month, wasn’t that the day of the Freshmen Tournament? To be rushing to accomplish it within half a month… Could it be that Zhang laoshi intends to awaken her unique constitution to raise her strength? After all, a unique constitution held no might if it wasn’t awakened! It must be it! Clenching her fists tightly, Zhao Ya suppressed the emotions in her heart. She looked at Uncle Li and asked, “Senior, you said that the penalties upon failure are great, may I ask what the penalties are?” “This… I’m not too sure either!” Uncle Li shook his head. He had only read of Pill Debate in the books, so he wasn’t really aware of the penalties. “Oh, I know. Master Ouyang had spoken of it previously!” Sun Tao contemplated for a moment and said, “There is a total of three penalties. Firstly, one has to pay each apothecary with a hundred thousand gold coins, so that’s a total of a million gold coins for the ten of them! Secondly, he has to suffer a hundred God Slaying Flogs! Thirdly, he is banned from the apothecary examination for ten years!” “A million gold coins? A hundred God Slaying Flogs? Banned from the apothecary examination for ten years?” Zhao Ya’s body trembled even more intensely. This punishment was way too severe! In order to help her awaken her constitution, Zhang laoshi was willing to go through so much peril… [Teacher… Thank you! Even if I, Zhao Ya, were to be smashed to smithereens, it would be difficult for me to repay this gratitude!] Unable to hold back her billowing emotions any longer, tears streamed down from Zhao Ya’s clean jade-like face. 102 To the Top of the World “Hu! It’s finally done!” Zhang Xuan had been flipping through the books since afternoon, and it was already around ten at night. Finally done with his work, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. There were all kinds of books on in the basic tier book collection vault, and they were all regarding pill forging. Even though his cultivation realm had risen by leaps and bounds recently, flipping through that huge collection of books still caused him fatigue. After flipping through all of the books, he confirmed that there were no books regarding unique constitutions in this book collection vault. Naturally, he was unable to find an answer to his question. That was to say, he had to become an apothecary to look through the advanced tier book collection vault to achieve his goals. “This knowledge should be enough for the apothecary examination!” Even though the Apothecary Guild in Tianxuan Kingdom was only a small branch, it had the powerful headquarters backing it. As such, even if the country were to fall, the guild would not. After a duration of several centuries, perhaps even a millennium, even a basic tier book collection vault would contain a vast amount of knowledge in it. Even a true apothecary couldn’t possibly finish all of the books and assimilate all knowledge in them for his own. However, Zhang Xuan was able to do so. With this much knowledge, if he were to claim to be the second most knowledgeable person in pill forging in Tianxuan Kingdom, no one would dare to claim themselves to be the first. Of course, this was all just theory. If he were to really try it, putting aside pill forging, he might even have difficulty starting the fire. “I should go and grab a bite!” Fondling his protesting stomach, Zhang Xuan stretched his back and walked out of the book collection vault with widened strides. Right after eating breakfast, he went to lessons, underwent the Enlightenment Will Trial and took the apprentice apothecary examination… After busying himself for an entire day, his stomach had already started growling furiously long ago. If not for the rise in his cultivation realm and enhanced physical body, he might’ve found himself unable to persist on for that long. The basic tier book collection vault was inside the examination hall for apprentice apothecaries. Walking out, he saw Ouyang Cheng and Du Man sitting inside. They were holding brushes in their hands, seemingly scribbling something on a piece of paper, and bewilderment, dilemma, contemplation, and confusion could be seen on their faces… “What are you all doing?” Seeing the two apothecaries in such a state, Zhang Xuan walked over curiously. “Ah…” The both of them were trying to figure out what Zhang Xuan was doing. Upon seeing him walk over, the both of them were taken aback. They hurriedly used their hands to cover the contents of the paper on the table. Zhang Xuan lowered his head to take a look. A few words come into his sight. “Speculation on his motive for flipping through books in the book collection vault. Number 1: Act cool (30 votes); Number 2: Boredom (1 vote); Number 3: Investigating the material of the books (1 vote)…” After reading the first few lines, black lines streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face. [Is this about me?] He was the only one flipping through books in the book collection vault previously. [It is definitely about me, but… What the heck do the votes mean? Furthermore, why is ‘act cool’ in the first place, and the number of votes on it…] “Cough cough, we were just curious of your actions of flipping through the books in the book collection vault. Thus, we couldn’t help but discuss it…” Exposed, Ouyang Cheng suppressed his embarrassment and revealed the truth. Ouyang Cheng has a reputation for being a strict and stern apothecary. To think that he would be hiding in the room with another apothecary to discuss the motive behind an apprentice apothecary’s action of flipping through books, even getting others to vote on it… No one would believe it even if word was to spread out. “I wanted to look for a book… I wasn’t able to find it, so I continued flipping through all of the books in the vault!” Zhang Xuan casually answered. He mustn’t reveal the truth about the Library of Heaven’s Path, but his action of flipping through the books was indeed a little bizarre, so it couldn’t be helped that others would hold suspicion toward his actions. Looks like he had to be more careful in the future. Even so, he was just flipping through books. Others might hold doubt toward the intention behind his actions, but at most, they would just be unable to make heads or tails out of his actions. It was impossible for them to suspect the possibility of an existence of a massive library in his head. “Such a simple answer…” Upon hearing the answer, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man looked constipated. They had been discussing the matter for an entire afternoon, even skipping their meals to do so. They thought that there was some special significance behind his actions. Never would they dream that the answer was so simple. “What else would it be if not for that?” Zhang Xuan asked. It would do as long as it didn’t involve the revelation of the existence of the Library of Heaven’s Path. He could tell a lie without feeling embarrassed over it anyway. “Err… Alright then!” Ouyang Cheng shook his head helplessly. After investigating and analyzing the issue for an entire afternoon, he didn’t expect the other party’s answer to be so simple. Thus, to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, he could only change the topic. “I have already informed the ten apothecaries about the Pill Debate. They will be here tomorrow, so make preparations for it. It will be conducted here tomorrow afternoon!” “Great!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. After asking a few more questions about how the Pill Debate would be conducted, he turned around and took his leave. After walking out of the room, he heard Du Man’s voice ringing behind him. “You lost, pay up…” “I lost, but you didn’t win either. You wagered most of your money on him acting cool…” Ouyang Cheng said with a displeased tone. Zhang Xuan staggered. [You all are respectable apothecaries, alright! To gamble over me… Furthermore, acting cool? Your head that I am acting cool!] With a stifled sensation at his chest, Zhang Xuan walked to the entrance of the Apothecary Guild and caught sight of Zhao Ya and the others. “Why are you here?” Bewilderment flashed across his eyes. [This is the Apothecary Guild, not the academy. Why would Zhao Ya be here?] “Zhang laoshi, thank you!” Upon seeing him, Zhao Ya could no longer suppress the emotions in her and kneels to the floor. Gratitude reflected in her eyes. “Stand up, stand up. What are you thanking me for?” Zhang Xuan frowned. [What happened to this lass? Kneeling down upon seeing me. Could it be that… her ‘illness’ is cured?] At this point, he asked, “Have you eaten the Frigid Sun Mother Grass yet? How are its effects?” Upon hearing ‘Frigid Sun Mother Grass’, Yao Han, who considered the possibility of whether Zhang Xuan was ignorant of the value of the herb before gifting it to Zhao Ya, trembled. [It looks like he knows the herb! If so, he should know the value of it as well! To give such a valuable herb to his student so casually, and to put himself in peril by taking the apothecary examination for the sake of awakening his student’s unique constitution…] Regardless of how Zhang Xuan’s lessons were, just this responsibility of his was sufficient to leave him in awe. “Zhang laoshi, I apologize for my previous insolent attitude and doubting your kindness. Please forgive me!” Yao Han stepped forward and bowed in apology. His previous actions were truly laughable. [How can such a responsible teacher be inadequate in his teachings? Seems like the rumors outside are untrue after all.] “This…” Upon seeing the both of them behaving like that, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes. [Can anyone tell me what is going on? I had only taken an apprentice apothecary examination, why are they suddenly behaving so bizarrely?] Soon, he made sense out of the situation. Actually, his reason for coming here wasn’t just to awaken Zhao Ya’s unique constitution, it was more for Yuan Tao instead. He didn’t expect such a simple action to induce such feelings of gratitude in her. However, he came to a realization after contemplating over the situation slightly. In the perspective of others, Pill Debate was something that was likely to end in failure. It was a huge risk to take, and yet he chose to proceed ahead even so. In their eyes, he had become a teacher who could give up his all and bash through all obstacles just for his students! Just this sentiment itself was priceless! Upon understanding this all, Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words. His actions had moved Zhao Ya. But similarly, the other party’s actions had also moved him. In the past, he had only treated these students as anchors to prevent him from getting expelled. However, at this moment, he realized the simple fact that all humans have emotions. They would treat you like how you treat them. The children’s desire for knowledge and the gratitude they felt toward him made him understand the responsibilities of a teacher and the heavy burden they shouldered. “Don’t worry. As my students, I will bring you all to greater heights, all the way to the top of the world!” Clenching his fists tightly together, Zhang Xuan made a solemn vow. At this moment, he had finally made his metamorphosis from a transcender to a teacher. Boom! The moment such a thought appeared, at the apex of the of the Library of Heaven’s Path, an intense peal sounded and a golden book formed. However, Zhang Xuan didn’t notice it. 103 Fighter 6-dan Pixue Realm First Half “Zhang laoshi, I don’t have sufficient money to pay for the Frigid Sun Mother Grass now, so I will pay you a portion first. Treat it as our Baiyu City buying it from you. After all, we can’t expect you to go bankrupt while teaching xiaojie…” Xiaojie -> Young mistress Oblivious to the changes that had occurred in Zhang Xuan, Yao Han stepped forward to pass over banknotes worth twenty thousand in total. “There’s no need for it. It’s just a medicinal herb, it’s just a small affair!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. The responsibility of a teacher had just dawned on him, so how could he accept money from a student at this moment? Furthermore, it was just a stalk of Frigid Sun Mother Grass. Frigid Sun Grass was only worth hundred gold coins per stalk, so a Frigid Sun Mother Grass shouldn’t be worth much either. His fortune counted in the millions, so why would he bother about that petty sum? Furthermore, he obtained this stalk by acting cool, not even spending the least bit of money on it. His heart didn’t ache giving it away like this. “This…” Upon seeing his resolute determination, Yao Han could only keep his money. Feeling impressed, he commented, “Zhang laoshi, I’m really impressed by your generosity. To give a herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins just like that, it’s laughable that I’ve thought that you were trying to scam our xiaojie…” “What? Worth a hundred thousand gold coins?” Zhang Xuan’s lips quivered. [This Frigid Sun Mother Grass is worth a hundred thousand gold coins? Are you for real? If I knew that it was worth a hundred thousand gold coin, I should have accepted your money!] Other people gave presents to their teachers in a show of filial piety, so why was it that when it came to him, he was paying them instead… “Yes!” Yao Han looked over with a peculiar expression, “Could it be that Zhang laoshi doesn’t know of its price?” “I…” Even though his heart was bleeding, he knew that he couldn’t retract his words at this point. As such, he assumed a stern face once more. With an arrogant aura that treated all worldly objects contemptuously, he said, “Of course not, money means nothing to me at all. Zhao Ya is my student, and a herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins is but a small matter. If it’s beneficial to her, there’s no need to hesitate over mere money!” Since what’s done is done, he could only go ahead and sell her the favor. “Xiaojie has truly found a good teacher!” Seeing his attitude, Yao Han was truly in awe of him. [No wonder xiaojie kept praising him. Just his morals itself is sufficient to send others in awe like me.] Standing by the side, Wen Xue looked on the situation in embarrassment. If only there was a burrow here, she would’ve dived in immediately. The other party was such an upstanding and noble teacher, yet she mistook him as a pursuer of hers, treating him disdainfully… Her actions were truly laughable! Thankfully, he had a generous heart and was indifferent to her rudeness. Otherwise, his identity as an apprentice apothecary was more than sufficient to have her permanently expelled! “Let’s return. I have to prepare for the Pill Debate tomorrow as well!” A single act had cost him a hundred thousand gold coins… Besides, the money wasn’t anything much. After all, Baiyu City was paying for it, not Zhao Ya… Suppressing the urge to cry, Zhang Xuan walked out to the streets. By the time he returned to the academy after having dinner, it was already nearing midnight. “Since I’m not tired yet, I should look into how I can break into Pixue realm!” In his previous life, he was a nocturnal owl. Furthermore, given his level of cultivation, his physical condition was much better than how it was back then. Even though it was already late at night, he wasn’t tired in the least. After exposing the might of a Pixue realm expert in the Enlightenment Will Tower today, the academy should be making a move soon to confer him the title of an elder. Upon becoming an elder, he would be granted entry into the elders’ Compendium Pavilion. By then, he would be able to obtain sufficient Fighter 6-dan secret manuals to perfect his Heaven’s Path Divine Art. Of course, before then, studying it was okay as well. After all, he had duplicated quite a few secret manuals from Master Lu Chen’s residence. Even though only a partial of the words were true and as such, unable to be linked together to form a complete version, it was still worth studying. With a jolt of his mind, a dozen books or so which he saw in Master Lu Chen’s residence appeared in his consciousness. “Actually, Pixue realm cultivation isn’t very difficult. The only difficulty one will face is the sequence of breaking through the acupoints!” After scanning through the numerous manuals, Zhang Xuan came to a realization. [It is said that there are 108 acupoints on a human body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific sequence to opening these acupoints. Everyone’s physical body is different and as such, there is a different sequence for everyone to follow to achieve optimal results. If one didn’t find the correct route, it’s likely that they might only be able to open thirty to forty acupoints and be stuck there for the rest of their lives. It’s just like cleansing the silt and mud off a river. Only by cleansing from the upper stream can the river be cleansed entirely. If one were to start from the center, not only will the river not be cleaned thoroughly, it may even cause a blockade! This is precisely the reason why the first acupoint to open is important. If one were to get it wrong, it will have disastrous repercussions.] “This book 《Golden Flame Technique》 says that the first acupoint to open should be the Shenli acupoint, only with strength can one break through the other more important acupoints. On the other hand, this 《Art of Sun Adaptation》 says that one should start from the Zhongshu acupoint because it is in the direct center of the human body…” The acupoint one should start with was different in every single book and each of their reasoning seemed logical. Others might end up becoming confused upon reading through all these, but Zhang Xuan possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path. With but a single glance, he knew that all of it… were false! “Being unable to find the correct acupoint is equivalent to being unable to find the source of a river. If an error was to occur from the very start, it would be difficult to push on afterward. Forget it!” After studying for a moment longer, Zhang Xuan realized that none of the manuals held the correct answer to the first acupoint he should break through. Just when he was about to give up, an idea popped up in his mind. “If what is recorded in all these books are false and given that a human only has 108 acupoints in total, if I were to try them one by one, wouldn’t I be able to figure out the sequence of which I should open up my acupoints?” The method to break through acupoints was simple, one just had to use their zhenqi to surge through it. The main problem was the sequence to doing so. Since these were all wrong, of the 108 acupoints in his body, there had to be a correct one! Other people might be unable to try them one by one, but such a problem didn’t exist for him! As he possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, after eliminating all mistakes, what was left should be naturally correct! “Give it a try!” At this point, Zhang Xuan didn’t hesitate any further. Picking up a brush and paper, he wrote out the 108 acupoints on a human body out and canceled away the incorrect first acupoints from the various secret manuals from it, followed by the other acupoints that were proven to be in the correct positions for him in the sequence listed in the books. After which, only twenty acupoints were left of the 108. However, there was no need to worry. Zhang Xuan hand copied a manual and alternated the twenty acupoints in the first acupoint within the sequence one by one. Weng! A new secret manual appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path, displaying the errors and flaws of it. At his thirteenth try, his mind jolted and the secret manual reflected the first acupoint that had no flaws. “Haha, I’ve succeeded! To think that it would be the Xinqiao acupoint. Since the Library of Heaven’s Path has not pointed out any errors in it, it means that this is the first acupoint I should break through to enter Pixue realm! “Xinqiao acupoint is a hidden acupoint in a human body. Without pure zhenqi, it’s impossible for a Fighter 5-dan pinnacle to open it. No wonder it isn’t written in any of these manuals…” After verifying the first acupoint he had to open, Zhang Xuan was filled with excitement. Xinqiao acupoint was located in the depths of one’s heart. It was reputed as one of the 36 Locked Acupoints. Without sufficiently pure zhenqi, not only would one be unable to open it, one’s cultivation might even go berserk while attempting to open it. If not for the verification by the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would’ve never believed that this would be the first acupoint he needed to open. It was no wonder that he was unable to find the correct sequence in the manuals he duplicated. To think that the correct acupoint for him to start with was one of the Locked Acupoints. From the looks of it now, even though it was termed as ‘Locked Acupoint’, but with the correct sequence, one would be able to break it open! 104 Fighter 6-dan Pixue Realm Second Half “Let’s begin!” Everything else went easy after discovering the correct acupoint. The method to breaking them open was about the same. Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan directed the zhenqi in his body towards the Xinqiao acupoint. Boom! Not long after, there was a loud explosion and Zhang Xuan’s body swayed uncontrollably. Instantaneously, Zhang Xuan felt a qualitative improvement in his mental state. Regardless of whether it was his vitality or his reaction speed, they improved by leaps and bounds. He had successfully broken through Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm! If he closed his eyes at this instant, he could sense radiance emitting from an acupoint within his body, like a star in the middle of a dark night. Goo goo goo! With the acupoint opened, spiritual energy immediately gushed in, inducing a rise in his strength by a single ding. “Great!” Sensing the changes in his body, Zhang Xuan knew that he had successfully accomplished a breakthrough to the next realm. “Even without cultivation technique manuals, I can always try to fumble around for the correct part by experimenting with every single possibility. Even if there are ten thousand possible routes in my cultivation, as long as I toss out all of the erroneous ones, I will eventually find the correct one…” His eyes twinkled with excitement. It was just a conjecture he came up with abruptly, so he didn’t really expect to succeed. Of course, such a method was only possible for Pixue realm. There was a total of 108 acupoints in the human body and they were all fixed in place. Thus, it was possible for him to try them one by one. However, if he really tried to create a cultivation technique of his own out of nowhere, even with the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would surely tire himself to death. Actually, Zhang Xuan didn’t know that the reputation for the 36 Locked Acupoints didn’t come from nowhere. Without the purest zhenqi, it was impossible for one to break open the acupoints. Using a simple analogy, if the other acupoints are paths, the 36 Locked Acupoints are pinhole-sized paths. Impure zhenqi is like muddy water. Even though it can flow through the other paths with ease, it is an impossible task for it to pass through the pinhole-sized paths! Just the silt in the muddy water itself is sufficient to plug up the path. If one tries to break through it forcefully, they might end up crushing their acupoint instead, causing an imbalance in their body, and ultimately, death. Zhang Xuan cultivated the flawless Heaven’s Path Divine Art and his zhenqi had no impurities in it whatsoever, like completely pure water. Even when facing pinhole-sized paths, it could easily pass through to break open the acupoint successfully! “I should continue with the second acupoint!” With a single successful experience, Zhang Xuan continued to look for the second acupoint. After awhile, the second acupoint was successfully opened as well. The hardest part of the Pixue realm was in finding the correct sequence to open the acupoints. As long as one found it, breaking through the Pixue realm was an extremely easy task. …………………………………… Zhao Ya’s residence. Yao Han was sitting at a distance not too far away from Zhao Ya. “Xiaojie, tell me about this Zhang laoshi and your physical condition. Why do you need to consume the medicinal herb?” Initially, he was prejudiced against Zhang Xuan, but after seeing him put himself in peril for his students and gifting a medicinal herb worth a hundred thousand gold coins so casually, he couldn’t help but doubt the notions he had of him. His actions might be a façade, but that tranquil and nonchalant aura of his and that disposition of an enlightened expert couldn’t be feigned. How could one who possessed such aura, disposition, and morals possibly be a villain who fooled women? Looked like he had been mistaken from the very start! Furthermore, xiaojie had been healthy all along. Why did she need to consume this medicinal herb? Not to mention, such an expensive and valuable one? Filled with doubt, he couldn’t help but bring them up upon reaching her residence. “Zhang laoshi… Initially, I was prejudiced against him as well until I saw his capabilities personally and listened to his lectures….” Zhao Ya started to recount everything that happened ever since she met Zhang Xuan. Upon speaking about her physical “illness”, her face flushed red. In the past, she would definitely be too embarrassed to speak of it. She would wonder if she had problems with her innate nature and her body. However, upon getting the truth of the matter from Zhang laoshi, she managed to get past that barrier of hers. For a person possessing Pure Yin Body to cultivate a pure yin cultivation technique, it resulted in yin energy accumulating in her body and if not for her outstanding mental resilience, she would have given in long ago. “Pure Yin Body? Xiaojie has Pure Yin Body? To think that we were unaware of that! We even made you cultivate the White Jade Pure Maiden Skill….” Upon hearing the symptoms and pain the girl had undergone throughout the years, Yao Han’s face paled. He was of the same generation as Zhao Ya’s father and he had long seen Zhao Ya as his own daughter. If not for Zhang laoshi seeing through to the crux of the problem, xiaojie might still be trapped in the quagmire of pain, unable to pull herself out of it. Unable to see through this all despite being a senior who had been beside her all this time, he felt intense self-reproach and remorse. Back at the Apothecary Guild, he had heard her say that she had a unique constitution. Back then, it wasn’t convenient for him to ask about it. Never in his dreams would he imagine that it was of this kind, and that such aftereffects would occur upon cultivation a pure yin cultivation technique. “Since this Zhang laoshi is so capable, why would his reputation be so…” After listening to the words of the young girl, this Zhang laoshi seemed to be an incredible figure of great capabilities. However, if he were that incredible, his reputation should have long ago rung far and wide. Why would the results of his investigation be that he had failed the Teacher Qualification Examination and even caused a student’s cultivation to go berserk? “Today, due to Liu Yang’s affair, the Education Bureau conducted an Enlightenment Will Trial…” Zhao Ya went on to talk about the incident that occurred at the Enlightenment Will Tower. “What? You mean… it was due to Elder Shang Chen’s intentional oppression that his reputation is so poor? Zhang laoshi, in consideration for the image of the academy, didn’t expose him? His strength is already that of Pixue realm pinnacle?” Yao Han shuddered. If he didn’t hear this news firsthand, he would have never believed it. For the head of the Education Bureau of an established academy to be so shameless! On the other hand, for Zhang laoshi… to be such a noble person! Looked like he was indeed mistaken! Not just him, everyone was mistaken about him! “I have never seen Elder Shang Chen, but Shang Bin laoshi, who is his grandson, is interest-motivated and vicious. Naturally, his grandfather can’t be any better…” If anyone else heard such rumors about the head of the Education Bureau, they would definitely doubt the reliability of the news. However, Yao Han didn’t have the slightest hesitation in believing Zhao Ya’s words. He had never met Shang Chen, but he had met Shang Bin. The wounds on his face were the doing of the other party! Since the grandson was of such character, how noble can the grandfather be? Birds of the same feathers flock together! “Uncle Yao, now that you know about Zhang laoshi’s affairs, I hope that you can be more respectful to him from now on!” After concluding her explanation, Zhao Ya looked at Yao Han with a grim expression. “Rest assured! Your uncle isn’t a foolish person. I know what to do from now on!” Yao Han nodded his head. The next instant, his expression darkened. The authoritativeness and self-confidence of the butler of a powerful family exuded from him as he continued, “However, this Shang Chen and Shang Bin had caused me to bear misunderstandings about Zhang laoshi, not to mention how they soiled his reputation. I must converse with the city lord and have them punished!” “Yeah! Such vile people deserve to be punished!” Zhao Ya nodded her head. She was unlike Wang Ying. Wang Ying had a docile and honest nature while she, as the daughter of a city lord, possessed a valiant disposition. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have barged into Zhang Xuan’s classroom angrily upon hearing others praise him. This was precisely the reason why, upon hearing Yao Han say that he would teach the duo a lesson, she didn’t hesitate and immediately nodded her head in agreement. If not for this head of the Education Bureau, Zhang laoshi wouldn’t suffer such injustice and be viewed mockingly and contemptuously by the rest of the world. Otherwise, given his capabilities, how could he possibly be unable to recruit any students? They must be taught a lesson, and a severe one at that, one that will send their reputation down the drain! “Uncle Yao, I will be troubling you to spread this information. The more people know of it, the better!” At this, Zhao Ya issued a command. “Yes!” Yao Han nodded his head. 105 New Worries First Half Pipa! Pili pala! Throughout the entire night, the sound of him breaking through in his cultivation could be heard every now and then as his strength soared continuously. “To think that the night would be over in a flash!” Finally, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. The sun had already risen. Despite going without sleep the entire night, not only did Zhang Xuan not feel fatigued, he even felt revitalized instead. With the level of purity of his zhenqi and the uniqueness of his Heaven’s Path Divine Art, breaking through his cultivation realm was an extremely easy task. It was just that it took time for him to identify the correct acupoints. Even so, in a single night, he had opened over twenty acupoints! Going by conventional standards, a fighter could only open 72 acupoints in their entire body. Every 18 acupoints opened was considered a tier. That was to say if one opened 1-18 acupoints, he was in Pixue realm primary stage, 19-36 acupoints for the intermediate stage, 37-54 for advanced stage and 55-72 for pinnacle! However, due to the low purity of zhenqi that most people possessed and incorrect sequence they opened their acupoints in, the cultivation of most people stopped progressing after opening thirty to forty acupoints. The only way for them to grow stronger was to try to break through Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm. As a result, the classification above remained in theory. Based on Tianxuan Kingdom’s standards, Pixue realm basic stage was classified as opening 1-10 acupoints, intermediate stage 11-20, advanced 21-30 and pinnacle 31 and above. As long as one opened 31 acupoints and above, regardless of whether it was 31 or 72, they were all considered as Pixue realm pinnacle in Tianxuan Kingdom! When Zhang Xuan was still at Dingli realm pinnacle, he already possessed 8 ding of strength. After recultivating his first three cultivation realms, his strength was boosted by 12 ding. Adding them up together, he possessed a total of 20 ding of strength before breaking into Pixue realm. After opening 20 acupoints, just taking into account zhenqi itself, he possessed 40 ding of strength. That was equivalent to a Pixue realm pinnacle expert! Other people had difficulty opening a single acupoint in the course of half a month while he opened 20 of it in a single night. Furthermore, 90% of the time was spent on researching the correct sequence. No one would be able to believe that it was possible for one’s cultivation realm to soar that rapidly. However, if the flawless Heaven’s Path Divine Art didn’t have such effects, it wouldn’t be worthy of the word ‘perfect’. After grabbing some food to eat, he headed to the classroom. ……………………………… “You’re saying that… In order to find a way to awaken your unique constitution, Zhang laoshi was willing to undergo Pill Debate to become an apothecary?” In the classroom, Zhao Ya revealed what had happened yesterday to Wang Ying and the rest. “Zhang laoshi had created cultivation techniques for us, and now he is putting himself at risk for our welfare…” “No matter what, we must achieve good results in the Freshmen Tournament. Otherwise, we would’ve truly let down Zhang laoshi, and his efforts to groom us would be in vain!” The eyes of Zheng Yang and the others burned passionately. Even the usually lazy Yuan Tao was agitated. Warriors died fighting to protect their soulmates. Zhang laoshi had done so much to protect them. If they still knew none of the gratitude at this point, they would truly be ingrates! “No, I have to start cultivating right now!” “Me too!” In an instant, zeal consumed everyone and only a single goal retained in their minds. That was to bring glory to Zhang laoshi by astonishing everyone with their strength in the Freshmen Tournament! “What is wrong with them all?” Upon walking into the classroom, he saw that not only were all his students present, every single of them were cultivating seriously and diligently. Zhang Xuan found the situation slightly queer. Was there something wrong with these fellows? “Teacher!” Just when he was about to start his lessons, he saw Wang Tao, Wang Yan, and Zhao Yanfeng walking over. Zhang Xuan had already agreed to have Wang Tao and Wang Yan listen to by the side of the class. However, why was Zhao Yanfeng here too? “I impertinently made my own decision to withdraw from Lu laoshi’s tutelage. If my decision had caused you trouble, please punish me!” As soon as Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom, Zhao Yanfeng immediately confessed. Hearing these words, Zhang Xuan came to a realization why Lu Xun picked a fight with him out of nowhere. So this was the reason. Despite being the most reputable star teacher in the academy, two students of his withdrew from his lessons to listen to the lessons of the worst teacher. No matter who it was, they would definitely find this situation unacceptable. How could he continue teaching other students in the future if word were to spread out? How could he win his student’s trust like this? “Alright, you can listen to my lessons!” Since the matter had already happened, if he sent Zhao Yanfeng back, others might think that he was afraid of Lu Xun. As such, he could only pretend to be unaware of the matter. In any case, he wasn’t obliged to offer pointers to students listening in his lesson. They were free to leave if they want to and it wouldn’t really waste any time of his. “Stop for a moment. You all should have already tried to cultivate the cultivation techniques I passed you all yesterday!” Ignoring the trio, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and the others. “We have!” The eyes of his students glowed in excitement. The cultivation technique Zhang laoshi had created for them was incredible! With just a single night of training, they felt the energy within their body growing stronger. Just the effort of a single day was comparable to what they achieved in ten previously! As such, they felt even more impressed with the teacher before them. “Un, let me see your punching routines. Wang Ying, we’ll start from you!” Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over to her. “Yes!” Wang Ying stepped forward and swiftly executed a punching routine. “Not bad!” After which, Zhang Xuan casually offered some pointers and pointed out a few flaws in her cultivation. The same occurred for Zhao Ya, Liu Yang, and the others. All in all, the speed at which his five students were cultivating at were rather fast. In fact, it was an astonishing speed compared to other students. Even so, if they were to continue at this pace, there would still be a significant gap between his students and Lu Xun’s. Lu Xun was a star teacher of the academy. Those who studied under him were basically the top students of the entire academy. The entrance examination assessed a student’s overall performance and their potential. Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and the others were only able to squeeze into the top hundred via their potential. If one were to only consider their fighting prowess, only Zhao Ya was better off among the five of them. The other four would probably be ranked below 500. This was especially true for Yuan Tao. His placing in the entrance examination was reflective of his strength. It was impossible to have the several hundred of students under Lu Xun fight with the five students of his. That would be unfair. As such, he would pick five of them out to fight with them. To choose the top five out of several hundred powerful students, it was clear to see how difficult it would be for Zhao Ya and the others to triumph over them. Putting aside the others, the top three students of the entrance examination had come under his tutelage and all three of them had already broken into Fighter 2-dan! Given how the five of them were unable to defeat Zhu Hong, who was ranked fourth, despite ganging up against him, how could they possibly deal with the other three individually? Even though potential, talent, and personality could help to boost a student’s ranking in the Freshmen Tournament, what was valued the highest was still strength! Without strength, everything else was empty talk. Once they lose on the sparring field, all of the former would be negated by the others. “Wang Ying’s legs has just recovered and her body hasn’t adapted to the changes in her body yet. As such, she is unable to utilize her strength properly. With two months of rest, her condition should improve, but half a month… That is too difficult! “Zheng Yang has just escaped from his trauma, allowing his mastery of the spear to improve rapidly. However, it’s possible for weapons to be banned in the Freshmen Tournament, given the nature of it as a sparring contest. His advantage might very possibly become his downfall. I have to find a way to boost his bare-handed fighting skills within this period! “Also, it will take at least half a month for the condition of Liu Yang’s right arm to improve, and by then… Sigh, time is truly lacking!” Looking through the conditions of the few via the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella and his worry reflected on his face. 106 New Worries Second Half If he were to train them conventionally, he was confident that he could induce a massive improvement in his five students, grasping the entire school by surprise. However, it was too daunting a task to achieve it within half a month to make it in time for the Freshmen Tournament. Regardless of whether it was Wang Ying, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang or Wang Tao, each of them had problems with their bodies. Even though he knew the remedy to treating each of them, it was hard for him to resolve their problems entirely within this short period of time. The Library of Heaven’s Path could see through flaws, but it didn’t show him the correct way to resolving them. The methods he came up with to solve the problems that his students encountered were the conclusions he came up with after researching innumerable books, so the effectiveness of them all could only be considered average. That short amount of time he had wasn’t sufficient to solve their problems entirely, needless to say, induce a rapid growth in their cultivation. Of course, if he were to impart the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to them, their cultivation would surely soar immediately. However, Zhang Xuan knew that he mustn’t impart the cultivation technique to anyone else. Possessing a treasure beyond his ability to guard was a crime. It was possible that it might bring him calamity if news of his cultivation technique were to spread out. Even if the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to identify the locations of the mingmen of his opponents, it wasn’t of much use if he was battling against enemies far above his cultivation realm. Putting aside the fact that true experts did not have such weakness and even if they had, if he was unable to match up to them in terms of speed and strength, he might not be able to damage the latter even if he were to hit them squarely at their vitals! “Zheng Yang’s situation is slightly easier to resolve. I can try to find a battle technique for him. Within half a month, he should be able to achieve some level of accomplishment in it. This should be sufficient for him to deal with most opponents! “I have helped Wang Ying to open up the blocked acupoints on her legs. However, two years of injury has caused severe damage to her fundamentals. Her meridians and muscles require a long period of recovery. Conventional methods can’t possibly allow her legs to recover completely in half a month, needless to say, attain a higher level! Unless… her legs are nourished with a specialized medicinal solution! “On the other hand, Liu Yang needs some pills to clear his obstructed meridians! “As for Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao, just as what I have analyzed before, it should be sufficient as long as I find a way to awaken their unique constitution!” All these sounded easy, but carrying them out would prove to be difficult. Putting aside the others, even Zheng Yang’s problem, which seemed easy to solve, was tricky. He had learned the way of the spear for many years and he might find it difficult to grasp bare-handed techniques. If he was unable to assimilate the battle technique to his own, it might potentially become his downfall instead, causing his fighting prowess to regress instead! Learning powerful battle techniques took time and learning weak ones were pointless. To assimilate a technique to his own in half a month… The difficulty to do so was clear for all to see. “Putting aside the matter of Zheng Yang’s battle technique, Wang Ying’s medicinal solution should be able to be found in the Apothecary Guild. That is to say, the problems of the four of them can be settled at the Apothecary Guild!” Determination reflected in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, “Looks like I have to pass today’s Pill Debate by hook or by crook!” Actually, after the threat of his expulsion had passed, he could’ve taken it easy and taught his students leisurely. However, since Lu Xun came running over to undermine his dignity, as a transcender with a cheat code, how could he possibly allow him to climb over his head? Sayings such as ‘The river reverses its flow after 30 years’ were all nonsense. One didn’t simply wait for revenge to come by itself. Since the other party is willing to send his face over, naturally, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t go easy on him. Furthermore, even though it seemed as though he had settled the Education Bureau and wouldn’t be fired in the short term, but there were still a lot of people waiting for him to make a fool out of himself. After all, he stepped over the dignity of a school leader as a teacher and caused a scandal in the school. People were already gossiping about how the school didn’t know how to choose its personnel. There wasn’t a single organization that would allow the existence of a ticking time bomb in their ranks. If he was unable to make his stand in the Freshmen Tournament, all kind of pressure would come stacking upon him, making his life difficult. Thus, he had to win, regardless of the price he had to pay. As for why he didn’t choose to simply leave the academy when there’s a massive world out there… As a teacher, if he were to lose upon being challenged, it was no different from a guilty criminal escaping pursuit. It would leave a stain in his records in the Teacher Guild and by then, he would probably be unable to even be promoted to a high-level teacher, much less say, master teacher. However, this wasn’t the main reason. The main reason was that these five students of him already held absolute trust in him. He had already become an important person in their lives, and as a teacher, he could not let them down! “Alright, I’ll start the lessons now!” Upon arriving at a conclusion, Zhang Xuan didn’t panic and started teaching his students calmly. His lectures were based on the numerous correct theories he had gathered from all the books in the teachers’ Compendium Pavilion. They were profound albeit boring, giving the listeners an epiphany. Not only did his five students benefit greatly from his lecture, even Wang Tao, Wang Yan, and Zhao Yanfeng, who were listening in by the side, flushed red in agitation. They felt as though they had just eaten a ginseng fruit. At this moment, they realized that just by listening in, even without Zhang laoshi’s personal guidance, they had struck the jackpot. As long as they continued listening to his lessons seriously, their cultivation would surely rise by leaps and bounds. What Zhang laoshi was explaining was a new type of training system, an entirely new perspective, something that would revolutionize the entire world of cultivation. “I’ll end the lesson here! Cultivate properly when you all return, I will check your cultivation tomorrow!” Looking at the time, it was already nearing noon. Zhang Xuan gestured for them to leave. “Yes!” Zhao Ya and the others rose and bade Zhang Xuan farewell. “The Pill Debate is about to start, I should head over now!” Time didn’t wait for anyone. Since he applied for the Pill Debate, he naturally would not give up on it. Zhang Xuan walked out of the classroom toward the Apothecary Guild. Soon, upon reaching the guild, Wen Xue came welcoming him. The contemptuous gaze yesterday had been replaced with that of respect. Even though the person in front was younger than her, he was already a certified apprentice apothecary. She dared not to offend him. “Apothecary Ouyang Cheng asked me to wait here for you. He says that the ten apothecaries are here and the Pill Debate can start at any time now. Of course, if you wish to go back on your words, you can also choose to cancel this Pill Debate!” Wen Xue said. “There’s no need to cancel it!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. It would take too much time for him to become a 1-star apothecary through Pill Forging. Since he was able to do it today, there was no reason for him to back off. “This way!” As though seeing through his intentions, Wen Xue shook her head and brought him in. It was the building where the apprentice apothecary examination was held. However, they proceeded deeper within and soon, they arrived at a vast hall. Several hundred square meters large, ten chairs were placed in a circle at the center. There was a giant cauldron placed behind the circle of chairs and a flame burned majestically beneath it, bringing one a stifling sensation. Pill Debate, in order to ascertain whether a theory was true or not, had to be verified on the field. The cauldron was here for such use. “Zhang Xuan, you’re here. It isn’t too late to regret now. Rest assured, with your talents, if you were to become my apprentice, I will make sure that you will be able to forge pills within half a year to pass the apothecary examinations!” Jiya! The door opened and Ouyang Cheng walked out. His words carried a tone of persuasion to it. He still didn’t think that it was likely for this young man to pass the Pill Debate. “Half a year is too long!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. [What a joke! If I had half a year of time, I wouldn’t have to go through the trouble to come knocking at the Apothecary Guild in search of books.] “Alright!” Knowing that there was no way to persuade him otherwise, Ouyang Cheng shook his head in disappointment. In his perspective, Zhang Xuan was still young and thus, it couldn’t be helped that he would be complacent. Once he blew it up, he would know the difficulty of Pill Debate. “Esteemed guests, please enter!” Upon his shout, numerous human figures entered the room. There were exactly ten of them, and some of them were middle-aged while others are elderly. Even the youngest of them was probably at minimum 40 years old. The apothecary from yesterday, Du Man, was also within the group. These people were wearing a robe specially made for apothecaries. There was a unique emblem hanging on their chest, and the single star on it was exceptionally conspicuous. 1-star apothecaries! 107 Pill Debate Begins Normally, if one wanted to take the examination for a 1-star apothecary, a 2-star apothecary had to be present to witness the proceedings. However, Zhang Xuan was taking the Pill Debate examination instead of the traditional Pill Forging examination. As such, his examination only required ten 1-star apothecaries to conduct the examination. Even so, the entire proceedings had to be recorded using a Record Crystal, so that the headquarters could check and verify it. In fact, even some apprentice apothecaries were qualified to look through it and if it was proven that some of the examiners went easy on the examinee or so, all apothecaries involved in the proceedings would be stripped of their position and expelled. This was precisely the reason why no one dared to go easy on others during a Pill Debate. Regardless of how formidable the power backing the examinee was, they were unable and unwilling to do so. “Guild Leader Ouyang, you said that someone wants to undergo Pill Debate? It can’t be this young brat here, can it!” Upon sitting down, they glanced at Zhang Xuan and a bizarre expression appeared on their faces. An apothecary took the initiative to pose the doubts of them all to Ouyang Cheng. Those who undergo Pill Debate were either master teachers or scholars who were well-versed in pills and medicines. Upon receiving the notice, everyone thought that it would be an elderly. Never in their dreams did they expect to see a young man who was barely even twenty. [Guild Leader Ouyang, are you sure you aren’t joking with us? You really aren’t pulling our legs? Forged pills are just like white wine; the older the alcohol is, the more fragrant it is. Age may not mean much, but a veteran with numerous years of research behind him is definitely in a better position than someone who had just started studying the subject. A fellow who isn’t even twenty yet wants to undergo Pill Debate…] Even if he started to learn from his mother’s womb, how much can he learn? “Zhang Xuan may be young, but he has a deep comprehension of medicinal herbs. He even achieved a perfect score in the apprentice apothecary Written Paper examination!” Upon seeing the doubtful looks on everyone’s face, Ouyang Cheng explained. “Perfect score?” “That means nothing at all!” “The apprentice apothecary Written Paper only assesses the student’s understanding of the medicinal properties of herbs, their classification, and traits. Scoring full marks can only mean that he has a solid foundation. However, to conduct a Pill Debate based on that, calling all of us over for that, aren’t you being a little too reckless?” “Pill forging isn’t just about understanding the properties of medicinal herb and their classification. It is much more profound than that. One has to feel and comprehend the art of pill forging. If he hopes to become an apothecary just because he knows some basic stuff, isn’t he being a little way too optimistic?” The crowd chirped in, their tones filled with contempt and disdain. Written Paper was just an examination conducted for apprentice apothecary. Official apothecaries often came into contact with medicinal herbs and scoring full marks for them meant nothing at all. “Er…” Upon seeing so many people treat him contemptuously before he even got an opportunity to speak, Zhang Xuan felt a little helpless. If an apothecary’s skill was proportionate to his age, you might as well dig a few of them up from the graves! Pill forging? They would be formidable if they didn’t turn themselves to ashes in the midst of doing so. “Cough!” Zhang Xuan coughed to interrupt the commotion occurring among the apothecaries and spoke, “Guild Leader Ouyang didn’t invite you all here to talk about age. I may be young, but that doesn’t mean I’m unable to match up to the rest of you in terms of forging pills!” “Match up to the rest of us? You aren’t even an apothecary, and yet you are so arrogant that you’d look down on us?” “Youngsters should be humbler. Despite not knowing much about pills, you dare to undergo Pill Debate. You sure are gutsy!” “Arrogant fellow, when the Pill Debate begins in a moment’s time, I hope that you still can talk as casually as you are doing now!” … The moment he spoke up, all their arrows came aiming toward him. A deep frown was on every single one of their faces as they attempted to tear him apart with their words. Pill Debate was actually equivalent to challenging the wisdom of ten apothecaries with the knowledge of a single individual. All the apothecaries who gathered here upon Ouyang Cheng’s call were all famous figures in Tianxuan Kingdom and every single one of them were of high standing. If they were to lose to a master teacher or an elder, it was still a result acceptable to them. But for an immature brat who wasn’t even twenty yet, if they were to really lose to him, how could they still uphold their dignity? Thus, they didn’t have any intention to treat Zhang Xuan kindly from the moment they saw him. On the contrary, they tried to oppress him from the very start. It was an attempt to crush his confidence. As a bachelor in his previous life, he was tortured daily by the loving display of couples every day. Even so, didn’t he manage to overcome them and live on? This kind of attacks no longer worked on Zhang Xuan anymore. “Alright!” The scent of gunpowder was already apparent even though the Pill Debate had yet to begin. Upon seeing the argument escalating, dark lines streaked across Ouyang Cheng’s face. He hurriedly interjected, “There is no use talking about it all, everything should be proven with capabilities instead. After all, capability doesn’t differentiate between ages. Since I have gathered everyone here to conduct a Pill Debate, then let’s just go straight to the point and begin! “I’ll first talk about the rules of the Pill Debate!” Afraid that the crowd might come up with even more toxic words, Ouyang Cheng immediately began explaining, “Pill Debate isn’t a true debate. Rather, the ten apothecaries will raise questions for the examinee to answer. As long as there’s a question he is unable to answer or answers erroneously, the examinee fails! If both parties are unsure of the answers to the questions raised, a test can be conducted on the spot to verify the answer. Whoever’s theory is able to produce higher quality pills will win. “Of course, the questions raised by the apothecaries must be within the sphere of the knowledge of a 1-star apothecary. Also, the examiners are not allowed to pose a question about secrets unknown to others.” At this point, Ouyang Cheng scanned the surroundings and asked, “Are there any other questions?” The rules were simple and the explanation was clear. “No!” The crowd shook their heads simultaneously. As an apothecary, even if they had never heard of Pill Debate, they should have done their homework on it beforehand. There was a limit to the questions they could raise to the examinee. After all, how could an apprentice apothecary possibly answer a question about forging a grade-3 pill or some profound pill forging method? “Since there are no questions, then let’s…” Ouyang Cheng raised his hand grandly and just as he was about to announce the start of the Pill Debate, Zhang Xuan stood up with a frown, “Hold for a moment!” “Why? Are you scared now? It’s too late now!” “It’s too late for you regret your decision! We can either begin the Pill Debate now or you can admit your defeat straight up!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan halt the proceedings, they thought that he wanted to resign and sneered coldly at him. “Regret my decision? You want to make me regret my decision with those standards of yours?” Zhang Xuan activated his aggression-pulling aura. “What did you say?” An elder bellowed loudly. As expected, the apothecaries here immediately erupted upon hearing his words. If looks could kill, he would have been sliced into numerous pieces by now. “I’m sorry, I’m not saying that your standards are not up to par. I’m saying that… all of you here are unable to make the cut!” With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan emanated a haughty disposition. [Why? You want to bicker with me? Do you believe that I can choke you all to death with a few words?] “You…” “Arrogant!” “Ignorant brat!” Instantaneously, everyone exploded. Everyone flew into a rampage and their beards flew along with their vigorous breathing. Seeing the atmosphere heating up and that he had become a public enemy for all of them here, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. With a smile, he looked toward the center of the room and asked, “Guild Leader Ouyang, it seems that they look down on me just because on my age. To tell you the truth, I also look down on them. Actually, I don’t think that there is much point to a mere debate, so why don’t we increase the difficulty of the examination?” “Increase the difficulty?” Ouyang Cheng frowned. [Pill Debate is already difficult by itself, and you want to increase the difficulty? Also, how do you intend to go about increasing the difficulty?] The others were also bewildered. [Lad, do you find your death lacking splendor, so you want to find a more exciting way to do so?] “Simply, Pill Debate is just theoretical and words are empty!” Ignoring the bizarre expression everyone was shooting him with, Zhang Xuan raised his hands boldly, carrying a majestic disposition with him, “How about this? As long as any apothecary here dares to forge pills before me, regardless of what methods he uses, I am able to point out the name of his forging method and the errors he commits in the process. If any of those here finds what I say incorrect, I can admit defeat immediately!” 108 Meng Yan “What?” “We are official apothecaries, and you, a mere apprentice, dares to claim that you are able to point out our mistakes?” “What are you putting on an act for? We apothecaries have numerous means up our sleeves. Putting aside whether you can point out our mistakes, if you can even recognize the method we are using to forge pills, we can consider it your win!” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone exploded once more. An immature brat dared to claim that he had the ability to see through their forging methods and flaws just by seeing them forge a pill before him? “Is he mad?” At one side, Ouyang Cheng and Wen Xue felt frenzied. At the very most, one could only ask some remote questions in Pill Debate. As long as one was well-versed in the knowledge of pill forging, much of it could be rationalized and inferred. However, to point out one’s forging method and the errors in it? Pill forging was just like a person’s handwriting; there are ten thousand different types of handwriting for ten thousand different people. Even for the same pill, there were at least a thousand different methods of forging it. The movements in each method were profound and intricate and a slight difference in their motions could mean an entirely different forging method. Furthermore, each and every pill forging methods that were able to be passed down through the generations were the blood, sweat, and tears of innumerable people and had been refined countless times toward perfection. It might not be entirely perfect, but at the very least, these apothecaries had been using it daily and never found anything off about it. Even if a 3-star apothecary were to be here, it would be hard for him to point out the errors in it! This wasn’t just a mere rise in the difficulty anymore, it was an overturn of the rules, raising the difficulty to the heavens! If an apprentice apothecary undergoing a Pill Debate was equivalent to the difficulty to three-digit addition and subtraction, what Zhang Xuan proposed was equivalent to Goldbach Conjecture! The difficulty wouldn’t just increase, it would be increased to an unimaginable level! [Brother, are you sure you aren’t jesting?] Wen Xue looked at him as though she was looking at a monster. Yesterday, he wasn’t even sure about the existence of a book collection vault in the Apothecary Guild and he didn’t know what books he had to read for the apprentice apothecary examination. Yet, today, he suddenly became an expert, putting on airs here. If she didn’t witness it personally, she might have thought that he was afflicted with dissociative identity disorder. Even though a human’s personality changed over time, it should be impossible for such a massive change to occur in a person in a single day! Even if he wanted to act cool, there should be no need for him to play it so big! “Why? You dare not agree? Are you afraid that you will be embarrassed after I point out your errors? Or are you afraid of being humiliated when I point out your forging method?” Ignoring their stares, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly. He had already contemplated over the matter and came up with a solution for passing the Pill Debate. Even though he was done looking through the basic tier book collection vault in the Apothecary Guild, there was still a certain level of difficulty for him to successfully pass the Pill Debate. After all, there were so many apothecaries assessing him and it was hard to tell whether they might have capabilities beyond that of the books. They might come up with questions beyond what was written in the books! If he failed to answer their question, it would be an immediate loss! Since that was the case, he should find a way to prevent them from bringing up such problems. In other people’s perspective, to determine a forging method and pointing out the flaws in it through watching how a person forged pills was much more difficult than undergoing a Pill Debate. However, Zhang Xuan possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, which allowed him to easily see through the flaws of others. What was nigh impossible to others became an absolutely simple task before him, only requiring reading word-by-word off a book. An apothecary forging pills was equivalent to a fighter executing his battle technique, a book would be compiled by looking at it. Thus, Zhang Xuan intentionally drew aggression from the others to incur their rage. After which, by behaving contemptuously, the others would definitely think of him as arrogant and agree to it. As long as they agreed to this method of examination… [Hehe, once you all agree to it, everything else will be a piece of cake. Witness as I play you all to your deaths!] “Since you are looking for excitement, we will fulfill your request!” “Indeed, since you are adamant on acting cool, we’ll see how you cry afterward!” As he expected, the crowd immediately exploded yet again after his taunting. Every single of them was tempted to pay greetings Zhang Xuan’s eighteen generations of ancestors and all of his kin. [Embarrassed your head! The heck that we would be humiliated! We just fear whether you have sufficient capabilities to do so!] The ten apothecaries’ fighting spirit roused. If not in consideration of their identity, they would have charged forward to bash him. “Since all of you have the guts to agree to it, then let’s begin!” Upon seeing how he was able to settle the issue so easily, Zhang Xuan chuckled. Then, looking at Ouyang Cheng, who was standing at the center of the room, he said, “Guild Leader Ouyang, can we begin?” “Err… Of course!” He didn’t expect a simple Pill Debate would escalate to this point. Ouyang Cheng felt helpless and frustrated. At this moment, he had no choice but to go along with it. “May I ask which apothecary would like to go first? I am willing to offer you all free pointer!” Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves arrogantly. The faces of the crowd flushed red in anger. “I can’t stand watching him act like this any longer. Allow me to teach this brat a lesson first!” Finally, an apothecary couldn’t hold in his rage any longer and stood up. It was a middle-aged man in his forties. His face was slightly gray and his eyes glowed as though they were lanterns. With a single look, it was clear that he wasn’t someone with a good temper. “It’s Apothecary Meng Yan!” “Meng Yan’s temper may be awful, but he’s a true 1-star primary stage apothecary. Given how he’s able to forge over a dozen kinds of pills, he isn’t someone to be underestimated!” “Indeed, a few of his apprentices even made it big. Furthermore, he has many kinds of forging methods. It is most suitable for him to make the first move!” Seeing the middle-aged man stepping out, the rest of the apothecaries secretly nodded their heads in agreement. How could there be any mediocre figures among the 1-star apothecaries? This Apothecary Meng Yan might not be the most capable apothecary among the group, but his skills were not the worst of the bunch. They would be able to see the capabilities of that arrogant fellow through him. “Lad, I will start forging now. If you are unable to tell the forging method later on and point out the flaws in it, prepare to be punished!” With a cold sneer, Meng Yan walked over to the cauldron. He casually grabbed a few medicinal herbs from the shelves by the side, and by controlling his zhenqi, he induced the flame beneath the cauldron to become even more vigorous. Xiong xiong! The flames burned furiously off its fuel and a slight chiming sound resounded from the cauldron, as though it was a giant bell. Huhuhu! Stalks after stalks of medicinal herbs were thrown into the cauldron and under the high temperature, a unique scent of medicine floated into the air. “This is pill forging?” Zhang Xuan might have read quite a few books in the basic tier book collection vault, but this was the first time he was seeing someone forge a pill. “Incredible!” He couldn’t help but be impressed by it. In terms of cultivation realm, he was in no way inferior to the other party. However, the way how the other party threw the medicinal herbs into the cauldron so casually without the slightest hesitation or pause, and how every single stalk of medicinal herb was placed under optimal conditions for it to best unleash its medicinal properties, it was something he could not hope to match. This required continuous practice over time. He might excel in theories, but this didn’t mean that he was capable of materializing it into physical actions. After a moment of looking at it, after integrating the knowledge from the basic tier book collection vault and the analysis on them by the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan soon realized that… He was unable to discern anything at all! He wasn’t even able to see what forging method the other party is utilizing, much less see through the flaws in his actions. No wonder everyone stared at him as though he had gone mad upon hearing his request. If even Guild Leader Ouyang, who wielded the greatest ability among the group here, was unable to see through his forging method and had a perplexed expression at this very moment, how could an apprentice apothecary possibly see through it? “Flaws!” After confirming that he was unable to see through it through the sea of knowledge he had accumulated, Zhang Xuan didn’t hesitate any longer and he willed for a book to be compiled. Weng! With a loud explosion, the Library of Heaven’s Path jolted and a book suddenly appeared in his mind. Written inside were this Apothecary Meng Yan’s pill forging method and the flaws in them. “This…” After taking a look, a bizarre expression appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. 109 Tranquil Heart Pill “Not bad!” “Meng Yan is getting more and more adept in his pill forging technique!” “Indeed! If he is able to identify a flaw in his pill forging method, I will twist my head off!” Zhang Xuan noticed that the gazes of the other apothecaries were fixated on Meng Yan and they nodded their head in approval in response to the display of his skills. They were able to tell what the other party’s pill forging method before and they had once used it as well, so they weren’t too unfamiliar with it. This was also precisely the reason why it was harder to find flaws in it. Even they were unable to see the slightest mistake in the other party’s forging. Every movement of his strictly adhered to the forging method without a single error in it. “Guild Leader Ouyang, do you think that he will be able to see through the forging method and the flaws in it?” After bringing Zhang Xuan over, Wen Xue didn’t leave immediately. At this instance, she was standing behind Ouyang Cheng and she couldn’t help but ask him the question. She wasn’t even an apprentice and thus, she was unable to see through the various intricacies of pill forging. So, she could only place her expectation on this guild leader before her to explain the situation to her. “Flaws?” Ouyang Cheng shook his head, “To tell you the truth, Meng Yan’s pill forging method had been passed down for more than 300 years. It went through the hands of countless individuals and even if there is an error in it, it would have long been corrected. Anyway, given my level of standard, I am unable to see any errors in it!” “Not even you are able to discern any flaws?” Wen Xue covered her mouth in shock. Ouyang Cheng was the most capable apothecary in Tianxuan Kingdom, reaching the astounding level of the 1-star intermediate stage. If he was unable to discern anything, how could Zhang Xuan, who had just become an apothecary apprentice, possibly tell anything from it? Hu! After a moment, the flames weakened. Meng Yan opened the lid and the fragrance of medicine gushed out from the cauldron. The pill had been formed! Meng Yan pinched lightly and grabbed three pills from the cauldron. Each of them was round with a smooth surface. They were roughly the size of a longan and radiated a unique glow. “Alright, as expected of Apothecary Meng Yan. Not only was the pill formed, it even reached the level of Satiation. Incredible!” Looking at the pill in his palm, everyone couldn’t help but be impressed. Upon being forged successfully, the pills would assume different appearances depending on the efficacy of its medicinal property. It could be classified into four tiers, namely Formation, Satiation, Perfection, and Inscribed Pill. It was already incredible for typical 1-star primary stage apothecaries to reach the level of Formation when forging grade-1 pills. To reach the level of Satiation was already something beyond what those of his level was capable of. “Hmph, lad, I am already done forging my pills. So, what method did I just use and what flaws are there in it!” Meng Yan returned to his seat and looked at Zhang Xuan coldly. Upon hearing his words, the gaze of the others focused on Zhang Xuan. They wanted to see what kind of shocking words this arrogant lad would speak of. Initially, they thought this lad would speak immediately. However, his eyes simply stared forty-five degrees upward with a sorrowful expression on his face. He shook his head slowly and sighed. “Hurry up if you have something to say!” Seeing this fellow still persisting on keeping up the act, Meng Yan clenched his fist and smashed it on the table. Peng! Given his formidable strength and the current fury he had accumulated, a crack appeared on the table, putting it in a state of near collapse. “Since you aren’t embarrassed by it, then I will begin speaking!” Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficiently heated up, Zhang Xuan looked over calmly with a lowered head and said, “If I’m not wrong, the pill you forged should be the Tranquil Heart Pill which fighters often consume!” “That’s right!” Meng Yan nodded his head. It was easy for an apothecary to see what a kind of pill it was, so it couldn’t be considered a formidable feat. “The method you used is Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water!” Zhang Xuan continued. “That’s right! This is Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water. This is the most suitable method to forging Tranquil Heart Pill. It doesn’t mean much for you to see through this!” Not expecting for the other party to be able to able to discern it, Meng Yan was slightly shocked. However, he didn’t pay the matter much heed. Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water was a unique method to forge Tranquil Heart Pills. It was said that an apothecary created this method while looking at the surface of the water of a mountainous stream. The entire technique emphasized greatly on delicacy and quietness. There weren’t too many intense movements in it, as though it was a quiet stream, flowing slowly and steadily down the mountains. As it fulfilled the concept of Tranquil Heart Pill, it was easy for a pill to form using this method to forge it. Given that he was able to tell that the pill forged was Tranquil Heart Pill, it wasn’t that difficult to infer that the method used was Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water. “True, it doesn’t mean much. However, it is a pity that you have warped the Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water beyond recognition, causing it to lose the fundamental meaning behind it!” Zhang Xuan flung his hand and said with a stern voice. “Warped beyond recognition? Nonsense! If it is truly warped beyond recognition, how can I possibly successfully forge the Tranquil Heart Pill, even reaching the level of Satiation at that?” Meng Yan retorted furiously. “Since you don’t believe my words, then I shall point it out clearly to you!” Zhang Xuan stepped forward and pinched the pill lightly to place it on his palm. His gaze swept through the room as he asked, “Who can tell me what effects should this pill possess?” “Tranquil Heart Pill is a grade-1 pill. It helps cultivators to calm their mind so that their thoughts will not wander. This kind of pill is effective even on Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm experts and as such, it is one of the best sellers of the Apothecary Guild!” Wen Xue said. As a receptionist, she had sold all kinds of pills. It was natural that she would have a deep understanding of the effects of this Tranquil Heart Pill. “Indeed, this pill can help cultivators to calm their minds!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. “However, it’s a pity that this pill which Apothecary Meng Yan doesn’t have such effects! On the contrary, it might even cause a person’s cultivation to go berserk if consumed!” “Nonsense!” Meng Yan’s expression darkened. The other party’s action of doubting the efficacy of his pill in public was equivalent to humiliating him. “You need not be so quick to refute my words. Let me finish my words first!” Ignoring the other party’s burst of outrage, Zhang Xuan chuckled and continued, “If this pill was created by Apothecary Meng Yan yesterday, I wouldn’t say such words. However, it is a pity that it isn’t yesterday now and this pill is destined to be a failure!” “Yesterday?” “Is there any difference to it?” “Lad, clarify your words! Don’t try to mystify us!” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the crowd had no idea what Zhang Xuan was driving at. As such, they couldn’t help but raise their doubts. “I will explain to you all right now! Forging pills aren’t just about technique and skills, one’s mental state plays a huge part in it as well! Only by infusing one’s mental state into the pill will the efficacy of the medicine be heightened! Tranquil Heart Pill requires the mental state of the apothecary forging it to be serene and only through such can the pill be forged perfectly! I believe all of you should have seen the bad temper of Apothecary Meng Yan. He can be set off easily with a single word. With rage in his heart, how can he possibly forge the Tranquil Heart Pill which calms others?” At which, Zhang Xuan slightly knocked on the table before Meng Yan. A crack had appeared in the table after the latter’s previous punch. At this moment, unable to take the pressure any longer, it fell apart. Upon the sight, everyone came to a realization. His words were true. Pill forging was intricately linked to one’s state of mind. It was inappropriate and unsuitable for one to forge a Tranquil Heart Pill when under such rampaging emotions. “Of course, his fiery temper isn’t sufficient to ruin the pill. The crux of the problem is that there is killing intent within Apothecary Meng Yan right now. If I’m not wrong, you probably killed someone this morning and you still bear resentment toward the person. Most probably, you were betrayed by someone you trust. This resentment and killing intent have been infused into the Tranquil Heart Pill when you were forging it. Even though only a sliver of it had slipped in, to the cultivators who consume it, it could have disastrous aftereffects. It increases the possibility of their cultivation going berserk exponentially. If so, it will result in fatal damage onto their fundamentals!” Zhang Xuan said. “You… You…” Meng Yan’s body swayed. He looked at Zhang Xuan as though he was looking at a ghost and his face immediately turned ghastly white. 110 You Are About to Die Just like what Zhang Xuan said, Meng Yan was hiding resentment and killing intent within his heart. He was also betrayed by someone he deeply trusted in. Just that, it was something that happened this morning. He thought that his rage had already ceased and never would he have thought that he would infuse these emotions into his pill. But… How was he able to tell? Through the pill he forged? How was that possible? “It’s true?” “This…” Upon seeing Meng Yan’s expression, even the most dull- witted of the lot could tell that what Zhang Xuan said was the truth. They stared at one another in disbelief. [Not only was he able to discern the killing intent in him through his pill forging, he is even able to deduce that he was betrayed by a trusted person. You… Are you an apprentice apothecary or a fortune teller?] “If you all think that there’s something wrong with my words, there is an easy way to ascertain it. The guild should have Pill Sample Beasts, right? We can feed this Tranquil Heart Pill to it and see whether it will calm down or rampage!” Upon seeing Meng Yan at a loss for words, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly. Usually, in order to ascertain the authenticity and effects of a pill, the Apothecary Guild would prepare some Pill Sample Beasts to test them. This savage beast was extremely sensitive towards pills. Upon consumption of the pills, one could determine the effects of the pills through its response. It corresponded to the lab rats used in clinical trials in the world of Zhang Xuan’s previous life. Only after passing the tests could the medicine be fed to humans. This was to ensure the safety of those consuming it. “Un!” Ouyang Cheng nodded his head and an apprentice apothecary walked out of the room. In a moment, a cage of savage beasts that resembled white mice was brought over. Opening the mouth of one, the Tranquil Heart Pill was fed to it. A short moment later, the Pill Sample Beast started to get agitated, running around the cage and clawing everything in sight. It didn’t seem to be calming down in the least. “Normally, after consuming a Tranquil Heart Pill, the Pill Sample Beast would lie quietly by the side. Yet, after consuming this pill, the Pill Sample Beast becomes visibly agitated.” In the midst through Zhang Xuan’s words, the Pill Sample Beast who consumed the Tranquil Heart Pill ran toward another of its kind, climbed on top of it and started to conduct insertion exercises forcibly onto the other party. “Cough cough, the strong sexual drive experienced by the one who consumes the pill shows that not only does the pill not calms one, it even induces anger in them! If I’m not wrong, the person whom Apothecary Meng Yan killed today is a woman, one whom he had a sexual relationship with! Her eventual betrayal resulted in his outrage, causing the pill to contain strong emotions of possessiveness and frenzy!” “This…” Upon seeing the drugged Pill Sample Beast in the cage crushing on another Pill Sample Beast and forcing itself on the other, not giving the other party a chance to retaliate at all, the other apothecaries stared at one another in astonishment. [Is this really Tranquil Heart Pill? Are you sure that it isn’t an aphrodisiac! It is fortunate that it isn’t fed to a human. Otherwise, not only will their heart no calm down, they will even turn into a… Cough cough, it will cause disastrous effects!] Everyone shuddered upon thinking about the possibility. “This morning, I saw the concubine that I dote on the most conducting adultery on me with the butler. In that instant, rage filled me and I killed both of them on the spot!” Upon seeing everyone’s gaze focusing on him, Meng Yan shook his head as he explained. Since the other party had already said so much, there was nothing for him to hide. This incident had made him furious. For the entire day, he had been in bad mood. The reason why he stepped out was to embarrass Zhang Xuan so as to vent his frustration. “Is that for real?” “Seeing through so much through looking at another forge pill?” … Seeing Meng Yan admit to it, the others stared at Zhang Xuan as though he was a monster. If their gazes were contemptuous before, they had a grave expression on at this very moment. One’s pill reflected one’s state of mind, but… to see that an apothecary had killed someone earlier this morning, even inferring that the person was his concubine, through watching him forge pills… [The heck, you must be a constable, right!] Otherwise… How could he possibly tell that much? “Alright, I have already pointed out the flaws in it. Apothecary Meng Yan, do you need me to go on?” Ignoring the shocked expression on the others, Zhang Xuan said with a smile. The Library of Heaven’s Path could see through all flaws. It was a simple task for him to tell that he had been betrayed by his concubine and that his pill carried killing intent and resentment. “There’s no need. I admit defeat!” Meng Yan surrendered. The numerous apothecaries on the field, including himself, weren’t able to see through the problem in the pill he forged. Yet, the other party was able to see through it directly, even telling so much about it… It was a clear loss, even if he didn’t wish to accept it! “Just like that… he surrendered?” Wen Xue’s eyes widened. An apothecary admitted defeat to an apprentice? If she didn’t see this for herself, she wouldn’t dare to believe it. However, it made sense when she thought about it. To be able to see that far, that fellow’s eye for discernment was too incredible. He had no choice but to admit defeat! “Alright, next!” Now that the first person had admitted defeat, Zhang Xuan had achieved first blood. He turned to look at the remaining nine people with a smile. “I shall face him!” An elderly stood up. If they thought that Zhang Xuan was here to cause trouble previously, after Meng Yan’s incident, they finally understood that this fellow was an expert, expert among experts. No wonder he was so confident as to dare to challenge the Pill Debate, even raising the difficulty at that. “It is Apothecary Chen Xiao!” “Apothecary Chen may not be the best among us in terms of pill forging, but he is the oldest!” “He is an extremely rational and calm person, unlike Meng Yan and his fiery temper. I believe that he will be able to defeat that lad!” … Seeing the elder stand up, everyone secretly nodded their heads in approval. This Apothecary Chen Xiao was the oldest among the ten of them, as well as the most level-headed one. Surely there wouldn’t be any problems if he was the one to make a move. Huhuhu! The flame beneath the cauldron crackled. In a moment’s time, he extracted a few pills from it. It was the same pill as the one Meng Yan forged previously, Tranquil Heart Pill. It was also perfectly round and smooth with radiance glowing off its surface. However, it was clearly of higher quality, reaching Perfection. “Alright, I am done forging the pills. You don’t need to identify the forging method, it’s the same as the one Apothecary Meng Yan used previously, Ten Formulas of Tranquil Water. If you’re able to point out the flaws in it, I will concede and admit defeat!” Apothecary Chen Xiao said calmly as he grasped the pills he just forged in his hands. “Incredible!” “This is truly a wise move!” “To use the same forging method to forge the exact same pills. Previously, he was able to point out the killing intent in Apothecary Meng Yan’s heart as the flaw in his pill forging, but Apothecary Chen Xiao’s state of mind is serene and he is a level-headed person. He should be unable to find another one of this kind of flaw on him!” “Let’s see how he will fare this time…” … Upon seeing Apothecary Chen Xiao’s actions, everyone couldn’t help but exclaim internally that it was indeed the older ones who were more cunning. Even Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but nod his head. The other party was indeed extremely wise. Even though the other party had clearly told him that he used the same forging method so that he doesn’t have to guess it, his actions were, in fact, making it more difficult for him to answer. However, to the Library of Heaven’s Path… this was nothing at all! Zhang Xuan looked at him, seemingly nonchalant to his actions, “If I’m not wrong, Apothecary Chen Xiao should have trouble sleeping and eating recently!” “Ah?” Apothecary Chen Xiao was taken aback, “It’s true that I have been having problems sleeping, and my appetite isn’t good recently. However… this should have nothing to do with pill forging though?” [So what if I don’t eat or sleep? You just have to tell me about the flaws in my pill forging. Why are you telling me about my body condition? Besides… About me not sleeping well and having no appetite… How did you know about it?] “Nothing to do with it? You’re wrong! It is related to it in every way!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Related to it in every way? Enlighten me.” Apothecary Chen Xiao couldn’t help but look over. “Hehe, if I’m not wrong… You are about to die!” Zhang Xuan said. 111 Death Aura Pu! He thought that the other party would speak of some theory to convince him of it. Hearing his words, however, Apothecary Chen Xiao almost puked blood. [Just because I’m not eating or sleeping well, you say that I’m going to die? You’re the one who is going to die, your family is the one who is going to die…] Not just him, the other examiners also glared at him furiously. Apothecary Chen Xiao was an esteemed figure in the circle of apothecaries and they had always respected him. Yet, this fellow dared to curse him straight to his face. [Do you dare to spout any more nonsense?] “I have been an apothecary for many years. Even though I have been stuck at this level for very long, I have been working diligently and studying hard to improve myself! I might not be a talented genius, but I am well aware of my body’s condition. The reason why I haven’t been sleeping well and eating well is because of the numerous miscellaneous affairs in my household I tend recently. There hasn’t been anything off about my physical condition other than that. So, why do you say that I’m about to die?” Apothecary Chen Xiao harrumphed. Apothecaries often came into contact with medicinal pills and even though they were inferior to physicians in terms of diagnosing, they were still slightly learned in the aspect. “You aren’t wrong. There isn’t anything wrong with your body!” Zhang Xuan calmly replied to the suspicions he rose. “Nothing wrong? Then, what are you talking about?” “How spiteful, how can you take these words as a joke!” “This is a Pill Debate, not a session for you to curse Apothecary Chen Xiao!” … Upon hearing him admit that there was nothing wrong with Apothecary Chen Xiao’s body, everyone started to bellow at him angrily. If there was something wrong with his body, they could let this matter slip. However, since there was nothing wrong with his body, how could such nonsense be acceptable? Feeling baffled, Ouyang Cheng and the others stared at him. “Hehe!” Zhang Xuan was completely nonchalant to the rebuke of the crowd. He simply smiled lightly and said, “Who says that one cannot die if there’s nothing wrong with their body?” “What do you mean?” Upon seeing his calmness and confidence, Apothecary Chen Xiao felt goosebumps rising all over him. Just as he was about to continue questioning him, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and said, “Since you don’t believe me, let’s first take a look at the pill!” At which, the eyes of the crowd fixated on the Tranquil Heart Pill Apothecary Chen Xiao had just forged. “Apothecary Chen Xiao is a level-headed and calm person. He has reached a high level of mastery in his skills in forging pills and if I were to forcibly speak of a flaw of his, none of you will believe me. It would be troublesome to verify my claims as well!” Zhang Xuan smiled, “Since that’s the case, I won’t talk about the flaws in his forging method. I shall just talk about this pill here. Just like the one Apothecary Meng Yan forged, if this Tranquil Heart Pill is consumed by a cultivator, it would aggravate his anxiety and even cause his death!” “What?” “I have been examining Apothecary Chen Xiao’s method in forging the pills closely and there isn’t the slightest mistake in his actions. Furthermore, his pill has reached the level of Perfection, so how can it worsen one’s anxiety?” “This isn’t a place for you to spout nonsense!” No one believed Zhang Xuan’s words at all. The reason why there was a problem with the Tranquil Heart Pill that Meng Yan forged was because he killed his concubine, resulting in the killing intent in his body to billow such that even he was unable to curb it. On the other hand, Apothecary Chen Xiao had a calm nature, which was compatible with the state of mind one required to forge Tranquil Heart Pill. If so, how could it worsen one’s anxiety? [Even if you wish to spout nonsense, you should’ve had something better to say!] “If you don’t believe me, we can try it out! There are Pill Sample Beasts here!” Zhang Xuan pointed to the cage. Other than the two that were exercising together, there were still other Pill Sample Beasts in the cage which were lying calmly by the side. “Let’s give it a try then!’ An apothecary who didn’t believe his words casually picked up a Tranquil Heart Pill and placed it into the mouth of a Pill Sample Beast. After consuming the Tranquil Heart Beast, the Pill Sample Beast didn’t get agitated as the previous one did. It also didn’t grab another one of its kind to exercise on it. Instead, it laid by a corner, not moving at all. “How is it? A Tranquil Heart Pill can calm a person’s mental state. The lack of movement in this Pill Sample Beast means that the pill is taking effect. What else do you have to say?” The apothecary harrumphed. The others also looked toward Zhang Xuan. Previously, Zhang Xuan said that consuming this Heart Pill Beast would worsen one’s anxiety. Now, it was clear that the pill was working as it should and there wasn’t anything queer about it. They were curious to see how he would answer. “Give it a moment!” Zhang Xuan didn’t say anything else and simply sat quietly on his chair. After ten minutes, the Pill Sample Beast still didn’t move at all. At this point, the apothecary who fed the Pill Sample Beast the pill couldn’t hold it in any longer, “See, it hasn’t moved at all. This clearly shows that the Tranquil Heart Pill is working as it should. Are you trying to waste our time by having us wait?” “It’s okay now!” Zhang Xuan said. “It’s okay?” The apothecary frowned, “What do you mean? It is clear that this Pill Sample Beast isn’t anxious in the least given how it is still lying quietly by the corner. How do you want us to see?” “The reason why it is lying quietly by the corner doesn’t necessarily mean that the Tranquil Heart Pill has taken effect. It can also mean that… it is dead!” Zhang Xuan said. “Dead?” The apothecary was taken aback. He immediately rushed forward, opened the cage and grabbed the Pill Sample Beast out. With a single glance, his eyes narrowed abruptly “This… This… How is this possible?” The Pill Sample Beast in his hand had already breathed its last. Its body was already starting to turn cold. How long had it been? To turn cold within ten minutes, it meant that it had died a short moment after consuming the pill! “It’s really dead?” “The Tranquil Heart Pill should only calm a person’s spirits, so why would it kill a Pill Sample Beast?” “A Pill Sample Beast’s constitution is suited for testing pills, it is impossible for ordinary pills to kill it. What… is going on?” … A commotion broke out. After eating a Tranquil Heart Pill… the Pill Sample Beast died? If a cultivator were to consume it, wouldn’t it mean his demise as well? “This… This…” Apothecary Chen Xiao’s complexion darkened. He retreated several steps consecutively and disbelief could be seen in his eyes, “This is impossible… I followed the forging method strictly, there isn’t the slightest error in it. Even if I fail to form a pill, it shouldn’t turn into poison. Why was the Pill Sample Beast poisoned to death…” It was a huge crime for an apothecary to poison someone to death through the pills he forged. He had never met with such an incident throughout his entire life, so why was all of these occurring now? “Zhang Xuan, this… What’s going on?” With a bewildered expression, Ouyang Cheng sought clarification. At this point, everyone’s gazes also focused on Zhang Xuan. He was able to tell the problem in this Tranquil Heart Pill and he knew that the Pill Sample Beast would die. Who else was more appropriate to explain the situation other than him? “I have already revealed the flaw in his forging method, so I should have already passed this test. Do I really have to explain it?” Zhang Xuan didn’t reply Ouyang Cheng. Instead, he turned to look at Apothecary Chen Xiao. He was able to identify the problem in the pill and he successfully pointed it out. This bore testimony to his abilities and in this clash between him and Apothecary Chen Xiao, he could be considered to be the victor. “If you explain the situation, I am willing to admit defeat!” Apothecary Chen Xiao gritted his teeth. Even if Zhang Xuan were to win in this clash, as long as Chen Xiao didn’t admit defeat, he would be able to conduct a round of examination. As the oldest one of the ten apothecaries, his surrender would cause the confidence of the others to waver. As such, this matter was of utmost importance. “If that’s the case, then allow me to speak more on the matter!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head, “There are no problems with the sequence and technique you forged the Tranquil Heart Pill with. In fact, you even infused your own tranquility into the pill. Rationally speaking, the pill should be of extremely high quality with high effectiveness. However, it’s a pity that… you are about to die. Your body is already filled with death aura and naturally, the pill you forge will come into contact with this aura as well. This is the reason why the Pill Sample Beast died upon consuming the pill you forged!” 112 Cheng Jiang “Could it be that… I am really going to die?” Apothecary Chen Xiao’s mouth quivered and his entire body shivered slightly. The first time Zhang Xuan said these words, he thought that the other party was cursing him, so he didn’t pay it any heed. However, upon seeing the Pill Sample Beast die upon consuming the pills he forged, he was rattled. Even more so, he felt fear. “This…” Seeing him in such a state, everyone felt bad for him. They wanted to console him, but they couldn’t find the right words to say. If he weren’t on the verge of death, how could a Pill Sample Beast die just like that from eating the pill he forged? It was clear that what the other party said was true! “I have explained what I should. Who wants to challenge me next!” Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings. “No… Brother Zhang Xuan, don’t be in such a hurry!” Apothecary Chen Xiao couldn’t hold it in any longer and looked to him in panic. Instead of addressing him as a “lad,” he addressed him as “brother” now. “Why? Is Apothecary Chen Xiao unable to accept the results and would like to experiment once more?” Zhang Xuan looked over. “No, I… want to learn: how will I die? If you can tell me the truth, I am willing to have my body smashed to smithereens to repay this favor to you!” Apothecary Chen Xiao pleaded. There weren’t any problems with his body. Even if his appetite dwindled and his quality of sleep decreased, it shouldn’t cause his death! As the person in question, how could he know nothing when he was already on the verge of death? “I will tell you honestly then. Even though there were no mistakes in your skill and movements when you were forging the pill, your body is slightly stiff. It is clear that your vitality and strength aren’t what they used to be. Most important of all, parts of your skin have started to turn gray, similar to the livor mortis that appears on corpses! If I’m not wrong, you have applied a special kind of medicine on your skin to conceal it from sight. In actuality, your entire body is already speckled with gray spots!” Zhang Xuan looked over with piercing eyes. Looking as though he had been struck by lightning, Apothecary Chen Xiao’s eyes narrowed as he retreated backward in fear. Just like what the other party said, there were spots on his body. He thought that it was a kind of rare disease and he intended to find time to seek out Master Yuanyu and have him take a look. After all, it didn’t hurt or itch, so he didn’t pay much attention to it. To think that it would be livor mortis! “Sir, please save me!” Suppressing his gasps of shock and fear, Apothecary Chen Xiao no longer held any doubt for the other party’s words. He clasped his hands together and pleaded. His address also changed from “brother” to “sir.” Regardless of who it was and how long he has lived, no one wished to die, especially when death appeared before them. Everyone would seek any means to live on! “Have you obtained some treasure recently? If I’m not wrong, you probably took it from a corpse. I shall not explain any further. If you wish to live longer, it is best that you not touch it anymore!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand. “I will end my advice here. Good luck!” “You—you…” Hearing his words, Apothecary Chen Xiao froze once more. What the other party said was true. He had obtained a cauldron recently and it was much better than the one he had been using. He had been treating it as a precious treasure, stroking it daily. If he could, he would even sleep beside it every day. This cauldron was taken from the hands of a corpse, one that had departed not too long ago. This person gave him the cauldron in hopes that he would take revenge for him. However, his enemy was way too powerful, so he only agreed to do so casually back then. He did not intend to exact vengeance in his stead. After which, the person died and he no longer bothered about the matter. Could he mean… this cauldron? He obtained his cauldron clandestinely, not even his family members knew of it. He… How did he know of it? Apothecary Chen Xiao took a good look at the young man before him once more. This time, agitation could be seen on his face, as though staring at a specter. “Alright, who’s the next one?” Ignoring the elder, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the other eight remaining examiners. Actually, Chen Xiao was inflicted with not an illness but a curse. He agreed to seek vengeance in another’s stead, and in exchange, the other party gave him his most precious treasure. However, he went against his words and the other party predicted that he would do so. As such, he imprinted the curse on the cauldron. If he got close to it, his life would be gnawed away. Even though it wouldn’t cause any illness or side effects, his lifespan would reduce tremendously. Unless he made up his mind to exact vengeance for the other party! Of course, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t say these words out loud. Putting aside the fact that he had barely met Apothecary Chen Xiao and wasn’t indebted to him, more importantly, the other party was an ungrateful person. He made promises but didn’t fulfill them. Zhang Xuan despised these kinds of people. After consecutively getting two apothecaries to admit defeat, none of the other examiners volunteered to take him on. No matter how foolish the other eight were, it was clear at this point that Zhang Xuan was someone with true ability. For a long time, the entire hall was silent and no one dared to step forward. “If none of you wish to continue the Pill Debate, please admit defeat and declare me the victor!” Zhang Xuan smiled. “Tranquil Heart Pill requires your heart to be calm to forge. Under usual circumstances, you need to adjust your state of mind for three days through consuming vegetarian meals and cleansing yourself with water. Given how they had to forge the pill out of a sudden without making the necessary adjustments in their state of mind, it is natural that the pills they forged would be affected by their emotions. As long as we avoid forging such pills, he should be unable to point out any flaws!” “Indeed! Only the forging of Tranquil Heart Pill is affected by your emotions and state of mind. The effects of such for other pills are minimal so it will do as long as we do not forge Tranquil Heart Pills!” Muttering broke out among the crowd and soon a voice rang out. “I will face him!” An apothecary stood up. It was a middle-aged man about the same age as Du Man. He had a square-shaped face and his eyes shone with determination and calm. “It’s Apothecary Cheng Jiang!” “He is the apothecary who possesses the greatest potential among us all. Just within three years of becoming an apothecary, he was already able to forge more than a dozen kinds of pills. With sufficient time, there is a high possibility of him surpassing Guild Leader Ouyang!” “Nothing will go wrong since he’s the one making the move!” …… … The eyes of the crowd lit up. Initially, everyone was resolute to pulling this Zhang Xuan lad off his high horse. Yet two apothecaries, Meng Yan and Chen Xiao, who challenged him had fallen to him. This struck a blow at their confidence and they urgently needed someone to boost their morale. “Zhang Xuan, you were able to notice the slightest details in the previous two clashes, to the point of even discerning an apothecary’s vitality, emotional state, and mental state. I am impressed!” Walking out, Apothecary Cheng Jiang nodded his head in approval with a smile. “I am unworthy of your praise!” Zhang Xuan replied. “You were even able to discern the killing intent from Apothecary Meng Yan. If I were to forge a Tranquil Heart Pill, my flaws would surely be unable to escape from your notice. Thus, if I may propose presumptuously, I would like to increase the difficulty of the challenge. I wonder if you’re brave enough to accept!” Apothecary Cheng Jiang said. “I am willing to listen to the details!” Upon hearing that the other party wanted to increase the difficulty of the challenge, Zhang Xuan looked interested. “I have just created a new pill forging technique and come up with a name for it a few days ago. I have not displayed it to anyone before. If I gave this problem to you, even if you are learned in all methods that have existed since immemorial times, you will surely find it hard to answer!” Apothecary Cheng Jiang said. “Thus, I contemplated and decided against having you give the name of my technique. As long as you can name three pill forging techniques I referenced from, I am willing to admit defeat!” “Creating a new pill forging technique? Incredible!” Pill forging techniques were similar to the battle techniques of a fighter. Those who could create one of their own were definitely talented individuals, people who left their mark on history. As long as they did not burn out before their time was up, it was just a matter of time before they made a name for themselves. Upon hearing his words, the other apothecaries looked at him, full of admiration. “Apothecary Cheng sure is remarkable. This question is truly difficult!” “Indeed. Since it is a brand new pill forging technique, it is bound to be different from the originals. Compared to pointing out the flaws in pill forging techniques, to identify the references in a newly-created pill forging technique, three at that, the difficulty is much greater!” “This time, Zhang Xuan will most probably be defeated!” “Of course, this is such a difficult question. Even a 3-star apothecary would be stumped by it, much less an apprentice apothecary!” The crowd couldn’t help but lament Zhang Xuan’s predicament. In some Chinese religions and culture, eating meat can be considered to be a sin due to the bloodshed resulted in its production. Sometimes it’s associated with state of mind— those who consume meat tend to be more short-tempered whereas those who consume vegetarian meals tend to be calmer. 113 Forging Technique Telling the references from a complete pill forging technique —using an analogy—was like creating a solution of water from numerous wells and demanding for another to identify the origin of the water. It was an impossible task! Unless one witnessed him creating the pill forging technique step by step, it would be impossible to identify three references. The difficulty of the task Cheng Jiang proposed, compared to simply finding the flaws in a pill forging technique, was at least five times harder! Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed. As expected of the apothecaries, they weren’t as easy to deal with as he expected. This fellow might be a bundle of smiles and look magnanimous. However, he was truly the most shameless of the group. Even if Zhang Xuan agreed… identifying the references in a pill forging technique was basically an impossible task! Given how Zhang Xuan raised the difficulty earlier, the privilege should be extended to the other party as well. If he disagreed with it, other people might criticize him because of that in the future, thus leaving a stain on his reputation. “Why? I know that this is a difficult matter to ask, and it is normal that you will reject me. However… if you reject my offer, can I consider it your loss?” Cheng Jiang grinned widely. “Loss?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “It just happens that I would like to see Apothecary Cheng’s new forging technique. Let’s begin!” This method of his would normally be effective against other people, making them fly into a panic. However, it was ineffective against Zhang Xuan. The reason why Zhang Xuan could identify flaws in the pill forging techniques of others wasn’t because of his discernment ability. Rather, it was because he possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path. As long as the library remained with him, regardless of whatever forging technique—whether it was just created or yet to be created—they would all be clearly displayed in the form of a book. This was no problem for him at all. “Alright!” Seeing him agree to it, a gleam flashed across Apothecary Cheng Jiang’s eyes. The corners of his lips crept upwards as he gathered the necessary medicinal herbs and headed to the cauldron. Hualala! The medicinal herbs flew in the air. His every action was fluid and elegant. Looking it from afar, there was a unique sense of aesthetics to it. “It is indeed a new forging technique. I have never seen it before!” “If I’m not mistaken, he is forging Juxi Pill!” “Yes. Juxi Pill is useful to people of cultivation realms below Fighter 7-dan. It is exceptionally useful for those in the Juxi realm. It isn’t a valuable pill in comparison to the others, but it is one of the most useful ones to the fighters. Usually, this is the pill apprentice apothecaries will practice for the Pill Forging examination. As such, most apothecaries are extremely familiar with the method to forging it. This is also the reason why Apothecary Cheng Jiang is able to better showcase the uniqueness of his forging technique. Furthermore, his motions are more fluid, making it difficult for others to discern the references!” “In any case, I am unable to tell the pill forging techniques he referenced from…” “Me neither…” …… … The apothecaries watched Cheng Jiang for a moment before shaking their heads. “Apothecary Cheng sure is vicious!” Standing by the side, Ouyang Cheng shook his head. “Given his standard as a 1-star apothecary, he is able to forge the most basic Juxi Pill easily with fluid motions, making it difficult for others to discern the forging method easily. Furthermore, given the short time required to forge it, you couldn’t analyze it even if you wanted to. Looks like Zhang Xuan will probably fail here…” Apothecary Cheng Jiang could forge more difficult grade-1 pills, but it would be troublesome for him. He couldn’t forge them as easily as he could the Juxi Pill. This was just like how Yang Guo could wield the Heavy Iron Sword, but he was unable to control it as freely as he wished. On the other hand, if he forged the most basic Juxi Pill, it was like Yang Guo wielding an ordinary sword instead—effortless. This Apothecary Cheng Jiang may have had a wide smile on his face, but he was actually the most scheming of them all. Not only were his movements fast in forging Juxi Pill, the time required to forge it was also short. A normal grade-1 pill would take at least half an hour to forge. On the other hand, Juxi Pill could be forged in less than fifteen minutes. Seeing three references in such a short period of time? How was that possible? It was clear that he is intent intended to do in Zhang Xuan! “Is he… going to fail?” Upon hearing Ouyang Cheng’s judgement, Wen Xue clenches her fists tightly. “It should be difficult for him to pass this test…” Ouyang Cheng sighed. “Interesting!” Initially, he didn’t bear any ill intent for this Cheng Jiang. However, he didn’t expect this fellow to be so despicable and use such low-handed methods. Zhang Xuan’s gaze turned icy. As a cultured, knowledgeable, ambitious, and worldly transcender, how could he allow others to bully him without trying to retaliate? Hu! Finally, the Juxi Pill was successfully forged. A total of seven or eight pills rolled out from the cauldron. “I am done forging. Zhang Xuan, please!” Apothecary Cheng Jiang looked at him and chuckled with confidence. It was true that his forging technique had more than three references to other forging techniques. However, his movements just now were extremely fast and fluid. It was almost an impossible task for the other party to see through any of them! Besides… even if the other party was right, he could deny it! There are so many forging techniques, and naturally, given how no one here could see through the references behind his forging technique, it was up to him to say whatever he wanted! [For a brat who came from some remote corner to use me as a stepping stone to achieve victory in the Pill Debate…. Dream on!] “If I can point out three references in your forging technique, will you admit defeat?” Zhang Xuan looked at him with a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Of course. I am an official apothecary. Given my standing, there is no reason I would go back on my words just to deal with an apprentice apothecary!” Apothecary Cheng Jiang flung his sleeves haughtily. Arrogance exuded from his tone. “Great. Since you have put it like that, then this matter is simple!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and walked forward. He circled around the cauldron once before lowering his head to look at the Juxi Pill in his hand. He pinched one and held it up, placed it before his nose, and took a whiff of its scent. “This Juxi Pill has vibrant colors and a radiant outer appearance. Going by conventional standards, it should have already reached Perfection!” Zhang Xuan complimented. However, his tone abruptly changed. “However…” “Due to the limitations of Apothecary Cheng’s forging technique, Perfection is already the limit. It is impossible for him to forge an Inscribed Pill!” “It is just a Juxi Pill, what’s the use of forging an Inscribed Pill?” Apothecary Cheng Jiang scoffed. This Juxi Pill was the most basic pill an apothecary could forge. It increased the rate at which a fighter could gather spiritual energy from the surroundings. It was a waste of an Inscribed Pill to occur in this kind of fundamental pill! “That’s true!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head, reluctant to tug with him on this matter. Instead, he smiled and continued, “The question I should answer is with regards to your forging technique. There is no point debating this topic. Alright, since it’s a request on your part, I will answer your question. Putting aside the forging techniques you have referenced previously, let’s first talk about how many forging techniques you know. With this, it should be easier to conclude which are the few forging techniques you referenced from! “Three years ago, Apothecary Cheng Jiang used 【Rain of Ten Thousand Streams】 to forge a grade-1 【Vitality Rejuvenation Pill】 to pass the apothecary examinations. In the same year, you learned 【Convergence of the North River】 and successfully forged 【Soul Soothing Pill】. “The spring of the second year, during Apothecary Bai Ming’s birthday celebration, you sneaked into his study and coped his 【Illusory Silk Hands】 with which you forged 【Body Nourishment Pill】. From then on, your reputation spread far and wide! “That winter, when you asked Apothecary Lin Mu to demonstrate his 【Frost Threaded Hands】, you secretly took it for yourself! “In the summer last year, you spent 50,000 gold coins to bribe Apothecary Jin Chen’s butler to duplicate a copy of 【Golden Spring Fleeting Cloud Dexterity】! …… … “In the third month of last year, you enticed Du Man’s apothecary apprentice Zhu Huahua and obtained Apothecary Du’s personal forging technique 【Hundred Intertwining Method】… …… … “Now, if I added them up, Rain of Ten Thousand Streams, Convergence of the North River… Summing together all of these forging techniques, there are a total of twelve of them!” Zhang Xuan counted slowly as though counting his own precious treasures. After that, he turned around to look at the apothecary whose face had paled at some point. “Apothecary Cheng Jiang, are there any mistakes with what I said?” “You—you…” Cheng Jiang stumbled backward. His eyes narrowed, as though he had seen a freak. Yang Guo is a character from Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. In the novel, after his hand was chopped off by Guo Fu, he was saved by a condor and chances upon the grave of a great swordsman, Dugu Qiubai. There are four swords there, one of them being the Heavy Iron Sword. The sword is known for being extremely heavy and difficult to utilize in battle. Yang Guo took a long time before he managed to gain control of it. 114 Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries “What? Cheng Jiang, is what he said true? I demonstrated the skill to you out of kindness, and you secretly picked up my Frost Threaded Hands?” “Dammit, no wonder I wasn’t able to find you for a long time after the banquet started. Confess, when did you sneak into my study?” “Cheng Jiang, we are fellow apothecaries. If you wish to learn my forging technique, you could have asked me sincerely for it and I might have taught it to you. Yet you chose to entice my apprentice with benefits to obtain my Hundred Intertwining Method. Aren’t you being too underhanded!” …… … A pill forging technique was similar to a fighter’s battle techniques. Most of them were exclusive to a certain clan or sect and mustn’t be taught to outsiders lightly. This Cheng Jiang actually secretly learned the forging techniques of other apothecaries without their permission, even resorting to stealing to obtain them. Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the entire room burst into outrage. Everyone here was a member of the Apothecary Guild and they often exchanged knowledge on the art of pill forging. If he was truly interested in learning their pill forging method, he could indicate his interest, conduct a ceremony to acknowledge the other party as his mentor, and learn their skills. Then their relationship could be annulled and they would still be friends! However, secretly learning in this manner was akin to a fighter stealing the battle techniques of other experts. It was a huge taboo that one should never commit. “Everyone, don’t listen to his nonsense…” Sensing the heated atmosphere, anger and fear flashed across Cheng Jiang’s face as he hurriedly tried to absolve himself from the accusations. “I’m spouting nonsense?” Zhang Xuan walked forward. The corners of his lips crept upwards. “Just now, to forge Juxi Pill, Apothecary Cheng took a total of 23 medicinal herbs. I shouldn’t be mistaken on this aspect!” “You’re right!” All certified apothecaries were aware of the medicinal herbs required to forge Juxi Pill. This wasn’t a secret, thus there was no need to deny it. “When you mixed White Lotus Grass, Wisteria Root, and Golden River Flower together, your pinky was angled backward whereas the tip was bent forward, as though picking a flower. If I’m not wrong, this method is referenced from Apothecary Bai Ming’s 【Illusory Silk Hands】!” “Afterwards, when you extracted the Green Sun Essence, your five fingers opened wide with which you gently stroked the herb, as though extracting frigid air from ice, not daring to exert too much strength. This should be referenced from Apothecary Lin Mu’s 【Frost Threaded Hands】!” “Then, when you added Purple Osmund Grass and White Mane Flower in, to prevent the properties of the two from clashing with one another, you specially circled them twice around the cauldron before throwing them in. Through doing so, not only would the medicinal properties of both be better utilized, they would only lose their violent nature. As such, their properties would not clash with one another. Apothecary Jin Chen’s 【Golden Spring Fleeting Cloud Dexterity】 seems identical to this move of yours!” …… … “After that, when the pill was forged, in order to prevent it from coming into contact with the searing cauldron, you used zhenqi to produce a unique air net with your hands. Even though your movements are inconspicuous, if someone watches closely, they are still recognizable. Apothecary Du Man, isn’t that similar to your 【Hundred Intertwining Method】?” Zhang Xuan didn’t allow the other party to refute his words at all, dumping it all out en masse. At this point, he paused for a moment as he smiled brightly. “If… Apothecary Cheng thinks what that I just said is nonsense and that I made it all up, the Record Crystal has been recording the entire procedure and we can look through it anytime. Everyone can bear testimony to whether the words I’ve been saying are nonsense!” “You…” Cheng Jiang face paled and his entire body trembled uncontrollably. He knew that what the other party said was completely true! Apothecaries had their own schools and inheritances. In order to improve swiftly, he went around stealing other people’s techniques. He thought that he had done it very secretly… How did this fellow know? Furthermore, down to the very details? In an instant, he felt like he was standing nude before everyone else. A deep feeling of fear rose from the depths of his heart. “What? Do you still think I’m spouting nonsense?” Ignoring the other party whose face had paled to the extreme at this moment, Zhang Xuan stepped forward. “If you think there’s any mistake in what I’ve said… is this forging technique that you ‘self-created’ through merging everyone’s forging techniques called 【Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries】?” “You’re a demon…” Apothecary Cheng Jiang staggered and fell to the floor. The name he had come up with for this forging technique was indeed 【Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries】! It was a name he had come up with a few days ago and he had yet to tell anyone about it. In fact, not even his apprentices knew of it, so why… does the other party know the name? To be able to see through everything down to the very details such that him stealing the other people’s forging technique was unable to escape his eyes…. Was this fellow a demon? ‘How can this be…’ Apothecary Cheng Jiang was terrified. “Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries—you utilized all of the different techniques to forge that river of yours. How arrogant! It sure is an incredible forging technique!” “To steal our forging techniques, integrate them together as one and claim that you have created a new forging technique. Cheng Jiang, you sure are capable!” “To think that I’ve regarded you as my brother and my best buddy, yet you chose to do this to me. Fine!” “From now on, our relationship is severed!” …… … Upon seeing the expression on Cheng Jiang’s face and recalling the movements he made while forging the pill recently, they would truly be fools if they were still unable to understand the situation. The faces of the apothecaries here turned red in fury. Their wrathful eyes fixated on Cheng Jiang. They weren’t exceptionally skilled apothecaries and their forging techniques were not really secrets that must not be leaked to the outside. But… this fellow, if he had expressed his desire to learn their techniques, getting rejected wasn’t really a big deal. However, his actions of learning their techniques behind their back was definitely something an apothecary should never do! Not only that, he had even arrogantly bragged that he had created a new technique by himself. Created, your head! You simply took all of our techniques to form a hodgepodge. You call that creating a new technique? If that’s so, everyone would be creating new techniques every day! Not to mention, naming it Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries… How can anyone be that shameless! At this point, they no longer viewed Cheng Jiang as their equal. Disgust was the only thing that could be seen on their faces. “Please calm down!” Upon seeing the indignation of the crowd, Zhang Xuan smiled. He interjected into their commotion and turned to look at Cheng Jiang, who was still in a state of disbelief. “Apothecary Cheng Jiang… is this considered my victory?” “You—you…” Seeing his smile, Apothecary Cheng Jiang shuddered. “You win…. I admit defeat!” He has no choice but to admit defeat. The other party’s ability to discern had already reached the level of demons. He feared that if he continued competing with him, more of his secrets would be revealed. As such, he could only hurriedly nod his head. At this moment, he regretted his action of intentionally making things difficult for the other party. Even though the other party had pointed out the flaws in Meng Yan and Chen Xiao’s pill forging, he had clearly spared their dignity. Yet he sent a slap directly at his face, exposing his darkest secret in public…. It was foreseeable that once news of these matters spread, he would lose his standing within Tianxuan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild. He would be shunned and viewed with contempt by all. All credibility and reputation he had built up throughout the years would be completely destroyed and others would just think of him as a fraud and villain. Upon his surrender, Zhang Xuan smiled. Initially, he didn’t have any serious conflict with any of them so he couldn’t be bothered with the other party’s personality flaws. Yet, this fellow tried to take advantage of the situation to force him into a corner! ‘You want to humiliate me? Try it then! ‘As a transcender with a golden ring, how can I allow myself to be humiliated by you like this? ‘Since you decided to charge straight at me, don’t blame me for not going easy on you. It just happens that I can use you to warn the others that I, Zhang Xuan… am not an easy target!’ “Apothecary Cheng has admitted defeat!” Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings. “Anyone else?” In that instant, the room fell utterly silent. 115 Acupoint Soothing Pill Even though the person in front of them had only pointed out the flaws in the pill forging techniques of three apothecaries, the abilities he had revealed in doing so induced fear and terror in the remaining few. Not just them, even Chen Jiang’s swift and fluid actions— factoring in the short duration he took to forge the pill—were clearly seen through by Zhang Xuan, who had also analyzed the origin of his movements, and deduced that he had stolen the forging techniques of others…. That ability of discernment and knowledge of his was something none of the people here could match up to. “Three apothecaries have admitted defeat, seven more to go. Who will go first?” Seeing all of them silence, Zhang Xuan continued to stare at them. Pill Debate required ten apothecaries to admit their defeat before Zhang Xuan could be declared victorious. “This…” Silence continued to linger about the remaining seven apothecaries. It was one thing if the other party’s ability to discern matters was impressive, but of the three apothecaries he faced previously, one was exposed for being cuckolded, one turned out to be on the verge of death, and the last one had his reputation tarnished…. They were only here for the Pill Debate. They didn’t want their secrets exposed because of this! The other party’s ability to discern was so incredible that he could immediately tell a difference if their state of mind was in the slightest bit off. Given such circumstances, who would still dare to challenge him? Furthermore… they couldn’t admit defeat without competing in Pill Debate! If they did so, it was equivalent to going easy on the other party, which was considered as an act of cheating. Once revealed, they would be stripped of their apothecary qualification. As such, the awkward silence continued to linger in the atmosphere as no one dared to step forward. “Please hurry up, we can’t possibly continue to drag this matter on like this!” Sensing the awkward atmosphere lingering about, Ouyang Cheng couldn’t help saying, “I’ll go!” After a momentary silence, Apothecary Du Man stood up. He was acquainted with Zhang Xuan and had even bet over him. What he thought to be an arrogant fellow turned out to be a figure with incredible capability and outstanding discernment ability. Even he himself was far from a match for him in this aspect. However, he didn’t have a choice either way. After all, they couldn’t continue stalling time here like this. “Apothecary Du Man, allow me to go instead!” Just as Du Man was about to start forging so that Zhang Xuan could point out the flaws in the process, an elder stood up. “It’s Apothecary Bai Ming!” “Just now, Zhang Xuan exposed that Cheng Jiang had secretly learned his Illusory Silk Hands. He was extremely furious. Why would he make a move now?” “I have no idea. Let’s watch!” …… Upon seeing this elder, the others shuddered. Even though Apothecary Bai Ming wasn’t the oldest of the group, he was the most qualified and respected one. That was because he wasn’t just a mere apothecary; he was also the de facto head of one of the Four Great Clans in Tianxuan City, the Bai clan. He was a person who held great authority and strength in his hands. “Since Apothecary Bai is going to make a move, I’ll back down first!” Apothecary Du Man returned to his seat. He was unable to match up to Bai Ming in terms of qualifications and standing. “Zhang Xuan, you possess incredible ability of discernment and analysis. However… you just happened to be lucky. In actuality, you don’t really possess much knowledge on pill forging!” After the examiner had been confirmed, Bai Ming glanced at Zhang Xuan, his tone hostile. It was no wonder that he was so angry. While he was angry at Cheng Jiang for stealing the secret manual passed down within his family, being exposed in public also made him feel humiliated. After all, it was shameful for the powerful Bai clan to be unable to prevent a lone apothecary from stealing from them. If word spread, the Bai clan would become a laughingstock. “Lucky? Why would Apothecary Bai say that?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Simple. Regardless of whether it was Meng Yan, Chen Xiao, or Cheng Jiang, the flaws you said may seem to make sense. However, if we think deeper into things, it was also possible for you to have investigated their personality flaws and the recent happenings around them beforehand, and worked backward to infer the flaws in their forging techniques!” Bai Ming harrumphed. “Worked backward?” “Now that Apothecary Bai said so, it does make sense!” “Indeed! For example, in Meng Yan’s case, if you knew he killed his concubine in the morning in advance and that he had killing intent and rage within him, you could safely deduce that the Tranquil Heart Pill he forged would be ineffective!” “The same for Apothecary Chen Xiao as well! If you knew he was sick and didn’t have much time to live, you could infer that there would be a problem with the pills. After all, the Tranquil Heart Pill reflects the forger’s state of mind. Even a pig could tell that something would be wrong with those pills if it had heard of that information beforehand!” “Now that you all have put it in such a way, it truly explains a lot of things. If he had made preparations beforehand and dug up the matter of Cheng Jiang stealing our forging techniques, it would be a simple matter to guess the references in his forging technique!” …… Bai Ming’s words were like a rock thrown in water, generating countless ripples on the surface. Everyone “came to a realization,” seemingly understanding what had just happened. It was because they were unable to understand how the other party was able to see through those flaws that they felt fear. Now that they understood the “reason,” the fear they felt vanished. In fact, if they they of this information beforehand, they could also make the same judgement that Zhang Xuan did on the flaws of the forging techniques of the previous three. “Oh? Working backward? What an interesting thought!” He didn’t expect Apothecary Bai Ming’s imagination to be so vivid. Smirking, Zhang Xuan continued, “Regardless of what methods I used, I can pass as long as I can identify the flaws in your forging techniques!” “Indeed. It will be your win if you manage to see through the flaws in my forging technique. However, I want to change the rules as well!” Apothecary Bai Ming said. “Oh?” “The gist of it will still be the same, I will forge a pill while you identify a mistake in my forging technique. However… I want you to point out true mistakes in my forging process, such as in my skills, ability to control flames, and the way I mixed the medicinal herbs together rather than involving emotions and other miscellaneous stuff. This way, you can’t use the knowledge you know of beforehand to work backward to identify the flaws in my forging technique!” Bai Ming harrumphed. “That’s right!” “This way, he won’t be able to talk about emotions and the sort!” “With these rules, he can’t work backward to deduce the flaws even if he wants to!” “This is what I call pointing out flaws…” …… The apothecaries nodded their heads in agreement. To speak the truth, everyone had been frightened by Zhang Xuan’s ability to point out the flaws in them. As a cultivator, charging forward and emerging victorious among millions of people, who hadn’t done anything against their conscience before? It would be embarrassing if this lad were to reveal their darkest secrets. Thus, the new rule that Apothecary Bai Ming came up with immediately received everyone’s approval. He was only allowed to point out flaws in pill forging. Bringing in external matters such as murder or being on the verge of death was prohibited. Even if they were apothecaries… such scares weren’t what humans could handle! “Are you certain?” Upon hearing the rules set by the other party, how could Zhang Xuan possibly remain oblivious to what they were thinking? One corner of Zhang Xuan’s mouth curved upwards. “Of course!” Apothecary Bai Ming flung his sleeves. “Now, it is a question of whether you’re brave enough to accept the challenge!” Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to argue with him over the matter. “Great!” Seeing him agree to it, Apothecary Bai Ming heaved a sigh of relief. After pondering for a moment, he grabbed a few ingredients and walked to the cauldron. Fwoosh boosh! The fire started burning furiously and Apothecary Bai Ming began his pill forging. Not too long after, the fire weakened and three round pills were extracted from the cauldron. Grade-1 pill, Acupoint Soothing Pill! It was specially prepared for Fighter 6-dan experts to soothe their acupoints, allowing them to travel further in the Pixue realm. Back then, Elder Shang Chen spent a huge price to purchase one for Shang Bin. The latter gave it to the Sky Shattering Lion as the cost of teaching Zhang Xuan a lesson. Even so, the Sky Shattering Lion eventually betrayed him, filling Shang Bin with resentment against it. No matter what, the Acupoint Soothing Acupoint was considered one of the superior grade-1 pills, something that Tranquil Heart Pill was far from matching up to. 116 Apothecary Bai Ming’s Breakdown First Half “Amazing!” “Only Apothecary Bai Ming possesses such capabilities, to think that he could successfully forge a Acupoint Soothing Pill under such circumstances!” “It is extremely difficult to forge an Acupoint Soothing Pill. Even more so, Apothecary Bai Ming’s forging technique is so complex that I have never seen it before. Now I am curious to see what Zhang Xuan will say!” “Hehe, let’s wait for the show then!” Upon seeing Apothecary Bai Ming forging an Acupoint Soothing Pill, most of the apothecaries present laughed. The higher grade a pill was, the more complex the method required to forge it. Acupoint Soothing Pill could be considered one of the higher grade pills among the grade-1 tier and its forging method was incomparably complex. Even the rest of them were unable to perceive any mistakes in his forging technique, so how could an apprentice possibly see anything? “Alright, I’m done forging the pill. Tell me, what’s the name of the forging technique and the flaws in it!” Sneering, Apothecary Bai Ming brought his breathing back to normal and gestured grandly. ‘Even though I don’t know where you got the information on us, but if you wish to successfully pass a Pill Debate depending solely on that, dream on! ‘Without true capability to point out the flaws in a forging technique, you will never earn my respect!’ “Are you sure you want me to say?” A peculiar expression appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face as he said those words. “Quit trying to mystify things here. If you can’t find the words, just admit defeat!” Apothecary Bai Ming harrumphed. “Alright then!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked to the center of the room. “The forging technique you used is called【Thousand Mountain Hands】and is said to have been created by a 2-star apothecary named Feng Xuan. You must put the medicinal herb into the cauldron based on a special sequence, similar to the mountainous regions, one mountain after another like you’re traversing the lands. Similarly, you throw the medicinal herbs in wave after wave. The way you control the fire is also based on such a sequence, strong at one moment, weak at the other. By forging pills in such a method, it is easier for the medicinal properties to fuse together and thus makes it likelier that a pill is formed! However, its flaws are also clear to see. It’s difficult to raise the quality of the pill itself! “Therefore, even though you managed to forge three Acupoint Soothing Pills successfully, they are of the lowest level. It is nearly impossible for you to reach Satiation. Such forging techniques are only suitable for the mass production of pills by low-skilled apothecaries. Put bluntly, none of the slightly better apothecaries would learn such a skill, because it means putting a barrier in front of their future path. No matter how many times you practice the skill, it is impossible to raise the quality of the pill in the slightest. As a result, there is no reason for them to learn it. “Unless… you don’t think that you have any potential left in you, that’s why you are giving up on yourself!” Zhang Xuan smiled and shot a meaningful glance at him. “Apothecary Bai Ming, may I know if what I said is true?” “Hmph!” Upon hearing the words of the other party, Bai Ming gritted his teeth, embarrassed and angry. As the de facto head of the Bai clan, as well as a 1-star apothecary, he possessed exceptional standing in the capital. Yet, by the words of the other party, he became an… apothecary with low standards… no more potential left…. However, he was unable to refute his words. The flaw of the Thousand Mountain Hands was exactly as the other party said. Even though he was able to produce the Acupoint Soothing Pill easily, it was difficult for him to further refine its quality. “You don’t need to feel gleeful over this. So what if you can point out these? You need to point out the errors in my movements previously before it can be considered your victory!” Taking a deep breath, Bai Ming suppressed his anger. “Alright!” Instead of arguing with him, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and walked toward the cauldron. “Then allow me to start from the very basics! “As long as you are an apothecary, you know that you require incredible control over the flame and the cauldron to produce high-quality pills. Earlier, Apothecary Bai Ming started forging his pills right after picking up the medicine. How much do you know about this cauldron? What about the flames? “You don’t need to refute my words by saying that the specifications of these cauldrons are roughly the same. I can clearly tell you that even with the same medicinal herb, flames, and cauldron, the medicine you forge can be different. This is due to a miniscule difference or a tiny mistake made by the apothecary that the pills forged will be a quality lower than what it should be!” His hands stroking the cauldron, Zhang Xuan continued, “If you don’t believe me, I can show you now. “This cauldron has a height of 7 chi and 3 cun and width of 3 cun and 2 chi. It was created by a 3-mo craftsman in the Stone Well Workshop seven years and three months ago. A total of 147 pills have been forged using and of it, of which 88 were grade-1 pills and 59 were pills lower than grade-1! During the transportation of the cauldron, it suffered three impacts. There are a total of thirteen slight scratches throughout the entire cauldron. It won’t cause too much trouble when forging ordinary pills, but it will scatter the medicinal effects and spiritual energy within the pill. As such, due to the insufficient medicinal effects harnessed within the pill, the quality of the pill will drop! 1 chi -\u003e 30.3cm, 1 cun -\u003e 3.03cm “This cauldron is slightly thicker than a cun and it requires an incense’s time and thirty-four breaths for the heat to completely permeate the cauldron. Also, the thickness of the cauldron walls on the left and right are slightly different, around three hair strands off. Don’t underestimate the difference in this thickness! With the same flames, there will be a five percent difference in the temperature between both sides. The medicinal effects of Scattered Floral Grass and Lone-eyed Dragon Grass of the Acupoint Soothing Pill will be completely different when placed on either side!” “Are you for real?” “There is even such a thing for a cauldron?” …… Upon listening to Zhang Xuan’s casual explanations, the jaws of the apothecaries fell to the floor and they felt like they were going insane. Even though they knew that a difference in the cauldron could result in the formation of different pills, never did they imagine that there was such wisdom behind a cauldron. Furthermore… This was a cauldron that the Apothecary Guild brought in specially for this Pill Debate. How did he know so much about it? To even know where it was made, how thick the walls were, its size and how many pills it had forged? The heck, you are about to bash through the heavens! To see all these with a single glance, are you… a monster? “Alright, I will continue to talk about the flames then!” Ignoring the astonished expression on everyone’s faces, Zhang Xuan pointed to the flames burning beneath the cauldron and continued, “This is where the heat of the 【Heavenly Coal】 originates from, as well as the hottest part. With the heat here, even metal could be easily melted. By propelling it with a fighter’s zhenqi, you can easily control the strength of the flames and thus the temperature of the cauldron.” “However… the flames do not come into direct contact with the medicinal herbs. They are placed in the cauldron, and in there, they form pills. How much heat from the flames permeates through the cauldron walls and how much of it is left in the cauldron is what we need to grasp clearly in our minds.” “Heavenly Coal is a coal exceptionally suited for forging pills. Not only is it capable of reaching high temperatures, the permeability of its heat is also incredible. For normal coal, after permeating through a cun of cauldron walls or so, only thirty-seven percent of the heat will be retained. On the other hand, the Heavenly Coal retains forty-six percent! Only by knowing this much can you ascertain the temperature the medicinal herbs inside are under, how long it will take for the medicinal properties of the herbs to be best unleashed, and how you can forge the highest quality pill!” “Of course, these are only the bare basics that an apothecary needs to know, so they can’t be considered as flaws. I am just casually introducing them!” Zhang Xuan smiled and glanced at Bai Ming standing off to the side. “However, I would like to ask Apothecary Bai Ming: before forging the pills… did you notice these?” Apothecary Bai Ming felt his hair standing on end and he almost fainted on the spot. ‘Notice? Notice your head! ‘I am just forging a normal pill! Given how complicated these things are, how the heck would I know? ‘Besides, even if I had been concerned with them, there was nothing I could do. You can’t expect me to find a ruler and start measuring the entire cauldron before testing the temperature of the coal bit by bit! ‘If I started doing so, it would be two days before I could start forging!’ 117 Apothecary Bai Ming’s Breakdown Second Half He felt stifled within, but Bai Ming also knew that he was unable to refute Zhang Xuan’s words. It was the basics to check the cauldron and flames of the cauldron before forging pills. Even apprentices were aware of it. His action of going straight to forging was clearly a huge mistake. Using the words in Zhang Xuan’s previous world, if a person didn’t buckle their seat belt, check the tires, and scan the surroundings before starting to drive, they couldn’t refute anything if an accident occurred. Right now, that was the emotion Bai Ming was experiencing. Lectured by an apprentice apothecary in public, yet unable to refute anything at all. It was clear just by thinking of how stifled he was at this moment. “Alright, now that I have touched on the cauldron and the flames, I shall talk about the fusing of the medicinal herbs!” Knowing that the other party would be unable to reply to his words, Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to continue interrogating him over those mistakes of his. Instead, he walked over to the medicinal racks. “Acupoint Soothing Pill requires a total of 47 types of herbs. Given the number of herbs that are involved in the forging process, there are herbs that complement one another, as well as herbs that clash with one another. As such, if you don’t control the process properly, it is very easy for the medicinal herb to clash with one another and the pill will be ruined! “Let me first talk about Apothecary Bai Ming’s forging sequence! “The first herb he put in was Heart Grass! Heart Grass has calming properties and is resilient to high temperature. As such, it requires strong flames to extract its essence. It is correct to place it into the cauldron first so that it can come into contact with the flames earlier to incite its medicinal properties. However… seven breaths after placing Heart Grass in, he placed in the second herb, Split Palm Flower! “If I’m not wrong, that Heart Grass he took was only half a year old. As such, its medicinal properties are not strong enough and most of it was concentrated on the leaves instead of the meridians. For such a herb, the medicinal effects will be swiftly released upon meeting strong flames. Under normal situations, he should have placed Split Palm Flower in after four breaths. Yet, he delayed it three entire breaths, causing a loss in the medicinal effect by thirteen percent. Fail! “On the other hand, Split Palm Flower has a maturity of five years and the medicinal effects of it is relatively stronger. He should have slowly released the Split Palm Flowers by the left wall of the cauldron, and the duration of its descent should be roughly half a breath. During this time, the heart of the cauldron would unleash the medicinal effects of it, allowing it to better mix with Heart Grass. However, Apothecary Bai Ming threw the medicinal herb straight it, depriving it of the opportunity to be heated by the cauldron in advance. As such, its medicinal effect wasn’t fully unleashed and fourteen percent of the medicinal effect was lost. Fail! “The medicinal effects of these two herbs clash with one another, so he should have quickly placed in Scattered Floral Grass, which has a pacifying effect for the two. Yet he threw in the violent Lone-eyed Dragon Grass, worsening the clash between the two herbs. As such, eleven percent of the medicinal effect was lost! Fail! “The Lone-eyed Dragon Grass is a herb with yang properties. After placing it into the scorching cauldron, he should have added Cooling Grass to counteract its effects. Yet Apothecary Bai Ming added Wisdom Mother Grass instead. Wisdom Mother Grass is able to neutralize all medicinal herbs, and as such, it is the best choice to serve as a medium between herbs. However, it is precisely because of that that it completely neutralized the yang properties of the Lone-eyed Dragon Grass, greatly reducing the medicinal effect of the Acupoint Smoothing Pill. Fail!” “… Fail! “… Fail! “… Fail!” …… Zhang Xuan spoke faster and faster, akin to a machine gun. His every word was logical with evidence to back them up. Every single failure struck like a hammer on Apothecary Bai Ming’s face. His face grew paler and paler and his body trembled uncontrollably. Pill forging was by no means simple. Even with the same herbs, if the maturity was different, it could have different medicinal properties. Not to mention, an apothecary needed to pair them together in a way that complemented them to mix them together and such. Even for a single Acupoint Soothing Pill, three days wouldn’t be enough if Zhang Xuan were to go in depth. This was also the reason why apothecaries were one of the front-runners in the Upper Nine Paths. “Everything he said is true!” “To recall the sequence in which Apothecary Bai Ming added the forty-seven medicinal herbs with a single look? What kind of memorization ability does he possess?” “The most shocking thing isn’t him remembering the sequence in which the medicinal herbs were placed in…. It is that he was able to tell the maturity of every single medicinal herb and come up with a method to complement them so as to best unleash its medicinal effects…. Is he really human?” “Now that I’ve heard his words, an apothecary really has to take a lot of factors into account. It is no wonder that my pills are unable to reach Perfection or Inscribed Pill. So this is the reason….” …… … Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone became mute. It was as though their heads had been smashed with a bat, their mouths agape and their eyes wide. The heck! This is what you call pill forging! What we were doing before was simply wasting herbs and insulting this occupation! Most probably, if they were to use the method he spoke of to forge this pill, the pill would be able to reach higher heights. Perfection and even Inscribed Pill wouldn’t be problems! This was no longer a theory that a 1-star apothecary could come into contact with. Only the more advanced apothecaries would pay attention to such minute details! Everyone was dumbfounded. At this moment, the thought of suicide even ran through Apothecary Bai Ming’s head. Listening to the words of the other party, his entire pill forging sequence was a failure. How could this be considered pill forging? He must be forging feces instead! Furthermore… at least when one forges feces, they don’t waste any materials. Yet, when he forged a pill, he wasted all of the medicinal herbs used in it…. Pu! The stifling sensation in his chest grew heavier and heavier, and he puked a mouthful of blood. All along, he thought of himself as talented in pill forging, and that he was truly a highly-skilled apothecary. Yet, upon hearing the words of the other party, he realized that his standards couldn’t even match up to that of a child’s! All of the confidence he held in the past was completely shattered. The current him feared to even approach a cauldron now. His body trembled violently. Just a moment ago, he stood up proudly and determinedly to punish Zhang Xuan for his humiliation. Yet, at this moment, his complexion was turning more and more awful, as though he were going berserk. A moment later, he gritted his teeth. “That’s right. Given my standards, what kind of pills can I possibly forge? All I’m doing is wasting medicinal herbs! From today onward, I, Bai Ming, will not forge a single pill anymore. If I break this vow, let the Heavens tear me apart!” A vow resounded in the hall. “What?” “He vowed not to forge a single pill anymore?” “Apothecary Bai Ming…” …… Upon hearing the vow he made, everyone was flabbergasted. They couldn’t help but shudder, upset at the thought of the loss of a comrade. For an apothecary to vow to never forge a single pill anymore was equivalent to bidding the world of pill forging farewell. The effort he had put in for his entire life had all gone to waste. And the reason for that was a mere apprentice apothecary pointing out the flaws in his pill forging process! “Isn’t he being too rash….” An apothecary couldn’t help but comment. “If you were criticized like that, what would you do?” another apothecary responded. “I…” The former paused halfway through, unable to find a word to say. What the other party said was true. If he were in the place of Apothecary Bai Ming, upon realizing that his forging technique was nothing but flaws and the hard work he had devoted into it was nothing but rubbish, the confidence he had held for countless years would probably collapse in an instant! The moment he lost all his confidence, the trauma he received from it would cause him to be unable to forge a single pill for the rest of his life. Rather than suffer in anguish over it, he might as well simply make a vow to never forge a single pill anymore! Pill forging wasn’t a joke. Mental state, skill, confidence… all of these factors were absolutely required. Without confidence, how could one be called an apothecary? “To make an experienced apothecary lose all of his confidence and fear forging just by pointing out his mistakes…” Such a thought flashed across their minds in an instant. Taking another glance at Zhang Xuan, their hearts skipped a beat. It was no wonder that he was reluctant to speak of their flaws in pill forging. It was not that he was unable to discern anything from it and resorted to other methods to make up for his weakness. Only now did they know… the other party wasn’t in the least as ignorant as they thought. Rather, it was because he knew too much that he feared he would shatter the last bit of confidence they had! Brother, we would like to ask you: Are you the apprentice apothecary or are we? 118 The True Pill Debate First Half “I admit defeat!” After declaring that he would no longer forge pills, Apothecary Bai Ming bowed deeply to Zhang Xuan. It had been slightly more than two hours since the beginning of the Pill Debate and there were already four apothecaries who had admitted defeat. This conclusion was unexpected for all involved. Even Ouyang Cheng shuddered in disbelief. Previously, he didn’t hold high hopes for Zhang Xuan’s victory. He didn’t expect it to end up like this! It was completely one-sided! It was no wonder that he was able to achieve a perfect score on the apprentice apothecary examination, even recognizing medicinal herbs that the examiners got wrong. His abilities were simply way too impressive! On the other hand, Wen Xue’s eyes were full of fear and her body trembled nonstop. To think that she had mocked a person who could leave these apothecaries speechless…. Was there something wrong with her head or was she simply too gutsy? It was fortunate that the other party had no intentions of fussing over the matter with her. Otherwise, she could’ve even been expelled from the Apothecary Guild! “I’ll go!” Upon seeing Bai Ming admit defeat and the silence that lingered around them, Du Man stepped forward. “Please go easy on me!” Forcing a smile onto his face, Du Man walked over to the cauldron. The pill he forged was grade-1 too. It was slightly inferior to the Acupoint Soothing Pill and Tranquil Heart Pill from before. His movements were fluid and swift. Soon, he managed to successfully forge the pills all of which were at the level of Satiation. The other party’s attitude was amiable. Besides, they also became acquainted yesterday. As a result, Zhang Xuan didn’t say too much and simply pointed out a few of the more obvious mistakes. The latter admitted defeat straight afterward. At this moment, out of the ten apothecaries, five had already admitted defeat. The Pill Debate was halfway through. “Let’s continue. Who will be the next?” With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan scanned the crowd calmly. Silence continued to linger around them. In the Pill Debate of other apprentice apothecaries, the examinee would always look at the examiner in fear, afraid that the other party would intentionally come up with difficult questions. Yet this fellow was the exact opposite. All of the remaining apothecaries cowered back, afraid of their names being called. If not witnessed it firsthand, no one would believe it possible. “I’ll go!” After another moment of silence, an elder stood up. Apothecary Lin Mu! Apothecary Cheng Jiang had once used the excuse of wanting to view his skills to secretly learn his personal forging technique, Frost Threaded Hands. “Apothecary Lin, please wait a second! This time, I would like to test him along with you!” Right after Lin Mu stood up, a middle-aged man stood up as well. Apothecary Jin Chen! “Together?” Lin Mu frowned. How can two people forge pills simultaneously for the other party to point out their flaws? “The fact that he can see through our flaws means that his ability to discern is impressive and he has undergone good education. It’s very likely that he is under the guidance of a master teacher. However, I don’t believe that the knowledge he has stored in his head can be as impressive as his discernment ability, especially given his age! So… let’s not forge pills and instead bring up questions. Let’s not be fooled by him!” Apothecary Jin Chen harrumphed. “This…” Lin Mu was stunned. “That’s right, why didn’t I think of this?” “He isn’t even twenty yet. Even if he could read right after he was born, how many books could possibly be read? How much of the content of each book could he possibly recall?” “A true Pill Debate involves raising questions about pill forging for the examinee to answer. He must have known that he didn’t have enough knowledge, so he intentionally heightened the difficulty to perceiving flaws in forging techniques instead. It is true that the difficulty has been raised, but if he had the guidance of a master teacher and came into contact with good education from a young age, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to see through our mistakes!” “That’s right, master teachers are extremely knowledgeable while on the other hand we are only 1-star apothecaries. His discernment abilities can’t possibly be weak being the disciple of such a figure. If so, it’s understandable that he sees through our mistakes!” …… Apothecary Jin Chen’s words relit the flames in the four remaining apothecaries and they regained their confidence. The fact that the other party was able to see through their mistakes by viewing their pill forging could only mean that his discernment ability was outstanding. It didn’t mean that he had to be knowledgeable. Since that was the case, questioning him might just turn out to be his weakness. All along, everyone had been fooled by this fellow. “That’s right!” Lin Mu came to realization and nodded his head fervently. It was no wonder that everyone agreed with Jin Chen’s view. After all, accumulation of knowledge required time and effort. This Zhang Xuan, even with an optimistic estimate, couldn’t possibly be twenty yet. Even if he read every day, how many books could he have possibly read? Furthermore, he still had to remember their contents! “You want to ask me questions instead?” Not expecting these people to come up with such a conclusion after a long moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan simply smiled faintly in response. “Alright then, let’s begin!” After reading through the books in the basic tier book collection vault and the teacher’s Compendium Pavilion, the knowledge in his head right now was significantly greater than that of these apothecaries. Even if they wanted to test his knowledge, he didn’t have anything to fear. “I’ll see whether you can retain your confidence when I stump you later on!” Upon seeing that the other party held no fear whatsoever, a cold gleam flashed across Apothecary Jin Chen’s eyes. “According to the rules of a normal Pill Debate, I can raise three questions. If you are able to answer all of them, I will have to admit defeat! On the other hand, if you fail to answer any one of the three… you will have failed. All that you have accomplished beforehand would go to waste!” There was a complete list of rules and regulations for Pill Debate. The ten apothecaries weren’t allowed to bring up as many questions as they pleased. Otherwise, wouldn’t the examinee tire himself to death when undergoing Pill Debate? The examiners could only pose three questions each, and if the other party’s answers were correct, they had to admit defeat, However, if he couldn’t answer any one of the questions or he answered erroneously, it would be a straight failure, regardless of how many questions he had answered before that! “Sure!” Zhang Xuan was also well-aware of the rules. He nodded his head. “Alright then, here is my first question. When forging a grade- 1 Body Tempering Pill, even when the pill comes out from the same cauldron and was at the same level of quality, it is possible for one pill to have outstanding effects while another has miniscule effects. What are the reasons behind this?” Apothecary Jin Chen asked. Upon hearing this question, the other apothecaries’ attention was piqued. Body Tempering Pill was a pill often consumed by Fighter 4- dan. It could temper a person’s physical body, allowing one to improve swiftly in the Pigu realm. This was also the reason why they often forged such a pill. However, just like what Apothecary Jin Chen said, there would often be situations in which the medicinal effects in each pill were different despite coming from the same cauldron. Consuming the pills that came from the same cauldron, some experienced tremendous effects and advance far in the Pigu realm while others found it completely ineffective for them. “Apothecary Jin Chen sure picked a difficult question!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “There is no clear answer to this question in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Yet you posed this question to me. How do you expect me to answer it? “However… other people may be unable to say anything about this subject, but I have my own ways! Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan said, “As for the matter you said, an apothecary named Cheng Ye had already proposed it thirty- seven years ago. Back then, he gathered twenty-three apothecaries and researched the matter for three days straight. He wrote the conclusion to their discussions in a book titled 《Cheng Ye’s Body Tempering Theories》. If you have read it, you should know what his conclusion is! “He thinks that the reason for this difference has something to do with the constitution of a cultivator. Some people are born with a body compatible with Body Tempering Pill while others’ physique may be resistant to it. It’s just like how some people have a high tolerance for alcohol while others don’t! “Back then, this theory received the approval of many people. However, eighteen years ago, 3-star apothecary Zhang Jian noticed something that disputed this theory. If it was due to the constitution of an individual, then why was the second consumed pill effective for some individuals when the first one wasn’t?” 119 The True Pill Debate Second Half “Clearly, the theory about the difference being attributed to the constitution does not hold! “Thus, Apothecary Zhang Jian investigated the matter and wrote the conclusion of his research into 《Discussions of Tempering Pill》. This book clearly details his opinions and he disagrees with the notion that the difference in effects of the Body Tempering Pill is due to one’s constitution. Rather, it was because the medicinal effects of the herbs weren’t distributed fairly among the different pills during the forging process! As such, even in the same cauldron and among pills of the same quality, there could be different medicinal effects! “This theory was accepted for a few years until twelve years ago, when someone cast doubts and overthrew it! The one who doubted the theory wasn’t an apothecary but a 1-star master teacher. He questioned: if the medicinal effects weren’t distributed fairly among the different pill, then why did such a phenomenon only occur to Body Tempering Pills and not other pills? “Therefore, he proposed a bold suggestion. It was recorded in 《Ning Han’s Verbal Records》. This book wasn’t widely sold and there is only a single copy of it in the guild’s basic tier book collection vault. If you all haven’t read it, it is in the 19th bookshelf, at the extreme right corner!” Zhang Xuan chuckled and continued, “This master teacher named Ning Han came up with a bold proposal. He thinks that the reason there was such an occurrence among Body Tempering Pills was because of the difference between the maturity of the herbs and the forging technique of the apothecaries! Of course, he only brought it up as a theory and didn’t experiment! “Eight years ago, Apothecary Zhao Yue from Hongxuan Kingdom received an epiphany from this book and conducted an experiment. He changed eighteen of the main medicinal herbs used in the pill and tried forging it using forty-two different kinds of forging techniques. He wrote his conclusion in a book titled《Detailed Explanation of Body Tempering》. It just so happens that there is one of them in our basic tier book collection vault. It is on the 27th row, on the upper left corner, beside 《Yang Zhen’s Pill Forging Guide》 and 《The Method to Forging Jade Blood Pill》! If all of you doubt my words, you can find someone to fetch it here! “I believe that the answer in the book is the most accurate one, and it should be able to answer your question!” At this point, Zhang Xuan stopped and gesture for Ouyang Cheng to dispatch someone to fetch the book. “There’s no need….” Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s explanation, the complexion of Apothecary Jin Chen, who was still gleeful a moment ago, darkened to the color of the bottom of a wok and he stumbled two steps backward. In an instant, he seemed to have aged many years. “What? If we don’t fetch the book here, I fear that Apothecary Jin will not accept my answer!” Zhang Xuan said. “Your answer is correct. I have read the book and it is identical to what you said!” Apothecary Jin Chen nodded his head. “Correct?” “Identical?” “That shouldn’t be possible…. Apothecary Jin Chen simply raised a casual question and he was able to answer it so simply. Furthermore, out of the countless books in the vault, he was able to remember its exact position…. How is that possible?” “Is he still human? You must be pulling my leg!” …… Upon hearing his acknowledgment, the room broke into a commotion once more. Previously, they thought that due to the limitations of his age, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t have the time to read many books. After this round, they realized that compared to him… they were the ones who hadn’t read many books! Not only was the other party able to accurately remember the contents, time the book was written, and title of the book, he was even able to point out its exact location in the vault…. For them… it would already be wonderful if they could remember the contents detailed within! Looked like there really was a huge difference between humans! “Since Apothecary Jin Chen has acknowledged my answer to be correct, let’s proceed onto the second question!” Zhang Xuan chuckled. ‘You want to compete with me in memorization ability? ‘What a joke! I have the Library of Heaven’s Path in my mind. With a jolt of my consciousness, the book comes flying to me. I only have to read according to it. Regardless of how good your memory is, you can’t possibly be more accurate than me!’ “The second question. When forging a grade-1 【Strength Enhancement Pill】, why do cracks appear on a cauldron, making it difficult to continue with the forging?” Apothecary Jin Chen pondered for an entire ten minute before asking. “Incredible!” “He chose an excellent question!” “Indeed, the cauldron often cracks while forging a grade-1 【Strength Enhancement Pill】. On the surface, it seems like an apothecary’s question, but to answer the question, you require knowledge of smithing as well!” “Indeed, let’s see how he will answer the question!” …… Upon hearing Apothecary Jin Chen’s second question, everyone’s attention was piqued again. An apothecary’s cauldron was forged by blacksmiths, and the matter of it breaking during pill forging wasn’t strictly within the boundaries of pill forging anymore. However, if one scrutinized the question carefully, it was still related to pill forging. It was precisely because it lay at the boundaries of the two that many apothecaries did not bother to learn about it, let alone answering such a question. Since everyone could tell what he was trying to do, how could Zhang Xuan remain oblivious? The corners of his lips curled upward and he replied, “As for this problem, Apothecary Wu Xiao’s 《Cauldron Maintenance》, Apothecary Zhao Qian’s 《Important Matters to Note for Pill Forging》, Apothecary Niu Xuan’s 《Miscellaneous Things You Have to Know》, Apothecary Pang Bo’s 《Protect Your New Cauldron》…” Without pausing, Zhang Xuan listed the titles of dozens of books before concluding, “… The answers are detailed in these books. Actually, it wasn’t really a difficult question. The cauldrons that you all use are made of ordinary Nine Refinement Metal. This metal may be strong, but it is unable to withstand the clash between extreme cold and heat. The main ingredient required for Strength Enhancement Pill is the blood of a cold-attribute savage beast. When something that cold comes into contact with the hot cauldron, it’s natural that the cauldron’s unable to withstand it! “If you wish to resolve the problem, it is best to use Heavy Iron Cauldron instead! Or you can also change your cauldron every time after you forge Strength Enhancement Pills!” Zhang Xuan smiled. This question might seem difficult, but it was recorded in the books of the basic tier book collection vault as well. It was just that the number of books in the vault was too vast and the apprentices in the guild would often choose to research pill forging techniques so that they could become an official apothecary faster. As a result, there was no reason for them to look into these kinds of miscellaneous books! Furthermore, after becoming an official apothecary, one’s standing would become completely different. With more guests paying them a visit and with more authority, they would have less time to read books. There were many things that they could learn from the book collection vault, but they never found the time to look for it and as such they were ignorant of them. This was precisely the reason why the other apothecaries were unable to answer such questions. On the other hand, for Zhang Xuan who had duplicated a basic tier book collection vault in his mind, he had no difficulty answering this question at all. “I wonder if Apothecary Jin Chen is satisfied with my answer? If not, I can still go on….” “There’s no need, your answer is correct!” Cold sweat appeared on Apothecary Jin Chen’s forehead. When he started to forge Strength Enhancement Pills, he met with such a problem. So he went around asking others to seek an answer. Eventually, he found his answer in a book and that book was one of the dozen books which Zhang Xuan had just listed, 《Protect Your New Cauldron》 by Apothecary Pang Bo. He thought that this was the only book which had detailed information on this subject, so he raised this question to trouble the other party. Yet this fellow was able to list more than a dozen books in a breath. It was fortunate that he didn’t name the book earlier. Otherwise, he would be humiliated when the other party listed this huge collection of books. The heck, what is the head of this fellow made of? How could he remember everything so clearly? Upon seeing this situation, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man exchanged glances and smiled wryly. This was nothing! If you all knew that this fellow could even point out the specific page in the book, you probably wouldn’t have insisted on conducting your test like that! In fact, the other party proposing to point out flaws in their forging technique was indeed raising the difficulty for him. If you wish to triumph against him in a competition of knowledge… We’re afraid that you could only do it in your dreams…. 120 Not a Thing “Since I’ve answered the second question already, name your third one!” Seeing the other party conceding the second question, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to continue lingering about the matter. “I admit defeat! These are already the two most difficult questions I can think of. I will just be making a mockery of myself if I continue asking!” Apothecary Jin Chen shook his head. The other party’s action of listing out the names of so many books felled his confidence. He knew that if he continued like this, the only one being embarrassed would be him. He might as well surrender at this point. At least he could retain some dignity. “You aren’t going to ask the third question?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before coming to a realization. Since he was able to easily answer the most difficult questions he could come up with, he would most likely be humiliating himself if he continued. Zhang Xuan was impressed with Apothecary Jin Chen’s decisiveness. “It’s your turn!” He turned around to look at Lin Mu. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s attention turned onto him, Apothecary Lin Mu gritted his teeth and asked, “I have a question which, honestly speaking, I don’t have an answer to either. If you can’t answer it, it won’t be considered your defeat! However, if you can answer it, I will admit defeat right away. It will be pointless even if I ask any further than that anyway!” In the Pill Debate, the examiner had to know the answers to the questions they were posing. Otherwise, when you don’t even know the answer yourself, how can you determine whether the other party’s answer is correct? Now that Apothecary Lin Mu had confessed that he wasn’t able to answer this question either, logically speaking, it was already beyond the boundaries of the Pill Debate. Zhang Xuan could reject to answer his question. It wouldn’t be considered his defeat if he chose to do so. “Speak!” Zhang Xuan casually said. ‘Reject? Are you kidding? Since I can answer two fewer questions, it is obvious that I should answer his question.’ “I have been researching 【Meridian Expansion Pill】for a very long and regardless of the forging method, the medicinal herbs, or the cauldron, I double-check them to make sure there is nothing wrong with them. But for some reason, I am unable to form the pill. I would like you to tell me the reason for my failure!” Apothecary Lin Mu asked, after hesitating for a moment “What kind of question is this?” “Aren’t you being a little too difficult here!” “That’s right, you should find the reason behind why you’re unable to successfully forge a pill yourself. How do you expect him to answer that question out of the blue?” …… Upon hearing Lin Mu’s words, everyone was dumbfounded for a moment before peculiar expressions crept onto their faces. When posing a question during a Pill Debate, one had to ask something that the other party could answer. Asking the other party how many moles you had on your body, how many meals you had yesterday, how many women you had relationships with… Even gods would be unable to answer these questions! Right now, Lin Mu’s question was similar to those. You simply said that you were unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill, how do you expect the other party to answer your query? “Cough cough, Apothecary Lin Mu, you have to ask a question with basis behind it. This question isn’t suitable, you should switch to another one….” Ouyang Cheng, who was conducting the Pill Debate, couldn’t stand looking at the situation any longer and spoke up. “I was being too rash….” Upon hearing the words of the others, Lin Mu realized that his question was inappropriate. Thus, he shook his head and just as he was about to say something else, Zhang Xuan beat him to it. “You weren’t really rash. How about this: you try to forge a Meridian Expansion Pill for me first. I can’t do anything about it through just your descriptions alone!” “Alright!” Lin Mu didn’t expect the other party to agree. Nodding his head, he walked over to the cauldron. Actually, he didn’t intend to ask this question initially, it simply popped into his mind all of a sudden. Recently, he had been thinking of forging Meridian Expansion Pills, but for some reason, he was unable to succeed. He had researched many different books, tried many different forging techniques, and everything he could think of, but his forging still ended in failure! Upon seeing Zhang Xuan pointing out the mistakes of the others so easily, he couldn’t help asking him. As long as he was able to find the mistake behind it, he was confident that with his skills he could successfully forge it. Thinking that it was impertinent to ask this of him on such an occasion, he thought that the Zhang Xuan would reject his question. He didn’t expect him to actually accept his question. Fwoosh boosh! The flames burned furiously and all kinds of medicinal herbs flew inside. Lin Mu’s ten fingers looked like they were playing the zither, continuously dancing all about. Peering from afar, it seemed as though he were playing a heavenly tune instead of pill forging. With a single look, Zhang Xuan could tell that the apothecary before him had immersed himself in the art of pill forging for countless years and was already well-versed in it. With such skills and a completely flawless forging sequence, he was still unable to successfully form the pills. This perplexed him. “There is no errors at all!” “With such skills, he could successfully forge a Strength Enhancement Pill. Why would he be unable to form the Meridian Expansion Pill?” “Indeed, that’s strange….” Everyone’s attention gathered on Apothecary Lin Mu as he started his forging. The more they watched, the more puzzled they became. It was exactly as he said. Regardless of whether it was the medicinal herb, his movements, or any other significant factors, there wasn’t a single error at all. Reasonably speaking, he should at least be able to form the pills. In fact, the pill would likely reach Satiation! To be unable to form the pills… That was impossible! Unfortunately, reality glared straight back at them. Soon, the flames died down and upon lifting the lid of the cauldron, a black sludge of medicinal waste presented itself before the people. Fail! “This doesn’t make sense!” Ouyang Cheng’s wrinkled his brow to the point it folded into creases. As the guild leader of the Apothecary Guild and a 1-star intermediate stage apothecary—the highest of the group here —his discernment ability was also outstanding. After looking at the entire process, his conclusion was the same as the others, that pills would be formed. Yet the results were contrary to his expectations. A puzzled expression hung on his face and he contemplated the matter seriously. “Sigh!” Upon seeing the pitch-black medicinal waste in the cauldron, Apothecary Lin Mu sighed and shook his head. He lifted his head to look at the young man. “This is the question I would like to ask you. If you can answer it, I will admit defeat straight away! However, if you can’t answer, I will switch to a different question. It won’t affect the results of the Pill Debate!” “Can’t answer?” Zhang Xuan laughed. Stepping over to the cauldron, he circled around it and examined the medicinal waste. After that, he lifted his head to look at Apothecary Lin Mu with a bizarre expression on his face. “Apothecary Lin Mu sure is vigorous despite your age. I never thought it possible!” “Vigorous despite my age?” Lin Mu was taken aback. ‘What does me being vigorous have to do with whether I am able to successfully forge the pill or not? ‘Is there even a relationship between the two?’ The other apothecaries also looked over with doubtful expressions. Previously, they would have publicly criticized him and doubted his words. However, after witnessing his vast knowledge and his ability, they understood that he had good reason for saying such words. “Indeed. Upon walking over, I noticed a fragrance unique to women on Apothecary Lin’s body. Furthermore, the scent is refreshing, pure and full of life. If I’m not wrong, she should not yet be eighteen years old!” Zhang Xuan said. “Indeed, I just brought a concubine into my household. She hasn’t reached eighteen yet!” Apothecary Lin Mu’s face flushed red. He was already nearing seventy. He had a foot in the grave, but he had brought a seventeen year old concubine back home. Even though it didn’t mean anything much in this world, he was still embarrassed to have the fact pointed out in front of so many other apothecaries. “Could it be that… the reason why I am unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill is because of my concubine?” Soon, Lin Mu arrived at a conclusion. Puzzled, he stared at Zhang Xuan. If there was no relationship between the two, given Zhang Xuan’s previous actions, he probably wouldn’t point it out. Just that… how was accepting a concubine related to forging pills? They were two completely different things! “You’re right…. If I’m not wrong, that concubine of yours… isn’t a thing!” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying calmly. “Not a thing?” Lin Mu was flabbergasted for a moment before frowning. Infuriated, displeasure showed on his face. “Why did you start insulting her?” 121 Vying to Go Firs ‘I asked you to look for the flaws in my method in forging the Meridian Expansion Pill, yet you insulted my concubine, saying that she wasn’t a person. What do you mean by that?’ Even though Lin Mu was good-natured, he was still displeased by those words. Not only did his face darken, the others also had bizarre expressions on theirs. What was going on? Why did he suddenly start insulting others? “Apothecary Lin, please calm down!” Zhang Xuan seemed to have guessed that the other party would react like that and he looked at him playfully. “Have you been working hard every day, not resting even during daytime?” “Er…” Upon being posed with such a question, Lin Mu’s face reddened and he was a little embarrassed. “I just married my concubine, so I might have… might have… worked a little hard!” An old man like him married a young wife, not to mention a beautiful lady who wasn’t eighteen yet, so it was no wonder that Lin Mu would shower plenty of love on her. If he could, he would be in bed all day long. “Haha!” “Apothecary Lin, I didn’t expect that you would still be so active!” “You are truly vigorous, truly an old man with the zeal of a youngster!” “Impressive, I am truly impressed!” …… Upon hearing the conversation of the duo, the other apothecaries couldn’t help chuckling. It was common for men to bring in concubines into the household, but for him to bring in a concubine who hadn’t reached eighteen yet and work hard every day, both day and night…. This Apothecary Lin Mu had way too much “drive.” Upon hearing the laughter of his old buddies, Lin Mu felt embarrassed. Looking at Zhang Xuan, he said, “There… should be nothing wrong with that!” It was perfectly normal for males and females to be in love with one another; it was a natural phenomenon of complementing the yang with yin. Furthermore, his cultivation had reached Pixue realm, so it wasn’t a big deal for him to go at it several times in a single day! In fact, it wasn’t a big deal for ordinary humans to go at it several times every day either. “If that was all, there would be nothing wrong with the situation. However… in order to become more fiery, did you consume some medicine that you shouldn’t have?” Zhang Xuan asked. “This…” Gedeng. Lin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. The other party was correct. Even though he possessed a high cultivation realm, he was still advanced in age, so his physiological functions weren’t working as well as they had before. In order to take better care of his concubine, he consumed some medicine to boost his stamina and strength recently. “If I’m not wrong, your concubine persuaded you to consume that medicine, right?” Zhang Xuan continued. “Er… You’re right!” Lin Mu nodded his head. As an apothecary, he knew that all medicine was poisonous in a way or another, so he was reluctant to eat it. However, he was unable to stand his ground against the persuasion of his concubine. As such, he could only consume it. The medicine was provided by the other party, and after which he felt like a wolf, full of incomparable vitality. Furthermore, it left him excited for quite a period of time. “Despite your correct forging method, sequence, and such, you are still unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill!” With both of his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan circled around Apothecary Lin Mu. Choosing not to pursue the matter about his concubine, he continued to talk about pill forging. “Initially, I was unable to find the reason and that left me puzzled for a moment. I even wondered if it could be a mistake with the cauldron when I suddenly recalled a certain line in a book! “The book is known as 《Discussion on Pill Formation》. It was written by a 3-star apothecary, Senior Mu Yang. The book is in the basic tier book collection vault, and written within are several hundred reasons why a pill might fail to form. Of which, there was a certain line and quoting directly from it, ‘Upon losing one’s breath, one’s spirit would be incomplete. Even with perfect skills, it would be hard for the pill to form!’ The meaning is simple. It means that if one’s essence is lacking, even if the forging technique and sequences are completely correct, it will be difficult for the pill to be successfully formed. This formation of pill here refers to Meridian Expansion Pill! “Upon thinking of these, I walked over to you and caught the scent of the fragrance of the body of a young lady and rouge. As a result, I asked you about your concubine! Actually, just by marrying a concubine and working day and night, you shouldn’t have lost your essence to the point that the pill wouldn’t form. The main problem here was that… you have lost your core!” “Lost my core?” Lin Mu was taken aback. “That’s right, humans have a core and losing it results in catastrophic effects. Given that you are an apothecary, you should have heard of it. If you have just worked day and night, given your strength as a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, it wouldn’t be anything much. You should recover fully by resting for half a day. However, you shouldn’t have eaten the tonic she gave you. Those tonics were actually poison that stimulate your spirit, making you imagine hallucinations. It is true that it grants you overwhelming vitality and battle power in the short run, but the poison also flows about your entire body and damages your core! “As time goes by, your body will gradually grow weaker and weaker. In the end, you will die! On the outside, it looks no different to the usual aging process and even more accomplished apothecaries would find it hard to tell the difference! If I’m not wrong, if you were to continue consuming the pill like that, you would age swiftly and— within a single year—you will definitely die! Even deities would find it hard to save you then! “Meridian Expansion Pill is a medicine that can widen a cultivator’s meridians and can be considered to be a tonic. Losing your core, you are unable to focus your spirit, breath, and psyche, and as such, it is difficult for you to forge such a pill. Failing to forge the pill was very normal!” At this point, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment. “For this kind of medicine to even fool an apothecary like you, it must be incomparably precious. It would be hard to imagine that… your concubine is unaware of the matter. That is why I said that she is not a thing. If I have offended you, I hope that you can forgive me!” “This… this…” Lin Mu shuddered and he staggered backward. The words of the other party were completely rational, such that it felt like he had witnessed it all happening. It was true that he felt his battle power rising upon consuming the medicine by his concubine. In the past, he would feel his back aching right after a single go. Yet, after taking the medicine, three to five times was an easy feat for him. Initially, he thought that he was slowly growing stronger. Never would he have thought that he was being drugged! Dammit! Dammit! “That bitch, to think that I showered her with so much love. She actually tried to backstab me….” Clenching his fist tightly, Lin Mu’s eyes turned red. “Alright, if Apothecary Lin thinks what I said is not true, there should be a way to verify what I just said! I have finished answering this question!” Zhang Xuan gestured. “What you said is completely true, I thank you for your guidance. I admit defeat for this Pill Debate!” Without any hesitation, Apothecary Lin Mu admitted defeat. The other party’s words were spot-on and his analysis completely rational. Given how he was unable to find a single mistake in what he said, he had no choice but to admit defeat. Furthermore, it was true that his body condition had slowly been deteriorating recently. Initially, he thought that it was due to his age. To think that his concubine was the cause of it! Zhang Xuan simply smiled faintly, choosing not to interfere in Lin Mu’s affairs. It was the other party’s problem. He found it bothersome to get involved. Afterwards, he glanced at the three remaining apothecaries. “You’re the only ones left. Just ask any problems that you have all together!” Of the ten apothecaries at the start, seven had already admitted defeat. As long as these three did so as well, he would pass the Pill Debate and become an official apothecary. “Genius Brother Zhang Xuan, if that’s the case, I happen to have a question that I need to inquire of you!” An apothecary stood up. “Brother Lu, don’t be too anxious. Going by seniority, I should be the one to go first. I happen to have thought of a question as well!” Another apothecary stood up. “Both of you, stop arguing. I should be the one to ask first. No matter what, I became an apothecary earlier than you two….” The last elder also hurriedly stood up. “Eh?” Just a moment ago, they were still cowering in his presence. He had asked them to pose their questions many times previously just to receive a silent response. Yet now they were all vying to ask him questions. Zhang Xuan was bewildered. Did they… take the wrong medicine today? 122 Pill Debate Ends Not just Zhang Xuan, even Ouyang Cheng and the others were dumbfounded by their actions. ‘The hell, can anyone tell me what is going on? ‘Weren’t they still behaving apprehensively a moment ago? Why are they vying to go first, as though seeing a beautiful lady and charging towards her?’ “You all…” Wen Xue was also completely baffled. “I get it, this bunch of fellows, they really…” Du Man shook his head with a wry smile on his face. “Get what?” Ouyang Cheng looked over. “Previously, Zhang Xuan was able to point out their flaws through pill forging. It gave a feeling akin to being stripped naked in public. Under such circumstances, no one would be willing to pose questions!” Apothecary Du Man said. “But now, not only did he solve Apothecary Lin Mu’s problem, he even pointed out a hidden threat for him. It is clear that this is an opportunity for them. Given that, who wouldn’t get excited?” “That’s true….” Comprehending the situation now, Ouyang Cheng nodded his head. It is easier to know someone else than to know yourself! It was difficult to notice one’s own flaws. With a single word from Zhang Xuan, they might be able to correct their flaws and induce a giant improvement in their pill forging skills! “It’s a pity. I was truly foolish then. I shouldn’t have admitted defeat so early on. Otherwise, I could have brought up some doubts I have been harboring inside me for a long time….” With a pained heart, Apothecary Du Man shook his head. How did he miss such a good opportunity just like that? “Just let it go since you’ve already passed it by. You’re at fault for not treasuring the opportunity anyway. On the other hand, I have been dedicated to my responsibilities, making my best to ensure this Pill Debate is impartial. As such, I didn’t even get a chance to pose a question. Say… when this Pill Debate ends, will he give me a chance to ask a question or two? I also have quite a few questions….” At this point, Ouyang Cheng’s eyes shone brightly and excitement filled him. Apothecary Du Man had no words. Wen Xue didn’t know what to say either. ‘The hell? You are a 1-star intermediate stage apothecary, as well as the head of the Apothecary Guild. For you to brazenly say that you want to consult an apprentice… Dedicated to your responsibilities you say? Why do I not see a single hint of what you just said? You’ve just been sitting idly by…’ “Alright, one at a time!” Soon, Zhang Xuan understood what was going. Shaking his head helplessly, he casually pointed to an apothecary among them. “You!” “Me? Great!” Upon being chosen, he hurriedly stood up. “I have a question that I would really like to ask. Recently, I’ve had insomnia and wake up seven or eight times every night. I also often get nightmares. Can you help me check if I have any illness, or if someone is scheming against me, or… if there is a problem with my concubine?” Zhang Xuan was speechless. So were the others. “Cough cough. Apothecary Liu, we are in a Pill Debate, not a fortune-telling or patient treatment session. Pay attention to what you are saying….” Ouyang Cheng couldn’t help but intervene. “Ah? But… that’s my question! This is what I want to ask….” Apothecary Liu said with a resolute expression. “Alright. How about this: you try forging a pill and I will try to see what I can through that!” Zhang Xuan felt a splitting headache consuming him as he waved him away. “Alright!” Apothecary Liu nodded his head in excitement before rushing over to start forging. “How about you? What problems do you have?” After settling the first fellow, Zhang Xuan’s attention turned to another apothecary. “My question is actually quite simple. It isn’t as shameless as Apothecary Liu’s!” The apothecary spoke with a righteous tone. “My daughter is getting married within these two days, and the one she is marrying is a man called Zhou Xuan. He hails from foreign lands and even though I have investigated his background for quite a while, I have not been able to get any useful information on him. Can you help me check if that lad is reliable or not? If he isn’t, I will reject this marriage….” At this point, he hesitated for a moment as he looked at Zhang Xuan questioningly. “So… do I have to forge pills as well?” “Pu!” Zhang Xuan almost threw up blood. ‘Forge pills? Forge your head! ‘What does your daughter getting married have to do with me or forging pills? ‘I am just a person who is undergoing Pill Debate to become an apothecary, I am not here to divine your fate…. ‘Besides, even if I can divine fate, if you don’t tell me the situation with your daughter, what can you forging pills do? ‘Are you sure you aren’t pulling my leg?’ “Apothecary Qin, what the heck does your daughter getting married have to do with pill forging? Why are you asking Brother Zhang for that? What a joke!” The final apothecary flung his hands and harrumphed. “But… this is the question I want to ask right now….” Apothecary Qin was conflicted. “You should at least ask something related to pill forging! You continue to think on that matter, I will go first!” The last apothecary stepped forward toward Zhang Xuan before saying, “Brother Zhang Xuan, seeing how young you are, you probably aren’t married yet. I have a beautiful daughter who can serve as your concubine. Look… if not, my niece is also willing. Ah? If you think that I am taking advantage of you, I still have an elder sister and a younger sister….” Zhang Xuan was lost for words. ‘The hell! You are already sixty years old with half your foot in the grave. Your younger and elder sister… how unusual and hardcore a taste do I need for that….’ It took a long while before the chaos settled down and everyone got back to the main topic at hand. “My question is this. The main ingredient of an Antidote Pill, Poison Neutralizing Grass, is too weak and it often burns to ashes before it can reach the bottom of the cauldron to mix with the other medicinal herbs. Where did I go wrong?” “Poison Neutralizing Grass isn’t resistant to high heat. This is something commonly agreed upon by everyone else. If you throw it directly it into the cauldron, it is inevitable that it would burn up. However, you can soak it in Purple Sun Water for three days before using it in your forging. Not only will it not burn up, its medicinal property will also be unleashed to the maximum….” “I would like to ask why is it that I often find my breath getting irregular when I am forging pills….” “That is easy to answer….” …… … After getting back on track, the remaining part was simple. Most of the questions could be solved using the knowledge Zhang Xuan had gained from the basic tier book collection vault. If he really found himself at a loss, he would then proceed to get the other party to forge pills and utilize the Library of Heaven’s Path to analyze the mistakes in his process. An hour later, he finally finished answering the questions of the three remaining apothecaries. “Alright, now that all ten apothecaries have admitted defeat, I hereby declare the winner of this Pill Debate as Zhang Xuan! From today onwards, he will be a new 1-star apothecary of the Apothecary Guild!” When the Pill Debate came to an end, Ouyang Cheng announced the results and handed a 1-star badge and a robe over. “This is the emblem of an apothecary. With this, no matter which Apothecary Guild you go to, you will enjoy special privileges when purchasing pills…” “OK!” Taking the two items from Ouyang Cheng’s hands, he casually placed them into his storage ring. Everyone had guessed that there was some incredible figure guiding him from behind, so they weren’t really surprised by that storage ring in his possession. Besides, being an apothecary was a lucrative occupation. The storage ring which could cost millions might be exorbitant, but it was nothing much to them. “Guild Leader Ouyang, where is the advanced tier book collection vault? I would like to take a look….” Zhang Xuan asked. His main reason for undergoing the apothecary examination was to go to the book collection vault. Thus, the first thing he decided to do upon becoming an official apothecary was to head there to take a look. “I’ll take you there!” After which, Ouyang Cheng first walked out of the room and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind him. Before he could travel far, the voice of the previous apothecary rang out behind him. “Apothecary Zhang Xuan, do consider it for a bit. If my elder and younger sister won’t do, I have an aunt too. She isn’t married yet….” Zhang Xuan staggered and tears streamed down his cheeks. ‘Your aunt… ‘Is old enough to be my great-grandmother….’ 123 Solution Found The Apothecary Guild’s advanced tier book collection vault wasn’t too far away from where they conducted the Pill Debate. It barely took a few steps before they arrived there. “There are a total of ten official apothecaries in the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild. Most of them only head here to pore through these books upon encountering truly difficult questions. As such, this place tends to be quite deserted. Anyways, feel free to pick out any book that you would like to read!” Ouyang Cheng introduced, pushing open the doors. Zhang Xuan voiced his acknowledgment before heading into the room. Even though there weren’t too many official apothecaries in Tianxuan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild, the books inside were more than a few. It might be unable to compare to the hundreds of thousand of books in the basic tier book collection vault, but there was still more than ten thousand books inside. They were densely packed in a dozen or so bookshelves. “Feel free to take a look. If there’s anything you are unable to comprehend, you can ask me. I will be in that room!” Ouyang Cheng casually pointed. “Looks like I have troubled Guild Leader Ouyang!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head with a smile. “There is nothing troublesome about this. You are an official apothecary now, and I will likely have quite a few questions I will need to consult you on in the future!” Ouyang Cheng chuckled and walked out of the vault. He knew that the other party had his own goals and secrets for coming to this book collection vault, so it inappropriate for him to linger around here. “I should start looking around!” Upon his departure, Zhang Xuan cracked a grin. Walking over to the first rack, he started to flip through the books. He would have to spend a significant amount of time to find that specific book. Since he was bound to be delayed in any case, he might as well copy all of these books into the Library of Heaven’s Path. It would be more convenient to look through them in the future and he could learn more on pill forging as well. Hualala! Hualala! The flipping of pages echoed in the advanced tier book collection vault. After a period of time, Zhang Xuan stopped and his eyes gleamed. “Indeed, the book I wanted to browse through is here….” Diligence paid off. Eventually, he found the book regarding unique constitutions and the pills required to awaken them. “Tianxuan Year 373, Emperor Shen Ling’s daughter, Princess Shen Qiu, had Pure Yin Body. She managed to awaken it upon consuming a grade-3 pill….” “Unravel Yin Pill?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He continued to browse through it. “Tianxuan Year 126, there was an individual who had Emperor Bloodline. He was unable to awaken it using pills. He eventually awakened it by smearing the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast on his body…. However, the probability of success is extremely low!” In another book, he found the method to awaken the Emperor Bloodline. “I need to see whether it’s right or wrong!” He copied the two lines onto a piece of paper and with a jolt of his mind, the contents and flaws of the paper he just copied appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. “Pure Yin Body can be awakened using the Unravel Yin Pill. Flaws: It can only awaken around ten percent of the constitution, thus it is incapable of unleashing the full strength of the constitution…. “Emperor Bloodline can be awakened using the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast. Flaws: It can only awaken around ten percent of the constitution, thus it is incapable….” Upon seeing the flaws written in the library, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Only ten percent?” Previously, he thought that he would be able to fully awaken their constitution through the use of pills. He didn’t think that it could only awaken ten percent. “However, ten percent is sufficient!” Zhang Xuan smiled. Unique constitutions were extremely powerful. Even if it was just awakened by ten percent, it was enough to increase one’s cultivation by leaps and bounds. It was more than sufficient for a mere Freshmen Tournament! “Now, I have to look for a grade-3 Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast!” Upon confirming what he needed, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He finished flipping through all the books before walking over to Ouyang Cheng’s room. He was the head of the Apothecary Guild. Most probably, he was the only one who could obtain these two items for him. After flipping through the books in the Apothecary Guild’s advanced tier book collection vault, Zhang Xuan had a rough idea on what Wang Ying and Liu Yang required, and he could buy it along with the other things. “Apothecary Zhang Xuan!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan walk over, Ouyang Cheng hurriedly stood up. “Guild Leader Ouyang, there is something I need to trouble you for!” Zhang Xuan cut to the chase and spoke of his purpose here, “I would like to purchase a few items and I may require your assistance!” “Oh? What do you need? It shouldn’t be a problem as long as it is something the guild has!” Ouyang Cheng nodded his head. “I need an Unravel Yin Pill, a Meridian Rejuvenation Pill, a portion of Colossal Rhinoceros Blood, and a portion of Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution!” Zhang Xuan said. Meridian Rejuvenation Pill was for Liu Yang’s consumption. After practicing a battle technique beyond his cultivation realm, the meridians in his right arm had withered and required the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill to heal it. On the other hand, the Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution was for Wang Ying. Her legs had yet to fully recover top form and she was still unable to fight like a normal cultivator. As such, she required the nourishment of this kind of medicinal solution to hasten her recovery. “It should be easy to obtain Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution, and I can help you look for it. However, the Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast… This is slightly trickier!” Ouyang Cheng didn’t expect that he would require so many things and a deep frown appeared on his face. “Trickier? Is it possible to obtain it?” Zhang Xuan looked at him. After going through so much trouble to look for the solution to unlocking his students’ constitution, he would truly be infuriated if he was unable to obtain the items required for them at this point. “We don’t have these items in our guild. However, if I send in an application to headquarters, it should be possible to obtain them!” Ouyang Cheng said. “That’s great….” Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. “However…” Ouyang Cheng frowned once more. “The headquarters are simply too far away. Even if they got another branch from the other, closer kingdoms to send it, it would still take a minimum of ten days!” “Ten days?” Zhang Xuan was surprised for a moment. Then, he recovered and continued, “That’s fine by me too. If it has to take ten days, then so be it!” There were still fourteen days until the Freshmen Tournament. Things might get a little pressing if it arrived ten days later, but he should still be able to finish his preparations in time. “Alright, I will send in the application to headquarters now then. You can obtain it within ten days. As for the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution, I can get them for you right now!” Guild Leader Ouyang smiled. “OK, I will be inconveniencing you then!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “How much do the four of them cost? Do I pay for all of them now or do I pay when they are all here?” After inheriting Yang Mo’s fortune, he had more than a million gold coins in his possession. He could be considered a wealthy man in the capital now. Purchasing a few medicinal herbs to raise his students’ fighting prowess didn’t matter much to him. At the same time, he could also show how noble he was as a teacher! ‘It’s just a small sum of money. Am I a stingy person?’ “Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Fluid aren’t too expensive. Totaling both of them up, it is around four hundred thousand gold coins!” Ouyang Cheng calculated for a moment before continuing, “The Unravel Yin Pill and Colossal Rhinoceros Blood would be slightly more expensive. The former is one of the more advanced grade-3 pills whereas the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast is a primordial beast, a whole level higher than that of savage beasts!” “Right now, you are an apothecary, so you are entitled to special privileges. I can sell them to you at a discount. The Unravel Yin Pill will cost around twenty million gold coins whereas the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast will cost three million! How about this, I will lower the price down for you. Twenty-three million will suffice!” Ouyang Yang calculated for a moment before saying. Upon noticing the abrupt silence in the atmosphere, he lifted his head to take a look. Unknowingly, Zhang Xuan was already ten meters away from him. Waving his hands constantly, he said, “I’m just casually asking about those things, don’t take it as real…” Ouyang Cheng couldn’t even choke out a response. 124 Thinking of a Solution Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears! He thought that these things would cost a maximum of a few hundred thousand gold coins. With that fortune of a million gold coin that he possessed, spending a little slight amount more didn’t mean much. Anyway, he didn’t really work for the money. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect that the cost would total more than twenty million…. He prided himself on his wealth, but before such an outstanding sum, he wouldn’t have enough money even if his wealth multiplied severalfold! What kind of damned situation was this! Initially, he was determined to awaken their bloodlines to make up for their weaknesses, thus causing their fighting prowess to soar. They would be able to astonish everyone with their strength at the Freshmen Tournament, and at the same time, Zhang Xuan would gain the image of an expert who cared not for money. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect that he would have to spend so much…. This was too much! If he knew that he would need that much money earlier, he wouldn’t have tried to act cool from the start! “Why don’t… I just forget it!” Suppressing his bleeding heart, Zhang Xuan was conflicted. He was far from the required sum, so he definitely couldn’t buy these items. Yet, all of the effort he had put into this— taking the apprentice apothecary and full apothecary examination—was for these items. Could he allow it all to end in vain? Accomplishing nothing at all in the end? Furthermore… he had already bragged about it. Zhao Ya and the others knew that he was trying to look for ways to awaken their constitution. If he were to return empty-handed, how could he lift his head in front of them in the future? “No, giving up just because it’s too expensive isn’t my way of doing things!” If he truly gave up on these items, Zhao Ya and the others wouldn’t be able to awaken their constitutions and it would merely be a dream to triumph over Lu Xun fourteen days later! A transcender should not give up before even trying! Furthermore, as Zhao Ya and the others’ teacher, the one to point out their path for them, his sense of responsibility would not allow him to simply sit idly by. Even though he had just become a teacher, he had chosen to take on the responsibilities that a teacher ought to shoulder. If he didn’t have enough money, he could just look for ways to earn more! At this point, Zhang Xuan walked back up to him. Looking at Ouyang Cheng, he asked, “Cough cough, Guild Leader Ouyang. Is it possible for me to put those items on my tab first? I will find ways to repay this debt to you in the future.” “This… it can’t be done!” Guild Leader Ouyang shook his head. “None of those in our branch can forge grade-3 pilsl, so we need to purchase it from the headquarters. As a result, I can’t delay the payment for you….” “But… twenty million, I won’t be able to take it out within a short period of time….” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “There’s no way around it. How about… you try to learn how to forge pills first? Given your knowledge in the field, there should be a lot of ways for you to earn money,” Ouyang Cheng advised. The young man before him had knowledge that surpassed that of all of the apothecaries in the entire branch. If he were to forge pills personally, even though twenty million might sound fearsome, for a high-level apothecary, it truly wasn’t a huge sum. “One can earn a lot of money from forging pills? That Meridian Soothing Pill that you all forged previously, how much could one be sold for?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help asking. “The Meridian Soothing Pill isn’t easy to forge. And as such, it’s one of the more profitable pills among grade-1 pills. A single pill should be able to sell for fifty thousand or so. If you forge ten in a day, you will earn twenty million in less than two months!” Guild Leader Ouyang asserted. Apothecary was an extremely lucrative profession. However, it depended highly on the market conditions and whether the supply of medicinal herb could keep up with production. Even though it was possible theoretically, even official apothecaries would find it difficult to forge pills every single day. “Two months?” Despair streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face. In two months’ time, the Freshmen Tournament would have concluded and everything would be over. If that’s the case, he might as well work on their strength the conventional way. There was no point in him exerting so much effort here. Besides, the reason why his theoretical ability was that impressive was because of the Library of Heaven’s Path. If he were to forge pills personally… It wasn’t a feasible plan. Even though every single word of his was profound and logical, if he were to do it personally, he couldn’t even complete the very first step of extracting essence from the medicinal herbs. He had seen the others forging pills previously and without several dozen years of training and refining his skill, it was impossible for him to get to their level of expertise. “Is there… any other better way of earning money?” He couldn’t help but ask for an alternative method. “Better way of earning money?” Guild Leader Ouyang shook his head. Just when he was about to shoot down the possibility, a thought popped into his mind. “The most lucrative occupation in this world is—without a doubt—master teacher. They can earn a hefty fee just by offering some guidance to others. Apothecaries aren’t that bad either, but when compared to master teachers, there is still a huge gap between the two.” There were many occupations in the job. Appraisers and apothecaries could be considered as some of the more lucrative ones, but they still paled in comparison to master teachers. Cultivators often find themselves reaching a bottleneck in their cultivation, unable to break through even till their last breath. However, a single pointer by a master teacher could possibly be the key for them to reach higher realms. With a rise in the cultivation realm, not only would their lifespan increase, their ability to earn money also quickened. As such, most people were willing to dump all of their fortune just for a single pointer from a master teacher. Indubitably, master teacher was the most lucrative job in the world, unmatched by any other occupation. However, it wasn’t easy for one to become a master teacher. One had to have students of their own, teaching experience, reputation, and on top of that, one had to go through numerous trials as well. For example, Zhang Xuan with his Library of Heaven’s Path was able to easily solve many problems. However, without students of his own, he couldn’t take the master teacher examination. “Can you pay in my stead first? I will search for a way to pay you within ten days!” As Zhang Xuan said this, a bold idea emerged in his mind. “Alright!” Ouyang Cheng was oblivious to his thoughts. However, seeing the grim look on his face, he didn’t seem as though he was joking. So he nodded his head. “I will be leaving first!” After which, Zhang Xuan walked out. “Since master teachers were good at earning money… if I pretend I am a master teacher… would I be able to earn money swiftly?” At this point, Zhang Xuan started to analyze the pros and cons of the bold thought he just had. Using ordinary methods, it was impossible to earn twenty million gold coins in ten days unless one robbed a bank! However, if he pretended to be a master teacher, there might be a possibility of him earning the sum within the duration! If someone tried to so and were exposed, it was highly likely for that person to be beaten to death on the spot. After all, a master teacher possessed vast knowledge, and it would be easy to give himself away especially when he said something flawed. However, Zhang Xuan was different! With the Library of Heaven’s Path and his ability to hoodwink others he gained in his previous life, it was truly a simple feat to scam others. Of course, it wasn’t really considered as a scam. After all, with the Library of Heaven’s Path and his Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he could see the flaws in others. Raising their cultivation realm would be something easy and pleasant. “Alright, I shall do it that way!” After analyzing the situation, he felt that he could do it and nodded his head in satisfaction. If he wanted to help Zhao Ya and the others to grow stronger and win the bet he had with Lu Xun, those few items were a must. As such, he had to earn that sum of money. This was the only way to earn twenty million within ten days. “I have to prepare some things in advance. Given my current age, no one will believe me if I go around shouting that I’m a master teacher. I need to disguise myself. At the very least, I should look thirty.” Master teachers were just like apothecaries. If you said you were a master teacher when you didn’t even look twenty, you would probably drown in the other party’s spit before you could even finish your words. No matter what, he had to disguise himself and alter his facial features. Otherwise, putting aside the fact that it would be difficult for him to induce trust in others, this might also bring him endless trouble in the future. “Next, as a master teacher, I would need uphold my own identity and reputation. I can’t possibly run to the house of others and offer to give them guidance. If so, they would just think of me as a scammer.” He lived in the information age previously, and even though he had not done such things in the past, he knew a thing or two about it from the news. Given the esteemed position master teachers had in this world, it wasn’t practical for him to run to other people’s house to offer them pointers and demand money from them in return. “What should I do?” Since he couldn’t run to others to offer his services, how could he look for clients? Without clients, how could he make money? Zhang Xuan frowned. 125 Renting a Mansion “Right, I should first look for a residence. As long as I can build a reputation, people would definitely come scrambling to me… This way, I can avoid knocking on the doors and retain my dignity as an expert, while earning money.” An idea popped into his head. As a master teacher, one had to uphold his stature. He couldn’t simply go around visiting houses. As such, he could only lie in wait for willing preys to take the bait. As long as someone were to come knocking, he was confident of subduing them with his hoodwinking prowess and Library of Heaven’s Path. “Yup, I should first look for a base of operation!” After contemplating carefully, he realized that this was indeed the best way to go about it. With a snap of his fingers, Zhang Xuan made up his mind. He would do it this way. With a concrete idea in his mind, he didn’t dawdle and immediately proceeded to the reception to purchase pills and medicinal solutions that could change one’s outer appearance and skin color. Even though he didn’t really know disguise techniques, as a member of modern civilization, he still had some basic knowledge regarding make-up. Using those pills and medicinal solution, it didn’t take long for him to transform from a young lad below twenty years old into a yellowish, middle-aged man that possessed a dignified gaze. After staring into the mirror for a long period of time, he ascertained that there were no problems with his disguise and nodded his head in satisfaction. After which, he walked out of the Apothecary Guild. “In order to convince others, I need to be dressed in luxurious clothes…” Clothes make the man. Given his current dress-up, many would believe him if he claimed to be a beggar. He needed to look the image if he wanted people to believe that he was a master teacher. “There is a clothing store right ahead.” With such a thought in his mind, he noticed a clothing store that was nearby and entered. When he finally exited, he had already transformed into a totally different person. With a brocade hat and marten coat, he was dressed extravagantly. It was clear from his appearance that he was a person of noble standing. These clothes cost him a total of twenty thousand gold coins. He could feel his heart bleeding. “I should just treat it as an investment.” Consoling himself, he walked along the street. An hour later, he arrived at Tianyu Commercial City once more. It was already late in the afternoon and the sun was about to set. Knowing that he was lacking time, Zhang Xuan proceeded forward in large strides. He knew that it was impossible to find accommodation in a short period of time singlehandedly. However, Tianyu Commercial City was reputed for selling everything possible under the sun. Thus, it was guaranteed that there was information on this aspect available as well. Furthermore, he didn’t need to purchase an accommodation, it was sufficient for him to just rent one. As he had already been here before, he had become quite familiar with the surroundings. After strolling around, he soon caught sight of a realtor agent center. “Old master, are you here to buy a house?” Upon noticing his entry, a plump boss stepped forward immediately to welcome him. “Old master?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before coming to a realization. He had already modified his appearance at current, he looked like he was in his forties. He was no longer a young lad. Thus, he nodded his head and placed both hands behind his back, assuming a disposition befitting that of an old master. He deepened his voice, making him seem more mature. “I want to rent a mansion!” “Mansion? Old master, your decision to visit our us to rent a mansion is a wise one!” The boss’s eyes gleamed. Those who were able to rent out mansions were all wealthy men. Just by raising the rent by a slight amount, these landlords would be able to earn a huge sum! “Old master, may I know what your requirements?” As though he saw a fat lamb before him that was waiting to be butchered, the boss asked excitedly. “It must be clean, large and has the best location. It would be perfect if the renovations are in place so that I can move in immediately!” Zhang Xuan said. “This…” Upon hearing the other party’s request, the eyes of the boss twinkled and he almost leaped in joy. No doubt about it, this was a huge lamb for him! Putting aside all other factors, just the requirements Zhang Xuan stated had made it impossible for the mansion to be inexpensive. How could someone who wanted to rent a mansion like that be poor? He was so happy that he almost squealed, but he acted as though he was troubled. “Old master, we do have such mansions, but the cost of the rent would be slightly pricey…” By saying so first, the plump man would be able to demand a higher price later on. Hehe… “Price isn’t a problem!” Zhang Xuan gestured haughtily. Right now, he was a ‘master teacher’. It would truly be embarrassing if he were to squabble over the measly sum of money. “Alright then, I will bring old master to look at mansions until you find one that is to your liking.” Upon hearing such impressive words from the other party, the boss’s smiled so wide that it was about to reach his ears. Without any hesitation, he closed the shop and led the way, holding a bunch of keys. Zhang Xuan followed behind him. Soon, they arrived at a vast mansion. “This is a mansion a rich businessman bought last year. However, he died last year and his son indulged in prostitutes and gambling. As a result, he had no choice but to put this mansion up for sale or rent. This mansion is newly renovated and its location is good as well. Do you want to take a look?” Stopping before the mansion, the boss looked at Zhang Xuan to gauge his reaction. This mansion was the largest and most luxurious one of their realtor center. Regardless of whether it was the location or the size, there was nothing one could find faults with. Thus, he brought the other party here at first time’s notice for him to take a look. He would only bring him to the other mansions if it was unsuitable. If the other party were to lay his sights upon this one, he would have truly struck it rich. “Let’s enter to take a look!” Zhang Xuan didn’t say anything excessive. Since he wanted to impersonate a ‘master teacher’, his residence had to have class. It mustn’t be too small. As for the money Zhang Xuan had to spend, it wasn’t really a problem. “Great!” Upon observing how the other party didn’t decline, the boss smiled and hurriedly opened the doors. It was a wujin courtyard. There were man-made mountains and ponds. Not only was it large and spacious, there were all kinds of plants planted around the entire mansion. Upon entering, one would be surrounded by greenery and the fragrance of flowers, inducing a feeling of ease. “Not bad!” After taking a look, Zhang Xuan nodded his head secretly. This mansion was exactly as he imagined. He could simply take his baggage and move in at this very moment. Everything he needed was present and he didn’t have to go the extra mile to prepare anything. Furthermore, it was close to Hongtian Academy, just a ten minute walk away. After his lessons, he could head straight back here, not having to spend much time traveling to and fro. “This will do. How much is the rent?” Fancying the residence, Zhang Xuan gestured majestically and got straight to the point. “This is the most luxurious mansion in our realtor center. If old master wishes to rent it, it would be hundred and fifty thousand gold coins every month!” The boss hurriedly said. “Hundred and fifty thousand?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He wasn’t sure about the property market in this world, but hundred and fifty thousand a month to rent a mansion seemed way too expensive. Hu! Without saying anything, Zhang Xuan suddenly clawed at the boss before him. “Old master, what do you intend to do…” Hearing the sound of his fingernails tearing through air, the boss was terrified and cowered backward immediately. With just a movement, his level of cultivation was revealed: Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi pinnacle! His cultivation realm wasn’t high. “Oh, I just want to see your level of cultivation.” Zhang Xuan retracted his palm and placed behind his back. Then, looking at the other party again, his eyes narrowed, “You said that you will rent this mansion to me at hundred and fifty thousand a month? Tripling the rent of fifty thousand a month, do you take me for a fool?” Wujin Courtyard: To understand what a Wujin Courtyard is, one must know what a Siheyuan (also known as Courtyard Houses) is. The most typical example of it were the houses of generals/officials in the ancient past. There will be a courtyard in the middle and rooms of various purposes surrounding it. Siheyuans can be split into various categories depending on its size. The smallest is the Yijin Courtyard (One Entrance Courtyard). Wujin Courtyard (Five Entrance Courtyard) is considered as the largest. Upon stepping into the house, there will be a narrow walkway (first entrance), accommodations for guests (second entrance), a living room (third entrance), main accommodations for the family (fourth entrance) and accommodations for daughters/ female servants (fifth entrance). Since there is a courtyard between each of these places, it is called Five Entrance Courtyard. 126 I Am a Master Teacher “Cough cough…” Upon hearing those words, the boss’s expression changed. He let out a laughter and replied immediately, “Old master, what are you talking about? This is a wujin courtyard mansion and has such a prime location. Hundred and fifty thousand a month is truly not expensive…” “Inexpensive?” The corners of Zhang Xuan’s lips crept upward, “The original owner of the mansion is called Du Qiao and he is indeed a merchant. However, he isn’t dead yet. Due to encountering bandits, a huge blow was dealt to his business and thus, he decided to sell this mansion. However, he was unable to find a buyer so he decided to lease it out instead. According to your agreement with him, it should be fifty thousand every month and you will be entitled to a fifteen percent commission… Yet, you are offering me hundred and fifty thousand now, isn’t your appetite a little too big?” “Old master, you… you…” Upon hearing his words, the boss staggered backward. Are you for real? The contract on this house signed between Du Qiao and him was exactly as Zhang Xuan said, fifty thousand a month, just that… This was supposed to be confidential. They didn’t tell any outsiders when signing the contract, so how could this fellow be aware? “Why? Do you wish to deny it?” Zhang Xuan stared at him calmly. “The contract was signed three months ago at Emerald Pavilion, and the one who accompanied by your side then was the top hostess, Cui Ling. The wine you two drank was the Crushing Waves with eight years of maturity and the dish you two ate was the Ruby Rabbit Meat. During which, you even had Ming Xin Yue play a tune. After sealing the deal, both of you happily invited three ladies in… Do you need me to recount the events that occurred one by one for you?” “Ah…” The boss looked as though he had seen a ghost and fear surged through him. The words that the other party said were spot-on, as though the man was there in person. This is too terrifying! “You… Who exactly are you?” Frightened, the boss trembled. Standing before the other party, he felt as though he had been stripped naked, causing him to feel guilty subconsciously. “I am merely a person who wants to rent a place, I just don’t wish to be taken advantage of!” Zhang Xuan’s expression was serene. “I was overly obsessed with profits. This mansion is exactly as what old master said, it costs fifty thousand every month!” After the other party revealed so many things about him, the boss was truly frightened. He dared not to fool around and hurriedly admitted his fault. “Un!” Watching the other party concede, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. He casually whipped out a stack of bills, “Here is a hundred thousand, I will be renting the place for a month. For the excess amount, help me to get some servants. Also… During the time I am here, you shall be my butler. No need to speak of fifty thousand or hundred thousand, if you perform well, I will give you however much money you need. You will definitely make more money than running that realtor center of yours.” As a master teacher, he couldn’t possibly clean such a large mansion personally or do everything by himself. It was necessary to have servants and maids to assist with the chores. The reason why he wanted this fellow to serve as his butler was even simpler. He was good at scamming! To outright offer three times the original price, he had the enormous guts. His reason for impersonating a master teacher was to make quick bucks and he desperately required such talents. “I will get how much I want?” The boss’s breathing hastened. His realtor center only earned him twenty thousand gold coins or so a year. It was not often that people would come to rent mansions like this, and moreover, it was useless if the other party failed to fall for his exorbitant scams. This is precisely why he felt a surge of excitement upon seeing the bills worth a hundred thousand gold coins and hearing the other party’s offer. The heck! I knew that he was a fat lamb, but I didn’t expect for him to be such a massive one! “Why? Are you unwilling?” “No… No, I am willing.” The boss grabbed the bills from Zhang Xuan’s hands hurriedly. His movement was even faster than when he dodged Zhang Xuan’s attack earlier. How could he be unwilling when such a good opportunity was presented in his face? “Un! I will only be staying in Tianxuan City for a period of time. If you serve me well, I will make you sure you earn ten years worth of salary within a single month. As for what you should do… I think you should know it better than anyone else.” The other party’s response did not let him down. Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. “Rest assured, old master. I will definitely serve you well.” Upon hearing the other party’s promise, the plump boss nodded his head vehemently. Un, Zhang Xuan responded. It was of utmost important to balance the carrot and the stick to keep a person loyal. At the very beginning, he exposed all of the other party’s secrets, inducing fear in the other party’s heart. After which, he offered him massive benefits. It would be queer if the other party was instead unwilling to give in to him. “What is your name?” “Your humble servant’s name is Sun Qiang!” The boss quickly replied. “You can call me Xiao Qiang!” “Xiao Qiang?” A strange expression appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head. “There are some tasks that I will delegate to you right now.” Suppressing the urge to call the other party ‘cockroach’, Zhang Xuan waved his thoughts away and said, “Firstly, I want you to find maids and servants for this mansion by tonight. Tomorrow, when I come over, I want to see them here. Secondly, through your connections, I want you to spread the news of me living in this mansion. Say that… A passing master teacher, Yang Xuan, will be staying here for a short period of time. The more people know of the matter, the better it is.” Naturally, he wouldn’t use his real name. Yang Xuan was a web name that he used in his previous life, thus he casually chose to use it. “Master teacher?” Taken aback, Sun Qiang lifted his head and stared at the old master doubtfully. “Un, I am a master teacher. I am here to look for something. So, it would be best if you could get the news as far as possible.” Zhang Xuan harrumphed. “Of the hundred thousand I have just given you, there should be a remaining sum after hiring the servants. Do a good job, and I will make sure to reward you greatly. I have taken a look at your cultivation realm and I have noticed that you have been stuck at Zhenqi realm pinnacle for over a decade now. It would be a small matter for me to help you break through during the time I am in Tianxuan Royal City.” “Thank you, old master.” Sun Qiang quickly kneeled to the floor. It was just as the other party said. He had been stuck at Zhenqi realm pinnacle for over a decade, but somehow, he was unable to overcome this boundary. If he were to receive the pointer of a master teacher, Fighter 4-dan wouldn’t be a dream for him. He secretly lifted his head to sneak a peek. The old master whom he had just met with had his hands behind his back as he stood before the background of the setting sun. The faint yellow light that scattered on his body made him resemble an unworldly immortal. Upon this sight, admiration arose instantaneously from the depths of his heart for this old master. At this moment, he was completely convinced that the other party was a master teacher. If he weren’t a master teacher, how could he have known about his secret dealings? If he weren’t a master teacher, how could he possibly be so rich and generous… However, what that truly convinced the boss were his disposition and his actions. Majesty exuded naturally in every single action of his. In fact, if someone were to claim that the person before him wasn’t a master teacher, he would think that the person was lying. “Old master, rest assured. I will accomplish this matter perfectly.” Sun Qiang was filled with motivation. Master teachers. This is the noblest group of people in the world. Even the emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom, Shen Zhui, has to act respectfully and politely around them. For an ordinary and insignificant figure like him to be able to serve such an incredible figure, it was almost as though the Goddess of Fortune had blessed him. “Go!” Upon observing the other party’s complete submission, Zhang Xuan gestured for him to leave. “Yes!” Sun Qiang left excitedly. Only after his departure did Zhang Xuan relax his body and stretch his back. He sighed. “To think that acting like an expert would be so tiring…” Xiao Qiang is another word for cockroach. 127 List of Opponents If someone were to know of Zhang Xuan’s thoughts, he would probably be tempted to strangle him. You impersonate an expert and find it tiring? Why don’t you kill yourself… After Sun Qiang’s departure, Zhang Xuan didn’t remain in the mansion for long. By the time he returned to his dormitory, the sun had already set. Today’s morning lessons, the Pill Debate, and then looking for a base and acting like an expert. He felt exhausted after going through so much today. Initially, he had planned to research content on the next phase after Pixue realm but unknowingly, he fell asleep right after lying onto his bed. By the time he woke up, it was already morning. Upon entering the classroom, he realized that his students were already present. He took a look at each of their conditions and nodded his head in satisfaction. These students seemed to also know the importance of the Freshmen Tournament and thus, they were extremely diligent in their training. Even though it was just a single day, they had made significant improvements. After offering them pointers individually, Zhang Xuan clarified some doubts they had. Then, just as he was about to end the lesson, he saw a person walking in through the door. “Zhang laoshi, Lu Xun laoshi challenged you to a 【Teacher Evaluation】 and this is the name list of students who would be competing with yours!” When Zhu Hong delivered the war declaration previously, he was beaten to a pulp by Yuan Tao and the others. The one who came this time is a teacher. Different teachers had different number of students under them. For star teachers like Lu Xun, his students often numbered in the hundreds and if all of them were to be involved in the duel with Zhang Xuan, it wouldn’t be fair. Thus, in the Teacher Evaluation, both teachers would choose a few students to represent them in duels. Zhang Xuan had a total of five students, so there was no need for him to choose among them. It would do as long as the other party chose five students to compete with each of his students. “Good!” Taking over the name list, Zhang Xuan took a look and a bizarre expression appeared on his face immediately. He thought that the other party would choose some of his more highly-ranked students, given the number of outstanding students under his tutelage. He didn’t expect that the five students he chose would have similar rankings to his own students, with the exception of Yuan Tao (The main reason for that was because the other party didn’t have students of Yuan Tao’s ranking). The first one on the list is Zhu Hong, who barged into the classroom previously, and the other candidates he chose corresponded to Wang Ying, Zheng Yang and Liu Yang’s rankings, so there aren’t huge differences between them. In Teacher Evaluations, the challenged teacher had the choice of whether to accept or to decline. Once the challenged teacher accepts the challenge, the other party could choose any of the students under his tutelage to compete with him. Theoretically speaking, Lu Xun could send five of the top ten students in the entrance examinations and it wouldn’t be flouting the rules. As such, Zhang Xuan had been preparing for such a scenario. He hadn’t expected that the other party would send him such a line-up, so he was a little taken aback. “Un? Mo Xiao, isn’t this fellow…” Taking a closer look, a familiar name appeared. Perplexed by the matter, he suddenly heard Liu Yang’s voice. Liu Yang had also seen the contents in the name list and felt that something was amiss. “Zhang laoshi, even though the ranks of our opponents in the list are similar to ours, we won’t be a match if we were to cross blows. There is something weird…” “Un?” Zhang Xuan looked over at him. “What can you tell from it?” “For example, take a look at this Bai Chao. My ranking in the entrance examination is 93rd whereas he is 90th. There isn’t a large difference in our ranking, but this fellow is skilled in punching techniques and his cultivation realm is one small level higher than mine. If we were to talk about fighting prowess, two of me wouldn’t be an opponent for him. The reason why our rankings are around the same was because he fared too badly for the theoretical examination.” Liu Yang pointed to another name, “This Du Lei as well, he is skilled in movement techniques. Wang Ying is ranked 67th while he is ranked 69th. It might seem as though he is slightly weaker than Wang Ying, but he possesses incredible speed. His attacks are also vicious and precise. In a one-to-one duel, Wang Ying definitely isn’t a match for him.” “It’s true that I am unable to defeat him.” Wang Ying’s face flushed red and she nodded her head in agreement. “Mo Xiao is my friend and I have never defeated him.” Zheng Yang started speaking. “Just that… Wasn’t Mo Xiao admitted under Wang Chao laoshi? We signed up for his lessons together but I failed the examination…” “Not just him, I remember clearly that Bai Chao was under Hong Xun laoshi and this Du Lei was under Zhu Hong laoshi.” Liu Yang said. “What’s going on?” Zhang Xuan stared intently at the teacher who passed him the name list. “Oh, Mo Xiao, Bai Chao and Du Lei withdrew from their teachers’ tutelage yesterday and acknowledged Lu laoshi.” The teacher nodded his head. “I have already sent you the name list and my job is done. Farewell!” At this point, the teacher turned around to leave. “Acknowledged Lu laoshi?” Upon hearing these words, Zhang Xuan immediately understood what was going on. This Lu Xun is truly a bastard! He thought that the other party sending students of similar ranking was an attempt to make this challenge fair. In reality, he had already done his research and analyzed his students thoroughly. Zhu Hong was ranked fourth while Zhao Ya was ranked seventh. There isn’t a huge difference in their rankings but when it comes to fighting, as seen before, if it weren’t for Zhang Xuan secretly informing her of his mingmen, even two Zhao Yas wouldn’t be a match for him. The other party must have already known about Wang Ying’s injury to send Du Lei, who is skilled in movement techniques and possesses superior speed. From the very start, Wang Ying’s legs are already her weakness, so how could she keep up with someone with such outstanding speed? Isn’t this just becoming a standing punchbag for the other party? Zheng Yang’s spear mastery might be excellent, but the other party sent Mo Xiao, who is a level higher than him. Liu Yang injured the meridians in his right arms due to training in battle techniques beyond his level, but the other party sent Bai Chao, who is skilled in punching techniques… As for the one who corresponded to Yuan Tao, his name is Kong Jie and he is ranked in the three hundreds. However, after Liu Yang’s brief introduction, Zhang Xuan came to a realization immediately. This fellow isn’t adept at battle techniques or anything else, but he possesses exceptional offensive ability and was an aggressive fighter. It was ideal to send a person like this to deal with Yuan Tao, who specializes in defense. The heck! In the view of those unaware of the situation, Lu Xun’s action of not choosing among his outstanding students and instead, picking those who hold rankings similar to his own was for fairness. But, he was actually choosing opponents that curbed his students. For this, he even took students from other teachers to place them under his tutelage. If Zhang Xuan were to train his students in the conventional method, his students would improve, but so would the other party’s. To triumph over the other party with half a month of effort is nearly impossible! After all, his five students have problems of their own and those problems aren’t minor things that can be solved swiftly. “That bastard, he is trying to use me as a stepping stone!” Zhang Xuan’s rage flurried. When the other party tried to trample on his dignity previously, he was furious but not to such an extent. After all, as a member of the modern civilization in his previous life, on which days did he not get his face slapped? He was already used to it! But now, the other party is trying to step on his face to reach higher grounds. He wants to attract more attention so as to add to his reputation. Zhang Xuan will not allow this to happen. I am not a staircase for you to step on as you please! Neither am I a melon for you to chew off as you please! “I will go all out. Within ten days, I will definitely earn twenty million and obtain the pills and medicinal solutions for them!” Zhang Xuan clenched his fist tightly. It was his first time getting so furious after transcending over. Slapping my face? I can still endure it. But to step on my face to reach higher grounds? Dream on! In the past, he thought that he was on the losing end spending so much money to buy those items for his students. In his mind, no matter what, he had to get the money back from his students. However, from the look of it now, it wasn’t his loss. This isn’t just for his students, this is for him as well! Lu Xun, just you wait! You might be gleeful now, but you will be in for a rain of tears later on! In another classroom, Lu Xun sneezed. He rubbed his nose as he muttered, “Is someone thinking of me?” 128 No One is Coming After instructing them to cultivate their personalized cultivation techniques properly and informing them he might be out for a few days, Zhang Xuan left the academy. He found a remote alley, and when he emerged on the streets once more, he had already transformed into “Master Teacher ‘Yang Xuan’. There were still fourteen days before the start of the Freshmen Tournament and he has to make every second count. In just a moment’s time, he was already approaching the mansion. Before walking up, he could already see two guards standing gallantly by the door. Their strength had already reached Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm. “Not bad, looks impressive!” The two guards were dressed in uniform. It didn’t look extravagant but had a unique style, giving the impression that they were guards of a powerful clan. To be able to hire guards and prepare everything else within such a short period of time, it looks like that Xiao Qiang’s ability to complete tasks was not bad. “Old master!” Upon seeing him walk over, the two guards hesitated for a moment before shouting out in unison. “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. Looks like the butler Xiao Qiang had already informed them of his appearance and dressing. Otherwise, it should have been impossible for them to recognize him in one glance. This way, he managed to avoid the awkward situation of being unable to enter one’s own home. Upon entering the residence, he realized that the interior was tidied spick and span. The surroundings were filled with flower pots and upon stepping in, fragrance surrounded him. “Old master!” “Old master!” The guards and maids drew closer and paid their respects to Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction and he walked majestically toward the lounge. “Old master, following your orders, I have already recruited the necessary personnel. There is a total of 30 maids and 5 guards…” Even before reaching the lounge, Sun Qiang ran up to welcome him. The glee of one who had successfully completed the missions delegated to him could be seen on his face. He was probably the only person who could gather so many people of quality within this short period of time. “Not bad!” Zhang Xuan complimented. “Have you spread the news that I asked you to yesterday?” “Rest easy, old master. I have already spread the word. It won’t take long before everyone in Tianxuan Royal Kingdom will know that I am serving a master teacher.” Sun Qiang looked at him in reverence. He didn’t know why his old master wanted to publicize his identity as a master teacher, but he must have his reasons for having him do so. “How did you spread it?” “I made a commotion out of me selling my shop and told everyone in the commercial city that from today onward, I will be a butler at the mansion of a master teacher. The commercial city is filled with many nosey people, I believe that it won’t take long for everyone to know of it.” Sun Qiang quickly replied. “Un!” Zhang Xuan responded. Indeed, that was the best way to advertise. Not only did it seem not intentional, the news would also spread fast. Of course… It would be hard to tell how the results are at this point. “Old master, is there anything else that you need me to do?” Seeing that the old master was satisfied with him, excitement flashed across Sun Qiang’s eyes as he asked. “Nothing else…” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment. “You should have spent quite a bit of money hiring those maids and guards, do you still have sufficient money?” He only gave hundred thousand to his butler. The rent of the mansion took up fifty thousand already. In total, thirty maids and fifty guards were hired, so it was likely that the remaining fifty thousand wasn’t enough. “It is more than enough. The moment they heard that they would become the guards and maids of a master teacher, they charged forth to take up the offer. They were willing to accept low wages, some were even willing to work for free. Fifty thousand is more than enough.” Sun Qiang said. At this point, Sun Qiang still found it hard to believe the prestige that a master teacher possessed. There were quite a few people who did not believe that he was truly serving as a butler to a master teacher. Even so, quite a few guards and girls rushed to him and expressed their interests to serve his old master. No other occupation possessed such rallying power. Putting everything else aside, just a casual pointer or two from a master teacher could be equivalent to years of their training. Just this itself was sufficient to cause countless people to go frenzied. “Bring me a cup of tea.” Knowing that the news is already out, what he had to do now was to wait for people to come knocking. As such, Zhang Xuan went into the lounge, sat on a chair and waited patiently. Soon, a maid brought him a cup of tea. This maid is around sixteen to seventeen year old and her name is Wan-er. She has a beautiful appearance and her eyes are exceptionally bright. Initially, upon seeing Zhang Xuan, her movements were a little restrained. However, after realizing that he wasn’t a hot-tempered person, she heaved a sigh of relief and ease returned to her actions. Knowing that panicking is futile, Zhang Xuan waited quietly for someone to come knocking while sipping on his tea. He waited from morning till afternoon. The sun was about to set but still, no one had come over. There wasn’t even a single person who had gathered outside out of curiosity. “Old master, do you need me to hang a sign outside saying that ‘a master teacher is here’…” Sun Qiang walked over, appearing very anxious. “…” Zhang Xuan was speechless. He would only look like a true expert if someone had learned of the fact unintentionally. If you hang a sign outside, it would seem as though I am running a business. How can I act as an unworldly expert like that? Furthermore, ‘a master teacher is here’… Why does it feel like ‘a dog is on the premises, please enter with caution’? “Looks like no one will be visiting today. Let’s go out for a walk.” Ignoring the words of the other party, Zhang Xuan stood up. Even though Sun Qiang had put out word that there is a master teacher here, a large portion of people still chose not to believe it. After all, given the status of a master teacher, there was no way one would come to Tianxuan Kingdom and, not to say, live here. Furthermore, even if one were to really live here, he should reside in an extravagant place like the palace. Renting a mansion and hiring you as the butler, you must be dreaming… “Go out for a walk?” Sun Qiang blinked in surprise. “Then… What if someone visits in the meantime?” He understood that this old master of his was trying to make a reputation for himself within the shortest period of time. After waiting for an entire day, if someone were to come knocking while he was out, wouldn’t his effort of having waited the entire day go to vain? “Tell the guards to stop everyone at the door. Regardless of who it is, without my permission, they aren’t allowed to enter.” Zhang Xuan said. A master teacher must have dignity befitting of one. Regardless of who it is, even if the person were Emperor Shen Zhui, he wouldn’t be allowed to enter without the master teacher’s permission! “Yes…” Sun Qiang nodded his head vehemently. “Let’s go!” Since waiting is pointless, he might as well go out to look for opportunities himself. After today comes to an end, there will only be thirteen days left to the Freshmen Tournament and nine days for the arrival of the medicines. Time waits for no one. Walking along the street, the crowd moved to and fro by him. The sun was about to set in the west and the sky was dyed with a shade of orange. It was already autumn and the wind that blew felt chilly. “Of everyone you know, who is the richest?” After taking a few steps, Zhang Xuan turned around to ask. “Reporting to the old master, it is the boss of Tianyu Commercial City, Lord Ling Tianyu. His wealth is equivalent to that of the national treasury and he is a true billionaire!” Deep admiration could be seen in Sun Qiang’s eyes. “The boss of Tianyu Trading Firm? Billionaire?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “He’ll be it!” His reason for impersonating a master teacher was to earn easy bucks. Naturally, he had to pick out wealthy targets. “Where does he live?” Coming to a decision, Zhang Xuan asked. “Reporting to the old master, during this period of time, Lord Ling has been living in his trading firm. Do you want to meet him?” Sun Qiang asked doubtfully. “Un, let’s go take a look!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and with an impressive wave of his arm, the two walked toward Tianyu Trading Firm. 129 Southern Green Jade As usual, Tianyu Trading Firm was bustling and large streams of customers were flowing in and out continuously. With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan walked in. “Old master, Lord Ling’s office is just in front…” After walking a distance, Sun Qiang pointed to the front. Zhang Xuan lifted his head and an extravagantly decorated lounge appeared before him. There were two green jade stone lions standing before the door. They were towering and exuded majesty. The eyes of the stone lions were pitch black and filled with spirit, making the lions seem life-like. With a single look, one couldn’t help but feel intimidated. “I’ve heard that Lord Ling had specially invited a 6-mo craftsman to create this pair of stone lions. The material used is the 【Southern Green Jade】, the best jade in Tianxuan Kingdom! Furthermore, given that it was crafted by a 6-mo craftsman, just a single one of these lions is worth several million.” Sun Qiang eyes glimmered with burning passionate. Many wealthy people place valuable items before their door to showcase their wealth and prestige. At the same time, it serves as an auspicious symbol for fortune to roll in. It seemed that even this Ling Tianyu was unable to escape from this tradition. “Several million?” Zhang Xuan was surprised. Previously, Zhang Xuan thought that he could be considered rather wealthy with a single million in his possession. Upon hearing Sun Qiang’s words, he realized that he was nothing more than a beggar to those who were truly wealthy. “Old master, why don’t I enter first to report your arrival to Lord Ling so as to have him welcome you?” Sun Qiang looked over. In his perspective, even though Lord Ling Tianyu’s wealth could rival an entire national treasury, his standing was still beneath that of a master teacher. A master teacher was a powerful figure whom even Emperor Shen Zhui dared not to offend, not to mention that Ling Tianyu, despite his wealth, was only a merchant. “There’s no need for that!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “I will just take a casual look.” Strolling slowly, Zhang Xuan approached the two towering stone lion and touched it. Cool and smooth to the touch, it was an extremely comfortable sensation. It was clear that it was top-quality jade. His fingers retracted right after contacting it. Zhang Xuan continued to view about, touching the objects here and there. Only after a long period of time did he stroll back with his hands held behind his back. Looking at his old master who acted as though a countryside bumpkin who had never seen the world, Sun Qiang was filled with doubt. “Let’s take a seat over there!” Ignoring the queer expression the other party gave him, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. There was quite a number of resting spots in Tianyu Trading Firm. There was one nearby and upon taking a seat, Zhang Xuan ordered for a pot of tea. Sun Qiang stood by the side, thoroughly confused with the situation. His old master said that he wanted to look for Lord Ling, yet upon arriving, he refused to enter, even stopping him from announcing his arrival. Instead, he chose to sit here to drink tea. What was he up to? “Are you curious why I chose not to enter the room to meet the Lord Ling you spoke of?” Seeing through his thoughts, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. “Your servant dares not to speculate the thoughts of old master!” Even though his thoughts were exposed, Sun Qiang did not dare to confess to it. “There’s no need to be nervous, just say whatever that is on your mind!” Knowing that the other party was just holding himself back due to his identity as a master teacher, Zhang Xuan said. “I… only find it weird… Old master is a master teacher, he would not reject you if you were to demand to meet him…” Sun Qiang couldn’t help but say. “If I were to reveal my identity, he would not reject me, and he wouldn’t dare to either. However, do you believe that… even without revealing my identity, I can make him come to me on his own accord!” Zhang Xuan said. What a joke! Revealing my own identity to meet a merchant is unbefitting of the status of a master teacher! An astonishing impact could only be achieved if the other party willingly ran over and discovered his identity through various speculations. “Without revealing your identity?” Sun Qiang did not think that what Zhang Xuan said was possible. “That should be impossible. Lord Ling is only a merchant, but given how he is able to open such a huge trading firm, he must have a powerful backing. In fact, nobility and influential figures might not even be able to meet him as they please. How can you possibly meet him without revealing your identity?” To be able to open such a huge trading firm in the capital, where every inch of land is equivalent to gold, he must be backed by the royal family. Even though he is only a merchant, he isn’t a person that we should underestimate. If he revealed his identity, the other party would definitely come knocking. But without doing so… why would he make an effort to welcome him? If Lord Ling were that carefree, he wouldn’t have been able to build this business empire of his. Even though Sun Qiang was a shop owner of this commercial city, he knew that his standing wasn’t sufficient to earn the lord’s attention. “Hehe!” Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan lifted his cup with elegance, “Whether you believe me or not, I will make him appear obediently before me today. However, before that, you are to follow my every command, and not to disobey in the slightest!” “Yes!” Upon witnessing the old master’s overwhelming confidence, even though Sun Qiang remained full of doubts, he couldn’t help but nod his head and agree to it. “Good. Knock down the head of the stone lion on the left for me.” Zhang Xuan said. “What?” Sun Qiang staggered, nearly fainting on the spot. He thought that the old master would think of some incredible plan. Yet… this? Lord Ling valued the stone lions, which were worth millions, highly. If he were to knock the head off, his head would be knocked off his neck soon after! “Old master, I don’t want to die yet…” Sun Qiang was on the verge of tears. “I am here, you won’t die that easily. Rest easy!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands to usher him over. “…” Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched. Of course, I won’t die that easily, they would get me to pay for it first. How could they let me off so easily by simply just killing me? But… even if they didn’t kill me, I would be crippled at the very least. “Why? You dare to disobey the words of your old master?” Zhang Xuan frowned and authority exuded from him. He was already used to being a teacher and now coupled with his slightly withered and yellow face, it brought out an imposing disposition. “I…” “Rest easy, if you knock down the lion’s head, I will help you break through Fighter 3-dan when we get back later. With me here, there won’t be any problems. Not only will that Ling Tianyu not blame you, he will even thank you and send you gifts.” Knowing that the other party feared that Lord Ling, it was indeed preposterous to have Sun Qiang do such a thing. Thus, Zhang Xuan waved his hand majestically and promised him some benefits first. “Er… Alright!” Upon the promise and recalling the fact that his old master is a master teacher, no matter how incredible Lord Ling was, the lord would probably not dare to be too audacious. After hesitating for another moment longer, Sun Qiang clenched his jaws and hardened his determination. He had been stuck in Fighter 3-dan for too long. He had tried all kinds of methods but to no avail. He thought that he would never be able to take another step forward. Now that an opportunity had presented itself before him, he would do anything to grab hold of it. That was precisely the reason why he didn’t hesitate for long when the other party invited him to be his butler. With the determination of a soldier marching to his death, he turned around and walked over to the stone lion by the left. The zhenqi in Sun Qiang’s body surged and a powerful aura gushed out from him. Despite looking plump and weak, he possessed incredible strength. The wind rustled alongside his fist and, with incredible might, he hammered straight across! One couldn’t be considered as an expert at Zhenqi realm, but he would still possess a strength of 450kg upon reaching pinnacle. Even though this jade lion was made of a resilient material, when the mighty fist landed, it crumbled like fragile glass with a crisp resonance. Kacha! The head of the stone lion that was worth millions fell to the floor and shattered into fragments. 130 Is Your Family Doing Well? The stone lion had been conspicuous from the very start. Upon being smashed, a ring similar to the resonance of a bell echoed in the air, further attracting the attention of countless other people. “What happened? Did someone smash the lord’s stone lion? This…” “That fellow… Is he sick?” “Lord Ling considers the stone lions as his treasure and caresses them a few times every day. Yet, he dares to smash it? Who is this? He must be tired of living!” … … The crowd which was strolling in the mall was shocked. Before the utterances ceased, an enforcement team on patrol walked over and upon witnessing the situation before him, fell into a state of disbelief. These two stone lions were highly treasured by Lord Ling Tianyu. In addition to the fact that each of them was worth several million, the pair was unique commodity that cannot be found on the market. Yet, this fellow smashed it with his fist… The heck, are you that sick of living? “Don’t let him get away! Grab him, Lord Ling will reward all those who helped!” After a momentary period of shock, the head enforcer shouted. Aooo! Without any hesitation, the crowd, resembling a pack of wolves, rushed to surround Sun Qiang. They pulled up their sleeves and cracked their knuckles. “So fast?” He didn’t expect the enforcers to arrive so quickly. He was blocked before he could return to old master’s side. Sun Qiang was terrified and his expression changed, saying in a hurry, “Can I… explain it? Actually…” “There is nothing to explain, beat him up!” “Let’s talk after pummeling him!” After several roars, countless fists came raining down on Sun Qiang. To dare to break the stone lion before their eyes, you must be insane! “I…” Looking at the innumerable fists above him, Sun Qiang almost puked a mouthful of blood out of indignation. Old master, didn’t you say that it would be alright? So you are a fraudster… Actually, the enforcers couldn’t be blamed for going on a violent frenzy. They were in charge of resolving disputes and protecting the properties and fortunes of the trading firm. The stone lions were Lord Ling’s favorite object, yet one of it was destroyed before them. If he were to pursue the matter, they would probably all be fired. It would be abnormal if they weren’t angry instead! “Er?” Zhang Xuan, who was sipping on his tea in wait of Sun Qiang’s return, upon realizing that no one came back after such a long time, turned around to take a look and in an instant, his eyes widened. This was too fast! Shouldn’t they have reported to Lord Ling before settling the matter? Why did they… start beating him up without first trying to clarify the matter? “If I were to head there, I would probably be beaten up as well…” His mouth twitched and Zhang Xuan sat motionless on the spot. What a joke! Even though he wasn’t weak at all, it was impossible for him to handle such a large mob! It was best to pretend to not know him at all… “Old master…” Watching his old master avert his gaze, Sun Qiang, who was being frenziedly pummeled on the moment, was on the verge of tears. Old master, didn’t you confidently claim that I would be alright? “Hold it right there!” Just as the patrolling enforcers were getting satisfied hitting Sun Qiang, a loud bellow reverberated and a dignified middle- aged man walked over with large strides. Upon reaching the entrance and noticing the stone lion shattered on the floor, the corners of his mouth twitched. It was apparent that his heart ached at the sight. The head of Tianyu Trading Firm, Ling Tianyu! After the lion was destroyed, someone had rushed to inform him. Otherwise, it was impossible for him to appear that quickly. “What happened?” Ling Tianyu glanced coldly at the enforcers. “Lord Ling, we were patrolling when this arrogant man here destroyed lord’s lion in a single strike. After which, he tried to escape, but we managed to grab hold of him…” The head enforcer stepped forward and quickly explained. “Him?” Killing intent appeared in Ling Tianyu’s gaze as he stepped toward Sun Qiang. At this point, Sun Qiang had already suffered innumerable blows and his clothes were in tatters. It was fortunate that he had managed to protect his face. “Sun Qiang?” Ling Tianyu recognized him and with a cold voice, he said, “If you don’t give me a good reason, I will dump you into the river to feed the fishes right now!” “I…” He shivered in fear involuntarily. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth, “It was my old master who made me smash it!” “Your old master? When did you start serving someone?” Ling Tianyu was taken aback. As the boss of a trading firm, he didn’t have the leisure to bother about the affairs of insignificant figures. Even though Sun Qiang created an uproar when he sold his shop yesterday, it wasn’t sufficiently important for someone of his identity to bother himself with. “I met my old master yesterday, my old master is the person sitting over there!” Sun Qiang pointed. “Un?” Ling Tianyu frowned. Looking over, he saw Zhang Xuan sitting with his back faced to them and he was slowly sipping on his tea, indifferent to the commotion going on here. “Old master!” Upon given a chance to explain that it was his old master who made him do it, Sun Qiang heaved a sigh of relief and walked over to Zhang Xuan. “Were you the one who ordered him to smash my stone lion?” Walking over to him, Ling Tianyu frowned and glared coldly at Zhang Xuan. As though oblivious to his presence and words, Zhang Xuan continued sipping on his tea, clearly disrespecting this Lord Ling. “Audacious!” “How dare you refuse to answer Lord Ling’s words, you are seeking death!” “To have ordered his subordinate to break lord’s stone lion, this fellow is in for a ride of misfortune…” … … Upon seeing the fellow ignore Lord Ling’s question, not even standing up to face him, the enforcers became furious and swore at him. Where did this fellow come from? This wasn’t the place for you to be masquerading! To be acting so arrogantly, did you think that we dare not kill you? “May I know sir’s name? Why did you order your subordinate to smash my stone lion?” Ling Tianyu was a worldly person who had seen the world. He waved his arm to stop everyone’s criticisms. “Sit!” Zhang Xuan continued to sip on his tea, not even lifting his eyelid to look at Ling Tianyu. Sun Qiang hurriedly ran over to fill an empty teacup. Upon seeing his actions, Ling Tianyu’s rage flurried once more and his face darkened to a fearsome point. The other party’s actions indicated the level of respect he had for him. He was allowed to drink tea alongside him, but wasn’t worthy of having the other party to pour tea for him! He had built this giant Tianyu Trading Firm from scratch and became a powerful figure in Tianxuan Kingdom. Even prime ministers and wangye had to regard him as a peer, not daring to act haughtily before him. To treat a person of his standing in this manner, that fellow was way too arrogant! However, the more it was like that, the harder he tried to suppress his anger. Since the other party dared to do so despite knowing his identity, he must have some background. If he wasn’t even able to keep his temper in check, he would have never been able to build Tianyu Trading Firm to its current size. “I wish to hear a rational explanation!” His eyes narrowed as he took a seat opposite to him. Zhang Xuan remained impassive to his questions and continued drinking his tea calmly, as though the other person’s rage was invisible to him. The tea was scalding hot and he sipped on it for an entire minute. Just as the other party was about to lose his patience and Sun Qiang was about to wet himself did he slowly put down his cup, raise his head and look at Ling Tianyu. He looked to be in his forties and his pitch-black eyes gave him a dignified disposition. Judging solely by his appearance, it was clear that he was a person who had great achievements. Without saying a word, Zhang Xuan gestured to Sun Qiang. “Old master, this person is the head of the trading firm, Lord Ling Tianyu!” How could Sun Qiang not understand the meaning behind Zhang Xuan gesture? He quickly stepped forward to introduce the other party. “Oh!” Zhang Xuan answered. Then, he picked up the teapot and slowly poured tea into the cup, “Ling Tianyu…” “Is your family doing well?” 131 Master Cheng Yuan Silence! The mall that was bustling just moments ago turned completely silent. Is this for real? Am I hearing things? This fellow not only smashed Lord Ling’s stone lion but also cursed his entire family? Isn’t he way too daring… Sun Qiang staggered and he was barely able to keep himself from running away. Old master, you are a master teacher! Are you intentionally trying to do me in? Lord Ling does not know you, so you can simply turn around to leave. However, all of my family members live in Tianxuan Kingdom… “What did you say?” He had already been suppressing his rage. Upon hearing such words from the other party, Ling Tianyu almost exploded. We don’t know each other, yet you proceeded directly to curse my entire family. This isn’t a just provocation anymore but an obvious attempt to insult me, to humiliate me! “Oh? Didn’t get my words? Then I’ll phrase it in another way then. Are the physical conditions of your family members still alright?” Even though the other party looked as though he was about to explode at any moment, Zhang Xuan remained impassive. “There’s no need for you to bother about whether my family is doing well or not!” A cold gleam flashed through Ling Tianyu’s eyes and it appeared that he would burst at any moment. “There’s no need for me to bother? I was thinking that saving a life would bring me good karma but since you don’t need it, let’s just forget it then!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “What… do you mean?” “Nothing!” Zhang Xuan gulped the tea down. “Southern Green Jade is truly a good material. Not only is it beautiful, it can boost one’s blood circulation and soothe one’s meridians if carried frequently. However… The matter is completely different for Southern Blood Jade.” “This material devours one’s vitality as nourishment to evolve into a Jade Spirit. Your cultivation has reached Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm primary stage and given your rich zhenqi and powerful physical body, there’s no need for you to fear. However, the same cannot be said about your family. If I’m not wrong, you coming into contact with it daily could bring its aura back home. Most probably, someone at home is already ill down to the bones and is on the verge of death.” “Alright, Xiao Qiang, let’s leave!” Finishing his words, Zhang Xuan put down his cup, tidied his appearance and stood up. Ignoring the other party, he slowly strolled from the mall with his hands behind him. Sun Qiang hurriedly followed behind him. He looked around in fear that someone would beat him up once more. “Sir, please wait a moment…” Just when everyone thought that Ling Tianyu would stop that arrogant man to chastise him and teach him a lesson, they witnessed his towering figure tremble faintly as he shouted out hastily. Zhang Xuan stopped. “Sir, are you saying that… the stone lion isn’t made of Southern Green Jade but… Southern Blood Jade? Yu Rou… Yu Rou’s illness is because of this?” With a pale face, Ling Tianyu asked. Most people knew that he was a billionaire and even officials had to treat him with respect. However, only he himself knew that after withstanding half a year of undulating anxiety, he was about to collapse. Yu Rou was his wife. When he was poor and struggling to make a living, this virtuous wife of his would always starve so that he could have another bite, claiming that she had eaten outside. Later, his business gradually grew bigger and his cultivation realm rose rapidly. However, he knew very well that without her, he would be an unwanted pile of bones in the wilderness right now. That was precisely why despite his fortune, he didn’t philander outside and instead, stayed dedicated to this wife who had accompanied him through thick and thin. Yet, the heavens are unpredictable. Half a year ago, she was suddenly afflicted with a severe illness. She could only lie weakly on the bed and now it is possible for her to pass away at any moment. He searched the entire Tianxuan Kingdom for physicians, even inviting Master Yuanyu to diagnose her condition. Yet, all of them ended up with the same conclusion, that the illness had penetrated deep into her bones and all she can do is to wait for death. Especially in the past few days, she seemed to be unable to hold on any longer and could really stop breathing at any moment. He had been keeping vigil by her side ever since she fell ill. It was due to important matters to settle at the trading firm that he had no choice but to come. With the issue with his wife, he was already feeling irritable. Upon hearing that a stone lion had been destroyed by someone for no apparent reason, he rushed here in a rage, losing the calm that a successful businessman should possess. He thought that the other party was simply causing trouble. He didn’t expect that he would say such words. To be able to tell that his family member is sick… Saying that the stone lion is not made of Southern Green Jade but Blood Jade… “Your wife should be an ordinary human with a cultivation realm of at maximum Fighter 2-dan, am I right?” Zhang Xuan said impassively without turning around. “How… How did you know that Yu Rou is my wife? Furthermore, how do you know her cultivation realm?” Ling Tianyu was astonished once more. He had only mentioned Yu Rou but the other party knew that she was his wife immediately, even able to point out her cultivation realm instantly. His judgment was simply too accurate. “The Southern Blood Jade devours one’s vitality to nourish itself and those who are Fighter 2-dan and below do not possess any resistance against it. If they were to be afflicted with it, their body functions would rapidly deteriorate, hair would turn white, the skin would loosen and speech would become indistinct… They won’t be able to live beyond half a year!” Zhang Xuan said calmly. “This…” Ling Tianyu’s eyes narrowed. The other party’s description fitted the symptoms of his wife perfectly. “I was just passing by when I saw this thing. In order to prevent it from bringing harm to anyone, I ordered my butler to crush it. If Lord Ling found my action rash and inappropriate, I will have my people send compensation over tomorrow!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand, unwilling to say anymore. His tone was neither happy nor sorrowful and he didn’t seem to be furious due to the other party’s misunderstanding. Just that, his tone was bleak, “I believe that with Lord Ling’s ability, you should be able to find my residence, so I doubt that you need to fear me escaping!” At this point, he simply walked away. “Old master…” Seeing that his old master was leaving right after saying a few words, Sun Qiang was dazed for a moment before hurriedly chasing him. “Lord, do we need to stop them?!” Seeing that the two of them were about to disappear into the horizon, the head enforcer walked over and asked. “There’s no need!” Ling Tianyu stood rooted to his spot. His expression changed rapidly, paling in one moment and turning green in the other. It was unclear what went through his head. He was a merchant, unlike the innocent teachers and students, Zhang Xuan had met before who easily believed in others. After going through innumerable ordeals, he no longer believed in anyone that easily. Even though the middle-aged man who popped out of nowhere was spot on with his words and left him surprised, he didn’t charge forward with agitation to stop him. After all, he had consulted many physicians about his wife’s illness and it was easy for one to look into the matter. “Get Master Cheng Yuan here!” Master Cheng Yuan was the appraiser in Tianyu Trading Firm. Even though he wasn’t yet an official appraiser, he was a true high-level apprentice appraiser who was much more capable than a fraud like Yang Mo. Most of the treasures bought by the trading firm had to be appraised by him beforehand. It didn’t take long for Master Cheng Yuan to appear. “Brother Ling, for you to request for my presence so urgently, is there something wrong?” As a high-level apprentice appraiser, even Ling Tianyu could only be considered of equal standing to him. “Please help me to check whether this stone lion is made of Southern Green Jade or Blood Jade!” Ling Tianyu pointed to the fragmented stone lion on the floor. “I have already appraised it, it is Southern Green Jade!” Stroking his beard, Master Cheng Yuan chuckled. Naturally, this sculpture had to have been appraised by him beforehand before it could be brought here. At which, he walked forward and lowered his head to look at the fragments of the stone lion. His eyes instantaneously narrowed and he staggered backward, “This… This… How is this possible?” 132 The Proud Sun Qiang “What’s wrong?” Upon seeing the abrupt change in expression on Master Cheng Yuan, Ling Tianyu lowered his head hurriedly to look at the fragmented stone lion as well. At the section where the jade split apart, blood-colored lines could be noticed. Under the reflection of light in the surroundings, it looked exceptionally savage and terrifying. As the lines were within the jade and the Southern Green Jade wasn’t transparent, it was impossible to see it without smashing the lion apart. “Is it really Southern Blood Jade?” His face darkened. Even without Master Cheng Yuan’s reply, he knew that it was impossible for this object to be Southern Green Jade! He sent a palm down at the stone lion. Kacha! The remaining body of the stone lion was blown into smithereens and scattered all over the ground. Casually picking up a piece, he saw blood-colored lines on it. “It is Southern Blood Jade, my judgment was off!” Upon seeing the blood-colored lines densely filling the surface of the jade, Master Cheng Yuan looked as though he had aged ten years in an instant. He was extremely confident in his discernment abilities. That was precisely the reason why he possessed an exceptional standing in the trading firm, becoming brothers with Ling Tianyu even. Yet, to think that he appraised the largest and most valuable object in the trading firm erroneously. “These lines were all concealed within the jade, to the point that one was unable to see it from the outside. Probably even the craftsman sculpting it wasn’t aware. It wouldn’t be weird for you to appraise it as such!” Ling Tianyu didn’t blame the other party. Instead, he turned to look at him and asked, “Right now, I would only like to know if the Southern Blood Jade can really devour one’s vitality?” “I have read about the Blood Jade in the books and even though I haven’t seen it for myself, that was how it was stated in the legends.” Master Cheng Yuan nodded his head. “So it’s real…” Ling Tianyu’s face paled once more. He lifted his head to look at the head enforcer, “Do you know who Sun Qiang’s old master is?” “I’m not sure!” The head enforcer shook his head. Then, he suddenly recalled something, “Oh, right… Yesterday, Sun Qiang made an uproar while selling his shop and said that he was going to serve a… passing master teacher. We all thought that he was bragging and we laughed for quite awhile afterward. How could a master teacher possibly allow someone like him to wait on him…” “Master teacher?” Ling Tianyu staggered backward. He felt his kneecap weaken and he nearly fell to the ground. At this moment, he felt so regretful that he could knock his head against the wall. The other party was a master teacher? It was no wonder he was able to keep his calm upon seeing him and identify the material as Southern Blood Jade when Master Cheng Yuan wasn’t able to, even accurately listing the symptoms of his wife… Yet, he didn’t believe the other party and hesitated to ask him for help. This hesitation had caused him to miss out on a chance in befriending a master teacher and saving his wife. “Lord…” Upon seeing the expression on the lord, the head enforcer seemed to have come to a realization. His face changed, “That old master… a moment ago, it can’t be that he is a master teacher?” “He must be!” Upon recovering, Ling Tianyu hurriedly commanded, “Hurry up and look into where they are living. Prepare the carriage, I will visit him now.” He had missed out on the opportunity once, he couldn’t let it pass him by the second time. “Yes!” Upon hearing that the middle-aged man from before was a master teacher, all of their faces paled from fright. They carried out their orders with great haste. There wasn’t a single master in Tianxuan Kingdom. Even the Guild Leader Huang from the Teacher Guild was only a high- level apprentice master teacher. To think that a master teacher would pass by them and that they would be unable to identify him, even almost attempting to batter him… Just with such a thought in their mind, cold sweat streamed down their backs and they felt that they could faint any moment. Before leaving yesterday, Sun Qiang had emphasized on where he was going to live, so it wasn’t hard for them to find their residence. “Let’s go!” Knowing the residence of the other party, Ling Tianyu immediately headed out without any hesitation. ………………………… “Old master, where are we going?” Sun Qiang was drenched in cold sweat walking out of Tianyu Trading Firm. Only upon seeing no one obstruct their departure did he heave a sigh of relief. After he had finally calmed down, he couldn’t help but ask his old master. “We’re returning!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “Just like that?” Sun Qiang was perplexed. When the old master first headed out, he said that he wanted to look for Lord Ling. Initially, he thought that he would be discussing something with him. Instead, all they did was to go there, destroy the stone lion that the other party treasured, say a few words and leave… He found the situation a little inconceivable and he was unable to make sense of it. “Un!” Zhang Xuan didn’t bother explaining it to him. Their residence wasn’t too far away from the trading firm. It didn’t take long for them to return. “It’s already late and I want to rest. Regardless of who comes over, block them at the door and deny them entry!” Upon returning back to his room, Zhang Xuan commanded. “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head despite having some objections deep within. No one came despite waiting for an entire day. Now that the sun had set, who would come? Departing from Zhang Xuan’s room, Sun Qiang was about to find a place to treat the wounds from the beating, which he suffered previously, when he saw the guards rushing toward him. “Brother Qiang, there is someone seeking an audience!” The guard said. “Seek an audience? Who?” Not expecting that anyone would come knocking, Sun Qiang was taken aback. “It is… Lord Ling!” The guard replied. “Lord Ling? You mean Ling Tianyu?” Sun Qiang shuddered and almost fell to the ground. When the old master mentioned someone coming over, he didn’t take it for real. To think that it would be true, not to mention… It was Lord Ling Tianyu whom they just met! Could it be that he could no longer wait and wanted to demand compensation for the stone lions today? “Hurry up and welcome him, I will call old master over…” After saying so, he suddenly recalled Zhang Xuan’s command and his body froze, ‘Wait!” Old master had just said that regardless of who it was, block them at the door and deny them entry. It was clear that he knew Lord Ling would come. His intentions were also clear… He refused to meet him! Refusing Lord Ling’s audience? If it was on any other occasions, Sun Qiang wouldn’t dare to do so even if he had ten times his guts. In the past, he was always the one crying for an audience, only to be ignored. This time, the other party was taking the initiative to come over to meet his old master… Should he bring him in or refuse his request? The heck, the worst that could happen was death. Just listen to old master’s commands! Gritting his teeth, he came to a decision and said. “I will follow you to the gates!” Since he was already beaten up and he had offended the other party, regardless of what intentions the other party had visiting the mansion, he could only obey old master’s commands to the very end. Soon, he arrived at the entrance. As expected, he saw the imposing Lord Ling standing at the gates with Master Cheng Yuan behind him. Upon seeing him, the two smiled delightfully, “Brother Sun, may I trouble you to tell your old master that Ling Tianyu seeks an audience?” “Brother… Sun?” He had prepared himself to face an angry Ling Tianyu pursuing the matter of the smashed lion and demanding compensation. Never in his dreams did he expect that the other party would treat him with such an amiable attitude. Sun Qiang couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. As a small merchant who had a store in the commercial city, he had to live subserviently. Any single enforcer could simply walk up to him and demand money from him… When did he gain the honor of having Ling Tianyu address him as ‘Brother Sun’? In the past, even if he were to kneel before the other party, the other party probably wouldn’t spare him an additional glance! In an instant, he felt a surge of heat through his heart, his face turned red and his body felt light as though he were floating in the air. Exultation! Yes, this is exultation! 133 Shut Outside Seemed like Ling Tianyu became aware of the fact that the old master was a master teacher, that’s why he rushed here. As such, his own standing rose as well. However, that was to be expected. After all, he became the butler of a master teacher, a figure whom even the prime minister of the kingdom had to fawn up to. No matter how impressive Ling Tianyu was, he was just a merchant. What was there to fear about him? With such thoughts, all of Sun Qiang’s fears disappeared. He straightened his back and with a haughty aura, he said, “I’m sorry but the old master has already slept. He gave clear orders that he would not meet anyone. My apologies, but Lord Ling has made a wasted trip.” Exhilarating! It was simply too exhilarating! All along in the past, he had always spoken to Lord Ling with subservience, not daring to say anything excessive and, less to say, to reject him. Not even to mention, to be able to do it so brazenly and openly? “Asleep?” The corner of Ling Tianyu’s mouth twitched. He had come chasing after them just a short moment after they had left. There was at maximum a three to five-minute delay between them, and he had fallen asleep within such a short period of time… Who were you fooling? Looks like he had really offended this master teacher and that he was infuriated with him! To offend a master teacher… Putting aside the fact that he was just a merchant, even Tianxuan Kingdom’s Emperor Shen Zhui would be unable to survive his wrath. Besides, his wife is on the verge of death now. Since this master teacher was able to tell the symptoms of her illness without even diagnosing her, he had to have a solution. No matter what, he mustn’t give up. Thus, Ling Tianyu began to speak with prudence, “My subordinates had acted rashly, causing Brother Sun to be wounded. Here is some medicine that is highly effective for healing injuries. These too. I don’t mean anything, I just hope that Brother Sun can help me convey my request…” At which, he retrieved a jade bottle and a stack of notes. Sun Qiang didn’t attempt to receive the gifts and instead, lowered his head to take a look, squinting his eyes involuntarily. As a merchant, exploring the commercial city was a daily affair and hence, he had a decent eye for goods. The pills inside the jade bottle were called 【Wound Restoration Pill】 and it was a truly divine medicine for treating wounds. This was a treasure that only official apothecaries of the Apothecary Guild could forge and every single pill was worth over ten thousand gold coins. Yet, the other party gifted him an entire bottle… Most importantly… The notes in the other party’s hands were in denominations of five thousand and there was a total of twenty to thirty of them. That was to say, just for reporting his presence to the old master, he had made over hundred thousand gold coins! The heck! Was there a need to be so generous? However, even though he was astonished, he knew that the reason for the other party’s attitude and gifts were out of respect for his old master. It pretty much had nothing to do with him. If he were to accept them and the old master were to get angry, like bubbles, everything would burst and disappear into thin air. As such, he gritted his teeth and replied, “I’m sorry, but please show some self-respect! The old master has already personally ordered that he wouldn’t meet anyone so there isn’t anything I can do. If the lord really wants to pay a visit, I think you can try again tomorrow!” Suppressing the ache in his heart, he gestured grandly, seemingly contemptuous of the other party’s action of trying to bribe him. There was no other way. From today onward, he would be the butler of a master teacher and his standing would be different from what it used to be. As such, he should adopt befitting mannerisms. He must also learn to act suave! If he were to be bribed by this small amount of money and just a few pills, how would the others look upon him? “Tomorrow?” Ling Tianyu had an awful expression. It was unsure whether his wife could survive through the night. If he were to really wait until the next day, perhaps only a corpse would be left. “I plead Brother Sun to help me. I really have urgent matters to seek your old master.” Ling Tianyu took out another stack of bills and pushed it over with an expression full of sincerity. “I’m sorry, but there’s genuinely nothing I can do.” Seeing how much money the other party took out, Sun Qiang found himself on the verge of caving in. Thus, he waved his hand and walked back in, “Close the doors!” After which, he walked into the courtyard Jiya! The doors closed. “Brother Sun…” Ling Tianyu shouted hurriedly. Even though he was Fighter 7- dan Tongxuan realm while the guards were only Pigu realm, he dared not to barge in. “Brother Ling…” Master Cheng Yuan was at a loss for words. “Sigh, it’s my fault. If I had stopped the master just now, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.” Even though the other party shut the doors on him, Ling Tianyu didn’t get angry. Instead, he only sighed and shook his head. If anyone were to be blamed, it would be he himself. He insisted on verifying the other party’s identity, incurring the displeasure of the master teacher. In a way, he brought this all upon himself. “Then, what should we do now?” Master Cheng Yuan asked. “I’ll wait! Even if it takes an entire night, I’ll wait! I have already missed the opportunity once, I don’t want to miss it a second time!” Determination was reflected in Ling Tianyu’s eyes. It was precisely because of his will of steel that he was able to become such a powerful tycoon from a nameless poor kid. Besides, if doing this could save his wife, he was willing to wait here as long as it takes for the other party’s anger to be appeased. In fact, even if it were Shen Zhui, the emperor wouldn’t utter a single word of complaint if he was hindered at the door. Master teachers had the capability and standing to do so. …………………………………… “Did I really just shut the doors on him?” Walking into the courtyard, Sun Qiang still felt as though he was dreaming. His entire body felt light. Who was the person outside? Ling Tianyu! Even if he wasn’t the richest person in Tianxuan Royal City, he wasn’t far from it. He was undisputedly a true billionaire. Even a prime minister or powerful official would rush to welcome him when he came to visit, keeping their haughtiness in check. Yet, he kept him outside the doors… Just the thought of it felt unreal. Yet, not only did he do so, the other party didn’t even dare to show a hint of dissatisfaction toward his actions. Given how he was able to shut the gates on such a person, did it mean that his position will simply grow higher and higher, eventually becoming an esteemed person in Tianxuan Royal City? It seemed like abandoning his store to serve as the butler was the wisest decision that he made in his entire life. “This is… a true master teacher!” At this very moment, every single hint of doubt on his old master’s identity vanished. Previously, when the other party said that he was a master teacher, he remained a little doubtful of his identity. However, witnessing how respectful Lord Ling behaved, he understood that it was true. Only a true master teacher had such charisma and means. Aren’t you formidable? So what if you’re formidable? Before a master teacher, everyone else is trash. “Let’s go look for old master!” After indulging in his glee for a moment, Sun Qiang proceed toward the main hall once again. He saw that the light inside the room had not been extinguished and the old master sat quietly, yet to turn in for the night. “Old master, Ling Tianyu came.” Stepping forward, he clasped his hand respectfully. “Un!” Zhang Xuan replied casually, not paying much heed to it. “He wants to… meet you…” After a moment of hesitation, Sun Qiang couldn’t resist speaking of the affair. “Let’s talk tomorrow. If he can’t even wait a single night, tell him that he doesn’t need to come anymore.” Zhang Xuan said calmly. After touching the stone lion, he knew that the material wasn’t Southern Green Jade and naturally, he knew of its dangers. The Library of Heaven’s Path did not display the method to resolving the issue, but it did describe the symptoms an ordinary person would face when their vitality had been sapped by the blood jade. For the time being, his wife was still safe. Since that was the case, it wasn’t a big deal for the other party to be waiting outside for awhile. With this billionaire waiting outside his mansion, his reputation would soon spread far and wide. He had no choice but to do so to earn twenty million in nine days. “Alright!” Sun Qiang nodded his head and departed from the room. 134 The Doubtful Du Yuan Ignoring Ling Tianyu who was waiting outside, Zhang Xuan continued to work on opening his Pixue realm acupoints. After toiling for the entire night, he opened another thirty acupoints in one go. In total, he had already opened more than fifty acupoints. His zhenqi strength had also reached 70 ding. Along with the 90 ding from his physical body, he could wield up to a total of 160 ding of strength with ease. Putting aside Pixue pinnacle experts, he would be able to match up to even Tongxuan realm experts easily. In the Tongxuan realm, one opened the most important Tongxuan Meridian in their body, unleashing the body’s true might. At the primary stage, one would possess 100 ding of strength. At the intermediate stage, 200 ding and in such a manner, reaching the pinnacle of the Tongxuan realm, one would possess 400 ding. Currently, Zhang Xuan wielded 160 ding of strength in total, which is slightly stronger than a Tongxuan realm primary stage. It was unimaginable for a Pixue realm to possess such strength; it would definitely cause an uproar if word were to spread out. Everyone knew that there was an immeasurable difference between the Pixue realm and the Tongxuan realm. In the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, there probably wasn’t another person like Zhang Xuan. After stretching his back, Zhang Xuan pushed open the door and walked out. “Old master, Lord Ling had already been waiting outside for an entire night.” Sun Qiang walked over. “An entire night?” He was so engrossed in training that he forgot about that fellow. “Then…” Zhang Xuan tapped his finger on his forehead, seemingly thinking about something. Based on the old master’s attitude, Sun Qiang thought that he was going to let Lord Ling in and stared expectantly at him. Then, he heard the indifferent words of the other party, “I think… I’ll eat first!” Sun Qiang staggered and fell to the floor. The head of Tianyu Merchant Firm, a billionaire, had waited outside an entire night, yet his master wanted to eat first… However, as a subordinate, he dare not criticize his master’s actions, quickly getting the servants to prepare the meal. To speak with honesty, the servants and maids hired by Sun Qiang were impressive. They prepared quite a huge spread that also tasted good. After finishing his breakfast, Zhang Xuan strolled around the courtyard. Looking at the morning sky and gauging that it had reached ten, he finally got Sun Qiang to open the gates. …………………… Du Yuan was the young master of Du Clan, which was one of the Four Great Clans of the Tianxuan Kingdom. All along, he had been a unambitious profligate, an incomparable playboy. Usually, all he would do was to walk his dog, play with his birds and hang out in red light districts. He was already twenty-four, but he was only in Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm. Among the scions, he could be considered as trash among the trash. However, it was not because he wanted it to be so, it was because he had no choice on the matter! Initially, his father was the most suitable candidate to become the clan head. However, for some reason, he contracted a major illness a decade ago, causing his meridians to be damaged and his acupoints to be blocked. His prowess plunged from being a Pixue realm expert all the way to a mere cripple. His competitors took advantage of this opportunity and oppressed his successor. Du Yuan had inherited his father’s talents, also possessing the lawful rights to vie with the others. However, after a decade of oppression, his father’s influence had weakened and if he were to display his talents at such a moment, he would definitely evoke further acts of repression. Helpless, he could only play the role of an unambitious scion and live aimlessly day after day. When he woke up today, the sun was already hanging high in the skies. Only then did he lead his beloved canine out of the door to linger the streets. “Un? Isn’t that… Lord Ling Tianyu of Tianyu Merchant Firm?” He stopped his footsteps abruptly. A familiar figure had appeared before him. Ling Tianyu was one of the few truly powerful figures in Tianxuan Royal City, possessing massive wealth and that very few dared to offend him. Although Du Yuan was a dandy, he still was a member of the Four Great Clans. As such, he came into contact with the upper echelons in the city on a regular basis. This Ling Tianyu had an extensive business relationship with his Du Clan and he had met him several times. This person was of equal standing to his grandfather, why would he… be standing beside the road? Not to mention, he was soaked in dew and looked like a mess. It was as though he hadn’t returned for the night. “Whose mansion is this?” Soon, he noticed what was wrong about the situation. This Lord Ling Tianyu seemed to be waiting outside a mansion for the owner to open his gates. He often loitered on this street and knew this mansion had been empty for a very long time. Besides, even if someone resided within, what kind of identity did he possess to be able to make Lord Ling wait out here? “I’ve heard that Lord Ling had been waiting here since the last night!” “Indeed, I’ve seen it for myself as well! It seems like Lord Ling wants to meet the owner of the mansion, but the other party simply ignored him. A butler came out and told him that he could either continue waiting here or to never come back…” “The heck, are you serious? Who is he? To make Lord Ling Tianyu wait for an entire night? Furthermore, with such arrogance?” “I’ve no idea as well… Thus, I came here early in the morning to take a look. To think that he really waited for an entire night…” …… … Just as he was perplexed over the matter, he heard the conversation that went on from afar. “Waited for an entire night?” Du Yuan gasped. Only those who had come into contact with the upper echelons would know exactly how powerful Ling Tianyu was. Although he was a mere businessman, he was well-acquainted with the clan heads of the Four Great Clans, as well as the nobles and the royal family. Every year, he would donate a substantial sum to the national treasury. Even Emperor Shen Zhui treated him as a money tree and dared not to offend him. For a person of such status to wait outside another’s gates for an entire night… If he hadn’t witnessed it personally, he would have never believed such rumors. Are you for real? Who is the owner of the mansion, to be capable of such incredible feat? “Do you all know who the owner of the mansion is? Du Yuan couldn’t help but approach the few chatting onlookers. “I’ve no idea. He seemed to have just moved in yesterday!” “He caused quite a commotion. Right after moving in, he recruited dozens of guards, servants, and maids!” “I have seen the owner of the mansion. He seemed to be a middle-aged man in his forties and his face is slightly yellowed and emaciated. I have never met him previously!” A few who knew the details spoke. “Middle-aged man? Recruited dozens of guards and servants?” Du Yuan was even more perplexed after listening to their words. “Look, the gates are opening…” At this moment, the firmly shut gates opened slowly. Jiyaaa! A plump man walked out. “Sun Qiang?” Du Yuan recognized the plump man. This fellow ran a realtor agency in the Tianyu Merchant Firm. Back then, he visited his agency to look for a residence for his lover. After the other party knew of his identity, he assumed a subservient attitude immediately. He was a typical streetwise vendor. Why is this fellow here? Could he be a servant here? Just as he was pondering, he saw Sun Qiang gesture grandly, “Lord Ling, our old master invites you in!” His voice was devoid of courtesy, as though he didn’t think much of the other party at all. A small vendor of the Tianyu Merchant Firm actually dared to speak to his big boss like this? Du Yuan thought that Ling Tianyu would get angry, but contrary to his expectations, not only was he not enraged, gratitude even appeared on his face. He stepped forward and stuffed a bunch of items into the other party’s hands, “Thank you Brother Sun for your help. Here are some tokens of my appreciation, hold on to them first. I will definitely send a generous gift in the future!” “Ah?” Du Yuan’s eyeballs were about to fall out of his sockets. The heck… Can anyone tell me what was going on? What he had just seen was completely incomprehensible to him. He felt as though the entire world had gone wrong. 135 Matter of Minutes “I didn’t know that master was trying to offer me guidance and acted inappropriately before you. I seek your forgiveness!” Upon entering and noticing Zhang Xuan who was seated at the center of the room, Ling Tianyu felt slightly apprehensive. His attitude towards this master teacher yesterday was indeed inhospitable, even doubting the goodwill the master demonstrated. It was already a blessing that the other party was willing to allow him entry. “There’s nothing for me to forgive!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “I’m not that petty!” Sun Qiang’s eyes widened. You left the other party outside for an entire night to be drenched in dew, only allowing him entry after consuming your breakfast slowly. You call that not being petty? “Yes, yes!” Ling Tiangyu’s face flushed. He was about to continue speaking when Zhang Xuan extended out his palm and looked at him calmly. “Do you know why I had you wait outside for an entire night?” “I…” Awkwardness showed on Ling Tianyu’s face. Isn’t it because you feel that I had slighted you, so you wanted to put me in my place? I admit my mistake, alright? “Do you think that I am purposely making things difficult for you?” Zhang Xuan looked over. “No, of course not!” Ling Tianyu shook his head hurriedly. “There’s no need for you to deny it. It is normal that you would think so!” Zhang Xuan didn’t seem to be angry. Instead, he said earnestly, “Actually, it is for your own good that I had you wait outside for an entire night!” “For my own good?” This time, not only was Ling Tianyu perplexed by his words, a bizarre expression had also emerged on Sun Qiang’s face. Making someone wait at the door was for his own good? What kind of theory is this? “If I’m not wrong, your wife should be severely ill and is on the verge of death, and the reason why you are looking for me is for me to save her.” Zhang Xuan gazed at Ling Tianyu. “Yes!” Upon hearing the other party mention his motives, Ling Tianyu jolted. “If you want me to save her, you would have to bring her over to me. However, you had come into contact with the Southern Blood Jade yesterday and the vitality-consuming aura was still lingering in your body. If I were to agree and you had come into contact with her once more, she probably would have died before you managed to get her here.” Zhang Xuan sighed and continued on, “Thus, I had you wait outside for an entire night so that you can cleanse yourself of that aura. At the same time, you wouldn’t hurry home, thus preventing a catastrophe from happening. Of course, if you refused to listen to my words and left, your wife would have died and you wouldn’t have to come back. Even a master teacher didn’t possess the ability to resurrect the dead.” After hearing these words, Ling Tianyu’s expression changed and he began to ooze cold sweat. In actual fact, he was raging within as a result of the other party’s actions of making him wait outside for the entire night. Even though he didn’t dare to speak of it, he had felt great displeasure. A master teacher wasn’t just about the strength he holds and his ability to guide others, he should be magnanimous as well. In his view, this master teacher was trying to humiliate him on purpose. After hearing those words did he realize that… He was truly mistaken. The other party truly had his intentions at heart. Despite treating the other party so insolently, he still paid such careful heed to his matter… Truly the disposition of a master teacher, impressive! He felt like a hypocrite for doubting the intentions of a gentleman. While he felt gratitude toward the other party, relief surged through him as well. It was fortunate that he had managed to hold on yesterday. Otherwise, if he had returned back home, he would have truly regretted his actions for life. Sun Qiang, who was still standing by the side, had his eyes opened wide with astonishment. As expected of a master teacher, every single move of the old master was profound. He thought that the old master was intentionally trying to humiliate the other party. Only now did he realize that the thoughts of the old master weren’t something a person like him could fathom. “Thank you, master!” Ling Tianyu bowed deeply. “Send someone to bring her over to me so that I can take a look. If she is too ill, even I might be unable to do anything about it.” Zhang Xuan said. “Yes!” Ling Tianyu’s eyes reddened in agitation. He hurriedly took his leave alongside Master Cheng Yuan. After the two of them left, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Sun Qiang. “Xiao Qiang, I have promised you to help you to help you break into Fighter 4-dan and I do not renege on my words. Execute a punching routine so that I can see your condition!” “Yes, old master!” Hearing that the old master was going to help him break through, Sun Qiang nodded his head in excitement. Soon, he completed the entire punching routine. However, not only wasn’t Sun Qiang pleased by it, he was even slightly embarrassed. “Old master, I was injured yesterday… My body has been weakened significantly and I might not be in the condition to break into Pigu realm today…” To achieve a breakthrough in realm, one would have to be in tip-top condition. Yesterday, Sun Qiang was beaten up and he sustained quite a few injuries on his body. No matter how incredible the old master was, it was unlikely for him to break through his current realm in such a state. He hadn’t really noticed it before, but the moment he started executing his punching routine, he felt an aching pain all over his body and his zhenqi didn’t flow as fluidly as it usually did. “Don’t worry!” Zhang Xuan interrupted him with a smile. “The reason why you have been stuck at the Zhenqi realm for so long was because the zhenqi you had cultivated was too impure. As such, it was unable to pass through your meridians to nourish your body. In such a state, one’s zhenqi might even stagnate. Putting aside being unable to achieve a breakthrough, one’s strength might even deteriorate.” “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head. In the past two years, he felt that his stamina had been on a decline and that his realm was slowly deteriorating as well. If not for him persistently cultivating to remain at his current realm, he might have even fallen to Zhenqi primary stage. “At Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm, one’s zhenqi would surge through one’s body and nourish one’s flesh and bones. Usually, it would be difficult for your impure zhenqi to surge through your entire body. However, the current situation is different. After yesterday’s beating, your body was damaged, causing the stagnated zhenqi from before to be jolted back into action. At the same time, the blocked passageways of your meridians had been cleared significantly…” “Old master… had others beat me up… for my own good?” Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, Sun Qiang’s body shuddered due to intense emotions and tears of gratitude streamed down his face. Old master had Ling Tianyu wait at his doorstep for his own good. Initially, I thought that it was a mistake on his part that I was beaten up but… To think that it was for my own good as well! Yet, I mistook his kind intentions… “Huh?” Seeing tears streaming down the face of his plump butler, Zhang Xuan was confused. I just wanted to say that your injury does not affect your training, why… What were you thinking of? Did you brain spasm… However, this is good as well. All the more, this can help to build my prestige as a master teacher… “Cough cough!” Zhang Xuan coughed and said, “Indeed. At the very least, my efforts weren’t in vain since you were able to understand them. Alright, put these aside, if I’m not wrong, Ling Tianyu should have given you medicine to cure your wounds!” “I…” Sun Qiang’s face flushed. For my sake, old master was even willing to be misunderstood. Yet, I shamelessly took the other party’s medicine… I am truly unable to compare to him… “It’s not a big deal. As long as you work for me loyally, it isn’t really a big deal for you to take some things.” Seemingly guessing the thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xuan interrupted. “Take the medicine out. Prepare yourself, you will try to break into Fighter 4-dan now.” “Right now?” Sun Qiang didn’t expect things to progress so quickly. “Old master, is there no need to look for a quiet chamber? Also, if I were to try breaking through now, I’m afraid that Lord Ling would return before I can even succeed. If so, I would delay your affairs…” “There’s no need for it. It is just a matter of minutes, why would you need a quiet chamber?” Zhang Xuan waved away his concerns. “Matter of minutes? Break through… in such a short time?” Sun Qiang was taken aback. Looking at the old master, his eyes widened in disbelief. 136 Master Teacher Yang Xuan Although Fighter 3-dan wasn’t considered an advanced cultivation realm, it wasn’t a low one either. Despite more than a decade of effort, Sun Qiang was still unable to break through, the difficulty clear to see here. Initially, Sun Qiang had thought that it would take at least half a day or even a full day of effort. Yet, the old master said that… it was just a matter of minutes? Brother, do you think that it is eating or drinking? Sun Qiang felt that his outlook of the world was collapsing and was about to go mad. That amount of time isn’t enough for zhenqi to surge through his body! “Why? You don’t wish to break through?” Seeing his daze, Zhang Xuan frowned. “No, that’s not it… Old master, what do I need to do…” Suppressing his agitation, Sun Qiang quickly replied. “Consume the pill first, then use all your strength to propel the zhenqi through your meridians. As for the rest, leave it up to me.” Zhang Xuan said. “Alright!” Those were very simple instructions. Without any hesitation, Sun Qiang took out a pill and swallowed it. As expected of a pill forged by an official apothecary, it was indeed good stuff. The moment he consumed it, he felt his entire body growing warm and energy surged through his body. Zhang Xuan approached him, took out a few silver needles and pierced them at several locations where his meridians were blocked. After his experiences in helping Zhao Yanfeng break through and solving Wang Ying’s leg disability, he realized that it was likely that he would need to use them often. As such, he specially prepared and kept a box of silver needles in his storage ring. In order to locate the blockages, others would need to infuse their zhenqi into the other party’s body to probe meticulously. However, Zhang Xuan was different. As long as the other party executed a battle technique, the Library of Heaven’s Path would compile a book with all of their flaws in it. All he had to do was to insert the silver needles at the correct location and use his pure zhenqi to clean away the residue. Zhang Xuan infused his zhenqi into the silver needle. Just as though a clear stream flowing into a murky river, turning the the entire river clear, the zhenqi which had stagnated started to merge into the flow once again. The accumulated effort that Sun Qiang spent on training over the decade was fearsome. Under the nourishment of the pure zhenqi, the stagnated zhenqi started to circulate through his body once more, causing power in his body to increase explosively. In less than a minute, his zhenqi had already circulated through his entire body once! Boom! He broke through Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm immediately. But, the improvement in cultivation realm didn’t just stop there; it continued to rise steadily. Hu! Finally, after an unknown period of time, it stopped. “My cultivation…” Picking himself up, Sun Qiang examined his strength and a look of disbelief appeared on his face. He thought that being able to break through Pigu realm would already be an incredible feat. To think that he would reach Pigu realm advanced stage right away! “Barely… five minutes have passed?” However, what left him even more surprised was how accurate his old master’s words were. It was truly a matter of minutes… The heck, when did breaking through become such an easy feat? If it were that easy, why did my cultivation realm remain stuck at the same level for more than a decade? Am I really cultivating or am I eating crap… Sun Qiang felt as though he was dreaming, and that he was on the verge of fainting. “Alright, all you have to do afterward is to fortify your cultivation!” Ignoring Sun Qiang’s dazed expression, Zhang Xuan retrieved his silver needles and returned to his seat. Actually, the reason why the other party broke through so quickly was because of the party’s consistent effort throughout the years, as well as the pure zhenqi Zhang Xuan possessed. It was impossible for it to be as fast if any of the factors weren’t present. The pure zhenqi had dredged up those stagnated zhenqi which he had accumulated from before. It was as though clear water melting cubes of ice; naturally, the volume of water increased significantly. As such, breaking into Fighter 4-dan became an easy task. Otherwise, if he could help Zhao Ya and the others break through just by using his needles, he wouldn’t have to go through so much effort to earn money for the pills. Of course, more importantly, Zhang Xuan didn’t want to leave the impression that they could achieve something without working for it. There was still a long road ahead of them; if they were to cultivate such a mindset, their achievements would definitely be limited. “Thank you, old master!” After recovering from his shock, he immediately kneeled to the ground and bowed with great sincerely in gratitude to the old master. He knew that the only reason why he could achieve such a rapid improvement was because of the old master. If not for him, he wouldn’t have been able to receive respect from a figure like Ling Tianyu and enjoy such a grand treatment. He would be stuck in Zhenqi realm for his entire life, never to break through. He would have never felt the sensation in his body right now! “I must make sure to work diligently in the future. I must not screw up this opportunity given to me…” Sun Qiang made up his mind. “Ling Tianyu should be arriving soon. Go out and welcome him!” After he was done helping him break through, Zhang Xuan did not dawdle and casually gestured with his hands. “Yes!” Sun Qiang took his leave. …………………… “Who could the one living in this mansion be? To be able to transform Sun Qiang’s status completely, to the point that even Ling Tianyu had to treat him respectfully, addressing him as Brother Sun…” Outside the mansion, Du Yuan got increasingly confused. Only after a long period of time did he finally understand that it was due to the owner of the mansion that Lord Ling, who was of equal standing to his grandfather, treated Sun Qiang with such respect. However, he fell into contemplation once more. He couldn’t think of any nobles in Tianxuan Royal City that had such standing to make a billionaire wait outside willingly for an entire night, and furthermore, to be so delighted when the gates opened for him. Jiyaaa! These doubts were running through his mind when the gates opened and Ling Tianyu and Master Cheng Yuan walked out. “They are leaving just like that? No one… is sending them off?” Du Yuan blinked his eyes, unable to believe what he saw. Initially, there was, at the very least, still a butler who came to welcome the two in. But now that they were leaving, there wasn’t any company… No matter how incredible the master was, the butler should have at least walked the guests out! No matter what, Ling Tianyu was a true billionaire, a person of exceptional standing. Even his grandfather would have to welcome him and walk him out of the hall if he were to visit the Du Clan. Then, his father or the elders would accompany him to the gates as a sign of respect. Yet, when Ling Tianyu walked out of the mansion, he had to push open the gates personally; even the guards at the doors were putting on such airs… Who the heck could it be? Du Yuan was overwhelmed by curiosity. A moment later, just as he was about to step forward to ask the guards, ‘jiyaa!’, the gates opened once more. Sun Qiang walked out with his hands by his back. “This…” Upon seeing the acquaintance, Du Yuan decided to step forward for an inquiry, when he staggered out of a sudden. His eyes widened to the point that they were about to pop out of his sockets. Can anyone tell me what is going on? Previously, when this fellow came out, he was only Zhenqi realm pinnacle. How is he suddenly in… Pigu realm advanced stage? It had just been ten minutes or so, and his cultivation realm had improved by an entire realm… Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Du Yuan’s entire body shuddered. “Oh? Isn’t this Du Yuan gongzi? What kind of wind brought you here?” Just when he was about to go into a frenzy from the ridiculousness of the situation, he heard Sun Qiang’s voice. Lifting his head, he realized that the other party was already standing right before him. “Oh, I just happened to pass by…” Suppressing the astonishment in his mind, Du Yuan asked prudently. “Weren’t you working in the market? Why did you…” “I’m currently serving as the butler of this residence, following my old master!” Confidence exuded from Sun Qiang’s eyes. Previously, when speaking to the sons of prominent families, he would have to speak prudently, afraid that he might get beaten up for no reason. But now that even Ling Tianyu had to lower his head before him, there was no reason why he should fear a mere junior. “Your old master is…” Du Yuan asked hurriedly. “You don’t know our old master?” With his hands behind his back, Sun Qiang lifted his head. Admiration and excitement could be seen on his face. “Master Teacher Yang Xuan!” 137 Touching Your Wife “Ma, ma… Master teacher?” Du Yuan shivered. Everyone knew as a fact that Tianxuan Kingdom was one of the weakest kingdoms and had no master teacher to assume command. When did one arrive? Furthermore, one that allowed this fellow to become his butler? No wonder Ling Tianyu was willing to wait for an entire night and had acted so prudently around Sun Qiang… Even if it were just a lowest level, 1-star master teacher in the mansion, it would nevertheless be an existence Emperor Shen Zhui dare not to underestimate. For such a man, not to mention a single night, even if Ling Tianyu had to wait for half a year, he wouldn’t dare to have a single word of complaint. In fact, if his grandfather knew, he would definitely rush here to pay respect to him as well. A master teacher can raise or destroy an entire country and his words are akin to gold. This was his status! If his father could receive the guidance of a master teacher, the trauma he had sustained might be able to be dispelled and perhaps, he might even revert to the genius he was previously. In that instant, Du Yuan was filled with envy for the man before him. Sun Qiang used to be just a lowly figure in the commercial city. He had to bow respectfully whenever he saw Du Yuan, afraid to offend him. Yet now… Du Yuan was the one who had to speak carefully so as to not get on the other party’s nerves. Otherwise, even without the master teacher making a move himself, a single word of Sun Qiang’s could send countless experts, who were looking for an opportunity to fawn over him, to teach him a lesson. “Yang shi… When did he arrive in the kingdom? Why hadn’t I heard of him?” Suppressing the astonishment within, Du Yuan asked. If a master teacher were to really visit Tianxuan Kingdom, the entire capital would have shaken in an uproar and everyone would have been aware. But why was it that he hadn’t heard of such a matter? “The old master likes to keep a low profile, so he doesn’t want others to know of it. It is enough that you know of it, don’t go spreading the word. Alright, I still have things to attend to. If Du gongzi doesn’t have anything on, it would be best for you not to loiter around here. Otherwise, if the old master were to see it, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings. It would be troublesome then.” After the incident with Ling Tianyu, Sun Qiang had regained his confidence. As a result, an air of superiority started to grow around him, and his tone reflected so. “Yes, yes!” Du Yuan nodded his head hastily. After finishing his piece, Sun Qiang turned around and went back to the gates. Not long later, a carriage arrived and Ling Tianyu stepped down from it. Two guards entered the mansion and fetched a palanquin. “Lord Ling, please enter!” Sun Qiang welcomed him. “Thank you, Brother Sun!” Ling Tianyu clasped his hands to return the greetings. Then, the few of them entered the mansion together. “I’ve heard that Ling Tianyu’s wife is sick. It seems like he knows that there is a master teacher here, that’s why he stood here for an entire night to plead with him to save her…” Instantaneously, Du Yuan managed to fill in the gaps of the story. Master teachers were not only capable of guiding one’s cultivation. Pill forging, medicinal skills… There wasn’t a single occupation that they weren’t adept at. That’s also the reason why they were able to stand at the peak, above all other occupations. It wasn’t a secret among the upper echelons of Tianxuan Kingdom that Ling Tianyu’s wife was sick. Du Yuan had also heard of it and according to the rumors, even Master Yuanyu was unable to do anything about it. Upon hearing that a master teacher had arrived at the capital, it was natural that he would want rush forward at first minute’s notice. “If this master can treat an illness that even Master Yuanyu was helpless about, then doesn’t that mean that there is a hope for my father as well?” Du Yuan’s eyes lit up instantaneously. The moment such a thought occurred to him, all thoughts of leaving vanished from Du Yuan’s mind immediately. After a moment of hesitation, he walked toward the tea stand opposite of the mansion. I’ll drink tea there. After all, I can’t possibly offend a master teacher! …………………………………………………… “This is my wife, Yu Rou. I beseech Yang shi to save her!” In the room, the guards left right after placing the palanquin down. Ling Tianyu kneeled onto the floor to plead with Zhang Xuan. The man and his wife together had been through thick and thin and they had an extremely close relationship. As long as he was able to save her, no amount was too great a price! Clearly, he had heard of Zhang Xuan’s ‘name’ from Sun Qiang’s mouth. “Un!” Zhang Xuan stood up. Upon seeing the lady on the palanquin, he frowned. The lady seemed to be around Ling Tianyu’s age, but time didn’t seem to have left many scars on her face. Even though she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, she exuded a natural disposition that induced trust and tranquility in others. However, such a blessed woman was lying motionless on the palanquin with her eyes tightly shut. “Her condition seems to be worse than I have expected!” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. He had only come into contact with the Southern Blood Jade and from it, he knew that the object could cause nearly irreversible damage to ordinary humans. Initially, he thought that as long as he destroyed the blood jade and nourished the body of the patient, she should recover swiftly. However, upon catching sight of the lady, he knew that he had underestimated the severity of the matter. It was clear that the other party had fallen into a coma. If she didn’t receive treatment soon, even Zhang Xuan might find himself powerless to save her. “I was still thinking that… If she was awake, I could ask her to execute a punching routine so that I can compile a book, find the flaws and treat her. But now… What should I do?” Zhang Xuan was in distress. He had thought the matter out too simply previously. If the other party was awake, he could have her execute a battle technique and the Library of Heaven’s Path would compile a book, from which, he would be able to learn how he should treat her! This way, even if he wasn’t able to find a clear remedy for the matter, he would still be able to say some things about her condition and perhaps, come up with some solution to alleviate her condition. However… her lying there was no different from being a corpse, how could he go around doing it? It was impossible to get her to execute a punching routine… Sigh, it sure isn’t easy acting as an expert! It is getting harder and harder to make a living nowadays! “Yang shi, can my wife be treated?” Seeing that the other person had walked several rounds around Yu Rou, Ling Tianyu’s frown deepened and anxiety was displayed clearly on his face. “Don’t be so anxious, I’m still observing her condition!” Zhang Xuan was already feeling extremely stressed. Now, upon being questioned by the other party, he felt even more dispirited. He had already boasted about his abilities. It would be embarrassing to fail at such a crucial moment. If he were to fail with the very first customer, not only would all of his preparations be in vain, his reputation would also be shattered. His prestige as a master teacher would be shaken. By then, it would truly be a dream to earn twenty million gold coins in nine days. “Oh…” Upon hearing that the other party mention that he was still observing the situation and not that there was no cure for his wife, Ling Tianyu heaved a sigh of relief. Even so, he couldn’t help but rub his hands together nervously by the corner. “Flaws… flaws! Why won’t you come out…” Circling another two rounds, he kept shouting such words in his mind. Yet, the Library of Heaven’s Path was totally unreactive, as though it was dead. Zhang Xuan felt so depressed that he could have spat a mouthful of blood. It looked like… Just like how it was the many other times before, the library could only compile a book of weaknesses when a person was executing a battle technique. He circled around the person, shouted in his mind, gritted his teeth and scratched his head furiously… But… As expected, it was all useless… “Looks like I have really failed at such a crucial timing…” He circled a few more rounds and confirmed that there was truly no movements in the library at all. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to helplessly declare to the other party that he was unable to cure her, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He stopped and lifted his head to look at Ling Tianyu with a look of excitement. “Yang shi…” Seeing his movements come to a halt, Ling Tianyu’s nervousness surged once more. He understood that the other party had arrived at a conclusion and intended to tell him about it. Life or death, his wife’s fate hinged on this moment! “There’s no need to worry. The situation isn’t that bad yet!” Upon seeing his nervousness, Zhang Xuan consoled him. “Yang shi, you can just speak the truth. I can bear the truth, no matter what it is…” Ling Tianyu gritted his teeth. “There’s nothing much I can tell you now. How about this, you lift your wife up so that I can touch her!” Zhang Xuan said. “Touch… my wife?” In an instant, Ling Tianyu’s face became as dark as ink. -laoshi is an address for normal teachers whereas -shi is an address of master teachers. 138 Treatable You want to touch my wife before me? Furthermore, I am to lift her for you… Even though you are a master teacher, you can’t humiliate me like that! Ling Tianyu clenched his fists tightly and the sound of him grinding teeth resounded in the room. He was on the verge of going on mad. Hearing those words, Sun Qiang, who was watching the situation by the side, nearly fainted as well. As expected of the old master, he sure is domineering! To have the husband help up his own wife for you to touch… As a master teacher, he could have all the women he wanted. Yet, to think that he would have such an interest. Looks like I have to hide my wife from him in the future… Of course, I have to find a wife first… “Forget it, it is better not to lift her up, given her condition. I will go over and touch her myself!” As Zhang Xuan’s sight was fixated on the lady lying on the floor, who was dressed in elaborate palace attire, he was oblivious to the two’s expressions. After seeing no one move into action after saying those words, he gestured with his hands to renounce his previous order. Given the lady’s situation, it was best not to lift her up. If she were to die from the movement, Zhang Xuan would be in trouble. “You will go over and touch her yourself?” Ling Tianyu felt that the other party was trampling on his dignity mercilessly. Since I won’t help you, you are going to help yourself? To not even spare a lady who is in a coma, you are unbefitting of the title of a master teacher. You are a beast! As he was on the verge of losing control of his temper and about to enter a rage, the other party was already before Yu Rou and had stretched out his hands toward her wrist. “Ah?” Even if it would spell his death, he was unwilling to allow anyone to defile his wife’s dignity. But just when he was about to get violent, such a scene unfolded before him. Ling Tianyu was stupefied. The heck, what is going on? Didn’t you say that you are going to touch’ her? Could it be that the touch’ you spoke of refers to feeling her pulse? There are acupoints on one’s wrist and a teacher would often come into contact with a student’s wrist when guiding them on their cultivation. However, that is what you call touch too? Do you need to act so darned misleading? Brother, let me tell you. If not for your identity as a master teacher, you will be beaten to death if you speak in such a manner outside… Sun Qiang’s mouth was also twitching. Old master’s ability in linguistics is really… atrocious! Everyone thought that he had vile intentions in mind when he said that he was going to ‘touch’ Ling Tianyu’s wife. Yet… To actually mean this… Why did you have to make such a proper and upright matter sound so wretched… To make me misunderstand your intentions as well… Feeling one’s pulse was also called touching one’s pulse. Zhang Xuan spoke casually and he didn’t think that his words would cause such a huge misunderstanding. He was also oblivious to the fact that the physicians in this world did not ‘feel one’s pulse’ while diagnosing the patient. Rather, they operated just like the Western doctors in his previous life, conducting all kinds of test to analyzing the patient’s condition instead. Thus, when Ling Tianyu heard him say touch, it was impossible for him to fathom that he meant touching his wife’s pulse, as there wasn’t such a practice in this world. This was also the reason why such a misunderstanding was generated. …… … Zhang Xuan didn’t know that their minds had gone through a roller coaster ride. Rather, he was pondering over the idea that had emerged in his mind just a moment ago. The Library of Heaven’s Path other ability —— Appraising Treasures! Back then, when he competed with Master Mo Yang, he had used such an ability. As long as it was a tangible object, he could compile a manual on its weakness just by touching it. Right now, this lady was deep in a coma and her condition was not much different from a dead person. As such, it was impossible for her to execute a punching routine… Was it possible for a book on her to be compiled by touching her? That was the reason why he wanted to touch the other party. Of course, in his mind, he simply thought of this lady as a tangible object. If Ling Tianyu were to know of his true thoughts, he would probably vomit blood. His wife wasn’t dead yet… And to be treated as an object… “Indeed!” The moment his finger came into contact with the other party’s wrist, the Library of Heaven’s Path, which had remained inert for quite some time now, jolted and a book appeared before him. Zhang Xuan almost leaped into the air due to intense joy. It was only a conjecture on his part. To think that it would truly work! He turned his attention to the book hurriedly and the words ‘Yu Rou’ was written on the cover. Flipping over, the details of the other party’s life and her flaws were written within. “Yu Rou, 43 years of age, a citizen of Tianxuan Royal City, the wife of Tianyu Merchant Firm’s boss, Ling Tianyu, Fighter 2-dan primary stage…” “Flaws: No.1, the meridians within her body are weak, making it impossible for her to practice profound cultivation techniques to generate zhenqi! No.2, her talent toward cultivation is lacking, her ability to sense spiritual energy in the air is too weak… No.8, the body had been corroded by the aura of the Southern Blood Jade, causing her Eight Extraordinary Meridians to be blocked. The specific locations where the eight meridians are blocked are…” Several pages of the book were densely filled with such information. All of Yu Rou’s flaws were detailed within. “Looks like it is only a problem of blockages in her meridians. This is easy…” After reading the book, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Initially, he was still worried that he would not be able to find a remedy if her illness turned out to be difficult to cure. If that happened, he would just explain the problem to Ling Tianyu and send him away. At the very least, he was able to account the situation to the other party. However, since it was only a blockage of her meridians, things became so much simpler. It was similar to the problems that Liu Yang, Wang Ying and Zhao Yan faced and it wasn’t complicated to resolve. Of course, that was only to him. Anyone else, even if it were a Fighter 8-dan Zongshi expert, would also find it unfathomable to solve such problems. The meridians of a human’s body are inherently weak. Once it becomes blocked, one could only try to penetrate through the blockage through consistent effort over long periods of time. However, Zhang Xuan was different. As he cultivated the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, his zhenqi was completely pure and free from contaminants. With as such a zhenqi infused into one’s body, any kinds of blockages, even if it were due to a thin and narrow meridian, could be broken through immediately. There was no problem whatsoever. This was also the basis for why he was able to help Zhao Yanfeng and Sun Qiang break through so quickly and resolve Wang Ying’s problem so easily. “Yang shi, how is it?” Upon seeing him done feeling his wife’s pulse, Ling Tianyu’s anxiety started to surge once more. “It is not a difficult matter to solve your wife’s illness!” Zhang Xuan returned to his seat and gestured majestically. “Not a difficult matter?” Ling Tianyu’s eyes narrowed. His tightly clenched fists finally loosened and he kneeled to the floor in agitation, “Yang shi, I beg of you to save my wife!” He had gone through all means to save Yu Rou, but even the number one physician in Tianxuan Kingdom, Master Yuanyu, was helpless before her illness. He thought that it was all hopeless, but the heavens had left a path for him. This Yang shi was able to treat her! The exhilaration he felt at this moment was clear to see. “Death is abhorred by the heavens. If I did not intend to help you, I wouldn’t have interfered in your affairs ar Tianyu Merchant Firm!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands and had him stand up. However, a frown soon appeared on his face, “But…” Even though it wasn’t difficult for him to treat her, if he were to make a move so easily, wouldn’t all of the efforts he made before be in vain? “Regardless of what that is needed, as long as it is something Yang shi speaks of, I will definitely fulfill the requests even if it means my bankruptcy!” Ling Tianyu said. Seeing how cooperative the other party was, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. Indeed, a businessman’s instincts are sharp! Just a single word and the other party understood what he was hinting at! “Your wife’s body had been corroded by the aura for an extremely long time. It is not very possible for her to be completely treated within a short period of time. It will probably take ten days… nine days. Furthermore, you will have to spend quite a sum of money to purchase expensive medicinal herbs for her treatment every day!” Initially, Zhang Xuan wanted to say ten days but recalling that one day had already passed, he immediately changed his words. Actually, given his pure zhenqi, it would only take a moment for him to treat her completely. As for the reason why he said that it would take nine days… Of course, it was to make more money. Facing a lack of money, he had no choice. Even though her treatment was dragged out, at the very least, she would be saved. This was much better than watching her die! “Yang shi, what medicinal herbs do you need? I will go and buy them now!” After hearing that Yang shi could treat his wife, Ling Tianyu had already regarded him as a deity. He wouldn’t fuss over how long it would take and how expensive the medicinal herbs were. However, the moment he said those words, the calm Yang shi suddenly looked over with a darkened face and a cold glare. 139 Great Loss It was no wonder why Zhang Xuan wasn’t happy. Even though he had said expensive medicinal herbs, it was actually an excuse. Given how his pure zhenqi was more than sufficient to open up her blocked meridians, why would he need medicinal herbs? If the other party were to buy it himself, how could he earn his money? Just as he was thinking about how he could get the other party to fork out the money obediently, Ling Tianyu slapped his forehead suddenly and grinned, “Yang shi, actually, I am not really knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. I’m afraid that you would have to buy the required herbs yourself!” After which, he presented a stack of bills. It was not that he understood the meaning behind Zhang Xuan’s actions. Rather, all fighters had their own secrets. Since this master teacher is able to treat his wife when even Master Yuanyu found himself helpless before her, he must have his own exclusive secret treatment formula. Wouldn’t he be exposing the other party’s secret treatment formula if he were to buy the medicinal herbs? It was no wonder he was displeased! As such, he immediately changed his words. “Un!” Just by reflecting briefly, Zhang Xuan understood the reason by the changes in Ling Tianyu’s actions as well. Without explaining in the least, he gestured for Sun Qiang to accept the stack of bills. How could a master teacher personally grab that stack of money personally? It is unbefitting of his position! “Alright, I will begin her treatment now!” After successfully laying his hands of the gold bills, Zhang Xuan didn’t dawdle any further. He walked over to Yu Rou, whipped out his silver needles, and inserted it at the points where her meridians were blocked. Simultaneously, zhenqi was infused into the other party’s body. Tzzzzzzzz! The pure zhenqi swept through her body and all the shackles in her body disappeared instantaneously. Ying ning! The unconscious Yu Rou slowly opened her eyes. “This…” Ling Tianyu and the others present in the room were astounded. Didn’t you say that it would be difficult to treat her… That it will take nine days of effort along with an exorbitant sum? Yet, in a few moments, she was already awake. Furthermore, it looked as though he had merely placed a few needles on her… “Crap, I made a blunder…” Clearly, Zhang Xuan didn’t expect that the other party would awaken so quickly as well. Zhang Xuan nearly threw up blood. If she woke up so quickly, how could he continue to suck money off Ling Tianyu? The Library of Heaven’s Path only detailed flaws on a person’s body. It didn’t record what would happen once those flaws were resolved and as such, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t have known the unblocking of which specific meridian would help her regain her conscious. Initially, he had intended to spread the workload over nine days, clearing a few areas of meridian blockage every single day. This way, he would be able to drag out the treatment and earn a greater sum from Ling Tianyu. Yet, he didn’t expect that just by clearing a few points, she would awaken. Cough cough. She woke up too quickly… It felt as though there was no difficulty in his treatment at all. How could he dupe the other party’s money like that? Zhang Xuan felt dismal. “Incredible, Yang shi!” After the initial astonishment, Ling Tianyu felt completely impressed by the other party’s means. Even though it looked like he had just placed a few needles on the other party’s body, it was actually an extremely profound art. It contained secrets that outsiders would find hard to comprehend. Otherwise, why wasn’t Master Yuanyu able to do the same? On the other hand, this Yang shi was able to cure his wife in an instant through this art. Clearly, this was the disparity between their capabilities! “Er?” Initially, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party would feel as though he had wasted his money for naught. Contrary to his expectations, the admiration in the other party’s gaze simply deepened. Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, waved his hands casually and said, “The first day of treatment only helps her regain her consciousness. I will look for some special herbs to help her nourish her strength. After I’m done, I will send someone to bring it over.” “Alright!” Ling Tianyu hurriedly nodded his head. “Un!” After which, Zhang Xuan didn’t speak any longer. “Then, we shall not disturb Yang shi any longer…” After which, he gestured for his subordinate to lift the palanquin and prepared to leave. “Tianyu…” Before the two subordinates could even lift the palanquin, the lady on the palanquin spoke and slowly stood up. “Your body is still weak. Quickly, lie down…” Seeing her stand up, Ling Tianyu hurriedly walked over. “There’s no need for that. My entire body has gone numb after lying for half a year. I want to walk about…” Under the support of her husband, even though Yu Rou’s body was still weak, walking did not pose a big problem. “This is Yang shi. He’s the one who treated you.” Ling Tianyu quickly introduced. “Yang shi? Master teacher?” Yu Rou’s eyes narrowed and she quickly bowed down, “Yu Rou thank Yang shi for saving my life…” “It’s just a small thing.” Zhang Xuan was weeping within, but on the surface, he maintained an indifferent and casual expression. Witnessing his attitude, Ling Tianyu and the others felt even more impressed. This is a true master teacher! After solving a major problem, he didn’t bother vying for compliments or demand rewards. His attitude was truly admirable. It was laughable that they misunderstood him just now… To think that they evaluated such a gentleman by their standards. Soon, Ling Tianyu brought his wife out of the courtyard. After which, Sun Qiang immediately presented the gold bills in his palms. Taking a casual glance, Zhang Xuan was astonished within. There were ten notes of a hundred thousand each in there. In total, it added up to a million. Yang Mo had to dupe innumerable people in order to earn that much money. Yet, a master teacher was able to receive that much in just a single treatment session… It was truly frightening. However… After the initial astonishment, Zhang Xuan’s head hurt once more. A million may seem like a huge sum but to his current situation… It was an insufficient and meager sum. He wanted to stall the treatment for an additional few more days to earn a little bit more money. Yet… Not only did the other party regain her consciousness, she even walked out of his mansion herself. It wasn’t wise for him to drag it out under such a situation. “The condition of Lord Ling’s wife was something that had left the entire Tianxuan City stumped. Yet, with a moment of effort, old master was able to get her to regain her consciousness. In fact, she even became well enough to walk. Incredible…” Sun Qiang muttered under his breath excitedly. His admiration for the old master overflowed from within and appeared in his words and expression. However, hearing those words, Zhang Xuan felt even more depressed. It wasn’t easy for him to ensnare a billionaire. Yet, due to his lack of knowledge on the treatment’s effectiveness, he failed to grab a huge sum from the other party. Just the thought of it caused sadness to well up within him. “Forget it, a million is still money anyway!” Since he was unable to drag it out, he might as well get it over and done with. Zhang Xuan passed Sun Qiang a gold bill, wrote a list and had him go out to buy some herbs. As a person who became an apothecary through Pill Debate, Zhang Xuan was unable to forge pills. Even so, prescribing some medicinal powder to nourish one’s body was still a simple task to him. Let’s just treat these medicinal powder as expensive ‘precious medicinal herbs’! The other party wouldn’t check on it for fear of incurring his wrath anyway. …………………………………… “Boss, another pot of tea!” Du Yuan found a table to occupy at the tea stand and casually threw a gold coin over. “Coming!” The boss was a fifty-year-old or so elderly. He brought a pot over to Du Yuan’s table with a wide smile. “Boss, I have something to ask you…” Seeing that the tea stand was directly opposite the mansion, Du Yuan couldn’t help but ask him. “Customer, feel free to voice any queries that you have…” Upon seeing the gold coin in Du Yuan’s hand, the boss’s eyes immediately lit up. “I would like to ask about the opposite…” As he spoke, Du Yuan pointed to the opposite mansion, but his words stopped abruptly when he saw the gates to the mansion opening slowly. “Hm? Sun Qiang is coming out again?” Initially, he thought that it was Sun Qiang who come out to settle some affairs. However, he soon realized that he was wrong when he saw Ling Tianyu, who had just entered a moment ago, supporting another person out. “Is this… Ling Tianyu’s wife?” Du Yuan shuddered. His heart almost stopped from astonishment. He had met Ling Tianyu’s wife twice and as such, he was able to recognize her. It was just a moment ago that she was carried in on a palanquin… And she is already on her own feet? Must it be so exaggerated? Could I be seeing things… If he didn’t know for a fact that Ling Tianyu’s wife was truly ill, he would have thought that the other party was just acting… The heck, this was an illness which even Master Yuanyu was helpless about. It hadn’t even been ten minutes since she was carried in… And she was walking about … Du Yuan didn’t know whether something was wrong with his eyes or instead, something was wrong with the world. 140 News Spreads Tianxuan Royal City, in the interiors of the Du Clan Residence. A middle-aged man walked out of a room that overlooked a tranquil pond, carrying a pot of cooling tea. Every day after lunch, he had a habit he engaged in and that was… drinking cooling tea! This was the time when he would be the most relaxed. He had already ordered for no one to interrupt him, even if it were his own son. He was once a radiant genius of Tianxuan Kingdom’s Du Clan, a serious contender for the position of clan head. However, he is only an ordinary elder now. Du Miaoxuan, Du Yuan’s father! Even though his cultivation had fallen tremendously after a severe bout of illness and his faction had already weakened after the years of oppression, his presence nevertheless commanded respect. No one dared to disobey his orders. No one would dare to interrupt his moment of tranquility. “Right now, I still wield a certain level of control over the situation. However, when I die, my successor will surely be expelled. If it comes down to that… I should have Yuan-er leave the clan first! Otherwise, there could be complications!” Lying on the reclining chair, his eyes were gently shut. At this point, his words seemed to still hold some weight. That was because the other party did not consider him as a threat for the clan head position and allowed him to be. However, if he were to die or if the old clan head above him were to retire, his faction would definitely be unable to hold on and hence, collapse without fail. The outsiders only saw the glory and prestige of being in a powerful clan, but they failed to see the schemes and underhanded fights that occurred within. The intensity was in no way inferior to the struggle for power within the royal palace; a single moment of carelessness could result in being crippled and damned for all eternity. “Father, father…” Just when his mind had quietened and he began to muse over the future, a panicked voice rang. Then, he saw his profligate son charging in with an agitated look. “Didn’t I say to not interrupt me at such times?” Du Miaoxuan’s face darkened. “Father…” Du Yuan froze for a moment. Only now did he recall that it was his father’s personal resting time. “Get out!” “Oh…” Witnessing his father’s rage, Du Yuan’s swallowed his words and walked back out. “Wait a moment, for you to come looking for me so anxiously, is there something wrong?” After taking a sip of cooling tea, Du Miaoxuan’s anger subsided. Lying horizontally on the chair, his eyes were half-closed. “A… A master teacher had arrived in the city and he cured Ling Tianyu’s wife’s illness. I was thinking that… isn’t father injured as well? Perhaps, we could pay him a visit so that he can take a look…” With a lowered head, he uttered the news which he had just gathered. However, before he could finish his words, he sensed a peculiarity in the atmosphere. Upon lifting his head his head to take a look, he almost fell to the ground. Unknowingly, his father, who was lying on the chair a moment ago, was already standing right in front of him. His eyes were as round as a gong and his body quivered uncontrollably. Even though the cup of cooling tea that he held in his hands had spilled onto the ground, he seemed to be totally unaware. “Father…” Du Yuan stared at his father with a shocked expression. “Father what father, repeat what you just said. A master teacher had arrived in the city?” Grabbing his son’s shoulder suddenly, Du Miaoxuan lost all traces of serenity that was seen on mere second ago. “It was witnessed personally, so it is definitely true…” Du Yuan quickly spoke of everything he had learned. Actually, he knew about his father’s condition. His meridians were blocked as a result of that severe illness and everyday, when afternoon came, his zhenqi would flow erratically and he would behave embarrassingly. Because he was afraid of others discovering it, he cultivated the habit of drinking cooling tea. It served as a front for concealment. “Father, this master teacher possesses extraordinary means. Shall we pay him a visit…” After recounting what he had seen, Du Yuan asked. But before he could finish his words, he noticed that his father, usually a calm man, was already 10 meters ahead of him, shouting, “Why are you in a daze? Hurry up! Let’s pay the master teacher a visit…” “…” It took Du Yuan a long moment to regain his senses. “Father, your shoes…” Previously, his father had removed his shoes to lie on the chair and he hadn’t put them on yet. Furthermore, his clothes were still in a mess… yet, he wanted to leave like that… One must know that he is an extremely austere man. One of the things he hated the most was a messy outer appearance. “Oh…” Hearing his son’s words, Du Miaoxuan came to a realization. He tidied up his appearance quickly and proceeded with big strides. It was after he left the residence that he realized something, “Right, son. Where does that master teacher you spoke of live?” “…” Du Yuan. … “What did you say? A master teacher has appeared in the city? He treated Ling Tianyu’s wife within ten minutes?” “How is that possible? It must be a fake rumor. Even Master Yuanyu was helpless before her illness. No matter how incredible master teachers can be, their medical capabilities can’t possibly exceed that of a true physician!” “I also think that it might be an exaggeration. After all, such things only happen in one’s dream.” “I heard that the person is called Yang Xuan. Of the nine great kingdoms around Tianxuan Kingdom, there are only a few master teachers and I have never heard of this name!” “Perhaps he might just be an incredible physician, and the rumors simply went out of hand. If he were a true master physician, how could it be possible for Emperor Shen Zhui to not know of it?” “Emperor Shen Zhui had been looking forward to having a master teacher in our empire more than the rest of us. I heard that he had specially sent quite a few invitations to them. If one had arrived in the capital, how could it be possible for him to be unaware? “Regardless of the truth, we just have to send some people to look into it to know the truth…” The same situation appeared in countless great clans and powers. Ling Tianyu could be considered as one of the more prestigious figures in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. How could anyone not doubt after hearing that he had camped outside a mansion overnight? The moment their investigations revealed that a master teacher was involved, news started spreading like wildfire. Even so, no one really believed the rumors. Even the lowest 1-star master teacher had to be welcomed with a state ceremony, so how could one just appear in such a humble mansion so abruptly without the slightest bit of news? … Such heated debates had broken out everywhere, but the person-in-question, Zhang Xuan, was oblivious. At this moment, he was looking at Sun Qiang with a deep frown on his face. “That’s weird, why does it not appear when I touch him?” After Ling Tianyu left, he couldn’t help but experiment generating books by touching others upon recalling the incident. Eventually, he touched every single part of Sun Qiang’s body, but nothing happened. “Xiao Qiang, lie down.” Zhang Xuan ordered. “Lie down?” Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched and he was on the verge of tears. Going by logic, no matter what the old master wanted him to do, he was willing to cooperate fully. But… touching his body as he pleased… he felt as though he was about to go mad. Previously, he was alarmed when he heard the old master say that he wanted to touch Ling Tianyu’s wife; he thought that the old master had a unique interest in such things. In the end, when the misunderstandings cleared up, he heaved a sigh of relief. In the end, it seemed like his interest wasn’t in females, but in males… Even more so… He wasn’t satisfied with just touching, he wanted him to lie down… My innocence… My chastity… “Old master…” “Hurry up!” Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure. He was unhappy about Sun Qiang’s protest, especially when all he wanted him to do was to lie down. “Yes!” With tears welling up in his eyes, Sun Qiang lied down and waited for old master’s ‘beastly assault’. However, all the old master did was to touch his wrist and the other parts of his body. With a perplexed voice, the old master said, “That’s weird, why isn’t there any reaction?” “Reaction? Old master, what… what kind of reaction do you want?” Sun Qiang shuddered. To be fondling his body, could it be that… He wanted him to be aroused first? After so long, it turned out that he was a ‘bottom’? When that thought emerged in his mind, Sun Qiang shivered in disgust. “No reaction at all… Ah, correct!” Just as his mind began to run wild, the ‘old master’ slapped his forehead, seemingly thought of something. The old master lowered his head to look at him, “Xiao Qiang, don’t move. I will try knocking you unconscious…” “…” Sun Qiang felt his head spinning. What is going on? Old master, what do you want to do… Could it be that… You feel embarrassed because I’m conscious? 141 You’re a Beas Finally overcoming Sun Qiang’s attempts to struggle, Zhang Xuan managed to knock him unconscious. Upon contact with the unconscious Sun Qiang, a book immediately appeared in Zhang Xuan’s mind. Only then did Zhang Xuan understand how it worked. For those who were conscious, executing a movement, even if it wasn’t a battle technique, would cause the compilation of a book on them. As time went by, the contents detailed inside would also change automatically. After all, humans were beings with learning capabilities and as such, their flaws would constantly change. On the other hand, those who are unconscious are treated as objects. A book would be compiled upon coming into contact with them. The two scenarios do not conflict and the difference was clear and simple. It was a matter of whether the person in question was conscious or not. Knowing that the library had such an ability, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. If he were to meet with another case like Ling Tianyu’s wife, he just had to touch them. He wouldn’t panic as he did this round. “Old master, an elder from Du Clan, Du Miaoxuan, requests an audience!” After waking up, Sun Qiang examined his body and after confirming that he hadn’t been assaulted, heaved a sigh of relief. He took his leave hurriedly, but after a moment, came back to report. “An elder from Du Clan? Have him come in!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands and returned to his seat. Looks like the news regarding Ling Tianyu had spread rather quickly. Someone is already here to pay a visit. … “You say that you witnessed it yourself? Sun Qiang himself claimed that a master teacher resides in here?” Outside, Du Miaoxuan turned to look at his son doubtfully. Due to his illness, his cultivation fell tremendously. As such, when he heard that a master teacher had come to visit, he lost his decorum immediately. But on his way here, he gradually calmed down and noticed suspicious points. Why would a master teacher suddenly appear here without any news? Furthermore, how could he be staying in such a small mansion? Also, a true master teacher has countless disciples and followers. There was no need for a master teacher to hire the boss of a realtor store as his butler. There were too many illogical parts to the story. “Sun Qiang said it himself. Also, I witnessed the happenings with Ling Tianyu’s wife personally!” Du Yuan explained. “Un!” Du Miaoxuan nodded his head. Regardless of whether the other party was a true master teacher or not, this was a chance. If he turned out to be a fraud, he could choose to leave at any moment. Jiyaaaa! The doors to the courtyard opened and Sun Qiang emerged. “The old master happens to be free, please enter!” Du Miaoxuan and Du Yuan exchanged a glance before entering the mansion. The mansion was decorated in the manner similar to how a philistine merchant would and there was nothing outstanding about it to him. The further Du Miaoxuan proceeded, the more he thought that the other party could be a fraud. Soon, they arrived at the main hall. “Old master, this is Elder Du Miaoxuan and his son, Du Yuan!” Sun Qiang said. “Un!” Zhang Xuan turned around and invited, “Please be seated!” “Yes!” Du Miaoxuan and his son sat on the guests’ seats. At the same time, they secretly assessed the ‘master teacher’ before them. He looked to be in his forties, but his skin was smooth, so it was likely for him to be younger than he appeared to be. Gedeng, Du Miaoxuan’s heart skipped a beat. The man had concealed his appearance. When he was younger, he once left to accumulate worldly experience and had opened his eyes to many different things. He had once seen such a face-changing technique. If he were a real master teacher, why would he change his appearance? Clearly, he was a fake! Perhaps, he might be working together with Ling Tianyu, and this inexperienced son of his took it for real! As such, his heart chilled and his face darkened. Noticing his expression, Zhang Xuan felt a little dismal. Didn’t this fellow come over after hearing how he helped Ling Tianyu? Why was he displaying such an attitude to a master teacher? He remained silent, and Du Miaoxuan didn’t speak either. As such, the air in the main hall stilled and the atmosphere grew awkward. “It’s like that, my father had once fallen severely ill and it caused a great fall in his cultivation. After hearing that Yang shi is here, we came over hoping that Yang shi could take a look to see if there’s possible a remedy for his problem…” Seeing that his father remained silent, Du Yuan hurriedly spoke up, full of anxiety. Wasn’t father very excited on the way here? Why isn’t he speaking now that he had arrived? It would be terrible if we offend Yang shi because of this. “Am I a physician?” Zhang Xuan lifted his eyebrows in displeasure. Since he was feigning as a master teacher, he had to carry the prestige of one. Given how the other party clearly doubted his identity, if he were to anxiously go straight into treating the other party, wouldn’t that be unbefitting of his status? “No… That’s not it!” Du Yuan was taken aback. He tugged on his father’s sleeves immediately, “Father…” “Oh! My son didn’t put his words properly, please forgive him!” Upon confirming that the fellow before him was a fraud, Du Miaoxuan no longer maintained the respectful attitude he held just before. Even so, he maintained basic courtesy, “I met with some problems on my cultivation and upon hearing of Yang shi’s arrival, I could not help but make a visit hoping to learn from you. I hope that Yang shi would be so generous as to guide me along!” “Problems with your cultivation?” Taking in the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan was affirmative that the other party was suspicious of his identity. He frowned in puzzlement. Considering both his disposition and background, there shouldn’t have been any problems at all. Why would the other party doubt him? It was no wonder that he wasn’t able to realize his mistakes. He was a mere librarian and a true-blue shut-in in his previous life. The reason why he was able to convince Ling Tianyu was because the man did not possess much experience in the pugilistic world, and as such, he was blind to the flaws in his disguise. However, his camouflage was indeed insufficient to fool experienced and streetwise veterans such as Du Miaoxuan. “Father…” Detecting the lack of respect in his father’s voice, Du Yuan started to panic. Father had always been a calm and prudent person, why is he acting so recklessly today? The other party was a master teacher! Even Ling Tianyu had to kneel outside for an entire night before he could pay him a visit. It was already a blessing that we were allowed to enter immediately, so we should make full use of the opportunity. But why… “Oh? What do you want to learn?” Even though he was curious why the other party doubted his identity, Zhang Xuan wasn’t worried in the least. Instead, he looked at him with interest. Even though he was pretending to be a master teacher, he wasn’t truly deceiving his customers. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, even a true master teacher would be unable to match his abilities in identifying one’s problems. So… You doubt me? I will make you not dare to doubt me. “I have just learned a new battle technique and found it hard to grasp. I hope that Yang shi can correct me!” Immediately after finishing his sentence, Du Miaoxuan stood up. From what he sees, the person before him is definitely a fraud. Since you want to play off as a master teacher, I will execute a punching routine before you. When you find yourself stumped, I will tear off your disguise! Wuuu! Before Zhang Xuan could reply, Du Miaoxuan clenched his fists and started moving around the room. As expected of an ex-genius, his fists were forceful and it brought an intense pressure to the audiences. His techniques and moves were also profound. Du Miaoxuan was a Pixue realm expert. Due to the severe illness, he plunged to Dingli realm. Even so, his strength didn’t fall much in comparison. With his current strength, he would be able to match with even Pixue realm intermediate stage experts! It was no wonder that he was able to remain as an elder in Du Clan despite being in just Dingli realm. He had true strength indeed. Hu! After finishing his punching routine, he retracted his fists. “Please offer me your guidance!” Du Miaoxuan clasped his fists as he stared at Zhang Xuan with piercing eyes. He wanted to hear what would that fraud had to say. “You want me to offer you my guidance?” Aware of his thoughts, Zhang Xuan looked at him impassively. “Yes!” Du Miaoxuan replied calmly. “Your Fleeting Fist is indeed incredible, you should have reached 3-dan for it already. However… You seem to be unable to control your strength effectively. If I’m not wrong…” At this point, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and a playful smile crept onto his lips. “You are a beast!” 142 Kneeling Outside “What?” Hearing those words, Sun Qiang and the others present in the room froze. Especially Du Yuan, his complexion turned awful immediately. Even if there were problems with his father’s punching routine, how could an upright master teacher humiliate someone so casually and call him a beast? That was a personal attack! “Yang shi, even if my father has offended you, there shouldn’t be a need for you to insult him in such a manner…” Gritting his teeth in anger, Du Yuan protested. “Insult?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Ask your father whether I am insulting him or not.” “Father…” Du Yuan turned around to look at Du Miaoxuan. With a single glance, he was astonished. His father’s body was trembling uncontrollably, and the calm that he possessed a moment ago had disappeared without a trace. “I beg for Yang shi to save me…” Putong! Just as doubts sped through his mind, he saw his father exclaim and kneel to the floor. “Ah?” Du Yuan was taken aback. A confused expression had also appeared on Sun Qiang’s face. Is Du Miaoxuan mentally impaired? Or is he a masochist? His tone was so forceful a moment ago, but when he failed to perform as an expert, even getting insulted by the old master at that, he immediately kneeled down? “Xiao Qiang, send our guests off!” Ignoring Du Miaoxuan was kneeling on the floor, Zhang Xuan waved them away. What a joke, what do you take me for? You doubted my identity and even tried to test me, and now you expect me to save you? “Yes!” Sun Qiang drew closer. “Please leave!” “Please forgive me for being blind, I beg of you to give me a second chance…” Upon hearing that Zhang Xuan was evicting them, Du Miaoxuan was horror-struck. He kowtowed immediately while feeling intense regret over his actions. If only he had listened to his son, such a situation wouldn’t have occurred. Doubting the identity of a master teacher was equivalent to challenging his authority and prestige, it was no wonder that he was displeased. Witnessing an influential elder of the Du Clan kowtowing over and again, Sun Qiang was at a loss. He hurriedly shot a gaze at the old master. “Why? Does my words not matter anymore?” Zhang Xuan frowned. Even though there was no anger in his voice, his voice was authoritative. “Yes…” Sun Qiang shuddered and gestured the other guards in hurriedly, “Men, send Elder Du out.” Hearing the commands, a few guard quickly walked over. “Elder Du, please!” The few guards stepped forward. “Father…” Du Yuan was still unable to comprehend the situation. Why did his father not feel anger upon being insulted as a beast by Yang shi, and instead, kneeled down and begged to be saved? “I was too rash and I admit my fault. I will wait at the gates to beg for Yang shi’s forgiveness.” Du Miaoxuan kowtowed once more and walked out of his own accord. Du Yuan hurriedly followed behind him. The moment he passed the gates, he dropped to his knees in the middle of the street facing the mansion, motionless. “Father…” Du Yuan was about to go insane. No matter what, his father used to be a strong contender for the position of the clan head. Even if he is now an ordinary elder, his continues to hold a distinguished position as compared to the other elders. For him to kneel in the middle of the street… Why? Was it because the other party called him a… beast? Could it be that… Father is truly a masochist? “You kneel down as well!” Before he could fully understand the situation, he heard Du Miaoxuan’s cold voice sounding from beside him. “Father…” Du Yuan gritted his teeth. “I don’t understand…” “That Yang shi is a true master teacher. I had spoken inappropriately earlier and offended him. Thus… I have to apologize to him! A master teacher is someone that cannot be insulted, even in the slightest.” “Kneel down! We can only hope that he would forgive us because… he is a true master teacher. Only he is capable of curing my illness.” “He can cure you?” Du Yuan was confused. He didn’t recall Yang shi mention anything related before! All he did was to insult him ‘You are a beast’. Could that be the reason why father became so certain? The more he pondered, the more confused he got. … “Old master, Elder Du and his son are kneeling before the gates!” Hearing the subordinate’s report, Sun Qiang looked at the old master with a strange expression. Is the old master capable of casting magic? Initially, Du Miaoxuan wasn’t respectful at all and his tone wasn’t polite either. Yet, after an insult, the other party was frightened out of his wits and kneeled down immediately. In fact, he even refused to be chased out… If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he would have thought that it was nonsense. But the facts were laid clearly before him, he has no choice but to believe it! “Is your family doing well? Touch your wife… You are a beast… Looks like master teachers like to speak in such a manner…” Sun Qiang concluded based on his experience with the old master. Putting aside this Du Miaoxuan, Ling Tianyu seemed to be the same as well. Back then, when he broke the jade lion, the billionaire was filled with rage. In the end, the old master simply asked ‘is your family doing well?’ before going ahead to request to touch the other party’s wife… Looks like master teachers don’t like to go about doing things the normal way. Instead, they preferred to beat around the bush and exaggerate matters. Yet, this method seemed to be extremely useful. “Looks like these merchants and elders have to be dealt with the stick instead of the carrot. Un, maybe I should give it a try in the future?” Sun Qiang’s eyes lit up. In his view, the reason why Du Miaoxuan switched his attitude so quickly was because the old master got angry. Seems that in future, when he meets such people, he shouldn’t act subserviently. Instead, he should speak imposingly and authoritatively. Only through this way can he instill respect in the other party. After all, wasn’t Elder Du frightened to the point of kneeling down? Sun Qiang’s thoughts became increasingly fertile. “Next time, when the old master isn’t around, I should give it a try… If it really works, the old master’s impression of me might improve…” Sun Qiang thought excitedly. “Let them kneel!” Not aware of what his butler had come up with in the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuan casually gestured. “Old master, what do we do now?” Sun Qiang asked. Zhang Xuan frowned. That was also what he was thinking. He couldn’t just rely on the money others present to him in gratitude! Taking Ling Tianyu as an example, even though he gave a million in a single go, Zhang Xuan is still a long way off from reaching twenty million. But if he were to open his mouth to request for money, it would be unbefitting of his identity as a master teacher. Others would simply label him as a fraud. If he refused money and simply waited for others to thank him, how much could he earn? What if the other party thought that he, as a master teacher, cared not for material wealth but instead valued relationships heavily, wouldn’t he cry himself to death? After contemplating for some time, Zhang Xuan spoke, “I will be going out for a moment. There’s no need for you to follow me. Instead, you need to do something for me.” At which, Zhang Xuan explained his plan in detail to him. “This… This…” Hearing his words, the butler widened his eyes in shock. This works too? “Go!” Zhang Xuan explained no further and urged him along. “Yes!” After the previous few incidents, he understood that the old master has his reasons for doing things. Thus, he didn’t ask excessively and turned around to leave. A short while later, he returned again. Clearly, he had arranged everything that Zhang Xuan delegated him. “If anyone comes knocking, have them wait at the door.” After instructing so, Zhang Xuan walked out of the mansion. At the gates, he didn’t even spare a glance at the kneeling Du Miaoxuan before walking away. “Father…” Seeing that Yang shi had no intentions of bothering himself with them, Du Yuan panicked and called his father. Since the other party had already left, what use was it for him to be kneeling here? “I am not doing this just to show Yang shi. This is also to display my determination on this matter and my reflection on my mistakes. If I were to leave now, I would probably be left stuck with my problem for life.” Knowing what his son was thinking of, Du Miaoxuan explained. “I got it…” Du Yuan lowered his head in depression. For an elder of the Du Clan, an ex-contender for the clan head position to be kneeling in the middle of a street… What is this… 143 Fetching Money “Did you hear? When Lord Ling sought the old master to treat his wife, he took out a million gold coins in one go, he sure is generous!” At this moment, suppressed mutterings could be heard in the courtyard. It appeared to be the guards of the mansion. After seeing the old master leave the mansion, they started to gossip among themselves. “A million? Is that for real?” The other guard was clearly skeptical. “Of course it’s real, I saw it myself. It is definitely real! A million gold coins might be an astronomical sum to us, but it means nothing to a master teacher like the old master. I heard Brother Sun say that the old master only accepted it to ease the other party’s mind. He didn’t want him to feel like he owed him a favor.” The first guard said. “Now that you mention it, I recall that Lord Ling had also kneeled here for a night. Initially, the old master was unwilling to bother with him, but after he stuffed a sum to Brother Sun, Brother Sun, out of benevolence, helped to speak up for him, and only then did he manage to enter…” The second guard replied. The words of the two were hushed, but they were separated by only a small gate from the street. Du Yuan’s cultivation realm was low, so he could be unable to hear their conversation clearly, but those words echoed in Du Miaoxuan’s ears distinctly. “Yuan-er, get up. Return to the clan now and bring all my savings here…” Du Miaoxuan’s eyes lit up. He was streetwise and full of experience, but that was limited to sparring, battles and logical debates. In terms of bribery and gifting, he was could not compare to a businessman. Previously, he hadn’t thought of offering the other party money, but hearing those words, he was immediately enlightened. That’s right! Even though master teachers don’t accept money because of their identity, butlers are willing to accept it! The mansion, the servants, food, and drink; which of it didn’t require money? Even a physician had to be paid after consulting him. It would be weird if the other party was welcoming since he had come empty-handed. “Alright!” Du Yuan did not understand what was going on, but hearing father’s words, he stood up immediately. “I’ve heard that Brother Sun was reprimanded by the old master because of the matter. It seems that Lord Ling had offended the old master by doubting his identity previously. A master teacher’s prestige must not be sullied. To plead with him using just a million gold coins, how would he be able to uphold his reputation in the future? The old master said that that was a one time off matter, and it mustn’t happen again. Truthfully speaking, a million gold coins is truly like the heavens to us. Yet, to the old master, it wasn’t even worth a plea!” The first guard spoke. “Indeed! When I passed by the front courtyard, I heard some people talking about it. I thought that they were lying…” The second one continued. Outside. “Wait a moment!” Before Du Yuan could leave, his father’s voice echoed in his ear once more. “Dig out those precious pills that I bought recently and sell them all. Also, bring over those savage beast skins that I had accumulated over the years together with the money…” “Father…” Du Yuan was taken aback. What was going on with father? Bringing the money, selling his possessions… “Of course it’s real! I have asked Brother Sun on the matter personally. He said that when Lord Ling passed the million gold coins over, the old master didn’t even take a glance at it. The reason why he treated her was because Lord Ling’s wife was on the verge of death and saving someone brings one good karma. If the one who came over to plead with him was healthy, lively, and able to execute battle techniques, he definitely would ignore him…” The voice of the first guard sounded. “Ah?” Du Miaoxuan began to shake. Clenching his jaws, he continued to command Du Yuan, “Sell that sword of mine as well. Also… Wasn’t the Third Elder interested in taking over my businesses? Talk to him. As long as he is willing to pay, all of those businesses shall be his!” “Father…” Those were already father’s greatest chips within the clan. If he were to sell them all, what will happen in the future? Du Yuan was stupefied. “Hurry up!” Du Miaoxuan urged him. Observing the stern expression on his father’s face, Du Yuan dared not to retort. He turned around to leave at once. “The fact that he was able to execute a battle technique showed that his body is alright. He definitely has a screw loose to doubt a master teacher!” The second guard chastised. “Even though the old master didn’t care not for wealth, that person didn’t even bring a single gold coin with him. Without offering anything, he wanted the old master to exert effort to offer him pointers, wasn’t he daydreaming?” Du Miaoxuan gritted his teeth. “Also, bring you and your mother’s savings over as well…” “…” Du Yuan staggered in his footsteps, nearly bursting into tears. From the looks of it, his father’s is already completely deranged. …………………………………… The conversation between the two guards was exactly what Zhang Xuan delegated Sun Qiang. Without ‘reminding’ the other party, how long would it take for them to send the money over? In any case, those were words of the guards and it had nothing to do with him at all. They did not dare to accuse a master teacher of being a money-grubber either. “As expected of the old master. Even after doing someone in, he wants him to pay up…” Back when Sun Qiang received the task from the old master, he also was speechless. From the very start, the other party would have given substantial rewards to the old master to thank him for offering him his guidance. However, it was uncertain how much the sum would be. After hearing the conversation between the two guards, who would dare to be stingy? To be able to think of a way to earn more money without sullying his prestige; to scam others without dirtying his hands… Too scheming! Initially, just like other people, he thought that the old master did not care for money. From the looks of it… A master teacher is still human and had their own expenses to upkeep. …………………………………… Leaving the residence and darting into a remote alley, Zhang Xuan removed his disguise completely. It was exhausting to have kept the disguise on for the entire day. “The guild should be done preparing the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and the Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution. I should first get them for Wang Ying and Liu Yang!” His purpose for disguising himself as a master teacher to earn money was for this. For the time being, he is unable to obtain the Unravel Yin Pill and the Colossal Rhinoceros Blood, but these other two items were easy to obtain. Stepping into the Apothecary Guild, the two items were indeed ready. As for the remaining two, Guild Leader Ouyang had already sent an application and the headquarters would send it over from another branch. Apothecary Guilds can be found in all large kingdoms. There were pills and treasures that Tianxuan Kingdom didn’t possess, but that didn’t mean that the other kingdoms didn’t have them. As long as they send a request to the headquarters, the goods would be transported from the closest kingdom with stocks. This way, the delivery process was sped up. Otherwise, given how far the headquarter is from here, ten days are too short for them to bring it here! Paying a million as a deposit, he obtained the two items successfully. “Right, Guild Leader Ouyang, do you have Breath Forging Pills? Can you get me some?” After housing the two objects in his storage ring, Zhang Xuan asked. Breath Forging Pill is something extremely useful for Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm initiates. If Wang Ying and the others were to consume it, their training speed should be boosted significantly. “I forged quite a bit of them previously and I still have a few remaining. I can give them to you right away!” Guild Leader Ouyang smiled and passed two jade bottles over. Upon receiving the jade bottle, he looked inside and saw that there were dozens of pills in each bottle. Zhang Xuan understood that the other party was expressing his goodwill and it wasn’t pleasant to reject him. As such, he nodded his head and accepted it. Even though the quality of the Breath Forging Pill wasn’t exceptionally high, it was nevertheless a grade-1 pill. Every single pill costs tens of thousand, yet Guild Leader Ouyang shared dozens of them in a single go generously. 144 Spear Exper If it were any other 1-star apothecaries, even if they were friends, it was impossible for him to be so generous. However, Zhang Xuan was simply too incredible. He was able to rival all the other apothecaries with his words and regardless of whether it was pill forging, herbs… He was perfect in nearly every single aspect, as though there was no way whatsoever to defeat him in the Pill Debate, leaving everyone speechless in his wake. Relying on just this ability, he would surely be able to rise to incredible heights if granted sufficient time. This gesture of goodwill was, in a way, an investment for the future. After keeping the Breath Forging Pills, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled something and inquired, “Guild Leader Ouyang, do you know anywhere that sells secret manuals on spearmanship?” Wang Ying had the Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution whereas Liu Yang had the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill. The Unravel Yin Pill and the Colossus Rhinoceros Blood had not arrived, but when Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao consume it and awaken their constitution, their cultivation realm would definitely soar significantly. Of his five students, he only lacked a solution for Zheng Yang. Zheng Yang specialized in the way of the spear, and Lu Xun had looked for someone who was even more proficient than him to be his opponent. If he doesn’t search for some powerful moves to impart to him, he could possibly become the weakest link. He had looked through the books in the teacher’s Compendium Pavilion and there were some books on battle techniques, but very few relating to spears. That was also the reason why Wang Chao laoshi was so popular. Countless spear practitioners come applying to the academy in admiration of his name. Since Wang Chao was able to ‘give’ Mo Xiao to Lu Xun, the two must share an exceptional relationship. In that case, it wasn’t a viable option for him to visit him to ask him about the way of the spear. At the same time, he did not know anything about the spear. Thus, he could only ask around to see if there were any secret manuals on spearmanship sold in the capital. “Secret manuals on spearmanship? You wish to learn the way of the spear?” Guild Leader looked at Zhang Xuan in astonishment. Apothecaries are highly esteemed in society. Instead of learning pill forging, why are you learning the way of the spear instead? “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Spearmanship is relatively uncommon compared to swordsmanship and there are significantly fewer people who learn it. There are even fewer who manage to become masters of the art. I just happen to be acquainted with one. His family heritage is of the spear and his skills are incredibly powerful and profound. He is famous for his spearmanship, even when considering the entire capital!” Ouyang Cheng stroked his beard and chuckled. “Oh? Can you bring me to learn from him?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “This person is often holed up inside his house, he rarely meets with outsiders and doesn’t easily impart his spearmanship to others. However, I am a good friend of his, so perhaps he might sell me this favor!” Ouyang Cheng said. “Then I’ll be troubling Guild Leader Ouyang for this.” Knowing that the other party was trying to strike up connections, Zhang Xuan nodded his head and secretly decided to guide him in his pill forging whenever he gets the chance to. “Let’s go, I’ll bring you to meet with this old friend of mine.” Seeing that the other person understood his intent, Ouyang Cheng nodded his head in satisfaction. After leaving the Apothecary Guild, the two of them walked for nearly an hour before arriving at a residence. As Ouyang Cheng was good buddies with the master of the residence, the guards did not obstruct his path and they were able to enter the residence smoothly. “Guild Leader Ouyang, please wait a moment. My old master is still training, he will be out in a moment!” The butler brought them to a small gazebo and said. “Un, it’ll do for him to look for me after he finishes his training!” Guild Leader Ouyang knew of the other party’s habits and gestured with his hand to show that he wasn’t bothered by it. Then, he beckoned to Zhang Xuan, “Apothecary Zhang, come and sit!” “Alright!” Zhang Xuan sat down and surveyed the surroundings. The courtyard was large and the renovations were simple but elegant, creating a tranquil atmosphere. There were no servants or attendants in sight in the entire courtyard. It seemed like the owner of the residence wasn’t an extravagant person. “My friend is called Wang Chong. We were acquainted over twenty years ago and he had immersed himself in the way of the spear for his entire life. In terms of spearmanship, he is definitely one of the top figures in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Emperor Shen Zhui had even once complimented his as spearmanship as peerless.” Sipping on his tea, Ouyang Cheng introduced the owner of the residence. “Incredible!” Zhang Xuan had always held respect toward those who were able to reach the pinnacle of their occupation. Regardless of the occupation, to be able to emerge on top of thousands and thousands of people showed their determination and talent. “Old Ouyang, are you talking bad about me behind my back again?” Halfway through their conversation, a bright voice sounded. Then, an elderly walked over with widened strides. Even though he looked fifty or so, his body nevertheless appeared to be brimming with strength, as though he had a boundless supply of energy. He was dressed in a training robe and grabbed a spear in one hand. Just like the butler said, he was probably in the midst of his training and came over without even changing his clothes. “Talking bad behind your bad? I’m not that bored so as to do so!” Ouyang Cheng stood up smiling. Judging from their tones, Zhang Xuan could tell that they were close friends. “That’s more like it. How do you have the time to look for me today?” Wang Chong stepped into the gazebo and caught sight of Zhang Xuan. Perplexed, he asked, “Is this your junior?” “Cough cough!” Ouyang Cheng nearly spat his tea out. An awkward expression appeared on his face. The heck he is my junior! I want to fawn over him so that he can guide me with my pill forging. You saying that he is my junior nearly sent all of my efforts down the drain… Secretly sneaking Zhang Xuan a glance and confirming that he wasn’t angry, he heaved a sigh of relief. Afraid that his old friend would say anything worse, he hurriedly introduced, “Let me introduce you to him. This is the newest 1-star apothecary of our guild, Zhang Xuan!” “1-star apothecary?” Wang Chong was surprised for a moment before feeling shocked. As an old friend of Ouyang Cheng, he knew very well how difficult the apothecary examination was. Seeing how young the other party was, he initially thought that Zhang Xuan was Ouyang Cheng’s junior. The thought that he was an official apothecary didn’t even occur to him. It was something inconceivable to him. Even the butler by the side was astonished. “Not just so, Apothecary Zhang got promoted through Pill Debate. Singlehandedly, he left ten apothecaries speechless. In the field of pill forging, there isn’t a single person in the entire capital who is more knowledgeable than him!” Ouyang Cheng continued. “Pill Debate?” Wang Chong was flabbergasted. Even though he wasn’t an apothecary, he had heard of such an examination method from Guild Leader Ouyang’s himself. For a fellow who wasn’t even twenty years of age to become an apothecary through Pill Debate, even though the fact was lying right before him, he found it difficult to accept. “Guild Leader Ouyang is being too generous, I just happen to possess a little bit of knowledge. In terms of pill forging, I am still a rookie…” Zhang Xuan hurriedly said. He was speaking of the truth. The reason why he was able to succeed in the Pill Debate was because of the Library of Heaven’s Path. If he were to really dabble in pill forging, it was likely that he would be unable to forge even the easiest pills. The three men chatted for awhile longer after that. Zhang Xuan knew that Ouyang Cheng was complimenting him before Wang Chong intentionally to leave a good impression of him on Wang Chong. This way, it would be more likely for the Wang Chong to impart him the way of the spear. Indeed, after the banter, Ouyang Cheng smiled, “Actually, I have something I need to trouble you with!” “Oh?” Wang Chong’s looked at Ouyang Cheng. “It’s like that. Apothecary Zhang highly appreciates the way of the spear. If Brother Wang has the time, you two can exchange views!” Ouyang Cheng said. “Oh? So Apothecary Zhang is a spear expert as well? That’s great…” Hearing those words, Wang Chong’s eyes lit up in excitement. He was a spear fanatic and loved pitting himself against other spear experts. For Zhang Xuan to have become an official apothecary at such a young age, he probably possessed superior talent. How could he not be excited to spar with him? “I… Cough cough, I have never learned spearmanship before…” Upon seeing that the other party was determined to duel with him, an awkward look appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. 145 Heaven’s Path Spear Ar His previous self had expended all of his effort and attention into raising his cultivation realm, allowing him to reach the Zhenqi realm at an exceptionally young age. As such, he had never come into contact with spearmanship. Naturally, the current him who was a true-blue earthling had never come into contact with it either. “Have never learned before?” Wang Chong was taken aback. If he had never learned spearmanship, what views could they exchange? A strange expression also appeared on Ouyang Cheng’s face. Hearing that Zhang Xuan wanted to learn spearmanship, he thought that he possessed at least a certain level of foundation in the art. That was also the reason why he termed it exchanging views instead of learning from him. In that way, Zhang Xuan would be able to retain some dignity, just… To think that he had never learned spearmanship! Awkward! If only he knew that he hadn’t learned spearmanship previously, he would have just directed him to any random spearmanship teacher. There wouldn’t be a need to trouble his old friend. “The situation is like this. I have a student who wants to study spearmanship, so I would like to learn a few moves now and teach him…” Seeing that everyone’s gaze was on him, Zhang Xuan could only reveal his motive. “Learn a few moves now? Teach someone else?” Wang Chong staggered backward and nearly fainted from astonishment. Are you joking? As the saying goes, a month with the stave, a year with the saber, and a lifetime with the spear! Countless people had embarked on spearmanship from young, only to be unable to become a true initiate for their entire life. You haven’t even learned the slightest thing, yet you intend to teach your student… Aren’t you being too gutsy? Or do you think that spearmanship is easy? In an instant, Wang Chong’s face darkened. The favorable impression he had of Zhang Xuan fell apart. He had been training in the way of the spear for his entire life and already regarded the spear as an essential part of his life. He hated it when others belittled his art. Yet, this fellow hadn’t even learned a single about it but intended to go about muddling his students… That was truly an insult to the way of the spear! If not for his respect for the other party’s identity as a 1-star apothecary and for his old friend Ouyang’s dignity, he would have thrown him out. Suppressing his displeasure, he stated, “Spearmanship is hard to practice and learn. It is an impossible task to achieve anything significant in a short period of time. If you were to teach others without fully grasping the art, it is likely that you misguide them!” His voice was steeled. “Er…” Noticing the displeasure on the other party’s face, Zhang Xuan knew that it was probably impossible for him to learn spearmanship directly from the other party. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “How about this, does Brother Wang have any books regarding spearmanship here? If so, can you allow me to browse through them?” “Browse through books?” Wang Chong frowned. Spearmanship is a type of battle technique and every single movement requires the guidance and correction of an expert, as well as the refinement over a lengthy period of time. If one could learn that easily by reading books, one wouldn’t have to train that hard. However, even though he was skeptical of Zhang Xuan’s purpose, upon witnessing him give up on his previous intentions, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Sure, I have a lot of such books here. It is also good for you to learn about how profound spearmanship is so that you won’t be so reckless. I’ll bring you over!” As a spear master, nearly every single book on spearmanship that was in the kingdom was in his possession. As long as his family’s secret spear technique wasn’t leaked, it wasn’t really a big deal for him to allow outsiders to browse through those fundamental books. “Thank you!” Zhang Xuan hurriedly nodded his head. Spear arts, just like all other battle techniques, needed long hours of refinement in order for the form and the essence of the skill to shine through. However, Zhang Xuan was different. As long as he had sufficient books, he was able to create a powerful and concise spear art that was easy to learn. “This is my study. I have almost all spear related books in Tianxuan Kingdom in here, as well as some exclusive collections!” As the trio reached the study, Wang Chong gestured majestically with a proud expression. He had paid quite a hefty sum to gather all of these books. These books had also helped to augment his spearmanship, bringing it to greater heights. Looking inward, Zhang Xuan saw seven to eight entire bookshelves filled with all kinds of books elaborating on every single aspect of spearmanship. “Ouyang, it has been long since you last came. Let’s go grab a drink!” Knowing that Zhang Xuan would take some time to read through some books, Wang Chong did not intend to wait here for him. Instead, he beckoned Ouyang Cheng toward another room. “Alright!” Ouyang Cheng said and the two of them walked out. “I should begin!” Watching them leave, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, walked up to a bookshelf and started flipping through the books. Hualalala! The sound of books flipping started to echo in the room and all sort of books on spearmanship formed in his mind. Some of these books were on the very fundamentals, some of them detailed common moves and some of them were just basic introductions… All in all, there were truly all kinds of books on spearmanship that one could possibly imagine in here. As expected of a spear master, his collection was truly abundant. Flipping through the books continuously, he soon imprinted into his mind all the eight bookshelves of books in the study, which added up to a total of a few thousand books, within an hour. Standing quietly on the spot, Zhang Xuan started to digest the newly compiled books in his mind. “The correct training method…” His mind jolted and all of the books on spearmanship melded together to form a single book before him. He started flipping through it. “Weapons are an extension of the arm. Only by training it to become a part of your arm can one be considered to be a true initiate. Spearmanship is the same as well…” The spear art created by the Library of Heaven’s Path through compiling so many books was incredibly profound and gave one the feeling of enlightenment. While looking through it, Zhang Xuan used his finger in place of a spear to practice its moves. Huhuhu! From time to time, with the augmentation of zhenqi, his finger would pierce through the air menacingly. It was as though his body had become the spear itself, and at any moment now, he would pierce through the heavens. The spear was termed as the king of weapons. To become a true expert, one had to have the disposition of one capable of piercing through the heavens. Without numerous storms and the accumulation of experiences over time, it was impossible to forge such a disposition! If someone were to notice the current Zhang Xuan, they would definitely yell in exclamation. That was because the current Zhang Xuan already possessed the disposition. Even though it couldn’t be determined whether his spearmanship had reached a high level of mastery, just the aura he was exuding was sufficient to crush the confidence of countless cultivators, destroying their will to fight. Fully immersed in the book, Zhang Xuan was completely oblivious to these changes. Instead, he continued emulating the movements with his hands. Tzzzzz! Burst after burst of zhenqi shot out along the trajectory of his fingers and impacted the floor, creating countless holes on it. It was fortunate that he had kept his strength in check. Otherwise, Wang Chong’s study would probably be wrecked just like Master Lu Chen’s. After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan finally stopped and exhaled turbid air. “I’m already done cultivating it?” His eyes lit up. In just a moment’s time, he had already practiced the entire sequence of the spear art compiled in the library once. “I’ll call it Heaven’s Path Spear Art!” Weng! The book jolted and a name appeared on it… Heaven’s Path Spear Art! “It’s a pity that there are too few books and too many mistakes in them. I only managed to create a single move!” Zhang Xuan lamented. The books were all on the basics of spearmanship. The Library of Heaven’s Path compiled all of the correct theories and created a spear art from it. “I wonder to what extent will this move augment my strength, and how much strength I would be able to execute through it!” Even though it was just a single move, he knew that it was impossible for it to be anything simple, especially after experiencing the Heaven’s Path Divine Art and the Heaven’s Path Golden Body. His fighting prowess would definitely be boosted significantly if he were to execute it. “I’ll impart this to Zheng Yang when I return!” The reason why he was here specially to learn spear art was so that he could impart it to Zheng Yang. Even though it was just a single move, at the very least, the journey he made here wasn’t in vain. It could be imagined that if Zheng Yang were to fully grasp the skill, his spearmanship would definitely improve by leaps and bounds. By then, defeating that Mo Xiao wouldn’t pose any problem. All that came from the Heaven’s Path had to be exceptional. There was no doubt about this. “Time to go!” After reading all the books and obtaining what he wanted, Zhang Xuan did not dawdle in the study excessively and walked out with big strides. 146 Spear Inten Under the gazebo, Wang Chong and Ouyang Chong were seated across one another, drinking. “You say that this Apothecary Zhang… passed the Pill Debate examination?” Even until now, Wang Chong found it hard to believe. Pill Debate is virtually a special privilege for master teachers, something that is meant for only the very best. Yet, a young man who wasn’t even twenty managed to pass this examination. Even though he was hearing it firsthand from a reliable source, he nevertheless dares not to believe it to be possible. “Indeed, Apothecary Zhang’s knowledge on herbs and pills is superior even to that of mine. He is bound to reach great heights!” Ouyang Cheng couldn’t help but be impressed whenever he recalled Zhang Xuan’s deeds. “Even though he is incredible in pills and herbs, his understanding of the spear is too shallow. Spearmanship isn’t a game, one can’t learn just by looking. If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have had to immerse myself in it for my whole life thus far.” Wang Chong’s face shone with pride and overwhelming confidence reflected in his eyes. “Indeed, the spear is the most complicated among all weapons. How could it be easy to achieve mastery?” Of the numerous weapons, the spear was the hardest weapon to master. Countless cultivators had taken on the challenge only to end up locked out of the gates of success. Sighing, Ouyang Cheng suddenly remembered something and glanced at Wang Chong, “There aren’t any exclusive spear art secret manuals in your study, are there?” He brought Zhang Xuan here. If his old friend were to accidentally reveal some family heirloom secret manuals to him, he truly would have to feel apologetic. “Of course not. The spear arts that I created, as well as my family’s secret manuals, are all kept in my mind. They are only passed down by word, other people are unable to learn it even if they wanted to!” Wang Chong chuckled, “Those that are in the study are all regarding the basics and fundamentals of spearmanship. It is useful for those who have just come into contact with the spear. It’s not a big deal to allow Apothecary Zhang to browse through them. Besides, letting him read through them is a good idea, he should realize how difficult spearmanship is and drop his immature thoughts!” To be thinking about teaching spearmanship when you know nothing at all, what a joke! If spearmanship were that easy, he wouldn’t have possessed the fame that he has now, such that even Emperor Shen Zhui complimented him personally. The Spear Master wasn’t a title that came out of nowhere. For this matter, he had absolute confidence and pride! “Indeed…” Ouyang Cheng nodded his head. There isn’t a single weapon or battle technique that can be mastered easily. They require continuous training to refine every single move to the very perfection. If it could be grasped that easily, experts would be worth nothing at all. “Apothecary Zhang is still young and it is natural for him to be ambitious. After he’s done browsing through those books, I will reveal a spear art to him so that he would realize the difficulty and give up on those ludicrous thoughts!” Even though Wang Chong was unsatisfied with Zhang Xuan’s actions, he dared not to underestimate him, especially after knowing his talent in pill forging. “Alright, I guess he should probably give up after that and focus on pill forging. I am still looking forward to our first 2- star apothecary in our Apothecary Guild…” Ouyang Cheng chuckled. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw Wang Chong’s body stiffen abruptly before trembling uncontrollably. Dang lang! He was oblivious to the fact that the wine cup he held in his hand had dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces. “Wang Chong…” Looking at the spear master, whose strength was top-notch in the entire Tianxuan City, acting so strangely all of the sudden, Ouyang Cheng was horrified. He had never heard that his old friend was sick! Why did he start convulsing all of the sudden? “It’s Spear Intent, Spear Intent!” Just when he was considering what pill he should pop into his friend’s mouth to save him, the latter suddenly recovered. His eyes glowed as though a priceless treasure was right before him. “Spear Intent? What is that?” Seeing that he was fine, Ouyang Cheng heaved a sigh of relief and looked at him curiously. What could it be, for it to be able to make his friend, who was as steady as a mountain, behave in such a manner? “Those who reach a certain level of mastery in the sword can form the Sword Intent. Similarly, those who are able to exude Spear Intent are the true spear masters. These few years, the reason why I had confined myself to the residence was so that I can temper my mind to enter such a state. However, it is a pity that I had been unable to achieve a breakthrough… When did such an expert appear in the residence? Or did someone manage to achieve a breakthrough before I did? Let’s go over to take a look!” He stood up abruptly and proceeded toward the origin of the Spear Intent. After developing Spear Intent, whatever one did with the spear would be a spear art. He had always strived for this goal, but he had managed to find the way. He never imagined that someone who could form Spear Intent would suddenly appear in his residence. Who could it be? The two of them rushed toward the source of Spear Intent. On the way, they happened to see Zhang Xuan strolling leisurely out of the study. “Where is he?” Before Zhang Xuan could say anything, Wang Chong asked hurriedly. “He? Who do you mean?” Zhang Xuan had no idea what the other party was talking about. He had been immersed in reading and practicing the Heaven’s Path Spear Art, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the situation outside. What happened? Did an enemy invade? “I felt an astonishing wave of Spear Intent here, why is there no one?” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was clueless, Wang Chong looked around hastily. However, the surrounding was completely empty and there weren’t any other people in sight. “Could it be that you’ve been thinking of it so much that you began to imagine things?” Ouyang Cheng asked. His old friend had been dreaming about Spear Intent day and night. Could it be that his longing had finally turned into delusions? Otherwise, why was he unable to sense anything himself? “At my level, I am just a step away from forming Spear Intent. Just a moment ago, I had clearly felt a Spear Intent surging into the skies. I am positive of that!” Wang Chong was very confident. He had been exploring the secrets of the spear everyday fanatically, and it would be truly embarrassing if he had mistaken Spear Intent as something else. “Wait, wait. What is that Spear Intent you both are talking about?” Looking at the heated discussion between the two, Zhang Xuan could not hold back his curiosity. All the books that he had read were on the bare fundamentals. Spear Intent is an extremely advanced topic and it wasn’t recorded in any of the books. As such, Zhang Xuan was ignorant. “Spear Intent is a special state of mind which a practitioner can reach only if his understanding of the spear reaches the extreme…” Wang Chong tried explaining before shaking his head, “You have never learned spearmanship. You won’t understand it even if I explain it to you…” Even though the other party did not go into details, Zhang Xuan got a brief grasp on the situation. “So, the reason why you are looking around here is because someone had released Spear Intent here just a moment ago?” “I’m not very sure as well. I felt it vaguely just now and it should be in the vicinity…” Wang Chong nodded his head. The appearance of the Spear Intent was only for the briefest moment, as though a flash of lightning. Even Wang Chong could only sense it vaguely, and as such, he was unable to ascertain the exact location. Otherwise, he would have rushed forward directly rather than to stay distressed over here. “Right, you were here just now. You should be clear about where the person is!” Suddenly recalling something, Wang Chong turned around to look at him with glowing eyes. He was a distance away, so he was unable to sense the exact location. However, Apothecary Zhang had been here all along. With his help, he would surely be able to find the master! At the very least, after they confirm the location, they would know whether the person is a member of the clan or an outsider. As a clan specializing in spear, all members of the clan immersed themselves in the way of the spear. Even the guards were skilled in spearmanship. Even though Wang Chong could summon all of the guards here to question them one by one, if the person in question simply kept mum or was unaware of it himself, it would be much simpler to pinpoint the exact location. “But… I don’t know what Spear Intent is?” Zhang Xuan hesitated. “That’s simple. Even though I have yet to fully comprehend Spear Intent, I am able to imitate with it a 70% to 80% likeness. It should feel something like this!” Wang Chong exerted and a sharp piercing aura gushed straight toward Zhang Xuan. It felt as though it was capable of piercing through anything. “So this is Spear Intent?” A bizarre expression appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. “Indeed, it should feel something like this. Do you know where it came from?” Dispelling the aura, sweat droplets streamed down Wang Chong’s forehead. Still gasping for air, he inquired. Even though he only imitated the aura for a brief moment, it took a toll on his body and weakened him. “This…” Zhang Xuan felt slightly embarrassed. “Is the Spear Intent you spoke of… this?” The next instant, Zhang Xuan’s entire body seemed to have turned into a spear and exuded a frighteningly piercing aura, as though he would pierce through the heavens at any moment. Contrasting the two, Wang Chong’s Spear Intent was like a blade of grass before a towering ancient tree. Incomparable. 147 Can I Learn From You? “Ah? Spear… Spear Intent?” Wang Chong’s body swayed and he nearly fainted. Are you for real? How can you display Spear Intent? Furthermore, such a pure Spear Intent! He was astonished. Noticing Zhang Xuan’s embarrassed look, he nearly threw up blood. Embarrassed? Embarrassed your head! Brother, can you not fool others like that? Didn’t you say that you never learned the way of the spear? Didn’t you say that you didn’t know what spear arts were? I have started learning the way of the spear since eight and I had spent forty years since then dedicating my life to it. Even so, I am still a long way from achieving Spear Intent… Can you explain to me roughly, what is with that overwhelming Spear Intent of yours? Didn’t you say that you do not know what Spear Intent is? Then what in the world is this? Tears streamed down Wang Cong’s face. You shouldn’t play with someone like that! It was laughable that he had reprimanded the other party so brazenly earlier on, saying that he wouldn’t understand it even if he explained it… Where did this self-confidence come from? Or rather, the one who didn’t understand was he himself… He hated the fact that there wasn’t a hole here for him to dive into. “This is Spear Intent?” Ouyang Cheng was stunned. Right after displaying a moment of Spear Intent, his old friend was already sweating profusely and panting for air, as though he had been constipated for a few days straight. Yet, this fellow was able to execute it easily as and when he liked, as though it were merely eating and drinking… Are you the spear master, or Wang Chong is? “You… Didn’t you say that you have never learned about spears?” Overwhelmed with shock, Ouyang Cheng asked. Wang Chong also hurriedly shifted his attention to hear how the other party would explain it. “It is true that I haven’t learned it before!” Zhang Xuan replied truthfully. “If you have never learned it before, how can you have such a powerful Spear Intent?” Wang Chong was about to go mad. If you were able to display such powerful Spear Intent without any prior experience, given my achievement despite how I have spent my life immersing myself in the art, I must have been spending my time on learning nonsense… “Oh, I was just reading the books in the study and an epiphany struck me. I realized that executing spear art in this form felt the most comfortable, so I got into the form. I didn’t know that this is Spear Intent!” Zhang Xuan said after a short moment of contemplation. Zhang Xuan wasn’t trying to feign ignorance. Rather, the books in the study were truly only about the very basics of spearmanship, so there wasn’t a single one that detailed Spear Intent. He only happened to grow such a disposition due to the Heaven’s Path Spear Art formed through these books. As for how Spear Intent could be used and how useful it was to a spear wielder, he had no idea at all. Wang Chong’s tears continued streaming down his face. You described it as though it were as easy as eating and drinking, do you know how much effort I have put into the matter, only to fail time and time again? For the past decade, I had been building my mental fortitude, entering desolate lands, overcoming the frost and withstanding the heat. Even so, I have yet to succeed. Yet, you simply came to the study, read some books and unintentionally… managed to reach such a level! My heart! My liver! My youth! If there were a huge pit before him, he would have definitely jumped in to bury himself alive. Can you not destroy my confidence like that? If you said that you had put in a lot of effort, trained daily and simply happened to achieve a breakthrough, I would feel a little better. But you have only spent two hours reading through books, and… and yet you have already achieved a breakthrough… Furthermore, what you were reading weren’t profound secret manuals. They were just elementary books on spearmanship… If word were to spread out, all spear masters in the capital would definitely die from shame. “Wang Chong, humans aren’t born with equal talents. Perhaps, Apothecary Zhang… may truly be gifted in the way of the spear!” Seeing his despondent old friend who had been struck a heavy blow, Ouyang Cheng tried to console him. “Alright, I can only take it as that!” As expected of an expert spear practitioner, he had already forged his will to become as resilient as steel. Even though he was dispirited, he soon readjusted his mental state. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a young man’s perplexed voice echo in the air. “You say that I have comprehended Spear Intent, but what does Spear Intent do?” Wang Chong’s staggered once more. Enduring his crumbling heart, he explained, “Spear Intent refers to one’s understanding of the spear; reaching Spear Intent means that the spear has already become an extension of the practitioner’s arms. Under such a state, any movement he makes can be considered as a spear art. This is something that can only be achieved when one reaches the pinnacle of spearmanship!” “Any movement made can be considered as spear art?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “Great! If my student can comprehend Spear Intent, he would be able to achieve victory in the Freshmen Tournament!” Since Spear Intent is that formidable, Zhang Xuan decided to give Zheng Yang a good lesson when he returned. As long as he is able to achieve such a state, even if he didn’t possess profound spear arts in his arsenal, it is unlikely for him to lose to his opponent. “You want to help your student comprehend it as well?” Wang Chong trembled. Spear Intent is a person’s understanding toward the spear. Do you think that everyone is as overpowered as you so as to be able to achieve a breakthrough just by looking at some books? He wanted to convince the other party to drop the idea, but he didn’t know where he should start from. “Right, I have learned a technique when I was looking through the books earlier back, but I have no idea how powerful it would be. Since Brother Wang is a spear master, can you offer me some pointers?” Zhang Xuan had no concept of Spear Intent, so he wasn’t as shocked as the other party. Recalling the move that the Heaven’s Path Library created, he couldn’t help but speak up. The person before him was a renowned spear master in the entire kingdom. He would definitely be able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the move. “You even comprehended a technique? Fine, I am also interested to see what kind of move a genius like you is able to comprehend!” Wang Chong nodded his head and sent a subordinate to fetch a spear over. Soon, he returned carrying two spears. “The best way to test the strength of a move is through sparring! Apothecary Zhang, show me the move you have just comprehended!” It was as though Wang Chong had transformed the moment a spear was grasped in his hands. His aura was ferocious, as though a savage ancient beast had awakened from his sleep. In his view, even though the other party had comprehended Spear Intent, his absolute strength and ability to wield the spear should still be inferior to him. Even if the other party has any special moves, he should be able to handle it with ease. “Alright!” It just happened that Zhang Xuan wanted to try out his move. Thus, he casually grabbed the other spear. He had never once grabbed a spear in his life. However, after comprehending Spear Intent, the spear felt like a perfect fit in his hands. “Let’s begin!” The moment Zhang Xuan felt so, his aura evolved immediately, as though the ordinary young man from before had become a domineering conqueror. Hu! Charging forward, his spear shot out explosively from his palms. This technique was something he created after compiling the essence of thousands of manuals. All of the complexities had been simplified into this one single concise move. The zhenqi in his entire body churned and the spear flew out as though a massive rising from the ocean, soaring into the skies. “What?” Initially, he didn’t pay much heed to Wang Chong, but upon witnessing the spear piercing straight at him, goosebumps were raised on his body immediately and he was almost scared witless. The move may look simple, inelegant and even ugly, but it focused all of the cultivator’s strength and spirit into a single point. This… This… This was supreme spear art! Boom! Without much time to think, Wang Chong’s exerted all his strength in one stroke and met Zhang Xuan’s blow with one of his own. Unleashing his full strength, his cultivation realm was also revealed… Fighter 7-dan, Tongxuan realm! Ding! The two spears met in the air and a massive shock wave was generated, sending intense gusts to the surroundings. Deng deng deng deng! Zhang Xuan retreated seven to eight steps before stopping. On the other hand, Wang Chong was still rooted to his spot. It was clear who the victor was in the simple face-off. Zhang Xuan didn’t use his full strength. He had limited it to 40 ding and naturally, wouldn’t be able to withstand a full strength attack by a Tongxuan realm advanced stage expert. However, due to the incredible resilience of his body and his pure zhenqi, even though he was forced back, he wasn’t injured at all. “As expected of a spear master, incredible!” Seeing that the other party had managed to easily deal with a move derived by the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan was impressed. On the other hand, Wang Chong nearly fainted from fear. The other party’s seemingly simple spear art had forced him to execute his trump card. Furthermore… Even though he didn’t retreat a single step and it looked as though he had the upper hand, there was a dull pain in his chest and his blood flow had become erratic. He had been wounded considerably in the face-off. If not for him suppressing forcefully, he would have spurted a mouthful of blood. No matter what, he was a Tongxuan realm advanced stage expert… For him to be unable to match up to a Pixue realm opponent… It was a difference of an entire cultivation realm between them. Normally, it would be impossible for one to defeat an opponent who had a higher cultivation realm. It was hard to tell what he would think if he were to know that the young man before him had only used half of his strength in this face-off. “This move is truly incredible…” After taking a long time to adjust his breathing, Wang Chong couldn’t help but compliment. The move was simply too amazing! He had always thought that he was a genius, and he had also created quite a few spear techniques. However, compared to this move, they were all trash. The difference between the two was like comparing dirt to gem. “That’s great. I want to impart this move to my student. Can Brother Wang offer me some pointers so that I can improve it?” Zhang Xuan asked. “Pointers…” Wang Chong’s face flushed. Apothecary Zhang, are you here to slap my face? Putting aside the fact that you have achieved Spear Intent and that every single move of yours is a spear art, this move… I can’t even comprehend the move, how can I offer you pointers? Even though he was a spear master, he wasn’t able to tell how his opponent executed the move and how the attack came at him… He felt so embarrassed that he could commit suicide. “This move… has no problems. You can impart it to your student like this!” After saying those words, Wang Chong’s face felt a burning sensation on his face. An hour ago, he had thought that the young man didn’t understand spearmanship, and that he was insulting the way of the spear. But now… He felt that he was the one insulting the way of the spear. The other party had only read two hours of books, and not only did he comprehend Spear Intent, he had even created such an incredible technique. On the other hand, he had practiced spearmanship for more than forty years, but had only reached such a nonsensical level… In an instant, he felt blood welling up in his chest, ready to spurt out at any moment. After the embarrassment, a daring thought suddenly emerged in his mind. The essence of the other party’s technique was to concentrate one’s entire strength to one single point. In this aspect, it resembled Spear Intent greatly. If he were to learn the move, he might be able to break through the final barrier obstructing him and achieve Spear Intent. “Apothecary Zhang, can you… teach me this move?” After a moment of hesitation, he asked red-faced. “You wish to learn? Sure, I can teach you!” After a moment of surprise, Zhang Xuan agreed to his request with a smile. Hearing the conversation between the two, Ouyang Cheng staggered. Wasn’t Zhang Xuan the one who came here today to learn spearmanship from Wang Chong? How did… their roles… get swapped? 148 Student Dueling Platform Without the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to complement the Heaven’s Path Spear Art, even if the other party learned it, it would be significantly weaker than his. Furthermore, it was a move he had devised through the other party’s books, so teaching the other party wasn’t a big deal. Thus, Zhang Xuan agreed to Wang Chong’s request without much hesitation. Of course, it was impossible for him to impart him the full version. After all, the Heaven’s Path Spear Art was too fearsome. It would be unparalleled even if he were to just impart a portion of it. “I…” Wang Chong had raised this request without harboring much hope. Upon hearing Zhang Xuan agree to it, his entire body trembled in agitation and his eyes reddened. Experts usually only imparted the moves they created to their children and disciple, never allowing it to leak out. Putting others aside, he was one of them as well. Other than his son, he had never taught anyone else the moves that he had created. Yet, Apothecary Zhang was willing to impart such a profound move to him so easily. This magnanimity and personality… “This move is extremely profound, I can’t learn it for free…” Hesitating for a moment, Wang Chong said. Even though the other party was willing to impart him the move, it wasn’t appropriate for him to take something without giving anything back in return. It was just like how one had to send betrothal gifts when marrying other’s daughter. How could there be free lunch in this world? “Apothecary Zhang is lacking gold coins to purchase some pills. I think it would be best for you to pay him some money to serve as the tuition fee!” Ouyang Cheng interjected. Zhang Xuan had yet to pay him for the pills he had bought in his stead. He knew the other party was definitely looking for a way to earn money to repay him, and since his old friend wished to repay the favor, it was best for him to simply give Zhang Xuan money. Furthermore, after imparting the battle technique to Wang Chong, Zhang Xuan would be considered as half a teacher to Wang Cong. If Zhang Xuan turned out to be very demanding thereafter, he might be unable to repay this favor and this would put him in a very difficult position. Putting others aside, what if Zhang Xuan wanted to learn the spear arts Wang Chong had created… Should he teach it to him? “Alright!” Understanding the intentions behind his old friend’s words, Wang Chong hurriedly nodded his head. He turned around to delegate some tasks to the butler. Not long later, the butler came in with a stack of bills and passed it over to Zhang Xuan. “This is the tuition fee. I hope that Apothecary Zhang can accept it. It would be inappropriate for me to learn your spear art for free…” “Hm?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened. Am I dreaming? I came here to learn spear art, but… why did I become the one teaching… Furthermore, I am even earning money? However, Zhang Xuan found it hard to reject his money, looking at that stack of bills which was worth at least two million. Upon keeping the money, Zhang Xuan began to display the technique slowly and explained the concept and workings behind it in detail. As expected of a spear master, although Wang Chong had not yet achieved Spear Intent, his knowledge of spears had already permeated deep into his bones. With a single demonstration, he had already almost fully grasped the concept. Even though his might was still far from Zhang Xuan’s original version, there were no problem with his form and his movements. “Apothecary Zhang, thank you for imparting me the move!” Only after learning this move did Wang Chong truly understand how powerful it was. He was astounded by its might. He could already foresee that if he were to continue practicing the skill, in less than a year, he would be able to achieve Spear Intent and grow even stronger. Regardless of whether he had paid the school fee or not, Zhang Xuan had already become half a teacher to him. By ‘half a teacher’, it meant that one had learned a move or two from another person, or had been granted pointers from him. Since he had already grasped the move, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to remain here. Along with Ouyang Cheng, he bided farewell and left. “Guild Leader Ouyang, help me keep an eye on those pills. I will claim them from you when the time comes!” Leaving Spear Master Wang Chong’s residence, Zhang Xuan said. “Rest easy!” Ouyang Cheng nodded his head. Previously, he simply thought that as long as this young man studied diligently, he could become the first 2-star apothecary of Tianxuan Kingdom. However, such thoughts had vanished altogether from his mind. From a complete beginner, just by reading two hours of books, he was able to easily create a move that even Wang Chong revered, furthermore achieving Spear Intent… Such a person would surely strike it big and his name would ring across the world. “Return to the academy!” The Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution and Meridian Rejuvenation Pill were already in his possession, so he thought that he should pass them over to his students so that they could cultivate even faster. After bidding Ouyang Cheng farewell, he returned to his classroom swiftly. However, when he arrived, he only saw Wang Ying in the classroom; the rest were absent. “Where are the others?” Zhang Xuan frowned. He had been finding all means to help them raise their strength swiftly, yet this bunch of fellows didn’t even come for training. “They… They…” Not expecting Zhang laoshi to appear at such a moment, Wang Ying was terrified. Cowering backward in fear, she stuttered. Zhang laoshi had said when he left class yesterday that he would be busy, and he might be unable to make it for lessons for the time being. Why is he back so soon? “Speak!” Zhang Xuan’s complexion darkened. In order to awaken their unique constitution and heal their wounds, he went through the trouble of undertaking the apothecary examination and disguised himself as a master teacher. Yet, they were skipping out on lessons. He was truly infuriated. If he knew that this would happen, he would never have bothered expending such effort on them. Was he giving them dowry? If students didn’t working hard themselves, no matter how much assistance the teacher provides them, it would still be difficult for them to achieve great heights in the future. After all, rotten mud would just slide down no matter how high you carry them up. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. At the point, Zhang Xuan’s face was completely cold. “Teacher…” Wang Ying shivered. She had a weak character, and upon seeing Zhang laoshi’s rage, she was scared speechless. Jiyaa! At this point, the door opened. Before anyone could walk in, a voice echoed, “Wang Ying, hurry up and come. They have started fighting…” Halfway through his words, the owner of the voice saw the icy-faced Zhang Xuan and the remaining words cluttered in his throats. “Zhang laoshi…” The owner of the voice shuddered. Fatty Yuan Tao. “Started fighting? Getting someone to help? Did I get you here to cultivate or to fight?” Zhang Xuan’s voice was icy. “I…” Yuan Tao’s face paled. “You have barely learnt a thing or two and you are already out fighting others. Is it that you don’t need me as your teacher anymore?” Truthfully, Zhang Xuan wasn’t angry, his heart simple ached. Even though he hadn’t gotten along with these students of his for long, he had already treated them as his closest kin and had worked hard for their sake. Yet, they went out to engage in a group fight, running back to call for backup when they found themselves in a bad position… He felt frustrated over how they simply had not matured. “Zhang laoshi, that’s not it…” Anxiety appeared on Yuan Tao’s plump face. “That’s not it? Then tell me, what does fighting and you calling Wang Ying to help means? If I were to hear of any false words from your mouth today, I will expel you. Don’t even dream of calling me teacher ever again!” Zhang Xuan flung his robe backward furiously. If these children were not worth grooming, he wouldn’t want to waste his effort as well. The most that could happen was for him to lose and leave Tianxuan Kingdom and Hongtian Academy. With the Library of Heaven’s Path in his possession, where else could he not go in this vast world? The reason why he stayed was because his previous self’s longing for this place and his sense of responsibility toward his students. “It’s…” Yuan Tao shivered for a moment before gritting his teeth. “It’s like this. Today, the academy is allocating cultivation resources and they said that you are… the worst teacher in the academy, so you don’t have any rights to claim it! We felt furious with their words and went over to argue it out with them. As such, a conflict broke out…” “Allocating cultivation resources?” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before he recalled. Every month, the academy would allocate cultivation resources to each teacher. The amount of resources a teacher received depended on the amount of students the teacher had, the results of his Teacher Qualification Examination, as well as his overall evaluation. The teachers could use these resources themselves or to reward the better students in order to encourage them to work harder. Usually, these cultivation resources were allocated by the 【Student Bureau】. Student Bureau was the department that was responsible for managing and conducting examinations for students, as well as to distribute cultivation resources to the students and teachers. Zhao Ya had scored within the top ten of the freshmen and did not have to share a dormitory with the others. It was the department which allocated her dormitory to her. “Bring me over!” Knowing that they were standing up for him, Zhang Xuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. His rage had also quelled significantly. Those lads… “Yes!” Yuan Tao did not dare to say anything else. He immediately led the way, with Wang Ying also tagging along. The three of them started to walk toward the Student Bureau. ………………………… Student Bureau. “The Teacher Guild had already endorsed Zhang laoshi’s innocence on the affair, Zhou laoshi, why do you still refuse to allocate the resources belonging to him?” Zheng Yang glared at the young man before him furiously. That was a previous student who had become a teacher in the school, Zhou Tian. “Innocence? Are the documents here? Did they any notify us?” Zhou Tian lifted his eyebrows and a hint of mockery appeared on his face. “Since there’s nothing at all, Zhang Xuan remains the worst teacher in the school who scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination. It is a waste to grant him resources. Don’t blame me for having not allocated resources to you, blame yourselves for acknowledging the wrong teacher!” As the ancient saying goes, wealth, peers, teachings, and land. Of which, wealth came first, and from this, it was clear to see how important it was for one’s cultivation. TL: This is a Buddhism term that states the four things one need to achieve enlightenment. Without sufficient wealth, one is unable to immerse himself in his cultivation. Without peers, it is difficult for one to reach great heights. Without teachings, it is likely for one to stray from the correct path. Without a suitable land, it is likely for one to be affected by his surroundings. This was precisely the reason why Wang Ying hesitated back then when Zhang Xuan said that she might face a shortage of cultivation resources. Every month, Hongtian Academy would allocate some cultivation resources to its students and teachers. Most of them were low-level pills. Even though it wasn’t of much use to the teachers, it was excellent tonic for students who had just started cultivating. This was the reason why many people were able to improve rapidly. Today was the day of the allocation, but they were not informed. Naturally, they took the initiative to inquire about the matter. “Even if the documents from the Teacher Guild had yet to be passed down, I recall that all teachers of Hongtian Academy, regardless of how terrible their results are, as long as they had students, they would qualify to claim the Breath Forging Powder! What rights do you have to not even give that to us?” Zhao Ya stepped forward. Breath Forging Powder was the most common cultivation resources used by the lower grade students. It allowed the students in Juxi realm to better sense the spiritual energy in the air. The Breath Forging Powder couldn’t be considered as a pill and even Wen Xue, who hadn’t qualified as an apprentice apothecary could make it, thus making it inexpensive. According to the school rules, any teacher with students was entitled to it. You may be able to find excuses to avoid allocating the expensive cultivation resource to us, but if you refuse to give this to us as well, it would be clear that you are trying to make things difficult for us! “There’s such a rule, but there’s also a clause stating that if the students weren’t worth grooming, the Student Bureau could choose not to allocate any to the students. You all refused to follow by the Student Bureau’s arrangement and made a fuss here. Hence, it is logical that I would reject your request!” Zhou Tian said arrogantly. “You…” Seeing that the other party was determined not to give it to them, Zhao Ya’s breathing hastened and her face flushed. “Why? Are you unsatisfied with my arrangements?” The corners of Zhou Tian’s lips crept up. “If you are not satisfied, that is a 【Student Dueling Platform】 over there. You can challenge my students and if you are able to defeat all of them, not only will I give you the Breath Forging Powder, I can even give you the Breath Forging Bead! Remember, this is a Breath Forging Bead. Weren’t you all causing a ruckus demanding for me to give Zhang Xuan his resources? Even though this isn’t a true pill, it isn’t far from that. It is effective even for Pixue realm experts. An ordinary teacher could only claim one every month. If you dare to take on the challenge and succeed, I will give you all three of it!” The Student Dueling Platform was one of the means to settle a conflict between students and teachers. Of all methods, it was only second to the 【Teacher Dueling Platform】. The way it operated was simple. As long as the one challenging the teacher was able to defeat all of the students under him, that teacher would have to apologize to the student. 149 Zhang Xuan’s Decision “Breath Forging Bead?” “Three of it?” Hearing those words, Zhao Ya and the others’ breaths started to hasten. Breath Forging Bead was something unique to the Hongtian Academy. It was something that couldn’t be bought even at the Apothecary Guild. It increased the pace at which fighters absorb spiritual energy, allowing them to improve quickly. “Zhang laoshi had done so much for us without expecting any returns. As his students, it’s time for us to repay the favor!” Zheng Yang’s gaze was resolute. Since young, he had been training diligently alone, trying to fumble his way through his cultivation. He thought that even in school, his teacher would only clarify his doubts and solve some problems… However, the warmth that Zhang laoshi had given him was much more than that. He created a cultivation technique just for him and pointed out his flaws. Just so for their sake, he even took the risk to partake in a Pill Debate… As he thought about everything that had occurred, he couldn’t help but feel moved. Motivation welled up in him. “Zhang laoshi may care not for these resources, but… every teacher is allocated some of them. If he becomes the only teacher who doesn’t get any, his prestige and reputation will be sullied. As his students, we have to fight for his sake, no matter what it takes!” Zhao Ya gritted her teeth. Zhang laoshi casually gave her the Frigid Sun Mother Grass which was worth a hundred thousand gold coins. Even though the Breath Forging Bead wasn’t bad as well, it was unlikely that he would care much for it. However… This is no longer a problem over the resource allocation, but dignity. Of so many teachers in the academy, he was the only one who wasn’t given the resources. If word were to spread out, people would look down on him. Since he isn’t at the academy, then… Teacher, we will protect your dignity in your stead! We shall guard your prestige! Determination filled Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and Liu Yang’s eyes. Not a hint of hesitation could be seen. “Fine, we’ll challenge the Student Dueling Platform!” Nodding their heads in agreement, Zheng Yang retrieved the spear at his back and started fitting it together. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the air moaned under the pressure of the spear. “This is what you have chosen for yourself, don’t regret it!” Zhou Tian sneered coldly. He raised his hand and beckoned, “Everyone come out, someone is challenging you. It’s time to teach them a lesson. As long as you defeat them, I will give every one of you some Breath Forging Powder!” Hualala! Accompanied by a roar, a group of people came out. They were all freshmen and there were around forty to fifty of them. “I have a total of 47 students. No matter how many of you go at them, as long as you can defeat all 47, I will consider it your victory!” The corners of Zhou Tian’s lips crept upward. “47…” Zhao Ya and the others’ mouths twitched. They didn’t think that a new teacher who just joined this year would be able to recruit so many students. “Let’s fight. We mustn’t embarrass ourselves and Zhang laoshi!” There were rules for the Student Dueling Platform. One could choose to fight their opponents one by one or to take on all of them at once. As long as they were able to defeat all of the students under the teacher, it would be their victory. Since they had already made up their minds, there was nothing for them to hesitate about. With a leap, Zheng Yang first stepped into the ring. Hu! One of Zhou Tian’s students leaped up as well. The duel began immediately. …… … “Zhou Tian?” On their way over to the Student Bureau, Yuan Tao explained the situation to Zhang Xuan. Hearing so, Zhang Xuan frowned. He had never offended this teacher, be it his previous self or after he reincarnated over. Why is he picking on him? Even though the academy appeared to be calm on the outside, it was filled with internal strife. Many rivalries and schemes went on in the shadows. However, he didn’t recall any conflict with that teacher from the Student Bureau. Teachers of the Student Bureau rarely did such things as it would incur the ire of the other teachers. Furthermore, Zhang Xuan had just toppled the head of the Education Bureau. Even though the students were unaware of it, as a teacher, he should have heard the news. To pit himself against him despite knowing it, was he asking for a beating? “I’ve heard some rumors that… he was once Elder Shang Chen’s disciple. The reason why he was able to remain at the school as a teacher was because of the elder’s arrangements…” Yuan Tao said. “So that’s the case!” If so, the situation made sense. He had caused Elder Shang Chen to be stripped of his position as the head of the Education Bureau, and even now, he was at risk of being punished by the Teacher Guild. As his student, he had to stand up for his own teacher. “However, my face… isn’t that easy to be slapped!” Knowing the reason, Zhang Xuan shook his head. It’s not impossible to slap my face, but… your hand has to be strong enough so as to not hurt yourself! …… … Peng! Peng! Peng! After a few fists landed on his back consecutively, Zheng Yang felt a tinge of sweetness in his mouth and he seemed to be unable to bend the hand which wielded the spear anymore. In the past few days, his cultivation had improved tremendously. Zhou Tian laoshi’s students were not a match for him, but they were too numerous! That was already the fifth opponent, and he was on the verge of collapsing. If it were an ordinary dueling match, Zheng Yang wouldn’t have been so tired. However, the other party seemed to have planned it out beforehand and was hopping around the battlefield intentionally, refusing to face him head on, with the goal of draining his stamina. “Persevere! You have to persevere on!” Zheng Yang bit the bullet. With the last sliver of energy he had remaining, his spear shook and he defeated his fifth opponent. “Haha, can’t withstand it anymore?” With a loud chuckle, the sixth student leaped onto the stage and kicked Zheng Yang’s chest. The latter staggered seven to eight steps backward. If not for his dogged tenacity, he would have fallen off the ring. “If you can’t take it, stop putting on a show here. To dare to challenge Zhou laoshi’s prestige, scram!” The sixth student sneered and sent his stave straight at him. Given the speed of the stave, if Zheng Yang were to be hit, he would definitely be injured severely. “I have to block it…” With a ferocious expression on his face, Zheng Yang tried to raise his spear for a block. However, he realized that he was one move too slow, he wouldn’t be able to make it in time. Knowing that the stave would surely hit him, Zheng Yang closed his eyes and braced for the impact. He thought that he would fall off the Student Dueling Platform immediately spurting fresh blood, but for a long time, nothing happened. He opened his eyes hurriedly and saw a figure before him. That person wasn’t of a tall stature, but his back view looked extremely reliable. The stave that the sixth opponent brandished was grasped between the person’s fingers. No matter how much strength the former exerted, he was unable to shake his weapon out of the latter’s hand. “Zhang laoshi…” With a single glance, he recognized the person. That figure before him is his teacher, Zhang Xuan laoshi. He… isn’t he out? Why is he here… The one who stopped the stave was indeed Zhang Xuan. Arriving with Yuan Tao, upon witnessing the situation, he immediately dashed forward and jumped onto the ring. It was just ten days before the battle with Lu Xun laoshi. If these students of his were to get injured at such a time, Zhang Xuan would have to surrender for the Teacher Evaluation duel. As Shang Chen was overthrown by Zhang Xuan, Zhou Tian harbored resentment for him. Knowing that he wasn’t a match for Zhang Xuan, he intentionally provoked his students, Zheng Yang and the others, for this purpose. As long as Zheng Yang and the rest were injured, he calculated that they would not stand a chance in the Teacher Evaluation. Seeing that it was too late to stop the duel through any other means, Zhang Xuan leaped onto the stage himself. “Zhang Xuan, what do you mean by this? Your students are competing in the Student Dueling Platform. Why? Do you intend to make a move on my students despite being a teacher?” Seeing him rush over, Zhou Tian wasn’t too surprised. A menacing gleam flashed through his eyes. “Make a move on your students? You sure are thinking too much!” With a flick of his finger, the other party’s stave broke into many pieces. Patting his hands, he glanced over. “Then what do your actions mean? Do you wish to take back your words? However, it seems like it is too late. Your students have already agreed to challenge the Student Dueling Platform, and they have already injured five of my students. No matter what, the challenge must go on! This matter isn’t up to you! Unless…” At this point, Zhou Tian’s lips curled up into a cold smile, “Unless… you concede defeat and admit that your students are inferior to mine!” “We mustn’t admit defeat!” “Even if we have to give it our all, we will definitely win…” Hearing the plain mockery in the other party’s voice, Zheng Yang and the others clenched their fists and their faces flushed red. If they were to really admit defeat like that, they wouldn’t be able to uphold their pride in the academy in future. “Admit that my students are inferior to yours?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You must still be dreaming!” “Hmph! Since that’s the case, let’s continue. I request that you get down from the ring!” Zhou Tian flung his robe. “For a teacher like you to interfere in a battle among students, aren’t you bullying the weak?” “Don’t be in such a hurry!’ Zhang Xuan smiled. “I am not admitting defeat, but I didn’t say that I will allow our students to continue competing!” “You wish to stop the duel? The Student Dueling Platform has already begun, and you don’t have the right to stop it. It is too late to regret.” Zhou Tian harrumphed. “My students’ decision is my decision. Since they decided to challenge the Student Dueling Platform, there’s nothing for me to regret!” Zhang Xuan looked over. “However… I think that a mere Student Dueling Platform is too uninteresting. Why don’t we conduct a 【Teacher Dueling Platform】? Just that… do you dare to accept the challenge?” “What? Challenge the Teacher Dueling Platform? Is that fellow insane?” “Is there something wrong with his head?” “Teacher Dueling Platform means that the students challenge the teacher. It is already difficult for those students of his to achieve victory in the Student Dueling Platform, yet he wants to challenge the Teacher Dueling Platform? Isn’t he daydreaming?” …… … Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the teachers and students present in the Student Bureau were dumbfounded. When a student is dissatisfied with a teacher, he can challenge all of the students under him via a Student Dueling Platform to force him to admit his mistakes. On the other hand, Teacher Dueling Platform meant that a student would be challenging the teacher directly. If he were to lose, admitting defeat would be one thing, but the dignity of the teacher would be sullied. Of course, given that the cultivation realms of the students are far beneath that of teachers, it is impossible for students to win in a normal duel. For the sake of fairness, the teacher has to lower his cultivation realm down to that of the student in a Teacher Dueling Platform. Even so, the fight could not be considered to be totally fair. Being able to become teachers, their experience and grasp over the flow of battle are obviously far superior to that of mere students. Even if they were to duel at the same power realm, it was impossible for a student to emerge victorious over a teacher. Zhao Ya and the others all staggered and nearly fainted on the spot. They thought that they had been audacious to challenge the Student Dueling Platform. Yet, Zhang laoshi managed to top them and requested for the Teacher Dueling Platform instead… You… must be joking! Even though this Zhou Tian laoshi wasn’t exceptionally powerful among the teachers, barely reaching Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm primary stage, he was still a true teacher of the academy. He wasn’t someone a bunch of Juxi realms could defeat. “Teacher Dueling Platform? You want your students to challenge me?” Zhou Tian looked as though he had heard the most hilarious joke in the world. “Why? Don’t dare to?” Zhang Xuan looked at him. “Haha, you are truly courting death!” Zhou Tian burst into laughter. “Fine, I’ll agree then. If you win, I will give you ten Breath Forging Beads. However, if you were to lose… Hehe, I won’t demand any items, you just have to kneel down before me!” 150 Imparting Spear Ar “Alright. Anything will do as long as you don’t go back on your words.” Zhang Xuan chuckled and agreed. “Zhang laoshi…” Hearing him make such a decision, Zhao Ya and the others panicked. Are you pulling our legs? They had improved significantly in the last few days, but defeating a teacher in a duel is… impossible! Agreeing so readily, isn’t it akin to admitting defeat? “Since you’re so confident, let’s do it then. Are they going to take on me all at once or go one by one?” Zhou Tian said with a grin. Zhang Xuan only had five students in total. Even if he were to suppress his cultivation, they would still not be a match for him. “Taking turns? You’re thinking too much. Given your strength, any one of my students would be able to easily defeat you!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You…” Seeing that the other party was looking down on him like that, Zhou Tian’s face darkened. Lazy to bother with the fellow, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to Zhao Ya and the others. Meeting his gaze, his students felt extremely anxious. They weren’t even able to win in the Student Dueling Platform, and now they had to challenge the teacher… “The few of you hadn’t fought previously. If I let you challenge Zhou laoshi, it truly is… bullying the weak. Zheng Yang, you will face him!” Zhang Xuan looked around and then casually pointed at Zheng Yang. Hearing those words, the surrounding crowd almost fainted. Brother, is it alright for you to be putting on such a big show? Even if you really wanted to boast, it should be realistic, right? Putting aside Zheng Yang’s abilities, he had just fought several opponents and is running low on stamina. Didn’t you witness that he could not even move his spear anymore? He might not be able to kill even a chicken now, yet you want to pit him against Zhou Tian? Furthermore… Bullying the other party? Bullying the heck! Looking at the fellow’s condition, even if Zhou Tian didn’t make a move, he probably would fall by himself in no time… Not only did the others put on confused expressions, even Zheng Yang’s mouth was twitching. “Teacher, I…” He was about to go insane. Zhang laoshi, can you stop pulling such pranks? He knows how much he is worth, and he wouldn’t even be able to fight any student who comes his way this moment, needless to say, Zhou Tian laoshi… Even if he were to suppress his cultivation to that of a Fighter 1-dan… It is still impossible for him to emerge victoriously! Just as he was about to inform Zhang laoshi of his physical condition, before he could speak, the other person’s calm voice sounded once more, “Don’t feel happy yet, it isn’t too late to celebrate after defeating this Zhou laoshi!” Happy? Happy my foot! I am on the verge of tears, can’t you tell? Zheng Yang’s body staggered and he looked as though he would faint at any moment now. “Courting death…” Catching sight of this scene, Zhou Tian thought that Zhang Xuan was doing this intentionally to shame him. His mouth twitched in rage and anger gleamed in his eyes. “Before the fight, I will teach him a new spear art. Surely Zhou laoshi will be fine with it?” Ignoring the strange looks the others shot him, Zhang Xuan asked Zhou Tian. “It’s a little too late for that!” Zhou Tian harrumphed. “It doesn’t matter whether it is late or not. It would suffice as long as it is enough to defeat you!” Zhang Xuan smiled. He walked to Zheng Yang and said, “Here, teacher will teach you a spear art. Look carefully and learn!” After which, he took the spear from the other party’s hands, and with a slight tremble of his palm, stabbed forward in a crooked trajectory. The move appeared to have no depth to it, looking like a random movement. It didn’t bear the slightest resemblance to a spear art. It seemed like a casual, playful stab. “This fellow… Is he joking?” “You call that spear art? The spear art of “an aroused boar meeting a sow” would even be better than that!” “I’ve seen people who swindle their own parents, but this is my first time seeing a teacher swindle his own student. Zheng Yang is probably done for!” “To have met such a teacher, he is doomed matter how talented he is…” Zhang Xuan taught Zheng Yang before everyone’s eyes, and everyone saw the move clearly. For a moment, their minds were unable to keep up with the situation. Do you call that spear art? Even the technique a cleaner use to sweep the floor is several times more profound than that move of yours… “Have you grasped it yet?” Ignoring the discussions in the crowd, Zhang Xuan looked at Zheng Yang. “Yes…” Zheng Yang wanted to cry. Does such a move even need to be learned? He first came into contact with the spear when he was six… Any random move in the books is far superior to the one his teacher just taught… “Alright, since you have grasped it already, go and defeat Zhou laoshi!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head, gently dusting Zheng Yang’s body. Hearing his teacher’s instructions, Zheng Yang was about to cry when he felt Zhang laoshi’s palm on his shoulder. A surge of zhenqi flowed through his meridians. The zhenqi was extremely dense and pure. All clots in its path fell apart immediately and he felt the shackles on his body being removed. As though having eaten a nutritious tonic, all fatigue vanished and he felt refreshed. Fatigue is just like an illness, and it is often caused by the blockages in one’s meridians. Under Zhang Xuan’s pure zhenqi, it wasn’t difficult to clear those blockages. “Don’t resist me. Follow the movement of my zhenqi and adjust your breathing along with it!” He was still feeling surprised at Zhang laoshi’s actions when he heard his voice sound beside his ears. Knowing that his teacher would never do him in, Zheng Yang focused his attention hurriedly and adjusted his breathing. Kacha! Kacha! Kacha! The zhenqi that gushed into his body flowed through his meridians in a unique path. In an instant, Zheng Yang felt as though he had become a spear that could pierce through the heavens. “This is… the inner breathing method of the spear art?” No matter how foolish Zheng Yang was, he immediately understood what was going on. Regardless of whether it was a spear art or other battle techniques, on top of the moves, one had to know the corresponding inner breathing method. Only when one’s inner breathing is aligned with the technique can one unleash the greatest might possible. Otherwise, it would look flashy at best when in fact there is little might behind the attack. Even though Zheng Yang had never come across any exceptionally powerful spear art, he had been living with the spear by his side since young. The spear had already become a part of him and the moment he felt the inner breathing within his body, he understood that the technique is much more profound than any other spear arts he had learned before. The move looked so simple that even a fool would be able to learn it. However, when paired up with this inner breathing method, it was clear that it was a drastically simplified move that was packed with profound spear theories, a truly fine piece of art! “To think that there would be such a powerful move in the world…” In that instant, he appeared to be in a daze. He could hardly believe what was happening. Profound is no longer sufficient to describe the move, it is completely inconceivable that such a move could exist. Zheng Yang was still bathing in agitation when Zhang laoshi’s voice echoed in his ear once more. “Don’t let your thoughts wander now. Try to get accustomed to this inner breathing method and align it properly with that spear art!” “Yes!” Knowing that Zhang laoshi was imparting him an incredibly profound move, Zheng Yang focused his attention and tried to comprehend the inner breathing within him. Every single battle technique has an inner breathing method unique it. To learn a battle technique, one has to slowly open up all of the clogged meridians required for it. It is an incredibly tiring and long process, requiring long hours of effort. Using Zheng Yang as an example, he is only at Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm and there is only inner breath in his body. He hadn’t even formed zhenqi yet. It would have taken a minimum of two years’ effort for him to open up the path required for the move. However, Zhang Xuan’s presence made all the difference. Zhang laoshi’s zhenqi was extremely pure and wherever it flowed through, the clots would immediately be undone, thus opening up the meridians. In less than two breaths, he had already opened up a smooth passageway for Zheng Yang’s inner breathing of the technique. “Just like that, I have… mastered it?” Upon sensing the smooth passageway through the inner breathing, Zheng Yang instantly understood this fact. In this short moment, he had completely mastered the move, as though he had been practicing it for multiple years. “Alright, keep this surge of zhenqi in your body. Continue feigning weak and powerless, and when the duel with Zhou Tian begins, you must strike him in full one blow!” Zhang Xuan voice continued to sound. Comprehending the meaning behind his words, Zheng Yang nodded his head secretly. At the same time, he was perplexed… Why is Zhang laoshi’s zhenqi able to remain in his body without creating conflicts in his body? The attributes of one’s zhenqi would change according to the cultivation technique a fighter pursued. As such, when one’s zhenqi flows into another person’s body, putting aside the question of whether the former is able to help the latter to achieve a breakthrough, it is likely that a conflict would occur, and this would cause the receiver’s cultivation to go berserk. Yet, Zheng Yang did not feel any discord or discomfort within when Zhang laoshi’s zhenqi entered his body. He found it inconceivable. However, he also knew that this wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things. After ‘struggling’ to clasp his hand, he exclaimed, “Zhou laoshi, come!” After which, he staggered up the ring. Zheng Yang appeared as though he would fall if a strong gust were to blow at this moment. Witnessing his condition, the crowd stared at one another, flabbergasted. The heck, are you serious? To fight a teacher using a spear art that even pigs can execute and a body that will cave in at any moment, how do you intend to win… Zhou Tian’s face twitched as well. A thought suddenly popped into his mind. I fell for his trap. This fellow had probably intended to sacrifice this student from the very start to make a fool out of him. Imparting a move that can’t even kill a chicken to deal with him… Isn’t he implying that he couldn’t even match up to a chicken? “Zhang Xuan, you sure are despicable!” Thinking that the other party was intentionally humiliating him, Zhou Tian gritted his teeth and stepped into the ring as well. “Zhou laoshi, please go easy on me…” Portraying an extremely weak image, Zheng Yang struggled to lift his spear. Seeing how even such a simple movement could send sweat trickling down his forehead from fatigue, everyone was speechless. It had been long since someone challenged the Teacher Dueling Platform. One wouldn’t have imagined that the first one in years would be so eccentric. If word were to spread out, it would surely cause an uproar. “Teacher… Why don’t I substitute Zheng Yang!” Zhao Ya spoke, unable to endure it anymore. “Just watch!” Zhang Xuan didn’t explain the situation to her. Seeing how confident her teacher was, even though Zhao Ya was perplexed, she did not dare to question any further. Instead, she turned her attention to the stage. “Go easy on you? Blame your beloved Zhang laoshi for your plight!” Deducing Zhang Xuan’s intentions, Zhou Tian was infuriated. “Then… I will apologize for my discourtesy beforehand!” Knowing that the other party would not make the first move in consideration of the disparity between their identities, he didn’t dawdle further and shot his spear straight at the other party. The tip of the spear was shaky, as though there wasn’t any strength behind it. It was the trash move that Zhang Xuan had just taught him. “Hmph!” Seeing that the other fellow had actually dared to use such a move against him, Zhou Tian felt even more furious. He suppressed his cultivation to the level of a Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm, and without using any weapon, faced Zheng Yang’s attack bare-handed. Facing a spear bare-handed! Even so, no one thought well of Zheng Yang. They all thought that the fellow would be in for a beating. “Now…” Noticing that the other party was underestimating him, facing him with bare hands, Zheng Yang’s eyes lit up. He immediately triggered the surge of zhenqi which Zhang Xuan left in his body earlier on and in an instant, his disposition changed. If he were a tame lamb a moment ago, he would be a ferocious tiger at this moment. Boom! The spear shot straight toward Zhou Tian’s chest. “What?” Zhou Tian’s eyes narrowed. He felt an overwhelming sense of danger from that attack. 151 I Am Here to Slap Your Face As firstly, a teacher and, secondly, a Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm expert, although Zhou Tian had never learned spearmanship, he could tell how powerful the move was. The force behind the spear was so powerful that it compressed the air before it to the extent that a strong gust of wind was sent into the surroundings. Even if Zhou Tian had not suppressed his cultivation, he would have found it difficult to deal with such a move! How could a Juxi-realm lad possess such incredible strength? He felt like he was going insane. “Zhang Xuan, you tricked me…” At this moment, he realized that he had fallen for the other party’s deception. No wonder that fellow was so confident. When did this Zheng Yang become so powerful? Without much time to think, he dared not to keep his strength suppressed any longer. Zhenqi immediately gushed forth from his hands as he attempted to seal the spear’s might. However, even Wang Chong, a Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm spear master was unable to stand against this Heaven’s Path Spear Art, needless to say, him. Peng! The pole of the spear struck Zhou Tian’s chest forcefully. He tasted a metallic tang in his mouth, and blood spurted forth from it. He flew off the Teacher Dueling Platform immediately and fell to the ground, battered. Silence. Complete silence. “What?” “Zhou Tian laoshi was defeated with a single pierce?” “What the heck is going on?” …… … After a moment of astonishment, a commotion broke out. Initially, seeing that Zhou laoshi was dealing with a student who looked as though he would fall at any moment, they thought that he would easily crush him with a single finger. But… What is going on? With just one pierce from the student, Zhou laoshi went against the rules and released his full strength. Even so, he was sent flying. Am I seeing things? Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on? Zhao Ya, Liu Yang, and the rest widened their eyes in disbelief. This fellow had been with them every day, so they knew his strength very well. How did he suddenly become… so powerful? Furthermore… Even if others were to train intensively, there would just be small improvements… This seems to be going way overboard! Sending a Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm expert flying with a single strike… Are we dreaming? No, it’s not that we’re dreaming. It’s that spear technique! The few of them turned at the same time to look at Zhang Xuan. They had also realized that the reason why Zheng Yang was able to become so powerful so suddenly was because of the spear art Zhang laoshi had just imparted him. Just that… How could that nonsense of a spear art which probably couldn’t even kill a chicken be so powerful? Zhou Tian’s students had raised their arms to cheer their teacher on, but before they could say anything, such an outcome appeared before them. Astonishment covered every single one of their faces and they were at a loss. “Teacher…” Coming to their senses, the whole lot rushed forward to help Zhou Tian up. “You…” Standing up, Zhou Tian regulated his breathing and felt slightly better. He glared coldly at Zhang Xuan and just as he was about to speak, he saw Zheng Yang approach with his spear in hand. The latter clasped his hands together and bowed, “Zhou laoshi, thank you for going easy on me!” Puu! Hearing those words, Zhou Tian’s face flushed and he spurted out another mouthful of blood. Going easy your head! If I could, I would have beaten you to death. Who knew that you would have such a bizarre spear technique… For a teacher to lose to a student… He felt a stinging sensation on his face, as though he had been slapped by someone else. “Zhou laoshi, you said earlier that if I were to win, you will give us ten Breath Forging Beads. I will have to ask you to hand it over!” Zheng Yang stepped forward excitedly. Even though he was infuriated, he knew that he had truly embarrassed himself this time. If he were to renege on his words after losing the Teacher Dueling Platform, he would truly lose all dignity he possessed. Gritting his teeth, he retrieved a jade bottle from his pocket and passed it over. Accepting it hurriedly, Zheng Yang opened the cap and saw a row of Breath Forging Beads inside. Its fragrance diffused into the air and one could feel an overwhelming spiritual energy. “Teacher…” Zheng Yang brought the Breath Forging Beads to Zhang Xuan quickly, his face full of joy. The reason why they spent the entire afternoon causing a ruckus at the Student Bureau was to obtain these training resources for Zhang laoshi. Even though it was tiring… they had managed to succeed in the end! “Damn it!” Zhou Tian’s heart was bleeding. A teacher could only obtain a single Breath Forging Pill a month. Ten Breath Forging Pills was a huge fortune to him. Even if he were to hand it over, he wouldn’t allow Zhang Xuan to use them. “Hmph, Zhang Xuan, your students were the ones who won those Breath Forging Beads. You weren’t entitled to them in the first place. I don’t think that you will be so shameless as to consume something that belongs to your students!” So what if you got those beads? Your students went through so much trouble to obtain the pills, do you have the cheek to consume them yourself? If you aren’t able to consume it, it is equivalent to not obtaining it! “Consume it?” Zhang Xuan took the jade bottle and shook his head. “Who would use such trash?” After which, he flicked his wrist. Putong! The jade bottle was discarded into a nearby pond. “Ah?” “This…” Witnessing this scene, everyone was taken aback. Even Zhou Tian was dumbfounded. What are you doing? Those ten Breath Forging Beads are worth several thousands! You threw it away just like that? Even Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and the rest were stunned. “There’s no need to be so shocked. Even though Breath Forging Beads can help a cultivator gather spiritual energy faster, consuming too much would make one reliant on it. It isn’t good for one’s future cultivation!” Looking at their confused expressions, Zhang Xuan whipped out another jade bottle and threw it to his students. “These are some stuff that I have prepared for you. After you have finished it, I will get more of it!” Doubtfully, Zhao Ya and the others caught the bottle and opened it. Upon seeing what was inside, they leaped in shock. “Breath Forging Pills?” The pills inside were round and radiant. They exuded a fragrance that permeated right into one’s body. To think that it would be… Breath Forging Pills! That is a true pill that is extremely useful for cultivators. Comparing it to Breath Forging Beads is like comparing gem to dirt, the two items on totally different levels. “Breath Forging Pills cost tens of thousands per pill in the market, and he took out two bottles at once? How many dozens of pills are inside those two bottles?” “He gave true pills forged by official apothecaries to his students?” The bodies of the crowd swayed. They felt as though the world had gone insane. Given how many Breath Forging Pills there are inside, it should be worth at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins in total. Yet, he threw them so casually to his students… Darn, do you have to be so extravagant? No wonder the Breath Forging Beads did not catch his eyes. What a joke! Anyone who possessed so many Breath Forging Pills would not even cast a second glance at that trash. Puu! Zhou Tian staggered and he nearly passed out. He only felt his cheeks growing warmer and warmer. He was nearly losing his sanity from all of the slaps on his face. Just by teaching his student a trash move, his student was able to beat him up so easily. The Breath Forging Beads which he values so highly was discarded by the other party like trash… Brother, aren’t you the teacher who is paid the worst in the entire school? When did you become such an incredible figure? “Teacher… are these really for us?” Not only did the crowd feel as though they were going mad, Zhao Ya and the others were also in a state of disbelief. “Of course they are for you! It’s not that I want to nag, but as my students, is there really a need to vie over those little things from the academy?” Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a gourd appeared in his hand. “Wang Ying, the meridians in your legs are injured. This is the Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution that I have found specially for you. Pour it into a pail of water and soak your legs in it for three days. Your legs should recover entirely by then!” “Liu Yang, you practiced the wrong battle technique and injured your hands. I got this Meridian Rejuvenation Pill for you from the Apothecary Guild. As long as you train properly after consuming it, your wounds should be able to recover quickly!” “Yes!” Wang Ying and Liu Yang stepped forward and received two items from Zhang Xuan. “Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution? Could it be that Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution from the Apothecary Guild?” “Have you heard of it?” “Of course I have. Back then, I heard that the item could heal a person’s wounded meridians swiftly, so I had someone to look into it for me. According to him, a gourd like that costs three hundred thousand gold coins!” “Three hundred thousand? Are you serious?” “The Meridian Rejuvenation Pill is a true pill forged by apothecaries. It is even more expensive than the Breath Forging Pills. It is said that a single pill costs two hundred thousand gold coins. It might be cheaper to have an apothecary or apprentice apothecary buy it in your stead, but the price wouldn’t be far from that.” “Two hundred thousand? That is to say, he spent five hundred thousand just like that?” “Don’t forget those Breath Forging Pills as well. In total, it costs more than a million? And he gave it to the students just like that?” “Is Zhang laoshi still accepting students? I want to come under his tutelage…” …… … There were quite a few knowledgeable persons in the crowd. The Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution and Meridian Rejuvenation Pill weren’t considered secret medicine and many people have heard of it. Upon hearing the prices, everyone went into a frenzy once again. A low-level teacher in the academy is only paid a maximum of three hundred to four hundred gold coins in wages every month. In fact, even high-level teachers do not earn more than thousand a month. Yet, he just casually took out a million for his students’ cultivation… Putting aside other teachers… Even Zhou Tian’s reward for defeating Zhang Xuan’s students was only Breath Forging Powder. Look at the other party, he casually whipped out real pills and top-quality medicinal solutions… The heck, why is there such a huge disparity between them even though they are both teachers? In a split second, gazes of admiration were focused on Zhao Ya and the other students while looks of disdain fell upon Zhou Tian. Taking all of these into sight, Zhou Tian nearly vomited blood again. Zhang Xuan, damn you! You must have done it intentionally. You took all of those out before me to slap my face… I am, after all, the teacher who is in charge of resource allocation, the one who holds the most lucrative position in the academy, and yet, I became a petty person who fought with another teacher over a measly amount of resources that the other person saw as worthless… “Let’s go!” Being done passing the items to his students, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and led his students away. He left quietly, leaving amazement in his wake. Isn’t it clear? Of course I did it intentionally! Didn’t you want to slap my face? I shall return you the favor then. To tell the truth, I came here to slap your face! “Yes!” Watching their teacher leave, Zheng Yang and the others quickly recovered from their shock and followed behind him in a daze. At the same time, their faces flushed in embarrassment. Initially, they came here to vie for resources and to uphold their teacher’s prestige. Who knew that… in the end, they would realize Zhang laoshi never did care for those resources. Of course, for someone who could whip out so many pills and medicine so easily, how would those Breath Forging Powder and Breath Forging Beads catch his attention? “Teacher, these pills are really… too valuable…” Upon returning to the classroom, Zhao Ya stepped forward. She was already given a stalk of Frigid Sun Mother Grass previously. Her conscience did not allow her to receive these pills… “Cultivate properly, it would suffice as long as you win for me in the Teacher Evaluation!” Zhang Xuan beckoned. “Teacher, rest easy. We will definitely give it our all…” Upon hearing those words, Zhao Ya and the others nodded their heads in unison. Their teacher had given so much to them. If they were to lose in the Teacher Evaluation, they would be truly ashamed to meet him. “Un!” Seeing how motivated they were, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. “Zheng Yang, come over!” After which, he walked into the small room. Zheng Yang knew that it would definitely be the matter with the spear art today. He had been perplexed over the issue as well. Not daring to keep Zhang laoshi waiting, he quickly followed behind him. 152 Treating Du Miaoxuan “Teacher, this spear technique…” Upon walking in, Zheng Yang could no longer suppress his curiosity. “That technique is something that I have just created. I will tell you the cultivation method now!” Zhang Xuan recited the cultivation method to him once. “This… This…” Upon hearing the entire cultivation method, Zheng Yang was stunned. The spear technique is simply too profound. All the other spear arts which he had learned previously are trash compared to it. Previously, he thought that the skill is shaky, crooked and does not have a good form, but that isn’t true. The emphasis on this technique isn’t its form. One can execute it either inelegantly or gracefully. Even though there is only one move to it, it still surpasses countless other spear techniques. Not only is the move flexible, containing countless variations, it holds peerless might behind it. “Alright, I am done imparting the full technique to you. Without my permission, you are not to teach anyone else the skill!” Zhang Xuan said. “Yes!” Zheng Yang dropped to the floor and kowtowed to Zhang Xuan. After having immersed himself in spearmanship for countless years, he understood how precious this skill was. He also understood that if he skill were to be leaked, a bloody storm would ensue. “Even though this spear art is simple, it is the basis of all spearmanship. There are still ten days until the Freshmen Tournament, and I hope that you can achieve a breakthrough in your spearmanship. Do not let down my efforts!” Zhang Xuan instructed. “Teacher, rest easy!” Zheng Yang nodded his head with resolution. Then, he lifted his head abruptly and asked, “Teacher, may I know what this spear technique is called?” “The name of the technique? I haven’t named it. If you come up with a good name, feel free to name it so!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand casually. Even though he had named it Heaven’s Path Spear Art, it was a collective name for the set of techniques. There should be a separate name for the move and Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to come up with it. Thus, he decided to leave the task to his student. “Yes!” Knowing his teacher’s personality, Zheng Yang suppressed the astonishment in his mind and left the room. After he left, Zhang Xuan rubbed between his eyebrows. After solving Wang Ying and Liu Yang’s hidden physical traumas, their fighting prowess would definitely soar greatly. As for Yuan Tao and Zhao Ya, after their unique constitutions are awakened, their improvement would surely be greater than the rest. Of them all, only Zheng Yang was lagging behind. However, with this spear art, it was hard to tell which of his students would be the strongest in ten days. After calling the other students in and offering each of them some pointers, Zhang Xuan left the academy. ………………………… “You say that… Du Miaoxuan has already been kneeling at the entrance of the mansion for an entire day?” “Even though Du Miaoxuan had lost the fight for the position of the clan head due to his illness, he is still an influential figure. For him to be kneeling at another’s door for an entire day… Could the owner of the mansion really be a master teacher?” “If that’s true, then all of us have truly guessed wrongly before…” …… … In the time that Zhang Xuan left the residence, learned spear art and imparted it to Zheng Yang, the entire Tianxuan Royal City had fallen into an uproar. Although many people continued to doubt the identity of the mansion’s owner after Ling Tianyu’s incident, Du Miaoxuan kneeling at the entrance for an entire day had caused them to waver. As a dignified elder of one of the Four Great Clans, Du Clan, and as an ex-contender for the position of the clan head, only a master teacher held the prestige to have a person like that kneel at his doorstep. “Let’s go over and take a look!” “We have to see what is going on. If the other party is truly a master teacher, we must quickly make acquaintance with him!” …… … When word spread out, countless powers and influential clans could no longer remain uninvolved. They quickly sent their men to look into the matter. In fact, some of the powerful leaders and clan heads even came to take a look at the situation personally. Luo Chong was one of them. He is the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild in Tianxuan Royal City, a true 1-star intermediate stage blacksmith. The best blacksmith in Tianxuan Kingdom. Even Emperor Shen Zhui has to spend massive amounts of money to buy his weapons. Countless nobles lined up to purchase his weapons, only to leave in vain. Every single weapon he crafts is sought by many and as such, prices skyrocket. Initially, given his position and standing, even if a master teacher were to come over, there was no need for him to please him and make acquaintance with him. After all, even though blacksmiths are not as prestigious as master teachers, they are still one of the top classes which ranks at the forefront of the Upper Nine Paths, and they have their own pride and standing. Even so… He came. Other people may not know, but he was aware of his own problems. Recently, he began to be unable to achieve the state of Heart of Tranquil Water in his smithing. The items that he crafted often fell apart at the very last step to become a failed good. He had crafted the same way as he always used to, so the situation did not make much sense to him. Initially, he thought that it may be a problem with his stamina, so he specially rested for a few days before beginning to craft again. However… It made no difference at all. For the number one blacksmith of Tianxuan Kingdom to be unable to craft weapons… If news were to spread out, not only will his standing be affected, his rivals and enemies would probably come knocking to ensure that he falls from the high pedestal he stood on previously. Thus, upon hearing that a master teacher had appeared in the city, he couldn’t hold himself back and secretly came to see if it was true. If it was true, no matter the price, he had to find out the problem and have it solved. “Indeed, it is Du Miaoxuan!” Luo Chong recognized the middle-aged man who was kneeling by the corner of the street. He is the most famous elder in Du Clan. There is few among the upper echelons of Tianxuan City who doesn’t know him. Back then, the other party even implored him to craft a sword for him. Thus, even though there was a distance between the two, Luo Chong was still able to recognize him immediately. “This fellow is an extremely prudent person. For him to kneel down willingly like that, the person in the mansion must be capable of solving his problems. Furthermore… It seems like he is truly impressed by the person!” With one look, Luo Chong made a judgement on the situation. If the person in the mansion isn’t of high standing and is unable to solve his problem, Du Miaoxuan’s actions would be equivalent to embarrassing himself. Given Luo Chong’s understanding of him, he wouldn’t do such a thing unless he was extremely certain. Jiyaa! Just when he was making wild guesses at the situation, the doors to the mansion opened and a plump butler emerged. “The old master invites you in!” Sun Qiang beckoned him over. “Thank you Butler Sun for speaking on my behalf…” Du Miaoxuan was overjoyed. He hurriedly stood up and walked over. “Let’s go!” Sun Qiang didn’t bother with pleasantries and led the way. Then, the doors to the mansion shut tight once again. “He went in!” “Du Miaoxuan went in. In a moment’s time, we would be able to know the truth after he leaves through observing his behavior!” “Indeed, let’s continue waiting here…” …… … Upon seeing Du Miaoxuan enter the mansion, the various powers of the capital were not in a hurry to leave. Rather, their eyes continued to focus on the situation with great intensity, as though a hawk. Luo Chong was in no hurry to leave either. He sat quietly and waited with patience. ……………………………… … “I apologize for doubting Zhang shi’s incredible abilities before, please forgive me!” The moment he entered the room, Du Miaoxuan immediately kneeled to the floor, void of the suspicions and arrogance that he held before. “Get up!” Zhang Xuan gestured. After leaving the academy, he went to a remote alley and disguised himself as ‘Yang Xuan’ once again before returning to the residence. Noticing that this fellow’s anger and resentment had subsided in the half day that he was gone, he got Sun Qiang to bring him in. “I beg of Yang shi to forgive me for the discourtesy that I showed you before and save me!” Du Miaoxuan continued kneeling on the floor. “Since I have invited you in, naturally, I would help you. Get up!” Zhang Xuan said impassively. Hearing those words, delight appeared on Du Miaoxuan’s face. He hurriedly stood up. Du Yuan, who was standing behind his father, was perplexed. Isn’t father’s illness a thing of the past? Could it be that this master teacher can treat the trauma which was left behind in father’s body previously by the illness? “You know why I called you a beast, right?” Zhang Xuan looked at him. “I understand!” Du Miaoxuan replied. Sun Qiang and Du Yuan were still confused. Previously, just after taking a look, Yang shi said that Elder Du is a beast. Initially, they thought that he was insulting him, but from the looks of it, things aren’t as simple as it seems. Just that, they were truly unable to understand what was it with Du Miaoxuan that made him not angry despite being called a beast. On the contrary, he even seemed excited about it. However, their confusion did not last for long. At this moment, Zhang Xuan’s voice sounded in the air. “It is a known fact that ten years ago, you fell ill and your cultivation fell tremendously. However, if I am not wrong, you… infused the blood of the Snow Wolf into your body, hoping to alter your bloodline!” “This caused you to be poisoned by the Snow Wolf. Everyday at noon, white fur grows all over your body, and you turn into a being that can neither be considered human nor animal, just like a beast. Am I right?” “Yes, Yang shi’s words are absolutely right!” Du Miaoxuan nodded his head hurriedly. Even though he knew that Yang shi had seen through his illness the moment he said that he was a beast, when Yang shi pointed it all out spot-on, he was still astonished. As expected of a master teacher. His ability of discernment is superb. This is something that even Master Yuanyu failed to see through. “This…” “Blood of the Snow Wolf? A body full of white fur?” Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Sun Qiang and Du Yuan came to a realization. Especially for the latter, his body shuddered uncontrollably. He finally understood why his father would head to the remote courtyard to drink cooling tea at noon and turn away all visitors. He thought that it was a habit of his father through the years, but to think that this would be the actual reason. For him to grow white fur every noon… He was afraid of being seen, that’s why he went to hide in the courtyard! For a person to grow fur all over his body… If he isn’t a beast, what else could he be? No wonder when Yang shi said these words, not only did father not refute his words, he even kneeled outside the entrance… So this was the reason why. “Snow Wolf, a tier-7 white fur savage beast. It possesses strength equivalent to a Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm expert and it is known for its speed. Its blood is one of the main ingredients in 【Tongxuan Pill】, which helps to open up one’s meridians and raise one’s cultivation. You probably read some secret manual which caused you to mistakenly believe that if you were to successfully fuse your blood with that of the Snow Wolf, your cultivation would be raised significantly!” Ignoring the shock on everyone’s faces, Zhang Xuan continued. “Yes!” A bitter smile appeared on Du Miaoxuan’s face as he nodded his head to confirm Yang shi’s words. It is just like what this Yang shi said. Back then, he read a secret manual which detailed that as long as he managed to successfully swap blood with that of a Snow Wolf, he would be able to reach Tongxuan realm immediately to become a Fighter 7-dan expert. Who knew that not only did his dream not come true, it was actually the start of a nightmare. White fur would sprout from his body daily, making him look neither human nor animal. Even though it was just for an hour every day, the anguish he went through was unimaginable. One had to have incredible mental fortitude to survive ten years in such a manner. Otherwise, one would have long committed suicide in despair. “I was immature back then, and I failed to discern truth from the false, believing a manual so easily… Yang shi, I beg of you to save me!” Du Miaoxuan clasped his hands. Thinking about it now, he must have had a screw loose back then. Just because he coincidentally found an ancient manual, he thought that it was a precious treasure and explored desolate lands and utilized many means to kill a Snow Wolf so as to obtain its blood. He thought that his cultivation would soar rapidly and he would become the next clan head. Never did he expect to land himself in such a state. If this isn’t a screw loose, what else could it be? “Failed to discern the truth? That secret manual that you obtained… is real!” Zhang Xuan said. “Is that true?” Hearing those words, Du Miaoxuan’s body jolted. “How is that possible? If it is real, how did I land myself in such a state…” If what that was detailed in the manual was true, why would he fall into such an unsightly state for so many years? Furthermore, why would his cultivation fall from Pixue realm to Dingli realm, and thereafter be stuck at that level? 153 Stuffed Yourself When You Were Full Looking For I “The secret manual is real, but the most important portion had been destroyed by someone else, leaving behind an incomplete version. That is the reason why you are in such a state!” After which, Zhang Xuan did not continue to linger on the topic: “Alright, I will be performing acupuncture on you to resolve the hidden problems in your body!” “Yes!” Du Miaoxuan took a step forward hurriedly. With a turn of Zhang Xuan’s wrist, a silver needle appeared. Then, with a flick of his finger, the needle flew straight at Du Miaoxuan. The Library of Heaven’s Path only revealed basic information and the person’s flaws; the way to solve their problems are not written in it. However, Du Miaoxuan’s problem is similar that of Ling Tianyu’s wife, and he had blockages in his meridians. This caused the blood of the Snow Wolf to fail in achieving its original purpose. Zhang Xuan just had to clear the blockages to settle his problem. To Zhang Xuan, such problems are a piece of cake. The zhenqi from the Heaven’s Path Divine Art is as clear and pure as water. Any blockage would be washed away by it immediately. Hu hu hu hu! Dozens of needles pierced through Du Miaoxuan’s skin. Du Miaoxuan could only feel numb and itchy sensations on his skin. That bestial instinct which he had been suppressing before, that which caused him to enter into a berserk all the time, flowed through the opened meridians as though river water, and to the rest of his body. Geji! Geji! The moment the blood of the Snow Wolf assimilated into his body, his zhenqi soared instantaneously. With a series of pops that was reminiscent of a live firecracker, the acupoints in his body exploded open one by one. Pah pah pah pah! As though he were a magnet, the spiritual energy in the atmosphere gushed into his body frenziedly. In the blink of an eye, he had broken through Dingli realm pinnacle. Pixue realm primary stage! Pixue realm intermediate stage… …… … In a short moment, he had reached Pixue realm pinnacle, but the momentum did not seem to be stopping here. Boom! Du Miaoxuan’s body shook. Finally, the soar in his cultivation level had come to a stop, That bestial instinct which caused him so many worries had also disappeared without a trace. Fighter 7-dan, Tongxuan realm primary stage! His cultivation level had actually risen from a Dingli realm pinnacle to Tongxuan realm! That was more than one entire realm! “I…” After sensing the changes in his body, even though Du Miaoxuan is a man with mental resilience, his eyes reddened. For an entire decade, he had been tortured by untold pain. Every day, he would turn into a beast and white fur would sprout over his entire body. He thought that this affliction would remain with him until his deathbed. Yet, in just a short moment, it was solved by the man standing before him. Furthermore… He even achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation! Putong! Du Miaoxuan knelt to the floor. He was extremely grateful to Yang shi, and with no hypocrisy behind his action whatsoever, he said, “Thank you for granting me a new life…” Not only did Yang shi solve his affliction, he even helped to raise his cultivation realm to Tongxuan realm. Du Miaoxuan saw this favor as equivalent to the noble deed of birth and had already regarded him as his parent. The new him, upon returning home, would definitely regain his status as one of the top elders in the clan. No one would dare to underestimate him anymore. To achieve such results, he would have been willing to kneel for even a year. “Hurry up and take the things out!” Calming the agitation in his heart, Du Miaoxuan signaled to his son. “Yes!” Du Yuan hurriedly took out a stack of gold bills and passed it forward. Initially, Du Yuan thought that his father was mad for kneeling before the mansion and taking out so much cash at once. Only now did he realize that his father was not only rational, he also had foresight. Tongxuan realm… So what if he had lost ten years of his life? With the current strength of his father, he would be a front-runner for the position of clan head if he were to want to vie for it now. No one would be able to stop him. Even if he isn’t able to become the clan head, given his strength as a Tongxuan realm expert, earning a back that few million isn’t a difficult task. “This is the capability of a master teacher…” This is a master teacher, the most respected occupation in the entire continent, capable of determining the fate of a person, either sending him to heaven or to hell. They were still looking at Yang shi in admiration when Sun Qiang walked forward, took over the stack of money and gestured outward, “Elder Du, Du gongzi, let’s go. The old master wants to rest!” “Yes. I have intruded on Yang shi today. I will come by and pay my respects to you another day!” Knowing that the other party was inviting them out, Du Miaoxuan walked out of the main hall along with Du Yuan. Right as they were stepping out, a faint voice echoed in their ears, “As for why there were missing pages in the Snow Wolf blood secret manual, you should investigate whether it was due to malicious intentions!” “This…” Du Miaoxuan’s body stiffened. He turned around and bowed once more, “Yang shi, thank you for your advice…” After which, he turned around to leave. Back then, Du Miaoxuan was a strong contender for the position of the clan head. It was too much of a coincidence that he would abruptly engage in such a dangerous cultivation technique in a vain attempt to break through to Tongxuan realm. It is hard to believe that there were no human hands behind that incident. Thus, Zhang Xuan offered him one final piece of advice. Of course, whatever that happened afterward would not be a problem of his. ………………………… “Ten years ago, Du Miaoxuan was afflicted with a major illness, causing his cultivation realm to plunge and resulting in him being eliminated from the race to become the clan head… The reason why he was kneeling before the door is probably to beg this master teacher to resolve this illness!” Keeping vigil outside the mansion, Luo Chong recalled the various things that had happened to Du Miaoxuan and could not help but guess the situation. “If Du Miaoxuan’s issue can be settled, then mine shouldn’t be a problem for him either…” Du Miaoxuan’s illness was one that even Master Yuanyu was helpless toward. Even though Luo Chong had no idea what his condition is, he knew that he had sought many different physicians over the years and they were all helpless. If that master teacher could easily solve such a conundrum, then the issue he has, that is to have suddenly become unable to maintain a tranquil mind during forging, should be a piece of cake for him! He was still immersed in his thoughts when the tightly shut gates began to open slowly. Following which, Du Miaoxuan and Du Yuan emerged. “I wonder if his problem has been solved…” Hurriedly taking a look, Luo Chong’s eyes suddenly widened, his body stiffening immediately. “Tongxuan realm? This…. This… How is this possible?” Just moments ago, when Du Miaoxuan entered, he saw clearly that he was Fighter 5-dan Dingli realm pinnacle. How did he… in less than ten minutes that he was inside, step into Tongxuan realm? Most importantly, he is now in high spirits, appearing vastly different from the man that he was on the way in earlier. What was going on? It can’t be that it is real! Even if a master teacher can offer guidance on breaking through cultivation realms, there has to be a limit to that… To rise from Dingli realm pinnacle to reach Tongxuan realm in around ten minutes… Luo Chong rubbed his eyes gently, afraid that he might have seen wrongly. Staring intently at him once more, he realized that… he wasn’t wrong! The other party is truly Tongxuan realm, and furthermore, judging by how he is unable to control the inner breath within him, it is likely that Du Miaoxuan had just broken through. Otherwise, as long as an expert of this level hid his cultivation, it is impossible for anyone, even a person of Luo Chong’s caliber, to discern. “Brother Sun, farewell!” Still in shock, he saw Du Miaoxuan bid Butler Sun farewell and leave. “I should go over and ask…” Unable to suppress his urge any longer, he chased after Du Miaoxuan hurriedly. “Elder Du…” “Oh, it’s Master Luo!” Du Miaoxuan recognized the other person and hurriedly bowed. “That mansion is…” Diving straight into the topic, Luo Chong asked. “That is where Yang shi lives!” Aware of what the other party wanted to know, Du Miaoxuan nodded his head and verified the other party’s doubts. “Is he really a master teacher?” Luo Chong’s eyes narrowed. “Yang shi is a man of incredible capabilities. If Master Luo Chong has any problems, you can beg for his guidance. However… Yang shi came to Tianxuan Kingdom with the intention to rest. He doesn’t really wish to be disturbed…” Du Miaoxuan said. “Doesn’t wish to be disturbed?” Luo Chong’s complexion turned awful. Even though he is of considerable social standing, he does not dare to interrupt a true master teacher’s rest. “Actually, there is no need to be frustrated. Yang shi said just now that anyone who wishes to obtain his aid has to pay three million beforehand. Regardless of whether the problem is solved or not, the sum will not be returned.” Also recalling what Butler Sun said, Du Miaoxuan continued, “Of course, as a master teacher, Yang shi cares not for material possession. The reason why he made such a request is so as to limit the number of visitors. Otherwise, if everyone were to rush to him to plead for guidance, he wouldn’t even need to think of resting, he would probably work to death instead…” As he said those words, he couldn’t help but be envious. To think that just the entrance fee would be three million, a master teacher is indeed a master teacher. Even their means of earning money is that incredible. As an elder of the Du Clan, his entire fortune, both liquid and fixed assets, was only worth this amount after so many years. “That makes sense…” Hearing that it is a problem that can be solved with money, Luo Chong heaved a sigh of relief. Three million may be a huge sum, but for a master blacksmith like him, it isn’t a big deal. “Thank you for telling me this. I happen to have a matter to consult Yang shi about so I will have to take my leave!” Upon finishing his words, Luo Chong walked toward the mansion. The mansion’s layout is in no way elegant. In fact, it even seems ordinary. If not for Du Miaoxuan ascertaining it personally, he wouldn’t have believed that a true master teacher lives here. After paying the fee of three million upfront, Luo Chong followed Sun Qiang into a room. In there, he noticed a middle- aged man seated quietly in the middle of the room. Somehow, the person’s presence is so faint that if not for seeing him in the flesh, he would not have noticed the other party. “Incredible!” Luo Chong’s eyes narrowed. Luo Chong is a Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm expert. There are only two possibilities when he is unable to sense a person’s cultivation realm. Firstly, the person’s level of cultivation is higher than his. Or secondly, the other party’s zhenqi is much purer than his. Regardless of which of the two it is, it points to the fact that the person before him is a true master teacher. Putting away his arrogance as a master blacksmith, he stepped forward and bowed, “Luo Chong pays respect to Yang shi!” “Un, from what Xiao Qiang told me, you are a blacksmith?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully. Like apothecaries, blacksmiths are also ranked highly in the Upper Nine Paths and possess exceptional social standing. He didn’t expect that such a person would have something to request of him. “Yes!” Luo Chong replied. “What unresolvable problem have you encountered?” Zhang Xuan asked. “Replying Yang shi, recently, all the attempts that I make to forge equipment all end in failure and until now, I am unable to find the reason for it. I hope that you can enlighten me!” Luo Chong did not hide anything and spoke directly. “Let me see you forge an equipment!” Zhang Xuan said. “Yes!” With a flick of Luo Chong’s wrist, an entire set of equipment required for equipment forging appeared in the room. As a 1-star blacksmith and the leader of the Blacksmith Guild, he carries such basic equipment with him everywhere he goes. Starting the fire, forging the equipment, melding the metals together, refining the equipment… His movements flowed elegantly, reminding one of drifting clouds and flowing streams. An hour later, a longsword appeared in his hands. However, just as he was about to apply the final touches, a crisp note echoed from the sword and a crack appeared on it. Failure! Just like he had said, he is unable to successfully forge the weapon. Looking at how he was unable to forge even the simplest sword, Luo Chong was depressed. That was just an ordinary mortal-tier sword, and there are no profound techniques involved in the process whatsoever. It is truly an enigma why such a situation would occur. Luo Chong turned to look at the master teacher before him and bowed, “Yang shi, please enlighten me!” “You want me to enlighten you?” Zhang Xuan stood up and approached the other party. He picked up the broken sword and lowered his gaze to take a glance. Then, he sighed, “If I’m not wrong…” “You stuffed yourself when you were full!!” “You stuffed yourself when you were full!!” This is a Chinese phrase that meant to say that one deserved it. (Thus the title, Looking for it) 154 The Use of the Golden Book? “What?” Luo Chong’s face darkened. Even if you are a master teacher, you shouldn’t insult me like that! No matter what, I am the dignified leader of the Blacksmith Guild. I am of noble standing, and you say that I stuffed myself despite being already full (looking for it)… I came here in earnest to consult you, yet you gave me such an answer. Aren’t you are looking down on me… Even though Sun Qiang already knew that the old master would say such shocking words, he was still unable to control his shock upon hearing those words and nearly knocked his head against the wall. My great old master, it is really okay for you to speak to a true blacksmith like this? Cough cough, even an ordinary person would turn all out against you if you say such words to them… Most importantly… The reason why he came here is to seek enlightenment on why he is unable to successfully forge an equipment. Yet, the first few words you say to him is that he stuffed himself when he was full (looking for it)… Aren’t you being too arrogant? What does stuffing oneself have to do with forging equipment? The only relationship between the two is that one would feel weak if one doesn’t eat. However, for a Tongxuan realm expert like Guild Leader Luo Chong, this shouldn’t pose a problem at all! “There’s no need to get so agitated!” Seeing that the other party was getting agitated, Zhang Xuan smiled, not paying the other party’s anger any heed. “You don’t need to deny my words so hurriedly. Let me ask you, have you been eating 【Dragon-scaled Prawns】 daily?” “Indeed, is there a problem?” Luo Chong looked at Yang shi doubtfully. The Dragon-scaled Prawn is an animal unique to Lake Hong and it made a delectable dish. It is one of the most favorite food in the upper echelons of Tianxuan Kingdom. He also used to eat it frequently, but such an anomaly had never occurred in the past. Could his failure to forge equipment really be related to this? “If I’m not wrong, these Dragon-scaled Prawns that you ate came from one batch you bought at a single go!” Zhang Xuan continued asking. Luo Chong nodded his head. At the same time, a doubt arose in his mind. How did the other party know this? His Dragon-scaled Prawns came from the same batch he bought a few days ago. There were several thousands of it, filling two whole crates. In order to ensure its freshness, he even reared them specially in his courtyard’s pond. He would carefully pick the living and healthy ones to eat, so it is impossible for anything to be wrong with the prawns. Furthermore, after consuming it, there weren’t any anomalies with his body, and he didn’t suffer from diarrhea or any other symptoms either. How can this be related to him being unable to successfully forge weapons? “That’s right then!” Zhang Xuan chuckled. “Do you know when do Dragon-scaled Prawns reproduce?” “When do they reproduce?” Luo Chong became increasingly confused. He was only interested in eating the prawns, how would he possibly know all these? “I know…” Just as he was about to ask Yang shi for the answer, Sun Qiang suddenly spoke. “Speak!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Dragon-scaled Prawns usually bear their offspring near the end of summer, the start of autumn, which is around now!” Sun Qiang said. He had worked in Tianyu Merchant Firm for numerous years. Even though he had never bought them, he often came into contact with these products and naturally, he possessed a little bit of knowledge on them. “That’s right. It’s this season!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. The academy’s semester had just started not long ago, and it is currently the start of autumn, which is also the mating season for the Dragon-scaled Prawns. Hearing those words, Luo Chong felt his head going faint. He was about to go insane from the confusion. Yang shi, I’m here to ask you why I am unable to forge equipment, not to look into when Dragon-scaled Prawns reproduce… What matter is it of mine that they bear offsprings? It is not like the children are mine… “There’s no need to be anxious. You being unable to forge equipment has something to do with this!” Seemingly sensing his bewilderment, Zhang Xuan continued to say. “The Dragon- scaled Prawn is considered an yin-type food. Eating too much will weaken a person’s yang energy. Of course, this weakening effect is minimal and negligible, and doesn’t affect a person’s body at all!” “However, the Dragon-scaled Prawns after mating are different!” “The Dragon-scaled Prawn infuses all of its essence and vitality into its offsprings, causing its own body to weaken. Furthermore, its body generates a substance that will numb a person’s nerves. With excessive consumption, one’s mind will become dull…” At this point, Zhang Xuan paused and looked at Zhou Chong with glowing eyes. “Have you been unable to enter the state of Will of Mind 2-dan, Heart of Tranquil Water? Not only so, you find yourself getting irritated easily, causing your forging abilities to take a huge blow, resulting in you being unable to successfully forge an equipment?” Regardless of whether one was forging pills or equipment, one’s state of mind is of absolute importance. Without a steady mind, it is impossible for one to succeed. “Could it truly be that… I’ve eaten too many Dragon-scaled Prawns?” Luo Chong’s entire body shuddered and he staggered two steps backward. It is true that recently, he had been unable to focus his attention on forging equipment, and that he was unable to enter the state of Heart of Tranquil Water to achieve total serenity. He had tried all kinds of methods and means to calm himself but to no avail. To think that the problem… lies with the prawns. It was inconceivable to him that a Dragon-scaled Prawn which had undergone the reproduction process would produce a substance that would numb one’s nerves… If not for the other party pointing it out, he would have never imagined that this would be possible. However, why haven’t he heard of it before? “All animals have their own means of self-protection. Dragon- scaled Prawns are the same as well. They are at their weakest right after their birth, and thus, they produce such a substance to protect themselves. However… They still ended up on the plate anyway!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I know my fault now. In future, I will never eat Dragon- scaled Prawns again. Yang shi, please guide me on how I can resolve this situation!” With a pale face, Luo Chong hesitated for a slight moment before hurriedly clasping his fist. Even though he loves eating Dragon-scaled Prawns, forging equipment is far more important than the former. “Er…” Upon hearing the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan was stumped. Actually, he didn’t know how he should resolve the problem as well. The Library of Heaven’s Path only detailed the reasons behind why he was facing such a condition. Luo Chong’s main problem is that he had eaten too many Dragon-scaled Prawns, causing the nerve-numbing venom to accumulate in his body, thus resulting in his unstable mental state and him failing in his forging attempts. As for how he can dispel this venom, Zhang Xuan is truly clueless. However, even if he didn’t know, he wouldn’t let anyone else find out. There was barely a brief moment of hesitation before he placed his hands behind his back to portray the image of a supreme expert. “First release those Dragon-scaled Prawns that you have caught. As for the solution to your problem, it will depend on your future actions. However… I can tell you this. As long as you stay away from it for a long period of time, you will recover slowly, but surely!” He wasn’t deceiving the other party. The detoxification ability of a human body is extremely powerful, especially so for a Tongxuan realm expert. As long as he stays away from the prawns for a period of time, the venom that had accumulated in his body will be passed out quickly. “Yang shi, thank you for your guidance!” Knowing the cause and solution to his problem, Luo Chong heaved a sigh of relief. He hurriedly bowed to him. At this moment, he was already completely impressed by this Yang shi. Just by seeing him forge an equipment, he is able to tell that he likes to eat Dragon-scaled Prawns and even found the root of the problem as to why he was unable to successfully forge an equipment——He stuffed himself when he was full (Looking for it)! As expected of a master teacher, his ability of discernment is indeed incredible. The three million, worth it! “Yang shi, can you offer me some pointers for equipment forging?” Finally uncovering the reason behind his problem and knowing that time can resolve it, Luo Chong’s mind started to wander. He had been stuck at the 1-star blacksmith intermediate stage for a very long time, being unable to break through this limit. Now that there is a master teacher before him, he was tempted to make full use of this opportunity to obtain a pointer or two so that he can break through this impasse. “Equipment forging?” Zhang Xuan did not expect that the other party would not leave right after his problem was solved and instead, request to learn equipment forging from him. For a moment, he was taken aback. Honestly, he didn’t even know what one had to do for equipment forging, so how could he offer him pointers? “Looks like I am being too impetuous…” Upon receiving no reply from the other party, Luo Chong felt awkward. A master teacher only teaches his own students. He is in no way related to him, so it is indeed a little inappropriate for him to have made such a request. Zhang Xuan waved his hands, “Xiao Qiang, escort our guest out!” “Master Luo, the old master needs to rest. This way please!” Sun Qiang stepped forward. “Yes!” Luo Chong nodded his head and bid farewell. “It is indeed difficult to pass off as a master teacher…” Seeing Luo Chong leave, Zhang Xuan rubbed between his eyebrows. Master teachers grasped the knowledge of innumerable occupations in their minds and they possess discernment abilities unimaginable to others. At present, the reason why he had been able to achieve this much was due to the help of the Library of Heaven’s Path. The moment he stops using it, he will be exposed in an instant. “I really do wonder how those master teachers gather and store so much knowledge in their mind…” A person’s energy is limited. After undergoing the apothecary examination, he understood that the knowledge required in just the field is as vast and as deep as the ocean. Without the library, not only would be unable to pass the examination, he might not have been able to score even a single point. A true master teacher can’t possibly possess such a cheating machine. It is truly a mystery to him how they are able to learn so much and pass all those examinations, given a human’s limited lifespan. “Regardless, I have to read more books from now on. After all, the library is still an external object!” The thought appeared in his mind. To him, even though the library is incredible, it remains as an external tool. If he were to rely on it for everything he does while not putting in any effort to improve himself, even if he were able to pass off his disguise successfully in a remote and backward kingdom like Tianxuan Kingdom, he will definitely be exposed if he were to go somewhere more prosperous. Thus, no matter what, his own vault of knowledge is important as well. The thought appeared in his mind and grew so powerful that he is no longer able to flush it out. With a jolt of his mind, he looked at the Library of Heaven’s Path once more. Reading books and learning from them in the real world is a slow process, but he is able to speed up the process multiple folds by reading the books inside the library. He had already experienced such wonders for himself previously. Even though the books in the library are accessible to him with a single thought and he is able to freely look through it, the knowledge nevertheless can’t be said to truly belong to him. It is just like in Baidu and Google in his previous life. Although such technology allows one to look up for solutions to their problems, the knowledge is external to its users. One is unable to utilize them easily and freely. Only by memorizing everything in his own mind can he be truly considered as knowledgeable. “Un? What is that?” Upon entering the library, he noticed something that is out of place. Unknowingly, a golden book had appeared in the depths of the densely packed bookshelves. He is extremely certain that he had never seen this manual before. “Come here!” With a swipe of his hand, the golden book gently quivered and fell right into his palm. The book is extremely thin and there doesn’t seem to be much content in it. Flipping it open casually, Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded. There was only a single page to it and there were no content whatsoever in it. It was a blank book. “What is the use of this book?” Zhang Xuan was bewildered. He doesn’t know when such a book had appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path, nor does he know why it is completely blank. “I should just put that aside for now and focus on gaining knowledge from the other books…” After examining the golden book for a very long time, he remained unable to uncover its purpose. Thus, Zhang Xuan shook his head and chose to put it aside. He looked at the Library of Heaven’s Path once more. Many books had been formed in it, and he intended to look through them properly so as to assimilate the knowledge into his mind. The moment the thought flashed through his mind, before he could even make a move, the golden book in his hand quivered and transformed into a brilliant ray of light. Under the blinding radiance, all of the contents of all the books in the library came surging into Zhang Xuan’s mind. Before Zhang Xuan could react, everything went dark. He had fainted. 155 5-star Inciden The Chen Clan, due to having an official apothecary within its ranks, is an extremely prominent and distinguished clan in Tianxuan Kingdom. Usually, in such a clan, there would be no shortage of pills, everyone would have great accomplishments and they would walk with their heads held high. Yet, at this moment, every member of the clan had put on a bitter expression. A depressing atmosphere loomed over the entire Chen Residence. “Alright, let’s go by this rule. No one is to object or he will face being expelled from the clan!” In the hall, Apothecary Chen Xiao surveyed the surroundings before speaking sentimentally and desperately. He was invited as an examiner for the Pill Debate with a fellow named Zhang Xuan, but the other party declared that he would be unable to live for much longer. Feeling that his body functions are indeed starting to fail, he felt extremely dismal. Thus, he started to make preparations upon returning to the clan. He is an apothecary and his presence brought the entire Chen Clan to prosperity. The moment he dies, those who are envious of his fortune would definitely employ every possible mean to wrestle for a share. If so, it would just be a matter of time before the clan falls. Thus, in order to prevent such a scenario from occurring, he ordered for all clansmen to sell their assets and disappear from the capital, never to return. “Clan head…” After those words were spoken, wails echoed in the air. They had been living a life of luxury, and many could not accept the fact that they have to move to a far away place so suddenly. “Enough! What is this clan becoming, for you to be crying and wailing? Chen Cong, make the necessary preparations!” Apothecary Chen Xiao said. Chen Cong is his son. Knowing that he doesn’t have many days left, he had already appointed him as the new clan head. “Yes!” Chen Cong nodded his head. Just as he was about to leave, a young man walked forward and whispered something into his ears. Then, Chen Cong’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly raised his head, “Father…” “What is it?” Apothecary Chen Xiao lifted his teacup and frowned angrily. He always believed that his son comprehends the importance of prioritizing, so why is he so disobedient now? Does he not know that the Clan’s prosperity is due solely to his identity as an official apothecary? Without his prestige suppressing the ambitions other clans possess, they wouldn’t be able to guard the wealth they had accumulated through pill forging throughout these years. “Father, a master teacher has appeared in the capital. Perhaps… He can solve your problem…” Noticing the displeasure on his father’s face, Chen Cong spoke quickly, not daring to hesitate in the least. “Master teacher? Could it be fake news?” Apothecary Chen Xiao shook his head. If it were indeed a master teacher, how could he, a dignified 1- star apothecary, possibly have not received any news? “I don’t know for sure, but I sent Chen Tao to investigate upon hearing the rumors yesterday. This master teacher is known as Yang Xuan and not only did he solve Ling Tianyu’s wife’s illness, even Du Miaoxuan from the Du Clan knelt before his gates. Furthermore…” “Furthermore what?” “Furthermore, when Du Miaoxuan emerged from his mansion less than ten minutes after entering, he had already evolved from a Dingli realm pinnacle to a Tongxuan realm expert.” Chen Cong hurriedly said. “On top of that… the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild, Luo Chong, also entered his mansion, and when he left, he was full of praises for the person, claiming that he is a true master teacher…” Dang lang! Before he could finish his words, the teacup in his father’s hands had fallen onto the ground and shattered into pieces. Following which, his lifeless and pitiful expression vanished and in its place was a face so flushed, it was as though his cheeks were on fire. “Where does this master teacher live? Bring me to meet him now…” “Right now? I have to first sell the family fortune…” Chen Cong muttered, but before he could finish his words, his father, who seemed as though he might breathe his last any moment now, had already reached the doorstep and he bellowed, “Selling your head! Hurry up…” “…” Chen Cong. “…” The crowd in the Chen Clan. The wailing in the room silenced in an instant and everyone’s mouth was so wide that a chicken egg could be stuffed into it. Looking at the clan head whose attitude did an 180-degree turn all of a sudden, they became completely speechless. ………………………… Pavilion Elder Qian does not wield actual authority in Tianxuan Kingdom, but he holds a very important position. Every fortnight, Emperor Shen Zhui would summon him to the royal palace and query him. He is the emperor’s eyes. He gathers all news within the country and sorts them into books for the emperor to peruse. It is only with these news that Emperor Shen Zhui is able to keep abreast of current affairs and continue making wise decisions for the country, allowing the kingdom to grow stronger steadily and not be threatened by powerful enemies. Thus, in the kingdom, even personnel who hold true authority do not dare to offend him. They fear that he might pass on incorrect news which could cause the emperor to doubt them. Today is yet another day to sort and compile the gathered news for reporting. Thus, he had arrived at his personal office early in the morning. At this moment, the room is squeezed full of people, all of them embroiled in a squabble. “Causing a ruckus like this, how inappropriate!” Seeing that his subordinates were arguing among themselves instead of working, Pavilion Elder Qian’s face darkened. “Yes!” Everyone immediately ran back to their positions fearfully. “Pavilion Elder…” A middle-aged man walked over. “Un, are there any important incidents that happened these few days?” Pavilion Elder Qian sat in his chair and looked over. This is his job scope. He would ask his subordinate about the incidents that had occurred in the capital and compile them before considering whether he should highlight any individual incident to the emperor. “In these ten days, there is a total of 17 1-star incidents, 12 2- star incident, and 3 3-star incidents…” The middle-aged man hesitated before passing over a stack of paper. Countless incidents were detailed on top and they were divided in terms of their importance so as to make it convenient for others to read through it. They were graded stars based on their respective importance. 1-star is the lowest level and it means that the incident isn’t important at all. As the number of stars increase, the more important the incident become. 5-star is the highest number of stars an incident can be given, and the severity of the matter would be equivalent to that of an enemy invasion and the downfall of the country is in sight. Listening to the report, Pavilion Elder Qian lowered his head to take a look. “Bai Xun xiao wangye challenged son of Prime Minister Liu Cheng and injured him, causing a huge conflict between the two great clans… Evaluation, 1-star!” “Royal Secretary Lu Zhong brought a new concubine to his family and she is a citizen of Tianyu Kingdom. Her exact identity is unknown… Evaluation, 1-star!” “17 people of Tianxuan Merchant Firm assaulted by bandit at Plum Snow Ridge and they were completely annihilated. Bandits likely to be the same ones who escaped from the capital several months ago… Evaluation, 1-star!” …… … Even though 1-star incidents are of the lowest severity within the classification, they had far-reaching impacts. Taking the first example of Bai Xun challenging the son of the Prime Minister, for example, if the matter isn’t resolved properly, it is easy for the conflict to escalate. If discord were to be sowed among two authorities of the royal court, the internal stability of the country would be affected. However, it is clear that these people are used to dealing with such matters. They aren’t too agitated upon seeing these earth- shaking incidents. “Un, you did well evaluating them!” Looking through the 17 1-star incidents, Pavilion Elder Qian nodded his head. Then, he flipped to the second page and what was written on it was mainly 2-star incidents. “A calamity occurred in the Southwest Hundred Ridges and thousands of people lost their homes. Currently, they have been settled… Evaluation, 2-star!” “Tianxuan Money Vault recently released new bills, the highest denomination is a million… Evaluation, 2-star!” “Zhunnan Marquis reached Tongxuan realm advanced stage, becoming one of the top ten experts in the kingdom… Evaluation, 2-star!” …… … These matters are closely related to the politics and situation of the kingdom. The impacts these matters could possibly bring are much greater than that of 1-star incidents. After looking through the twelve 2-star incidents, Pavilion Head Qian nodded his head once more. There is nothing wrong with the evaluations here as well. Flipping over to the third page, 3-star incidents were detailed on it. “The Teacher Guild stripped Elder Shang Chen of Hongtian Academy of his position as the head of Education Bureau for being not partial in his evaluation of Zhang Xuan laoshi’s Teacher Qualification Examinations… Evaluation, 3-star!” “Zhang Xuan laoshi and Lu Xun laoshi would be competing in a Teacher Evaluation 12 days later… Evaluation, 3-star!” …… … “Incidents regarding the Teacher Guild and academies would automatically be promoted by a single star. Lu Xun laoshi is the individual who is most likely to become a master teacher of Tianxuan Kingdom, and as such, incidents involving him are given an additional star. These two events are indeed worth 3-star, not bad!” After which, Pavilion Elder Qian nodded his head. “There are no problems with these… The problem is… is…” Hesitation shrouded the middle-aged man’s face. “What’s wrong?” Pavilion Elder Qian’s eyebrows shot up. “Something has happened these few days and we are unable to determine a star rating for it. That is the matter that we were discussing earlier…” The middle-aged man said. “Oh? Tell me!” Pavilion Elder Qian glanced at him in curiosity. “Three days ago, a person named Yang Xuan appeared in the capital. He claimed that he is a master teacher and he settled Ling Tianyu’s wife’s illness…” The middle-aged man said. “Oh, I’ve heard of the matter. I even specially headed to the Teacher Guild to investigate the matter, but there isn’t such a name in the records of that kingdom. It is probably a gimmick of Ling Tianyu, so there’s no need to pay it much heed. Alright, classify it under 1-star incidents!” Pavilion Elder Qian said. Master teachers are just like stars in the sky, an existence that others can only look up to. As long as a kingdom has a 1-star master teacher supporting it, its overall might would be bolstered significantly. If the other party is truly a master teacher, how could he come into the capital without anyone knowing of it? “1-star incident?” The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. “I’m afraid that the matter isn’t as simple as that. If he only treated Ling Tianyu’s wife, 1-star would suffice. However… Yesterday, Elder Du Miaoxuan from the Four Great Clans knelt at his entrance for an entire day, and in the ten minutes that he was in the mansion, he broke through from Dingli realm pinnacle to Tongxuan realm!” “What? Such an incredible increase in his strength?” Pavilion Elder Qian was taken aback. A grim expression appeared on his face as he said, “If that’s the case, the matter can be classified as a 2-star incident…” “Yesterday afternoon, the guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild, Lord Luo Chong, entered the residence and his face was glowing when he emerged. He was full of praises for the master of the mansion and claimed that he is a true master teacher…” Ignoring the evaluation Pavilion Elder Qian made, the middle- aged man continued speaking. “Luo Chong…” Pavilion Head Qian abruptly stood up with completely widened eyes. Who is Luo Chong? The guild leader of the Blacksmith Guild, one of the top figures of the Tianxuan Kingdom! If he thought so as well, could it be that… This Yang Xuan is truly a master teacher? “Then… then… This incident can be classified as a 3-star incident…” Pavilion Elder Qian was astonished. Before he could finish his words, the middle-aged man’s voice sounded once more. “This morning, Guild Leader Ouyang of the Apothecary Guild and Apothecary Chen Xiao visited his mansion, but they were blocked at the door by the other party’s butler. Even so, not only did they not leave, they waited patiently without a single word of complaint…” “This… This…” Pavilion Elder Qian’s face turned completely white and he staggered backward in disbelief. “This is a… 4- star. No, it’s a 5-star incident. Hurry up and write all of these down. I have to report this to the emperor, do it as fast as you can!” “5-star?” “Is there no need to double confirm it?” 5-star incident… It has not appeared in Tianxuan Kingdom for several decades now. The crowd, who were unable to determine a star rating for the incident, upon hearing Pavilion Elder Qian’s words, were flabbergasted. Then a brief moment later, chaos broke loose. 156 Resounding throughout the Capital “You say that even Guild Leader Luo Chong was full of praises?” “Du Miaoxuan had knelt for an entire day, and not only was his complexion glowing when he left the mansion, his cultivation was even raised?” “Looks like we have all guessed wrongly, this Yang Xuan is definitely a master teacher!” “Only a true master teacher can make a person like Du Miaoxuan kneel willingly and leave Guild Leader Luo Chong impressed…” “Hurry up and prepare my name scroll, I want to pay him a visit!” TL: It is like a name card when you visit others, detailing one’s occupation, official rank, and everything else on it. “What? The Yang Residence isn’t accepting any visitors? Those who truly want to meet Yang shi has to first pay three million, and the sum is not refundable?” “That makes sense as well. Everyone wants to meet a master teacher and if he really met anyone who visited his residence, he wouldn’t be able to rest at all. Only when such standards are implemented will he be able to ward off others, especially those who had malicious intents…” …… … Such a situation is occurring in almost all of the powerful clans within the capital. Everyone was taken aback. Those who previously claimed that he is a fraud were completely silenced. ………………………………………… After passing out for an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes once more. “This…” Upon waking up, the first thing he realized was that countless knowledge had been assimilated into his mind. Every single book that was bathed in the golden book’s radiance had been imprinted into his head. “This golden book can assimilate the knowledge within the library to be mine?” Zhang Xuan was in a state of disbelief. In the past, he had to manually browse through the books in the Library of Heaven’s Path. The corresponding knowledge did not truly belong to him then. But now, all of it is deeply imprinted in his head, becoming a part of his memory. That is to say, the current him, even without the Library of Heaven’s Path, is a true apothecary in terms of his knowledge on pill forging. “Where is that golden book?” Zhang Xuan focused his attention into the library hurriedly and saw that the golden book is still there. However, the empty page within it had disappeared without a trace. “This…” Zhang Xuan blinked. The disappearance of the golden page and the sudden infuse of knowledge in his head had occurred at the same time, it looks like the golden page holds such abilities. “I wonder how this golden book is formed. It is simply too efficient to convert any book’s content into my actual knowledge in such a manner…” Initially, even with the enhanced learning speed in the Library of Heaven’s Path, finishing hundreds of thousand of books would have taken at least two years or so. Yet, with a single glow of the golden page, everything had been converted into his knowledge. Learning has become an incomparably easy process. “Un? I was unconscious for an entire night?” Awaking to the delight of unexpected gains, Zhang Xuan looked outside and he was shocked. To think that he would have lost consciousness for an entire night just like that. Stretching his back, just as he was about to look for some food, he saw his butler, Sun Qiang, walking in. “Old master, Guild Leader Ouyang Cheng of the Apothecary Guild and Apothecary Chen Xiao are here to visit.” “Ouyang Cheng? Apothecary Chen Xiao?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He is currently Master Teacher Yang Xuan, not Apothecary Zhang Xuan. In this identity, he does not know the other party, so why would they suddenly come looking for him. “Yes. Furthermore… They have already waited 4 hours outside!” Sun Qiang was at a loss for words. The old master sure can sleep. He returned to his bedroom the moment the sun set yesterday and slept all the way until now, when the sun has already risen high up in the sky… It is truly a wonder just by thinking of it. He did not dare to interrupt the old master’s sleep, so he could only tell the other party that the old master was resting. Who knew that the two of them would continue waiting at the entrance, camping outside for 4 straight hours… They sure are patient. “Old master, Apothecary Chen Xiao has paid the three million. Look…” “Have them enter!” Zhang Xuan gestured Sun Qiang to invite them in. Sun Qiang left the room and in a moment’s time, Guild Leader Ouyang and Apothecary Chen Xiao entered. “Paying respects to Yang shi!” Not daring to act haughtily before a master teacher, the two of them bowed immediately upon entering the room. Initially, Apothecary Chen Xiao wanted to come alone. But considering that his prestige may be insufficient by itself, he roped Ouyang Cheng in as well. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. If I’m not wrong, the reason why you two came so early to look for me should be because… this Apothecary Chen Xiao doesn’t have long to live, and he hopes to look for a solution for his problem!” Just as he was perplexed over the two’s arrival, an inspiration flashed through his mind and Zhang Xuan recalled the matter at the Pill Debate. This Chen Xiao had been cursed by someone else and as such, a death aura engulfed him, eating into his lifespan. Back then, during the Pill Debate, Zhang Xuan felt that he had reneged on the promises he made and that he wasn’t worth saving, so he didn’t elaborate much about the matter. This fellow probably couldn’t find a solution to his problem and upon hearing that a master teacher had arrived in town, he came knocking to try his luck. That was fine by Zhang Xuan as well. He could make him pay a hefty sum and in this way, he could redress the grievances of the person who entrusted his final will to him. Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s abrupt words, Ouyang Cheng and Apothecary Chen Xiao nearly knelt down from fright and fainted. Didn’t a master teacher require a person to first display their battle technique, pill forging, or at the very least, examine one’s body, before deducing one’s problems or illnesses? How was he able to tell all this in a single look… Is this still his ability of discernment? Even a seer isn’t as incredible as him! Shocked by Yang shi’s capabilities, Apothecary Chen Xiao’s face paled further. He was worried. For the other party to be able to see through this much with a single look, his illness must be truly serious. Can it be that he can’t even survive to the next day? “Where is the cauldron? Have you discarded it yet? Also, reneging on your promises without even trying to fulfill it just because the other party is dead should be an action unbefitting of your identity as an official apothecary!” Oblivious to the two’s astounded expressions, Zhang Xuan recalled the contents of the book and continued speaking. Noticing that there was no response, he lifted his head to take a look, only to see that Ouyang Cheng and Apothecary Chen Xiao’s face were ghastly white. Especially for the latter, his entire body was convulsing as though he was suffering from a stroke. Unable to hold endure any further, he collapsed to the floor on his knees. “Yang shi, save me… I beg you, please save me…” Apothecary Chen Xiao was scared witless. No one knew that he had obtained a cauldron from his dead friend. Even Zhang Xuan had only inferred that he had obtained a treasure from a deceased and didn’t know what it was exactly. Yet, this person, even without a close examination, was able to tell so immediately… Are you a deity? Or else… How would you know… “Is what Yang shi said true?” Even though Ouyang Cheng had no idea how Apothecary Chen Xiao got afflicted with a death aura, looking at his expression at this moment, he realized that what Yang shi had said was the truth. He was overwhelmed with awe for the other party. Without requiring anything but just a single glance, he is able to tell the root of a person’s illness, his symptoms, and even the cause… This is too incredible! “Er…” Only upon seeing the dumbfounded expression on their faces did Zhang Xuan remember that he is Master Teacher Yang Xuan currently, and he does not know the two of them. Clearing his throat to break the awkward atmosphere, he said, “It’s not difficult to save you. Firstly, you have to bury the cauldron with that old acquaintance of yours, then complete the task that he had delegated to you before his death… Finally, you just have to get some pills that are rich in spiritual energy to nourish yourself for half a year.” Actually, the other party’s problem isn’t really serious. He was cursed by the old acquaintance of his, but as long as he fulfills his promise solemnly and stays away from the cauldron, the power of the curse will slowly weaken and as time goes by, he will recover completely. “Yang shi, thank you for your guidance!” Hearing that there is hope for him, Apothecary Chen Xiao hurriedly nodded his head. At this moment, he does not doubt the other party’s words in the least. To be able to tell what his problem was with a single look, he is definitely more than capable of solving his problem. Having learned the method to save himself, there was no longer any need for the two of them to stay. Thus, they turned around to leave. Walking straight out of the main gates, Apothecary Chen Xiao still felt as though everything that had just happened is a dream. The problem that left him in anguish and despair for numerous days, made him order his clan to sell their fortune and move to the rural countryside… was solved in just a few moments? “There’s no need to think too much about it. A master teacher’s words are gold. Even though he phrased it in a very simple manner, his ability to provide a solution to settle the root of a problem is not something others can emulate!” Upon seeing the dazed look on the other party’s face, Ouyang Cheng glanced backward with a look of admiration before commenting in awe. ………………………… The matter of Apothecary Chen Xiao and Guild Leader Ouyang Cheng entering and leaving the mansion became another affair that the various powers in the capital were concerned over. “These two apothecaries had barely been in for five minutes and they are already out? Could it be that their problem is not settled? Help me look into it. I want to know what kind of problem that two apothecaries of noble standing could meet with such that they require the help of a master teacher!” “You say that… Apothecary Chen Xiao had already conducted a funeral at his residence, sold all of his fortunes here, and even wrote a will… But after meeting Yang shi, he immediately swapped the white cloth into red ones and celebrated, as though the crisis had been averted?” TL: In funerals, the mourning attire, and sometimes the location, would be white. On the other hand, red is the color of celebration (usually used in weddings). “He was afflicted with a severe illness that could lead to his death at any moment, but in the five minutes that he met Yang shi, was cured of his illness…” “Looks like we were all wrong. We only know the names of 1- star master teachers. Given the capabilities of this Yang shi… Can it be that he isn’t just a mere 1-star?” “A higher tier master teacher?” The entire city shook when the news was spread. Today, the name of Yang Xuan—— Resounds throughout the capital. 157 Painting Examination As his fame grew, ‘Master Teacher Yang Xuan’, who is a guise of Zhang Xuan, instead had more time to relax. Even though there are many wealthy individuals in Tianxuan City, not many of them are capable of whipping out three million gold coins out of a blue. Furthermore, considering their own status, if they truly didn’t have grave problems that were beyond their own means, they would not dare to interrupt a master teacher’s rest. After Guild Leader Ouyang and Apothecary Chen Xiao’s departure, the courtyard quietened once more. After resting for an entire afternoon and seeing that no one came, Zhang Xuan removed his disguise and returned to the academy. “Teacher, Huang Yu xiaojie has come to look for you and she is currently waiting in the classroom…” Before he even reached the classroom, Yuan Tao had walked up to welcome him. “What matter could she have for me?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. Knowing that it was impossible for Yuan Tao to answer this doubt of his, he returned straight back to the classroom without asking him too much about it. As expected, upon walking in, he saw Huang Yu xiaojie in the room, and she stood so quietly that the scene resembled a still painting. The reason why she was able to become an assistant master teacher isn’t just because she is the daughter of the guild leader of the Teacher Guild. On top of that, she possessed a relaxed and soothing disposition that naturally gave others a good impression of her. Sure enough, Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao and others’ eyes drifted toward her frequently but unwittingly, causing Zhao Ya to be so infuriated that she could murder someone. Wang Ying and I aren’t inferior in any way, alright? Why don’t I see you peeking at us during lessons usually? Damn it! “Master Zhang!” Oblivious to the thoughts of the young lady, Huang Yu’s eyes lit up upon seeing him and hurried forward. “For Huang xiaojie to come looking for me, is there any urgent matter?” Zhang Xuan asked. “Master Lu invites you over.” Huang Yu clasped her hands. “Could it be that he wishes to bring me to the royal palace’s Book Collection Vault?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes sparkled. Previously, Lu Chen had promised to bring him to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault to look up Pixue realm secret manuals. As Emperor Shen Zhui wasn’t in the capital then, the matter had to be postponed. However, given how he had specially sent Huang Yu to find him, there must have been some progress on the matter. “Er… That isn’t it!” Huang Yu said a little awkwardly. “Master Lu wishes to conduct an examination for me and Bai Xun and thus, he wishes to invite you over as a judge.” “Judge?” Zhang Xuan was stunned. Huang Yu and Bai Xun wished to obtain Master Lu Chen’s 【Ink Daylily Canvas】. Thus, Master Lu Chen declared that whoever proves to be more knowledgeable on painting would be given the painting. As a result, the two of them came looking for Zhang Xuan a few days ago to have him offer them some pointers on painting. However, how could Zhang Xuan possibly know anything about painting? Thus, he could only come up with some random statements, but who knew that the two would regard his words so highly and study them vigorously. This is probably the final examination. “Yes, Master Lu Chen knows that you have a deep understanding of painting and thinks that you are able to come up with the most precise judgment. Hence, he tasked me to invite you over at all costs…” Huang Yu said. Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows twitched. He didn’t even know what kind of brushes there are, needless to say, to make a precise judgment… This Master Lu Chen sure regards him much too highly. However, the other party had done a lot for him, and he is still hoping to enter the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Therefore, he wasn’t in a good position to reject the other party’s invitation. Furthermore, Huang Yu had played a big role in helping him resolve the matter regarding the Enlightenment Will Trial. “So as long as you don’t mind me spouting nonsense, I am fine with it. When does it begin?” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and accepted the invitation. “Initially, we agreed to start the test at noon, but you were not in… However, we should still be able to make it in time if we leave now.” Huang Yu said. “Noon?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. By the time he woke up, the sun was already hanging high up in the sky. Furthermore, he had idled for quite a long time before walking out of his mansion casually. It is already going to be noon shortly… Aren’t they in too much of a hurry to conduct the examination right now? “Un!” Huang Yu nodded her head. “Alright then!” Realizing that the other party was clearly determined to pull him over, Zhang Xuan knew that it would be futile to try rejecting the offer. Thus, he had a word with his students before following her out of the academy. “I know that painting is hard to learn, and it doesn’t seem like it would be easy to assess your standards!” On the way, Zhang Xuan commented curiously. He had never heard of a painting examination, needless to say, its rules. After all, Master Lu Chen can’t possibly have Bai Xun and her draw at the same time and evaluate them based on it. Huang Yu was born in the Teacher Guild and she is an assistant master teacher as well. Even though she had never specially learned painting before, it is likely that she possesses an acceptable level of skill. As for Bai Xun… It is truly difficult for a fellow who only knows about martial arts to contemplate over a person’s painting posture. “The examination is something Master Lu Chen and Master Yuanyu came up with. Bai Xun and I hadn’t heard of it from them, so we don’t really know the details of the examination and how it would be conducted!” Huang Yu shook her head. “Master Yuanyu?” Zhang Xuan was puzzled Isn’t that fellow a famous physician in Tianxuan Royal City? Why is he determining the format of an examination? “Master Yuanyu is not merely a master physician, he is also skilled in painting. In fact, even Master Lu Chen is full of praises for him. He drew the 【River Canary Painting】, of which, the river looked so lifelike that it seemed as though it was flowing. While drawing the painting on a boat, he actually attracted birds to his painting and the melodious chirping traveled far and wide. This became quite a legend in the city.” Huang Yu’s eyes glowed with respect. “He’s that incredible? Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He had heard of Master Yuanyu from Wang Ying on the day that he accepted her. All along, he had thought that the other party was simply a physician. He would never have thought that the famous physician would be an accomplished painter as well. To be able to attract real birds to his painting, his painting skills are definitely comparable to Master Lu Chen’s. “Indeed, Master Lu Chen had invited him over as well. He said having three people serve as judges would result in a more objective evaluation.” Huang Yu said. Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Since there are already two true master painters, Zhang Xuan’s presence should be more of a supplement than a mandatory one. When the time comes, he just has to go with the flow. As such, he became less anxious. The only reason why he is able to impress Master Lu back then was due to the library. Given his absolute ignorance about painting, he should avoid speaking later on so as to prevent himself from speaking anything amateurish and giving himself away. The two of them chatted as they proceeded forward. Soon, they arrived at Master Lu Chen’s residence. Before they could even step into the entrance, the butler Uncle Cheng walked forward to usher them in, “Master Zhang, Huang xiaojie, why did you two only arrive now? Master Yuanyu says that he has to visit someone else later on this afternoon and he is already getting a little impatient.” “I happened to be out then, causing Huang xiaojie to wait a long time for me.” Zhang Xuan said in embarrassment. The other party had decided to hold the examination this noon, but Zhang Xuan was often away from the academy the past few days, making it difficult to get hold of him either. As such, their arrival was delayed. “Please enter!” Upon hearing his explanation, Uncle Cheng did not dare to nag further and immediately called for the two to enter. After obtaining a mansion of his own, the feeling he had upon returning to this place was completely different. Even though the design is simple and plain, the minute details are exceptionally exquisite. The mansion that he had rented pales too far in comparison to it; the two aren’t even on the same level. Of course, if a true master teacher were to be the one who renovated the residence he rented, there was no way it would have looked like that. The sense of aesthetics of a merchant can’t compare to that of a master painter. Following behind Uncle Cheng, they soon arrived at the lounge. Taking a rough glance at the room, he saw Master Lu Chen and an elderly seated across each other, sipping on tea. The incomparably arrogant Bai Xun hid in the corner, looking at his surroundings anxiously. Upon seeing the duo, a delighted expression appeared on his face and he hurried forward to welcome them. “Master Zhang, you’re here…” Zhang Xuan nodded his head and turned his attention to the renowned Master Yuanyu. He looked around sixty to seventy year old and possessed a snow-white beard. Even though he isn’t young anymore, his eyes are extremely spirited, giving one the feeling that energy is radiating from his eyes. For him to possess such vigor despite his advanced age, he truly lives up to his reputation as a famous physician. “Little brother, you’re here.” Master Lu Chen stood up with a smile. “Master Lu Chen!” Zhang Xuan clasped his hands. “Un, come over. Let me introduce you to Master Yuanyu, he is my best buddy, as well as a master painter!” Lu Chen happily introduced the two to each other. “Yuanyu, this is Brother Zhang Xuan, the one that I have told you about. Even though he is young, his talent in painting is probably in no way inferior to yours and mine.” “Master is truly generous. I just… casually spoke… casually learned a bit.” Zhang Xuan hurriedly said. Even though he was able to see through the flaws in Master Lu’s painting, it was mainly due to the cheat machine he had on him. If he were to try to decipher it using his own abilities, he probably wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of it even if he spent three years on it. “Knowledge and skills have nothing to do with age, and only those who are truly skilled will be deemed as masters. Since you were able to analyze Lu Chen’s 【Summer-Autumn Painting】and 【Chi Xiong Howling to the Heavens】 and tell what is amiss with them, your ability of discernment is truly incredible. We really lack youngsters like you nowadays.” Master Yuanyu said. His voice was calm and clear, and it granted its listeners a tinge of warmth. It seemed that he had heard of Zhang Xuan’s matter through Lu Chen’s mouth, and his pitch-black eyes evaluated Zhang Xuan with curiosity. “I am unworthy of your praises…” Zhang Xuan clasped his hands once more. Only now did he know the names of the two paintings. If Lu Chen and Yuanyu were to know his thoughts, they would definitely spurt blood. A painter would often leave their names, bookmarks or words on it so that their name would remain in the annals of history. He had seen the names on it, but as it was written in a unique font commonly used by painters, not to mention, it was written extremely sloppily, causing Zhang Xuan to be able to recognize those characters. For him to be unable to recognize the words discernible by apprentice painter, to the point that he didn’t even know that it was the name of the painting… To be called master with those standards of his… If he were thick-skinned enough to admit it… Of course, back then, when he came into contact with the paintings, the Library of Heaven’s Path had recorded their names in the books compiled on them. However, as he wasn’t asked about the names then, he didn’t pay any attention to it. The few of them traded some pleasantries. Master Yuanyu is indeed a person who is easy to get along with. Other people might look down on Zhang Xuan due to his young age, but not only did he not do so, he even held a level of admiration for him. “Alright, since everyone is here, let’s start!” Master Lu Chen stroked his beard. “Yes!” Huang Yu and Bai Xun nodded their head simultaneously. “There’s only one Ink Daylily Canvas, and I can only give it to one of you. Thus, I devised this examination. Firstly, I do not wish to pass on this painting to someone who is completely ignorant of painting. Secondly, I hope to temper you two so as to rid your impatience and complacency, especially for Bai Xun.” Master Lu Chen said calmly toward the two. Even though he loved this Ink Daylily Painting a lot, he was willing to pass it on to the later generations. The reason why he had established this examination was for the two to come into more contact with painting and learn more about it. He had been devoted to painting his entire life, even placing his entire youth into in. Seeing that there is no one to succeed his legacy, he started to panic. At this moment, Huang Yu and Bai Xun came over to request for the painting. As such, he made use of this opportunity to lay down the rules so as to have them learn about it. Perhaps, through his actions, painting can flourish within Tianxuan Kingdom. Using his words, everyone is too engrossed with martial arts and youngsters who are interested in painting are dwindling. If he does not do anything soon, this craft might even find itself without a successor. Also, by doing this, it had the effect of tempering Bai Xun’s personality. This fellow was short-tempered and often liked to resolve problems through his fists. Learning about painting could help him to calm his mind, thus keeping his temper in check. Otherwise, given that impatient personality of his, how could he inherit his father’s position and guard the northern border on behalf of the royal family? 158 It’s Your Turn “However, it hasn’t been long since you two came into contact with painting. Not only would it be ineffective to have you paint for your examination, it would be an insult to the craft. Thus, after discussing with Yuanyu, we came up with a new examination format.” It has just been a month since Huang Yu and Bai Xun first came into contact with painting. Even if Master Lu Chen were to have them paint, what kind of painting could they come up with? It would just be embarrassing to have that. Thus, Master Lu Chen chose to use another method to test them instead. Speaking to this point, he chuckled and continued, “The format would be that… I, Yuanyu, and Brother Zhang Xuan will first paint, and the two of you will then appraise and rate the paintings. The person, whose review is the most accurate and precise, will be presented the Ink Daylily Canvas!” “To paint? Hm?” Sipping on his tea, Zhang Xuan had merely intended to show his presence for the examination. But upon hearing Master Lu Chen’s words, he staggered and nearly spat his mouthful of tea onto the elder’s face. You must be joking! I am just here to add to your number, yet you want me to paint… Are you examining them or me? I don’t even know how to hold a brush, what kind of painting can I draw? “I think it’s better for me to not to paint…” Zhang Xuan said anxiously. “Don’t reject this offer, let’s bond over literature. There are many literature gatherings that require one to come up with poems or drawing. It’s rare to have you and Brother Yuanyu here at the same time, so let’s interact through our paintings. At the same time, we can have these juniors understand the true charm of painting. Perhaps, they might even fall in love with the craft and become a master in the future.” Master Lu Chen stroked his beard and chuckled. Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears. Are you listening to my words carefully? What I mean is that I can’t paint, and I don’t want to paint. Yet, you go on rambling about interacting through painting… The heck that we interact through painting! “Cough cough, there’s really no need for it. It’s enough to have you two draw. I haven’t done any preparations for this…” Zhang Xuan could only phrase his words even clearer. “I have already prepared the brush, paper, and ink slab. Brother Zhang Xuan, there’s no need to be so restrained, treat this as your home and draw as you please. At the same time, let them understand what true painting!” Master Lu Chen replied. “Restrained? Understanding what true painting is?” This isn’t what I am trying to say at all! “Alright, Ah Cheng, go and prepare the painting tools. Xiao Yu and Bai Xun, watch carefully as we paint and learn from it!” Lu Chen thought that Zhang Xuan was embarrassed and waved away his concerns with a smile. “Yes!” The butler Uncle Cheng waved his hands, and a few maids carried in three sets of painting tools and placed it on the table before them. Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows twitched furiously. He couldn’t even draw with a pencil, and he has to do it with a brush now… If he knew that the examination would be like this, he would never have come. “Since we’re here to get acquainted with one another through our paintings, let’s not constrain ourselves to any topic!” Once the preparations were in place, Master Lu Chen looked at Master Yuanyu with a grin. “Brother Yuanyu, you are a guest, so it’ll be best if you go first!” “Alright. I will be displaying my inferior skills then!” Master Yuanyu stroked his beard with a smile and walked forward to the table. Picking up the brush, he mused for a moment before starting on his painting. His brush flew around the paper with astonishing force and elegance. The moment he started painting, his kind face and disposition transformed. He exuded the aura of an expert painter without an equal, garnering respecting from the onlookers. “There are four main levels to painting. They are namely ‘Reality Depiction’, ‘Spiritual Canvas’, ‘Infused Intentions’, and ‘Breathtaking Verisimilitude’. Reality Depiction means the recording of the sight one sees in reality perfectly. Even though such a drawing may be remarkably lifelike, it is the lowest level of a painting.” As Master Yuanyu started painting, Lu Chen explained the various levels that a piece of painting can be assigned to the crowd. “Spiritual Canvas refers to the level where the scenery and objects one draw comes alive through the infuse of spiritual energy. The entire painting will look as though it is a living scenery. For example, if one drew a fish, the spectators would feel as though the fish is alive, and that it would leap out from the canvas at any moment.” “The third level, Infused Intentions, refers to the level in which one is able to infuse one’s intentions into a painting! One must first attain a certain state of mind before they start painting in order to produce a painting that can move and allure others. My 【Summer-Autumn Painting】and 【Chi Xiong Howling to the Heavens】 happens to reach such a level. That’s why one would feel as though the paintings are unfolding before him, as though he has been pulled into its world.” “Brother Yuanyu and I happen to have reached this level. If we’re sufficiently lucky, there is a small possibility that we might be able to produce a level 4 painting. Breathtaking Verisimilitude refers to a painting in which characters carry a disposition of their own, to the point that even animals and savage beasts are unable to tell the difference between a painting and reality. The Ink Daylily Canvas that Xiao Yu wants and Brother Yuanyu’s River Canary Painting of such a level.” “Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. He thought that whoever whose drawing was the most lifelike would be the better painter. Only after listening to the explanation did he realize that drawing a lifelike painting… was simply the lowest level. Only when a drawing was infused with the painter’s spirit and unique artistic conception can it be considered a true masterpiece. In the midst of the discussion, Master Yuanyu’s painting slowly began to take shape. It is a painting of a Mountainous Jungle Sparrow. Within the tranquil forest, two sparrows are dancing around. Even though they are motionless, one can almost hear the bright chirping of the birds in the air, as though one had entered the mountainous forests, and is surrounded by the fragrance of the flowers and the melodious twitter of the birds. “Master Lu, is this an Infused Intentions painting? Huang Yu couldn’t resist asking. For it to induce such a sensation, this showed that the painting contained a profound artistic conception. One couldn’t help but be absorbed into it with a single glance. “Un!” Master Lu Chen nodded his head. “This painting has indeed reached the level of Infused Intentions. However, it barely meets the mark. As for why I say so, it is your job to analyze and appraise it. Whoever who is able to come up with the most precise answer will be the victor.” “Yes!” Huang Yu and Bai Xun immediately focused their gazes on the painting. In no time, Master Yuanyu placed his brush down. He had completed the Mountainous Jungle Sparrow Painting. “Hehe, looks like my skills have gotten rusty after resting for too long. Here is my humble painting!” Master Yuanyu smiled. “Lu Chen, it’s your turn!” “Alright!” Master Lu Chen walked up to the table, picked up the brush, and his hands started to fly about. Even though they are both master painters of the third level, it is clear through Lu Chen’s fluid movements that he is more adept. In his painting, a lone boat could be seen floating on the surface of a river. There were no astonishing waves or fearsome storms, but it gave the feeling as though one was trudging ahead against all odds, that the entire world was hindering the boat’s path. Even though the person on the boat was drawn with just two mere strokes, his courage in charging ahead despite the dangers that lurked ahead induced the spectator’s hot-bloodedness. “Looks like Brother Lu’s technique is superior to mine!” Even before the painting was finished, Master Yuanyu couldn’t help but comment. He is skilled in painting and is renowned in the field as well, but when compared to Lu Chen, he is still a long way off. While the artistic conception behind his Mountainous Jungle Sparrow Painting isn’t bad, if one were to analyze the two paintings thoroughly, Lu Chen’s artistic conception would be a tier higher than his. He had only contrasted the silence of the forest along with the liveliness of the birds, but the other party had brought out the inner struggle of a person. It is clear that the other party is much more skilled than him. “How is it? Can you tell anything from it?” Master Yuanyu turned his attention to Bai Xun and Huang Yu and questioned them with a smile. “I can tell that Master Lu had used three types of painting techniques and twelve types of painting strokes in his Flowing River Painting. Also, there seems to be the shadow of the renowned painter eighty years ago, Chen Jiao, in his painting.” Huang Yu pondered for a moment before replying. Chen Jiao was a famous female painter in Tianxuan Kingdom back then. Her strokes were delicate, and she specialized in painting mountains and rivers. In that aspect, she was said to have reached the pinnacle for river paintings, and she was honored as the number one painter in the Tianxuan Kingdom in the last three hundred years. “I saw that too…” Bai Xun hurriedly said. “Un, seems like you have good eyes!” Master Yuan Yu chuckled. “Three types of painting techniques? Twelve types of painting strokes?” Zhang Xuan was speechless. From his perspective, all he saw was Master Lu Chen picking up the brush and drawing randomly. He couldn’t tell anything unique about it at all. Even though he had infused all of the knowledge from the books which he had flipped through into his head through the golden page in the golden book, they were all mainly related to cultivation techniques, battle techniques, and pill forging. There were barely any painting-related books in the teacher Compendium Pavilion, and as such, he is nearly completely ignorant on the topic. “Haha, Brother Yuanyu, you are way too humble!” In a moment’s time, Master Lu Chen completed the Flowing River Painting as well. Chuckling, he walked over and said, “I have been touring the Benma River these few days and accumulated several days of emotions before unleashing them all on this painting, that’s why I was able to up you one in this painting. Brother Yuanyu is normally busy going around treating others and isn’t as free as me. If you were to be like me and immerse yourself into painting, I’m afraid that I would be far from a match for you!” “Painting is dependant on talent. It is because I find myself lacking talent that I chose to tread on the path of a physician!” Master Yuanyu shook his head. “Alright, we two old folks shouldn’t be praising one another here like that. Speaking of talents, Brother Zhang Xuan is truly a genius. Despite being young, he possesses a unique view and understanding of painting. I believe that his painting ability is in no way inferior ours.” Master Lu Chen shook his head smiling and gestured Zhang Xuan forward. “We are already done painting. Brother Zhang Xuan, it’s your turn!” Huala. The moment he said those words, everyone’s eyes turned to look at Zhang Xuan. Master Yuanyu also nodded his head in approval. His eyes were filled with curiosity, he was interested to see what kind of painting Zhang Xuan would come up with. He had heard Lu Chen spoke of Zhang Xuan’s matter before. Even though he does not doubt his words, he still found it a little unbelievable that Zhang Xuan could reach such an incredible level of expertise at such a young age. Painting is different from martial arts. It isn’t something one can succeed in just because one has talent. One needs to accumulate a multitude of experience and emotions in order to comprehend life so as to produce good paintings. Even for him, it was due to him treating innumerable patients that he gained the inspiration required for his mastery in painting to soar, reaching the current level he is at. However, Zhang Xuan is not even twenty. Even if he was born with natural compatibility to painting, at the very most, he only has a solid foundation that allows him to reach the level of Reality Depiction. If he wants to create paintings of the level of Spiritual Canvas and Infused Intentions… He probably needs a lot more training. Of course, he wouldn’t vocalize these thoughts. After all, it would be impolite. At that moment, when Master Lu Chen invited him to paint, he couldn’t help but peer over to see what standards that fellow possessed. Even Bai Xun and Huang Yu looked excited. Zhang Xuan had performed impressively the previous time he was here, pointing out the flaws and secrets behind Master Lu Chen’s painting, even giving him pointers. They couldn’t help but admire him for that. Right now, they are truly curious to see what kind of level had this Zhang laoshi, who isn’t much older than them, had reached. “Me?” Sensing their eager gazes, Zhang Xuan felt his head swelling up. He thought that the other party was just casually bringing the matter up… To think that he really needed to draw. How can he draw when he doesn’t know a single thing at all? He can’t possibly draw a little chick, add a halo to it, and call it Divine Phoenix. If he really did so, he probably wouldn’t have to dream about stepping out from the residence alive. He would surely be beaten to death. “This… this… Can I first browse through some books?” Scratching his head, Zhang Xuan suppressed his embarrassment and asked. 159 Fraudster? “Browse through some books?” Lu Chen and Yuanyu exchanged gazes. They were perplexed. We invited you here to draw, you can feel free to draw anything you like to display your painting prowess… Browse through some books? What does that have to do with drawing? Bai Xun and Huang Yu, who had prepared to be amazed by Zhang Xuan, were also stunned. To want to browse through books when you are about to draw… Isn’t it a little too late for that! More importantly… Brother, given your high standards, are you sure that reading books will help with your painting at all? “Yes!” Even though he could sense that everyone was looking at him with bizarre looks, Zhang Xuan could only suppress his awkwardness. He truly had no other ways. Painting? He also wished that he is an expert who can produce a third level or fourth level painting easily and impress everyone here. But the truth is that… He doesn’t even know how to hold or use a paintbrush… How can he paint like that? The Library of Heaven’s Path allows him to see through all flaws and take the knowledge in books for his own usage. However, it doesn’t possess the ability to allow him to become a true master painter in an instant, unless… He read sufficient painting books to form a Heaven’s Path secret manual! The library is able to extract the correct portions of a manual, allowing Zhang Xuan to achieve mastery in any art swiftly and easily… If this really works out, perhaps he might become a true painting expert in a moment’s time. “What kind of books do you want to read? Could it be that… you have reached a bottleneck in painting?” After a long moment, Master Lu Chen asked. Similar to cultivating, one can meet with a bottleneck in painting. There are people who are able to reach the third level with just a few years of training, while there are also people who find themselves unable to reach even the first level their entire life. He truly couldn’t fathom why Zhang Xuan would request to browse through books. After musing for a moment’s time, it suddenly struck him that perhaps he had reached a bottleneck and wanted to attempt to break through his current level. Otherwise, why would he need to browse through books before painting? Reading and painting are two completely unrelated matters! “That’s not it, it’s… it’s that… I have yet to reach the state where I can reach the state of mind required for me to draw as and when I like. Before I draw, I need to read a lot of books to calm my mind, and only then will I be able to create high- quality paintings!” After squeezing out his brain juice, Zhang Xuan finally came up with an excuse. After all, he can’t possibly tell them that he doesn’t know how to hold a brush, and he needs to browse through some books… to learn… If he were to truly say that out, the other party might treat him as a lunatic. Painting is something much harder to learn than martial arts. It is impossible to reach Lu Chen and Yuanyu’s level of mastery without decades of effort, countless wasted paper, and worn- out brushes. To want to learn painting just by browsing through a few books… Isn’t that dreaming? Even if you wanted to lie, you should at least take the trouble to come up with something more believable… “A good painting is related to one’s state of mind, luck, and opportunity… Given your age, it is understandable that it is difficult for you to produce a good painting without adjusting your state of mind.” Master Yuanyu nodded his head in approval. Master Lu Chen didn’t reject Zhang Xuan’s words as well. Painting is an art, not a physical technique. Even if one’s physical condition isn’t good, it is unlikely for one’s strength to be impacted greatly. However, if one were unable to get in the appropriate state of mind, no matter how well one painted, it would only be a painting with form, but devoid of a soul. It can never be considered as a masterpiece. “It’s my habit… Hm?” He didn’t expect the two masters to not refute his words. Halfway through his explanation, he paused abruptly in surprise. But soon, he came to a realization. Art is the same, no matter what world one came from. Back then, when Wang Xi wrote the ‘Preface of the Orchid Pavilion’, he was drunk and wrote it casually. But when he woke up and tried to rewrite it, he found himself unable to surpass his previous work. This is the importance of one’s state. It is just how even if you were to give Master Yuanyu brush and paper and have him redraw his masterpiece, River Canary Painting, he would definitely be unable to replicate it. Everyone has their own masterpiece, and often, many factors are contained in their work. It was perfectly reasonable for him to request to browse through books to adjust his state of mind. “Lu Chen, don’t you have quite a bit of painting secret manuals and collection in your study? Why don’t you have our little friend here go in to take a look? We can wait here while he gets into his ideal state to display his painting skills!” Master Yuanyu said. “My study?” Lu Chen’s mouth twitched. The previous time that the fellow achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation, he had wrecked his study. Until now, he remains traumatized by the event. However, he is also curious to see what level of painting had the other party reached. Thus, he nodded his head, “Un, Ah Cheng, bring Brother Zhang Xuan over!” “Thank you, master!” Seeing that he had managed to muddle his way through, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief and followed butler Uncle Cheng into the study. The previous time he was here, he was looking for Fighter 6- dan Pixue realm secret manuals. Back then, he had never thought that he would return here to read up on painting. …… … When Zhang Xuan stepped into the study, the atmosphere in the lounge turned bizarre. “Adjusting one’s state of mind… Master Lu, why have I never heard of such a precedent?” Huang Yu couldn’t help but ask. As an assistant master teacher, she had seen and experienced many different things. Honestly speaking, she had never seen such a strange action. “The need to adjust one’s state of mind differs from person to person, so it is hard to say for certain.” Lu Chen didn’t reply, so Master Yuanyu spoke up in his place after a moment of contemplation. “Actually, this is more of a habit. In the past, there was an expert who sold firewood before he became famous…” “I know that, is master speaking of Elder Lu Chai?” Bai Xun asked. Elder Lu Chai’s original name was Lu Chuan, but as he used to sell firewood for a living before he became famous, people termed him as Lu Chai. When he reached Tongxuan pinnacle, there was hardly anyone in Tianxuan Kingdom who was a match for him and as such, his name rang far and wide during that period of time. From a lowly ordinary man who sold firewood, he became an expert whose name rattled the entire kingdom. Elder Lu Chai often spoke of his affairs to motivate the younger generation, so quite a few people knew of his background. “Indeed, it’s that Elder Lu Chai. You know how hard he worked to raise his cultivation and how he became famous, but you aren’t aware of the fact that he chopped firewood to adjust his state of mind before battling. He would lock himself in his room and spend an entire day chopping firewood so as to get into his top form.” “Now that Brother Yuan had said so, I recall another expert from a century ago, the Aloof Swordsman Wu Jiangping. He was known to be capable of ‘calming the seas with a single sword’. I’ve heard that before he made a name for himself, he was a bamboo weaver. Before every battle, he would adjust his state of mind through weaving bamboo, thus achieving the level of a Tongxuan eventually and becoming a figure respected by everyone!” Master Lu Chen said. “Indeed, there are many such examples. Our friend here seems to utilize books to adjust his state of mind. It is not really a bizarre sight, just that…” Yuanyu’s words suddenly paused here. “Brother Yuanyu, feel free to say anything that’s on your mind!” Lu Chen chuckled. “Back then, when you were painting, I took a glance at him and intentionally questioned Huang Yu and Bai Xun so as to see how he would react. However… He seems to be confused by what was going on, as though he is completely ignorant of painting and… In fact, I doubt that he was able to notice anything about your painting!” Recalling what he had seen previously, Yuanyu shook his head, “Brother Lu, you said that he was able to discern the flaws and secrets behind your 【Summer-Autumn Painting】 and 【Chi Xiong Howling to the Heavens】, so he shouldn’t have been showing such an expression!” As a physician, Master Yuanyu is adept at paying attention to minute details. Back then, Zhang Xuan was clearly shocked when he saw Master Lu Chen’s painting, and he had seen it clearly. “Ignorant of painting? That shouldn’t be possible.” Master Lu Chen isn’t as sharp and attentive as Master Yuanyu, so he found the latter’s words slightly hard to believe. This Zhang Xuan was able to see through his layout immediately upon walking into his courtyard, and after which, he proceeded on to tear open the top layer of paper on the Summer-Autumn Painting to unveil the contents hidden within, as well as point out the errors in the Chi Xiong Howling to the Heavens… With such discerning eyes, how can he possibly not know anything about painting? “This is just my intuition, there is also a possibility that I might be wrong…” Master Yuanyu shook his head. He was truly filled with curiosity toward Zhang Xuan. Before he even saw him, Master Lu Chen had described him in a way such that it wouldn’t be shocking even if Zhang Xuan turned out to be a heavenly being who descended to earth. This had piqued Yuanyu’s interest, but after meeting the person in question, honestly speaking, he was slightly disappointed. Master painters had a disposition unique to them, but he did not feel any hint of it from that fellow. Furthermore, that person was filled with hesitation when it came to talking about painting. He couldn’t help but suspect whether that fellow is truly a master painter. If not for the sake of his old friend’s dignity, he would have started challenging the other party’s identity. If the other party truly had painting capabilities that were in no way inferior to them two, he shouldn’t have been like that. “Could it be that… he doesn’t know anything at all? He feigned it all out?” A thought suddenly popped into Master Yuanyu’s mind and he frowned. If it is true, then everything else makes sense. It is precisely because he knows nothing about painting that he tried to avoid the topic and claim that he needs to browse through books to alter his state of mind. It is precisely because he knows nothing about painting that his face reflected his confusion when he saw Lu Chen painting, and that he could not compare to even Huang Yu and Bai Xun. But that made sense, the other party isn’t even twenty yet. Even if he were to boast a vast knowledge on painting, how high can his mastery of painting be? He probably did an investigation on his old friend’s painting beforehand and then pointed it out, feigning knowledge, when in fact, he is a fraud. If that is indeed true, he would have to warn his old friend so as to not fall for the other party’s deception. “Brother Yuanyu, don’t you have to visit someone in the afternoon? Would it be inconvenient for you to wait like this?” Just when he was pondering about how he should bring up the topic, Master Lu Chen’s voice sounded in the air. “Oh, I heard that a master teacher named Yang Xuan had appeared in the capital. He had resolved Ling Tianyu’s wife’s illness and the problem Du Miaoxuan faced through extraordinary means. Thus, I would like to pay him a visit to learn from him!” Master Yuanyu nodded his head. Ling Tianyu’s wife and Du Miaoxuan were his patients. He had been searching for ways to solve the problems plaguing the two, but he wasn’t able to succeed. Yet, that master teacher named Yang Xuan managed to solve everything so quickly. As a master physician, it is natural that he would want to pay the other party a visit in hopes that the latter can offer him a pointer or two, allowing him to tread further in the way of the medicine. “Master teacher?” Master Lu Chen uttered in disbelief. He had always been secluded in his residence. As such, he was completely oblivious to the storm Yang Xuan had raked up in the capital. “Indeed. Why don’t we pay him a visit together this afternoon? I know that you have been hoping to reach the fourth level of painting, but it has been eluding you. Perhaps, with the guidance of a master teacher, you might be able to do so!” Master Yuanyu smiled. “Alright, that’s a promise. After we’re done examining them, let’s go!” Master Lu Chen nodded his head in excitement. ………………………… While Zhang Xuan was at Master Lu Chen’s residence to conduct an examination for Huang Yu and Bai Xun, a youngster carrying a spear on his back had arrived at the classroom. It is Zheng Yang’s childhood playmate, as well as his best buddy, Mo Xiao. Initially, the two of them intended to acknowledge Wang Chao as their teacher, but only Mo Xiao succeeded. Zheng Yang became Zhang Xuan’s student instead. “I have learned a new spear art recently and I came over to spar with you!” With a jerk of his spear, Mo Xiao seemed to have melded into a single being along with his spear, and he exuded an extremely sharp aura which caused others to frown in discomfort. “Alright!” Zheng Yang stood proudly with his spear ready, not intending to back down from the challenge at all. 160 The Fight Between Brothers Upon hearing that they would be dueling, the rest of the students immediately stood by the corner of the classroom. Sensing the aura the two emitted, Zhao Ya’s face turned grim. Zheng Yang’s fighting prowess was far below hers previously, but after learning a spear art from Zhang laoshi, his strength had been growing swiftly. If she were to fight with him now, she wouldn’t be a match for him at all. “Who of the two do you think will win?” Liu Yang asked. “They grew up together, and Mo Xiao’s talent and comprehension toward the spear isn’t something Zheng Yang can compare up to. I’ve heard that in the few times that they had crossed blows, Zheng Yang had always been on the losing end. I’m afraid that it would be difficult to surpass him this time as well!” Zhao Ya hesitated for a moment before saying. Even though she hated to admit it, Mo Xiao is indeed a fearsome adversary. Even Zheng Yang himself understands that he isn’t a match for this good buddy of his. Perhaps it is because Lu Xun knew of this that he poached Mo Xiao over from Wang Chao laoshi to have him face off against him. His means were truly unscrupulous. “I’ve heard that for this Teacher Evaluation, Wang Chao laoshi had even imparted Mo Xiao a few of his family hereditament spear art!” Even though Yuan Tao’s cultivation is lacking, he is well abreast with the news in the academy. “Family hereditament spear art? You mean the Wang Clan’s spearmanship?” Zhao Ya was taken aback. “Is the Wang Clan’s spearmanship famous?” Seeing her shocked expression, Liu Yang was puzzled. “There are two prestigious Wang Clan in Tianxuan Kingdom. One of it is my Wang Clan, one of the Four Great Clans, while the other one is the clan of the Spear Master Wang Chong!” This time, it is Wang Ying who replied his doubts. As a member of the Four Great Clans, and given that the other Wang Clan was equally famous as theirs, it was natural that Wang Ying knew of it. “Wang Chong?” “Indeed. Wang Chong is known as the number one spear expert in Tianxuan Kingdom. Even Emperor Shen Zhui is full of praises for him. He singlehandedly and remarkably built the Wang Clan just by his spear arts, and his skills are the ultimate techniques that countless spear practitioners dream of!” Wang Ying said in admiration. “So incredible?” Liu Yang was astonished. He couldn’t help asking, “Then, what’s the relationship between this Wang Chong and Wang Chao laoshi?” “Wang Chao is the sole son of this spear master. That’s also the reason why countless spear practitioners vie to come under his tutelage!” Wang Ying said. “So that’s why!” Turning his attention to the two dueling parties, worry appeared on Liu Yang’s face. “Doesn’t that mean that Zheng Yang is in danger?” “Indeed, the Wang Clan’s spearmanship is formidable. It isn’t something that outsiders are allowed to learn, to think that Wang Chao laoshi would break the rules of the clan and impart him a few moves generously. Looks like they are really determined to win this Teacher Evaluation.” Zhao Yao harrumphed coldly. The Wang Clan’s spearmanship is a set of family hereditament spear art; it is only passed down to male offsprings of the clan. Yet, Yuan Tao said that Wang Chao laoshi imparted a few moves to Mo Xiao. From this, it could be seen how highly the latter valued the Teacher Evaluation. From the very start, Zheng Yang wasn’t a match for this Mo Xiao. To make things worse, the latter had managed to pick up the Wang Clan’s hereditament technique. How can he possibly defeat him now? For a moment, the crowd was full of anxiety. …… … On the field. “Wang laoshi has imparted me the Wang Clan’s spearmanship’s 3rd form, 7th form, and 18th form, so you better watch out!” Mo Xiao said as he twisted his spear and sent a pierce toward Zheng Yang. “The 3rd form, Onset of the Cold Gleam, 7th form, Remnants of the Setting Sun, and the 18th form, The Returning Forest Canary? Alright!” Zheng Yang’s face turned grim. The Wang Clan’s spearmanship is extremely famous. Those who had learned the basics of the spear would be acquainted with it. However, they would only know the forms but not its essence and intent. “Then, I shall go first. The 3rd form, Onset of the Cold Gleam!” Mo Xiao moved his spear, and with a loud whistling of the air, his spear shot straight out. Before even reaching Zheng Yang, its might could already be felt from the shock wave of the taut spear. The spear emanated an intimidating pressure that induced cold sweat. The move focused all of one’s attention and strength on the tip of the spear. Perhaps, even a steel board several inch thick would be pierced through instantly. As expected of a spear genius. Despite the high difficulty of mastering the Wang Clan’s spearmanship, he was able to exert such incredible strength. “Good move!” Witnessing the incredible move the other party was executing, Zheng Yang narrowed his eyes and charged forward to face him with a spear art of his own. …… … “What an incredible spear technique…” The shock wave from Mo Xiao’s stroke blasted into the surroundings. Sensing the incredible force behind his move, everyone’s face turned grim. “Zhao Ya, since Mo Xiao has learnt such an incredible spear art, why didn’t he keep it for the Teacher Evaluation? Why would he come to look for Zheng Yang at such a timing to duel with him?” Wang Ying was perplexed. If one learned such an incredible move, he should practice it secretly so as to catch one’s opponent off-guard during the duel. Yet, Mo Xiao came to challenge Zheng Yang, causing the latter to know of it in advance. Zheng Yang would then be cautious against it during the duel later on, making it more difficult for the move to work. “It’s brotherhood!” Upon seeing the look of confusion on Zhao Ya’s face, Liu Yang said. “Brotherhood?” “Un, Mo Xiao grew up alongside Zheng Yang, and no matter what, he is definitely reluctant to face off against Zheng Yang in an official duel. Thus, he specially came here to find his good friend to show him what he had learnt under the pretext of dueling with him so that he would be guarded against it! Didn’t you see him reveal the names of the moves before the duel? Have you ever seen anyone revealing the moves they are going to use before a duel?” Only a man will understand brotherly feelings. Even though Mo Xiao had done it in a roundabout and secretive manner such that Zhao Ya and Wang Ying were unable to see through his true intentions, how could his actions escape the notice of Liu Yang! “So that’s the case!” Everyone came to a realization and turned their attention over to the duel once more. Ding ding ding! In the brief moment the others were conversing, both parties on the field had already crossed blows several times. The crisp sound from the crossing of spears could be heard, and the force of their clashes sent shockwaves into the surroundings. As expected, Zheng Yang was unable to stand his ground against Mo Xiao and retreated continuously. “Good spear art! I haven’t been slacking while you were working hard. Mo Xiao, allow me to show you the spear art that Zhang laoshi has taught me!” Despite being in a disadvantageous position, Zheng Yang did not fluster. Rather, he smiled calmly. He only used his own understanding and fundamentals of spearmanship to fend off Mo Xiao’s blows previously, and thus, he was unable to withstand the other party’s Wang Clan’s spearmanship. Boom! The moment after Zheng Yang said so, his spear rose and flew toward Mo Xiao, as though a dragon treading the river. It was just an extremely simple move, but Mo Xiao felt as though a mountain was weighing on him. The overwhelming pressure left him short on breath. Peng! Before he could even react, he felt a dull pain in his chest. The form of his Wang Clan’s spearmanship fell apart immediately and he was send flying, skidding backward seven to eight meters. “Ah?” Zheng Yang clearly had not expected the move to be able to wield such strength and was taken aback. He had been practicing this move ever since he learned it from Zhang Xuan, but he did not think that it would surpass the Wang Clan’s spearmanship. He had always thought that it was due to Zhang laoshi’s zhenqi that he was able to defeat Zhou Tian laoshi. Only now did he realize that even without that surge of zhenqi, this is an invincible technique. Ever since they were young, regardless of whether it was in spearmanship or cultivation realm, Zheng Yang has never been a match for Mo Xiao. Now that he had learnt the Wang Clan’s spearmanship, he thought that it would already be incredible if he could stand his own against him. However, he did not imagine that a single move would send the latter flying. In fact, if he hadn’t held back at the very last moment, Mo Xiao would have likely have been injured. “I’m fine!” Zheng Yang rushed forward to help his buddy up. “You… What move is that?” While struggling up, Mo Xiao’s eyes were widened in disbelief. The move he had used was part of the Wang Clan’s spearmanship, the number one spear technique in Tianxuan Kingdom. Yet… His spear art was as laughable as playing house as compared to the other party. With a single move, his spearmanship fell apart. If he hadn’t witnessed it personally, he would have never dared to believe it to be true. “This is the spear art that Zhang laoshi imparted to me!” Zheng Yang said proudly. Back then, his greatest wish was to come under Wang Chao’s tutelage, and witness, as well as learn, a thing or two from the Wang Clan’s spearmanship. However, at this very moment, he is thankful that Wang laoshi had rejected him. Otherwise, how could he have stumbled on such an opportunity and became Zhang laoshi’s student? “Zhang laoshi imparted you this spear art? Such… Such an incredible spear art, and he simply passed it down to you like that?” Mo Xiao found the situation unbelievable. Wang Chao laoshi valued the Wang Clan’s spearmanship greatly, and if not for Lu Xun laoshi’s request, he would have never imparted these three moves to an outsider. The depth of this move isn’t something the Wang Clan’s spearmanship could compare up to. Yet, Zhang laoshi imparted such a move so easily to Zheng Yang… Are you for real? “Zhang laoshi never holds anything back when imparting knowledge to us, he is a true teacher!” Zheng Yang said affirmatively. “This…” Hearing the earnest words of his good friend and understanding that he truly admired this Zhang laoshi, Mo Xiao chuckled. Initially, he thought that it was regretful that his good friend failed to come under Wang Chao’s tutelage. To think that it would be a blessing in disguise, he found an even better teacher and learned an even greater spear art. Just by seeing the move, he understood that even if he were to learn the entire set of Wang Clan’s spearmanship, he wouldn’t be a match for his friend. “This spear art is incredible, I concede defeat. Can you tell me its name?” Recovering from his shock, Mo Xiao asked. He should at least know the name of the spear technique which he had fallen in defeat to. “Name?” Zheng Yang scratched his head in embarrassment. “I don’t know its name as well. It is a move that Zhang laoshi had just created and he hadn’t had the time to name it…” “Created? Hadn’t had the time to name it?” Mo Xiao staggered. He nearly fainted from shock. Which one of those who managed to create a spear art wasn’t a spear master that possessed an intense amount of knowledge on spearmanship? Usually, before a move had even been created, they would have already come up with a name for it… He had already imparted the move to his student, and yet he didn’t have a name for it? Furthermore, this move is even more incredible than the Wang Clan’s spearmanship. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the number one spear of Tianxuan Kingdom… And it doesn’t have a name… Are you sure you aren’t pulling my leg! “How about this? Why don’t you help me think a name for it…” In the midst of his shock, he heard his friend’s voice sounding out. “You…” Upon hearing those words, Mo Xiao’s face darkened. “Zheng Yang, watch your words! Every battle technique is created through the blood, sweat, and tears of a cultivator and its name will be passed down for countless years to come. Since this move was created by Zhang laoshi, he has to be the one to name it. Naming it yourself… How can this be acceptable? If he finds out about it, wouldn’t he think that you are insulting his effort and be infuriated?” Naming someone else’s move after learning it from them? You must be joking! “Ah…” Upon hearing the solemnity in his good friend’s tone, Zheng Yang was taken aback. Insulting his effort? Zhang laoshi has already created multiple cultivation techniques and each time, he had us name it by ourselves… Recalling this fact, he replied, “Don’t worry about it. Zhang laoshi has already told me to name it as I please. To tell you the truth, our cultivation techniques are also created by Zhang laoshi, and he had us name them ourselves as well…” “What? He allowed you to name the cultivation and battle techniques he created?” Mo Xiao’s body swayed and he nearly passed out. Other teachers are reluctant to pass on their own moves to their own student for fear that it would leak out. In comparison, not only did Zhang laoshi create cultivation techniques and battle techniques for his own student, he even allowed them to name it themselves… Zhang Xuan… What kind of teacher is he exactly? 161 Dual Traversing Dragons Hualala! Zhang Xuan stopped. Even though Master Lu Chen had a huge collection of books, Zhang Xuan managed to flip through all of them within two hours. Tens of thousand of books that were identical to those on the bookshelves had appeared in the library in his mind. 《Elementary Painting Cognizance》, 《The Complete Collection of Painting Techniques》, 《Collection of the Setting Sun》… As expected of a painting expert, nearly all of the books one could find on painting in Tianxuan Kingdom could be found in his study. He even had several hundreds of exclusive collection books, those that were hard to find in the market. Any other master painter wouldn’t be able to accomplish such a feat. It was due to his guidance to Emperor Shen Zhui that the latter had his men gather this collection for him. “It should be sufficient with these books!” After imprinting all of the books in his head, Zhang Xuan stopped. With a jolt of his mind, he muttered in his head, “The correct version!” Huala! The correct verses from the innumerable books were extracted and compiled in an entirely new book. Zhang Xuan opened the book and started reading through it. “Painting can be categorized under drawing and calligraphy. It can rid a person of his impatience, allowing one to reach a tranquil state of mind…” The introduction was mainly on one’s understanding of painting. After which, it detailed on how one should hold a brush, how should one write words, and how should one fill in colors. All work had techniques to them, and painting wasn’t an exception either. Even though it required diligence on the one’s part, if one had a good teacher to point out the correct path, one would be able to avoid the common mistakes and improve swiftly. This library had gathered the essence of painting from tens of thousand of painting books to form one ultimate book. In other words, it was a book that pointed one straight toward the peak; there were no curved routes that had to be taken at all as long as one learned closely from it. Zhang Xuan’s understanding of painting increased at a tremendous rate. Quietly standing on the spot, he slowly read through the pages in the manual. After an unknown period of time, he suddenly opened his eyes. Immediately, he saw a pair of black eyes before him. “AH…” The owner of that pair of eyes found Zhang Xuan’s behavior bizarre and was studying to see what was wrong with him when Zhang Xuan’s eyes suddenly opened. Taken aback, he yelped and leaped backward. “Master Lu Chen?” Only then did Zhang Xuan clearly see the person’s appearance. It was Master Lu Chen. The master painter looked at Zhang Xuan warily, as though he was some kind of primordial beast. “What’s wrong?” Upon seeing his reaction, Zhang Xuan was perplexed. It is not like I will kill you, what do you mean by behaving like this? “You… didn’t achieve a breakthrough, did you?” Master Lu Chen asked carefully. “Breakthrough? I didn’t!” Zhang Xuan was stumped “That’s good…” Master Lu Chen was clearly still traumatized by the previous incident. Heaving a sigh of relief, he continued, “Seeing that you were in the room for such a long period of time, I came in to take a look…” Initially, he thought that Zhang Xuan would be out in ten minutes or so after browsing through a few books. He didn’t expect that this single trip would take up four hours straight. Unable to wait any longer, he came in to take a look. When he walked into the study, he saw the other party standing before the bookshelves with his eyes closed, as though he was asleep. He suddenly remembered… The previous time, after reading a few books, he closed his eyes and went into a daze. After which, his study was wrecked and he was flung everywhere, nearly having his precious life extinguished. Then… There is no more then. This time… It couldn’t be that the same thing had occurred as well… Just when he was conflicted about what he should do, the other party abruptly opened his eyes. To be honest, it took all of his courage to remain in this room. “How can breaking through one’s limits be that easy?” Upon seeing his guarded look, Zhang Xuan immediately came to a realization and shook his head with a bitter smile. It was one thing if Zhang Xuan didn’t say those words, but after hearing those words, Master Lu Chen felt a dull ache in his chest and his mouth twitched intensely. Not easy? Didn’t you achieve a breakthrough that easily the previous time? In fact, you achieved too great a breakthrough that you were unable to adapt to your strength… If not for the fact that I had cultivated a little, I might have died on the spot… The more he thought about it, the more depressed he felt. Forget it, it’s good that you didn’t achieve a breakthrough here this time. Otherwise… I am truly considering whether I should bar you from my study permanently… “How is it, have you finished adjusting your state of mind?” Lu Chen changed the subject. “I’m roughly there, let’s go out!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Returning back to the lounge, he saw Huang Yu and Bai Xun staring him out. To think that he would spend an entire four hours just to adjust his state of mind, it was truly inconceivable. “How is it?” Master Yuanyu’s complexion looked awful. His initial plan was to pay Master Teacher Yang Xuan a visit that afternoon, yet this fellow adjusted his state to the point that the sun was about to set in the horizon. Along with his previous conjecture, he could already be considered extremely patient for not leaving straight away. “Er… I’m ready!” Looking at the gazes everyone was shooting at him with, Zhang Xuan felt guilty and embarrassed. “You should start drawing!” Sensing the atmosphere turning awry, Master Lu Chen hurriedly gestured Zhang Xuan forward. “Un!” Quickly browsing through the painting technique recorded within the Heaven’s Path manual once more, Zhang Xuan walked forward to the table and casually picked up the brush. Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan was about to paint, Huang Yu and Bai Xun’s interest were piqued and they hurriedly looked over excitedly. They were curious to see what kind of masterpiece this Master Zhang could create after adjusting his state of mind for such a long period of time. Even Master Yuanyu couldn’t help but pay attention. If that fellow was truly trying to deceive everyone here by putting on a show, he would punish him personally… Just when everyone’s eyes were staring at him intently, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Master Lu, do you have any extra paper? I would like to test the brush first.” Painting isn’t like a cultivation technique where one just has to circulate one’s zhenqi throughout one’s body to start fighting. Regardless of how much a person knows about painting, one has to first try it out with his own body first. He had neither drawn nor used a brush before. He had to first try out the rigidity of the brush and how deep the color would be when imprinted onto the paper before he could start painting. It was also for the same reason why he was unable to become a true apothecary swiftly despite reading through so many books on pill forging. Pill forging required a large amount of practice whereas drawing focused on one’s state of mind. Even if one’s skill was lacking, if there was soul in their painting, it would still be an impressive work. “Give it a try then!” Master Yuanyu’s expression darkened further. If the other party was truly a master painter, why would he need to try out the brush? He was obviously trying to drag things out. Hmph, drag on for however long you want to. In a moment’s time, I’ll see what kind of excuses you can come up with. Oblivious to the bizarre look Master Yuanyu shot at him, Zhang Xuan picked up the brush, made a dab into the watercolor and drew a few strokes onto the paper. Then, he picked up another brush, dabbed it in water and casually painted over the color. “The most basic color spreading technique? To have to test even this… It can’t be that Master Zhang is painting for the first time?” Seeing his actions, Huang Yu subconsciously muttered. Paint spreading is one of the most basic techniques to painting. To put it briefly, one used to water to spread paint over the canvas, creating the effect of a color slowly lightening over the distance. This is just like the Long Fist in martial arts, there’s not a single person who is capable of painting who doesn’t know of it… Other people usually just tested the rigidity of the brush and depth of the colors. Yet, this fellow gave every single technique on the book a try, as though a curious infant who was coming in contact with the world for the first time. A constipated look appeared on everyone’s faces. Brother, we have waited several hours for you. Can you be any faster? If this goes on, I will probably die of old age before I can see your painting. “When I first came into contact with the brush, I think I was like that as well, wanting to try everything when actually… I didn’t know anything at all…” Bai Xun was doubtful. Even he could tell that something was amiss. Master Lu and Master Yuanyu’s disposition changed the moment they picked up the brush, as though a swordsman had picked up his sword. You… What are you doing? Even though the Master Zhang whom he respected had the correct posture for holding the brush, his movements were stiff and constrained, as though it was the first time he was holding a brush. Don’t tell me that your ‘getting into the state by browsing through books’ was actually an excuse to learn painting? Even Master Lu Chen was perplexed. He truly had no idea what Zhang Xuan was up to. “I’m ready!” After taking a moment to adapt to the brush, Zhang Xuan could feel that his movements and the knowledge in his head were finally aligned, and he heaved a sigh of relief. “Then… You should start!” Seeing him pause, Master Lu Chen quickly said before the fellow before him could do anything else. Fortunately, Zhang Xuan simply nodded his head and walked forward to the clean sheet of paper. With a flick of his finger, a brush was sent flying into the air, which he caught and dabbed into ink. At the same time, he gently grabbed another brush with his other hand. Hualala! The two brushes started flying about the paper as though they had lives of their own. A painting slowly emerged on the originally blank sheet. “This is… Dual Traversing Dragons?” Upon witnessing the scene, Master Yuanyu, who intended to expose him for his fraud, widened his eyes in shock. Master Lu Chen’s body swayed and nearly passed out. “What is Dual Traversing Dragons?” Looking at the astonished expressions of the two masters, Bai Xun couldn’t help asking. “Usually, when we draw, we often use only a single brush to create the rough outline before adding in the colors!” Lu Chen explained. Huang Yu and Bai Xun nodded their heads. In the past few weeks, they had come into contact with painting and learned the basic steps one usually took while painting a picture. One usually did a rough outline first before going on to add in the ink and colors in detail. “This is just like building a house. One starts off by creating the scaffolding before adding materials to it. Even though this creates a solid foundation for the painting, it makes painting an extremely slow and tiring process!” Master Lu Chen continued, “Thus, in order to quicken the process, some incredible painters created this Dual Traversing Dragons painting technique. Exactly as its name goes, the painter diverts his attention into doing two tasks at once. His two hands would become completely separate entities, starting on both the left and the right of the paper simultaneously. Without building the outline of the picture, the painter paints according to the concept he has in his mind and… when the two brushes meet one another, the painting would be done!” “By doing so, the painting duration can be increased by more than a single fold, but the difficulty is extremely high!” “Firstly, one needs to have a clear image of what their picture would have, and this includes even the minute details. Secondly, one must be able to completely sever their mind into two and multitask without making a single mistake. Finally, one has to be extremely clear about the coloration of the picture. Only then will there not be a problem when the two sides of the painting meet…” “Honestly, this is an extremely high-level technique. Even Brother Yuanyu and I are incapable of doing so…” At this point, Master Lu Chen shook his head. Disbelief could still be seen on his old face. One needed absolute confidence to complete a painting using this Dual Traversing Dragons technique. Without several decades of practice, it is impossible to master this technique. Yet, Zhang Xuan casually displayed such a skill… Can things get more exaggerated? “Put aside your shock for now. This kind of painting method needs to come together perfectly at the center before it can be considered as a success. If it fails, the entire painting could crumble!” Recovering from the shock, Master Yuanyu harrumphed. It is true that Double Traversing Dragons is an incredible technique, but regardless of how well one drew either side of the painting, if it can’t come together as one, it would end in a failure. Using construction of a house as an analogy once more, even if both sides were to use extremely advanced technology to build an incomparably resilient house, such that even a Fighter 6-dan is unable to destroy it, if in the end… both ends fail to link up together perfectly, the construction would still be considered a failure! 162 Second Level? “Furthermore, painting revolves around one’s state of mind. Without artistic conception, no matter how vivid one’s drawing is, it is useless. The Dual Traversing Dragons technique forcefully divides a painting into two portions, causing a split in the artistic conception… Thus, even if the two sides match up perfectly in the middle, it would be difficult to reach the third level.” No matter how well one’s left and right hands manage to coordinate together, one is still severing the painting into two. It is absolute that the artistic conception would be lacking as compared to when one uses only a single hand for the entire painting. “Flaunting his painting technique, but losing sight of the original goal of painting. Hypocritical!” After explaining, Master Yuanyu shook his head. After the initial shock, not only did his impression of Zhang Xuan not improve, it even worsened. To him, Zhang Xuan is arrogant and disrespectful. Not only did he keep them waiting when they had agreed to hold the examination at noon, he even claimed to need to adjust his state of mind before painting, dragging the matter out for four hours straight. And now, in order to show off his painting skills, he chose to flaunt his technique instead of focusing on creating the best work he could, losing the soul behind his work. Without a calm and peaceful state of mind, but instead, an intention to awe others, it is impossible to create a masterpiece no matter how skilled one is. It is impossible for such a person to become a grandmaster. “Brother Zhang is still young, and it is normal that he will wish to impress others…” Master Lu Chen understood his old friend’s frank and direct personality and smiled bitterly. He is a youngster after all. It is normal to want to show off his techniques. We can’t expect him to be like us, beings with half a foot already in the grave. “Creating the best work one can make is the best way to impress others. Dual Traversing Dragon is something those streetside craftsmen use to mass-produce paintings. If he doesn’t kick away this habit of his, it would be difficult for him to achieve great things in the future!” Master Yuanyu said without holding back at all. “Er…” Hearing his evaluation, Huang Yu and Bai Xun fell silent. The both of them are not as experienced and authoritative in the field of painting as compared to the elder before them, and as such, they were unable to refute his words. Just as Lu Chen wanted to say something, Bai Xun’s voice sounded. “Look, he is starting to connect the both ends…” The attention of the crowd turned to the painting and exactly as Bai Xun said, Zhang Xuan’s brushes were converging, beginning to connect the both sides of the painting. “This… he can’t possibly connect them!” Taking a glance, Huang Yu couldn’t help but comment. The two halves of the painting were about to be merged, but the individual paintings on each side were completely different, be it the depth of the color, the underlying appeal, and the painting style. Even if Zhang Xuan were to merge the two halves together, it would simply become two different paintings on a single canvas instead of forming one perfect entity. One half was bright while the other half was dull… Even if he were to combine them together, it would just end in a failure. Could it be that he had failed? “It is impossible to combine the two halves together…” Master Lu Chen had intended to speak up for Zhang Xuan, but upon witnessing the situation, he fell silent. His complexion darkened and subconsciously, he exerted so much force on his fingers that he accidentally plucked a few strands of his beard out. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, based on his comprehension of painting, he could clearly see that the two halves of the painting were irreconcilable. It was as though they were of two completely different worlds; it was absolutely impossible for both ends match. Could it be that it was as Brother Yuanyu said, that Brother Zhang was being hypocritical? Even though he had only met him once previously, his impression of him was that of a prudent, humble, and polite person. He wasn’t such a person before… If this here was indeed his true personality, it would be difficult for him to reach great heights in the field of painting in the future… “If he doesn’t manage to merge both ends, it would simply be a failure. To think that I waited an entire afternoon just for this…” Master Yuanyu shook his head in disappointment. When Lu Chen spoke of Zhang Xuan’s affairs, he was actually filled with great expectations for the latter. He truly thought that a young painting genius had appeared and that he might be the hope to glorifying painting within the kingdom. Yet, after meeting him in person, he realized that he was just a hypocritical fellow. Despite being obviously incapable, he chose to feign as an expert by using the Dual Traversing Dragons technique instead of drawing calmly. Now look at what has happened, both ends of the painting turned out to be of completely different, making them impossible to connect. I’ll see how you talk your way out of this embarrassment. Even if you wanted to show off, you should first have to capabilities to do so. Otherwise, you will just make a fool out of yourself. Clearly, this Zhang Xuan is one of such fools. With a sigh, Master Yuanyu closed his eyes slowly, refusing to watch on. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look, but he was afraid that he would be unable to keep his temper in check upon seeing the other party make a fool of himself when he fails to match the both ends together. “Hm?” “Wait, that’s…” “How is this possible?” Immediately after he closed his eyes, he heard exclamations of shock, as though the others had seen something inconceivable. Frowning, he opened his eyes once more and saw Master Lu Chen, Huang Yu, and Bai Xun staring in shock at what was in front of them, as though they had just seen a ghost. “What’s wrong? Even if he fails to match both ends together, there should not be any need for such shock…” Perplexed, Master Yuanyu turned to take a look as well. With a single glance, his eyes immediately narrowed and his body swayed. He was immediately plunged into astonishment as well, “This… This… What is going on?” He was astounded as well. Right before him, at the boundary where the two ends of the painting came together, a gentle stroke by Zhang Xuan erected a wall, thus creating a barrier that separated both ends into two different entities. The divide created by the wall erased the dissonance between the two halves of the painting. Instead, the contrast between both sides harmonized together to create a sensation of peering into two different worlds at once. “It’s this courtyard…” Bai Xun couldn’t resist exclaiming. He had realized what the painting illustrated. What Zhang Xuan’s left hand drew is the courtyard they were in. There is someone painting, someone commenting on the painting, and the scenery is calm. On the right is another courtyard and its interiors are filled with flowers and dancing birds. There are also quite a few animals dancing the midst of it, and the sound of the cicadas are bright. It felt like a natural paradise outside of the bustling human society. On one end is the world of the humans, on the other end is the natural world; on one end is quietness, on the other end is commotion. Two different sceneries, two different states of the mind, and two different sensations. Yet, they merged successfully due to the appearance of this single wall, perfectly harmonizing the two different themes. “A divine stroke, truly a divine stroke…” Master Lu Chen complimented. Previously, he shared Master Yuanyu’s thoughts that the painting would surely be ruined. Yet, he never imagined that these two completely different scenes could be perfectly harmonized with a single wall, letting its viewers enjoy an incredibly unique beauty and pleasure. Commotion within silence, and silence within commotion. The wall was truly a divine stroke. A single wall, yet a completely different world. The quality of the painting soared to a whole new level immediately. “Incredible…” After a long moment of silence, Master Yuanyu couldn’t help but offer a word of praise. Clearly, he didn’t expect the presence of the wall at all. If the artistic conception of both ends of the wall were the same, the painting would instead be a failure. “I have embarrassed myself!” After adding in the wall, the entire painting was completed. Zhang Xuan put down his brush and chuckled lightly. “Please appraise my work!” He had just learned drawing so he had no idea what he should draw. Thus, he drew the lounge where everyone was at and the neighboring courtyard. “Let me take a look!” Master Lu Chen walked over and studied the painting with a lowered head. Huang Yu and Bai Xun hurriedly came forward as well. Previously, they were standing a distance away so as to not disturb Zhang Xuan, so they didn’t manage to obtain a clear view of the painting and was unable to recognize that Zhang Xuan was drawing this place. Now that they came closer, they couldn’t help but be impressed. The drawing of the courtyard was vivid and lifelike. Under the work of his brush, the beautiful image seemed to be floating out of the paper. “How pretty…” Huang Yu’s beautiful eyes gleamed with admiration as she subconsciously offered a praise. Even though both halves of the painting were created simultaneously, even the minute details were flawless. In fact, even the tables and chairs could be clearly seen within it. The expressions of the crowd in the painting could be clearly made out, and it was as though he had plucked them from reality and imprinted them directly. It was almost unbelievable that a painting could be that elegant. “It’s a pity…” After taking a brief look, Master Yuanyu couldn’t help but shake his head. In fact, even Master Lu Chen expressed his pity. “This painting is so pretty, what could be wrong about it?” Unable to comprehend the reason behind their sighs, Bai Xun asked. Honestly, he wasn’t able to see anything wrong with this painting. He felt that it was on par with the previous two. “This painting had perfect workmanship. There isn’t the slightest error, and in terms of painting, contrast, complement… It can truly be said to be top-notch. Just that, as I said before, working simultaneously with both hands would cause one to place too much emphasis on the details and neglect artistic conception! Without artistic conception, it can only reach the second level, Spiritual Canvas. This painting is still a huge way off from reaching Infused Intentions.” Master Lu Chen shook his head. There were four levels to painting, Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, and Breathtaking Verisimilitude. The paintings that Yuanyu and Lu Chen created previously were both of the third level as the conception of the artist was infused into the paintings. With a single look, one would feel refreshed. Zhang Xuan’s painting was perfect regardless of the theme, its outline, or its workmanship. But, it was a pity that… it was lacking this kind of feeling. Without artistic conception, the highest level his painting could have reached was the second level, Spiritual Canvas. If so, it couldn’t be considered as a masterpiece. “It is a pity, but Brother Zhang is still young. When he reaches our age, he will surely be able to easily whip out a painting of the third level, or even one of the fourth level!” Master Lu Chen consoled. Even though the painting was still far from reaching the third level, he was nevertheless impressed by Zhang Xuan’s work. After all, Zhang Xuan hadn’t even reached twenty, and yet he was already able to create a painting of a quality that could awe him. “It seems that he has true skills!” Master Yuanyu nodded his head in approval. Then, he turned to look at Zhang Xuan and reprimanded him, “However, it is still better for youngsters to remain humble!” After the series of affairs, his impression of Zhang Xuan was poor. However, it was true that the painting was of superior quality. Putting aside the lack of artistic conception, he wasn’t able to find any flaws with the workmanship. It seemed that the fellow wasn’t a fraud, and possessed true abilities. In spite of that, Master Yuanyu was displeased by the airs he put on just because he possessed some capabilities. After all, he made them wait for such a long time just for his painting. “Humble?” Hearing the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan knew that he must have kept them waiting for far too long and the other party was displeased with his actions. He smiled embarrassedly, “I apologize for keeping everyone waiting for so long!” “That’s more like it!” Seeing the other party apologize to everyone earnestly, Master Yuanyu nodded his head in satisfaction. “You have good foundations. As long as you polish your painting skills and accumulate more experiences, you will surely be able to paint a painting of the third level soon. Please do not waste your talents because of complacency!” “Indeed. In order to create a painting with artistic conception, one has to gain a deeper comprehension of the world around by paying careful attention to the surroundings!” Master Lu Chen advised patiently. “Thank you for your guidance!” Knowing that the other party had good intentions at heart, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Alright, now that we’re all done painting, it’s time for you two to start appraising the works…” Watching him accept his advice humbly, Lu Chen didn’t dwell on the issue further. Instead, he turned his attention to Huang Yu and Bai Xun to continue with the examination. However, at this moment, Bai Xun’s shocked voice echoed suddenly. “This isn’t right… Master Zhang, why don’t the humans and birds in your painting… have any eyes?” Everyone had been more concerned with the overall structure and concept of the painting instead of the details earlier. Taking another glance at the painting, they realized that the birds and the humans in the painting didn’t have eyes indeed. 163 I’ll Just Draw Another One! No eyes? Did he really forget to draw it, or was there another hidden reason? Everyone was filled with doubts. Regardless of humans or animals, the eyes are the most expressive. The painting can’t be considered complete without their eyes having been drawn. For an incomplete painting to reach the pinnacle of the second level? “Brother Zhang, this is…” Lu Chen turned to look at Zhang Xuan with a look of utmost confusion. “Oh, I will add them in now…” Zhang Xuan smiled. The brushes began to dance once across the canvas, this time swiftly adding in the missing parts. Weng! The moment the eyes were drawn, it was as if the painting was jolted awake. A peculiar sensation permeated into everyone present. All of the humans and animals within the painting seemed to have come alive in an instant, and it was as if these creatures simply could just take a step forward and traverse into the real world. “This…?” Noticing the change in the painting, Master Lu Chen and Master Yuanyu were astounded. Their eyes widened in disbelief. Qiuqiu! Before they could even speak, the sound of canaries echoed in the courtyard. A group of birds flew to the painting excitedly and danced on it. “Breathtaking Verisimilitude? Can this be the fourth level Breathtaking Verisimilitude?” Watching the situation before him in a state of bewilderment, Bai Xun asked. Master Lu Chen had introduced the four levels of a painting previously to everyone here. For the birds to be attracted to the painting and linger around it, it was clear that the painting had reached the fourth level, Breathtaking Verisimilitude. Didn’t the two master say that this painting could only reach the second realm at the very best? Why… had it transformed into a fourth level all of a sudden? “Could it be… because of those eyes?” Covering her mouth in shock, Huang Yu’s body trembled in astonishment. To think that she would have a chance to personally witness a fourth level masterpiece in the making… This is truly something that she didn’t imagine to be possible before. Weng! However, before she could recover from her shock, the canaries in the painting quivered for a brief moment before flying out from the painting. These canaries danced a few rounds with the other birds before disappearing into thin air. All of the other figures also seemed to have emerged from the plane of the canvas, smiling at the audience and clasping their hands together in a bow before disappearing slowly. “This… This isn’t a fourth level painting…” Upon seeing this sight, Master Lu Chen’s mouth had fallen so wide that a chicken egg could be stuffed in easily. After a long period of shock did he manage to gather a few words out of his mouth, “That is… a fifth level painting… Spirit Creation!” “Spirit Creation?” Huang Yu and Bai Xun were puzzled. Aren’t there only four levels to painting? Why is there a fifth level out of nowhere? What had happened? They were slightly stupefied by the occurrences before them. “Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, and Breathtaking Verisimilitude… These are the most common painting realms that were passed down by mouth from generation to generation. Actually, there is another level above all else and that is Spirit Creation! A painting that has achieved such a level possesses the breath, spirit, and soul of a master painter. As though being granted a soul, the painting obtains the ability to absorb spiritual energy so as to grant the beings within it life.” Master Yuanyu’s lips were quivering, “I thought that this existed only in the legends… To think that I would have the honor to witness it for myself…” The composed Master Yuanyu could not control his intense trembling of his body. He felt as if the world was going insane. Just a moment ago, he criticized the other party for being hypocritical, and perhaps that with a few years of experience he could maybe produce an Infused Intentions painting. Yet… The other party immediately created a fifth level masterpiece! A painting of this level… Probably less than a handful of it were created since the inception of Tianxuan Kingdom! Even the Ink Daylily Canvas which Huang Yu and Bai Xun were vying for is only a fourth level pinnacle. It is still a far way off from reaching the fifth level. Those who are able to produce a painting of the fourth level are termed as a master. On the other hand, those who are able to produce a painting of the fifth level are respected with the title, grandmaster. To think that he said that a grandmaster painter was hypocritical, disrespectful, and unpunctual… The heck! Am I going insane? Master Yuanyu felt a stinging sensation on his cheeks. If there was a hole in the courtyard, he would definitely drill himself into it. That was simply too embarrassing. To speak the truth, he would even have willingly waited for three days without a single word of complaint to watch a grandmaster create a masterpiece. “Fi… Fif… Fifth level?” “There is a fifth level?” Huang Yu and Bai Xun finally came to a realization and their gazes immediately shot toward Zhang laoshi. Lu Chen is a secluded expert and he isn’t bothered with the affairs of the world. He only knew that Zhang Xuan was a teacher, but he wasn’t aware of the exact details. Master Yuanyu also just got to know Zhang Xuan, so he didn’t know of the latter’s background. However, Huang Yu and Bai Xun had been to Hongtian Academy and knew a lot about Zhang laoshi’s background. It is said that he is a trash who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination and his students all left him… But the truth is that he possesses the strength of a Pixue realm pinnacle and the abilities of a grandmaster painter, having not even reached twenty… Have you ever seen such an incredible trash? If he is trash, then what are we? The elites of the trash? Brother, how are you so amazing? Do you need to be so talented? Furthermore… If you are so amazing, why did you randomly draw about earlier, as though you knew nothing at all? Furthermore, to browse through books for four hours straight… With this kind of level, is there any need for you to browse through books? Do you even need to adjust your state? Even if you were to randomly draw a painting, it would at least be of the fourth level… “Master Zhang, Grandpa Zhang, can you… give me this painting? As long as you give it to me, I am willing to do anything for you!” Just as everyone had yet to recover from their disbelief, Bai Xun suddenly turned to Zhang Xuan and looked at him expectantly. “Give it to you?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Indeed. Given how I usually treat you respectfully and how I obediently obey all of your orders… Please give it to me…” Bai Xun hurriedly added in. “Bai Xun, what are you doing? This is something Master Zhang had just created and his emotions are infused into it. How can he simply give it to someone else so casually? I think it would be best that you spare your efforts!” Seeing how shameless the other party was, Huang Yu frowned and reprimanded him. Then, she swiftly turned her gaze to Zhang Xuan and said, “Master Zhang, I am the first one to get acquainted with you. I won’t ask you to give it to me, but why don’t you… sell it to me? You can offer any price that you like, and as long as it is within my means, I won’t have a single word of complaint!” “You…” Initially, when Huang Yu reprimanded him, he thought that his actions were truly inappropriate. Yet, it turned out that Huang Yu had other intentions for saying so. Bai Xun was speechless. Not expecting that this beautiful assistant master teacher would be so scheming and shameless, he harrumphed and spoke through gritted teeth, “Grandpa Zhang, I don’t mind paying any amount that you come up with as long as you sell this to me. No matter what, my offer will surely be higher than hers!” “Bai Xun, why are you causing trouble now? Didn’t you want Master Lu Chen’s Ink Daylily Canvas? I won’t fight with you over that one. Now, I only want this one. Surely you should be content now…” Huang Yu spat through her gritted silver teeth. “I don’t want that Ink Daylily Canvas anymore, so don’t vie with me over this, alright?” Bai Xun didn’t have any intentions to step down at all. “…” Lu Chen. Previously, these two fellows had been vying so intently for his painting that if they could, they would even come to blows over it. The main purpose of this examination today was to determine who had the qualifications to attain it… Yet, now that Zhang Xuan’s painting had appeared, all of them abandoned it immediately… The heck! Can you have some principles? Do you have to be so materialistic? “You… Bai Xun, why must you always go against me?” Huang Yu was infuriated. “You are the one who is going against me! I was the one who first expressed my interest in this painting…” Bai Xun said. “Enough!” Seeing the two of them arguing ceaselessly, Master Lu Chen’s complexion darkened and he flung his sleeves furiously. Hearing his word, the two of them certainly did not dare to bicker anymore. Lu Chen is the emperor’s tutor. No matter what, he is considered as an elder to them. They would be courting death if they were to continue to bicker before him when he had already expressed his annoyance toward their behavior. “Even if it is a grandmaster painter, painting a fifth level masterpiece requires a great amount of effort and spirit. Few of such works are born in an entire generation. This painting was created with much effort by Brother Zhang Xuan, so it should be his choice whether he should keep it for himself or gift it to you. Don’t you think that you two are going overboard bickering over his painting like that?” Master Lu Chen spoke authoritatively. His words made sense. Even a grandmaster painter would find it difficult to produce paintings of the fifth level. After all, too many factors such as one’s state of mind and one’s form are involved. It isn’t something one can produce on a whim. That’s precisely the reason why even though the Grandmaster Painter Mo Chenzi’s reputation rung far and wide a century ago, such that countless master painters came to pay him a visit, he did not leave behind many works of the fifth level. Even the Ink Daylily Canvas that Lu Chen treasured is only at the fourth level pinnacle. This shows how precious and valuable every fifth level painting is. It contains the heart and soul of its creator, so it is too unreasonable to expect its creator to simply gift or sell it. If a painting of such level could be bought that easily, given Lu Chen’s wealth, how could it be possible for him to not even have a single painting of that level? It is the product of someone else’s effort and is not for sale. Yet, you two are bickering here over it. Aren’t you two making it difficult for him to step down from this awkward situation? “We were reckless…” “Master Lu, Master Zhang, I was wrong…” Taking in his reprimand, Huang Yu and Bai Xun immediately realized their mistake and their faces were full of awkwardness. The other party did not even mention selling it, and yet, they had already begun to bicker over the item. They have truly embarrassed themselves… “Brother Zhang Xuan, they are still young, so please do not blame them for that…” After reprimanding the two, Master Lu Chen turned to Zhang Xuan with an apologetic expression. However, not only did the other party not get angry, he even looked at him with shining eyes. Master Lu Chen was still puzzled at his reaction when he heard the other party’s voice resonating, “Master Lu Chen… Is there really someone who is willing to buy my painting? Can it really be sold for money?” “Cough cough!” Upon seeing his reaction, Master Lu almost choked on his saliva. If a painting of such caliber cannot be sold for money, doesn’t that mean that no one would pick up his painting even if it was dumped on the ground? He nodded his head speechlessly, “Your painting has reached the fifth level and if you sell it, it should be worth at least two million. Furthermore, it is a unique, one and only product that cannot be found elsewhere on the market…” “Two million? That’s great!” Delight appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. He turned around to face Bai Xun, “Bai xiao wangye, if you really want it, I will sell it to you for two million!” “Ah?” Not expecting such a twist, Bai Xun was shocked by Zhang Xuan’s reaction. “Master Zhang, sell it to me…” Huang Yu said anxiously. “Calm down, if you want it, I will draw another one for you. It’s not like it’s a big deal…” Zhang Xuan waved his hands to calm down the latter. “…” Lu Chen and Yuanyu’s eyebrows twitched and they stared at Zhang Xuan as though they were looking at a monster. They almost fainted on the spot. Draw another one? Not a big deal? Brother, even if you are a grandmaster painter, this is a painting of the fifth level… Draw another one? You speak as though it is like buying the cabbages in the market… Are you sure you aren’t joking! If such an incredible painting can be created that easily, paintings of the fifth level wouldn’t be so rare that not a single one can be found in the Tianxuan Kingdom. 164 That Beas “Why, you don’t want it anymore?” Noticing the deadpan silence in the surroundings, Zhang Xuan stared at her. “That’s not it…” Huang Yu hurriedly waved her hands. “It’s good that that’s not it. I will draw it now then…” Zhang Xuan didn’t dawdle on the matter. He immediately took out another piece of white canvas, picked up his brushes, dabbed them in ink, and started painting. Not too long later, another painting emerged. This time, it isn’t a painting about the courtyard. Depicted in the painting is a wild deer on a grassland. It is currently eating grass while warily keeping a lookout at its surroundings. There are wildflowers in the all around and the moment the painting was completed, countless bees were attracted to the surface, swarming busily around it. After which, the wild deer seemed to come alive and leaped from the painting before gradually disappearing in the air. “It is another painting of the fifth level!” “This…” Master Yuanyu and the others were shocked speechless. Even grandmasters expend incomparable effort and spirit to create a painting of the fifth level, and yet, this fellow drew it as though it was nobody’s business. Furthermore, he drew two of it consecutively without rest… Do you need to be so impressive? Do you need to be so arrogant? Has the world changed, or is he just that capable that he can draw a fifth level painting so effortlessly? “Do you two want it as well? It is two million per painting…” Still frozen in shock at the latter’s deed, they saw this Grandmaster Zhang looking at them expectantly. To him, creating a fifth level paintings takes just a little effort. It also just happened that he was lacking money, and it was much easier to paint than to feign as a master teacher. After all, if his disguise were to be seen through, he might be beaten to death… “We… can buy it as well?” Yuanyu and Lu Chen swallowed their saliva. “As long as you pay, anything goes…” Zhang Xuan said. “…” The two of them staggered. We are talking about paintings of the fifth level! It is so precious that you can’t find it in the entire capital! To think that he would paint it so casually just for money, just for money… Pu! Who said that grandmaster painters are ambitious nonmaterialistic experts who view wealth as dirt… Come out, let’s see if I will beat you to death… Not too long later, Zhang Xuan created another two paintings and they are of the fifth level as well. The two elders were so agitated that tears streamed down their faces. They had actually managed to purchase such precious paintings… Furthermore, each of them got one of their own… They had never imagined such a situation to be possible. Since Huang Yu and Bai Xun no longer desired the Ink Daylily Canvas, there was no point in proceeding on with the examination. Furthermore, the ruckus that Zhang Xuan had created was so great that the two masters lost their interest in the examination. “Master Zhang, I will prepare and send you the two million gold coins as soon as possible!” “I will deliver it to the academy tomorrow!” Yuanyu and Lu Chen were wealthy, so they were able to whip out two million easily. However, Huang Yu and Bai Xun didn’t have so much cash on them. However, given their identities, it wasn’t possible for them to refuse to pay up. Seeing the stack of bills that was worth four million in his hands, Zhang Xuan was delighted. Initially, he had only come here to repay the favor. Never in his dreams did he think that he would return with so much profits. Adding to the debt Huang Yu and Bai Xun owed him, he earned a total of eight million gold coins with this single trip! He had earned a million from treating Ling Tianyu’s wife, and the average sum of three million earned from Du Miaoxuan, Wang Chong, Apothecary Chen Xiao, Luo Chong each… He had earned a total of twenty million already! He isn’t too far off from gathering twenty-three million now. “Wonderful!” Zhang Xuan clenched his fist excitedly. Initially, he thought that it would take several years to earn twenty million. But now, it seems that it isn’t a big deal at all… If others were to hear his words, they would definitely spurt blood in his face. The heck, why don’t you just die… “Brother Zhang Xuan, I will thicken my skin to call you brother. Emperor Shen Zhui would be returning tonight and I have sent a messenger to notify him about the matter. You should be able to gain entry to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault tomorrow!” Lu Chen said while carefully putting away the painting. “I can enter the Book Collection Vault tomorrow? Great!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head delightfully. The reason why he came to the Lu Residence previously was to search for Fighter 6-dan books. If he were to pay the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault a visit, he would surely be able to compile a full version of the Fighter 6-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art. Perhaps… He might even be able to form the 7-dan cultivation technique! In Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm, one’s meridians are fully connected to one another, allowing zhenqi to flow freely through every single part of the body. One’s breath would be aligned with the profound heavens, allowing one’s fighting prowess to be increased by multiple folds. With this kind of strength, even if Zhang Xuan were to leave the academy, there would be no place where he cannot go to and soar to greater heights. Huang Yu and Bai Xun no longer had the need to undergo the examination while Yuanyu and Lu Chen had received a fifth level painting of their own. Each of their desires was fulfilled and thus, there was no longer any need for Zhang Xuan to remain here so he bade farewell. By the time he left the Lu Residence, the sun had already set. Ever since arriving here at noon, he had been busy the entire day. However, it was all worth it. The Library of Heaven’s Path had formed the 【Heaven’s Path Painting Art】 manual, allowing him, who did not know a single thing about painting, to become a master painter who is in no way inferior to Lu Chen. Even though this occupation belongs only in the Middle Nine Paths, painters nevertheless hold an exceptional position in the world. This is especially so in the Tianxuan Kingdom, where traditions and social values are highly respected. Painters with true capabilities are able to easily earn respect. Of course, as for Zhang Xuan, earning money is of the greatest importance at present. In comparison to staying in his mansion and waiting for others come knocking on his door, this trip alone had earned him eight million gold coins. It could be considered as a huge windfall. Returning to his residence, Sun Qiang immediately stepped forward to welcome him. “Has anyone been here today?” Zhang Xuan asked. “Reporting to the old master, after your departure, no one came to visit!” “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Looks like the three million entrance fee had scared quite a few people off. However, that was good as well. At the very least, he would be spared much trouble. In any case, he had almost gathered the sum required for the pills and thus, he wasn’t as anxious about the matter as before. Returning back to the room, Zhang Xuan did not continue to cultivate. Even though he had the Heaven’s Path Painting Art manual to provide a foundation, producing four paintings of the fifth level consecutively nevertheless accumulated unimaginable fatigue within him. Soon, after lying down, Zhang Xuan fell asleep. ………… In the Lu Residence. Master Yuanyu, Huang Yu, and Bai Xun did not leave together with Zhang Xuan when he bid farewell. “Seems like it is too late to pay Master Teacher Yang Xuan a visit today…” Looking at the setting sun outside, Lu Chen commented. It was disrespectful to pay a visit after the sun had set. If it were anyone else, it would not have been acceptable, but Master Lu Chen and Master Yuanyu possessed special standing. Nevertheless, the other party was a master teacher. Even they did not dare to commit the slightest act of disrespect toward the other party. “It doesn’t matter, it isn’t too late to pay him a visit tomorrow!” Master Yuanyu replied. Lu Chen nodded his head. He glanced at the painting Zhang Xuan left behind once more. Until now, he still isn’t unable to believe what that had just happened. “Initially, I thought that this Brother Zhang is only a youngster who has a fervent passion and talent for painting. So, I wanted to test and accept him as my disciple. I would have never thought that he would turn out to be a grandmaster painter…” Speaking to this point, he shook his head with a bitter smile. If news that he had intended to accept a grandmaster painter as his disciple spread out, he would definitely become a laughingstock. “For him to become a grandmaster painter at such a young age, I wonder about his background.” Master Yuanyu asked. Painting is an art that is harder to improve in than one’s cultivation. If Zhang Xuan were in his seventies and eighties, they might have been surprised by his ability to produce a painting of the fifth level, but such an ability wouldn’t have been unimaginable. However, for someone who isn’t even in his twenties to create a painting of such level, they can’t help but fall into deep contemplation. There are only two possibilities to such a situation. Firstly, he possesses talents so great that other can only stare in admiration at. Secondly, there is an incredible master teacher guiding him from behind. Of these two possibilities, Yuanyu leaned toward to the second one. “I am not very sure of the details. Huang Yu and Bai Xun, you two have been to Hongtian Academy, so you both should know a little more about Brother Zhang. Why don’t you two tell us a little bit of his background?” Lu Chen turned his gaze to the duo. “We do know a bit of it… But, I’m afraid that you won’t believe me if I say it and… You might fly into a rage…” Huang Yu said awkwardly. “Fly into a rage? Why would I get angry over it? Don’t worry and just tell us!” Master Lu Chen was confused. There was nothing for him not to believe in or get angry over about Zhang Xuan’s deeds as a teacher in Hongtian Academy. As a talented youngster who is highly-skilled in painting, he is sure to be a popular figure with many disciples. “Alright, then I will go ahead to speak of it then. This Zhang Xuan laoshi… is a famous trash teacher in the Hongtian Academy. He is often insulted by others…” Huang Yu started recounting Zhang Xuan’s affairs. “Scoring a zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination? Causing a student’s cultivation to go berserk? How… How is that possible?” Yuanyu and Lu Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief. Are you joking? How can a grandmaster painter who had produced a painting of the fifth level… be a trash? Why does the story sound so unbelievable? “It should be the Education Bureau intentionally oppressing him…” Huang Yu continued on to recount what she had seen during the Enlightenment Will Trial. “Damn it! I had seen that Shang Chen before and I thought that he was an impartial man. To think that he would be so despicable.” “Xiao Yu, aren’t you an assistant master teacher? Besides, your father is the guild leader of the Teacher Guild. You must teach this black sheep a lesson!” Hearing the ‘biased’ treatment of Elder Shang Chen and his ‘doings’, Yuanyu and Lu Chen almost exploded from rage. They had witnessed Zhang Xuan ‘capabilities’ personally. How can such a capable person be trash? Since it isn’t a fault on Zhang Xuan’s part, it must have been Elder Shang Chen pulling strings from the shadows. How can there be such a teacher in Hongtian Academy? “I am truly infuriated by this matter… Looks like I have to find some time to talk to Principal Hong about this matter and have him keep his school in check.” Master Lu Chen harrumphed angrily. “Err… Actually… When I said that you would get angry, I wasn’t referring to this matter.” Hearing the other party’s words, Huang Yu scratched her head. “Isn’t this matter? Could it be that Brother Zhang was subjected to some unfair punishment?” Lu Chen looked at her once again. Even though he had kept himself to his residence and rarely interfered with the outside affairs, just banking on his identity as the emperor’s tutor and a master painter, if he truly wishes to teach someone a lesson, even the principal of the Hongtian Academy can do nothing about it. “That isn’t it… Rather, someone had challenged Master Zhang to the Teacher Evaluation and it will be held a few days from now…” Huang Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Challenge? Teacher Evaluation?” Lu Chen was confused by Huang Yu’s words. “I’ve heard of the Teacher Evaluation. Even though it is a face-off among students, the teacher’s honor and prestige are at stake. Who is the one challenging him? If he were to know of Brother Zhang’s true abilities, he probably wouldn’t dare to do so!” Master Yuanyu chuckled. “That might not necessarily be the case. The one who challenged Master Zhang… is an extremely famous teacher in the Hongtian Academy. He is a true celebrity teacher. Furthermore, he has countless students under him, and over two hundred of the top three hundred freshmen in the Entrance Examinations are under his tutelage!” Huang Yu’s words slowly softened until it sounded nothing more than a mutter. “What is the name of the teacher?” Lu Chen’s breathing quickened. “Cough cough, it is Master Lu’s son… Lu Xun laoshi!” After hesitating for a moment, Huang Yu said. “That beast… Damn it!” Master Lu Chen’s body staggered. After which, he howled angrily. 165 Diagnosis of the Three Master Teachers If Zhang Xuan were to witness this sight, he would definitely faint on the spot. The most well-known celebrity teacher in the Hongtian Academy is actually the son of his peer, Master Lu Chen… Perhaps it was because Huang Yu had thought of this that she hesitated upon saying such words. The father considers Zhang Xuan as a peer, wanting to deepen their relationship. Yet, the son is trying his best to drive him down… It is no wonder that Master Lu Chen would get angry. He can be considered to be extremely well-cultured to not explode on the spot. “I will take that beast in right now and have him admit defeat…” After which, Master Lu Chen stood up, desiring to charge out in his fit of anger. But before he could step out of the room, the butler, Uncle Cheng, hurriedly in. “Old master, His Majesty has sent someone to deliver a message…” Upon walking in, Uncle Cheng immediately said. “A message?” Lu Chen frowned. He stretched out his hand to grab the yellow cloth in the other party’s hands. He had already sent word that he would be bringing people to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault tomorrow, and Emperor Shen Zhui had agreed to it. What did he mean by sending another message now? Bewildered, he suppressed the urge to teach that unfilial son of his a lesson and unfolded the yellow cloth in his hands. With a single look, his eyes narrowed. “This…” His face was filled with disbelief. “What’s wrong?” Seeing the change in his complexion, Master Yuanyu was baffled. He had known Lu Chen for many years but there were rarely matters that robbed his serenity. It should have been impossible for him to be so shocked. “Look…” Master Lu Chen simply passed the yellow cloth over. Master Yuanyu lowered his eyes to glance at the yellow cloth. Then, he couldn’t help but stagger backward. With widened eyes, he said, “That… That shouldn’t be possible?” “This is a yellow cloth Shen Zhui had written personally and had someone sent over, so it must be real!” Master Shen Zhui nodded his head. Turning around to face Uncle Cheng, he said, “Ah Cheng, prepare the carriage. I am heading out now.” “Yes!” Knowing that it must be an urgent matter, Uncle Cheng did not dawdle and hurriedly proceeded to prepare everything. “Xiao Yu and Bai Xun, you two follow me as well!” Lu Chen turned around and passed the yellow cloth to them as well. Initially, Huang Yu and Bai Xun were confused by the situation unfolding before them. After reading the contents on the yellow cloth, their eyes lit up in excitement and disbelief, “This… this…” “Emperor Shen Zhui must be doing this for the Royal Elder… To say the truth, I’ve also taken a look at him and it isn’t an illness. Rather, his lifespan is reaching its limit. If he doesn’t achieve a breakthrough, he might not even live past this month.” Recalling the contents on the yellow cloth, Master Yuanyu commented. “Indeed!” Lu Chen nodded his head, worry evident on his face. The royal family has an elder who has been serving as a stabilizing pillar for the kingdom. It is precisely because of his existence that the kingdom was able to remain peaceful and free of invasion. The moment he passes away… The Tianxuan Kingdom’s foundation will be rattled and many enemies will take the opportunity to conquer the land. It is a pity that no matter how powerful one is, he will age and eventually reach the end of his lifespan. The Royal Elder isn’t an exception as well. A few days ago, Emperor Shen Zhui invited Master Yuanyu forward to treat him. But even though the latter possesses incredible medicinal skills, he isn’t able to extend a person’s lifespan. The Royal Elder will surely die, unless… he achieves a breakthrough to an even higher realm. However, to achieve that is no easy feat. The Royal Elder wasn’t able to accomplish this when he was younger and at his peak. Now that he is nearing his end, how can he possibly achieve the breakthrough now? “I always thought that the emperor had genuinely gone hunting during this period of time just as he had announced that he would. To think that his true intention is to settle this matter!” Upon recalling this matter, his surprise reflected in his gaze. “Old master, the carriage is ready.” At this moment, Uncle Cheng walked over. “Let’s go!” Lu Chen brought the other three along hastily. The sky had already darkened and the crowd on the street was starting to dwindle. The carriage blazed through the streets keeping a consistent speed. Not too long after, they arrived at the towering palace gates. Tianxuan Kingdom Palace! The four people alighted from the carriage and turned to look at the guard, “Is His Majesty in?” “Reporting to Master Lu, His Majesty has yet to arrive…” Recognizing Lu Chen, the guard hurried forward and replied respectfully. “Since His Majesty hasn’t yet arrived, we’ll wait here for him. He will surely pass by here.” Lu Chen nodded his head. “Un!” Master Yuanyu and the others had no objections to the matter. An hour later, a wide and extravagant carriage could be seen moving toward the palace gates from the distance. It was surrounded by numerous guards and cavalries. With a single look, it was clear that it was the royal carriage that only His Majesty was allowed to ride. Hula! The curtains in front of the royal carriage were parted and a luxuriously dressed middle-aged man emerged. “Paying respect to Your Majesty!” All guards in the surroundings knelt down immediately. Even Lu Chen and Yuanyu bowed their bodies slightly. The most powerful man in Tianxuan Kingdom, Emperor Shen Zhui! “Teacher, Master Yuanyu, you are all here…” Emperor Shen Zhui chuckled lightly. Then, he faced to the rear and bowed to the royal carriage. Huala! The curtains to the royal carriage were parted once again and an elderly walked out slowly. Seeing the elderly, Master Yuanyu, Lu Chen, and the others put on a dignified expression. Even more so, Huang Yu stepped forward and bowed respectfully, “Liu shi, you’re here!” “Un!” The elderly stroked his beard and nodded his head with a smile. Then, he beckoned to the royal carriage and said, “You should all come out as well. We have already arrived.” Huala! Huala! The curtains to the carriage parted once more and two elders in their fifties walked out. They were both dressed in green robes and their smiles were extremely tranquil and calming. “Zhuang shi, Zheng shi!” Seeing the two, Huang Yu and the others’ bodies jolted as they hurriedly bowed respectfully to the two. Given how they were respectfully termed with the title of ‘shi’, it was clear that the three are true master teachers. Emperor Shen Zhui had managed to invite three master teachers simultaneously. It is no wonder that even Lu Chen fell into a state of disbelief when he first read of the matter from the yellow cloth. Huang Yu is an assistant master teacher serving the master teacher who first emerged from the carriage, Liu shi. On the other hand, Bai Xun is Zhuang shi’s student. Since their teachers were here, Master Lu Chen brought them along. Otherwise, these juniors don’t even have the right to pay respect to these master teachers. “Alright, let’s not waste time and enter first!” Liu shi smiled. The few of them swiftly entered the palace. “It is truly my honor for you to visit to Tianxuan Kingdom…” Emperor Shen Zhui did not dare to flaunt his position at all and welcomed the guests with utmost respect. “Your Majesty is being too polite. The reason why I am here is not just for your Royal Elder’s matter. Firstly, it is to celebrate Elder Tian’s birthday. Secondly, it seems like a good bud had appeared in your Hongtian Academy and I would like to see if he would be suitable to become my apprentice.” Liu shi smiled. “Is Liu shi speaking of Lu Xun laoshi? The way he teaches is not bad and he is extremely famous, even in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. I have heard of his name.” Emperor Shen Zhui chuckled as he hurriedly introduced him. “Speaking of him, he is Lu Chen laoshi’s sole son.” “Master Painter Lu Chen, I have long heard of your name.” Turning toward Lu Chen, Liu shi smiled. “I am flattered by Liu shi’s compliment…” Lu Chen hurriedly bowed. Even though he possesses exceptional standing as a master painter, he is far from matching up to an official master teacher’s status. Didn’t you see that even the emperor was acting respectfully around them? “Alright, let’s drop the pleasantries. Call Shen Hong here. It has been long since we last met. At the same time, Zhuang shi, Zheng shi, and I can take a look to see if we can cure him of his ailment.” After a short banter, Liu shi dived straight into the topic. Shen Hong is that elder in Tianxuan Kingdom’s royal family. Hearing his words, Emperor Shen Zhui did not dare to keep him waiting. He delegated the task to the eunuch beside him immediately and the latter left hastily. Not too long later, an elderly approached under the same eunuch’s assistance. The elder’s hair had turned completely white and there were deep creases on his skin. The aura of death lingered around his entire body and it felt that he might never wake up again if he were to lie down now. Without even taking a closer examination, it was clear that he was reaching the limits of his lifespan. If he were unable to achieve a breakthrough or if there are no other solutions for his problem, he definitely wouldn’t last for more than a month. “Shen Hong pays his respect to Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi.” The elder bowed. “There is no need to be so formal with us. Allow us to take a look…” Liu shi got straight down to business. Walking around Shen Hong, he examined the latter’s condition and soon, a deep frown appeared on his forehead. The other two master teachers also approached to examine the situation, falling silent as well. “Do the three master teachers have any solutions for his problem?” Gedeng! Upon witnessing how they were reacting, Emperor Shen Zhui’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Majesty, I will just directly inform you of our diagnosis. The deterioration of Shen Hong’s vitality is simply too severe. If it were three years ago, I might still have a way to help him break through his current realm. However, the death aura that plagues him is simply too dense, I don’t have any means at all!” Zhuang shi was the first to speak. “I’m also of the same thought. He is advanced in age and if we try to do it forcefully, not only will it fail, it might even cause his death.” Zheng shi shook his head. Even though master teachers possess the ability to guide one’s cultivation realm to reach higher realms, there are limits to their means. Shen Hong before them is already nearing the end of his lifespan. If they were to induce him to achieve a breakthrough forcefully, not only would the possibility approximate zero, he might even die due to overexertion. “They’re right!” Liu shi shook his head as well to express his helplessness. “All humans succumb to the natural cycle of life and death. Shen Hong has been watching over Tianxuan Kingdom for many years now, and perhaps this can be considered a kind of release for him.” Master teachers are used to life and death, so they viewed these matters lightly. Even though Shen Hong was his friend, he had no intention of consoling him or mincing his words. “Alright!” A look of disappointment appeared on Emperor Shen Zhui’s face. Although Master Yuanyu was unable to resolve the Royal Elder’s problem, he nevertheless held high hopes for the three master teachers. Yet, contrary to his expectations, the same old conclusion was reached. “Actually, you don’t have to be too disappointed. Even though we are master teachers, we are just 1-star master teachers. If His Majesty is able to invite a 2-star master teacher, there just might be a solution for your elder’s issue…” Liu shi consoled. “2-star master teacher?” Emperor Shen Zhui flashed a bitter smile. He had paid an exorbitant sum just to invite these three 1-star master teachers. Furthermore, the main reason why they were willing to accept was because they were heading for Elder Tian’s birthday celebration and it was convenient for them to drop by. Otherwise, he would never have stood had a chance to invite them successfully. And to invite a 2-star master teacher? The other party would probably just ignore him. Even in a Conferred Kingdom, they were existences of the highest distinction and the emperors would have to welcome them with the highest possible honor. How is it possible for an emperor of an ordinary kingdom like him engage a figure like that? “Your Majesty, I happened to receive some news and it might prove useful to you.” Just as Emperor Shen Zhui was about to fall into despair, Master Yuanyu spoke up suddenly. 166 The Kingdom’s Book Collection Vaul “Oh?” Shen Zhui turned to look at Master Yuanyu. “A few days ago, a master teacher arrived in the capital and judging from his deeds, he appears to be more than just a 1- star.” Master Yuanyu spoke of the news that he had heard of. “Master teacher? Not just a 1-star?” Emperor Shen Zhui had been away all this time and he hadn’t had the time to look through the report Pavilion Elder Qian sent him. Thus, he wasn’t aware of the ‘5-star’ incident. “Yes. This master teacher effortlessly treated the illness plaguing Ling Tianyu’s wife, solved Du Miaoxuan’s persistent affliction…” Master Yuanyu started recounting all that he knew about the matter. As a master physician, he was once invited to treat each of these people and thus, he knew the level of difficulty involved. Yet, this ‘Yang shi’ was able to cure them fully in just a short ten to twenty minutes. Such a feat left him astonished, and that was also the reason why he wanted to pay the latter a visit. “He is a master teacher just because he treated someone?” Hearing the conversation between the two, Zhuang shi shook his head. “Even though master teachers are capable at all fields, their main duty revolves around guiding others to achieve a breakthrough of their current level of cultivation. Being able to treat them, that simply means that he is a master physician.” Liu shi and Zheng shi also shook their heads in response to Master Yuanyu’s words as well, clearly disapproving of his view. It was no wonder that they were skeptical. Even though it is said that master teachers are capable of guiding any craft and can treat others as well, those are actually the higher tier master teachers. The typical 1-star to 2-star master teachers can only help others to achieve cultivation realm breakthroughs and only guide those in the specific crafts that they are skilled in. Besides, master teachers are prestigious figures who have eyes on them wherever they go. How is it possible for one to arrive in Tianxuan Kingdom without anyone knowing, even renting a mansion and living here? “Er…” Master Yuanyu was unable to refute his words at all. This ‘Master Teacher Yang Xuan’ caused quite a huge ruckus recently. However, his deeds mainly revolved around treating and curing others, and he didn’t seem to have helped any others break through their current cultivation realm, with the exception of Du Miaoxuan. Besides, it was only rumored that he is a master teacher. As Master Yuanyu had yet to meet him personally, he was unable to confirm this fact for himself. “What did you say his name is? I know all of the 2-star master teachers in the surrounding kingdoms.” Sensing his awkwardness, Liu shi stepped in quickly, smiling. “He is called Yang Xuan. I don’t know much about the details…” Master Yuanyu said. “Yang Xuan?” Liu shi hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “There isn’t a 2-star master teacher going by such a name in the surrounding kingdoms. In fact, I also know of some 3-star master teachers, but I don’t recall any of them being named as such!” Master teachers have their own circles as well. Even though Liu shi is only a 1-star master teacher, he still has a rough idea of how many master teachers of each tier there are in the nearby kingdoms and is able to name them. Yang Xuan… This is the first time he heard of such a person. “He is probably a fraud. As you have mentioned, he demands three million before one can pay him a visit. Will a true master teacher be concerned with material wealth?” Zhuang shi sneered. Master teachers possess incredible standing. Regardless of what it is that they need, with a single word, all powers would come rushing forward to fulfill their demands, even the royal family. For the other party to have to rent a mansion and demand a three million visiting fee, he is clearly a fraud who is out for the money. “This…” Master Yuanyu remained conflicted. In the past two days, news regarding Master Teacher Yang Xuan had been spreading like wildfire. Hence, he had wanted to pay him a visit. Now upon witnessing the three master teachers claim that the other party is likely to be a fraud, he is experiencing dissonance. “Actually, it is easy to verify whether he is a fraud or not. Elder Tian’s birthday is still a few days away and I happen to be free tomorrow. I can accompany you to his mansion to take a personal look at whether he is a master teacher or not!” Liu shi said. “I would like to accompany you two as well. Master teacher is a profession that should never be sullied. To think that someone would feign as a master teacher. Hmph, I would like to see the face of that brazen fellow who dares to play with fire!” Zhuang shi harrumphed coldly. “Bring me along as well. Honestly speaking, I am also quite interested.” Zheng shi chuckled. “Alright!” Master Yuanyu nodded his head. It is just like the master teachers had said; it is impossible to pretend to be the real deal. If the man truly were a master teacher, even if the three master teachers were to head there, it would be no big deal. However, if the other party turns out to be a fake, they would expose him on the spot and he wouldn’t have to be conflicted over the matter. Throughout the entire length of the discussion between the three master teachers, Emperor Shen Zhui did not dare to interject at all. Even though he is the sovereign of the kingdom, compared to the monsters known as master teachers, he did not dare to be disrespectful in the least. Feeling helpless, Emperor Shen Zhui sighed. ………… Oblivious to the fact that three master teachers had arrived in the kingdom and that they were intent on exposing his fraud, Zhang Xuan woke up and leisurely stretched his body. The sun was already high up in the sky. After packing his items for a short while, he ate his breakfast and briefed Sun Qiang. “I will be heading out now. If anyone comes looking for him, have them wait outside.” “Yes, old master!” Sun Qiang nodded his head with pride. He is completely satisfied with his role as the butler of a master teacher. Regardless of whether it was the Four Great Clans or the nobles, all of the existences which he had to fawn up to are now lowering their heads before him. Regardless of your identity, since the old master says so, you had better wait outside obediently… He was filled with confidence after the experiences involving Ling Tianyu and Du Miaoxuan. Oblivious to his thoughts, Zhang Xuan simply thought that he had understood his words and nodded his head before heading out of the residence. After finding a remote alley, he transformed his appearance and walked toward Lu Chen’s residence without delay. Master Lu Chen had said that he was going to bring him to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault today. With that, he should be able to gather sufficient Pixue realm manuals so as to advance his cultivation. Not too long after, he arrived at Master Lu’s residence. “Brother Zhang, I have to apologize to you…” An apologetic look appeared on Master Lu Chen’s face when he saw Zhang Xuan. “Apologize? Could it be that I have been denied entry to the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault?” ‘Gedeng’, Zhang Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. If he were unable to enter, where else can he find the books to feed the Library of Heaven’s Path? “That’s not it. I have raised an unfilial son…” Master Lu Chen shook his head. “Unfilial son?” Zhang Xuan had no idea what Master Lu Chen was driving at. What do you raising an unfilial son have to do with me? It’s not like I know him… “Indeed. I have only heard of that matter yesterday. It seems like my unfilial son had brought you trouble by challenging you to a Teacher Evaluation. I’m very sorry about that. I’ll head over to the academy, later on, to have him admit his defeat…” Master Lu Chen said. “Teacher Evaluation?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Master Lu Chen, it can’t be that… Lu Xun laoshi is your son?” “Indeed, it’s that unfilial fellow. We had an argument three years ago and following which, he left home in a rage. After that, he had never once returned back here…” Master Lu Chen shook his head. “Er… Since I am already prepared for the Teacher Evaluation, Master Lu Chen doesn’t have to worry about this. Otherwise, he might think that I am trying to back down from the matter and had you do so…” Zhang Xuan smiled bitterly. He had never imagined that Lu Xun would be Master Lu Chen’s son. This is too much of a coincidence. Even so, news of the duel had already leaked out, so it is too late for him to back down now. Since he is going to slap the other party on his face, it is best that he proceeded with it honorably. If Master Lu Chen really were to create a ruckus, wouldn’t his reputation fall to the gutters? If he were to seek assistance from the father after finding himself being unable to match up with the son… What is the difference from looking for a student’s parent after finding himself being unable to deal with an unruly student? This isn’t this way of dealing with problems. “Alright then…” Seeing the other party’s persistence, Master Lu Chen could only drop the matter at that. “Brother Zhang, that child of mine never once suffered a setback and he grew complacent as a result. It would be good that you could show him that the world is big, and there is always someone better out there. This way, he might rein in his arrogance, helping with his future growth.” Master Lu Chen spoke of his anticipation. That son of his was simply too arrogant. Just because of a few words that he said, the son left home and never returned once since then. He had also nearly fallen ill due to the overwhelming anger he felt then. If this Brother Zhang can teach him a lesson, that would be for the best. Only after suffering a setback can one understand that there are people who are even more capable out there, and only by lowering his head will he walk a further distance. “Er… Alright then!” He was just considering whether he should go easy on Lu Xun given his amiable relationship with Master Lu Chen. However, since the other party said so, given how this Lu Xun laoshi had been trying to do him in, he didn’t mind returning the favor. Chatting while walking, they soon arrived at the palace. The Book Collection Vault is within the royal palace. It contains the countless book gathered from all across the entire kingdom throughout the countless years since its inception. Only the royal family and the most powerful nobles and officials are allowed entry into it. As the emperor’s tutor, it wasn’t a big deal for Master Lu Chen to bring someone into the palace. The guards immediately stood aside to allow the duo entry. “As expected of the royal palace…” Zhang Xuan surveyed his surroundings while walking toward the Book Collection Vault. Even though the Tianxuan Kingdom isn’t a huge country, it’s palace is extremely luxurious. It is in no way inferior to the palaces in his previous life. In fact, in some aspects, it might even be more extravagant than them. There are countless patios within the royal palace. Without someone to lead the way, it is easy for one to get lost. Under Master Lu Chen’s guidance, they passed by several corridors and soon, they stopped in front of a giant building. “This is the Book Collection Vault!” Master Lu Chen pointed with a smile. Zhang Xuan looked forward and saw a tall building dozens of meters tall before him. Written in gold on the horizontal plaque were three grand words ‘Book Collection Vault’. It looked exceptionally spectacular and radiant as it reflected the sun’s rays. “This is Emperor Shen Zhui’s Golden Dragon Token. With it, you can flip through the books within as you like. However, you are not to touch any of the formations within. I won’t be accompanying you in.” With a flick of his wrist, he whipped out a golden token and passed it to Zhang Xuan. A massive savage dragon was inscribed on it. “Master Lu Chen, thanks for your help!” Receiving the Golden Dragon Token from the other party’s hands, Zhang Xuan clasped his hand gratefully. The kingdom’s Book Collection Vault is one of the most important locations in the kingdom. As such, there are bound to be formations and restrictions created by formation masters within to guard its interior. Without this object, it is likely that one would be attacked upon entering its compounds. “There is no need to be so formal with me, it’s nothing much. Alright, I’ll be leaving now. Feel free to look through whatever books you wish to. No one will interrupt you.” Master Lu Chen chuckled as he stroked his beard. “Alright!” Zhang Xuan didn’t dawdle any longer. With the Gold Dragon Token in his hand, he walked straight in. The kingdom’s Book Collection Vault truly lives up to its reputation. There are countless bookshelves within it and one couldn’t see the other end with a single glance. Books on all crafts occupied the shelves and with a brief look, they seem to number in the tens of million. “It wasn’t easy to get in here. I have to imprint all of these books into the Library of Heaven’s Path!” Seeing so many books for the first time, Zhang Xuan trembled in excitement. He did not hurry to look for books on cultivation technique and instead, walked forward to the first row of bookshelves and started to casually flip through the books. Hualala, hualala! The sound of books flipping started to echo in the Book Collection Vault. …………………………………… While Zhang Xuan was busy flipping books in the Book Collection Vault, Master Yuanyu, bringing along Liu shi, Zheng shi, and Zhuang shi had arrived at the entrance of his residence. “This is where that Yang shi lives…” Master Yuanyu pointed. “Un. Knock on the door!” Liu shi gestured. 167 The Arrogant Sun Qiang Dong dong dong dong! Stepping forward, Master Yuanyu started to knock on the door. Not too long later, the door opened and Sun Qiang emerged, holding out his belly with conceit. Glancing once at the crowd, he said, “Pay three million gold coins and wait at the door. The old master will invite you in when he feels like meeting you.” Master Yuanyu is prominent among the upper echelons in the capital and many people know him. However, insignificant figures such as Sun Qiang never had the chance to meet him. Besides… He doesn’t care who he is anyway. The old master is a master teacher. Even if you were a tiger or a dragon, you had better lay low obediently. “Cough cough…” Master Yuanyu nearly choked on his own saliva. There are three master teachers behind him. For a small butler to act so arrogantly… isn’t he afraid of being beaten to death? “I am Yuanyu and I am here to pay respects to your master…” Even though he was displeased, he understood that it was possible that the person before him to be the butler of a master teacher. Even though he was of high standing in the Tianxuan Kingdom, he did not dare to get involved in a face-off against a master teacher. “Who cares whether you are Yuanyu or Fangyu, didn’t you hear what I just said? Pay three million and wait out here. Perhaps, you might get an opportunity to meet the old master like that. Otherwise, just scram.” Sun Qiang waved chubby his hands impatiently, as though chasing off flies. If you don’t have any money, don’t put on an act. “Do you know who our master is?” A guard couldn’t stand watching on and bellowed at Sun Qiang. “Do I look like I care who your master is? If you want to enter the residence, you have to follow our rules. Stop talking crap here. Stop putting on an act here and just scram if you don’t have the money. If you don’t even have three million, what rights do you all have to be acting so haughtily before me?” Sun Qiang glanced at him with disdain. If you are unwilling to spend the money, you should just get lost. Bragging about your master… No matter how incredible your master is, can he be greater than a master teacher? “You…” That guard nearly spurted blood. His master was Liu shi. Regardless of he went, he was always treated with utmost respect. Yet, in the eyes of this fellow, he became a poor bloke and someone putting on an act… You are the one who is putting on an act, your entire family is putting on an act! His face flushed. Just as he was about to reveal his master’s identity to reprimand the other party, Liu shi stretched out his hand and stopped him, “We’re just passing by and we would like to pay the old master a visit. We trouble you to help report our presence to him…” Before he could finish his words, Sun Qiang stepped forward and used his plump hands to pat the other party’s face, “Old man, are you deaf? Or is there something wrong with your head? Did you not hear what I just said? If you want to pay a visit to the old master, you need to pay three million. If you don’t have any money, scram! This is the rule… If you don’t know what rules are, they are standards that one needs to abide by. Get it?” “Ah…” Seeing his actions, Master Yuanyu shuddered and nearly fainted in shock. Slapping Liu shi’s face… The few guards following behind him was taken aback. They stood rooted to the spot in a daze. They were on the verge of going insane. The heck! This fellow actually dared to slap Liu shi’s face? Even saying that there is something wrong with his head… This is no longer a matter or being courageous or not. You are really courting death… Even Liu shi was stunned. Clearly, he didn’t expect the fatty before him to behave like this. His eyebrows twitched furiously. No matter what, he is a master teacher, a person respected by everyone else. Countless experts who paid him a visit did not even dare to breathe loudly before him. Yet, this fellow struck his face… At that instant, he was so stunned that he didn’t know how to react. He felt so stifled that blood was threatening to spurt from his mouth. However, this wasn’t the time for him to get angry. The other party obviously did not know of his identity. As a master teacher, an esteemed guest of Tianxuan Kingdom, bickering with an insignificant figure like Sun Qiang is truly an embarrassing act. With a swift movement, he dodged the second slap from the other party. Suppressing the anger within, he beckoned the person from his back. “Ah Yun!” “Yes!” The guard behind immediately recovered and passed a jake token over. “This is our master’s Tutelage Jade Token. Anyone in possession of this is entitled to two hours of guidance by our master. It should be worth three million…” Some master teachers would distribute Tutelage Jade Tokens with their unique mark on it. As long as one possesses such an object, he is entitled to free tutelage from the master teacher. This object is the symbol of identity for a master teacher, and it can be traded for money. After all, a master teacher’s lesson is something of great value; very little people had the chance to attend such a lesson. Even Tongxuan realm pinnacle experts would fight with all their might for that opportunity to receive guidance from a master teacher. In terms of money, it is definitely worth more than three million. Pah! Before he could pass the jade token over to Sun Qiang, the latter threw it out as though it was trash, causing it to smash into smithereens on the floor. “Do you have a screw loose? You think that lousy jade of yours is worth three million? Do you take me for a fool? If you don’t have any money, scram!” After which, he shot them a look of disdain before walking back into the residence and shutting the door. As Tianxuan Kingdom had no master teachers, such Tutelage Jade Tokens weren’t in circulation in the market. Naturally, Sun Qiang had never seen it before. He thought that they were unable to come up with the sum and were casually using some broken jade to hoodwink him. In fact, he thought that he was already sparing the other party’s dignity by not having the guards chase them away. “You…” Seeing the other party toss away the jade token and staring at him with such contemptuous eyes, the guards felt so infuriated that they were on the verge of fainting. The heck, why would someone find such an unreasonable person to serve as their butler? “Brother Sun, don’t be in such a hurry. Here are bills worth three million gold. May I trouble you to inform Yang shi of our arrival…” Seeing that the other party was about to close the doors, Master Yuanyu could not longer hold himself back and stood forward to resolve the matter. If this matter was left to be, the three master teachers might very well blow their top. He was only a mere physician and he was afraid of getting implicated in a fight among master teachers just because he brought them over. “Un, that’s more like it. At least you understand fast!” Taking over the stack of bills, Sun Qiang lowered his head to verify its authenticity before nodding his head in satisfaction. Then, he lamented, “If you have money, why do you all still take out some rotten jade? I’ve seen stingy people, but I’ve never seen such stingy people. Don’t you know that I, Sun Qiang, am a very principled man? If you wish to enter without paying up… Don’t even dream about it!” Hearing those words, everyone’s mouth twitched furiously. Even Yuanyu almost failed to hold in his anger. Brother, do you know that the rotten jade you just smashed is a Tutelage Jade Token? Do you know how much it is truly worth? A Tongxuan realm expert would not hesitate to put their life on the line just to obtain one of that. Yet, you simply discarded it so casually, so though it is something worthless… Are you really a master teacher’s butler? Otherwise, how can you fail to identify such an object? “Alright, wait here. The old master had some affairs to attend to and he is currently out. When he returns and finds time for you, he will summon you in.” Keeping the gold bills properly, the fatty gestured. “He’s out?” Master Yuanyu’s eyebrows shot up. The heck! If he went out, why didn’t you say so earlier? After accepting the money, you tell us that we have to wait for him to return… It is one thing if I had come alone. However… How can you keep these three masters waiting here? “Can I bother you to quickly report the news to the old master? We really have urgent matters for your old master…” Suppressing his anger, Master Yuanyu asked. “What is the matter, to be of such urgency?” Sun Qiang inquired. After the other party paid the sum, his attitude became obviously much better than before. After all, customers are the gods (emperors). “No matter what it is, we’re here to speak to the old master, not to you!” The guard who took out the jade token earlier could no longer repress his rage. “Un? Why, you feel embarrassed to say so? Me, elder brother Qiang, have followed the old master for quite some time and have learned many things from him. If it is just a simple matter, there might not be a need for the old master to get involved, I might be able to solve it…” Sun Qiang lifted his plump face haughtily and sneered coldly. What a joke! I am the old master’s successor. I have witnessed his means with my own eyes. All that needs to be done is to firstly bluff the subject, have them reveal their own flaws, and then finally try his best to hoodwink the other party. Given my abilities, I should be more than capable of deceiving you fellows who aren’t even willing to pay up. “You’ve learned many things from him?” The guard was about to speak, but Liu shi abruptly interrupted him, “Since you’re able to tell, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong with me?” “You?” Sun Qiang’s fat body circled around Liu shi before stepping backward. Recalling the old master’s disposition and attitude, he lifted his head forty-five degrees upward and looked at the other party calmly, as though an nonmaterialistic expert. “You… Is your family doing well?” “What did you say?” Liu shi was taken aback by his words and nearly fainted from shock. He had merely requested the other party to diagnose his condition, why did he suddenly start insulting him? Master Yuanyu’s body staggered. He felt so stifled that he could knock his head against the wall. The heck… Heavens, you might as well strike me dead with a bolt of lightning… I truly can’t take this anymore… This… The pressure is too great… The anxiety I had felt in the past few minutes seems more than what I had experienced in my entire life. Ignoring their astonishment and anger, Sun Qiang tried his best to recall the gestures and words of the old master and chuckled lightly, “Oh? You didn’t get my words? Then I’ll phrase it in another way then. Are the physical conditions of your family members still alright?” 168 The Discerning Ability of a Master Teacher Pu! Everyone’s body shook, as though they had been struck by lightning. Initially, they thought that perhaps Sun Qiang may have made a mistake, or perhaps their ears were playing tricks on them. Yet, that fellow repeated the same message. Cursing Liu shi’s family… Furthermore, so brazenly. The heck, fatty, where did your confidence come from? Master Yuanyu was frozen on the spot and tears streamed down his face. I had only spoken of Master Teacher Yang Xuan’s existence, I didn’t mean to offend anyone… Now great, if Liu shi were to be maddened, it would definitely cause an uproar. If Yang Xuan turns to be a real master teacher and he pursues the matter, a battle would definitely ensue. Afterward, … there would be no more afterward… The crowd was shocked. Sun Qiang thought that the reaction meant that he was spot-on and he stood proudly. That was the method that the old master used to scam Ling Tianyu. The moment he opened his mouth, the other party immediately gave in. He had imitated Zhang Xuan’s disposition and gesture down to the very details, making him seem like a superior existence which had seen through the fabrics of the world. With his head tilted upward, his glanced downward to see if the other party had conceded to his greatness and kneeled down to call him ‘master’. Yet, he only saw the frosty look on the other party’s face. In fact, even his guards drew their swords. “Old master, I am going to kill him…” The guard bellowed as he prepared to charge forward. “Hm? Why isn’t it working?” Looking at the guard’s behavior, no matter how foolish Sun Qiang could be, he realized that something was definitely amiss. Gedeng, his heart leaped. Could it be that his statement was inaccurate? Even so, he decided that he must uphold his status and authority. Whenever the old master spoke, he often incurred the wrath of others. But after his words proved to be right, the other party would immediately give in. Upon thinking of this, Sun Qiang’s confidence surged once more, “How about this, allow me to touch your wife… Oh, since your wife isn’t here… You… are a beast, you’re looking for it…” After musing for a moment, he recalled the other catchphrases of the old master. The surroundings were completely silent. Big brother, I thought that you were quite bold to have cursed Liu shi’s family. To think that you still have more up your sleeves… Wanting to touch Liu shi’s wife, calling Liu shi a beast, saying that he was asking for it… I have seen brazen people, but I truly haven’t seen anyone as brazen as you… Liu shi’s face was also steeled. His face twitched uncontrollably and he looked to be about to pass out from anger. If not for his incredible tolerance, he would have definitely killed this fellow with a single slap of his. “Old master, please allow me to kill this foolish lad who dares to insult you!” The guard, Ah Yun, clasped his hands as he asked Liu shi for permission. “Tell him who I am!” Liu shi flung his robe. He actually desired to kill the person before him as well. However, the other party’s arrogance caused him to be apprehensive. If not a master teacher, how would a lowly butler dare to behave in such a manner? If the other party were truly an incredible master teacher, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the other party’s wrath when he finds out that his butler was killed. Thus, it was better for him to behave prudently, deciding to first reveal his identity and observe the other party’s attitude. “Fatty, our old master is the Honorary Grand Duke of the Beiwu 2nd Tier Kingdom, Master Teacher Liu Ling…” Ah Yun stepped forward and declared. “Like I care whether you are some grand duke or whatsoever…” Halfway through his words, his plump body trembled as he asked, “What did you say? Master teacher? He is a master teacher?” He might be able to snub the grand dukes of other countries, but the same cannot be said about master teachers. “Indeed, our old master is a 1-star master teacher. For you to insult him, you are truly courting death!” Ah Yun clenched his teeth. A master teacher is not an existence that can be sullied by anyone. To curse his entire family in public, demand to touch his wife, and call him a beast… Just these were sufficient to warrant his death penalty over a hundred times. “Courting death?” Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched. He nearly knelt from the fear that he felt. He thought that he could just act cool and peacefully pass off as an expert for once while the old master wasn’t present in order to improve the old master’s impression of him. Yet, in the midst of doing so, he became a fool instead. The old master did the exact same things as well, but why is it that he was always able to get the other party to kneel in fear, not daring to even breathe loudly, while on the other hand, he just had to meet with a master teacher… Why is there such a huge disparity even though we are both humans? Insulting a master teacher… Isn’t this equivalent to committing suicide? What should I do? Sun Qiang’s plump face folded into countless creases and he was on the verge of tears. “Go and report to your old master that Master Teacher Liu Ling, Master Teacher Zhuang Xian, and Master Teacher Zheng Fei are here. As for your matter, I will settle it personally with your old master!” Seeing the previously arrogant plump butler trembling in fright, Master Teacher Liu Ling waved him away. If the other party were truly a master teacher, letting off his subordinate could be considered a favor to him, equivalent to giving him face. On the other hand, if the other party turns out to be bogus, he could make a big fuss and take him down immediately, thus exacting vengeance for the insult. “The old master has been out since morning… I don’t know when he’ll be back…” Upon hearing that the other party would not be dealing with him for now, Sun Qiang heaved a sigh of relief. Upon knowing the other party’s identity, he no longer dared to behave as arrogantly as he did before. “You don’t know when he’ll be back?” Liu Ling and the others frowned. They can’t possibly keep waiting here for him. “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head. “Alright then. Here is our name scroll, you take it for now. We’ll pay our visits when your old master is back.” Liu Ling beckoned and the guard, Ah Yun, stepped forward to pass a name scroll. “Yes!” Sun Qiang did not dare to refute his words and immediately accepted the name scroll from the guard’s hands. Upon seeing the words ‘master teacher’ on it, his eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. “Let’s go!” Since the other party wasn’t here, the three master teachers couldn’t be bothered to waste their time on a butler. Thus, they turned around to leave. Only after seeing them disappear into the distance did Sun Qiang heave a sigh of relief. He wiped away the cold sweat on his body before walking into the courtyard. Upon entering, he felt his knees give in and he fell to the floor, paralyzed. Looks like one can’t just simply go around feigning to be an expert. Otherwise… One might not even know how he dies… I will never do it ever again… ………………………… “Liu shi, why didn’t you directly kill that fellow who insulted you?” When the crowd left, the guard, Ah Yun couldn’t help but inquire. Those who are able to become master teachers are by no means kind. Liu shi never hesitates when it comes to killing others. But why was he able to tolerate the plump butler saying such words to him? “Brother Zheng, what do you think of it?” Ignoring his question, Liu Ling turned to Zheng shi, Zheng Fei, and asked. “The master residing in the mansion doesn’t seem to be a simple figure. If he is truly a master teacher, it is likely that his capabilities are superior to ours.” Zheng Fei nodded his head with a grim look. “Indeed!” Zhuang shi, Zhuang Xian, nodded his head as well. “But… didn’t we not see the owner of the mansion?” Hearing the conversation between the three master teachers, everyone felt puzzled. They didn’t see the old master the plump butler spoke of. If so, how can they be so sure that the other party’s capabilities are superior to theirs? Even Yuanyu, who was following behind, felt perplexed. “We didn’t see him, but we saw his butler.” Liu shi said. “That weak fellow?” Ah Yun became even more confused. Was there anything special with that weak fellow? “You all have only seen the surface!” Liu shi shook his head. “I have taken a look at the butler’s constitution. It is not just poor; it can be considered to be extremely inferior. Logically speaking, his limit would have been Fighter 3-dan Zhenqi realm. However, did you see how strong he actually was?” “Fighter 4-dan Pigu realm advanced stage…” Ah Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Indeed, he has reached Pigu realm advanced stage. Furthermore… Based on how he doesn’t seem to have perfect control over his zhenqi, his breakthrough should be something that occurred recently. Putting this together with what Master Yuanyu said, that this Sun Qiang is someone he hired on a whim and that he was previously just a merchant in the commercial city… It is very likely that the rise in his strength is due to the guidance from the master of the mansion…” After which, a grim expression appeared on Liu shi’s face. “Given such inferior constitution and unexceptional cultivation technique, the zhenqi in his body should have long sunk due to excessive impurities, clogging all of the meridians throughout his body. Yet, he was able to induce a breakthrough in him in a few short days, even raising his strength by an entire realm… It would be hard for me to induce such growth in others.” As master teachers, they specialized in guiding one’s cultivation. As such, they were able to easily recognize Sun Qiang’s unique condition. There are clots in Sun Qiang’s meridians, causing his impure zhenqi to sink. According to logical deduction, it should have already been an incredible feat for him to reach Zhenqi realm pinnacle. Yet, contrary to their expectations, the latter had achieved Pigu realm advanced stage. No matter how foolish they were to be, it is obvious that the other party possesses exceptional abilities. If Zhang Xuan were to hear their conclusion, he would definitely be astounded. Master teachers aren’t just for show, their discernment abilities were indeed impressive. It is no wonder that it could become a profession that everyone on the continent fears. The sharpness of their eyes isn’t something just anyone can match up to. “If I’m not wrong, the other party had used an extremely pure zhenqi to destroy the shackles in his body and meld the sunken zhenqi, thus allowing him to achieve a breakthrough. Then, the sunk zhenqi he accumulated over numerous years caused his cultivation realm to soar, eventually stopping at Pigu realm advanced stage!” The silent Zhuang shi hesitated for a moment before speaking. If Sun Qiang were here, he would definitely be shocked. His experience was exactly as how the master teacher before him had described it to be. “To be able to meld the sunk zhenqi with his and break through the clots in his meridians, that person’s zhenqi must be at least intermediate tier. Or else… his cultivation must have reached Zongshi realm!” Liu shi nodded his head, agreeing to Zhuang shi’s words. Then, he turned to Ah Yun and said, “Regardless of whether he is an expert who possesses intermediate tier zhenqi or a zongshi… Even if he isn’t a master teacher, he isn’t someone that we can afford to offend. On the other hand, if he is a master teacher, even if he isn’t as experienced as us, it is likely that he wields a greater level of potential. If he had slaughtered his butler back then, it would have been equivalent to falling out with the other party, thus making it impossible to reconcile with him in future. If so, we might as well sell him a favor. After all, that butler is just an insignificant figure. He was probably scared witless after knowing of our identity.” “Yes!” Ah Yun nodded his head. He knew that his old master possessed incredible discernment abilities and that he was able to tell the truth through minor details. Thus, he did not inquire further about the matter. “Incredible!” Upon listening to their deduction, Master Yuanyu widened his mouth in astonishment. It is no wonder that master teacher is such a prestigious occupation. With a single glance, they were able to analyze so many details. Their eyes are truly fearsome. “But old master, that person isn’t in his mansion, so what should we do now?” Ah Yun asked. “Even though he isn’t in his mansion, it doesn’t mean that we are devoid of ways to verify his identity. Inform Emperor Shen Zhui of the matter and tell him to summon the few people who had been treated by this Yang Xuan to the royal palace. I want to take a look at them personally…” Liu shi delegated. “Yes!” Ah Yun nodded his head. Upon hearing those words, Master Yuanyu was impressed. It wasn’t of great importance that the person in question wasn’t present. It wasn’t a secret that Yang Xuan had helped Ling Tianyu, Du Miaoxuan, Luo Chong, and Apothecary Chen Xiao… As long as they were to gather and question them, they should be able to understand the situation. It would then be clear whether the other party is genuinely a master teacher. 169 The 6-dan of the Heaven’s Path Divine Ar Zhang Xuan was oblivious to the visit by the three master teachers. At the moment, he was in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, and his eyes were gleaming with excitement. “It’s complete…” After reading books for an entire afternoon, he had finally finished flipping through all of the Pixue realm books in the Book Collection Vault. He had also managed to compile a complete version of the 6-dan Heaven’s Path Divine Art in the library. The front part was exactly as he had deduced before, so he only had to follow the steps behind. “Time to cultivate!” In any case, he was here alone, so there was no need to restrain himself. Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan sat onto the ground and started cultivating. Pipa! Pipa! Pipa! The moment he started training, a dense congregation of spiritual energy immediately surged into his body from the heavens, causing the acupoints in his body to blow open consecutively. A series of crisp ‘pops’ reminiscent of frying beans echoed in the vault. After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he was in a state of disbelief. “I actually managed… to open all 108 acupoints?” Legend has it that there are 108 acupoints in a human’s body. However, only 72 of which can be opened. Furthermore, there is a specific order to how these acupoints could be opened. With differences in every individual’s physique, there is a different order that everyone has to follow in order to achieve the best results. If one fails to follow the exact sequence, one might very well only open thirty to forty acupoints in their life and thereafter be stuck permanently. He had initially thought that even with the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, it would be considered an incredible feat to open 72 acupoints. Never in his dreams did he expect to be able to open all 108 acupoints. At this moment, the acupoints throughout his body were twinkling, as a sky full of stars. He felt strength surge through his entire body. If others were to learn that he had opened all of the acupoints in his body, they would definitely die of shock. “108 acupoints mean that my strength has been boosted by 108 ding. Before reaching Pixue realm, I already have 20 ding of strength, and adding in the 90 ding from my physical body, my total strength is 218 ding. That is equivalent to a Tongxuan realm intermediate stage expert…” Doing a rough calculation of his strength, Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed with excitement. In Tongxuan realm, one possesses 100 ding of strength in the primary stage, 200 ding in the intermediate stage, 300 ding in the advanced stage, and 400 ding in the pinnacle stage. It is unheard of in Tianxuan Kingdom, or even in the surrounding kingdoms, for a Pixue realm pinnacle to possess the strength of a Tongxuan realm intermediate stage. Yet, Zhang Xuan had easily achieved such a feat. Even he himself couldn’t help but suspect if he was dreaming. There aren’t many people in Tianxuan Kingdom who can rival him now. After all, the strongest person in Tianxuan Kingdom currently is only at Tongxuan realm pinnacle. “I should continue and see if there are Fighter 7-dan cultivation techniques…” Zhang Xuan stood up and continued into the depths of the Book Collection Vault expectantly. “What a pity…” After circling around the entire Book Collection Vault once, Zhang Xuan could not help but shook his head in disappointment. There wasn’t any Fighter 7-dan cultivation technique in the Book Collection Vault. But now that he thought about it, it was to be expected. After all, Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm experts can be considered as the top-notch fighting power of the Tianxuan Kingdom. As such, the value of 7-dan cultivation techniques is incomparably valuable. Thus, how can one possibly leave such books lying around here, especially when visitors can be granted entry? They would most probably be kept somewhere accessible only to the emperor. “Since there is no cultivation technique, I should check out the battle techniques…” Thinking of such, he walked with big strides toward the region where the battle technique manuals are stored. There is a massive collection of books in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Even though the battle techniques kept here are not exclusive profound arts, its redeeming factor is that there are plenty of them. Just a single move can have several thousand different schools to it. Zhang Xuan stopped before a certain bookshelf and glanced toward the books on it. It is the region where the movement and leg techniques are stored. 《The 72 Lake Manoeuvre》、《Whirlwind Legs》、《34 Styles Chain Kicks》、《Eluding Traversing Dragon》 All kinds of movement and leg technique secret manuals filled the entire shelf. “Wang Ying’s legs were once injured. Even though she has the Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution to heal her legs, it would still be difficult for her to match up to the swift Du Lei. However, if she were to learn a good movement and leg technique, it should increase her chances of victory significantly. Thinking of this, Zhang Xuan started flipping through the books. Hualala, hualala! In an hour’s time, Zhang Xuan had managed to imprint all the books related to movement and leg techniques into his head, and two books had formed in his head. Heaven’s Path Movement Art and Heaven’s Path Leg Art! Casually flipping open the manuals, he immersed his concentration into the books. Four hours later, he managed to master the two moves. Due to the books in the Book Collection Vault being about the most basic and fundamental moves, only a single movement was created, just like how it was for the Heaven’s Path Spear Art. That was especially so for the Heaven’s Path Movement Art. It allowed him to move a distance of twenty meters the time of a tenth of a breath. His movement was so fast that it seemed as though teleportation. Of course, attaining such breakneck speed causes a huge strain on the body. If it weren’t for him cultivating the Heaven’s Path Golden Body, such instantaneous movement would have caused his blood vessels to burst. Even so, given his current physical capabilities, he can only execute the move once. If he were to overdo it, it would cause him to bleed from his ears and nose due to excessive pressure. Still, it is an extremely fearsome move. If one were to suddenly perform an instantaneous movement when battling with another person, even a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert can be destroyed in an instant if he isn’t guarded against it. After learning the movement and leg techniques, he moved to the fists technique region and once again started flipping through the books, forming a single punching move. Two hours later, he had easily completed learning the fist movement. Just like the movement technique, even though it is just a single move, it allows his strength to be enhanced by a single fold instantaneously. Given his current strength of 218 ding, a single fold meant that he was able to execute a punch with 436 ding of strength behind it. In other words, by executing the Heaven’s Path Fist Art, his fighting prowess would rival that of a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert. Of course, this pushes his physical body to the limits as well. Just like the movement technique, he wouldn’t be able to use it repeatedly. Given his current level of ability, he can only execute three punches at maximum. Continuously flipping through the books and studying them, time passed slowly. Fortunately, Zhang Xuan had foreseen that he would be staying in the Book Collection Vault for an extended period of time and had prepared some food in his storage ring in advance. Otherwise, he would surely die of hunger before he could even begin to train. …………………… Countless lanterns hung and lit the palace. “Apothecary Chen Xiao, why are you here?” Walking into the main hall, Du Miaoxuan was filled with bewilderment. He was just an ordinary elder of the Du Clan, and following the deterioration of his cultivation, even that title had become just a name. Yet, he was summoned abruptly by Emperor Shen Zhui today and thus, he was completely confused by what was going on. Upon walking into the palace, he saw that Apothecary Chen Xiao, Ling Tianyu, and Luo Chong were all here. “I have also received His Majesty’s summons. It must be something that has to do with Yang shi. After all, all of us here have benefitted from Yang shi’s grace!” At this moment, Apothecary Chen Xiao no longer looked as sickly as he did previously. On the contrary, he was filled with vitality and liveliness. “That might be possible…” Du Miaoxuan nodded his head in agreement. Ling Tianyu and Luo Chong also suddenly came to a realization. However, there was no need for them to ponder over the matter as they would soon know the answer. At this moment, Emperor Shen Zhui walked into the main hall with large strides. Smiling, he introduced to the crowd. “I am not the one who invited everyone here today. It was the three master teachers.” “Master teachers?” Du Miaoxuan and the others were taken aback. They hurriedly stood up and saw three dignified elders following behind the emperor. “Sit. You must be Ling Tianyu. I heard that your wife was sick. Can you tell me about what happened during the treatment?” After trading some pleasantries, Liu shi turned his attention to Ling Tianyu. After a moment later. “You say that… Yang Xuan, with a single look, discerned that your stone lion is made of Southern Blood Jade and deduced from it that your family member was sick? Then… With a few needles, not only did your wife awake from her coma, she even gained the ability to walk immediately?” Liu shi widened his eyes in disbelief. “The Southern Blood Jade absorbs a person’s vitality. Given how your wife was stuck in a state of coma, this meant that her illness had already reached an extremely severe state. In order to resolve the issue, not only does one need to find the exact blockages of the meridians, one also requires intermediate-tier zhenqi to break open those blockages. To be able to see through those exact spots, such that there weren’t any hesitation in his movements… Can a master teacher really possess such sharp eyes?” … “The moment you entered, before you could even forge pills, he could tell that you were afflicted with death aura and would die at any moment? One who is afflicted with death aura would have a dark mark at their glabella, so it isn’t surprising that he would be able to tell that much. Also, apothecaries often come into contact with cauldrons, it was natural that he would deduce as so… However, to be able to deduce all these without asking a single question… Why do I feel like he isn’t a master teacher but a fortune-teller…” “Also, he could tell that your unstable state of mind was caused by your consumption of Dragon-scaled Prawns just by your forging movements without asking a single question at all? You must be joking…” … Upon hearing everyone’s experiences, the three master teachers became baffled. The heck, is he some enlightened deity? Even though master teachers possess sharp eyes, it isn’t that exaggerated! “Looks like… there are only two possibilities. Firstly… That Yang Xuan’s standard is much higher than ours, to the point that we are unable to comprehend the full extent of his abilities.” After a long moment, Liu shi concluded with a grim expression. “Or secondly… He knows of their conditions beforehand and searched for a solution before curing their illness at a single go, thus astounding everyone here. In other words… He is an opportunistic fraud who is looking to make a fortune.” Zheng shi and Zhuang shi nodded their heads. They shared Liu shi’s judgment as well. “If it is the former, it isn’t a big matter for me to pay him a visit and learn from it. But if it turns out to be the second…” Speaking of which, Liu shi’s eyes turned cold. “As a master teacher, I have the responsibility to expose such black sheeps so that they do not sully the reputation of master teachers.” 170 Brewing Storm Tianxuan Kingdom “Beiwu Tier 2 Kingdom Liu shi and Zhuang shi, as well as Hanwu Kingdom’s Zheng shi, have arrived at the kingdom and they went to pay a visit to this Yang Xuan together?” “Indeed. It is said that after they paid him a visit, they summoned Ling Tianyu, Du Miaoxuan, and the rest of them into the royal palace. No one knows what happened in there, but the second day, the three master teachers visited the mansion once more… Furthermore… They had turned up at the mansion for five consecutive days, but were nevertheless unable to meet with the master of the mansion?” “The heck! That’s way too intense, he even turned away master teachers? I know about Liu shi and he is one of the more capable 1-star master teachers. To think that such a person would be turned away at the entrance… Just exactly how capable is this Yang shi?” “I’m afraid that he probably isn’t just a mere 2-star master teacher!” … No one has ever heard of Yang Xuan’s name. In fact, the Teacher Guild was unable to find anything about him either. As such, many people were doubtful of his identity and thought that he wasn’t a real master teacher. However, the situation has changed. Liu shi, Zheng shi, and Zhuang shi are three official master teachers. They are public figures famous within the surrounding kingdoms. The three of them had paid Yang shi a visit, but for five consecutive days, they did not even get past the entrance. No matter how foolish one might be, it was clear to see that Yang Xuan isn’t a simple figure. “He is a master teacher, but his identity doesn’t exist… Probably, his name, Yang Xuan, is fake…” “Master teachers love to travel and experience the life of an average civilian. Through such, it trains their mind and tempers their soul. Could he be a high-tier master teacher who is in the midst of his exploration?” “I don’t know about that… But if it’s true, then Tianxuan Kingdom has truly struck gold!” “Indeed! Master teachers are a symbol of a country’s strength. If a country has a 1-star master teacher, it can apply for a Tier 2 Kingdom position. With a 2-star master teacher, it can apply for a 1st Tier Kingdom position. Finally, If it has a 3-star master teacher, it can apply to become a Conferred Kingdom!” “Once a kingdom is conferred a title, it gains the right to build massive transportation formations to import and export resources, resulting in the country to prosper. The benefits from doing so are unimaginable…” … All kinds of rumors had spread throughout the kingdom. “Your Majesty, even though the three master teachers aren’t sure, and they still hold suspicions, from your humble servant’s perspective, Yang Xuan seems like a person of great capabilities. Otherwise, he would not have been able to treat so many people easily. Even if he isn’t a master teacher, he is likely to be a great physician. There might be hope for the Royal Elder.” In the palace, an old eunuch analyzed the available news. “Un, send someone to stand guard at his entrance. The moment Yang Xuan returns to his mansion, report back to me immediately. I will pay him a personal visit.” A grave expression appeared on Emperor Shen Zhui’s face. “Yes!” The old eunuch nodded his head hurriedly. … “This is a rare opportunity. Wang Chao, if we catch Yang shi’s attention and become his apprentice, we will surely be able to become master teachers!” In a wide classroom in Hongtian Academy, Lu Xun stared excitedly at the young man before him. “Indeed. No matter what, we have to pay him a visit and leave a good impression before him!” Wang Chao nodded his head excitedly. “Even if we are unable to become his apprentice, we will surely be able to achieve a breakthrough if he offers us some words of guidance.” “Un!” Lu Xun nodded his head. “Right, so how is the matter with Zhang Xuan going?” Wang Chao suddenly recalled and asked. “Him?” Placing his hands behind him, he stared into the distance with an aura of superiority. “He is just a stepping stone for me to become a master teacher. He means nothing at all, so don’t worry about it. All of the students I have chosen for the battle are undergoing secret training, and in a few days, they will be able to break through to the next realm. They will win the Teacher Evaluation by an overwhelming lead and as such, the attention of the master teachers will be on me!” “That’s great! I’ll have to congratulate you in advance then…” Wang Chong clasped his hands enthusiastically. … Such situations occurred throughout the kingdom. The appearance of a Yang shi had caused all powers within the kingdom to stir. All attention were fixated on Yang Xuan’s mansion and in an instant, this seemingly inconspicuous mansion became the center of buzz within the capital. A storm had begun to brew. ……… At the moment, Zhang Xuan had reached the final bookshelf within the country’s Book Collection Vault. Five days of continuously flipping books without any rest or sleep had exhausted all of his strength. Putting aside cultivating, he wasn’t even in the mood to speak. “There’s still one last row…” Knowing that it wasn’t easy to enter the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, Zhang Xuan was determined to first imprint all of these books onto the Library of Heaven’s Path before doing anything. Even so, just this task itself had him exhausted to the point of possibly fainting at any moment. Seeing that he had finally reached the final row, Zhang Xuan’s eyes glowed in delight and tears threatened to flow out of his eyes. After working hard for the past few days. he finally sees the end of his work. “Un? These are books on poison…” This row pertains to the uses of poison, creating poison, discerning poison, and inflicting poison on others. Similar to others topics in the library, only books on the very basics of the subject were available. “I shall flip!” Hualala! Slowly, with the movements of his fingers, the books were gradually imprinted into his mind, one at a time. Of the countless jobs, the occupation poison master, based on its fighting prowess, is more than qualified to be listed among the Upper Nine Paths. But similar to assassins, it is a despised job. They can only hide in the shadows, never to see the light of the day. As such, very few people are willing to take on the craft, causing it to eventually fall into the ranks of the Lower Nine Paths. Naturally, Zhang Xuan isn’t willing to become a poison master either. However, it was still beneficial for him to look through these books as it could help him guard against other poison masters. While one shouldn’t bear ill intentions against others, one mustn’t let down his guards. Two hours later, he finished flipping through all of the poison- related books. “I should first return to take a nap…” After successfully imprinting all of the books in the Book Collection Vault into his mind, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt the fatigue he had accumulated in the previous five days crushing down heavily at once. All he can think about right now is to find a location to sleep. Even though he has already reached Pixue realm pinnacle and his body is significantly stronger than others, five consecutive days without rest while keeping his mind on the edge has left him on the brink of collapsing. Even so, the effort was worth it. The Tianxuan Kingdom has more than a millennium of history behind it. Even though the books in here aren’t exceptionally profound such that they can be considered as secret manuals, there are huge quantities of books on the fundamentals of nearly all occupations. Usually, under such circumstances, others would find it difficult to discern the truth from the false, especially with the overwhelming content contained in this library. They would simply get increasingly muddled the more they read. However, to Zhang Xuan who possesses the Library of Heaven’s Path, this isn’t a problem at all. As long as he is willing to, he can extract the most precise knowledge of each job and form a Heaven’s Path manual, retrieving the genuine wisdom in each book for his use. Walking out of the kingdom, Zhang Xuan looked at the sky and only then did he realize that he had spent five entire days in the vault. “I can’t rest yet. It is almost ten days since I ordered that Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood, so the items should be arriving soon…” While he was walking along the streets, he suddenly recalled that the ten days deadline was about to come to an end and this wasn’t the time for him to go straight to sleep. The items he had entrusted Guild Leader Ouyang to buy on his behalf should be reaching soon. “I should first return to the mansion to take a look. Hopefully, someone has requested something of me in the past few days. This way, I would be able to gather the sum required for the items…” He was still lacking two million gold coins to pay for the items. After getting into a remote alley and changing his appearance to that of ‘Yang Xuan’, he started walking toward the mansion. ……… Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo are two famous burglars in the Tianxuan Kingdom. They specialize in robbing the rich to help the poor. In a way, they can be considered as righteous burglars. Due to their nimble movements and well-planned operations, they have never failed throughout the numerous years in their career. The Tianxuan Kingdom offered a high bounty to capture the duo, but it is laughable that they do not even know the duo’s appearances. “That in front of us is Du Qiao’s residence. This person is a despicable tycoon. He has committed plenty of immoral acts throughout his life. Although he had a recent encounter with bandits which dealt a huge blow to his business, an emaciated camel is still larger than a horse. We should have plenty of money to utilize if we were to rob from him…” Zhang Liao chuckled and took a large step forward. Due to the intense hunt for them, they left Tianxuan Kingdom for half a year. Upon returning, they immediately set their sights on Merchant Du Qiao. “Un. However, we need to first plan carefully. We have to ascertain the skills of the guards in the residence and their habits before we can make a move.” Zhang Mo nodded his head. Whenever the duo decides to conduct burglary, they will observe the target thoroughly to confirm the layout of the residence and determine the weakness in their defense. Only when they are absolutely certain that they will succeed will they strike. This is precisely the reason why they had yet to fail a single time after stealing from over fifty households. “The residence right ahead. I have been here once… Ah?” Turning around the alley, Zhang Liao walked forward. Just as he was about to sneak into the mansion which they had decided upon to survey its interior, he was shocked by the sight before them. Zhang Mo’s face also turned pale. His eyes widened in shock. A large queue had formed at the entrance of the mansion. There were several hundreds of people lining up before the gates. It is one thing to have many people wanting to visit the master of the household, but… The gates to the mansion were tightly shut, and there didn’t seem to be any signs of it opening anytime soon. “Look! Isn’t that… the Eight Arms Dragon, Liu Kaiyuan?” Zhang Liao suddenly recognized a person in the crowd and his face turned ghastly white. “It’s him… The Eight Arms Dragon Liu Kaiyuan. He is a renowned figure among wandering cultivators. As a Tongxuan realm advanced stage expert, he is one of the top-notch figures in the kingdom. However, wasn’t he injured during an expedition to capture a savage beast, and since then disappeared from public view? Why is he here? Furthermore, waiting at the entrance?” Zhang Mo was astonished. “Wait… Is that… Iron-fisted Stone Dragon, Feng Jun? As a Tongxuan realm intermediate stage, he is the number one expert of Hanxue City. It is said that his iron fists are capable of disintegrating boulders. He is a powerful figure who even Emperor Shen Zhui regards as a peer. Why is he here… queuing up?” “Eagle Eyes Duan Jiujiang? Steel Caltrop Long Xuanhai? Pale Scholar Hu Xiaobai…” Initially, he thought that those who were queuing up were just ordinary civilians. However, upon recognizing a few of them, he took a closer look. As his gaze scanned through the faces of those figures in the queue, Zhang Liao’s body trembled and he nearly fainted from fear… These people are all top-notch experts of Tianxuan Kingdom! Even the weakest of them all is a Tongxuan realm primary stage. Even though they do possess several tricks up their sleeves, if they really were to encounter any single one of these people, they probably wouldn’t be able to escape. They would be beaten to death on the spot. Just that… Back then, when Emperor Shen Zhui invited them for a gathering in the royal palace, very few of them actually turned up. Why would such arrogant and rebellious experts who dare to even disregard Emperor Shen Zhui’s invitation be queuing at this mansion’s entrance? Surely I am seeing things… Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo exchanged gazes. Puzzled, they scratched their head furiously. If these people were only queuing up, they might not have been so shocked. But judging from how they did not even dare to breathe loudly for fear of offending the people living in the mansion… Not daring to knock the door even though they were kept outside… The heck! Heavens, can you tell me whether it is them who have gone mad, or is it just me? Isn’t this Du Qiao’s residence? How can a lowly merchant possess such prestige? How did he get these experts to willingly wait at the door, not daring to even utter a single word of complaint? 171 Old Master is Back Huala! Unable to accept the sight before them, a frenzied look appeared on their faces. Suddenly, an elder walked approached with big strides. Seeing him, respect immediately appeared on everyone’s faces as they opened a path for him. “Is this… The Ninth Heaven of Benevolence, Old Master Zhang?” Forcefully suppressing his shock, Zhang Liao swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “It is said that Old Master Zhang is already in his nineties. Thirty years ago, he had already reached Tongxuan realm pinnacle… Of course, he isn’t respected for his age or his prowess. Rather… He used to be a star teacher in Hongtian Academy and countless experts were personally groomed by him. In fact, nearly half of the experts here had been to his lessons… But why would he be here?” Zhang Mo’s mouth was opened so wide that an egg could be stuffed into it. This Old Master Zhang entered reclusion in his residence twenty years ago, having never left his residence since then. Moreover, even if Emperor Shen Zhui were to meet him, he would have to address him as ‘teacher’… What is such a figure doing here? Could it be that Du Qiao’s residence had been passed to him, and these experts are here to visit him? Wait a minute… The moment this thought arose in their minds, the duo immediately realized that their guess was wrong. That’s because… That Old Master Zhang also stood at the entrance of residence respectfully, not appearing to be proceeding further. “Even Old Master Zhang is waiting outside the entrance?” Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo exchanged glances and their lips started trembling. Even though Old Master Zhang has already retired for many years, there isn’t anyone in Tianxuan Kingdom who would dare to show him disrespect. Even the emperor would step forward to welcome him personally into the palace. Yet, such a figure is currently waiting patiently outside locked gates… “Brother, are we still going to… steal from the mansion?” After a long moment of silence between the duo, Zhang Liao turned to look at his elder brother. “Steal? Steal your head… Putting aside whether we would be able to get in, even if we are to get in, with so many experts guarding the door, I’m afraid that… we would be beaten to death before we even get to lay our hands on anything…” Zhang Mo shuddered in fear. The thought of it sent him to the verge of tears. The heck, how do I steal from such a residence? Just the subordinates of these Tongxuan realm experts are enough to turn us into meat cakes… What is wrong with this residence? Why are there so many experts who have come to pay a visit? “Regard of who it is… For him to have such incredible rallying abilities… Does the royal family not care about the matter at all?” Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhang Liao’s mind and he couldn’t help but comment. Zhang Mo was taken aback as well. How can the sovereign of the country allow another individual to hold greater prestige than him? Regardless of that fellow’s identity, his ability to rally so many experts at once poses a great threat to the royal family. Putting aside the fact that each figure who came is more incredible than the previous, the most shocking fact is that… they are all willing to wait patiently at the door for the master to invite them in on his own accord. For fear of interrupting the other party, they did not even dare to knock on the door. For an individual to wield such prestige, even Emperor Shen Zhui should feel threatened by his existence… Hualala! At this moment, a golden carriage arrived at the scene. “It is Emperor Shen Zhui… He has come. Looks like there’s a show to watch…” Witnessing the carriage and the figure who emerged from the carriage, Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo shuddered. Speak of the devil. Emperor Shen Zhui has arrived in person; he must have decided to make a move due to the pressure from the other party’s capabilities. Even though there are many experts present, they are still far from sufficient to go up against an entire kingdom. Besides, rumors have it that Tianxuan Kingdom’s Royal Elder has achieved Half-Zongshi level, causing the surrounding kingdoms to not dare move recklessly. Even though the people gathered here are all incredible figures, they aren’t sufficient to go up against an expert of that level. “Your Majesty, you have come!” “Paying respects to Your Majesty!” “Your Majesty, looks like you have arrived earlier today. I have helped you book a slot. Come over…” … Just when the brothers thought that a huge battle would unfold, they saw the experts at the entrance of the mansion greeting the emperor with bright smiles. Soon, Emperor Shen Zhui found a spot to stand within the crowd and similarly, he started to wait outside the entrance with a respectful expression. “What?” The two burglar brothers swayed at the same time. Can anyone tell me what is going on? For the emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom to join the queue and wait patiently… Can anyone tell me who in the world… lives in the mansion? Huala! Before they could recover from their astonishment, another carriage stopped by the side of the road and three elders walked over. They were dressed in similar clothes and a gleaming star was weaved on the fabric covering their chest. “Is this… the uniform of a master teacher. 1-star master teacher? Three 1-star master teachers?” Zhang Mo recognized the clothes the three elders wore and clenched his fists tight. “I get it! These three master teachers must be conducting a lesson and these experts are here to listen…” Zhang Liao suddenly came to a realization. That must be the case! Only master teachers can possess such incredible rallying powers. Without a saying a word, many experts came over on their accord, such that even Emperor Shen Zhui himself came over to personally listen to their lesson. “Paying respects to Liu shi!” “Zhuang shi, it has been long since we last met. You still look as dignified and majestic as before.” “Zheng shi, the last time I met you was seven years ago. To think that you have come to Tianxuan City…” … A commotion broke out the moment the three master teachers arrived. The previously arrogant crowd immediately opened up a path for them. “The three master teachers, feel free to stand in front of me…” Initially, the two brothers thought that the three master teachers would open up the gates and invite the crowd in. However, reality betrayed their expectations once again. After seeing Emperor Shen Zhui give up his position to the three master teachers, the three master teachers stopped right before the gates and waited patiently, just like the rest of the crowd. “The heck…” Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo felt as though they were on the verge of collapsing. Tongxuan realm experts, a highly respected Old Master, the emperor of the country, and even master teachers; all of them were standing before the mansion, waiting patiently for the gates to open… Who in the world could be in the residence? It was laughable that the two of them had discussed on how they should go about stealing from the residence… Pu! It was lucky that hadn’t begun to act. Otherwise, they would have been dead by now. Jiya! They were still trembling with shock and relief of having escaped from a potential calamity when they saw the tightly shut doors slowly opening and a plump man walked out. “He… Isn’t he the owner of the realtor agency in Tianyu Commercial City, Sun Qiang?” Zhang Liao recognized him. After engaging in burglaries in Tianxuan City for numerous years, he was well acquainted with many people of vastly different standings in the city. The plump man before them can be considered as one in the lowest tier of society. Yet, he actually resides in the mansion? Is he the one who is keeping so many experts and influential figures waiting? “Butler Sun, may I know if Yang shi is back yet?” Old Master Zhang stepped forward, clasped his hands, and asked politely. “I’m truly sorry, but the old master isn’t back yet. Please return for now. Once the old master is back, I will send someone to inform you…” Seeing the large gathering of experts before him, Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched before speaking. As the news spread further and further, more and more people began to gather. While he was astonished initially, all he feels now is numbness. Of course, what that made Sun Qiang even number was that… the old master had gone missing… It was as though he had evaporated from the world. No matter how hard he looked, he was unable to find him… If he doesn’t find him soon, he is truly afraid that the crowd that had gathered here might go on a rampage. If so, he would be the first one to bear the brunt of their rage… Facing so many experts, if not for his incredible mental fortitude, he would have long collapsed. “Sigh, he isn’t back yet? But that isn’t a problem, we can wait here for him…” Hearing that Yang shi isn’t back yet, the crowd couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “I think it would be best if you all return for now…” Afraid that something might happen, Sun Qiang tried to persuade them to leave. Then, upon catching sight of a figure, his eyes widened. Hot tears streamed down his face and he charged forward toward the figure. “Old master…” … “This… What is going on?” Upon reaching the doors to his residence, Zhang Xuan saw the huge queue outside his mansion and was stupefied. 172 Catching a Pig? “Old master?” Upon seeing Butler Sun’s abnormal reaction, everyone immediately understood that Yang shi had returned. All eyes immediately turned to look at the approaching figure and saw a yellowish-faced middle-aged man looking at them with a perplexed expression. “Is this the old master that kept everyone waiting?” Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo had a dizzy spell witnessing the situation before them. This fellow looks like an extremely ordinary person. How did he manage to get an emperor and several master teachers waiting outside his door so willingly? They hadn’t been in Tianxuan City for the past half a year and as such, were completely oblivious to the storm that the presence of ‘Master Teacher Yang Xuan’ had created. “Xiao Qiang, what is going on?” While the duo experienced a dizzy spell, Zhang Xuan felt severe vertigo. Just by looking at the crowd, he immediately understood that these were the people looking for him to solve their problems accumulated throughout the days when he was absent. But… Sun Qiang, what do your hot tears and your reaction as though you are a puppy who had reunited with its owner mean? It was just a few days of absence, do you need need to be so agitated and excited… “Old master, you are finally back. These people are here for you…” Sun Qiang hurriedly introduced. But halfway through his words, he was interrupted by another voice. “Yang shi…” Emperor Shen Zhui clasped his hands. “I am…” “Did I permit you to talk?” Zhang Xuan was just about to find out from Sun Qiang what had happened in the past few days, but this fellow abruptly interrupted their conversation. Displeased, Zhang Xuan frowned. Where did you come from? Don’t you have the least bit of common sense? Can’t you see that I’m currently busy? You’re lucky that I have a good temper. If it were any other master teacher, he would have long beaten a fellow like you to death… Putong! Putong! Zhang Liao and Zhang Mo fell to the ground. You are too incredible, my brother. That is the emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom… To speak to him like that… Even Sun Qiang was flabbergasted. As expected of the old master, you are nothing short of impressive… Even the emperor means nothing to you… “I…” Emperor Shen Zhui’s face flushed. “Continue speaking…” After reprimanding the fellow who interrupted their conversation, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to his butler. “Oh!” Recovering from his shock, Sun Qiang hurriedly continued, “In the few days while you were absent, these people had come to pay a visit to you. There is Emperor Shen Zhui…” “The emperor is here as well?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Zhang Xuan had intended to return the house the moment he gathered sufficient money and return back to his original identity. Yet, to think that even the emperor of the country would be alarmed by his actions. Agitated, he asked, “Where is he?” Upon hearing those words, a peculiar expression appeared on everyone’s face. Even Sun Qiang staggered and nearly fell to the floor… In the end, it turned out that his old master didn’t manage to recognize the emperor. To think that he was so impressed with his action… “Cough cough. It’s me!” Emperor Shen Zhui coughed. “You?” Zhang Xuan nearly spurted blood. To think that he would happen to reprimand him right after returning from his Book Collection Vault… “Shen Zhui pays his respect to Yang shi. Allow me to introduce to Yang shi, these three are Liu shi, Zheng shi, and Zhuang shi…” Emperor Shen Zhui hurriedly introduced. “Liu shi… What? Master teachers?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. Isn’t it a renowned fact that there are no master teachers in Tianxuan Kingdom? When did three of them pop up? What had happened in the few days when I was gone? “Liu Ling (Zhuang Xian, Zheng Fei) pays respect to Yang shi!’ Liu Ling and the others stepped forward and clasped their hands. At the same time, they took the opportunity to assess the middle-aged man before them. With a single glance, the three of them frowned immediately. “Follow me in first!” Oblivious to the reaction of the trio, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella and waved his hands, gesturing for them to enter. After all, he can’t possibly keep the emperor and the three master teachers waiting at the doorstep, right? “Brother Liu, what did you see?” Upon stepping into the courtyard, Zhuang Xian secretly sent a telepathic message to Liu Ling. “He has donned a disguise. This isn’t his actual appearance. Based on his skin and movements, he should be an extremely young man under thirty. In fact… He probably hasn’t passed twenty-five years of age!” Liu Ling frowned. Even Du Miaoxuan was able to see through Zhang Xuan’s disguise, so how could the three master teachers miss it? “How can he possibly be a master teacher at his age? He is probably a fake…” Zhuang Xian harrumphed. Master teachers are just like academics; the older they are, the wiser and more valuable they become. It is one thing that he refused to reveal his true appearance, but for his age to be under twenty-five… How can he possibly be a master teacher? To become a master teacher, one needs to undergo numerous examinations and every single examination holds tremendous difficulty. Due to the limited knowledge one can possibly accumulate over time, it is impossible for someone to become a master teacher in his twenties! “He is probably a fake. I will think of a way to expose him later.” Zheng shi nodded his head in agreement. After hearing Ling Tianyu and the others’ description of the other party, they became suspicious and wanted to verify for themselves other party’s identity as a master teacher. However, when they noticed his poor disguise with their own eyes, they immediately came to a conclusion that the other party must be a fake. If he isn’t a fake, why would he put on a disguise, a poor one at that? If he isn’t a fake, how is it be possible for a person in his twenties to possess such high standards that even they aren’t able to perceive? “Furthermore, did you observe his bloodshot eyes and lethargy? If he is a master teacher, how would he allow such a condition to occur?” Liu Ling said. Not only was he able to see through Zhang Xuan’s disguise, he also noticed his fatigue. After examining the other party carefully again, he felt his rage surging up. Because regardless of whichever aspect he looked at, this fellow didn’t seem to be a genuine master teacher. A fake had made them pay visits to his mansion for five days straight. Regardless of who it was, it was reasonable to feel enraged, needless to say, a fake master teacher. Oblivious to the fact that the other side had already seen through him, Zhang Xuan walked up to the main seat upon arriving at the main hall. Then, he looked at the three master teachers and asked, “May I know what affairs do the three master teachers have for me?” “Oh, I’ve heard that Yang shi is a skilled physician and is adept at helping others achieve breakthroughs in their cultivation. Thus, I came presumptuously in the hopes that you can enlighten me on a matter…” After shooting a glance at the other two, Liu Ling started speaking. It was unlikely that a direct approach would work. Since he was intent on exposing the other party’s fraud, he had to first grill for his incapabilities. “What’s the issue, speak!” All Zhang Xuan had in mind was to earn another two million to purchase the items from the Apothecary Guild and to find a place to sleep. He was too tired to bother about pleasantries and simply waved his hands casually. “Act! Continue acting!” Seeing the other party’s disinterested expression, the three master teachers felt so infuriated that their eyes narrowed and their faces turned green. Seems like he is quite a composed person. However, your acts will not work on us. We will not leave unless we expose your fraud! “It is a problem with my cultivation, please guide me!” Upon seeing the urging glances from the other two, Zhuang Xian stood up and clasped his hands. “I am currently at Tongxuan realm pinnacle, just a step away from Half-Zongshi. However, I can clearly feel that the rate at which zhenqi gathers in my body has slowed greatly. No matter what I do, I am unable to make the final leap. I have tried all kinds of methods to accomplish a breakthrough, but it is to no avail. I hope that you can give me some pointers.” “Tongxuan realm pinnacle?” Zhang Xuan felt dismal. Because he was unable to find any books regarding cultivation method in the Tongxuan realm in the Book Collection Vault, he is still stuck in Pixue realm pinnacle. He has no idea what kind of abilities one would possess upon reaching the Tongxuan realm, so how can he possibly guide the other party? “How about this… You try executing a few moves for me to take a look!” Zhang Xuan knows that his knowledge of the Tongxuan realm can’t possibly match up to the other party. Since the other party was stumped by the question, he understood that it is impossible for him to solve it without resorting to the Library of Heaven’s Path. “Execute a few moves? Sure!” Zhuang Xuan understood that only by executing a battle technique can one analyze another person’s issue. Thus, without any hesitation, he stood up and launched a booming fist. Huhuhu! The air groaned in agony under the intense might behind his fist. As expected of a Tongxuan realm expert. His zhenqi surged through his body furiously as though a soaring dragon. The strength of his fist compressed the air in the surroundings and created a sonic boom. Soon, he finished executing his battle technique. Zhuang Xian, Liu Ling, and Zheng Fei turned their gazes to ‘Yang shi’, interested to see what he would say. However, the other party had a dull look on his face, as though he was at a loss of what to say. “Please offer your pointers!” Upon seeing him behaving in such a manner, Zhuang Xian’s complexion became extremely awful. He didn’t even bother to address him as ‘Yang shi’ anymore. No matter what, he is a master teacher. It is one thing if the other party is a higher tier than them, but that is clearly not the case. How can they possibly stand lowering their head to a fake? You were the one who had me execute a battle technique, and yet you are blanking out now… It can’t be that you have turned dumb after watching my battle technique! “You want me to offer you pointers?” Ignoring the other party’s displeasure, Zhang Xuan lifted his gaze to look forward. “That’s right!” Zhuang Xian harrumphed. He had already thought it through. The moment the other party starts speaking, he would search for loopholes and expose him before everyone else, then disgrace this fraud in public. Logically speaking, when the queue had formed even before they could confirm the person’s identity, they should have persuaded the others against waiting outside. However, they had their own considerations for not doing so. If the other party turns out to be genuinely a master teacher, they would have offended him by persuading the others to leave. On the other hand, if the other party is a fraud, they can expose him before everyone else, causing him to fall from his grace. At the same time, it would serve as a reminder to everyone else that the identity of a master teacher is not to be sullied, and no one should ever impersonate one. “My pointer is simple. I’m afraid that you won’t believe my words…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. He truly has no other choice now but to go on ahead with it. Otherwise, if the other party were to discover that it is a disguise on his part, he wouldn’t even be able to escape. However, after the several days of experience disguising as Yang Xuan, he has grown accustomed to it. With an impassive expression, he waved his hands and said, “Do you wish to break through Tongxuan realm pinnacle to reach Half-Zongshi realm?” “Of course I do!” Zheng Yang said. What a joke! Which cultivator would not wish to achieve a breakthrough? Who doesn’t wish to reach higher levels? Just like how a physician is unable to treat himself, a master teacher similarly can’t offer pointers to himself. He had wanted to break through his cultivation realm for a long time now, but all along, he had been unable to succeed. His two old friends, Liu Ling and Zheng Fei, had broken through long ago. He could only watch anxiously as the two drifted further and further away from him. “I can help you break through your current cultivation realm within ten minutes, but…” Zhang Xuan paused. “Break through… within ten minutes?” Zhuang Xian was taken aback. Even Liu Ling and Zheng Fei had looks of disbelief on their faces. As good friends of his, they had also taken a look at his situation and their verdicts were that it would be impossible for him to break through his cultivation realm in the short term. Yet, the fraud before them actually claimed that… he can do so in ten minutes? “I have already presented you an opportunity. The final choice is up to you!” Zhang Xuan lifted the teacup from the table and sipped on it slowly and calmly. Usually, his actions would look incredibly cool and intimidating, and those present would feel as if a heavy mountain weighed down on them. But now, his eyes are bloodshot with his eyebags tugging against his eyes, and his lips are both dry and purple. Not only does he not look like an expert, he looks as though he had been busy engaging in vigorous exercises at night. There is an indescribable dissonance between his appearance and gesture. “I… Alright, I want to break through. Please offer me your guidance!” After a moment of hesitation, Zhuang Xian gritted his teeth and accepted. If it you are able to help me break through my cultivation realm as you claim, I will acknowledge that you are a true master teacher. But if you aren’t able to do so… That means that you are a fake, a fraud! “Are you sure?” Zhang Xuan gazed at him. “Yes!” Zhuang Xian nodded his head. “Alright then. Xiao Qiang, fetch a gunny sack over. Then, call a few guards and get them to bring wooden sticks along with them…” Zhang Xuan said. The three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui exchanged gazes and puzzled expression appeared on their faces. Gunny sack? Guards? Wooden sticks? Weren’t you going to help him break through his current bottleneck? This… What are you up to? Are you catching a pig? 173 Yang Xuan, Screw You! A normal person would only use a gunny sack and wooden sticks when catching a pig. However, upon hearing that such items would be used to help him advance his cultivation, Zhuang Xian felt a pool of blood accumulating in his chest and the flesh on his face twitched uncontrollably. If not for the incredible self-control he had cultivated through the years as a master teacher, he would have long flown into a rage. There are only a few means which master teachers use to guide one’s cultivation; refining one’s cultivation technique, identifying the flaws in the cultivation, consuming all kinds of pills… Yet, this fellow uses gunny sacks and wooden sticks… The heck! How can a gunny sack be used to advance one’s cultivation? Other people eat pills to advance their cultivation, do I eat the gunny sack to do so? Furthermore, calling for the guards… And each of them is equipped with a stick… Dueling can stimulate one’s hidden potential, and it is indeed a method to achieve a breakthrough in cultivation. But… the guards in your mansion are way too weak! I am a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert! Even if they were to wield blades and swords, they wouldn’t be able to harm me in the least. “This…” Hearing the command, Sun Qiang walked out scratching his head in confusion. After being with the old master for a period of time, he knew that the things the old master does tend to be beyond one’s imagination. Even so, he had completely no idea what the old master was up to this time. However, since the old master had made such arrangements, he definitely had his own intentions. Thus, as the butler, he just had to follow his instructions. Soon, Sun Qiang managed to gather seven to eight guards and every single one of them was equipped with a wooden stick. Just in case, they even brought a total of four gunny sacks. “Old master!” Upon entering, the guards bowed in synchrony. “Zhuang shi wishes to achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation, and he hopes that you can assist him with it.” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “It’s our honor to do a master teacher a favor…” The few guards were first taken aback before delight crept onto their faces. When Sun Qiang was bringing them over, he had also mentioned to them that the three elders in the room are master teachers. Given their current strength, it would have been impossible for them to meet one usually, needless to say, interact with them. At this very instant, they are given the opportunity to do a master teacher a favor. Naturally, they are extremely delighted. If this Zhuang shi were to truly achieve a breakthrough and remember their assistance, riches and power wouldn’t simply be a dream! This is a favor to a master teacher… It is a rare opportunity. “It’s good that you are all willing to help!” He nodded his head in satisfaction. Zhang Xuan turned to Liu Ling, “May I trouble Liu shi to seal the acupoints on Zhuang shi’s body so that he would be completely immobilized?” “Seal his acupoints?” Zhuang Xian frowned. “Why?” If my acupoints and meridians are sealed, that means that I won’t be able to move at all. Aren’t you here to help me achieve a breakthrough? If you seal them, my zhenqi would be unable to flow through my body and if so, how can I cultivate? The others were perplexed by Zhang Xuan’s words as well. “If you wish to achieve a breakthrough, just do as I say.” Shaking his hands, Zhang Xuan looked at him with determined eyes. Seeing the old master’s expression, Sun Qiang trembled subconsciously. The expression… Back then, when the old master had him smash Ling Tianyu’s stone lion, that was the expression that he shot him with… He believed the old master’s words, nearly dying from a beating due to that. No doubt at all, if Zhuang shi really were to believe in his words, he would be in for a ride of misfortune. This old master of his who often brought calamity to others while escaping unscathed… “I…” Zhuang Xian was about to say something when he saw Zhang Xuan looking over with an indifferent expression. “If you don’t wish to achieve a breakthrough, let’s just forget the matter. I can’t be bothered to waste my effort.” After which, he sipped on his tea calmly. His gestures were so peaceful that it seemed like a still painting. “Alright, I’ll do whatever that you say.” Seeing the other party’s attitude, it was clear that it didn’t matter to him whether Zhuang Xian was willing to go through with it or not. Gritting his teeth, Zhuang Xuan turned to Liu Ling and said, “Brother Liu, I will have to trouble you for this.” You want me to back down? Dream on! I’ll see just how you will help me break through. If you fail to accomplish what you claim, just wait and see… “Alright!” Even though he was doubtful of the ‘fraud’s’ words, Liu Ling nodded his head and stepped forward. He placed his palm on Zhuang Xian’s body and zhenqi flowed from the tip of his fingers into Zhuang Xian’s body, sealing all of the main acupoints. “Done.” After sealing all of the other party’s acupoints, Zhuang Xian is no longer able to move. Then, Liu Ling turned to Zhang Xuan and said. “Un!” Zhang Xuan double checked Zhuang Xian’s condition before nodding his head. This Liu shi didn’t slack off at all. He sealed the acupoints in the other person’s body tightly. “Later, regardless of what happens, I hope that the two master teachers will not interfere in the matter.” Zhang Xuan turned to Liu Ling and Zheng Fei and said. “Alright!” Even though they were unsure of the other party’s intentions, the two of them nodded their heads in agreement. “Let’s begin!” Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan took the gunny sack from Sun Qiang’s hands, stepped forward to Zhuang Xian, and placed it over the other party’s head. “What are you trying to do?” Zhuang Xian was still pondering over how the other party was going to help him achieve a breakthrough when the other party placed the gunny sack over his head. He nearly spurted blood. I am a master teacher, a person with of great prestige. Explain to me… What do you mean by putting this gunny sack over my head? Ignoring the ruckus he had caused, Zhang Xuan turned to the guards and said, “It’s your turn. Don’t you all want to help Zhuang shi achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation? Let’s begin then. Use the stick to flog him as hard and as brutal as you can!” “Ah?” The guards were contemplating what they should do after the master teacher expresses his gratitude toward them when they heard the old master’s words. They staggered and burst into tears. Old master, are you serious? Beating a master teacher? Didn’t you say that we are going to help him achieve a breakthrough? How will he be grateful to us for this? We think that living is a wonderful thing and it’s still too early for us to die… “Why? Hurry up and hit him! Don’t worry, there’s a gunny sack over his head, he won’t be able to know who’s the one who hit him.” After saying this, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before continuing, “If you’re still worried, why don’t you… put a few more sacks over his head? This way, there’s no way he would be able to identify you…” “…” It would have been better if Zhang Xuan had not said a word. After hearing him, the guards cried even louder. The other party had already seen their faces clearly the moment they walked in. What is the use putting the gunny sack over his face at this moment? The other party isn’t deaf, so he can hear their words clearly. Furthermore… this isn’t a matter of how many gunny sacks we have over his head, alright? Regardless of how many there are, he would know that it is our doing… Watching the spectacle by, Liu Ling and Zheng Fei’s mouth twitched as they stared at one another in shock by the side. Are you trying to help him achieve a breakthrough… Or are you angry that we doubted you and that you want to exact vengeance on him? I’ve never heard a case where of a breakthrough just by covering a person’s head with a gunny sack and having a group of people beat him up with wooden sticks. However, since they had agreed not to interfere in the matter, it isn’t their place to speak up now. They could only sit by the side silently, their faces steeled. “Hurry up! This is something Zhuang shi had agreed on! Are you sure you can bear the responsibility for delaying his break through?” Zhang Xuan frowned. Since the guards refused to listen when he spoke kindly, he could only rage at them. “Yes…” A bitter look appeared on the faces of these guards. They thought that it would be an incredible honor to be of assistance to a master teacher. Yet, never in their wildest dreams did they expect things to turn out as such… However, the old master is a master teacher as well, so they dare not to disobey his commands. They could only grit their teeth and get on with it. “Let’s go!” Since they are doomed no matter what they choose, there is no longer anything for them to worry over. It isn’t really a big deal once they had thought the matter through. Walking forward, the guards lifted up the wooden sticks in their hands and began to flog Zhuang shi, who was beneath the gunny sack, harshly. Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah! Even though Zhuang Xian’s acupoints were sealed, his hearing continued to function properly and he had heard the surrounding conversations. Upon feeling the wooden sticks falling on his body as though a torrential rain, he felt vertigo and the final string of his rationality nearly snapped. Yang Xuan, screw you! You obviously aren’t trying to help me achieve a breakthrough! You are making fun of me… The more he thought about it, the more furious he felt. Rage surged through his entire body, threatening to set him aflame. In the decades since he had become a master teacher, he had never suffered such injustice, having his head covered by a gunny sack and beaten with wooden sticks. This is an unimaginable humiliation to him! It was one thing if the ones beating him are powerful experts. However, the guards in the mansion only had cultivation levels of Fighter 3-dan to 4-dan… More importantly… His meridians had been sealed, so his zhenqi is unable to flow through his body. As such, he is unable to soothe his injuries or cushion the blows. He can only bear the brunt of the attacks with his physical body and indescribable pain permeated every single part of his body. Just as he was about to explode in frenzy, he heard ‘Yang Xuan’s’ voice echoing from beyond the gunny sack. “The places where you are hitting aren’t right. Ah, yes, that’s it…” Before Zhuang Xian could even process his words, he felt an incredible force smashing right in his face, leaving a surge of stinging pain in its wake. The next few strikes all came flying straight at his face. Initially, the pain was only limited to his body. Now, even his head isn’t spared. “The heck…” Feeling his lips swelling, Zhuang Xian was on the verge of tears. What was I trying to do? Despite knowing that he is just an imposter, I requested him to help me achieve a breakthrough. I must be courting death… Just as he was about to let loose insults, he heard another conversation starting outside. “Old master, how long should we hit him for?” A guard couldn’t help but ask. They couldn’t possibly go at it forever, there has to be a time limit. “How long? Let me think about it… How about this!” ‘Yang Xuan’s’ voice hesitated for a moment before saying, “Hit him until he dies…” “Hit me until I die? You…” Zhuang Xian was truly enraged. I’m here to achieve a breakthrough in my cultivation, not to commit suicide. Yet, you commanded your guards to hit me until I die… Yang Xuan, from now on, you will be my mortal enemy. If I don’t kill you, my surname shall not be Zhuang… Screaming within, Zhuang Xian no longer bothered about rebuking the other party. Bearing with the pain, he channeled zhenqi from his entire body violently to the sealed acupoints. If I don’t penetrate the sealed acupoints to regain my freedom, I will really die here today… You aren’t helping me achieve a breakthrough at all, you are obviously trying to murder me… The more he thought about it, the more furious he got. If rage was a grain of sand, there would be a small mountain inside of him right now. “Use more force! Haven’t you eaten yet?” The voice beyond the gunny sack roared. Zhuang Xian’s eyelids twitched. With excruciating pain all over his body and the humiliation he had experienced; he could no longer suppress himself. Boom! After an unknown period of time, under his furious attempts, the sealed acupoints were finally burst open. With a jolt of his hands, the gunny sack which covered his head was torn apart. Kacha! Kacha! The wooden sticks in the guards’ hands were also shattered into pieces by the shockwave of his and scattered onto the floor. “Yang Xuan, screw you…” With a furious roar, Zhuang Xian turned to look at the mastermind, only to see the ‘fake master teacher’ sitting on his high seat, sipping on his tea calmly. With an impassive expression, he glanced at him and said gracefully, “Zhuang shi, mind your identity. As a master teacher, how can you insult someone in public?” “Insult? I want to kill you…” Zhuang Xian felt increasingly incensed. Bellowing, he prepared to charge forward. How about you try having a gunny sack put over your head and be flogged by wooden sticks? Identity? To hell with identities! If I don’t kill you with my own hands, I shall abandon my title as a master teacher… “Take a look at your own cultivation before deciding on whether you want to kill me or not…” Zhang Xuan paid no heed to his fury, slowly lifting his eyelids. “My cultivation?” Zhuang Xian was stunned for a moment and looked internally at his own condition. With a single glance, his eyes immediately narrowed, “How… How is this possible?” 174 The Confident Ah Yun He could sense the raging strength flowing through his body. He is now several times stronger than he was a moment ago. Clearly, he had already broken through Tongxuan realm pinnacle. “Half… Zongshi?” Zhuang Xian’s mouth was wide open. Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm is the level where one gains the capability to create their own schools and become the conquerors. Even though just a thin line separates it from Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan pinnacle, the breakthrough is equivalent to a butterfly breaking out from its cocoon. This is the first true obstacle that one would face throughout the 9 dans of a Fighter. Countless geniuses found themselves stuck at this hurdle. Half-Zongshi is the buffer between the two realms. In order to reach Zongshi realm, one has to first reach this level. The Royal Elder of Tianxuan Kingdom which had kept the surrounding kingdoms in check using his overwhelming strength is also just at this level. Zhuang Xian is a master teacher, and in order to reach this level, he had devoted countless resources and effort, only to fail repeatedly. But why did he… upon being covered in a gunny sack and beaten up by a wooden stick, suddenly break through this hurdle? This… this is too inconceivable. By the side, Liu Ling and Zheng Fei exchanged gazes and saw the confusion in each other’s eyes. They had looked at Zhuang Xian’s condition and tried numerous methods to solve his problem. Initially, they thought that with the accompaniment of age and a deteriorating vitality, achieving a breakthrough had become impossible. Yet, just with a single beating, he managed to successfully break through his current realm… Can things get even more ridiculous? Getting beaten up is the solution to breaking through? Then, to reach Zongshi, shouldn’t the two of them find a group of person to beat them up as well? Perplexed, all gazes shot toward the fellow who was still busy sipping on his tea, trying to see if they could discern anything from the each other’s expressions. However, it was a pity that he appeared completely indifferent, as though nothing had happened at all… Of course, his eyes were still bloodshot, his spirit still withered, and his eye bags still tugging at his face. If not for the miracle he had just performed, they would be wondering where the fellow had gone to enjoy himself the previous night. “Yang… shi, what is going on?” As the other party didn’t seem like he would say anything, Zhuang Xian took the initiative to ask. How he addressed the other party changed from Yang Xuan to Yang shi once again. “You aren’t going to screw me anymore?” Zhang Xuan lifted his gaze. “I…” Zhuang shi’s face flushed and cold sweat flowed profusely down his body. The other party was obviously helping him achieve a breakthrough, but not only did he not understand the goodwill behind the other party’s actions, he even insulted him in public… He is truly the ideal example of an ungrateful person. Embarrassed, Zhuang Xian could only lower his head and apologize, “Please forgive me for my ignorance…” “Alright, I don’t intend to blame you for that either.” Zhang Xuan gestured. “The battle technique which you displayed earlier is extremely stable. There isn’t any part which is particularly amazing, but neither were there any mistakes in your movements. That indicates that you have had a good teacher from young and you work really hard.” “Yang shi is right. My father is a 1-star master teacher.” Zhuang Xian nodded his head. “Your solid foundation became both your strength and your weakness. As your father is a master teacher, since young, you have always thought that his teachings are all correct. Thus, you dare not disobey his words. Subconsciously, you began to cultivate a habit of sticking to the conventional means. The route of a cultivator is to go against the heavens, not to stick to conventional wisdom. Even though your cultivation advanced swiftly at the start, it transformed into a limiting factor when you reached Tongxuan realm pinnacle.” Zhang Xuan lifted his head and glanced at him, as though lecturing a student. “Zongshi, just as the name goes, refers to someone who starts a school of his own. If one doesn’t possess his own thoughts and comprehension of cultivation, instead choosing to follow the route of the predecessors, how can one succeed? Even though Half-Zongshi cannot be considered as a true Zongshi, the same concept applies as well.” “After years of cultivation and accumulation, the zhenqi and strength that you had harnessed was already sufficient for you to break through to reach Half-Zongshi. However, you doubted yourself, you didn’t believe that you could reach that level. If I’m not wrong, your father must have never reached this state in his lifetime. In fact, something might have occurred to him when he was trying to reach this realm!” “You… You…” Zhuang Xian staggered backward. The other party’s words were spot-on. Even though his father was a 1-star master teacher, he was never able to reach Half-Zongshi in his lifetime. In fact, while trying to achieve a breakthrough to that level, his cultivation went berserk and he became a cripple. In less than a year after that, he met his demise. Even on his deathbed, he was filled with regret over the matter. This incident had caused a trauma in Zhuang Xian. He was never able to exert his full strength whenever attempting a breakthrough from Tongxuan realm pinnacle to Half-Zongshi. Just that, that was a secret he had concealed in his heart for a very long time. He had never spoken of it to anyone… How did the other party know of it? Was it because he had watched him execute his battle technique? “Due to this fear, no matter what pills you consumed or what cultivation technique you tried, you were unable to achieve a breakthrough.” Zhang Xuan stood up and walked over to the center of the main hall. “You came to request for my guidance. In order for you to succeed, you have to first get past your fear. Otherwise, it would be all for naught.” “However, because you have buried this fear in you for countless years, how is it possible to overcome it all of a sudden? The only method is to utilize anger to dispel the fear within you. Thus, I had someone cover your head and beat you up with wooden sticks. Since you don’t know the true reason behind my action, you would think that I am humiliating you and you would bear hatred against me. This way, resentment will overwhelm your fear. Given your countless years of accumulated zhenqi and the rage in your heart, breaking through your current realm is expected.” With both of his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan stood silently at the center of the main hall. The sunlight that spilled in from outside cast a shadow of a giant behind him. “This…” Zhuang Xian contemplated the other party’s words and couldn’t help but be astonished. The theory sounds simple but is incredibly profound. In truth, the difficulty in deducing everything through watching a set of battle technique, finding the exact solution to the problem, inferring the likely ending beforehand without a single flaw is in no way easier than their endless cultivation to reach Zongshi realm. If they hadn’t witnessed this personally, they would not have dared to believe it possible. “Yang shi, thank you for granting me a new life. I, Zhuang Xian, will never forget Yang shi’s grace for as long as I live.” After recovering from his astonishment, Zhuang Xian immediately knelt down. He was thoroughly impressed with the other party’s means and there wasn’t the slightest bit of reluctance in his actions. “You no longer doubt that I am an impersonation?” Zhang Xuan smiled, but there was no hint of humor behind his expression. “Er…” Zhuang Xian rubbed his hands together nervously. Looks like the other party had known that he had doubted his identity, just that he couldn’t be bothered with it. Upon realizing this, he felt even greater respect for the other party. Even though he had seen through their ploy, not only did he not get angry, he even helped him to achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation. This is how a true master teacher behaves, possessing the disposition of a true expert… Witnessing the problem of their good friend being settled so easily, no matter how foolish Liu Ling and Zheng Fei could be, it was apparent that even though the person before them appears young, he is a true master teacher. Even though his means… are slightly unorthodox, if he isn’t a master teacher, how can he have such an in-depth understanding of a fighter’s cultivation, instantly seeing through and solving a problem which had thoroughly baffled them and induced Zhuang Xian’s breakthrough? However, regardless of whether his means are orthodox or unorthodox, Zhuang Xian’s breakthrough means that the capabilities of the person before them far exceeds their own. No longer daring to underestimate the other party, they exchanged gazes and Zheng Fei stood up. “Yang shi, I have also met with a problem in my cultivation, and this problem has baffled me for a very long time…” ………… Outside the mansion. “Do you think that the rumors are true, that the three master teachers are paying a visit to this Yang shi because he is a 2- star master teacher?” After seeing Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers entering the mansion, the crowd outside couldn’t help but gossip. No one present was certain of Yang shi’s capabilities, but to have three 1-star master teachers visiting him at once, it is unlikely that the other party is an ordinary person. At the very least, he should have reached the level of a 2-star master teacher. “I’m not very sure as well. I paid a visit to Ling Tianyu a few days ago and he was full of praises for Yang shi. A while back, his wife was sick, we have all seen that for ourselves, but when on my visit, she had already fully recovered, as though what I’ve seen before is an illusion.” “I have also paid a visit to Du Miaoxuan. Not only is the disease that had plagued him for so many years gone, his cultivation, just as the rumors state, has reached Tongxuan realm!” “This Yang shi is indeed incredible…” … As the few of them secretly discussed, they couldn’t help but feel amazed by the other party’s abilities. “Actually, if everyone is curious about Yang shi’s affair, we should be able to get an answer by asking them.” Suddenly, someone pointed to the front. Following the direction where the finger was pointed, they saw the guards of the three master teachers standing quietly not too far away. As the head, Ah Yun was equipped with a sword and he emanated an intimidating aura. Emperor Shen Zhui and the master teachers had entered the mansion but they, as guards, are unqualified to enter and could only keep guard outside. “Indeed, they are the guards of the three master teachers, so they should be aware of the actual situation…” The others immediately nodded their heads in agreement. Of all people, the three master teachers should be most aware of the capabilities of this Yang Xuan. On the other hand, the ones who are closest to the three master teachers here are these guards of theirs. As long as they ask them, they should be able to extract some useful news. “Brother Yun…” A middle-aged man stepped forward and clasped his fists. Clearly, he recognized Ah Yun. As a top-tier 1-star master teacher, Liu Ling is famous in the surrounding kingdoms. As his guard, Ah Yun also has his fair share of glory. Numerous people had approached to bootlick him. “So it’s Brother Liao.” Ah Yun recognized the latter. He is a solitary swordsman of the Tianxuan Kingdom, and he is called Liao Yongjin. Five years ago, he paid a visit to Liu shi to consult the latter on a problem he faced in his cultivation. “It is sufficient that you call me by my name. I am truly unworthy of you addressing me as Brother Liao!” Seeing that the other party had recognized him, Liao Yongjin was delighted. After trading a few greetings, he brought up the question that everyone had been thinking of, “Since Liu shi and the other master teachers are here to pay a personal visit to Yang shi… Does it mean that they know of Yang shi’s exact identity?” “Pay a visit?” Ah Yun sneered, “Rather than saying that they are paying him a visit, it is more appropriate to say that they are going to tear off his mask.” “Brother Yun, what do you mean?” Liao Yongjin was taken aback by the other party’s words and he asked hurriedly. “Simple. Liu shi and the others don’t think that Yang Xuan is a master teacher. On the contrary, they believe that it is likely for him to be an impersonator, so they specially made the trip here to expose his disguise before everyone else.” As Liu Ling’s guard, he had been following him around these few days. He had overheard a fair share of the conversations among the three master teachers. Even though Liu shi and the others were surprised by the incidents with Ling Tianyu’s wife, Du Miaoxuan, and the others, they thought it more likely that Yang Xuan is a fake and he is intentionally playing out a show. After all, as master teachers, it is unbelievable for them that someone can solve problems that would leave them stumped easily, furthermore using methods that are difficult to comprehend. Under the front of paying the other party a visit, they are actually conducting an investigation. “Yang shi… might be a fraud?” The moment Ah Yun’s words sounded in the air, a commotion broke out. If this is true, it would be no small matter. They took great pains to queue for so long, only to realize that the other party is a fraud… “Rest easy, Liu shi and the others have entered for quite some time now. We should be able to get an answer soon.” Flinging his robe, Ah Yun calmly said with a haughty expression. If he isn’t a fraud, how can he have such a dumb butler who speaks such dumb words? Jiya! Right after he said those words, the tightly-shut gates opened and a few figures emerged. “Brother Sun, it is enough that you send us off here. I have truly benefitted greatly from this meeting today. I know that Yang shi cares not for material possessions, but these are tokens of our appreciation, so please do help us pass it to him.” Standing at the door, Liu shi chatted with Sun Qiang with a wide smile on his face. At the same time, he was stuffing items into the latter’s hands unceasingly. “What?” Ah Yun’s body froze. 175 Striking it Rich As the guard of a master teacher, he is absolutely clear of the standing and prestige the three master teachers possess in this kingdom. Yet, when the three master teachers emerged from the mansion, only the butler could be seen escorting them to the door… the ‘fraud’ did not even show his face! Is that for real? Didn’t you come here to expose that fellow’s disguise? To be fawning on a butler and piling gifts on his hands… Even calling him ‘Brother Sun’, what is going on? Ah Yun felt that he is mistaken, severely mistaken. Can it be that… Yang Xuan is really a master teacher? Just a moment ago, he had confidently declared that the master teachers had entered the mansion to expose Yang Xuan’s fraud before everyone. Upon witnessing the situation, he felt light- headed. Didn’t you say that he is a fraud? Then why are you treating his butler with such respect? Furthermore… To addressing him as Brother Sun? Liu shi, you are already in your sixties while Sun Qiang isn’t even forty. To call him Brother Sun… Why do I feel goosebumps rising on my body? “It is fortunate that we didn’t listen to his words, otherwise we would have regretted it for life!” “Indeed, he doesn’t know anything at all, yet he tried to feign knowledge…” “Expose his fraud? Have you seen someone exposing a fraud like this? By behaving so respectfully to a butler in his master’s absence?” … Immediately after recovering from the shock, the crowd criticized Ah Yun harshly. Those who came here to wait at Yang shi’s door possess great reputation and prestige in Tianxuan Kingdom. They might be fearful of Liu shi, but the same cannot be said of Ah Yun. When he spoke those words with great confidence earlier on, everyone believed him immediately. But now, they realized that they were fools to have trusted him so easily. After hearing those words, Ah Yun was so infuriated that his body trembled uncontrollably, sustaining great damage within. You were the ones who asked me, so I told you out of kindness on my accord. Yet… now you treat me like this… If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything… ………… “You want me to help your Royal Elder achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation?” Zhang Xuan examined Emperor Shen Zhui who had put on a cautious expression. After helping Zhuang Xian achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation, Liu Ling and Zheng Fei lost all doubts about his identity. They proceeded to ask him a few questions about cultivation. Having read the books in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, Zhang Xuan now possesses an incredible amount of knowledge at his disposal. Furthermore, with the Library of Heaven’s Path ability to see through flaws, he took just a few words to leave the duo fully impressed. After a brief consultation, the three of them stood up and took their leave. On the other hand, Emperor Shen Zhui remained behind. He had come for the Royal Elder’s matter. The moment the three master teachers left, he immediately took the chance to speak. “Yes…” Emperor Shen Zhui looked at him with utmost anticipation. If Tianxuan Kingdom loses the protection of the Royal Elder, it probably won’t take long before other countries begin to invade. The survival of the fittest is not just a phrase that describes the world of cultivators. Countries are also governed by this primitive law. “I have only come to Tianxuan Kingdom to rest. I do not wish to get myself involved in such troublesome affairs…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. It isn’t that he is unwilling to help, it is just that… the other party’s Royal Elder has already reached the level of Half- Zongshi. If he were to achieve another breakthrough, he would become a full-fledged Zongshi. Even Zhang Xuan himself has not yet attained Tongxuan realm. Although he had managed to help Zhuang Xian reach Half-Zongshi realm, luck had played a heavy role. He does not want to attempt something beyond his means and risk exposing his disguise. “I beg for Yang shi’s assistance. Tianxuan Kingdom is willing to offer anything in exchange for your help on this matter…” Hearing his rejection, Emperor Shen Zhui knelt down hurriedly. He had spent great effort to invite the three master teachers, only to realize that they are helpless on the matter. His only hope is Yang shi. If the other party were to really not lend a helping hand, the Royal Elder wouldn’t last for long. “Do you think that I lack anything?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed. “I dare not think so…” Emperor Shen Zhui was shocked. He suddenly found his words ludicrous. The other party is a master teacher of greater capability than Liu shi and the others. If he wanted something, a single word of his would send countless people rushing to fulfill his demands. As a tiny kingdom, how can Tianxuan Kingdom offer anything of interest to him? “Un, how about this. Help me gather manuals on Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm. It doesn’t matter whether they are valuable or not. After you gather a thousand of such books, I will consider guiding the Royal Elder.” Zhang Xuan said impassively. “Ah?” Emperor Shen Zhui was taken aback. Didn’t you claim that you don’t lack anything? Tongxuan realm manuals… What do you mean by that? A thousand books at that? His mouth twitched. Tongxuan realm experts are the top-tier fighting power of Tianxuan Kingdom. There aren’t many of such manuals even within the royal palace. Yet, to ask for a thousand of such books? What is Yang shi up to? “If you find it difficult, then let’s just forget it…” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “It is no difficulty at all. Yang shi, rest assured. I will definitely complete the task you ask of me within five days…” Emperor Shen Zhui clenched his jaws and agreed to it. This is his only chance. If he misses it, he would definitely regret it for life. “Un!” Zhang Xuan casually gestured, not speaking any further. Recognizing his intent, Emperor Shen Zhui took his leave. The moment he left the main hall, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He didn’t think that the problem with gathering Tongxuan realm manuals, which had left him with a splitting headache, could be settled that easily. Given his capabilities, finding a book or two regarding Tongxuan realm isn’t a problem, but it would be nearly impossible to gather a thousand books. However, it is different for Emperor Shen Zhui. As the sovereign of a country, it should be simple for him to gather a large number of Tongxuan realm manuals. Most importantly, he doesn’t require quality, only quantity. He doesn’t need any of those family hereditament secret manuals, he just needs a sufficient number of manuals. “Old master…” Sun Qiang walked over. “What happened in the past few days? What are those people outside doing?” He was put under the scrutiny of the three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui from the moment he arrived at the entrance of his mansion. As such, until now, hadn’t had the chance to clarify the situation. “Reporting to the old master, in the few days of your absence, your name has spread far and wide in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom…” Sun Qiang explained the occurrences in the past few days in a concise manner to him. Zhang Xuan then understood what had actually happened and he couldn’t help but be impressed by the rallying ability of a master teacher once more. It is no wonder that everyone dreams of becoming a master teacher. “Old master, this is something that the three masters left behind…” After which, Sun Qiang passed over a storage ring. “Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. As he thought, given how wealthy the three master teachers are, how can they possibly not give any benefits when he had put in so much effort to guide them? After dripping blood onto the storage ring to claim ownership, he peered into the ring and his eyes widened immediately. The quality of the ring is much better than the one he is currently using. Even though they are both low-tier storage rings, the space inside the storage ring that Liu shi gave is 30-meter-cube one, ten times larger than the 3-meter-cube one that he has in his hands. Putting every aside, this ring is probably worth several million by itself. Numerous treasures were placed within, be it precious herbs or the mountain of gold coin. Judging with a casual look, he assessed the value of contents within to be probably greater than ten million. “Such an incredible sum…” With just a single glance, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but sigh. Master teachers are truly generous. Just a casual gift from them is worth several tens of million. Of course, he also knew that it was a friendly gesture from Liu shi and the others. Otherwise, there was not a need to spend such a great amount just because he had offered them guidance on their cultivation. “In the few days that old master was absent, Lord Ling Tianyu had also visited several times and he brought another five million gold bills over…” Sun Qiang presented another stack of gold bills. Even though he knew that his status had risen, he did not dare to hide the money other people had passed to him and handed them over to the old master honestly. “This is the entrance fee collected from other visitors in the past few days. I have compiled a name list…” After which, Sun Qiang handed over a booklet. Casually flipping through it, Zhang Xuan was astonished, “So many people?” “Reporting to the old master, a total of twenty-seven people visited the mansion and paid the entrance fee. Here is a total of eighty-one million…” After which, Sun Qiang gestured and two guards carried a chest in. It was filled with numerous money bills. “The heck…” Looking at the mountain of gold bills within the chest, Zhang Xuan felt as though he was going insane. Initially, he thought that earning twenty million would be a nigh impossible task. After seeing the sum before him, he realized that he had underestimated the prestige of a master teacher. Just by announcing his name, despite not getting to see him beforehand, people are willing to deliver such huge sums… No other occupations would be able to achieve such a feat. “Help me tell those who had paid up to visit tomorrow. I will solve their problems one by one. As for those who didn’t pay the entrance fee, get them to leave. From today on, I won’t be accepting any other requests…” Rubbing his glabella, Zhang Xuan gestured. Since he has already accepted their money, he can’t possibly refund it. Moreover, dealing with the twenty-seven people’s problems would be sufficient keep him busy for quite awhile. “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head. Placing all of the gold bills in the chest and those on hand into the storage ring, he took out a single bill and gave it to Sun Qiang. “Here is your reward. I’ve already said it, I will reward you greatly for following me!” In order for a steed to gallop swiftly, one has to first feed it sufficiently. In fact, if not Sun Qiang’s effort in dealing with visitors these few days, he might not have earned this much money. Besides, this fellow must have probably suffered quite a few scares in the last few days. This is just a small sum of money. With his identity as a master teacher, he can easily make as much money as he needs. “A million…” Noticing the denomination of the bill in his hand, Sun Qiang was shocked and he knelt down immediately. This amount of money is something he could never have earned in his entire life. “Starting from today, regardless of what the old master commands me to do, I won’t bear a single word of complaint…” Sun Qiang made a solemn vow in his heart. After following the old master, he gained not only pride and money, but also achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation. Such kindness and attention from the master… these are things which he would have never achieved by himself by simply muddling along for a lifetime. It can be said that the old master had opened a whole new world to him. It is as if he had granted him a new life. “Alright, I’ll be heading out for now. Help me deal with those people at the entrance!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands. To him, the most important matter now is to collect his medicine and help Yuan Tao and Zhao Ya awaken their unique constitution. And after that… sleep! After five days without rest, he is thoroughly exhausted. If not for the rise in his cultivation realm, he would have long fainted into a deep slumber. “Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded his head. Aware that the front entrance is swarming with people, Zhang Xuan left the mansion through the back door. After finding a remote alley, he took off his disguise, changed his clothes, and transformed back into his original appearance. With his looks restored, he immediately started walking with big strides toward the Apothecary Guild. …………………… “Teacher!” In Lu Xun’s classroom, various students stood neatly in a line. Of which, there are Zhu Hong, who sent the war letter to Zhang Xuan’s classroom, Mo Xiao, Zheng Yang’s good friend, and a few other people. If Yuan Tao, Liu Yang, and the others were present, they would surely be able to recognize that these five are the ones who would be competing with them as according to the list. A few days ago, they were only Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm cultivators. But right now, the aura they exuded felt clearly deeper and stronger. They had all managed to advanced to Fighter 2-dan. “Not bad!” Seeing the improvement in his students, Lu Xun nodded his head in satisfaction. It appears that the large amount of resources invested and the effort that he had devoted to nurturing them have not gone to waste. Having attained Fighter 2-dan, his students should be able to easily defeat Zhang Xuan’s students. “Lu laoshi, Master Teacher Yang Xuan… has appeared!” Just when he was about to delegate some matters to his students, Wang Chao laoshi entered abruptly. Excitement could clearly be seen in his eyes. 176 Apothecary Hong Yun “He appeared?” Lu Xun turned to look at his good friend. “Un, today, Liu shi and the others paid a visit to Yang shi’s mansion along with Emperor Shen Zhui. Shortly, when the three master teachers emerged, their attitudes were extremely respectful. It seems like Yang shi is definitely a master teacher. Furthermore, his tier should be significantly higher than that of Liu shi and the others…” Wang Chao revealed the news that he had just received. “Higher than Liu shi… Doesn’t that mean that he is a 2-star master teacher?” Lu Xun’s eyes glowed brightly. “Let’s hurry up and prepare, we should pay him a visit as well…” He had been waiting for an opportunity like this. If he were to catch Yang shi’s sight, he would definitely be able to soar to incredible heights. “Un!” Wang Chao nodded his head. However, in the next instant, a bitter look appeared on his face, “However, after the news spread, there are countless people who wish to pay Yang shi a visit. I’m afraid that we won’t get a chance at all!” “Furthermore, I’m sure that you’ve heard of Yang shi’s rule. Those who want to pay him a visit has to pay three million upfront. Otherwise, one wouldn’t even be allowed to enter… Even my father would find it hard to fork out so much money. I’m afraid that…” Even though they are star teachers, they earned only two to three thousand gold coins per month. Forking out three million… is nothing more than a dream to them. Putting aside paying the other party a visit, just this condition alone is sufficient to spell their failure. “Don’t worry, I have already thought the matter through!” Lu Xun flashed a confident smile. “On the surface, everyone has to pay three million to enter Yang shi’s mansion. But in fact, in consideration of everyone’s dignity, definitely no one would pay it upfront. That’s to say… As long as no one says anything, we shouldn’t be exposed!” “You mean that… we should try to sneak in along with the others? I don’t think that it is a good idea… The other party isn’t a fool. I’m afraid that we will be locked out of the door if we don’t pay the sum upfront!” Hearing the other party’s reasoning, Wang Chao was stunned. “It’s not sneaking in with the others. I’m saying that… we should make use of our identities as star teachers to get past this barrier. Given our fame throughout the kingdom, who would dare to disrespect us? As long as we find the correct person to submit our qualifications to, the matter should be able to be settled easily!” “After all, master teachers are also interested in accepting apprentices. We are the two most famous teachers in Tianxuan Royal City, so it wouldn’t be wrong to say we are the most eligible candidates. As long as we compose a proper name scroll and highlight our achievements in teaching, he might just accept us as his apprentices. It doesn’t matter whether we have the three million or not! What we have to do is to search for means to submit our name scroll. As for gathering money, that is of secondary concern at the moment!” “This…” Wang Chao blinked his eyes. “Fighting prowess isn’t the only factor in becoming a master teacher. More important than that, one must be able to nurture his students. Given how many capable students we have under us, we will definitely catch his attention.” As he spoke, Lu Xun got increasingly excited that his eyes began to radiate, “If that doesn’t work, we can invite him to the Teacher Evaluation. When he witnesses how I manage to crush Zhang Xuan and how outstanding I am, perhaps he will be impressed and happily accept me as his disciple…” “What you say makes sense… Given our identity as star teachers, submitting our qualifications shouldn’t be difficult. If so, it might work out even without us paying the entrance fee!” Wang Chao finally understood Lu Xun’s plan. The Teacher Evaluation is a good opportunity. If Master Teacher Yang Xuan watches the duel, he will definitely form a favorable impression of Lu Xun and accept him as his disciple. As long as Lu Xun succeeds, he can help to persuade Yang shi to accept Wang Chao as well. “Alright, let’s prepare for a bit before we pay our visit to Yang shi…” Without much hesitation, Lu Xun started to make arrangements. ………………………… Apothecary Guild. Guild Leader Ouyang, Apothecary Chen Xiao, Apothecary Bai Ming, and more than ten other apothecaries were seated in the hall with a respectful attitude. Hu! A violent wind blew and a massive aerial savage beast slowly descended from the sky. An elder stood on the beast. Before it had even landed, he gently leaped off its back and settled stably on the ground. “Paying respects to Apothecary Hong Yun!” Guild Leader Ouyang and his party stepped forward to welcome him. Apothecary Hong Yun, a famous 2-star apothecary in one of the nearby kingdoms. “Un!” Apothecary Hong Yun nodded his head. Then, he lifted his eyebrow and asked, “Where’s that Zhang Xuan?” “Apothecary Zhang Xuan… probably isn’t in the capital, that’s why he didn’t come…” Guild Leader Ouyang said with an awkward expression. The past few days, Zhang Xuan had been spending his time in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Upon leaving, he put on his disguise and returned to his mansion immediately. Even Zhao Ya and the others face difficulties finding him, needless to say, him. “Atrocious!” Apothecary Hong Yun flung his hands. With a steeled face, he bellowed, “Even though the Pill Debate is a tradition passed down from the ancient times, it has a set of unique rules that has to be followed by. This time, other than delivering the Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood, I am also going to assess this Zhang Xuan. If he is unqualified, I will strip him of his qualifications immediately.” “Yes!” Guild Leader Ouyang nodded his head. “Bring me the Record Crystal from that day. If I discover any bias in your actions, everyone who was involved in the Pill Debate will be punished!” Apothecary Hong Yun frowned and commanded authoritatively. “Yes, Apothecary Hong Yun. This way please…” Guild Leader Ouyang hurriedly stepped forward to lead the way. Soon, they arrived at the location where the Pill Debate was held and took out the Record Crystal. “Activate it!” Apothecary Hong Yun sat down and sipped on a freshly- brewed cup of tea before staring impassively at the others. Upon hearing the other party’s words, Guild Leader Ouyang immediately infused his zhenqi into the Record Crystal. Instantly, the crystal started to shine and the recorded contents began to play before them. The image of Zhang Xuan stepping into the room appeared. “Is this Zhang Xuan? Guild Leader Ouyang, you are also a veteran of the guild, how can you be so foolish? How can someone that young succeed in Pill Debate?” After seeing Zhang Xuan’s young appearance, Apothecary Hong Yun immediately raised his eyebrows. Which one of those who had dared to challenge the Pill Debate had not studied pill forging for several decades? At the very least, they were fifty to sixty-year-old. Yet, this fellow isn’t even twenty… What can he be possibly capable of? Clearly, the other apothecaries had intentionally given in to him! “How about this? As long as any apothecary here dares to forge pills before me, regardless of the method he uses, I am able to point out the name of his forging method and the errors he commits in the process. If any of those here find what I say incorrect, I can admit defeat immediately…” Zhang Xuan’s voice echoed from the Record Crystal. “Arrogant!” Apothecary Hong Yun sneered coldly. “Even I can’t guarantee to be able to see through all of the errors in a 1-star apothecary’s forging technique. Yet, as an apprentice, he claims to be able to do so? What a joke… He truly is naive!” The Record Crystal continued to play. Soon, it displayed the scene regarding Apothecary Meng Yan. Zhang Xuan pointed out that there was killing intent in him, and thus, it was unlikely for his Tranquil Heart Pill to work. “That Apothecary Meng Yan’s movements are hasty and he doesn’t look tranquil in the least. It isn’t surprising that he can see through this…” Watching up to this point, Apothecary Hong Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking. As a 2-star apothecary, his discernment ability isn’t something Guild Leader Ouyang and the rest can match up to. Apothecary Meng Yan’s state of mind was clearly unstable and one could tell that he was irritable at that moment. It wasn’t difficult to conclude that the pill he forged would be a failed product. After which, Apothecary Chen Xiao started forging. “Death aura? This… Apothecary Chen Xiao’s pill forging is too quiet. I can only tell that something is amiss with him, but I can’t say for sure that he is about to die…” Apothecary Hong Yun was slightly perplexed. The other 1-star apothecaries thought that Zhang Xuan had looked into their affairs before working backward to derive the conclusion. On the other hand, Apothecary Hong Yun, as a 2- star apothecary, has much sharper eyes. Even though he isn’t able to tell as much as Zhang Xuan was able to, he is nevertheless able to discover a thing or two from Meng Yan and Chen Xiao’s state then. After which, it was Cheng Jiang’s turn. Then, Bai Ming. “This cauldron has a height of 7 chi and 3 cun and width of 3 cun and 2 chi. It was created by a 3-mo craftsman in the Stone Well Workshop seven years and three months ago…” “This cauldron is slightly thicker than a cun and it requires an incense’s time and thirty-four breaths for the heat to completely permeate the cauldron…” On the Record Crystal, Zhang Xuan spoke calmly and steadily. Wisdom and self-confidence were displayed clearly in his gaze. “This…” Apothecary Hong Yun’s anger had vanished completely. Instead, he was staring fixedly at the crystal with widened eyes. He has had the opportunity to come into contact with apothecaries of higher tiers and heard them converse with one another. It seems that before forging pills, one should first study the cauldron thoroughly so as to understand how to make full use of it to forge higher quality pills. All along, he had thought that these are distant concepts inapplicable to him. Never in his dreams would he expect to hear such words from the mouth of an apprentice. Furthermore, the other party had spoken of every single step in great detail. “Reporting to Apothecary Hong Yun, after the incident, I took the effort to look through the scroll regarding the cauldron and did a comparison to his words. Regardless of the weight of the cauldron, its thickness, when it was forged, how many times it had been transported, and the kinds of pills that were forged through it… Apothecary Zhang Xuan’s words are completely correct! There isn’t even the slightest bit of error!” “We specially conducted an experiment as well and indeed, it took precisely an incense’s time and thirty-four breaths for heat to permeate the cauldron…” … Guild Leader Ouyang explained. Actually, even without his explanation, Apothecary Hong Yun, who spends his days forging pills, could roughly tell that the words of the other party are correct. “…causing a loss of the medicinal effect by thirteen percent. Fail!” “…As such, its medicinal effect wasn’t fully unleashed and fourteen percent of the medicinal effect was lost. Fail!” … “This… This… Impossible!” Upon hearing the entire string of ‘failure’ from Zhang Xuan, Apothecary Hong Yun’s body stiffened. He couldn’t help but clench his fist together tightly. “After that, we did a series of tests based on the Zhang Xuan’s words. The percentages that he gave are completely accurate. This is a log of the tests we did. Please look through it…” Guild Leader Ouyang handed over a book. Since it was a Pill Debate, naturally, they couldn’t let it end that easily. After Zhang Xuan left the examination hall, Guild Leader Ouyang and the other apothecaries worked overnight to test all of the figures that he provided and the results left them dumbfounded. To think that… it would be absolutely accurate. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of error. “This…” Flipping through the logs, Apothecary Hong Yun felt as though he was going mad. The signature of the apothecaries were all present and the timing between each step was recorded extremely clearly. Thus, it is impossible for it to be falsified. To remember the sequence in which he added in the 47 medicinal herbs with a single look and to deduce the reaction of every single process thoroughly, as well as the loss of the medicinal effectiveness… The heck, is that person really a human? Apothecary Hong Yun tried to see if he could deduce the figures by looking at the forging process on the Record Crystal but soon, he shook his head. Even with his abilities, he isn’t capable of such a feat. Thus, he continued to watch on. What came afterward was the usual Pill Debate process. The various apothecaries came forward to pose questions of their own. “…It just happens that there is one of it in our basic tier book collection vault. It is on the 27th row, on the upper left corner…” On the Record Crystal, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, gestured grandly, and spoke of the names of the books, as well as the position of them in the guild’s book collection vault. “These books… I have read almost them all and it is exactly as he had said…” Apothecary Hong Yun’s breathing hastened. He might be unable to confirm the authenticity of the words that Zhang Xuan had said earlier just by looking at the Record Crystal, but as a 2-star apothecary, the number of books he had read and his knowledge of pill forging far surpasses that of Guild Leader Ouyang and the others. He had browsed through many of the books that the other party had mentioned and the contents… were identical to what he had said. Honestly speaking, when he heard that the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild had allowed a fellow who isn’t even twenty to become an official apothecary through Pill Debate, he was extremely infuriated. He thought that Ouyang Cheng and the others had gone easy on him. That was precisely the reason why the headquarters sent him to investigate the case. On his way here, he had already thought of how he should find flaws so as to fail this Zhang Xuan and strip him of his apothecary qualifications. Yet, he didn’t think that he would find himself impressed by the other party even before finishing the contents in the Record Crystal. If the contents of the Record Crystal isn’t a show and happened for real… Then this Zhang Xuan truly holds an inconceivably deep understanding of pill forging… “…Apothecary Wu Xiao’s 《Cauldron Maintenance》, Apothecary Zhao Qian’s 《Important Matters to Note for Pill Forging》, Apothecary Niu Xuan’s 《Miscellaneous Things You Have to Know》, Apothecary Pang Bo’s 《Protect Your New Cauldron》…” Zhang Xuan continued to speak on the Record Crystal and elegance exuded from his every single action. “I have read those books as well. His reply is completely… correct!” “…Correct!” “…Correct!” Apothecary Hong Yun’s joints started to pale and his lips quivered non-stop. He came here to enforce punishment, but before even looking through the entire Record Crystal, he realized that there isn’t a single valid reason to do so… “Guild Leader Ouyang, Apothecary Zhang Xuan is waiting outside and he requests for an audience…” An apprentice said. Danglang! Astonished, Apothecary Hong Yun unintentionally released his grip on the teacup in his hands. It fell onto the floor and shattered into numerous fragments. Turning around, he saw a listless fellow with bloodshot eyes and heavy eyebags enter. 177 Exploding Cauldron “Is he that confident fellow showed by the Record Crystal?” Recovering from his shock, Apothecary Hong Yun calmed his breathing. The fellow in the Record Crystal emitted wisdom and self- confidence as he displayed his deep understanding toward pill forging. Yet, the fellow before him is listless and his eyes were bloodshot… Was he bullied by someone? Apothecaries often come into contact with medicinal herbs and as such, they are exceptionally particular about maintaining their bodies. Usually, they wouldn’t allow themselves such fatigue. Besides… an apothecary is one of the top professions among the Upper Nine Paths. As such, they pay great attention to their image and prestige. When has anyone ever seen such heavy eyebags on the face of an apothecary? This isn’t cool. Apothecary Hong Yun isn’t the only one who is perplexed, puzzled expressions had also appeared on the faces of Apothecary Ouyang and the others. Is this really the fellow who achieved a perfect victory in the Pill Debate? The person who caused them the temptation to dive into any hole they could find? How unbefitting… … Oblivious to the thoughts running through their minds, upon walking into the room, Zhang Xuan saw that more than a dozen of the apothecaries of the Tianxuan Kingdom were gathered here and felt baffled. These apothecaries are usually extremely busy. It isn’t a simple feat to gather them like this. Back then, it was due to the importance of the Pill Debate that ten of them could be gathered in a day’s notice. But why are they so many of them present today? However, it isn’t his business why the apothecaries are gathered here. Zhang Xuan shook his head, choosing not to involve himself in the matter. Enduring the fatigue which is on the verge of overwhelming him, he walked toward the center of the lounge. “Guild Leader Ouyang, have the items I bought arrived?” “They have arrived. Over here…” Guild Leader Ouyang handed over the items that Apothecary Hong Yun had just delivered. The tier-3 Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Primordial Colossus Rhinoceros. Upon receiving the goods, delight appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. He kept the items into his storage ring and passed over the stack of gold bills which he had prepared beforehand in return. “Farewell…” Witnessing that the other party had counted the money and confirmed that there were no problems whatsoever, Zhang Xuan prepared to leave. He is simply too tired. It is great that the items had arrived. This way, he can quickly bring them to Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao for their consumption and he can finally enjoy his long- awaited rest. “Apothecary Zhang Xuan, hold it for a moment…” Apothecary Hong Yun finally recovered from his shock and stood up. “Who are you?” Tired and irritable, Zhang Xuan was displeased to see that someone had blocked his path. “I am Hong Yun… I have a doubt in pill forging that I would like to consult you on. I hope that Apothecary Zhang Xuan can accept my request…” Apothecary Hong Yun said. After viewing the contents in the Record Crystal, he is seventy to eighty percent convinced by the abilities of the person before him. Still, he has to question him in person to ascertain whether there was any fraud involved in the process. “I’m not free!” Zhang Xuan’s lips curled up in displeasure. “I’m not your teacher. If you have any queries, go and look them up in the books. Why would you ask me to answer your question? Go and find someone else to bother…” What a joke, can’t you see that I’m busy? I want to return back home to sleep. Who has the time to answer your question? Why are you so insensitive to your surroundings? Besides… Who the hell are you! If every apothecary were to pose a question to me, won’t I die of exhaustion? Guangdang! All of the apothecaries in the room fell onto the floor. Guild Leader Ouyang nearly choked to death on a mouthful of phlegm. Brother, this is a 2-star apothecary sent by the upper echelons to look you, yet you dare to tell him to go and look for someone else to bother… “Cough cough!” Holding in the urge to spurt blood, Guild Leader Ouyang stepped forward and added, “Apothecary Zhang Xuan, Apothecary Hong Yun is a 2-star apothecary sent by the headquarters…” “2-star apothecary?” Zhang Xuan was startled. Taking a glance at the fellow blocking his way, he lifted his tired eyelids slightly and replied, “Alright. Feel free to ask anything you are unsure of. I’m in a hurry…” “…” Guild Leader Ouyang. “…” The other apothecaries. The other person is here to test you. Why does it look as though he is consulting and learning from you now? More importantly… in a hurry? Your head. Aren’t you worried at all? If you were to fail his evaluation, the other party has the right to strip you of your identity as an apothecary… The crowd was shocked by Zhang Xuan’s words. On the other hand, Apothecary Hong Yun felt depressed. If not for the fact that he had watched the other party’s performance in the Pill Debate through the Record Crystal, he would have already gone into a frenzy. “When the tier-1 Breath Restoration Pill is forged, it would often turn slightly yellow. I would like to ask how one can solve this problem.” “And you call yourself a 2-star apothecary when you don’t even know this? Breath Restoration Pill allows one to recover depleted energy and the main ingredient is the White Banquet Grass. This object is white and upon contact with a person’s zhenqi, it will turn a shade of faint yellow. This isn’t a problem with the medicinal herb but because the apothecary’s zhenqi is filled with too many impurities. If one were to possess a purer zhenqi, such a condition would not occur. To prevent the pill from turning yellow, one can also add a stalk of Green Sun Grass while forging the pill. This herb absorbs the impurities in one’s zhenqi, and as such, prevents the White Banquet Grass from turning yellow…” Zhang Xuan casually gestured. The golden page had allowed him to convert all of the contents contained within the books from the basic tier book collection vault and advanced tier book collection vault of the Apothecary Guild into functional knowledge. Even without using the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to easily solve the problem the other party brought up. More importantly, it is because the other party had asked a question regarding tier-1 pills. If a more advanced question were asked, Zhang Xuan would have had no way of answering. “Pure Lotus, as the main ingredient of the pill, tastes extremely bitter. However, adding licorice into the mix makes the concoction unstable. How do you solve this problem?” Apothecary Hong Yun continued asking. “The bitter taste of the Pure Lotus comes from the golden colored seed pod on top. This part doesn’t contribute to the pill at all, and by getting rid of it, not only will the pill not be bitter, it would have a slightly sweet taste. Adding licorice is an excessive action, so naturally, it will result in the explosion of the cauldron.” Zhang Xuan stared at the other party as though looking at an idiot, “You are a 2-star apothecary, and you don’t even know this? How did you even get your qualification?” “…” Apothecary Hong Yun nearly choked on his anger. “Alright, if these are the kinds of problems you have for me, the answers can be found in the guild’s advanced tier book collection vault. If you’re free, do read more books. I have something on, so I will be taking my leave…” Zhang Xuan yawned and walked toward the exit. He feels that if he doesn’t sleep anytime soon, he might die of fatigue. Upon hearing his words, Apothecary Hong Yun was dumbfounded. Can’t you show some respect for me? No matter what, I am a 2-star apothecary from the headquarters and I am a tier higher than you. Other people treat me with utmost respect upon seeing me, yet you don’t even look at me properly when conversing with me, telling me to go and find someone else to bother and read more books… Read your head! I am examining you, can’t you tell that much? Of course, I know the answers… A look of displeasure appeared on his face and his eyebrows shot upward. “Wait a moment. As long as you can answer this question… I won’t ask anything else. Also, I will give you the Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood for free.” Finishing his words, just as he was still wondering if the other party would take up his offer, he saw that Zhang Xuan was already standing right in front of him. The fatigue in his eyes had disappeared without a trace and in its place is overwhelming vitality, “Are you serious?” The Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood are worth a total of twenty-three million gold coins. If he can obtain them for free, it would be for the best. He would be able to save a huge sum of money… “You… Materialistic!” Apothecary Hong Yun was so angry that his beard was flying up from his agitated breathing. When he was talking to him earlier on, the other party wasn’t even willing to open his eyes. Yet, upon hearing that he would be able to obtain the items for free, he became so excited that he immediately dashed to him… To think that he, as a 2-star apothecary, would be inferior to a pile of gold coins in the other party’s eyes… He felt like going on a rampage. Actually, Zhang Xuan’s actions were not intentional. His values are still of the period when he was still a librarian in the other world. It has been just a few days since he had transcended over and he hadn’t truly understood how this world operated. Thus, he doesn’t have a concrete idea of a 2- star apothecary; no matter how incredible the other party is… can he be more practical than money? After all, he burnt so much brain cells just to earn this twenty million… “The problem is… Whenever I forge a Vitality Restoration Pill, the cauldron would always end up exploding…” Apothecary Hong Yun started raising the question. Upon hearing the question, Ouyang Cheng and the others stared at one another in shock. Vitality Restoration Pill… This is a top-grade tier-2 pill that is used to restore a person’s expended vitality. It is said that even 3-star apothecaries are not able to forge the pill easily. Apothecary Hong Yun actually asked a 1-star apothecary how to forge a top-grade tier-2 pill… This is way too shameless. He has obviously overstepped the boundaries. Upon seeing the gazes from the others, Apothecary Hong Yun’s face flushed. Honestly, the reason why he brought up this question was that he was infuriated with Zhang Xuan. Aren’t you intelligent? Let’s see how you answer a question which even I, a 2-star apothecary, is unable to answer. If you are unable to answer my question, I shall teach you a lesson and pop your egotistical bubble. I will show you the correct attitude to assume when you speak to a 2-star apothecary. “Vitality Restoration Pill?” Zhang Xuan had never read books pertaining to the tier-2 pills and as a result, he didn’t recognize its name. He simply thought that it might just be a rare pill which isn’t detailed in the book collection vaults of the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild. Of course, it doesn’t make a difference whether he knows or not. In any case, he hadn’t intended to depend on his knowledge to solve the question. It has been less than half a month since he had transcended over, and even with the cheat known as the Library of Heaven’s Path, allowing him to learn rapidly, it is impossible to match up to these apothecaries who possess decades of experience. “Let me see you forge a pill…” Confident, Zhang Xuan casually waved his hands. “Alright!” Detecting his disrespectful tone, Apothecary Hong Yun became increasingly enraged. Very solemnly, he decided to severely discipline Zhang Xuan if he is unable to come up with a good answer. Thus, he stepped forward to the cauldron, retrieved a few medicinal herbs from his storage ring and started the forging process. The Vitality Restoration Pill is one of the bestsellers among tier-2 pills. As Apothecary Hong Yun hasn’t been able to successfully forge the pill, he carries a few sets of ingredients everywhere, studying the matter whenever possible. Xiong xiong xiong! The flames licked the sides of the cauldron, providing the heat required to refine the medicinal herbs. As a 2-star apothecary, Apothecary Hong Yun’s skills are clearly on a much higher level than Apothecary Chen Xiao and the rest. Regardless of control over the medicinal herb, flames, as well as over the refinement of the medicinal herbs… None of the other apothecaries present are able to compare to him. Different herbs were thrown into the cauldron in an extremely fluid manner. Under the intense heat of the flames, shortly, a dense pill fragrance started to emanate from the cauldron. The pill fragrance is infused with a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Even with just a single whiff, one feels energized. Zhang Xuan had been awake for five continuous days and had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue. With a single whiff, he felt some fatigue disappearing from his body. His bloodshot eyes also eased to a small degree. Boom! However, just as the pill fragrance reached its densest, it ceased abruptly. A violent energy surged outward from within the cauldron, and unable to stand the might, the cauldron blew apart. Kacha! A pile of charred medicinal residue flowed from the remains of the cauldron. Not only did he fail to form a pill, it was the scariest failure that could happen during a pill forging process… cauldron explosion! If not for the crowd having been warned in advance and was prepared for it, they might have been wounded by the violent aura that shot forth from the cauldron. Having suffered the full force of the explosion, Apothecary Hong Yun was entirely covered in soot and his hair spiked upward, as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Placing his hands behind his back and assuming the disposition of an expert, he turned around to look at Zhang Xuan. “I am done. Tell me what went wrong in the process…” 178 Conflicting properties “Er…” Noticing his appearance, Guild Leader Ouyang and the others were tempted to laugh, but they did not dare to. Hong Yun is an apothecary of far higher standing than them. Even Emperor Shen Zhui would have to treat him with the utmost respect, not daring to slight him in the least. Yet, at this very moment, he looks like charcoal and his hair is standing on ends. If not for the movements in his eyes, one wouldn’t doubt that this is a corpse. However, they understood that it isn’t an appropriate moment to be laughing. All of their gazes had converged onto Zhang Xuan. They were curious to listen to what he has to say. Offering a pointer to a 2-star apothecary… This is something unimaginable to them. They wanted to see if the young man who had awed them in the Pill Debate can shine once more. However, the young man simply turned to look at Apothecary Hong Yun with a bizarre expression and inquired, “Are you sure that you are a 2-star apothecary?” “What do you mean?” Apothecary Hong Yun flung his robe angrily. “What is the property of Blue Floral Grass?” Ignoring the other party’s displeasure, Zhang Xuan asked. “Blue Floral Grass has a purplish color and is a warm herb.” Apothecary Hong Yun replied. “What about Golden Dime Flower?” “Golden Dime Flower consists of two colors, golden and silver. As such, some people term it as Silver-leaf Golden Flower. It is a herb with mediating property.” “Even though these two herbs possess mild properties, when used together, an extremely violent reaction results.” Zhang Xuan said. “I know that. However, the Vitality Restoration Pill recipe has been passed down for a long time. If the reaction between the two can result in the explosion of the cauldron, then it would have happened to other people as well.” Apothecary Hong Yun shook his head. “Besides, there isn’t any mistake in the sequence in which I place the medicinal herbs. In fact, I even added a Purple Aroma Grass between the two to mediate between their properties. In terms of sequence and timing, there are no errors at all!” He had consulted another expert on the forging process of the Vitality Restoration Pill. Every single medicinal herb and movements were identical to the other party, yet the result was entirely different. This was what left him baffled. The other party had also said that the fusing of the two medicinal herbs would result in a violent reaction, which he also knew and had taken preventive measures. It is impossible for the explosion of the cauldron to be due to this. “I didn’t say that your sequence is incorrect or that there’s a problem with the two medicinal herbs!” Zhang Xuan said calmly. “What do you mean?” Apothecary Hong Yun, as well as the other spectators, felt perplexed. If that isn’t the problem, that what could be it? Otherwise, why would his cauldron explode when there are no errors? Besides… If there’s nothing wrong with the two herbs, why did you even ask about them? Ignoring the bizarre looks everyone shot at him, Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and walked toward the exploded cauldron. On the ground nearby, a stalk of Blue Floral Grass and Golden Dime Flower each could be seen. “The Blue Floral Grass and Golden Dime Flower react to result in a violent explosion when they are mixed together… It’s true that adding a Purple Aroma Grass can help to solve the problem, but… while other people may be able to do it, but you can’t!” Zhang Xuan smiled lightly. “I can’t? Is there something special about me?” Apothecary Hong Yun frowned. I am a distinguished 2-star apothecary, and furthermore, I am one of the better-skilled ones in the tier. So why am I the only exception? “That’s right, there’s something special about you. If I’m not wrong, you have never eaten any medicine which uses Purple Aroma Grass as the main ingredient!” Zhang Xuan turned to look at him. “Er… I am allergic to Purple Aroma Grass and so, I cannot consume it…” Apothecary Hong Yun nodded his head. “Actually, it’s not due to an allergy. Rather, the attribute of your zhenqi is incompatible with it…” Zhang Xuan placed his hands behind his back and continued, “Because you cultivate using the Vast Flame Formula, your zhenqi inherently carries the property of fire. On the other hand, the Purple Aroma Grass grows in the water, giving it the property of water. Hence, your zhenqi overwhelms the water property of the Purple Aroma Grass, causing it to lose its effectiveness. As such, while it is effective for others to utilize the Purple Aroma Grass as a mediating factor in forging of the Vitality Restoration Pill, it does not work for you. Therefore, when the other two herbs come into direct contact, a violent reaction results and causes the cauldron to explode!” “You… How did you know that I cultivate the Vast Flame Formula?” Apothecary Hong Yun’s face turned pale. The Vast Flame Formula is a family hereditament cultivation technique handed down through his clan. He had practiced it from young, and it has been several decades since. As a result, his zhenqi does indeed carry the fire attribute. However, this was a personal secret and he had never told any outsider. In fact, not even his good friends know of it. How is this fellow able to tell so easily? “It doesn’t matter how I know it. If you don’t believe me, you can try adding Blue Floral Grass and Golden Dime Flower to the Purple Aroma Grass which you have refined. If it doesn’t explode, that would mean that my conjecture is wrong.” Zhang Xuan didn’t bother explaining. Just by having the other party display his pill forging technique, a book was compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path. Not mentioning the name of the cultivation technique, if he really wished to, Zhang Xuan could have clearly mentioned every single flaw on that cultivation technique. It isn’t a big deal to him. Apothecary Hong Yun hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to give it a try. Thus, he took out a Blue Floral Grass, Golden Dime Flower, and Purple Aroma Grass and refined them into medicinal essences. After which, he mixed the three of them together. Boom! Exactly as what the other party said, the concoction exploded immediately. “This…” Apothecary Hong Yun’s body trembled. He had already studied the Vitality Restoration Pill for numerous years, but he had never succeeded in forging it. He had always thought that the problem lied with his movements and the sequence which he added in medicinal herbs. He never once imagined that it would actually be his zhenqi which had rendered the Purple Aroma Grass’s mediating property ineffective. If he hadn’t heard himself, he would have never believed it. “Is there a solution to the problem?” Recovering from his shock, Apothecary Hong Yun turned his sight to the young man. At this moment, he is already completely impressed with the other party. Initially, he had come with the intention to strip Zhang Xuan’s apothecary qualifications. However, that thought had vanished completely from his mind. To be able to tell his cultivation technique and pinpoint the clash in medicinal herbs just by watching him forge the pill once… Even though he has no idea of the other party’s pill forging technique, just his discerning ability itself is more than sufficient to qualify him as a 2-star apothecary. “To think that a 2-star apothecary can’t solve such a simple problem by himself?” Displeasure appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. Even though the library points out the flaws of a problem, it doesn’t give him a direct solution. Of course, he can’t mention this out loud… What if the other party claims that he did not solve the problem satisfactorily and refuse to pay up? The reason why he took the effort to answer the other party’s question was money. Otherwise, why would he waste his precious sleeping time? “Thank you for your guidance…” Upon hearing the other party’s criticism, Apothecary Hong Yun’s face flushed. The other party’s words made sense. As a 2-star apothecary, it was already absurd for him to pose such a question to a 1-star apothecary. To ask for the solution when the other party had already directed him to the core of the problem… what an embarrassment. The Purple Aroma Grass was only a mediating factor. As long as he can find a mediating herb that doesn’t clash with his zhenqi, the problem should be solved. “This…” The Apothecary Hong Yun, who was incomparably arrogant and authoritative when he arrived, now looks like an elementary schooler, not daring to refute the criticisms. Guild Leader Ouyang and the rest tucked at their hair, wanting to knock their head against the wall. It was clear that Zhang Xuan’s explanation was spot-on. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the other party to submit to him like that. For a newly appointed 1-star apothecary to lecture a 2-star apothecary to the point that he does not dare to refute his words at all… The crowd swallowed a mouthful of saliva subconsciously. “Guild Leader Ouyang, you should have heard Apothecary Hong Yun’s words. Return that money, along with the one million deposit that I paid in advance…” Ignoring everyone’s shock, Zhang Xuan walked straight up to Guild Leader Ouyang, stretched out his hand, and grabbed the money bills which he handed to him previously. “…” Everyone was speechless. Since you are such an incredible apothecary, you should be able to earn that bit of money just by selling a few pills. Do you have to act in such a manner just because of this bit of money? Ignoring their bizarre gazes, Zhang Xuan kept the money and nodded his head in satisfaction. The reason why he went about looking for money, even disguising as a master teacher to guide others, was to pay for these items… Yet… In the end, when the items arrived, he didn’t even have to spend a single gold coin… If he knew it would end up like this, he wouldn’t have gone through so much effort to disguise himself as a master teacher. In the end, look at how exhausted he became doing so… Zhang Xuan felt dismal. Apothecary Hong Yun was done examining Zhang Xuan. Knowing that this young man holds true capabilities, he longer dared to hold him back. Leaving the Apothecary Guild, Zhang Xuan headed to the academy. ………………………… Hearing that Master Teacher ‘Yang Xuan’ had appeared, Lu Xun and Wang Chao could no longer remain seated. After composing their name scrolls, they rushed out of the academy in a hurry. At the entrance, they happened to see a listless young man walking in. That fellow had bloodshot eyes and his hair was a mess. With a single look, it was clear that he hadn’t slept for several days. “Lu Xun, it’s Zhang Xuan…” Wang Chao said with a restrained voice. “Him?” Lu Xun glanced at the listless young man and shook his head. Contempt appeared in his gaze. “To think that a teacher of the academy would be so ignorant of etiquette and walk around in such a ragged state. It truly is a wonder to me why the academy would recruit such a person in the first place!” “I think that this fellow must have been feeling stressed over your challenge, and had spent the last few days without sleep trying to think of a countermeasure, thus reducing himself to such a state…” Wang Chao chuckled. Who is Lu Xun laoshi? The most famous star teacher in Hongtian Academy! There is a long queue of students who desire to come under his tutelage. Even an elder would find himself sweating profusely if challenged by him. The young teacher who had just joined last year is surely scared out of his wits by now. Otherwise, why would he be in such a state? “Thinking of a countermeasure?” Lu Xun laoshi shook his head. Self-confidence radiated from his gaze. “To want to surpass me in the field of teaching in the Hongtian Academy… Dream on!” “Indeed. Honestly speaking, he can only blame himself for his ill luck. He just has to pop up when you require an opponent to rise up and attract the attention of the master teacher. He truly deserves it…” Wang Chao chuckled. Even though Emperor Shen Zhui had invited Liu shi and the others with secrecy, announcing to others that he was going on a hunt, there were actually quite a few well-informed people who already knew the truth. In order to attract the attention of the master teachers to become their apprentice, Lu Xun was already prepared to look for someone to serve as his stepping stone. Even if Wang Tao and Wang Yan had not withdrawn from his tutelage, he would have invented another reason. It just happened that Zhang Xuan came into his path voluntarily, so naturally, Lu Xun chose to make use of him. “Let’s go! We have to hurry to Yang shi’s mansion now. Otherwise, who knows how long we will have to queue.” Lu Xun nodded his head. To him, Zhang Xuan is merely a small stepping stone for him to become a master teacher, a meaningless itch on his back. He holds no resentment or anger toward him at all. “Indeed, Yang shi should be our goal. This Zhang Xuan is only an insignificant figure in the academy…” Wang Chao nodded his head. No longer bothering with Zhang Xuan, the two of them walked past Zhang Xuan arrogantly, not even giving him a proper look in the eyes! ………………………… Seeing two teachers walking past him with their heads held high and haughtily, as though enlightened experts unmoved by material desires, Zhang Xuan was puzzled. Who are these two… fools? Even though he had accepted the Teacher Evaluation duel with Lu Xun laoshi, he had never met the other party. Thus, he didn’t recognize him at all. There are several hundred teachers in Hongtian Academy. Zhang Xuan arrived just last year, and he hadn’t formed good interpersonal relationships. Given how poor he was faring then, he didn’t have the leisure to be concerned about other teachers, so it was natural for him to not recognize the academy’s celebrity. 179 Teacher, You’ve Worked Hard! Ignoring the two fools, Zhang Xuan proceeded straight to his classroom. “Teacher, you’re back!” All of his students were present in the classroom. Upon seeing him enter, they bowed deeply. “Good, looks like you have all been working hard the past few days.” Scanning the room and noticing the rise in their cultivation, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. In his five days of absence, his students actually had massive improvements. Wang Ying, Liu Yang, and Zheng Yang had all attained Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm pinnacle. Even though Zhao Ya remained stuck at Juxi realm pinnacle, her strength is much greater than the others. It seems like she isn’t far from reaching the Dantian realm. As for Yuan Tao, who has the weakest foundation out of all of Zhang Xuan’s students, he had advanced from Juxi realm primary stage to Juxi realm intermediate stage. The Breathing Forging Pill and the cultivation technique which Zhang Xuan imparted him seems to have worked wonders. The current Zhao Ya, even without his advice, should be able to easily defeat Zhu Hong. “Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao, follow me.” After examining everyone’s conditions once more through the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan felt pleased. Then, he gestured for the two. Entering the small room within the classroom, Zhang Xuan whipped out the pills which he had just obtained from the Apothecary Guild. “Zhao Ya, this is the Unravel Yin Pill. It can awaken your unique constitution. Later at night, find a large wooden pail, fill it with water, and soak yourself in it before consuming the pill.” He passed the Unravel Yin Pill over. “Thank you, teacher…” Even though she didn’t know that the pill is worth ten million, it is nevertheless an authentic pill forged by an official apothecary and she knew that it is definitely extremely valuable. She accepted the pill from Zhang Xuan’s hands in delight and her heart was quietly filled with gratitude. “Yuan Tao, do you know why I accepted you as my student?” After passing the pill to Zhao Ya, Zhang Xuan turned to look at his plump disciple. “I…” Yuan Tao scratched his head. Actually, he had been baffled these few days as well. He is the student who scored the worst in the Entrance Examinations. Back then, he thought that Zhang laoshi accepted him because he was unable to find any students and used him to add to his number. However, after witnessing this Zhang laoshi’s capabilities later, he immediately understood that he had been mistaken. How is it possible for such an incredible person to be unable to find students? Thus, even though he had been working hard alongside Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others, an inferiority complex had started to develop within him. He felt as though he would drag the others down. As such, he had subconsciously kept his shameless personality in rein. “There’s no need for you to feel inferior. As long as you cultivate earnestly, you will be able to reach greater heights than Zheng Yang and the others!” Reading the doubt and fear he bore in his heart, Zhang Xuan said. Emperor Bloodline. Even in comparison to other unique constitutions, it is considered one of the strongest. If he were to fully awaken this constitution, his cultivation would definitely soar. In this case, exceeding Zheng Yang and the others would be an easy task. “Teacher… I… Can I really reach greater heights?” Yuan Tao face flushed as he said in agitation. These few days, he had been worried that Zhang laoshi would dump him because of his inability. He didn’t expect that Zhang laoshi would bear such high expectations of him. “Rest assured, I am not mistaken.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually. Then, with a piercing gaze, he stared at him. “However… you lack talent. In order to surpass the rest, you will have to endure greater hardship. Are you willing to do so?” After reading the books in the Apothecary Guild’s advanced tier book collection vault, he knew that activating the Emperor Bloodline through such a mean would be an extremely painful process. If he were to cave in, not only will the awakening process be a fail, he might even die as a result. That’s why Zhang Xuan did not pass the item directly to the other party. He wanted to stimulate the other party’s determination, to harden his resolve. To cultivate is to go against heaven. Without the determination to face one’s death in the midst of doing so, it is impossible for one to emerge above the countless others who tread on the same path. “Teacher, as long as my cultivation can improve swiftly so that I won’t burden the others, I am willing to bear any hardship.” Yuan Tao knelt onto the floor. Unwavering determination reflected in his eyes. As a wandering cultivator, he had gone through numerous hardships, and he understood that finding a good teacher isn’t easy. No matter what, he would never give up on this opportunity. “Alright, this is the item that I have prepared for you. After returning to your dormitory tonight, spread it all over your body. The process might be extremely painful, but as long as you grit your teeth and bear with it, the rewards will be spectacular. Are you willing to give it a try?” Upon finishing his words, Zhang Xuan passed the blood of the Colossus Rhinoceros forward. “As long as it can raise my cultivation, I am willing to bear as much pain as needed!” Yuan Tao clenched his jaws. Even though he is often joking about and looks half-hearted, he is actually the most determined of the five. “Spreading this thing isn’t a one-time off thing. After the pain fades, you have to continue to spread another layer over your body. I’ll give you five days. Before the start of the Freshmen Tournament, I want to see your improvement. Otherwise, don’t bother looking for me again!” Zhang Xuan said authoritatively. At the very end, there was even a sharp edge to his tone. “Teacher, I will not let down your trust!” Upon hearing those words, Yuan Tao knew that Zhang Xuan had given him an ultimatum. Holding the jade bottle in his hands, his eyes burned with extreme motivation. Zhang laoshi did not give up on him just because he is the weakest of his students. Instead, he went through the effort to obtain this object for him so that he can advance his cultivation. As his student, if he were to back down now, he truly would be letting down the effort and concern his teacher had put into him. Even if it spells his death, he was determined to accomplish it so as to meet his teacher’s expectations. Yuan Tao gritted his teeth. “Great. Call Wang Ying in.” Seeing the resolution in the duo’s eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. Shortly, Wang Ying came walking into the room. The young lady is just as she was before; the instant she saw Zhang Xuan, her face flushed. “Teacher, you called for me…” “Un, how are your legs feeling after using the Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution?” Zhang Xuan glanced at her. “Teacher, my legs have fully recovered. Thank you! This… is the money my father had me pass to you for the Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution. He says that you are already my benefactor for being willing to teach me, and he can’t possibly let you pay for my expenses on top of that…” Wang Ying stepped forward and handed over a bill denominated five hundred thousand. The Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution is sold in the Apothecary Guild, so it wasn’t a difficult task to look up its price. As an official apothecary, Zhang Xuan was given a discount for the purchase. If an outsider were to purchase it, it would cost a minimum of three hundred thousand gold coins for one gourd. It appears that after Clan Head Wang Hong found out about Zhang Xuan giving a gourd of Body Nourishing Medicinal Solution to his daughter, he had specially looked into its price. “Alright then, I’ll accept the money.” Zhang Xuan did not decline the other party’s offer. A teacher should not be responsible for paying for a student’s expenses. The reason why he had been paying for them is that the Teacher Evaluation is just around the corner, and he is in a rush to obtain those items for them to raise their cultivation. By accepting this, the Wang Clan and Wang Ying would not feel indebted to Zhang Xuan, and their teacher-student relationship would remain pure. “Show me your punching routine!” After accepting the gold bill, Zhang Xuan instructed. “Yes!” Wang Ying extended her arms immediately and began her graceful maneuvers. Along with his improvement in cultivation, numerous cultivation and battle techniques had been retained in Zhang Xuan’s mind. Even without the Library of Heaven’s Path, he is able to tell that her legs have fully recovered. Soon, Wang Ying finished her punching routine and broke out in a slight sweat. “This is the leg technique and movement technique that I have created specially for you. Practice well. I will give you five days, and no matter what method you use, you must reach a minor accomplishment in the two skills.” Zhang Xuan passed the two manuals to Wang Ying. Those are the Heaven’s Path Movement Art and Heaven’s Path Leg Art, but Zhang Xuan had already simplified the manual. Even though it isn’t as powerful as the original version, it can still be considered a top-notch battle technique. Once Wang Ying masters the technique, her speed will be boosted drastically. “Thank you, Zhang laoshi…” Flipping open the manual to take a look, Wang Ying’s breathing hastened in agitation. After she recovered from her injury, she had been looking into the leg-related battle techniques within the Wang Clan. Those battle techniques are among the best within the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, but in comparison to the one which Zhang laoshi had given her… what a vast difference! They belong to absolutely different leagues. Just by this itself, she understood how precious the manual is. “Call Liu Yang in!” Oblivious to the other party’s gratitude, Zhang Xuan instructed. Soon, Liu Yang entered. Due to him practicing a battle technique too early when he didn’t possess sufficient zhenqi, a trauma developed in the meridians in his right hand. As such, the strength in his right hand was unable to compare up to that of his left. However, after the nourishment from the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill, the damage to his arm had recovered fully. After having him display a punching routine and observing that he had improved significantly in his punching technique, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. Then, he imparted a manual of the Heaven’s Path Fist Art, which he fathomed in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, to him. After which, he had him call Zheng Yang in. After several days of practice, his Heaven’s Path Spear Art had matured. Even though the technique consists of one simple movement, it is versatile and can be modified to form countless other moves, causing his fighting prowess to increase immensely. In a fight, even Zhao Ya may not be a match for him. Even though he isn’t the one with the highest cultivation realm of the five, he is definitely the strongest at present. “Looks like your spear training is going well. However, your cultivation is still way too low. Try to reach Fighter 2-dan within five days.” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before saying. This student of his is indeed a genius. Even though he had imparted him the skill only a few days ago, he has almost mastered it. In terms of spearmanship, there is nothing to criticize. However, what is holding him back is his cultivation. “Yes!” Zheng Yang nodded his head. It is impossible to reach Fighter 2-dan without a year and a half of training following conventional methods. However, Zheng Yang is different. It isn’t because of his talent. Rather, Zhang Xuan’s explanations of the Fighter 1-dan realm during lessons had touched on the very essences, providing with him a deep insight into Fighter 1-dan. Coupled with the Breath Forging Pill and a personalized cultivation technique, breaking through his current realm isn’t difficult at all. “Go cultivate…” Finally, after briefing each of his students, Zhang Xuan can no longer hold back his fatigue. Without a care, he leaned back in his chair and fell asleep in the classroom. Soon, the sky darkened. “Where is Zhang laoshi?” Even though the students were done cultivating, Zhang laoshi had yet to appear from the partitioned room inside the classroom. They couldn’t help but feel perplexed. “Zhao Ya, I think you should go in and check on him…” “Alright!” Zhao Ya pushed open the doors to the room, full of curiosity, and immediately noticed Zhang laoshi leaning against the chair, sleeping peacefully. “Teacher… is asleep!” She sneaked out silently, her eyes reddened. Obtaining these medicine, imparting new fist technique, movement technique… Needless to say, Zhang laoshi must have been toiling sleeplessly these few days to accomplish all of these for their sake. No wonder he seemed to be exhausted earlier, such that his eyes were bloodshot. “Teacher…” Zheng Yang and the rest were touched by Zhang laoshi’s gestures. A Pixue expert can usually withstand staying awake for two to three consecutive days without a problem. How tired was he that he could fall asleep while sitting on a chair? As a student, it is definitely a great blessing to have such a teacher. “We should cultivate properly, meet the goals teacher had set for us, and achieve victory in the Teacher Evaluation. Only then will we not let down the efforts teacher put in for us.” Zhao Ya clenched her jaws. “Indeed, teacher has given too much for us. If we lose just like that, we won’t be able to face him in future!” Zheng Yang nodded his head in agreement. After which, they turned to look at their teacher simultaneously, who was deep in sleep leaning backward on the chair. The five of them clenched their fists and the same voice echoed in the hearts… Teacher, you’ve worked hard! 180 Awakening Zhao Ya’s Unique Constitution Zhao Ya’s residence. Upon receiving the news that his subordinate sent him, Yao Han shook his head with a bitter smile. When he heard from Zhao Ya that Zhang Xuan laoshi is a Pixue realm expert, he couldn’t help but suspect him for the assault back then. Thus, he had been investigating discreetly and eventually, he managed to verify Shang Bin laoshi’s movements and he… didn’t leave his dormitory that day! In other words, he isn’t the person responsible for beating him up before Zhang Xuan’s dormitory back then. With this piece of news, it isn’t difficult to deduce the culprit. Very clearly, the one who made a move on him is likely to be xiaojie’s teacher, Zhang laoshi. “That fellow is truly scheming…” Until now, whenever he recalls the scenario back then, Yao Han can’t help but feel an urge to vomit blood. As a teacher of the academy, shouldn’t you be righteous and moral? Yet, you chose to pull an underhanded sneak attack, even going ahead to frame someone else… How shameless. “Forget it. At the very least, with such a teacher, xiaojie shouldn’t be at any disadvantage.” Even though he felt displeased, recalling the fact that Zhang laoshi generously gave the Frigid Sun Mother Grass, an item so exceedingly precious, to Zhao Ya without the slightest bit of hesitation, he nevertheless swallowed his anger with a bitter smile. With such a teacher, who doesn’t put himself in unfavorable situations, xiaojie shouldn’t have to worry about being bullied by others. In a certain sense, this is a good thing as well. “Butler Yao…” Just as he managed to put away the message to avoid xiaojie from finding out, a guard walked in with big strides from the outside and announced, “The old master has sent news.” After which, he handed over a Record Crystal. “Un!” Yao Han nodded his head. Pinching the Record Crystal, he infused zhenqi into it and instantaneously, a tall and dashing middle-aged man appeared. Zhao Ya’s father, Baiyu City Lord, Zhao Feng! “I have received the news regarding Xiao Ya. A few days later, I will enter the capital to pay a visit to this Zhang Xuan laoshi.” Within the Record Crystal, Zhao Feng’s gaze was sharp, and he exuded the disposition of a natural leader. “Pure Yin Body… There was a precedent in Xiao Ya’s mother’s lineage. It takes both money and luck to awaken it. I will have to obtain the tier-3 pill which is worth several tens of million for Xiao Ya… the Unravel Yin Pill!” “Upon reaching the capital, I intend to plead with His Majesty to purchase one from the Apothecary Guild for me. You should also make some preparations in advance. Also, I will have someone pass you ten ten-thousand gold bills, give the money to Zhang laoshi. After all, I can’t have him spend his own money on top of having saved my daughter. I don’t wish to owe favors, and I won’t allow my daughter’s benefactor to be at a disadvantage as well!” In the Record Crystal, City Lord Zhao gestured authoritatively, and overwhelming majesty exuded from his actions. Baiyu City is the second largest city in Tianxuan Kingdom. It is known for producing white jades. As the city lord, Zhao Feng possesses absolute authority and controls the massive wealth within the city. Naturally, developed the disposition and mannerisms of a conqueror. Zhang laoshi having recognized Zhao Ya’s Pure Yin Body and even extending a helping hand, was already a huge favor. As the city lord of Baiyu City and a powerful official, how can he allow him to further spend money from his own pocket to pay for his daughter’s treatment? This is an action unbefitting of him as a city lord! “Butler Yao, the city lord had me bring this…” The guard who passed the Record Crystal to him a moment ago passed another few money notes over. “The city lord had also specially instructed me to have you convey to Zhang laoshi that he will repay the favor of teaching xiaojie in the future…” The guard continued speaking. “I got it!” Yao Han nodded his head. “Do not let xiaojie find out about this. You can leave now!” Just when Yao Han was about to continue instructing him on the arrangements, he suddenly saw Zhao Ya walk in. “Uncle Yao, it’s good that you’re here. Help me get someone to prepare a wooden bucket. Also, can you help me check how much the Unravel Yin Pill cost? Is it more expensive than Breath Forging Pills?” Upon entering, Zhao Ya ordered immediately. Zhang laoshi had given her a pill. Even though she doesn’t possess the money to repay him now, she should at least know of its value. This way, she would know at least know how much Zhang laoshi had done for them. “Unravel Yin Pill? Is that a pill which Zhang laoshi had told you about?” Upon hearing xiaojie talk about the pill which the city lord had just mentioned, Yao Han was taken aback. After which, he felt a surge of awe for the latter. Even though Zhang laoshi is indeed underhanded when it comes to scheming against others, his knowledge is indeed impressive. He was able to easily obtain news which the city lord had spent a great amount of money to look into. Impressed, Yao Han smiled and said, “The Unravel Yin Pill is extremely useful for one with the Pure Yin Body. Rest assured, xiaojie, the city lord will be coming over in a few days’ time to purchase it for you…” Not only is a tier-3 pill expensive, one needs proper connections to purchase it. It is impossible for an ordinary person to buy it even if they have sufficient money to do so. This is precisely the reason why City Lord Zhao Feng is making the trip personally to plead with His Majesty to liaise with the Apothecary Guild on his behalf. Otherwise, even as a city lord who possesses exceptional standing in Tianxuan Kingdom, he nevertheless doesn’t possess sufficient status. The Apothecary Guild is a powerful organization that traverses across innumerable borders and countries. The branch in Tianxuan Kingdom is merely a small outlet compared to the innumerable others scattered around the world. Possessing powerful backings, even Emperor Shen Zhui dared not to lay his hands on the Apothecary Guild, needless to say, a small city lord like Zhao Feng. Just as Yao Feng was considering whether to tell xiaojie of the message the city lord sent, he saw her whipping out a bottle. “There’s no need to, Zhang laoshi has already given me a pill, instructing me to cultivate well these few days!” “Given you a pill?” Yao Han’s eyes widened in shock. The city lord had just mentioned that it is a tier-3 pill which costs tens of million for one. Even the Baiyu City would suffer a huge budget deficit spanning several years if they were to spend so much money at once… Zhang laoshi… casually… gave one to her? Yao Han felt that his head was about to burst apart from madness. He had seen generous people, but… he had never seen such a generous person! This is no longer a matter of generosity… This is absolutely inconceivable. “Xiaojie, can I take a look at that pill of yours?” Suppressing his shock, Yao Han redirected his attention. “Here!” Zhao Ya handed over the bottle. After receiving the bottle, Yao Han casually opened it. Hu! A dense fragrance gushed out immediately. With a single whiff, he felt every single pore on his body open, bringing him an incomparably refreshing sensation. Even though he doesn’t possess an in-depth knowledge of pills, just the effect of the scent itself is sufficient for him to realize that the pill is definitely authentic. To casually give a tier-3 Unravel Yin Pill to a student… Where exactly does this Zhang laoshi come from? Previously, he was still harboring thoughts of getting back at the other party when xiaojie isn’t around. However, upon seeing the pill, the thought was erased from his mind immediately. The previous time, when he tried to castrate the other party, he was beaten up so badly that even his parents found it difficult to recognize him… If he were to really make a move again, it would be likely that the other party escapes unscathed once again while he would be sent back to Baiyu City in a coffin… To say the truth, this Zhang laoshi is really too complicated. Yao Han had initially thought that he is a trash teacher of the academy, and he is a despicable pervert who preyed on female students’ immaturity to lay his hands on them. Yet, in the twinkling of an eye, he transformed into a Pixue realm expert, as well as an nonmaterialistic saint who gives his all to his students. That, Yao Han can still accept. Then, the other party even went on to take the apothecary examination and casually gave xiaojie a Frigid Sun Mother Grass and an Unravel Yin Pill… This is no longer a matter of his prestige or his strength. Without backing from someone powerful, it is impossible for him to achieve such feats. “The pail is here. I will be consuming the pill then!” Knowing that this Uncle Yao of hers often stood in a daze ever since he took the beating, Zhao Ya paid no heed. Holding the Unravel Yin Pill, she arranged for the pail to be brought into the room and hastily started training. Time waits for no one. She doesn’t want to disappoint Zhang laoshi. As such, Yao Han was left by himself in the room. After an unknown period of time, he turned to look at the Record Crystal in his hands and with a bitter smile, he shook his head, “Master, I know that you do not wish to owe any favors. But… I doubt that you will be able to repay Zhang laoshi anytime soon…” To gift the Unravel Yin Pill, which even his master is unqualified to buy, to xiaojie so casually… How can his master repay such a favor? He will never be able to repay the favor no matter how hard he tries… … Oblivious to the distress Uncle Yao was suffering, Zhao Ya returned to her room and filled the wooden pail with hot water before sternly instructing that no one is allowed to interrupt her. Then, she took off her clothes and stepped into the pail. Following immediately, she retrieved and swallowed the Unravel Yin Pill. It felt as though she had swallowed a mouthful of scalding soup. A violent wave of scorching energy gushed into her meridians immediately. Unravel Yin Pill is actually a pill which contains pure yang medicinal property. Usually, when such a medicine is absorbed into the body of an ordinary cultivator, it is absorbed by the body and converted into zhenqi and other nourishment, augmenting his strength. However, if a person who possesses the Pure Yin Body were to consume this pill, a calamity would result. Yin and yang are at odds with another; it is impossible for the two to coexist. Under the stimulation of the pure yang medicinal property of the Unravel Yin Pill, the Pure Yin Body would be forced to awaken to protect its host. Even though the concept sounds simple, it is actually an extremely complicated and risky process. A single mistake can cause one’s cultivation to dissipate. “Maintain one’s tranquility and drive one’s cultivation technique.” Knowing that the pill is valuable, Zhao Ya did not dare to waste even a single sliver of the medicinal essence. Zhao Ya focused her attention and followed the cultivation technique which Zhang laoshi imparted her to propel circulate her zhenqi. As befitting of a cultivation technique compiled by the Library of Heaven’s Path, immediately, she felt the violent aura within her body calm down significantly. At the same time, the Pure Yin Body, which had laid dormant all along, started to come to life. Boom! After a moment later, a giant whirlpool of energy manifested within her body, and the energy of the Unravel Yin Pill was swept along, circulating throughout her entire body furiously. Kacha! Kacha! Kacha! The previous hurdle she faced was shattered immediately, and in the blink of an eye, she broke through to Fighter 2-dan Dantian realm. Under the impact of the medicinal essence, as though the valve to a flood had been opened, her unique constitution, which had been tightly sealed for over a decade, awakened abruptly. If anyone were present, they would able to see her skin transform to become increasingly smooth, tender, and bouncy visibly. Even though the previous Zhao Ya is also considered a rare beauty, due to her young age, she had looked immature. However, at this very instant, she exudes the aura of an absolute beauty. Those possess the Pure Yin Body are favored by the heavens. The moment their constitution is awakened, not only will their cultivation be boosted significantly, their skin and figure also improve tremendously. Even though there isn’t a vast difference in terms of appearance, she now carries an absolutely pure disposition, as though an inviolable fairy which had descended from the skies. If she had paled in comparison to Shen Bi Ru before, at this very instant, in terms of just her appearance and disposition, the other party would not be able to raise her head before her. She truly had become the number one goddess in Hongtian Academy and Tianxuan Kingdom. These are the effects of the Pure Yin Body. Just by awakening it, one transforms from the very core, evolving from an ugly duckling into a swan. Not to mention, Zhao Ya was a beauty from the very start. After the metamorphosis, she became even more dazzling. And all this is because she had awakened just ten percent of her constitution. It is unimaginable how she would look like if she were to awaken it fully. Boom! After a long period of time, a loud explosion echoed. The pail shattered into smithereens, and Zhao Ya slowly opened her eyes. A powerful aura surged forth from her body. 181 Lu Xun’s Visi Approximately when Zhao Ya began to cultivate after consuming the Unravel Yin Pill, in the forest behind Hongtian Academy, Yuan Tao was finally done adjusting his state, and he stared fixedly at the jade bottle before him. He was a wandering cultivator, and due to his lack of proper guidance, his results in the entrance examination were poor. Unlike Zhao Ya, who has a private dormitory of her own, he could only squeeze in with the others. Since Zhang laoshi said that applying the paste in the jade bottle will be painful and dangerous, it was clear that he can’t do it in the dormitory. Thus, after pondering over the matter, he decided to come here. It was quiet with no threats of an assault by a savage beast or so, making it a suitable ground for cultivation. “I should begin!” As he had already made up his mind previously, there was nothing for him to hesitate about. He opened the bottle immediately. Weng! An overwhelming smell of pungent blood gushed out from the jade bottle. Following promptly, he felt an extraordinarily violent energy and it made him tremble involuntarily. After taking off the clothes on his body, piece by piece, he poured out the liquid from the jade bottle and spread it on his body. Sssssssss! The moment the crimson-red fluid came into contact with his skin, Yuan Tao felt as though his entire body was pierced with needles. The pain was so excruciating that he felt as though his skin was being torn over and over again. “AH…” Under the excruciating pain, Yuan Tao collapsed onto the floor. This pain far surpassed all other which he had experienced in the past. It felt as though someone was carving his skin off with a sharp dagger. His face lost all colors quickly, taking on a shade of absolute paleness. Cold sweat dripped off Yuan Tao’s face and his body shivered unceasingly. “The pain…” His sight blurred and he found himself losing grasp on his consciousness. No matter what, he is just a sixteen to seventeen-year-old child. Regardless of what he had gone through and what he had suffered in the past, he would still cower in the face of excruciating pain. “Why don’t I… give up… the present state of things is not that bad, why do I have to raise my strength?” The thought invaded his mind, striking at his will repeatedly. “If I give up… Will Zhang laoshi reprimand me?” Just as he felt his determination wearing thin, a figure suddenly appeared before him. Zhang laoshi! He was looking at him with that ever impassive expression. His eyebrows were creased, and his displeasure was apparent. “No, I can’t betray the trust he has in me…” Noticing the seemingly angered Zhang laoshi, Yuan Tao shivered and illimitable fighting spirit came gushing out from him anew. Before meeting Zhang laoshi, he was always the butt of jokes. Not only was he plump and had poor comprehension ability, his cultivation realm was sorely lacking. He had pleaded with more than ten teachers, only to be chased out of each of their doors. No one wanted to bother him. He thought that he spend his life without achieving anything. But… he met Zhang laoshi. It’s Zhang laoshi who did not despise him for his figure or his ability. It’s Zhang laoshi who specially tailored cultivation techniques for him, even toiling through the night to obtain this liquid so that he can improve and break through to higher realms! To him, Yuan Tao felt indebted. The other party had put effort into grooming him. If he were to be unable to take such little bit of pain, how can he have the cheek to face him in the future? Zhang laoshi, rest assured. I will not let you down. I will persevere on and obtain your approval! An unyielding resolution bloomed in his heart. When his eyes opened once more, he realized that the heart-wrenching pain had dulled by a fair bit. After an unknown period of time. The pain slowly subsided. Lowering his head to take a look, Yuan Tao realized that the red substance he had spread over his entire body had been completely absorbed. At the same time, a thick layer of armor resembling scales had appeared on his skin. Even though he had no idea what it was, he knew that his defensive ability had been increased by multiple folds. “Zhang laoshi said that it isn’t sufficient to just apply the substance once. Continue!” Seeing that there is still a fair bit of liquid in the jade bottle, Yuan Tao spread it over his body once more. After going through the agony once, Yuan Tao felt a little hesitant. However, upon thinking of Zhang laoshi, Yuan Tao steeled his heart. Eventually, he utilized the entire bottle of red substance. “This is…” Lowering his head to take a look, Yuan Tao realized that a layer of cuticle had formed on the surface of his skin after he had absorbed the red substance, and it is somewhat reminiscent of fish scales. “I should give it a try…” Doubtful, the flames of curiosity appeared in Yuan Tao’s mind, and he charged straight at a tree nearby. Kacha! With a crisp sound, the bowl-size thick tree was immediately broken at the trunk. At the same time, all he felt on his body was an itch. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of pain. Yuan Tao’s eyes narrowed. Just how strong are his defensive and offensive abilities now? “Teacher… I have succeeded…” Recalling the suffering that he had gone through, Yuan Tao clenched his fists and tears came streaming down his cheeks. At the very least, I didn’t betray teacher’s trust in me… Zhang laoshi, I have succeeded in meeting your goal! ………… At the same time, Wang Ying, Zheng Yang, and Liu Yang were also working hard. After receiving a movement technique manual and a leg technique manual from Zhang laoshi, Wang Ying did not hesitate in the least and returned back home immediately to train. Her fighting prowess is rising progressively. Zheng Yang continued to push against the boundaries of Fighter 2-dan so that he can reach Dantian realm within five days. Liu Yang had also started practicing Heaven’s Path Fist Art. The sound of his fists created sonic booms here and there. While the five great disciples were busy training, the respected teacher, Zhang laoshi finally woke up, stretching his back lazily. “How did I fall asleep here?” Upon opening his eyes, he realized that he had fallen asleep in the resting area in the classroom. There were no beddings, but he didn’t feel the slightest chill. Unknowingly, a layer of clothes had been placed on him to keep him warm. There were both male and female clothing in the mix… His five students, fearful that he would catch a cold, took off their coats for him. “These little fellows…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Due to the overwhelming exhaustion he felt yesterday, he fell asleep the moment he sat on the chair. His students probably carried him here gently before covering him with their clothes. Looks like he had really overexerted himself. Otherwise, given his strength, it shouldn’t have been possible for him to be moved without realizing it at all. After the sleep, the fatigue which he had accumulated over five days disappeared entirely. Looking through the windows, he realized that it is already noon the next day. “Since I’ve accepted their money, I should attend to their problems…” As a ‘master teacher’, he had accepted eighty million from the others. Given his fatigued state, it is one thing for him to have ignored them yesterday. However, now that he has recovered, he should at least offer them some pointers in return for their money. Otherwise, he would feel guilty. Returning back to his residence, he saw Sun Qiang welcoming him anxiously with tears brimming from his eyes. After eating some food, Zhang Xuan had Sun Qiang invite the people in, according to the sequence in which they paid up. These people were mainly those who had met a wall in their cultivation and hoped to achieve a breakthrough. A person’s cultivation is just like a river flow. If one is unable to achieve a breakthrough, it means that there must be something hindering him from doing so. Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan is able to easily locate the blockage site and, utilizing his silver needles and pure zhenqi, inducing a breakthrough isn’t a difficult task at all. After all, these people had cultivated for an extremely long time and the accumulation of their hard work had brought them to a state where they are merely a single step away from breaking through, just that this step had obstructed their path for a very long time. What Zhang Xuan had to do was to merely assist them across the door. Using the river analogy once more, just by inducing a crack in the obstruction, the overwhelming volume of water which had accumulated over time would blast open the entire blockage through sheer force. Of course, while the principle sounds simple, it is nigh impossible for any other master teacher to accomplish the same feat as Zhang Xuan. Be it physique, cultivation technique, habits, every single person varies immensely from the other… Thus, the blockage in each and every person differs greatly. It is just like how there are no two identical leaves in the world, the blockages in the meridian within a cultivator’s body were vastly different. Without the Library of Heaven’s Path, it would be impossible for one to know where the source of the problem is, needless to say, help the other person achieve a breakthrough. … Outside Zhang Xuan’s residence. Sun Qiang opened the door and shouted, “Next…” “I’m sorry, can you let us through?” The moment Sun Qiang’s words sounded, another voice came from the back and two young men came forward with widened strides. They are Lu Xun and Wang Chao from Hongtian Academy, and they are here to visit Yang shi. As they were dressed in teacher’s robes, even though the crowd was displeased by their action of cutting their queue, they nevertheless opened up a path for them. “Butler Sun, we are…” Wang Chao stepped forward and clasped his hands. They had waited for an entire day, and initially, they thought that their statuses as star teachers would be able to attract Yang Xuan’s attention and that he would quickly summon them in. Yet… Yang shi did not appear the entire day. Whenever Sun Qiang emerges, he would just shout for the next in the queue to enter. He refused their name scrolls, and this caused them to panic. “Scram!” Before Wang Chao could even finish his words, Sun Qiang frowned, “Did you think that this is your house, for you to charge forward like this? Go to the back of the queue!” “I…” To be bellowed at by a mere Pigu realm butler, Wang Chao’s face flushed and he nearly exploded into rage. As a star teacher, regardless of where he goes, Wang Chao receives tremendous respect. There are no master teachers in Tianxuan Kingdom, and as such, Lu Xun and he are the most welcomed figures in the capital. He thought that just by stepping forward to reveal his identity, he would be able to hand over his name scroll and enter the residence. Yet, beyond his wildest dreams, before he could even finish his sentence, this plump butler demanded him to scram. “Why? Do you wish to violate the rules?” Sun Qiang flung his hands majestically, “Do you want to try me? Without even lifting a single finger of mine, there will be someone to throw you out.” The heck, where did this bumpkin come from? To dare to cut the queue outside a master teacher’s residence, he must be truly ignorant. Even though Sun Qiang isn’t a master teacher, the people who are here to pay Yang shi a visit would be more than willing to do the job for him. Hearing these words, Wang Chao became so angry that his body started to tremble with agitation. Anywhere else, such an insignificant figure would have been easily crushed by him with a single, casual blow, and no one would dare to speak up for him. Yet, this person is now asking him to scram, even threatening to throw him out… His face flushed, and he clenched his fists tightly. Even though he was angry, he didn’t dare to rebuke Sun Qiang. After all, they are here to earn Yang shi’s favor and become his apprentice. If they were to offend his butler even before meeting him, all hope would be lost. “Butler Sun, please calm down. I am Lu Xun, a teacher from Hongtian Academy. I wish to pay Yang shi a visit, and I hope that you can help refer us to him…” Extending his hand to restrain his good buddy, Lu Xun stepped forward with a smile on his face. “Lu Xun laoshi?” Sun Qiang was taken aback. Even though he was just an ordinary merchant in the commercial city who rarely came into contact with top-notch figures, he had long heard of Lu Xun laoshi’s great name, him being an incredibly famous figure in the capital. He is the sole son of the emperor’s tutor, Master Lu Chen, as well as the most likely person in Tianxuan Kingdom to become a master teacher. Not only so, despite being under twenty-five, he has already achieved Pixue realm. His talent is top-notch, even within the entire kingdom. Due to his identity, even Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm experts treat him with the utmost respect. Yet… Sun Qiang just asked him to ‘scram’? Cough cough, his luck is truly bad. He had just offended three master teachers, and now, he has offended another potential master teacher… He had seen how the old master criticized others however he wished, and it looked easy then. Yet, why was it that difficult for him to do the same? 182 Throw Him Ou “This is our name scroll, I hope that Butler Sun can help us pass it to Yang shi. If we were to be summoned by Yang shi, us brothers will be extremely grateful for your help.” Seemingly seeing through Sun Qiang’s fear, Lu Xun smiled faintly. He placed his hands behind his back and displayed a confident smile. Since young, his life had been smooth-sailing. Furthermore, with the reputation that he had made for himself in the past few years, a confident demeanor had grown in him. Within the Tianxuan Kingdom, who would dare to treat Lu Xun with disrespect? In the past, he relied on his father’s prestige as the ‘emperor’s tutor’. But now, he had made a name for himself as the ‘Star Teacher Lu Xun’. “Alright!” Nodding his head, Sun Qiang grabbed the name scroll and walked into the residence. Even though Lu Xun is merely a celebrity teacher now, given experience, it is extremely likely that he would become a master teacher. As a lowly butler, Sun Qiang did not want any involvement in a matter between master teachers. Thus, he decided to leave the matter to the old master. “Abusing his authority, acting like he is in charge!” Upon seeing the plump man change his attitude after hearing Lu Xun’s name, Wang Chao harrumphed coldly and a look of disdain appeared on his face the moment Sun Qiang disappeared into the mansion. He had investigated Sun Qiang’s background beforehand. He was only the boss of a realtor store and for some reason, he caught Yang shi’s sight, causing the massive change in his social standing. Despite reaching Pigu realm only after forty years of age, being fat like a pig, and possessing no special capabilities whatsoever, he dared to bellow at him. If not for his identity as Yang shi’s butler, he would have long taught him a lesson. “He’s just an insignificant figure. Brother Wang, you need not pay him any heed.” Lu Xun chuckled. “So it’s Lu Xun laoshi and Wang Chao laoshi. I apologize for failing to recognize you two.” “You both are famous celebrities in the entire kingdom. I’ve been wanting to pay you a visit, and it is truly a pleasant surprise to meet you here.” “It is truly my honor to be meeting you two. I might have to impose on you two in the future…” Hearing the exchange, those queuing behind them dispelled their anger immediately and acted politely to them. Teachers can be classified into two categories: ordinary teachers and master teachers. Ordinary teachers can be further subdivided into low-level, high-level, and star teachers. On the other hand, master teachers can be differentiated as apprentices (also known as assistant master teacher) and certified master teachers. Lu Xun and Wang Chao belong within the first classification, but they had attained the highest level, therefore gaining the qualification to become a master teacher. As long as they receive the acknowledgment from a master teacher, they would be promoted to become an apprentice master teacher immediately and soar to great heights. Possessing such a status, even though those waiting by the doors are powerful experts with exceptional standing in the kingdom, they did not dare to offend them. Furthermore, they are here to pay a visit to Yang shi. If things go well, they might well become Yang shi’s apprentice. Flattering them then would be too late. Upon seeing the attitude of the crowd, Lu Xun and Wang Chao chuckled simultaneously as they clenched their fists in agitation. At this moment, they felt an overwhelming sense of superiority, as though a single word of theirs can change the fate of others, as though they had already become apprentice master teachers. The reason why they had been trying to make a name for themselves at such a young age is precisely because of this. “Please do not get angry at that butler. When you both become Yang shi’s apprentice, he will never dare to say such words again.” A cultivator fawned upon them. “Indeed! Once you become Yang shi’s apprentices, you will be considered his disciples. On the other hand, he is just a butler, a servant!” Another person chirped in. “You’re all being too polite. How can becoming an apprentice master teacher be so simple?” Even though Lu Xun’s words seemed humble, a confident smile was displayed on his face, as if to say “who else but me?”. But that is to be expected. He is known as the most incredible star teacher in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. If a master teacher were to be looking for an apprentice, no one in the entire kingdom would be able to compete against him. “Lu laoshi, you’re being too humble. I’ve heard that Liu shi has the intention to accept you as his disciple!” “I’ve also heard of it. But judging from how even Liu shi paid a visit to Yang shi personally, if you can become Yang shi’s apprentice, your starting point will be even higher.” “If you become Yang shi’s apprentice, your standing will probably not lose to any other 1-star master teacher. When that time comes, we’ll be relying on you two…” A few more people offered their flatteries. “Don’t worry. If Yang shi really accepts me as his apprentice, I won’t forget any of you.” Lu Xun and Wang Chao chuckled together. They stood proudly before the others as though a lotus rising above the mud, inviolable beings whom others can only look up to respectfully. Jiya! At this moment, the entrance opened and Sun Qiang emerged once again. Seeing him reappear, the duo stepped forward immediately. “Sorry for the trouble, Butler Sun. Please lead the way.” Wang Chao chuckled haughtily as he proceeded to walk toward the mansion. However, before he could even take a few steps, a plump figure blocked his path. Then, he saw Sun Qiang look at them with a peculiar expression. “Could it be that Yang shi did not allow us to enter?” Wang Chao’s face darkened. That shouldn’t be! They had listed their accomplishments in detail on the name scroll. As well-qualified star teachers, how is it possible that they are rejected? “Enter? Who allowed you to enter? You two have two choices. You can either join the queue from the back or… scram!” Sun Qiang gestured with his hands authoritatively. “You…” He didn’t expect that the other party would continue behaving like that even after the name scroll had been handed over. Lu Xun and Wang Chao were infuriated. “Is this Yang shi’s intentions? As a lowly butler, you should know your place to not falsely report your master’s words!” Lu Xun stepped forward. He had his moment of glory when everyone else thought that Yang shi would summon them in. If they were to be rejected like this, his reputation would fall into the gutters immediately, and he would find it difficult to lift his head before anyone else in the future. “Falsely report? Men, throw these two troublemakers out.” Sun Qiang could not be bothered with them and beckoned for the guards. Huala! Several guards appeared from behind the gate, and each armed with a rod, they walked toward Lu Xun and Wang Chao. “You…” Wang Chao’s face was flushed red. “Sun Qiang, how dare you…” What do you mean by this? Thrusting rods at me? Do you think that we’re beggars? We’re star teachers, respected figures in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom… If we were to be driven away by you like that, what will become of our dignity? “Why would I dare not to? My old master has already instructed that no matter who it is, if one wants to meet him, he has to queue up and pay three million gold coins. Teachers are no exception. Otherwise, if everyone were to visit with just a name scroll in hand, won’t the old master be exhausted to death? To think that you are a star teacher, pui! To dare cut the queue without even paying. Please do not tarnish the reputation of teachers any further!” Sun Qiang stared at the two contemptuously. He waved his arm, as though driving away flies, and said, “Throw them out!” He also felt anxious earlier on. But when he handed the name scroll to the old master, the latter only asked a single question: Have they paid yet?’. Upon hearing that they had not paid the sum, he simply ordered Sun Qiang to handle as per the rule. From this, it can be seen that star teachers… do not mean anything to the old master at all. Oh well, even when the three master teachers paid their visit, the old master did not hold them in high regard. If so, what would a mere star teacher mean to him? Huala! Upon hearing Sun Qiang’s command, the guards stepped forth, “The two teachers, please!” As they said so, strange looks appeared on their faces. “I always thought that teachers value their dignity a lot. It turns out that they wish to sneak in just by using name scrolls and avoid the entrance fee?” “Yang shi’s actions are applaudable. He views everyone as equals, and even teachers are not given special privileges. I am impressed!” “To have cut queue when they don’t have money. They sure are thick-skinned. To think that I wanted to befriend them just now…” “It is impossible for such low-class people to attract Yang shi’s attention. To think that they wanted to become his apprentices… How hilarious!” … Not just the guards, the crowd also harrumphed coldly. They had paid the exorbitant sum and queued continuously for several days. Even so, they haven’t been summoned. On the other hand, the two of them, without even paying up, wished to enter the mansion. What a joke! They are asking for a scolding! “…” Observing clearly the contemptuous looks that the crowd shot them, Lu Xun and Wang Chao nearly spurted blood. The strong sense of humiliation caused their heads to feel faint. To avoid an awkward situation, they had intended to pay the three million visiting fee in private. Lu Xun had composed the name scroll earnestly with the expectation that even if the other party refuses to meet them, he would at least pay some consideration to their identities and keep quiet about the fee. In contrast, not only did the plump man reveal the matter, he even looked at them scornfully… Tears threatened to stream down Lu Xun and Wang Chao’s faces. The heck! This time, they truly lost every shred of their dignity. If there were a hole in the ground, they definitely would have dived in instantly. “You…” Just as he was about to continue with some small talk to calm down the situation and restore his dignity, Wang Chao felt a grip on his arm. Lu Xun was pulling him away. “My apologies, Butler Sun. We were too rash today. We will be taking our leave…” After which, he turned and left. That Butler Sun is a tough nut to crack. He dares to say anything and everything. If they do not leave but continue bickering with him, not only will they simply get more infuriated, they would also be humiliated further. Those who are able to become star teachers are, by no means, fools. Upon seeing his good buddy turn around to leave, Wang Chao also recognized his concerns. Glaring hatefully at Sun Qiang, he turned around and left as well. “Lu Xun, what do we do now?” Upon leaving the crowd, they walked into a remote alley. Then, Wang Chao couldn’t help but ask. Initially, they thought that submitting their name scrolls would help them impress the other party. As long as they were summoned in, they were confident that, with their knowledge, they would able to impress Yang shi. However, never in their dreams did they expect that… not only did the other party reject their entry, his butler even pointed out in public the fact that they didn’t pay the entrance fee. The anger and dismay they felt sent them to the verge of insanity. “What else can we do? We can only obtain the three million entrance fee and then enter with our heads held high.” Lu Xun clenched his jaws. Only by meeting Yang shi can they display their abilities to win his favor. Since they can’t even meet with the person in question, what is the purpose of arguing with the butler? “Three million? Where can we find such a sum? Wang Chao’s face was as bitter as a bitter gourd. “You know it as well. My relationship with that old man isn’t good. Even if he has the money, he will never give it to me. Besides, how can I break it to him?” Lu Xun shook his head. “My old man could have taken out such a sum. But a few days ago, he learned an incredible spear art and paid several million as the tuition fee, so our clan is broke now. We might not be able to produce even a hundred thousand now…” Wang Chao smiled bitterly. That father of his had been immersed in that spear art like a fool for the last few days, to the point that he was not even willing to spare time for this son of his. Besides, even if he really has the money, obtaining it from him would be unlikely to happen. “Sigh, so what should we do now?” The duo was troubled. “Lu Xun, if it comes down to it, how about you try asking Emperor Shen Zhui for a loan… Didn’t you grow up in the palace? It shouldn’t be hard for you to borrow three million from him. Besides, it isn’t too late to repay him the sum when you become an apprentice…” Suddenly recalling something, Wang Chao proposed. “Emperor Shen Zhui?” Lu Xun rubbed between his brows for a moment before replying. “Alright!” 183 Treating Shen Hong While Lu Xun and Wang Chao were thinking about how they could borrow three million to pay ‘Yang shi’ a visit, the person in question, Zhang Xuan, had his eyebrows deeply knitted together. Lu Xun’s motive for paying a visit was clear to see. It didn’t matter to Zhang Xuan whether he met the other party or not, and he didn’t instruct Sun Qiang to make things difficult for him either. The both of them are merely embroiled in a Teacher Evaluation, and there really isn’t any grudge to speak of. Thus, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to intentionally make things difficult for the other party. Besides, he doesn’t have the leisure to be thinking about this at the moment, because… a black-clothed man is standing before him. This person had entered through the back gates. Fully dressed in black, even the figure’s face was concealed, making it impossible to identify the person. Initially, Zhang Xuan thought that the person was here to cause trouble. However, the moment he entered the main hall, he bowed immediately and removed the black cloth concealing his face. “Emperor Shen Zhui, you…” Upon making out the other party’s appearance, Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He had thought that it was a burglar or a bandit. He had never fathomed that it would be Emperor Shen Zhui, whom he had just met yesterday. As the sovereign of the country, the entire kingdom belongs to him. Yet, instead of entering openly through the front door, he sneaked into the mansion dressed in black. Acting so secretively, what is he up to? “Please pardon my intrusion. I am here to plead with Yang shi to… save the Royal Elder!” Upon noticing his questioning gaze, Emperor Shen Zhui quickly explained. “Save your Royal Elder?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. Sneaking into the mansion dressed in black, it doesn’t seem like saving someone… but trying to kill someone? “Didn’t I say that I will help you?” Zhang Xuan frowned. In return for saving their Royal Elder, he had already stated his terms yesterday which the other party had agreed to. So, why did the fellow barge in like this? Could it be that this fellow found gathering Tongxuan realm secret manuals a difficult task and had chosen to resort to force instead? When this thought flashed through his mind, Zhang Xuan was alarmed. To be able to become the sovereign of the country, Emperor Shen Zhui’s fighting prowess has to be extraordinary. At the very least, it is likely that he has reached Tongxuan realm pinnacle. Even though his own cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds recently, he nevertheless isn’t a match for an expert of that level. However, Zhang Xuan dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. Putting aside the fact that the other party knows that he’s a master teacher, he wouldn’t dare to do so given that he is, in fact, pleading with him to save his Royal Elder. If he enters a rage and refuses to help or, instead, makes an intentional mistake during treatment, the Royal Elder might actually ascend to heaven earlier than expected. “I acknowledge that it is inappropriate for me to have visited so abruptly today, and I should have gathered the Tongxuan realm secret manuals before inviting Yang shi over, but who knew that… yesterday, the Royal Elder’s condition worsened all of a sudden… He might not even survive the day…” Emperor Shen Zhui sensed the displeasure in the other party, and he hurriedly bowed down and explained: “Thus… I took the liberty to barge into Yang shi’s mansion. I hope that Yang shi can make a trip to treat the Royal Elder.” “Might not even survive the day? Even if you want me to treat him… There shouldn’t be any need for you to be dressed like this…” Zhang Xuan was speechless. You are a dignified sovereign, a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert. Even if your Royal Elder is on the verge of dying, you should need not dress in black and scale walls. It makes it seem that you are here to murder someone. It’s fortunate that those guards aren’t highly-skilled. Otherwise, you could have died for no reason. “The Royal Elder’s health is the greatest secret of the entire kingdom, and it is imperative for it to remain confidential…” Emperor Shen Zhui explained. It was because of the Royal Elder’s presence that Tianxuan Kingdom had been able to remain in peace for many years. There are already quite a few who know that the old ancestor’s health had been deteriorating, and if Emperor Shen Zhui were to pay an open visit to Yang shi and the other powers find out, they would be able to guess the real reason. If Yang shi fails to treat him, their ambitions would definitely be ignited and they may take advantage of this opportunity to strike. At the same time, if Emperor Shen Zhui were to send someone else here in his stead, it would be disrespectful to Yang shi. He has no choice but to conceal his appearance and sneak over. As a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert, it wasn’t a difficult task for him to hide from sight to creep in here. “Un!” Having heard the other party’s explanation, Zhang Xuan came to understand the situation. “Alright, I’ll follow you to take a look.” Looks like this emperor has regarded him as the final straw of hope. However, it doesn’t matter to Zhang Xuan either way. If he were to save that Royal Elder, the emperor would definitely not dare to delay the matter regarding the Tongxuan realm secret manuals. As long as he can obtain a thousand books on Tongxuan realm and create a compilation, his strength would surely soar. “There are too many eyes outside. I might have to trouble Yang shi to leave through the back door with me…” Upon hearing him agree to it, Emperor Shen Zhui’s eyes gleamed in delight. But he continued immediately with an apologetic voice. “It’s no problem!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. After calling Sun Qiang and informing him briefly, he secretly left the residence under the lead of Emperor Shen Zhui. Hu! Two figures leaped across the skyline of Tianxuan Royal City as though flying birds. If those who had yet to reach Dingli realm were to look up, even if they were to focus all of their attention, they would only see two shadows flitting by. They are Zhang Xuan and Shen Zhui, who are in a rush to the royal palace. As a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert who possesses remarkable movement techniques, Shen Zhui’s movement was extraordinarily swift. However, when he glanced behind at Yang shi, who was following him, his confidence shattered immediately. En route, he had utilized over twelve movement techniques, and he had become so tired from running that he was about to collapse out of exhaustion. Yet, Yang shi continued to traverse with ease, without the slightest bit of urgency. His breathing was calm, as though this was a simple feat to him. Even though he was unable to exactly perceive the other party’s prowess, from this itself, it was clear that the other party’s zhenqi is much more vigorous. Furthermore, the other party’s movement technique is far superior. They couldn’t even be compared. With such powerful zhenqi and amazing movement technique, it is impossible that the other party is a weakling. It is no wonder the three master teachers were impressed with him. Without a doubt, his strength definitely surpasses Tongxuan realm pinnacle. In fact… It isn’t impossible for him to be a Zongshi realm expert! Upon thinking of this, Emperor Shen Zhui felt even greater respect for Yang shi. While Shen Zhui became increasingly fearful of the other party, in truth, Zhang Xuan was feeling extremely dismal at the back. From the very start, this fellow had been dashing ahead with all of his might. If he fails to keep up, his identity might be exposed. Thus, he could only clench his jaws and try his best to stay close. He is only at Pixue realm pinnacle. Even though he has opened up all 108 acupoints and his strength is equivalent to a Tongxuan realm intermediate stage cultivator, he is still a far cry from the top experts in the kingdom. It is fortunate that he had managed to learn Heaven’s Path Movement Art a few days ago, allowing him to travel at greater speed. Otherwise, the other party would have disappeared from his sight right from the very start. Even so, there were a few times which he nearly got shaken off. Thus, he made use of the Library of Heaven’s Path to look into the flaws of the other party’s movement techniques and his habits, predicting his movement in advance and taking a shorter route, thus avoiding the fate of being left behind. “It is fortunate that there are many flaws in his movement technique. Otherwise, if the other party really did manage to shake me off, I would have to give up on feigning as an expert…” There are likely to be two reasons why the other party is traveling at such great speed. Firstly, the condition of the Royal Elder in the palace is grave. Secondly, Shen Zhui wants to test Yang shi’s capabilities. If the other party is truly a formidable master teacher, his speed should be exceptional. If the other party fails to catch up with him, even if he doesn’t point it out then, he would definitely be doubtful of the person’s identity. It is precisely because of this that Zhang Xuan felt dismal. What is this? The trip to the palace to save a person had suddenly become a race. He had to exert all of his strength just to keep up. If not for his image as an ‘expert’, he would have long sent a kick to the other party’s face. Is he here to request for my help or to race with me… Furthermore, he had to keep up without displaying the slightest bit of fatigue. If not for the fact that he had broken through recently and that the zhenqi in his body had increased tremendously, he would have given himself away. The heck! It truly is difficult to pass off as an expert. This really isn’t something a normal human can achieve. If Sun Qiang were to hear of his thoughts, he would definitely express his utmost agreement. It was precisely because of him trying to do the same that he nearly caused his own death… Until now, he remains traumatized by the event. “Since I have already obtained the things that Zhao Ya and the others need, when I finally gather the Tongxuan realm secret manuals, I will have this ‘Yang Xuan’ disappear…” Zhang Xuan made up his mind. Even though impersonating a master teacher had allowed him to receive enormous respect, it came with its fair share of trouble as well. If he were to be seen through, it would already be considered letting him off easily if he were to be pummeled to death. Now, it appears to be a wise decision to have ‘Master Teacher Yang Xuan’ disappear the instant he receives the Tongxuan realm secret manuals. Without any rest, in ten minutes or so, they reached the royal palace. It seems that proper instructions had been given, and there were no hindrances at any point. Soon, they arrived at a large hall. “Right in here…” Emperor Shen Zhui pushed open the door and walked in. Inside the hall, Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi were present. Creases had formed on their eyebrows as they stared helplessly at the Royal Elder lying nearby. The stabilizing pillar of Tianxuan Kingdom, Shen Hong. A few days ago, this white-haired elder was still able to walk independently. But now, he can only lie on the bed and gasp for air. It seems that he may die at any moment. “Yang shi!” As they entered, Liu Ling and the others immediately stepped forward to welcome Yang shi. After the previous encounter, they understood that it is likely that Yang shi is a higher tier master teacher, and as such, they did not dare to act arrogantly in the slightest before him. “I plead of Yang shi to save the Royal Elder…” Emperor Shen Zhui turned to look at Zhang Xuan anxiously. “If I can save him, I will do so.” Zhang Xuan replied before walking forward to the elder. The death aura that engulfs Shen Hong is much heavier in comparison to that on Apothecary Chen Xiao previously. He can only lie still on the bed. If not for his moving eyeballs, one would have thought that he had already passed away. It is no wonder that Emperor Shen Zhui specially rushed to look for him. Based on Shen Hong’s current condition, it is hard to say whether he can live past today. Having walked a circle around Shen Hong, Zhang Xuan still couldn’t identify the problem. Thus, he could only place his fingers to feel the other party’s pulse. “Un?” The Library of Heaven’s Path remained reactionless. It wasn’t that he had grabbed the wrong hand, but… Shen Hong isn’t in a coma. His eyeballs are still moving, and he is still conscious… “It wouldn’t be realistic to have him execute a punching routine now…” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. Given that fellow’s current condition, it is already a blessing that Shen Hong can keep his eyes open. If he were to really push himself to execute a punching routine, he might really die before Zhang Xuan can do anything. “Yang shi… Is there a method to treat him?” Upon seeing him frown, Emperor Shen Zhui could not help but ask anxiously. This is already his final straw of hope. If Yang shi is unable to come up with a solution, he can only watch as the Royal Elder breathes his last. “This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He can’t possibly mention that he couldn’t discern anything about the other party. Having the conscious execute a punching routine and touching the unconscious, he had tried the two methods and successfully compiled books in the library through such. But… How can he deal with this those in such a semi- conscious state? He can’t have him execute a punching routine, and touching him is ineffective. Why don’t you pass out for a moment? You are obviously having trouble holding onto your consciousness, what are you doing not passing out! “Cough cough…” After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan lifted his head and asked, “This… Is there any object here which can knock him unconscious without… killing him?” 184 Poison Master “Knock him unconscious without killing him?” Emperor Shen Zhui, Liu Ling, and Zheng Fei stared at one another as question marks popped above their heads. Isn’t he here to save the Royal Elder? Why do you need something to knock him unconscious? Don’t people usually infuse zhenqi, feed medicine, or apply acupuncture and such to save others? Does knocking someone out help too? The corner of Zhuang Xian’s mouth twitched. He felt a tightening sensation at his backside and a constipated sensation overwhelmed him. Even though he had consumed numerous medicine, his face remained swollen. His body was still aching from the beating that he suffered that day. Even though the other party had helped him achieve a breakthrough and he is genuinely grateful to the other party for that… Aren’t his methods way too unorthodox? There are set procedures which typical master teachers follow when helping others to achieve a breakthrough of their current cultivation realm. In fact, it had even a model. Yet, this fellow simply went ahead to blindfold him and beat him up… Even until now, he has yet to recover from the trauma of that incident. Of course, he understood that his condition is unique and thus, it was within reason that he had to resort to such extreme means. However, why does he have to knock the dying Shen Hong unconscious to save him? Could it be another inconceivable treatment method… “There’s a type of powder which can knock one unconscious with just a single whiff…” After hesitating for a moment, Emperor Shen Zhui said. All kinds of medicine can be found in the royal palace. It isn’t difficult to find one that can knock a person unconscious without killing him. “Good, bring it over!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up as he instructed. Soon, a eunuch brought a jade bottle over. Opening the jade bottle, he saw that it was filled with white- colored powder. “Good.” Nodding his head in satisfaction, Zhang Xuan took the bottle and walked up to Shen Hong. Under perplexed gazes, Yang shi walked up to the Royal Elder who was gasping for air and said with confidence, “Breathe it in! Come on, breathe it in!” Putong! Everyone nearly fainted. They were puzzled over why he required the medicine, but upon hearing his words, they nearly choked to death on their own saliva. When saving someone, one usually feeds tonic and spiritual essence… Yet, you feed him sedatives… Are you sure you aren’t here to murder him?! While everyone had entered a frenzy, the royal family’s Royal Elder struggled to shake his head, his face full of fear. If not for the fact that he was immobile, he might have leaped up and fled the scene. At the peak of his health, breathing this in would place great stress on his body. Now that he is on the verge of death, if he were to take a whiff, he might just fall dead. Do you think that I am not dying quickly enough? That you want to give me a helping hand? With his heart full of panic, he turned to look at Emperor Shen Zhui. Weren’t you going to invite master teachers over so that I can achieve a breakthrough and extend my longevity? Why is the person you brought trying to get me to breathe in sedatives? What are you doing? This is way too much! “Cough cough, Yang shi… The old ancestor’s body is extremely frail now. I’m afraid that… if he were to inhale it… his body might be unable to handle it!” Upon noticing the doubtful gaze his Royal Elder shot him, Emperor Shen Zhui’s mouth twitched and he hurried forward to stop him. When he witnessed Yang shi’s bizarre methods the day before, he thought that it would be limited to helping others achieve a breakthrough. To think that even his treatment method would be so incredulous. The Royal Elder had already expended great willpower to hold on in wait of your arrival. If he were to really breathe it in, even if he doesn’t die, he wouldn’t be too far from it. “Unable to handle it?” Zhang Xuan stopped. The other party’s words made sense. The fellow looks as though he would die at any moment. He had been depending on his will to survive. If he were to really fall unconscious and the drive holding him here disappears, he may just die on the spot. So now, I can’t knock him unconscious, and neither can I have him execute a battle technique. What should I do? Zhang Xuan was at a loss. He thought that by using the Library of Heaven’s Path, he would be able to easily see the root of his illness. Even if he couldn’t save him, he could discuss it to prove his expertise. But look at the situation, the other party just has to be in such a state, rendering him completely helpless. “Then… is there anything that can temporarily boost his vitality, such that he will not die even if he were to be knocked unconscious?” After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan asked. Since the other party is on the verge of death, using sedative is out of the question. Thus, he can only find a way to temporarily boost the other party’s vitality so that he wouldn’t die when he is knocked unconscious. “Wouldn’t die even if he were to be knocked unconscious?” The others stared at one another. This Yang shi is truly determined to knock Royal Elder Shen Hong unconscious… “Liu shi, is there anything among the master teacher diagnosis methods that… require a person to be knocked unconscious?” Zhuang Xian secretly sent a telepathic message over. There are many methods for a master teacher to diagnose a person’s condition. Just like how a physician diagnoses a patient, through these methods, a master teacher can understand the exact condition of the person and point out the very core of his issue. The ‘expert’ before them has practices simply too bizarre. Even as master teachers, they are unable to comprehend the logic behind his actions. “This… Usually, the person has to be conscious to be diagnosed. Unconscious… I really have no idea at all!” Liu Ling shook his head. He is knowledgeable and had toured many different kingdoms. He had seen people using all kinds of means to wake an unconscious person to diagnose him, but he had never come across knocking a person unconscious to diagnose him. An unconscious person is not much different from a corpse, how can one identify his problem like that? … The few master teachers were baffled. Emperor Shen Zhui was also bewildered. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “This… the Royal Elder has already consumed all kinds of tonics that might possibly extend his longevity and boost his vitality. Just that these medicines are mostly ineffective now…” Shen Hong had the backing of the entire kingdom. In order to extend his longevity, he had ingested all kinds of medicine and his body had already developed an immunity to medicinal effects. Even if he were to be fed with more medicine now, it is unlikely that it would be effective. Hearing the other party’s words, Zhang Xuan felt dismal. Initially, he thought that once the old ancestor is fed with some medicine, he would regain sufficient vitality to execute a battle technique. Yet, this fellow turned out to be a drug junkie, and medicine is ineffective on him… The hell, am I really going to fail this time? “I do know of one item that can boost a person’s vitality for a short period of time. It works just like the medicine that Emperor Shen Zhui mentioned; after consumption, it grants a weak person temporary strength and spirit. Furthermore, it has minimal side effects. However…” Liu Ling had contemplated for some time before speaking. But speaking to this point, he hesitated all of a sudden. “But what?” Zhang Xuan turned to take a look. “However… It isn’t a tonic but a… poison!” Liu Ling said. “Poison?” Zhang Xuan was confused. Doesn’t poison usually harm others? How would consuming poison boost a person’s vitality, and not to mention, cause minimal side effects? Not just him, even Emperor Shen Zhui was puzzled by his words. He immediately turned to look at Liu Ling with a strange expression. “Everyone knows that poison masters are of the Lower Nine Paths. They often concoct poison to secretly harm others. Their despicable means brought them despise. Even so, given how the profession had been passed down throughout the ages, it shows that there is value to its existence.” Zheng Fei said. All professions that are passed down are surely useful in some ways. Even though poison masters possess poor reputation, they aren’t entirely scourges of the human society. They are also useful in their own ways. For example, if a person wants to get rid of pest or avoid miasma, they would require the help of such a person. “Indeed, I’ve heard of the substance as well. From what I know, it is concocted using more than a dozen venomous substances in a specific ratio. Just like pill forging, it is incredibly difficult to concoct. The various ingredients would need to be mixed in a specific manner in a specific ratio such that they would complement one another and form a perfect balance. In that case, not only would it not be detrimental to one’s health, it can even stimulate a person’s latent potential and induce the recovery of their vitality for a short period of time.” Zhuang Xian seemed to have thought of it as well and he nodded his head in agreement. After which, he turned over to look at Yang shi with a confused expression. “Even though poison master is an extremely remote profession, this item is extremely common in 1st Tier Kingdoms. Yang shi… You don’t know about it?” Not just him, even Liu Ling and Zheng Fei were extremely puzzled. A master teacher has to be knowledgeable about the occupations of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Nine Paths, as well as their skills. During the examination to become a 1-star master teacher, one has to answer questions on the topic in detail. As such, there isn’t a single master teacher who doesn’t know of this. The person before them is able to offer them pointers, revealing that he is obviously an extremely high tier master teacher. Yet, how can he be ignorant of poison masters and the medicine they concoct? In fact, it seemed as if it is his first time hearing of it? “I… don’t like poison masters as an occupation, so I didn’t study much of it…” Looking at the doubtful gazes the others were shooting him, Zhang Xuan felt slightly awkward. Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, it is no problem for him to offer pointers. However, when it comes to common knowledge, it is easy for Zhang Xuan to give himself away. As a master teacher, one must have an incredible discerning ability to identify the root of a problem. In order for one to possess such perceptive eyes, one has to have a wide range of knowledge. Without having a wide range of knowledge as a foundation, how can a master teacher recognize the crux of a problem in a single look and offer guidance? And what Zhang Xuan lacks is this accumulation of knowledge. He is able to hoodwink people through the use of the library, but his ignorance shows through readily when met with this kind of general knowledge questions. “You don’t like it? Didn’t study much of it?” The frown on Liu Ling and the others’ faces deepened. As long as one had been to a 1st Tier Kingdom, even the deaf and blind would be aware, needless to say, a high tiered master teacher. Besides, a master teacher should be open to everything. They had never heard of one refusing to study a subject just because he hated the occupation… Those are obviously words of an outsider. If not for the fact that the other party had offered them pointers, and had showcased his incomparably vast knowledge in the field of cultivation, they would have suspected that he is an imposter. “Do any of you have the medicine?” Judging from the faces of the crowd, Zhang Xuan realized that he must have mentioned something inappropriate. Fortunately, he was born thick-skinned and this allowed him to remain composed. He changed the topic immediately. “This medicine has to be concocted by a poison master on the spot as it cannot be stored. Otherwise, changes would occur within the medicine, resulting in the balance between the various venomous substance to be destroyed, causing it to become a deadly poison… How can we possibly have such a thing!” Liu Ling nodded his head. The doubt in his eyes deepened. This Yang shi is way too amateur! It is impossible for a master teacher to ask such a question. The same thought also sprouted in Zhuang Xian and Zheng Fei’s minds. In that instant, they once again began to doubt Yang shi’s identity as a master teacher. “Is that so…” Knowing that the other party was already suspicious, Zhang Xuan knew that he shouldn’t linger further on the topic. He immediately turned to Emperor Shen Zhui and said, “Since that’s the case, then I would have to bother Your Majesty to find a poison master to concoct it!” At this, he paused for a moment. Then, ignoring the gazes that the others cast, he spoke with a majesty unique to master teachers, “I need this medicine to save your Royal Elder!” “This…” This time, it wasn’t just the three master teachers, even Emperor Shen Zhui was perplexed by Zhang Xuan’s demand. “Our Tianxuan Kingdom is a remote country which doesn’t even rank into the tiers… As such, we do not have any poison masters in our lands… Yang shi, it can’t be that you are not aware of it?” “You don’t have poison masters here?” Gedeng, Zhang Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. 185 I’ll Learn For a Bi He didn’t think that after feigning as a master teacher for so long, such that everyone had already believed him to be real… that he would stumble on the lack of trivial knowledge. If he knew that there aren’t any poison masters in Tianxuan Kingdom, he would have never said such words! Even though there are books on poison in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, they are more for record purposes. They are fundamental books on the uses of poisons, just like the elementary books in the Apothecary Guild’s basic tier book collection vault. Advanced concepts for poison masters are not covered. Thus, Zhang Xuan was ignorant of such facts. It is no wonder that Liu Ling and the others are growing doubtful of him. He doesn’t even possess basic knowledge that even commoners are aware of. Even though he felt dismal at giving himself away, Zhang Xuan knows that the dice has been cast, and it is too late to regret now. If he were to say that he can’t treat the old ancestor, the others would definitely think that he’s an impersonation. Probably, before Emperor Shen Zhui can make a move himself, the master teachers would have already made mincemeat out of him. Even so, Zhang Xuan did not panic. He lifted his head slightly and a faraway look appeared in his eyes. It seemed as though he was reminiscing the past, and that many different memories and emotions, be it sweet or bitter, had been dredged up. “I have neglected this fact. I thought that I am where I had stayed a few years ago…” From an outsider’s perspective, one would think that he had truly forgotten that he is in Tianxuan Kingdom, and he had truly misspoken. “…” Upon seeing his expression, question marks appeared above Liu Ling and the others. Since there were poison masters in his previous place of dwelling, it means that the kingdom he had resided in is, at the minimum. 1st Tier. However, they had been to nearby 1st Tier Kingdoms, but have never heard of the name ‘Yang Xuan’… “Do you know how to concoct this medicine? If so, it would be best if you can make one now. I require it urgently to save a life.” Seeing that he had managed to divert their attention, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. Facing Shen Hong, who is a single foot into his grave, he truly is stumped. He can only find a way to induce a temporary recovery of the other party and have him execute a battle technique. Otherwise, if things were to drag on, he might just die before a remedy can be found. “Make one now?” Liu Ling shook his head. “Seems like Yang shi really doesn’t know much about poison masters. Honestly speaking, the formula for the medicine is simple. It contains only ten type of venoms, and I can recite them by heart. However, to achieve a balance among the ten venoms such that there isn’t any side effect and heighten a person’s vitality, one has to be an extremely skilled poison master. Thus, it is useless even though I know the recipe!” Concocting poison is similar to how an apothecary forges a pill. Regardless of skill or the amount of herb used, the slightest mistake can result in a vast difference from the intended effects. This is precisely the reason why even though the reputation of poison masters are terrible, they remain a highly feared existence. In fact, there are many powers who specially hire them to deal with matters which are not convenient for them to directly interfere in. “You can’t concoct it even though you know the recipe?” Zhang Xuan glanced at him. “How about this, you write down the formula first so that we can bring the ingredients required for the concoction.” “Since Yang shi insists, I will follow your wishes.” Liu Ling said no more. After getting someone to bring paper and brush, he quickly wrote down the ingredients. Zhang Xuan glanced at the recipe. Monothorn Grass, Demise Flower, venomous extract from a White Bamboo Snake, blood from a Black Toad There are ten ingredients in total, and each of them is extremely venomous. Any single one of them is more than sufficient to poison a Tongxuan realm expert to death in an instant. However, when the ten of them are mixed together in a unique ratio, it can become an incredible tonic. The methods of a poison master are indeed incredible. Even if an ingredient on the list isn’t present in the royal palace, it wasn’t too difficult to search for it. Not too long later, all of the required ingredients were placed before Zhang Xuan. Every single ingredient was deeply colored and the sight induced fear. “What is the use of having found these ingredients? Without a poison master to concoct the mixture, they are just venomous substances that are useless in saving lives…” Doubtful, Zheng Fei commented. Finding these ingredients had squandered them quite a bit of time. Shen Hong, at this moment, is on the verge of collapsing. Yang shi was invited over to see if he can help Shen Hong achieve a breakthrough to extend his longevity, so why is he bothering about such matters? Isn’t it a waste of time? “Indeed, Shen Hong’s condition is indeed troublesome. We should be putting our heads to think of a solution instead. Even though recovering Shen Hong’s vitality might help, we don’t have anyone capable of concocting the medicine now!” Even Zhuang Xian could not stand watching on. He is indebted in Yang shi and shouldn’t have doubted the other party’s intention. However, from his perspective, what the other party was doing seemed to be meaningless. The most urgent matter at hand is to help Shen Hong achieve a breakthrough, not to bother about this. “You already said it, the medicine is useful. If so, we just have to concoct it. In any case, we know what ingredients are required, so it doesn’t matter if we have a poison master here. Even without a poison master here, we will save him!” Interrupting the other person’s words, Zhang Xuan smiled. “But… We don’t understand the nature of these venoms…” Zhuang Xian panicked. “If a mistake occurs, the subject will be poisoned to death immediately. If that happens, it will be impossible to make amends…” “Alright, if we don’t know, we can learn. If we can’t concoct it, we can give it a try. There’s no need to make such a big fuss!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly. “Learn?” “Try?” Emperor Shen Zhui, Liu Ling, and the others staggered simultaneously. They nearly fainted on the spot. Brother, you don’t even know who a poison master is! How in the world are you going to learn about poison? Such last minute mugging, there has to be a better solution! Every single occupation requires one to receive guidance from a teacher. Only after several years of dedicated research and learning can one have accomplishments in the field. Yet, you speak of learning it now? Learn your head! Don’t joke around! Even though the poison master is a Lower Nine Paths occupation, it doesn’t mean that it is easy to comprehend. Rather, it was due to its poor reputation that it fell from prestige. In fact, the difficulty of becoming a poison master is in no way easier than that of becoming an apothecary. After all, one needs to have an in-depth knowledge of the property of the various poisons. Otherwise, one wouldn’t be concocting medicine but committing suicide. Thus, every single poison master has to go through countless years of effort before finally becoming certified… Yet, you say that you want to learn now… By the time you are done, Shen Hong’s flesh would have withered… By then, there’s no one here for you to save! The others felt the world spinning around them. On the other hand, Shen Hong, who was lying on the bed, was on the verge of tears. The heck, how did I offend you? I just want to live for a few more years to protect Tianxuan Kingdom… First, you want to knock me out. Now, you want to poison me to death. At most, I’ll just die right now, so spare me, will you? I beg of you, stop torturing me… “Yang shi, tinkering with poison isn’t child’s play. It’s best not to toy around with them…” Liu Ling could no longer hold himself back and immediately tried to persuade Yang shi otherwise. If you don’t have a solution for Shen Hong’s problem, at most, you can just admit that you are helpless. What are you trying by playing with sedatives and poison? Do you think that poison can be concocted that easily? If it were that easy, poison masters wouldn’t be such a feared existences. “I know that it isn’t child’s play, so give me a moment. I’ll study for a bit first…” Zhang Xuan nodded his head seriously… “Study… for a bit first?” Your head! The three master teachers nearly fainted. “Fine, we’ll see how you study then…” Liu Ling flung his robe furiously. Initially, he thought that given Yang shi is a knowledgeable person. Even though his means are inconceivable, his ability to perceive the crux of the problem is astonishing. But now, it seems that he is merely an extremely random person, such that he is even trying to learn about concocting poison now… The heck! If you are that incredible, why don’t you ascend to the heavens? I have seen numerous master teachers, and have even met a 3- star. However, I’ve never heard of anyone being able to grasp an occupation from scratch in a short period of time. “Hmph!” Just like Liu shi, even though Zheng Fei did not say anything, his complexion was awful. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with Zhang Xuan’s actions. Who are poison masters? Even among the Nine Paths, it is an extremely famous occupation. If one can become one that easily, it would be worthless. “Un? Didn’t he say that he is going to learn about poison now? What is he trying to do?” The three master teachers were furious. By the side, Emperor Shen Zhui also glanced at Yang shi speechlessly. However, when he shot his gaze over, he was immediately confounded by the sight before him. Didn’t Yang shi say that he is going to learn about poison? Then why is he standing rooted to the spot with his eyes closed? Brother, if you truly want to learn about poison, you should find a few books and flip through them. Or at the very least, you should at least ask about it. What do you hope to achieve by standing there with your eyes closed? Please at least show some respect for poison masters… What in the world are you up to? “Liu shi, look…” Zhuang Xian also noticed the strange situation and he muttered. “Sleeping?” This…” Liu Ling and Zheng Fei stared at one another and blinked their eyes. At this moment, they were just a push away from ripping their hair out. Yang shi… Can you tell us what you’re up to? Didn’t you say that you want to learn how to concoct poison? Standing motionless on the spot, not even sparing a glance at the venomous substances on the table. More importantly… your eyes are shut. Hell, what are you up to? I’ve seen eccentric people, but I’ve never seen such an eccentric one. The three master teachers felt that their heads were about to explode from frustration. 186 Concocting Poison Of course, Zhang Xuan wasn’t merely putting on a show. He had flipped through several thousand books regarding poison in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. Even though they are all elementary and insufficient for one to become an official poison master even if one read through all of them, it is sufficient for him at the current moment. His current motive isn’t to become a poison master. He just wants to look for a way to achieve a perfect balance among these ten ingredients to create a safe medicinal solution and restore Shen Hong’s vitality. He doesn’t have to become as skilled as a poison master to concoct the remedy. It is just like how becoming an official apothecary is troublesome, but an apprentice can still easily concoct medicinal paste. Hualala! With a jolt of his mind, he flipped through all of the books he had read in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault regarding poison. “Correct!” Focusing all of his attention, the correct portions of the books soon formed a complete manual before him. Zhang Xuan gently flipped it open. “Poison can kill, but it can save lives as well. If one masters the art of poison, it might even be possible for one to bring back the dead…” The book was filled with words. Zhang Xuan knew that that was the correct content extracted from the other books by the Library of Heaven’s Path. He started reading without hesitation. With a single glance, Zhang Xuan was impressed. It is just like Liu Ling and the others had said. This occupation is vast and profound; it isn’t something one can comprehend in mere days. However, with the Library of Heaven’s Path compiling an absolutely correct manual, Zhang Xuan would be able to arrive at the very core of every single principle. As such, he is able to learn swiftly. Flipping through the various books in his head, his understanding of poison master as an occupation, as well as the nature of poisons, gradually deepened. Unknowingly, he reached the final page. Zhang Xuan felt a shudder going through his entire body. He immediately assimilated all of the knowledge he had just learned for himself, and it formed a part of his working memory. Even though he didn’t become a poison master, as he had expected, his understanding toward venomous substances had deepened significantly. “Un? What is this?” Having gained a deep understanding of poisons, Zhang Xuan suddenly noticed a faint black aura hidden in the depths of his body. “When did I sustain this?” In the past, due to his ignorance, even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. However, now that he had learned the basics, he recognized it to be poison. Just that… he couldn’t recall when he was afflicted with it? Furthermore… if it had been lingering in his body all along, why is he still fine? “Royal Elder! Royal Elder…” Just as Zhang Xuan wanted to look deeper to see what it is and whether it would have any adverse effect on him, Emperor Shen Zhui’s panicked exclamations sounded by his ear. Realizing that this isn’t the right time to do so, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and glanced forward. He saw Old Ancestor Shen Hong, who had been struggling to gasp for air, on the verge of closing his eyes. It seems that he may die at any moment now. Using the analogy of an oil lamp, if the flame was weak before, the wind is now blowing and the flame might be extinguished at this very moment. Even if Shen Hong tries his best to persevere, it is unlikely that he will be able to survive more than a few minutes. “Sigh… death ultimately comes to all. Emperor Shen Zhui, please do not grief too much!” “Please pardon our helplessness…” Liu Ling and the rest recognized Shen Hong’s worsening state and shook their heads in unity. At present, he is no different from a corpse. As 1-star master teachers, they do not have any solutions. Even if they do manage to think of one now, it would be too late to help. Indignation reflected in Emperor Shen Zhui’s eyes. He had spent a great sum to invite the three master teachers, only to be told that they are powerless on the matter. Just as he decided that there isn’t any hope, Yang shi suddenly appeared. He had thought of him as his final straw of hope, but in the end… it turns out that he is even more unreliable than the three. It is one thing for him to not save him, but at such a crucial period, he tries to tinker with sedatives and poisons… I invited you to save him, not to experiment with him… The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. He turned to look at the motionless fellow to see what he had to say about the matter, only to see that his eyes had opened. “Yang shi, my old ancestor is unable to hold on any longer. If you don’t save him now, it’ll be too late…” Emperor Shen Zhui suppressed the anger he felt and spat through gritted teeth. “I’ll first concoct the medicine!” Zhang Xuan said. With a single glance, even he could tell that if he doesn’t come up with anything soon, Shen Hong will most probably die within ten minutes. The only thing he can do now is to concoct the medicine and hope that it is of use! “Concoct the medicine…” After hearing those words, Emperor Shen Hong can no longer hold back his anger. “Yang shi, my old ancestor’s life is hanging by the thread! I didn’t invite you over to experiment concocting the medicine of a poison master…” “Oh?” Zhang Xuan turned to look at him. “You mean that…” “Yang shi, if you have other solutions, please do so. If you are able to treat my old ancestor, the Tianxuan Kingdom is willing to offer anything to you!” Emperor Shen Zhui said. “Aren’t I doing so now? When the medicine is done, feed it to your old ancestor. After he regains some of his vitality, I will find a solution for his problem.” Ignoring the other party’s rage, Zhang Xuan replied impassively. After hearing those words, Emperor Shen Zhui nearly spurted a mouthful of blood. Didn’t you hear what I said? The meaning behind my words should be clear! Since you don’t possess the skills of a poison master, don’t try to concoct medicine out of poisons. You should try to think of a way to save the person instead… In the end, my words fell on deaf ears! Actually, what that he didn’t know was that Zhang Xuan had no better alternatives at that moment. In his present state, Shen Hong will die at any moment even if Zhang Xuan does nothing at all. Even though if he tries to do something, Shen Hong might still die. The best solution at the moment is to concoct the medicine and have him recover some vitality so that the library can compile a book on him. Other than this, Zhang Xuan has no better solution. Seeing that the fellow was still persisting on concocting his medicine, the three master teachers were infuriated. “Emperor Shen Zhui, allow Yang shi to concoct the medicine!” Suppressing his displeasure, Liu Ling flung his robe. If not for a fear of the other party’s fighting prowess, he would have long made a move on him. You don’t even know who poison masters are, yet you intend to concoct a medicine out of poison. Do you think that poison masters are a joke? Arrogant! It is truly a wonder how you became a master teacher. Or perhaps… You aren’t a master teacher at all! You just happened to be lucky when helping Zhuang Xian to achieve a breakthrough in his realm. Zhang Xuan could sense the displeasure in the other party’s voice, but he couldn’t be bothered with it at the moment. Shen Hong was about to die, and he had no time to waste. Walking over to the venomous ingredients, he poured one of the liquids into an empty bottle. “Playing a fool…” Even though Liu Ling isn’t a poison master, he had seen them concoct poison and thus, he knew of the typical sequences and methods. Even a tenth or a hundredth of these venomous substances, when consumed by accident, will cause one to die on the spot. They are all fearsome substances. That is the reason why one requires specialized equipment when concocting to ensure a precise quantity. Yet, without using any equipment at all, you simply pour the substances from bottle to bottle… Aren’t you being too casual! Do you know how much of the substance you have poured from the bottles? Do you know the correct ratio between the various ingredients? Just a single droplet of error can cause a person’s death. That’s also the reason why poison masters are exceptionally cautious whenever they concoct, fearing that there might be the slightest bit of error. Yet, you dare to pour these poisons around randomly… The heck! If one were to try becoming a poison master with such an attitude, before succeeding, he would have long poisoned himself to death. Do you regard that as having learned the subject? Even a craftsman found off the streets would be much more precise than you! “When a poison master concocts a formula, he needs to allow the first two ingredients to react before putting the third in, just like how an apothecary’s pill forging worked. There are specific sequences and timings to place the substances in. Even the slightest error will not be tolerated. Yet, to be pouring those poison around casually…” Zheng Fei commented angrily. You insist on concocting that poison of yours instead of saving Shen Hong, fine, we’ll tolerate it. However, there is an intricate and profound relationship between the various poisons. One has to mediate between the various changes in the poisons and to do so, he has to follow a specific sequence and timing. Yet, you are randomly filling the bottle as though pouring wine… It is impossible for you to have concocted anything good this way. Just by coming into contact with a single drop, Shen Hong will probably die on the spot, not to mention, drink it. Ignoring the commotion between the master teachers, Zhang Xuan focused all of his attention into concocting the medicine and his movements were fast. Don’t you see that he is already dying? If he were to do it as the master teachers had said, using measurement equipment and waiting for the poison to react with one another, the other party would have already died by the time he is done. Of course, he wasn’t mixing the poisons together randomly as the other party had perceived him to be doing. The book in the library in his mind was continuously refreshed as he poured the different liquids together. If the flaws were to decrease along with his movements, that meant that his actions must be correct. In less than ten breaths, the ten types of venomous ingredients had been mixed together. Touching the jade bottle, the content in the book was refreshed once again. “[Ten Venom Medicinal Solution], concocted by Zhang Xuan. Upon consumption, one regains vitality and reverts to their healthy state for an incense’s time. Flaws: 12 aspects. No.1, the consumer doesn’t regain his cultivation; No.2, the duration of the recovery is too short…” The name and effects of the liquid Zhang Xuan just concocted was written on the cover of the book. “I’ve succeeded…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Even though he had been using the library to observe the state of the poison constantly, if not for the thousand books he had studied prior to that, which provided him with basic knowledge of the properties of the various poisons, he would have been at a loss to how he should react to the flaws that appeared within the book. If he were to have truly added the various venoms together randomly, even if he had half a month, he wouldn’t have been able to concoct the medicinal solution. Hu! Upon successfully completing the concoction, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ve succeeded!” Picking the jade bottle up, he looked at the crowd. “You’ve succeeded?” Everyone’s lips twitched. After pouring the liquids together randomly, you say that you’ve succeeded? In your own opinion, that is! “Quick, feed it to him!” Ignoring the bizarre gazes everyone else shot him, Zhang Xuan handed the concoction to Emperor Shen Zhui hurriedly. “Feed it to him?” Emperor Shen Zhui shook his head, “It’s not certain whether the concoction is toxic or not…” “There’s no time. Hurry up and feed it to him, otherwise, he will really die!” Knowing that the other party wouldn’t believe him even if he were to explain, Zhang Xuan frowned. “But…” Emperor Shen Zhui was hesitant. “Why? You don’t believe that this medicinal fluid can help him regain his vitality?” Zhang Xuan asked. Even though Zhang Xuan didn’t appear to be angry, there was some kind of mystical strength to his words that gave it authority. After having feigned as a master teacher for numerous days, his actions and words had started to exude an aura of superiority. “I…” Emperor Shen Zhui did not know how he should reply to his words. It’s not that he had doubts, but that… he didn’t even trust him! I saw you mixing the ten poisons together randomly with my own eyes. Yet, you ask me to believe you… You must be joking! Besides, how can I feed the Royal Elder with this unverified solution? What if he dies immediately after I feed him that? “If you don’t believe me, then let’s forget it. I’ve already given you the chance, and the choice is up to you!” Seeing the other party hesitating, Zhang Xuan chose not to speak excessively. He placed the medicinal solution he concocted on the table, his face carrying an impassive expression. “However, you should consider the matter properly. Your Royal Elder will not survive for more than three minutes if you can’t think of any other solutions… Three minutes of his life for an opportunity to extend his longevity. The choice is up to you.” “This…” Emperor Shen Zhui clenched his fist tightly. 187 Tons of Nonsense He doesn’t even have the slightest bit of confidence in the medicinal solution that Yang shi concocted. However, it is just like the other party had said. If they can’t find any other solution, this Royal Elder of his will not survive past three minutes. Since he is going to die anyway, might as well give it a try! In any case, this Yang shi had managed to treat Ling Tianyu’s wife, Du Miaoxuan, and the others. Even though his means and actions so far appear unreliable and incomprehensible, this is the best chance he has. After ten breaths, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll give it a try!” There is no choice but to give it a shot. There isn’t a better solution. After making his decision, Emperor Shen Zhui clenched his jaws, grabbed the jade bottle from the table, and approached the Royal Elder. “Royal Elder, pardon me for my impudence…” After using a spoon to pry open his mouth, he poured the medicinal solution in. “Wuuuuu…” Even though Royal Elder Shen Hong was on the verge of dying, he was still conscious. Having the medicinal solution forcefully poured into his mouth, he nearly cried. He had seen everything that had happened with his own eyes. Yang shi’s actions had sent chills down his spine. He is the Royal Elder of Tianxuan Kingdom, an expert who is even more respected than the king himself. Yet, to be feeding him a medicine that can potentially be toxic without first testing it… It is as though they are treating him as a Pill Sample Beast! Furthermore, it is the kind of experiment where he will die immediately if there is the tiniest bit of error… Why is my life so tough? All I want is to live peacefully and die peacefully. Is that that hard to achieve? Very quickly, Emperor Shen Zhui completed the task of forcing the entire bottle of solution into Royal Elder Shen Hong’s mouth. Cough cough cough! Shen Hong’s eyes flipped and after a few moments of struggle, he stopped moving. “Royal Elder..” Emperor Shen Zhui’s face paled. He staggered backward and roared in agony. Is it a failure? Not only is the Royal Elder the stabilizing pillar of Tianxuan Kingdom, he is also a close blood-related kin to Shen Zhui. Even though he addresses Shen Hong as his Royal Elder, he is actually the emperor from two generations ago, Shen Zhui’s own grandfather. For his own grandfather to have died before him, not to mention, being the one responsible for the fatal act of having fed him the medicine, the agony he felt was indescribable. “If the medicine can indeed be concocted that easily, then poison masters would be worthless…” Liu Ling shook his head. Turning to Zhang Xuan, he said, “Yang shi, even though Shen Hong would have died even if he didn’t consume the medicine, it is a fact that he died from taking your medicine. So, it isn’t wrong to say that you killed him!” “Killed him?” “That’s right. You were the one who concocted the medicine, and it was under your orders that the medicine was fed to him. Now that he has died, who else can the responsibility belong to other than your?” Liu Ling stared at him with piercing eyes. “Yang shi, weren’t you confident in your medicine?” Emperor Shen Zhui questioned angrily. It was under your orders that I fed your medicine to my Royal Elder. Now, look at what has happened… “My responsibility?” “Indeed! Shen Hong is the stabilizing pillar of Tianxuan Kingdom, and now that he has died from your medicine, you should make up for it by taking on his role!” Actually, he also knew clearly that Shen Hong would have died regardless of whether the medicine was fed to him. The reason why he intentionally said such words was for this. Shen Hong’s greatest purpose in the kingdom was to deter aggressors and revolutionaries. If Yang shi were to agree to take his place, his presence would definitely provide a much greater deterrence than Shen Hong. In fact, Tianxuan Kingdom might become a 2nd Tier Kingdom or even a 1st Tier Kingdom due to his presence “Taking on his role?” Zhang Xuan shook his head, “No way!” He intends to destroy the identity once he receives the Tongxuan realm secret manuals from Emperor Shen Zhui. To serve as the stabilizing pillar? What a joke! “Impossible? Does Yang shi not feel the slightest bit of regret in failing to save Shen Hong and instead, causing his death?” Liu Yang raised his eyebrows. “Causing his death? You’re imagining things…” Zhang Xuan chuckled. “Rest easy, how can he die that easily in my presence!” After which, he walked over to the motionless Royal Elder Shen Hong and sent a slap to his face. Pah! The slap was resounding. Cough cough cough! After which, the sound of coughs echoed in the room. Shen Hong, who had become motionless moments earlier, spat out a mouthful of medicinal solution and opened his eyes slowly. “This…” Everyone was stupefied. Liu Ling, Zheng Fei, and the others, who were about to reprimand Yang shi for his disrespectful actions, nearly had their eyes drop to the ground. They thought that their eyes were playing tricks on them. “Royal Elder, you…” Emperor Shen Zhui walked forward with an incredulous expression. He did not understand what was happening before him. “You unfilial fellow, do you wish to choke me to death? Cough cough…” Shen Hong’s furious words echoed in the entire room. At this moment, he doesn’t look as though a person who was on the verge of death. “Yang shi, what’s going on…” Emperor Shen Zhui hurriedly looked over. He had clearly seen the Royal Elder fall motionless. Why did he suddenly wake up and is even able to speak? What is going on? He wasn’t the only one who found the entire situation unbelievable. Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and Zheng Fei felt the knowledge and experience that they had accumulated over the years were crumbling apart. The dead coming back to life? This can’t be real! “Shen Hong’s body was weak and he was on the verge of death. I asked you to feed him the medicine, yet you simply forced all of it down his throat. The sticky medicinal solution blocked his breathing airways, therefore sending him into a death-like state… As for why he was able to suddenly wake up, the reason is simple. The medicinal solution that I had concocted is effective!” Zhang Xuan said impassively. Even though the situation seems baffling, it is actually quite simple. The Ten Venom Medicinal Solution which he had concocted had been checked by the library, so naturally, there couldn’t be any problem with its effectiveness. Even though Shen Hong was on the verge of death, upon consumption, the concoction took effect immediately and granted him temporary vitality. Even though feeding him a mouthful would have sufficed, Emperor Shen Zhui forced the entire bottle of it in. With so much medicinal solution clogging up his airways, it is already a blessing that he didn’t choke to death. It was precisely because Zhang Xuan saw through it that he slapped his face, utilizing the impact to open up his clogged airways, allowing him to regain consciousness. “This…” Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers were astonished after hearing the explanation. A medicine that was concocted randomly is actually… effective? Other poison masters prepare all kinds of measuring instruments for their concoction process, fearful that they might add a single droplet more. Yet, this fellow, just by pouring the fluids around randomly… He actually managed to succeed… Heavens, surely you are jesting with me! Of course, that wasn’t the most shocking… Just a moment ago, Yang shi clearly didn’t even know what kind of medicine this is. Yet, in the next instant, he concocted it as though a veteran poison master… Heavens above, can anyone tell me what is going on? Could it be really as he said, that he learned it on the spot? And just by closing his eyes, he learned all of that on the spot? Furthermore, he learned poison concoction, which is reputed to be as difficult as pill forging… The four of them felt as though they were dreaming. “Thank you, Yang shi, for saving my life…” Before they could recover from their shock, Royal Elder Shen Hong climbed down from his bed and clasped his hands. Regardless of how close to death one is, upon consuming the Ten Venom Medicinal Solution, one can regain their vitality and return to a pink state of health temporarily. Even though Shen Hong didn’t regain his cultivation, it wasn’t a difficult task for him to walk around. “There’s no need for these formalities. Execute a battle technique for me now.” Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to waste the limited time he had and hurriedly instructed Shen Hong to display a battle technique to him. That was the motive for concocting the medicine in the first place. Since the other party is sufficiently healthy to stand up, then it would be best for him to hurry. “Execute a battle technique? My body is weak now and I can’t propel the slightest bit of zhenqi. Even if I were to execute one now, it won’t make any difference… I think it’ll be best for me not to embarrass myself!” Shen Hong shook his head. “After experiencing death, I have already thought it through. If the kingdom survives without me, it would be for the best. But if it falls in the end, one can only say that it is the workings of fate. There’s no need to be so adamant about it…” “…” Zhang Xuan. I only asked you execute a battle technique so that I can compile a book on you in the library to tell your physical condition. Why are you suddenly rambling nonsense? Getting so philosophical all of the sudden… “It’s good that Brother Shen Hong is able to see through all these after experiencing death! Riches actually don’t mean anything at all, one’s cultivation is the most important. Even though it’s good to possess authority, it seemed like it had impeded your growth. Otherwise, given your talent, you would have long reached Zongshi realm.” Before Zhang Xuan could even speak, Liu Ling nodded his head in satisfaction. His admiration for Shen Hong reflected in his eyes. “Indeed! It’s a pity that I have comprehended this fact way too late.” Royal Elder Shen Hong sighed. Then, he turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “Even so, I would like to thank Yang shi for your help. You’ve given additional time, and even though I didn’t recover my cultivation, I am still delighted…” Just as Royal Elder Shen Hong was just about to go on, he saw Yang shi’s face gradually turning dark. Then, the latter sent a slap toward him. Pah! It accurately hit the back of his head. Padah! Before he could finish his words, Royal Elder Shen Hong’s vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. “I only asked you to execute a battle technique. You sure have tons of nonsense to speak…” Dusting his hands, Zhang Xuan harrumphed The moment he turned around, he saw Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers staring at him in shock. 188 The Eccentric Method to Treat Shen Zhui 1 It was no wonder that Zhang Xuan became angry. Given the very limited period of an incense’s time the Ten Venom Medicinal Solution granted him, that fellow refused to execute a battle technique and chose to ramble on about his comprehension of life instead. Comprehend your head! If you don’t allow me to trace the root of your problem using the Library of Heaven’s Path, you might be released after an incense’s time, but I will be forced to guard the kingdom for you! Besides, my reputation would be ruined! If my reputation were to be ruined by you, how can I make money in the future? Thus, upon seeing the other party refusing to execute a battle technique, Zhang Xuan could no longer restrain himself and slapped the other party unconscious. In any case, he had already consumed the medicine, so he wouldn’t die even if he were to go unconscious. And to Zhang Xuan, slapping him unconscious and having him execute a battle technique meant the same thing. While Zhang Xuan had slapped him merrily, Shen Zhui and the other three master teachers went into a frenzy. Didn’t you just help him regain consciousness? Why did you slap him unconscious all of the sudden? Is there really a method of diagnosing that requires one to be unconscious? “Yang shi…” Just as Emperor Shen Zhui was about to question his action, Yang shi swung his arms and said, “Alright, we don’t have much time. Let’s get down to business!” Ignoring their shocked faces, he squatted down to feel Shen Hong’s pulse. Weng! His mind jolted and a book finally appeared in the library. On the cover were the words ‘Shen Hong’. He flipped it open gently. “Shen Hong, the grandfather of Tianxuan Kingdom’s emperor, Shen Zhui, a Half-Zongshi expert…” Shen Hong’s life and his bodily flaws were written on it. “Yang shi, is there hope for the Royal Elder?” As he had heard from Ling Tianyu about Yang shi’s method to diagnose one’s condition by feeling his pulse, he wasn’t too surprised by the action. But upon seeing Yang shi frown, Emperor Shen Zhui couldn’t help but walk over. Even Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and the others were filled with anxiety. This Shen Hong had reached the limit of his lifespan. They were unable to come up with any treatment, and even less so, induce a breakthrough in him. Thus, they were interested in listening to Yang shi’s opinion. “Wake him up first!” Zhang Xuan gestured grandly. After having felt the other party’s pulse, he was no longer as anxious and uptight as before. “Yes!” Emperor Shen Zhui placed his finger on the Royal Elder’s philtrum and infused zhenqi into his body. Slowly, Shen Hong regained his consciousness. (TL: Philtrum -> Area above the lips, below the nose) “Yang shi…” Upon awakening from his sleep, Shen Hong stared at Zhang Xuan. Just as he was about to ask the latter why he had knocked him unconscious, the other party’s voice resounded. “Shen Hong, I’ll give you two choices. You can achieve a breakthrough to the Zongshi realm and continue living. Otherwise, just as you said, if you don’t mind dying, I can’t be bothered to save you as well.” He had to first ascertain the other party’s will to live. If he wasn’t willing, no matter how incredible Zhang Xuan could be, he would be unable to save him. “I… can live on? Reach Zongshi realm?” Initially, he was displeased with Zhang Xuan’s action of knocking him unconscious. However, upon hearing his words, Shen Hong’s body trembled in agitation. He knows how difficult it is for one to reach Zongshi realm. He had tried his entire life, only to fail time and time again. Now, at the verge of death, and with no more latent potential within him that can be dredged up… can he really reach Zongshi realm? “If you wish to achieve a breakthrough, you can definitely do it. But if you don’t want to, let’s just forget it. I don’t want to waste my effort.” Zhang Xuan said calmly. “Of course I do… I beg of Yang shi offer me your guidance so that I can achieve a breakthrough…” Not even hesitating in the least, Shen Hong immediately knelt to the floor. All signs of discontentment from before had vanished without a trace. That ‘epiphany’ from before was just self-consolation for his plight. For a chance to achieve a breakthrough and live longer, only a fool would reject it. “It isn’t difficult for you to live on. However…” Circling around Shen Hong, Zhang Xuan seemed to be examining his body condition. Then, he suddenly stopped. With eyes as deep as the abyss, he said, “You have to listen to my words and follow my instructions obediently. Do not try to go against my words, or else, I won’t be able to help you. In short, you just have to do whatever I ask of you and cooperate with me. There’s no need for you to ask any questions.” “That’s simple! I will do as you say!” He thought that the other party would come up with a difficult request. However, upon hearing that it would be that easy, Shen Hong quickly nodded his head and agreed to it. Back then, when he studied under his teacher, it was the same as well. As such, he thought nothing of it. However, the moment he said those words, he saw Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers looking at him with sympathetic gazes. Of course, they feel sympathy for him! This Yang shi might be capable, but his bizarre means are truly hard to accept. To be asking for the other party’s approval before the treatment has started, even by using one’s toe to think, it is clear that he is up to no good. “What’s wrong?” Upon seeing their gazes, Shen Hong felt puzzled. He had been on the verge of death the last few days and as such, he was ignorant of what had happened to Zhuang shi. He thought that there was something wrong with his words. “Nothing…” Resisting his urge to speak, Emperor Shen Zhui wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He had witnessed Yang shi’s eccentric means for himself… It seemed that this Royal Elder of his would be ravaged, just like Zhuang shi. “It’s good that you are agreeable. Emperor Shen Zhui, find some female dancers from the royal palace here. They must have good figures!” Upon seeing him agree, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Then, he turned to Shen Zhui and spoke in full seriousness. “Female dancers?” Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers were baffled. The dancers in the palace can only dance, they possess extremely low cultivation. What is his purpose of calling them here? Will getting them here help Shen Hong achieve a breakthrough? Besides, he requested for those with good figures… Why doesn’t it sound like a treatment method at all? “Yes…” Even though it was incomprehensible to Emperor Shen Zhui, he knew that it was impossible for him to understand Yang shi’s wisdom. Thus, he quickly passed down the command without any hesitation. The personnel within the palace acted quickly and in a few moments, a dozen of beautiful dancers with voluptuous figures entered. Even though they paled far in comparison to Shen Bi Ru, they were still stunning beauties. Every single movement of theirs induced great pleasure in the audience. “Yang shi, are they alright…?” “Not bad, just that they are wearing too much. Get them to take off those long sleeves and such!” Zhang Xuan instructed. “Wearing too much?” Bizarre expressions appeared on the faces of the three master teachers. Looking for dancers and getting them to strip… Are you sure you are helping him to achieve a breakthrough? Why does it feel like he is patronizing a brothel and choosing a woman of his liking… If not for the fact that they were curious to see what Yang shi would do, they wouldn’t have stayed a second longer. They had already witnessed how unorthodox Yang shi’s methods could be. Even so, they had not imagined that… it would be so unorthodox. Capable master teachers tend to be austere, and their means tend to be upright. Yet… Why does your treatment method seem like finding prostitution instead… Even though they did not know what he was up to, they had a bad premonition. … The dancers were properties of the royal palace. Not just stripping, they would even do other stuff without hesitation when commanded to. Upon hearing the orders, they quickly stripped the long sleeves and such, leaving behind their tight innerwear. The sight of spring unfolded before everyone’s eyes. “Alright, Emperor Shen Zhui, help me prepare a few more items…” Zhang Xuan turned over and whispered into the other party’s ears. “Yang shi, feel free to speak of your demands… WHAT?” Halfway through his words, Emperor Shen Zhui exclaimed in shock. His eyes widened and he almost went insane, “Yang shi, if… you have such interest, I can send as many people as you like to your residence. Here… isn’t appropriate…” “Don’t spout so much nonsense, hurry up!” Zhang Xuan rushed him. “Yes…” With a tearful face, Shen Zhui hurriedly made arrangements as Zhang Xuan had instructed him to. Of the three master teachers, Liu Ling was the strongest. Even though Zhang Xuan had spoken in a hushed voice, he nevertheless managed to overhear his words. Instantly, he staggered and a feeling of vertigo overwhelmed him. “What did he get Shen Zhui to do?” Looking at his expression, Zhuang Xian and Zheng Fei knew that he must have heard something. They couldn’t hold back their curiosity and asked him about it. “He wanted Emperor Shen Zhui to bring something over…” Liu Ling had a blank look on his face. “Something? What can it be, for Shen Zhui to be so shocked?” “It’s… aphrodisiac!” “Aphrodisiac?” Zhuang Xian and Zheng Fei were dazed for a moment, then slowly, their eyes widened. The heck! They knew that Yang shi’s solution was definitely going to be damned. Even so, when they heard of his instructions, they nearly vomited blood. It was exactly as they had guessed, the other party was indeed up to no good! They had seen people demanding for tonic, pills, spirit treasures, and secret manuals. That was their first time witnessing someone demand aphrodisiac. Looking for dancers and having them strip, then finding someone to get this item over. You sure are meticulous… Brother, are you helping him to achieve a breakthrough or are you helping him to exercise? The trio looked at Shen Hong once again, and endless pity reflected in their eyes. Even though Zhuang shi was battered while covered under a gunny sack, at the very least, his reputation remained untainted. If he were made to do some uncultured act in public for his breakthrough, he might have just died from anger on the spot. While the others were still astonished by Zhang Xuan’s request, a servant had already entered, carrying with him a jade bottle. It was filled with specially-made medicine. Most emperors keep a large back palace, and Emperor Shen Zhui is no exception. It wasn’t difficult to find such medicine in the royal palace. “Swallow it!” Taking over the jade bottle, Zhang Xuan walked over to Shen Hong. “Yes!” Royal Elder Shen Hong had no idea what was inside, but at that moment, he had full confidence and awe for Zhang Xuan. After grabbing over the bottle, he swallowed the medicine inside without any hesitation. Looking at the other party’s candor movement, the eyebrows of the three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui twitched. “Alright, go and dance with them.” Upon seeing him swallow the medicine, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction. “Dance?” Shen Hong was taken aback. As an elder, he has to dance with these young ladies? Furthermore… They are all dressed scantily. If he were to really head over, it is likely that he will be in constant physical contact with them… Just as he was battling the conflicting thoughts in his mind, he suddenly felt a surge of heat spreading from his belly. Then, looking at the dancers once more, an urge suddenly tugged at him. Tzzzzzzz! That urge grew stronger and stronger. Soon, he found himself losing control. It must be said that the medicine which Emperor Shen Zhui found was indeed incredible. The medicine took effect swiftly. In a few breaths, Shen Hong’s eyes had turned red and he was no longer able to suppress his urge. After consuming this medicine, even if there were no enticement before the person, one would already find the heat unbearable. At the instant, there were so many beautiful and voluptuous young ladies before Shen Hong. Furthermore, they were dressed scantily. It would be truly weird if Shen Hong could hold himself back. With a roar, Royal Elder Shen Hong dashed forward. “Stop him. Make those dancers dance before him, the more seductive their dance is, the better it is!” Zhang Xuan commanded. “Yes!” Cold sweat streamed down Emperor Shen Zhui’s head. What kind of breakthrough method is this? Feeding the other party aphrodisiac, but only allowing him to watch? Huhuhu! Upon hearing the commands, the movements of the dancers became more provocative and sexy. Their alluring figures swayed suggestively. Light reflecting off their snow-white skin made them seem exceptionally warm, as though jade, inviting one’s hands. Their movements were exceptionally capable of evoking an itch in men. Putting aside Shen Hong, who had swallowed the aphrodisiac, even the three master teachers began to feel the temptation. “Will this really… help him achieve a breakthrough?” Initially, they had thought that beating one up was already a very eccentric method. To think that Zhang Xuan had worse methods up his sleeves… The three master teachers were on the verge of crying. Witnessing the situation, they felt as though all the theories and principles they had learned in the last few decades were all worthless! 189 The Eccentric Method to Treat Shen Hong 2 “Shen Zhui, what did you feed me?” Sensing the uncontrollable urge in him, as well as the indissipable heat that rose within him, Shen Hong finally realized that something was wrong and he roared furiously. “It’s… aphrodisiac…” Shen Zhui could only answer truthfully. “Aphrodisiac? I’ll screw your grandma…” Shen Hong staggered He never thought that a day would come which his own grandson would feed him aphrodisiac. Damn, are you toying with me? Shen Hong felt that he was going insane. “Royal Elder, please don’t blame me. It’s Yang shi who asked me to do so, I had no choice…” Emperor Shen Zhui was on the verge of tears as well. When he almost killed the Royal Elder by feeding him the medicinal solution, a trauma was left in his heart. Now, he was reprimanded just because he followed Yang shi’s instructions… What did I do! All I want is for you to live longer! In the end, this is how you perceive my good intentions… “Yang shi?” With reddened eyes, he suppressed the agitation within him and turned to look at Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan had an impassive and upright look, as though he would never commit such a vile act. Turning around, he slapped Emperor Shen Zhui on his face. “Bullshit! As a master teacher, Yang shi is an upright person! How could he possibly feed me such stuff? If you dare to push the blame onto Yang shi once more, I will kill you right away!” “…” Shen Zhui. Upright? How in the world is he upright? Didn’t he slap you unconscious just a moment ago? Talking about pushing the blame… If not for his orders, do you think that I would dare feed you this? Emperor Shen Zhui felt so indignant that he nearly vomited blood. He turned to look at Yang shi with a pleading gaze, hoping for him to explain the issue to his grandfather. Yet, that fellow looked at the ceiling with his hands behind his back, as though it was none of his business. It was as if he was saying ‘you were the one who did it, I don’t know anything at all’… “You bastard! To think that I doted on you so much… Aiya, I can’t hold myself back anymore! Don’t obstruct my path…” Royal Elder Shen Hong cursed, and he finally succumbed to the heat in his chest. With the howl of a wolf, he dived toward the beautiful dancing ladies. Right when he was about to reach them, he suddenly felt a dull pain at the back of his neck. Padah! He fell to the floor, unconscious once again. The one who made the move was Zhang Xuan. Seeing that the Royal Elder had been knocked unconscious, Emperor Shen Zhui heaved a sigh of relief. “Yang shi, what do we do now?” “Awaken him. Then, get these dancers to continue dancing before him…” Zhang Xuan instructed. “Continue?” Emperor Shen Zhui’s lips trembled. “Oh, right. When he wakes up, say that you were the one who knocked him out. Also, when he fails to control his emotion anymore, I will knock him out myself. Of course, you must admit that you were the one who did it…” Zhang Xuan said. “…” Emperor Shen Zhui. Knocking the daylights out of a person right after you awaken them. Have you gotten addicted or what? Furthermore… I have to admit that I’m the one who did it… Emperor Shen Zhui felt so much frustration in his heart that he could go into a frenzy. He was about to reject the plan when he saw Yang shi look at him with a stern expression. “Don’t reject me. This concerns whether the Royal Elder can survive. There mustn’t be the slightest error in the matter, otherwise, the plan will end in failure!” “…” This time, Emperor Shen Zhui really cried. Royal Elder, it really isn’t me! It’s Yang shi who wishes to do you in… … Thus, right after Emperor Shen Zhui woke Shen Hong, the latter was knocked unconscious again. Then, Emperor Shen Zhui woke Shen Hong again, and soon after, he was knocked unconscious yet again… By the side, Liu Ling, Zhuang Fei, and Zheng Fei were stunned by the sight before them. They felt like tearing their hair out from watching the insanity that was unfolding before them. “Liu shi, you are knowledgeable. Can you tell what kind of breakthrough method Yang shi is employing?” After a long moment of silence, Zhuang Xian asked. “I… can’t tell anything at all!” Liu shi’s face flushed. Breakthrough method? How in the hell does this look like a breakthrough method? Of the hundreds of methods master teachers employ, there are a few fixed rules to helping one achieve a breakthrough. However, there doesn’t seem to be any that involves having a person consume aphrodisiac… What’s worse, it is one matter to feed the person aphrodisiac, but to intentionally find beautiful ladies to entice the person and knock him out when he can no longer control himself… I don’t think that he is helping him achieve a breakthrough. Rather, it seems more like he is toying with him! It is a pity that Shen Hong, despite the prestige he had built up over the years, now appears to be a frequenter of brothels. The moment he wakes up, he charges toward the bodies of the beautiful ladies… “Like hell he would achieve a breakthrough like this! I think that Yang shi is toying with Shen Hong. I’ve never heard of anyone who could break through in such a way after consuming aphrodisiac…” Zheng Fei shook his head. With a steeled face, he said, “This is a farce. Liu shi, I think it would be best if we step out to interfere! How can we, as master teachers, allow such absurdity?” “This…” Liu Ling hesitated. “There’s nothing to hesitate about. Look at Shen Hong, he is already driven mad. If news were to spread out, his reputation would be tarnished, even after his death…” Zheng Fei harrumphed. Upon hearing those words, Liu Ling and Zhuang Xian lifted their head to look at Shen Hong. As the other party had said, the gentlemanly Shen Hong appeared to be a depraved lunatic at the moment, lunging toward those seductive ladies. Also, the clothes on his body were almost completely ripped apart. His eyes were crimson red, and he seemed to be a wild, hungry wolf. “But… The method Yang shi used for my breakthrough was also incomprehensible. Can this be the case as well? Even though it looks awful on the surface, he is actually doing it for Shen Hong’s welfare…” Zhuang Xian’s mouth twitched. “You have a master teacher as your father, and as such, you were too obsessed with the conventional rules and principles. Thus, his method of inciting you into a rage was understandable. But this… How can Shen Hong achieve a breakthrough like this? Putting aside whether the possibility exists or not, given Shen Hong’s current frenzied state, even he has sufficient zhenqi, it is impossible for him to achieve a breakthrough!” Zheng Fei said. Zongshi is the very first difficult hurdle of the Fighter 9 Dans. The gap between it and Tongxuan realm is overwhelming, as though the difference between a fish and a dragon. While it is true that one gains incredible strength upon achieving this breakthrough, countless geniuses, even when in their top form, find themselves unable to make this final step. At this moment, Shen Hong has already lost his rationality and is blindly charging at the beautiful ladies. In such a state, how can he possibly succeed? Isn’t that a joke in itself? If it is true, no one would have to cultivate. Won’t one become a Zongshi just by frolicking around brothels? “But…” “There’s no buts. Liu shi, it is best that you make your decision quickly. I can guarantee with my own life that it is impossible for Shen Hong to breakthrough like that. If he succeeds, I will chop off my own head…” Zheng Fei said confidently. Boom! Before he could finish his own words, he felt a powerful aura emanating from not too far away. It felt warm, as though the fiery sun. “What is going on?” Hurriedly turning around to take a look, they saw Royal Elder Shen Hong, who was frenziedly charging at the beautiful ladies just brief moments ago, sitting still on the floor, as though a saint. His breath was powerful and deep, reminiscent of the vast ocean. His weakness from a moment ago had disappeared without a trace, and at that very moment, as though a young man, he exuded overwhelming vitality, such that even Emperor Shen Zhui, who was standing by his side, paled in comparison. Fighter 8-dan, Zongshi realm! “Did he really achieve a breakthrough?” All Zheng Fei felt was a stinging sensation on his face, as though he had been slapped hard by someone else. He felt like crying. He had just mentioned that it was impossible for the other party to succeed, and he was proven wrong immediately… Reaching Zongshi realm by consuming aphrodisiac? Can anyone tell me what is going on… 190 Lu Xun Borrows Money While Zheng Fei was still feeling depressed over the matter, Liu Ling and Zhuang Xian’s mouths dropped so wide open that it seemed as though duck eggs could be stuffed into their mouths. There is a qualitative difference between Fighter 8-dan Zongshi realm and Fighter 7-dan Tongxuan realm, and their life energies are vastly different. As such, upon achieving a breakthrough, one’s longevity is extended drastically as well. An ordinary cultivator usually only lives up to seventy to eighty. On the other hand, reaching a hundred isn’t a problem for a Zongshi realm expert. That is also the reason why breaking into this realm is so difficult; it is as though leaping across a gigantic gorge. Just by looking at how these master teachers are stuck at Half- Zongshi, it is clear to see how difficult this final step is. The master teachers had been paying attention to Shen Hong’s condition ever since they arrived at Tianxuan Kingdom. His vitality had already deteriorated to the gutters and he was on the verge of death. Even if he has sufficient zhenqi, it should have been an impossible task for him to achieve a breakthrough, considering his terrible state of health. Yet, they had never imagined that this Yang shi could solve this impossibility with just a single pill. The vast contrast between their abilities made the master teachers feel as though all of the knowledge they had obtained throughout their careers were worthless. Initially, Emperor Shen Zhui shared the same thoughts as the three master teachers; he thought that that was an attempt of Yang shi to toy with him. Yet, contrary to his imagination, the Royal Elder really managed to achieve a breakthrough! That is Zongshi realm expert in the bones… “Thank you, Yang shi…” After an unknown period of time, Shen Hong stood up and howled abruptly, resembling a massive dragon that had awakened from its slumber. Then, he walked to Zhang Xuan and knelt before him. Having been trapped in the same cultivation realm for numerous decades, he thought that he would perish without achieving the breakthrough. Yet, to think that at the very last moment, he would succeed! Witnessing the Royal Elder kneel before him, Zhang Xuan did not step forward to help him up. Contrary to that, he placed his hands behind his back, surveyed the surroundings, and slowly walked around. “Shen Hong’s vitality was at its ends, and his deteriorating bodily functions had reached the breaking point. At that moment, his will to live had already been shaved thin. It is precisely because of this that he was able to see through life and death, view it as a natural occurrence, and no longer fear death. Under such circumstances, regardless of his state of mind or his physical condition, they were all in the worst possible condition to achieve a breakthrough. Even the more potent tier-2 or tier-3 pills would not have been effective in helping him achieve a breakthrough and reach Zongshi realm!” Everyone was aware that he was explaining all that happened, so they stayed completely silent, and listened attentively to his words. “Thus, for him to live on, we had to create a compelling reason for him. Furthermore, it had to be something which he is unable to resist!” “All men, regardless of time and condition, are unable to resist young beautiful ladies, needless to say, after being fed with aphrodisiac. Under the stimulation of the substance, his body raged once again, returning him back to youthful times… Once all these emotions accumulate sufficiently, achieving a breakthrough becomes much easier.” “Of course, more importantly, his cultivation technique played a huge role. If I’m not wrong, it should be Blazing Sun Formula!” At this point, Zhang Xuan turned to look at him. “Yes!” Shen Hong nodded his head to affirm Zhang Xuan’s conjecture. The cultivation technique he had cultivated is the Blazing Sun Formula, the strongest cultivation technique in Tianxuan Kingdom. “This cultivation technique contains the nature of the blazing sun within it, and a practitioner will find himself with an excess of yang energy. It is an incredibly valuable secret manual, and its true might is displayed when the one cultivating the technique is a man! Rationally speaking, as his vitality had already been sapped clean, even with the augmentation from pills, it was impossible for his body condition to return back to its peak. However, years of cultivation under the Blazing Sun Formula had caused a large amount of yang qi flames to accumulate within his body. Then, at this very moment, they were all triggered by the medicine, and the enticement of the beautiful ladies was equivalent to throwing oil on top of the flames. Instantaneously, a massive fire was ignited within him.” “Thus, when he focused all of his energy at a single point, it wasn’t difficult at all for him to achieve a breakthrough!” After finishing his explanation, Zhang Xuan stood quietly on his spot and looked at the others. The surroundings were deathly silent. In actual fact, he hadn’t mentioned the most important reason behind Shen Hong’s breakthrough. Regardless of the aphrodisiac or the Blazing Sun Formula, they were merely small contributing factors. The deciding one was… him knocking the other party out. Everytime he knocked him out, he would infuse a sliver of his zhenqi into the other party’s body and unclog a blocked meridian within his body. Then, having all of his meridians cleared up, along with his raging emotions and energy within his body, he was able to push through at the very last moment and reach Zongshi realm. Due to the limitations of his cultivation realm, even though it was easy for him to deceive Sun Qiang and the others, it was likely that Shen Hong would notice his pure zhenqi. In order to prevent him from detecting anything, he had Emperor Shen Zhui claim that he was the one who knocked the other party out. It wasn’t because he wanted to act as a good person. Upon the other party’s breakthrough, Zhang Xuan’s zhenqi had already melded completely into the other party’s. It was as though a pail of clear water had been mixed into a river of muddied water; it is impossible to locate it anymore. “This…” Upon hearing his explanation, the three master teachers were taken aback. The heck… this works as well? They were master teachers who had gone through rigorous conventional training, and as such, they have had many opportunities to observe how other master teachers help others achieve breakthroughs in their cultivation. Even so, this kind of breakthrough method… it was they ever saw anything like it. This is no longer unorthodox, it is simply inconceivable. It is something that no one would have ever thought of. To think that one can achieve a breakthrough by eating aphrodisiac… Has the world gone mad?. “There are many different methods to induce a breakthrough in one’s cultivation. Most of the time, sticking to the convention principles won’t work. As a master teacher, rather than sticking firmly to the old rules, one has to continue learning and trying new things.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually. The setting sun cast a long shadow behind his back, and he looked like an incredible expert uncomprehended by the world. An unspeakable loneliness emanated from his figure. “We will keep Yang shi’s teachings to heart!” The three master teachers bowed immediately. At that moment, they couldn’t be any more impressed by this Yang Xuan. There is no way but to be impressed, too godly! Through a random beating, he was able to induce a breakthrough in Zhuang shi, whose cultivation had been at a standstill for many years. A random mixing of poisons and he was able to successfully concoct a medicinal solution that only poison masters are capable of making. Just by feeding Shen Hong aphrodisiac, he was able to bring the other party up to Zongshi realm… Even though they had seen all of these with their own eyes, it nevertheless felt like a dream. “Un!” Seeing that they’ve comprehended the matter, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Just as he was about to take his leave and return back to his mansion, he saw a pair of eyes appearing before him. The face before him was flushed with embarrassment and excitement. Taking a step back, he took a closer look and realized that it was Zheng Fei. He is the person who was the most doubtful of his actions. He was even willing to guarantee that it would be impossible for Shen Hong to achieve a breakthrough, or else he would cut off his head. But now, his eyes were gleaming, as though he had struck lottery. “What are you up to?” Zhang Xuan was wary of him. “Yang shi, I’ve also been stuck in Half-Zongshi for many years. Since there are medicine and beautiful ladies here, I would like to try to break through to Zongshi realm as well…” Zheng Fei held a jade bottle in his hands. He poured out a pill and he was about to swallow it. “…” Zhang Xuan. “…” Emperor Shen Zhui, Liu Ling, and Zhuang Xian. It took much effort before he managed to convince the other party otherwise. Zhang Xuan sighed. Every person’s cultivation technique, personality, and cultivation are different. As such, the relevant methods to achieve breakthroughs are different as well. As a master teacher, there was no doubt that Zheng Fei understood this. However, he nevertheless underestimated the allure of the Zongshi realm. Increasing one’s longevity so drastically… Just this by itself is able to make anyone lose his rationality. In fact, Zheng Fei wasn’t the only one who was moved by Zhang Xuan’s actions. Even Liu Ling and Zhuang Xian were staring at him with burning eyes. Since the other party was able to help the dying Shen Hong achieve a breakthrough, given that they are at the peak of health, wouldn’t it be easier for them to reach Zongshi realm? Upon thinking of this, the three master teachers made up their mind to get close to Yang shi so that he would offer them guidance for their breakthrough. Understanding the intentions of the trio, Zhang Xuan felt his goosebumps rising. He hurriedly bid his farewell and prepared to leave, but at this moment, a guard walked into the hall. “Your Majesty, Lu Xun and Wang Chao from Hongtian Academy request for an audience!” “Why would they be here at this time?” Emperor Shen Zhui was taken aback. Then, he nodded his head and said, “Get them to enter!” It is highly likely that these two star teachers would become master teachers in the future. Even though he is the emperor of a country, he doesn’t dare to offend them. Furthermore, their parents share a deep relationship with him. Zhang Xuan was also startled. “Lu Xun? Wang Chao?” Didn’t the duo just pay me a visit? Why are they here now? Could it be that they noticed me leave the mansion and made a chase? But that’s impossible… Doubtful, Zhang Xuan, who was about to leave, ceased his footsteps. Even though Lu Xun had challenged him to a Teacher Evaluation, he had never met him. Since they had happened to stumble upon each other, it was also a good opportunity to take a look at the rival and find out his capabilities. Emperor Shen Zhui commanded for the dancers to back down and had the servants pack up the hall. As Shen Hong’s clothes were all tattered, he wasn’t in a good position to meet anyone. Thus, he left as well. Right after the servants were done packing up and they had assumed their seats, the two young men walked in. With a clear look at their appearance, Zhang Xuan frowned. Aren’t they the two arrogant fools whom I saw at the entrance of the academy yesterday? After so much commotion, it turns out that they are the legendary Lu Xun and Wang Chao! It was no wonder that their gazes were filled with such contempt when they met him. They had probably recognized him then. “Lu Xun (Wang Chao) pays respect to Your Majesty, Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi!” The duo clasped their hands. They had met Emperor Shen Zhui, so naturally, they recognized him. Even though the faces of the three master teachers were foreign to them, their master teacher robes revealed their identities. As for Zhang Xuan, due to an excessively extravagant dress-up and a crude behavior, he appeared to be an ordinary rich merchant… With a single glance, they decided to disregard the other party’s presence. A star teacher also has his own pride. There is no need to pay respects to everyone he meets. They had heard of Yang shi and wanted to pay him a visit, but the truth was that they didn’t even know of his appearance. As such, they couldn’t tell that the person sitting before them was him. Besides, they had just been to Yang shi’s residence, and Yang shi was there back then. “May I know the reason for your visit at such a timing?” Upon seeing the two of them disregard Yang shi, Emperor Shen Zhui was filled with displeasure. He was about to introduce him when the latter gestured that there was no need to do so. Thus, he could only swallow in his words and question doubtfully. “Your Majesty, we have a presumptuous request to ask of you.” Lu Xun hesitated for a moment before speaking. “We hope to borrow three million from Your Majesty…” “Borrow money?” Emperor Shen Zhui was puzzled. Given their illustrious family backgrounds, why would they need to request this of him? Besides, why do they need to borrow so much money at that? “We hope to pay a visit to Yang shi, and Your Majesty has probably heard of Yang shi’s protocol as well. In order to enter his mansion, one has to pay three million!” Upon seeing his doubtful expression, Lu Xun got straight to the topic at hand and spoke of his motives. “Once we meet Yang shi, we are confident that we can convince him to accept us as his apprentice. By then, he will definitely return the three million to us, and we will be able to return the sum to Your Majesty.” “Pay a visit to Yang shi?” Upon hearing his motive, Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers glanced at one another. The Yang shi that you said you want to visit isn’t seated too far from you now. Yet, due to your arrogance, you refused to even greet him and chose to disregard him… Even so, you wish to become his apprentice… A peculiar expression appeared on the faces of the crowd. On the other hand, Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he looked at them. He was truly curious why these fellows were so confident that the three million would be refunded to them. “Why are you so confident that Yang shi will accept you? What if he doesn’t accept you, and the three million isn’t refunded, how will you repay the loan?” Lifting up his hand to stop Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers from revealing his identity, Zhang Xuan glanced at them curiously. 191 Zhang Xuan’s Legend 1 “I, Lu Xun, have made a humble reputation for myself in Tianxuan Kingdom. At the very least, I have this much confidence in myself. As for whether Yang shi accepts me or whether the three million will be refunded, there is no need for you to worry about it!” Even before Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers could speak, the middle-aged merchant dressed in fur coat and a silk cap challenged his words. Lu Xun couldn’t help but frown. Since the other party could be seated alongside His Majesty and the three master teachers, this meant that he possessed exceptional social standing. Even so, he, Lu Xun, was confident that his standing would definitely not be inferior. Putting aside the fact that his father was the emperor’s tutor, just considering his accomplishment of becoming the most capable star teacher in Tianxuan Kingdom at such a young age, he was more than qualified to be seated alongside the heads of powerful clans. For example, even Clan Head Wang Hong would have to address him respectfully as Lu laoshi, not daring to act haughtily before him at all. Yet, this fellow, despite being just a mere wealthy merchant, not to mention, crude, dares to question me? So what if you have some status? I am talking to Emperor Shen Zhui, and it’s not your place to be interfering in the matter! Who do you think you are? Upon witnessing his confidence, the three master teachers nearly choked on their saliva. Despite being genuine master teachers, the three of us do not dare to disrespect him at all… Yet, you, a mere star teacher who isn’t even an apprentice yet, why are you behaving so arrogantly? “I’m not worried for you. It’s just that I think that if the money isn’t refunded, you won’t be able to answer to His Majesty. Even if you were to be sold, I doubt that you will be worth that much!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. He was simply giving kind advice, but to think that he would receive such a rude reply. Zhang Xuan felt frustrated. “Mister, please mind your words!” This time, before Lu Xun could even speak, Wang Chao’s eyes narrowed. “Lu Xun laoshi is the number one star teacher of Hongtian Academy. He is someone who will become a master teacher one day. Do you think that he will default on a mere three million gold coins? What a joke! If I were to phrase it more directly, he might not even accept this sum of money if some other people were to send it his way. Do you think that it is so easy to gain a favor from a future master teacher?” “Enough!” Lu Xun interrupted his good friend’s words. Then, with a straightened back reminiscent of a spear, he ignored Zhang Xuan once more and turned toward Shen Zhui. “Your Majesty, you know how I am. Even if Yang shi refuses to refund me the sum, I am still confident that I will be able to return it quickly. This amount of money isn’t worth putting my reputation on the stake!” Even though star teachers cannot be compared to master teachers, it is still true that they are able to guide others to help them achieve breakthroughs. Three million might be a huge sum, but as long as Lu Xun is willing to work for it, he will nevertheless able to make back such money within a short period of time. “This…” Emperor Shen Zhui hesitated. Three million didn’t mean anything to Tianxuan Kingdom as a whole, but the reason why he was worried was that he was afraid of incurring Yang shi’s wrath. “I’ve heard that Yang shi is refusing to meet with outsiders. Even if you have the money, you might not be able to meet him!” Paying no heed to the other party’s disrespectful attitude, Zhang Xuan continued to speak. No matter what, this fellow is Master Lu Chen’s son. It is highly possible that the latter does not know that he is here to borrow money. As such, I must try to persuade him. Given that they were going to cross blows at the Teacher Evaluation, they could be considered as enemies. However, to Zhang Xuan, these are two different matters. Master Lu Chen had provided him much help, and since his son was going to do something foolish, as a senior, Zhang Xuan felt he had the obligation to advise him. “It is a problem of mine whether I am able to meet him or not. Mister, don’t you think that you’re going to a little too far interfering in my matters?” Seeing how that fellow kept trying to ruin this plans, Lu Xun was finally displeased. “I am trying to borrow money from His Majesty, not from you. His Majesty will have his own judgment on the matter, so there’s no need for you to be so overly concerned with the matter.” After which, he flung his robe angrily. Are you sick? I am borrowing money from Emperor Shen Zhui, yet you just have to keep trying to hinder my affairs. It isn’t like I can’t repay the sum, so what do you mean by this? Do you think that I, Lu Xun, am an easy target for you to bully? As a star teacher, if he doesn’t uphold his own prestige and allow others to speak as they please in his presence, how can he instill respect in his students? Besides, the three master are observing the situation. If he were to cower when upon criticism, what rights does he have to become an assistant master teacher? “Mister, regardless of your identity, this is a matter between Lu Xun laoshi and His Majesty. For you to be interrupting their conversation repeatedly, don’t you think that you’re going too far?” Wang Chao harrumphed coldly. Know your place! Don’t you see that even the three master teachers aren’t saying anything? Will you die if you do not speak? “Going too far?” Zhang Xuan was just offering his advice out of kindness so that the other party wouldn’t waste this unnecessary sum of money. Yet, he was despised for doing so. He could only shake his head helplessly. Soon, his identity as ‘Yang shi’ would disappear, and it was obvious that his decision to want to become his apprentice was a mistake in itself. Initially, he thought that since he had met with them, he would able to easily dispel the thought from their heads. Yet, his goodwill was thought of as a nuisance. Not only did the other party not appreciate his efforts, they even thought that he was interfering too much in the matter. However, it wasn’t surprising for the other party to react like that as well. If Zhang Xuan were the one borrowing money, and someone else kept interrupting the conversation, he would be displeased as well. “You are called Lu Xun, right? I’ve heard of your name before I even came. I think that Yang… his words make sense. You should reconsider the matter!” Even though Zhang Xuan didn’t mind the other party’s sarcastic attitude, Liu Ling could not stand watching it any further. Initially, he had a good impression of Lu Xun, and he intended to test him before deciding whether to accept him as his apprentice. Yet, he didn’t think that he would see this side of him during their first encounter. He is simply too arrogant speaking to Yang shi like that, and the favorable impression that Liu Ling had of Lu Xun disappeared without a trace. “Thank you Liu shi for your advice, but my mind is made up…” Hearing Liu shi speak, Lu Xun did not speak to him with the same attitude as he did with the crude merchant. He hurriedly clasped his fists and answered politely. Upon seeing that the other party was reluctant to accept his advice as well, Liu Ling shook his head and fell silent. Yang shi had stopped Emperor Shen Zhui from pointing out his identity, so it was clear that he didn’t want the latter to know that his identity. Since that was the case, Liu Ling wouldn’t get ahead of himself and reveal it either. “It’s merely three million. Given how Master Lu Chen is my teacher, giving it to you is not a problem as well!” Upon seeing that Yang shi didn’t have any intentions of blaming Lu Xun for the matter, Shen Zhui was relieved and he spoke. This bit of money means nothing to the prestigious clans, needless to say, a kingdom. As the son of his teacher, giving it to Lu Xun straight isn’t a problem either. “Thank you, Your Majesty! However, since I’ve already said that I would borrow it, I will just borrow it. I do not wish to owe that person a favor!” Lu Xun gestured proudly. Ever since he had fallen out with that old man of his, he didn’t want to be associated with him in any way. Thus, how can he allow himself to owe that person a favor? “Go retrieve three million gold coins!” Knowing that the father and son held conflicts, Emperor Shen Zhui didn’t say anymore. He turned to a eunuch by the side and commanded. The eunuch turned to leave and shortly, he returned with a stack of gold bills. “Thank your, Your Majesty! I will return it as soon as possible!” After obtaining the gold bills, Lu Chen clasped his hands once more. “Un!” Emperor Shen Zhui waved his hands casually. It would be good if the other party can return the sum, but it doesn’t matter if he can’t. Now that the old ancestor has achieved a breakthrough and reached Zongshi realm, Tianxuan Kingdom will only grow more and more prestigious. Once they attract a master teacher here to assume the reigns, it is highly possible that Tianxuan Kingdom becomes a 2nd Tier Kingdom. A mere three million means nothing to him now. “I won’t intrude on Your Majesty any longer then. Lu Xun (Wang Chao) bids Your Majesty farewell!” After obtaining the money, Lu Xun turned around and left immediately. After taking a few steps, he stopped abruptly and turned around to look at Zhang Xuan. “I don’t know who you are, but since you’re able to be seated with the three master teachers and His Majesty, I doubt that your background is anything simple. However, I would still like to offer you an advice!” “Oh?” Zhang Xuan turned to look at him. “When other people speak, it’s crude to interrupt their conversation. It’s irritating!” A haughty expression appeared on Lu Xun’s face as he flung his hands backward. He looked as if he were a sacred lotus, a being untainted by dirt. Then, he turned around and left without stopping again. Wang Chao glanced at Zhang Xuan and sneered before quickly following Lu Xun out. Once the duo left, the room plunged into silence. The three master teachers quietly stared at each other. “That fellow… Where does his self-confidence come from?” After a long period of time, Zhuang shi could not help but comment. He was truly infuriated. For a mere star teacher to be criticizing Yang shi, whom even they have to be respectful toward… What guts! “I was considering whether to accept him as my apprentice, but from the looks of it, I should drop the idea. He has no respect for his elders at all…” Liu Ling shook his head as well. Lu Xun’s fame was so great that it wasn’t just limited to Tianxuan Kingdom. Liu Ling and the others had long heard of him, but they didn’t think that the first meeting would be so awkward. “Yang shi, I apologize in his stead. He doesn’t… know of your identity and unintentionally offended you…” Upon noticing that even the three master teachers were displeased by Lu Xun’s actions, Emperor Shen Zhui hurriedly turned to Yang Xuan to appease him, in hopes that he wouldn’t be angry. “It’s nothing. It is normal for one to get complacent having accomplished so much at such a young age!” Zhang Xuan shook his head and stood up. “Alright, Shen Hong has reached Zongshi realm, and it is time for me to leave. I hope that Your Majesty will send those Tongxuan realm manuals over soon.” “Yes!” Emperor Shen Zhui nodded his head hastily. “Farewell!” After bidding the other three master teachers farewell too, Zhang Xuan clasped his fists once more and left light- heartedly. Hot passion rose in the three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui once again. Did you see that? Other people would try their best to extort all kinds of benefits after helping someone achieve a breakthrough. Yet, he simply cooly… In fact, even when he was doubted and insulted by a junior, he did not get infuriated or annoyed. “This is the kind of attitude and magnanimity that a true master teacher should possess!” Liu Ling complimented. “Indeed! I am completely impressed with Yang shi. If I can become his disciple, it will truly be a great blessing!” Zheng Fei nodded his head in agreement. “I’ve heard of Lu Xun’s reputation beforehand, but to think that he would be such a person!” Upon recalling Lu Xun’s actions, Liu Ling shook his head in disappointment. Then, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Your Majesty, you said that he is going to be competing with a teacher named Zhang Xuan in a few days’ time. Is that true?” In the few days which they had been in Tianxuan Kingdom, their attention had been on Hongtian Academy. The matter regarding the Teacher Evaluation was no secret, so it wasn’t surprising that they would be aware of it. “Indeed!” Emperor Shen Zhui nodded his head. After returning to the royal palace, he received Pavilion Elder Qian’s report and gained knowledge of the 3-star incident. Even though the battle between two teachers isn’t as shocking a news as Master Teacher Yang Xuan’s arrival, it nevertheless attracted the attention of numerous people. “Since Lu Xun challenged the other party, that Zhang Xuan should be a star teacher of Hongtian Academy as well, right? But why have I never heard of his name?” Liu shi asked doubtfully. In an official challenge such as this, one usually faces another opponent of the same caliber. Lu Xun is the number one star teacher of Hongtian Academy, and this Zhang laoshi accepted his challenge daringly, so they should be on par. However, why hadn’t he heard of the name of this accomplished teacher? 192 Zhang Xuan’s Legend 2 “This is also my first time hearing of Zhang Xuan laoshi. Thus, I had someone specially look into his identity and… Not only is he not a star teacher, he has also been condemned by many…” Recalling the contents in the report he had read through, Emperor Shen Zhui still found the matter hard to believe. With a bitter smile, he shook his head and said, “Do you know of Zhang laoshi’s previous reputation in the academy? “Reputation? What is it?” The interest of the three master teachers was piqued. They turned to look at Emperor Shen Zhui intently. “It’s… trash!” Emperor Shen Zhui said. “Trash?” The three master teachers stared at one another. “That’s right. I’ve heard that this Zhang Xuan laoshi scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination, and he even caused his student’s cultivation to go berserk. Thus, he is reputed as the worst teacher Hongtian Academy ever had!” Emperor Shen Zhui said. “Scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination?” “Caused his student’s cultivation to go berserk?” “How can such a person remain as a teacher? Furthermore… Since his results are that poor, why is Lu Xun competing with him?” The three master teachers were puzzled. Putting aside how poor Zhang Xuan’s results were, Lu Xun is the number one star teacher of the academy. Of everyone he could challenge, he chose to compete against a fellow who had scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination… This is as though racing against a cripple, and competing in a hearing test with a deaf! Even if he won, what honor would there be? Furthermore, what if, against all odds, he loses? “Allow me to first finish my story. That was his former title. About ten days ago, a twist occurred!” Emperor Shen Zhui continued. “A teacher called Cao Xiong challenged him to an Enlightenment Will Inquisition in a contest for a student, and everyone thought that Cao Xiong would emerge victoriously. Yet, a shocking conclusion occurred.” “This Zhang Xuan laoshi isn’t the trash that everyone put him out to be. On the contrary, he is an expert. He has already reached Pixue realm, and the student held a Trust Level of 64 in him…” Even though Hongtian Academy had intentionally suppressed the news of the Enlightenment Will Inquisition, it remained a simple task for the emperor of Tianxuan Kingdom to look into such a matter. He was well aware of all that had happened that day, and he spoke of it in detail to the three master teachers. “Right after accepting a student, his student’s Trust Level in him has reached 64? The level of a master teacher? How… How is this possible?” “To reach Pixue realm before twenty years of age? What incredible talent! Even students who study under master teachers find it difficult to accomplish such a feat!” “Inducing symptoms of a berserk cultivation to overcome Innate Sealed Meridians? And to induce a breakthrough in his student from Fighter 1-dan to Fighter 2-dan within ten minutes…” The three master teachers stared at one another in astonishment. They found the situation too incredulous, and it was as though they were in a dream. In order to guard the school’s reputation, he was willing to bear the name of the trash without saying anything. In the end, it was only because the other party went too far that he revealed everything… “If all of these are true, then… Isn’t this Zhang Xuan laoshi too noble!” Zhuang Xian was impressed. Despite being framed, just so as to not sully the name of the academy, he kept mom about the matter. Such magnanimity and professionalism, even the three master teachers find it difficult to achieve, needless to say, a young man who isn’t even yet twenty. “I’ve sent someone to the Teacher Guild to investigate and have received a reply regarding the matter!” Emperor Shen Zhui knew that the three master teacher found the matter unbelievable as well, so with a small gesture, he beckoned a eunuch over and took a letter from his hands. “This is a personal writing from the Teacher Guild’s Elder Mo. The contents are exactly as I’ve said. Please take a look!” After which, he handed the letter over. Upon receiving it, Liu Ling and the others took a quick and nodded their heads. That was a paper used by the Teacher Guild, and the seal of the guild was on it. It was unlikely for the contents on it to have been falsified, otherwise, Elder Mo would be punished. “To think that such a talent is hiding in Hongtian Academy!” Liu Ling’s eyes lit up. He had intended to recruit Lu Xun as his apprentice, but after meeting the person in question, he couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. This moment, after hearing the legendary affairs of Zhang laoshi, his interest was piqued once more. “His conduct is noble, and he is willing to have his reputation sullied for the sake of the academy. Without regards for personal gains or losses, he gives his all for his students… I would like to meet such a teacher personally!” Zhuang Xian commented in awe. Master teachers hope to accept good apprentices. This doesn’t just mean their ability to educate others and their reputation, their morals play an important part as well. After all, what is the use of recruiting a talented apprentice if he is ungrateful and immoral? “Your Majesty, someone seeks an audience!” Everyone was still immersed in their awe for Zhang Xuan when a guard suddenly walked in. “Who is it?” “It’s the butler of City Lord Zhao of Baiyu City, Yao Han!” The guard reported. “Allow him to enter!” Emperor Shen Zhui nodded his head. City Lord Zhao Feng is a subordinate that he trusts heavily in, and as Yao Han is a close aide of Zhao Feng, Shen Zhui knows him as well. “Yao Han pays respect to Your Majesty!” Soon, a middle-aged man walked in and knelt on the floor. It was Yao Han. “General Yao Han, please rise!” Emperor Shen Zhui beckoned. Even though Yao Han is only a butler now, he had followed City Lord Zhao Feng to numerous wars back then, achieving the position of a general through his contributions in them. “For General Yao to come at this time, does City Lord Zhao Feng have anything to report?” Knowing that it is impossible for the other party to visit the royal palace without any good reason, Emperor Shen Zhui asked. “Your Majesty, our city lord intends to visit the capital in a few days’ time, and he had instructed me to ask Your Majesty for permission.” Yao Han said. As an important official with heavy responsibilities in the country, Zhao Feng is not allowed to leave his post as and when he likes. Even if he wants to head to the capital, he has to inform the emperor in advance. Otherwise, if he were to secretly sneak here and the emperor found out about it, he would be punished severely. “Visit the capital?” Shen Zhui was taken aback. “Yes, our young mistress has acknowledged Zhang Xuan laoshi as her teacher, and in order to awaken her unique constitution, Zhang laoshi had undergone the apothecary examination, obtained the precious 【Frigid Sun Mother Grass】 and purchased the tier-3 【Unravel Yin Pill】 for her consumption. Due to the immense gratitude toward him, city lord has decided to come in person to thank him!” Yao Han replied. “Acknowledged Zhang Xuan? Frigid Sun Mother Grass? Unravel Yin Pill?” They were discussing Zhang Xuan just a moment ago, and upon hearing these words, they were all stupefied. Recovering from his daze, Emperor Shen Zhui spoke up, “What is the matter about? Recount it to us in detail!” “Yes!” Yao Han nodded his head. Then, he spoke of how Zhang laoshi had accepted Zhao Ya as his disciple, how he saw through her unique constitution, why he underwent the apothecary examinations, and so on in detail. Other people might not know the entire story, but after being beaten to a pulp by the other party, Yao Han went through the trouble to look into Zhang Xuan’s matters. As such, he knows of the affairs surrounding him clearly and accurately. “You mean to say that… This Zhang Xuan laoshi had managed to pass the 1-star apothecary examination? “Not just so, in order to help his students to achieve a breakthrough, he spent a great amount of money to purchase pills and medicinal solutions? Even… tailoring cultivation techniques for their individual needs… and requesting nothing in return?” “Due to the immense fatigue from staying up for multiple nights to create all of the battle techniques, he fell asleep lying on the chair?” Upon hearing Yao Han’s words, the three master teachers widened their eyes in shock. Agitated, they clenched their fists tightly. The basic responsibility of a teacher is to impart knowledge, skills, and clarify doubts. If one doesn’t value his students, it is impossible for one to be a good teacher. For his own students, this Zhang laoshi had made so many sacrifices… He even hid all of it from his students. Even as master teachers, they couldn’t help but be astounded by Zhang Xuan’s character. Most importantly… He passed the apothecary examination and became an official apothecary! “If one wants to take on the master teacher examination, one needs to have a supporting occupation. Since Zhang Xuan is an official apothecary, that means that if we accept him as our apprentice, he will be qualified to take on the master teacher examination with just a bit of guidance!” The eyes of the three master teachers grew increasingly bright. For a master teacher to guide others, they need to possess a fearsome amount of knowledge as a prerequisite. They have to be well-versed in various fields, to the point that they are qualified to become a member of their guild, or else, it would be impossible for them to offer concrete pointers. Apothecaries are considered one of the top professions among the Upper Nine Paths. Given that Zhang Xuan is already an official apothecary, if he were to be paired with an acceptable teaching formula and knowledge system, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to become a master teacher at all. Even in Tier 2 and Tier 1 Kingdoms, such apprentices are vied for by numerous master teachers. After all, it adds to a master teacher’s prestige if one’s student becomes a master teacher as well. “He is strong; able to tolerate injustices for the sake of the bigger picture; willing to try new methods to teach his students; doesn’t despair or panic when misunderstood; knowledgeable, but is willing to lie low, humble; willing to abandon his all for his students… This truly is a good master teacher bud!” The more Liu Ling spoke, the brighter his eyes grew. “Zhuang shi, Zheng shi, since there’s such a good teacher in Hongtian Academy, do you want to accompany me to take a look?” “Liu shi, what are you talking about? It should be you accompanying me to take a look. I’ve been trying to look for such an apprentice all along.” Zhuang shi chuckled. “As a certified apothecary, I have an in-depth understanding of pill-forging. It would be the most fitting for him to become my apprentice…” Zheng Fei interjected. Having heard the various outstanding deeds of Zhang Xuan, the three master teachers could no longer hold themselves back. While teachers hope to strike up good relationships with master teachers, master teachers also hope to accept capable and upright teachers as apprentices. Given how noble Zhang Xuan’s character is, willing to give up his all for his students, not to mention that his potential far surpasses Lu Xun, how is it possible for the three master teachers remain unmoved? “This…” Seeing how the three masters were squabbling with one another over Zhang Xuan so vehemently, Emperor Shen Zhui and Yao Han were astonished. Other people try all means possible so that a master teacher spares a single glance at them, and yet, it is the direct opposite for this Zhang laoshi. The three master teachers hadn’t met him yet, but they were already quarreling for him. However, recalling all of the deeds that he had accomplished, he is indeed someone worthy for master teachers to vie over. “Looks like I should try to get on close terms with this Zhang Xuan laoshi…” Emperor Shen Zhui made up his mind secretly. As the sovereign of the country, how can he give up on someone who wields such tremendous potential to become a master teacher? “General Yao, inform Zhao Feng that he is free to come!” At this point, he nodded his head immediately and consented to Yao Han’s request. Regardless of whether it is for this kingdom or for him, it is good news. Through Zhao Ya, he should be able to easily tie Zhang Xuan laoshi onto Tianxuan Kingdom’s chariot. Once the kingdom possesses the backing of a true master teacher, the strength of the kingdom would be on the rise, and being promoted to a 2nd Tier Kingdom wouldn’t just be a dream. “Emperor Shen Zhui, we’ve decided to visit Hongtian Academy, so we won’t be imposing on you for now!” After a round of quarreling, the three master teacher decided to see firsthand if Zhang laoshi is as incredible as the rumors had put him out to be. After all, rumors tend to be exaggerated. Only by seeing it for themselves will they be able to make the most accurate judgment of the person. In any case, the other party also has the choice of choosing who he wants to acknowledge. Thus, it was pointless for them to argue here. “Three master teachers, please feel free!” Emperor Shen Zhui did not dare to hinder them, and he nodded his head in consent. Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and Zheng Fei stopped their incessant chatter and quickly headed outside, straight for Hongtian Academy. “Lu Xun…” Watching the three master teachers leave for Zhang Xuan, Emperor Shen Zhui thought of Lu Xun, who had left earlier, and shook his head. From cultivation to knowledge, character and teaching skills, the impression of the three master teachers, as well as reputation… This number one star teacher in Hongtian Academy has lost in every aspect… A complete defeat! 193 That’s Yang shi? Oblivious to the fact that the impression that Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers had of them had been ruined, Lu Xun and Wang Chao headed toward Yang shi’s residence, their faces beaming with excitement. They were mocked and insulted previously due to their lack of money. Now that they have three million in their hands, no one would dare to stop them! “Later, when we meet Yang shi, just dive straight into the main topic. Say that we’re willing to become his apprentice and that we will serve him well.” Lu Xun deliberated on the possible scenarios when they meet Yang Shi before concluding, “For Liu shi and the others to be so much in awe of him, he must have reached at least 2-star or even higher. If we were to beat around the bush, we might incur his irritation instead. Rather, it might be better if we are straightforward!” A master teacher has incredibly sharp eyes. It is best not to put on an act before such a person, otherwise, they would definitely be the ones to get unlucky. Once they incur the wrath of Yang shi, it would be out of the question for them to become his apprentices. “You’re right!” Wang Chao nodded his head in agreement. “Right, Wang Chao. You said that Elder Wang Chong learned a new spear technique, and he spent quite a bit of money for it. What happened?” Suddenly recalling the matter, Lu Xun asked. “Just a few days ago, my father was training in seclusion, so I was unable to reach him. I only came to know about the matter after asking the butler. He said that an expert visited the residence, and my old man spent millions as tuition fee to learn a single spear technique from the other party. Honestly, I can’t imagine what kind of technique can be worth that much money.” Wang Chao shook his head unhappily. As a clan of spear masters, even though they possessed considerable properties, taking out a few million at once would still rattle the family’s foundations. He didn’t know why his father went mad all of a sudden, paying such a huge sum. “No one surpasses Elder Wang Chong’s understanding of the spear in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Since he was willing to take out so much money, it must mean that this spear technique is remarkable. You must learn it well.” Lu Xun viewed the matter from a different perspective. Given the reputation Wang Chong enjoys in Tianxuan Kingdom, even being praised by Emperor Shen Zhui personally, his comprehension of spearmanship has reached an astonishing level. For such an incredible expert to be willing to pay so huge a price, how is it possible that the spear art be anything ordinary? “I would like to learn it as well, but father refuses to teach it to me. According to the butler, father promised to only impart the spear art to another clan member with the creator’s permission. Hence, anyone who tries to learn it secretly will be punished severely!” Wang Chao pouted. He felt extremely discontented upon mentioning the matter. His father had been practicing that mysterious spear technique madly, and Wang Chao knew of it but wasn’t allowed to learn. As such, he felt incredibly frustrated within and could only vent his frustration through complaining. “The Wang Clan’s spearmanship tops the entire kingdom, and it is known by all to be a top-notch battle technique. I don’t think that the expert’s spearmanship will be any stronger. Most probably, the elder is looking for a chance to make another breakthrough!” After offering him a word of consolation, Lu Xun was about to continue speaking when he suddenly saw Wang Chao gesturing toward their back. Puzzled, he asked, “What’s wrong?” “Look, that’s the arrogant fellow from the royal palace!” Wang Chao pointed to his back Turning around, he saw the middle-aged man dressed in fur coat and silk hat walking in the same direction. Who else can it be other than that noisy fellow? “Since he’s able to sit alongside the three master teachers and His Majesty, even though his mouth is vile, he must possess an extraordinary identity. Let’s not provoke him and focus on our matter instead!” Sensing that his good buddy was about to pick a fight with the other party, Lu Xun immediately persuaded him otherwise. Even though he had never met that middle-aged man, he was unlikely to be an ordinary person for him to dare to interrupt his conversation with Emperor Shen Zhui. But… so what about it? They are star teachers with backing from powerful clans and are considered influential celebrities in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. No matter how influential the other party might possibly be, it means nothing at all before them. “Un, I understand. But… Why does it seem like he is following us?” Wang Chao felt puzzled. He glanced backward once more to look at the other party. While the duo was speaking, they had turned at several corners, but the fellow was still behind them. What else can this be other than following? “Perhaps he wishes to pay a visit to Yang shi as well. Let’s not talk anymore. Butler Sun is at the door, let’s go pay him the sum…” Lu Xun shook his head. He didn’t want any troubles before acknowledging Yang shi as his master. After turning at two more corners, Yang shi’s mansion appeared before them. There were many people still queuing at the entrance, and Butler Sun Qiang happened to be at the door as well. Wang Chao immediately walked over with his head held high and chest protruding. Putting on a haughty look, he squeezed through the crowd and handed the three million which he had just borrowed forward. “Butler Sun, here is the fee for both of us to pay a visit to Yang shi. Now you can let us in, right?” Didn’t you just mock us for being poor blokes? In just a short hour, we’ve brought the money here. This is called… slapping your face in public! In their minds, they imagined that Sun Qiang’s face would darken, and he would assume a subservient attitude, bending his back and fawning on them… But the plump man frowned instead. Without even turning to look at them, his chubby hands waved impatiently, “Where did all of your nonsense come from? Didn’t I say just now? From now on, Yang shi won’t be accepting anymore money. It doesn’t matter how much you pay. So, for those whose names aren’t called, don’t cause any trouble here and scram!” “You…” Rage surged through Wang Chao, and he nearly vomited blood. As one of the members of the top echelon of Tianxuan Kingdom, he is highly respected no matter where he went. Even Emperor Shen Zhui has to treat him with considerable respect. Yet, a mere butler dared to tell him to scram, not once, but twice. The strong sense of humiliation infuriated him so greatly that he was about to erupt. “Sun Qiang, do you know who you’re talking to?” With a darkened face, he walked forward and spat through gritted teeth. “Oh? It’s Wang Chao laoshi…” Only now did Sun Qiang clearly see the other party’s face, and he lifted his eyebrows, “Why, you brought the money here this time?” On the previous occasion, he was hesitant because of the other party’s identity as a celebrity teacher. However, after seeing that the old master was completely unbothered by the matter, he realized that it doesn’t matter whether one is a noble or a celebrity teacher. If you listen obediently, I’ll speak up for you. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter who you are! The moment Wang Chao heard Sun Qiang’s reply, he nearly passed out from rage. The heck! What do you mean by that look of contempt! What do you mean by ” you brought the money here this time”? If those who don’t know better were to hear, they would think that I had come multiple times shamelessly without money… “Wang Chao, calm down!” Upon realizing that his friend was about to explode, Lu Xun shook his head and took a step forward. Even though this friend of his has good talent and is skilled in teaching others, he is hot-tempered and due to this trait, had got into plenty of trouble in the past. If he hadn’t stepped in, it is likely that Wang Chao would have really turned violent. Beating up this fellow means sullying Yang shi’s dignity. Not only will Yang shi not admit them as apprentices, he might just drive them away. Holding back his agitated friend, Lu Xun clasped his hands and smiled, “Butler Sun, I don’t there’s any need to introduce us anymore. It is our fault for not bringing the money here previously, so we brought the money this time along with the name scroll. May I trouble you to report this matter to Yang shi? If he truly refuses to meet with us, we will give up on the idea and bother you no more.” With a single look, it was clear that Sun Qiang was a typical street person. Arguing with him would just make things more and more complicated, so Lu Xun decided to avoid unnecessary trouble and dive straight into the topic. “Old master has instructed that I am not to accept any more name scrolls; other than those who have paid previously, no one is allowed to enter. However, since you two are celebrity teachers, I will play the good man and…” Satisfied with Lu Xun’s words, Sun Qiang nodded his head. Halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed that the old master had reached the gates. He pushed open the gates and walked into the courtyard. Actually, Sun Qiang’s tantrum a moment earlier was to conceal the fact that the old master wasn’t at the mansion. Upon seeing him return, he heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to enter the mansion delightfully when he heard an incensed bellow resounding. “Butler Sun, what do you mean by this? We’ve paid the money and handed over the name scroll, but you still refuse to allow us to enter. Yet, why is that fellow able to enter directly, even without having to address you?” Wang Chao was truly angered. When we didn’t bring money, you criticized us and mocked us in public. Now that we’ve brought money, you still deny us entry. We would have just accepted the fact if everyone is subjected to the same treatment, but what is with that fellow with a fur coat and silk hat? Without submitting a name scroll or paying anything, he was allowed to enter just like that. What rights does he have to do so? Just because he’s rich? Just because Emperor Shen Zhui regards him highly? Didn’t you say that no one can enter? What happened to the righteous words that you spoke of earlier? Wang Chao was so furious that if anger were visible, a pillar of red would split the heavens. However, right after he said those words, the surrounding crowd turned to look at him immediately, as though they were staring at an idiot. Their eyes were filled with pity. Looking at those glances, Lu Xun suddenly thought of something. His body shuddered uncontrollably and his complexion turned awful. He turned to Sun Qiang and asked, “Butler Sun, the person who has just entered is…” “It’s our old master!” Sun Qiang harrumphed coldly. “Yang shi?” Lu Xun felt as though lightning bolts had struck him, and his entire body swayed. The furious Wang Chao seemed as though he had been slapped on his face. The words that he had wanted to say, in a split second, all jammed in his mouth. His face turned pale, and he quivered uncontrollably. That’s Yang shi? And we scolded him back in the palace for being too noisy? He tried to advise us out of kindness, but we simply disregarded his words out of indignation and even wanted to teach him a lesson… What… What is going on? Lu Xun and Wang Chao felt the world begin to spin around them, slowly crumbling apart. …… Even though Lu Xun and Wang Chao were prestigious figures in the eyes of many, the two of them celebrity teachers of Hongtian Academy, as Zhang Xuan had come into contact with numerous top individuals within the kingdom in the past few days, their identities were far from being eye-catching. Looking at them now, they seem nothing more than conceited young men. It didn’t matter to Zhang Xuan whether the duo was traumatized. It sufficed to leave the matter to Sun Qiang; Zhang Xuan could not be bothered. At this moment, he was sitting on his bed with a grim expression. After studying the Heaven’s Path Poison Art, he had gained an in-depth knowledge of that topic. At the same time, he noticed a bizarre black poison aura within his body. In the royal palace, he was busy helping Shen Hong to reach Zongshi realm and as such, he didn’t have the leisure to look into the matter back then. Now that he is back at his mansion, he is anxious to take a look at it to find out what is going on! He has been healthy all along, so why is there poison aura lingering in his body? When did it sneak into his body? Puzzled, he focused his attention on the black poison aura. That black poison aura was hidden between his organs and meridians, making it hard to detect. If not for the fact that he had studied Heaven’s Path Poison Art and gained an in-depth understanding of poison, he would have never noticed it. “What kind of poison is this? Why… haven’t I seen it before?” Taking a closer look at it, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows knitted together. There were more than a thousand books on poison in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, and the various types of poison, their nature, and their scent were all recorded within. Yet, the black poison aura in his body did not match any single one of those written in the books. 194 Three Shocked Master Teachers 1 That is to say, this black aura is a lethal poison which he doesn’t recognize. What exactly is it? “Let’s see if I can expel it!” With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan propelled the zhenqi within his body. Even though he has no idea what the poison aura is capable of, it would eventually pose to be a threat if left untreated in his body like that. Since he has become aware of it now, he has to solve the problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, with a ticking time bomb within him, he will never feel at ease. The books did detail how can one use his zhenqi to expel poison, and it isn’t a difficult process. After spending a brief moment immersed in his thoughts, he mastered the skill. Gugugu! Upon seeing the surge of zhenqi, the black aura, as though it had met its nemesis, dived into his meridians and hid immediately. “It doesn’t work at all…” Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. This poison aura is simply too formidable. To think that it is capable of hiding from the assault of zhenqi. At this moment, it had only dived into his meridians, so it isn’t particularly critical. However, if it were to have dived frenziedly into an important organ, Zhang Xuan would have probably died before he can even react to it. To be able to avoid zhenqi as though it possesses intelligence, what poison is this? Furthermore, when was I poisoned? Since he was unable to find any records of the poison in the Book Collection Vault, this meant that it is a poison exclusive to the higher tier kingdoms. Yet, such a poison aura… was found in his body. Zhang Xuan felt increasingly baffled. He tried using all kinds of detoxification method, but upon seeing that none of them were effective, he had no choice but to give up temporarily. It seems that the black aura is extremely fearful of his zhenqi, so it should not dare to cause any trouble for the time being. Otherwise, he couldn’t have survived for so long without noticing it. However, even though there isn’t any threat on his life for the time being, how he was poisoned is a huge issue. It is one thing if he had accidentally come into contact with the poison, but if it were the intentional doing of someone else and he was oblivious, this would be altogether a different matter. The enemy’s first attempt had failed, so that means that there’ll be a second try. “I’ve to first ascertain whether I was afflicted before or after my arrival and whether it is an intentional act. At the very least, I can be on my guard!” Warily, Zhang Xuan glanced at the black aura once more and examined it… Eventually, he failed to discover anything new. It isn’t because Zhang Xuan is dumb, but… because the poison is simply too advanced. It is beyond what Tianxuan Kingdom understands, making it impossible for Zhang Xuan to identify it, and even less so, figure out when he was afflicted and who the culprit is. “I should try using the Library of Heaven’s Path!” Just as Zhang Xuan was about to give up, a thought suddenly appeared in his head. Even though he is unable to personally discern anything, it doesn’t mean that the library will be helpless as well. To trigger the Library of Heaven’s Path and compile a book on something or someone, he needs to touch the object with his fingers or witness a person execute a battle technique. Since the poison aura is hidden in his meridians, it is impossible to touch. As for getting it to execute a battle technique… Cough cough, that is even more ridiculous. However, verifying the answer to some basic questions isn’t difficult for Zhang Xuan. Grabbing a blank book, Zhang Xuan took out his brush and started writing. “The poison aura in my body only appeared after my reincarnation, and it is an intentional act!” When Zhang Xuan’s finger touched the book, an identical book appeared in his head. Casually flipping it open, the flaws of the statement he wrote appeared. After reading through the contents, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. Based on the feedback from the Library of Heaven’s Path, the poison aura was already in this body before his reincarnation, and it was an intentional doing! That means that… someone wanted to kill him. “Could it be that… the death of my previous self isn’t because of alcoholism and depression, but because of… this poison?” He had been feeling perplexed over this matter for quite some time. How could a zhenqi realm pinnacle expert die just from drinking alcohol? From the looks of it, it seems that wasn’t the case at all. Thus, Zhang Xuan wrote all kinds of conjectures onto the book. An unknown period of time had passed before Zhang Xuan put down his brush. After half day of testing his conjecture, he had obtained a rough idea of the entire matter. His previous self had indeed died from poisoning, and that opened the path for his reincarnation. The reason why he had been fine after the reincarnation is because the Heaven’s Path zhenqi he cultivated is too pure. The poison aura feared it instinctively and was forced to a corner, unable to budge at all. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Zhang Xuan to survive to this date. That is to say, the reason why Zhang Xuan could live to this moment is that he was diligent. Otherwise, without sufficient zhenqi, the poison aura would have counterattacked immediately and Zhang Xuan would have died from poisoning. “Looks like another mess my previous self left me…” After settling the problem regarding the Teacher Qualification Examination, Zhang Xuan thought that he would gain freedom and would be able to live a carefree life. Yet now, he realized that he had been simplifying things. As long as the black aura lingers in his body, he would be in danger. “I’ve to find a way to identify the person who wants to kill me.” If the person who wished to kill him conceals himself, it would be impossible for Zhang Xuan to locate him. However, if the other party dares to make another move, using the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan would be able to identify even his ancestors. Thus, Zhang Xuan didn’t feel fear in the least and was merely puzzled. His previous self was just an orphan who didn’t even have a relative. Not to mention, he also possessed trashy talent. Having not offended anyone, who in the world would use poison that one couldn’t even find in Tianxuan Kingdom to kill him? Given that the person was able to acquire such an advanced poison, he definitely boasts of some capability. Rather than going through so much effort, why didn’t he just kill him straight? Aren’t his actions, as though taking off one’s pants to fart, excessive? Since Zhang Xuan could not make sense of the matter, he decided not to mull over it anymore. Without any clue who the person that poisoned him is, musing over the matter is futile. The best he can do now is to find a method to dispel the poison in his body. “In order to dispel the poison, I have to first know what poison it is. There are too little books regarding poison in Tianxuan Kingdom. Looks like I have to head to a place with more books…” Possessing the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan can treat himself as long as he is able to access sufficient books on poison. However, such books aren’t easy to find. Zhang Xuan had read through the entire collection in the royal palace, but it is far from sufficient. As such, it is unlikely that any normal book here would be useful. After all, this poison is too advanced, so advanced that it can’t be found in Tianxuan Kingdom. Since the poison doesn’t exist here, how can the solution be found here? To rid himself of the poison, Zhang Xuan will have to head for the higher tier kingdoms to look for more books on poison. “I should greet the three master teachers and inquire them about it later on…” Even though Zhang Xuan is completely ignorant of the affairs of other lands, the three master teachers, in contrast, must be very familiar. They hail from higher tier kingdoms and travel often. Thus, they definitely know more about the other lands than him. “There’s no need for me to panic. I should first solve the issues here.” Since his Heaven’s Path zhenqi suppresses the poison aura, preventing it from acting up, he should be safe for the time being. Thus, Zhang Xuan shook his head, stretched his back, and gestured for Sun Qiang to call the next person in. …………………… “Liu shi, why do we have to change our clothes?” The three master teachers were walking on the pavement in Hongtian Academy. Looking at the clothes they were wearing, Zheng Fei couldn’t help but ask. He usually donned the robe of a master teacher, and regardless of where he went, others always treated him with the utmost respect. It felt weird to be dressed in casual clothes all of the sudden. “The master teacher robe is too eye-catching. If we were to wear it here, Zhang Xuan laoshi would definitely rush here at first time’s notice and act obediently and respectfully around us. If that’s the case, how can we see his true character?” Liu Ling spoke. “Indeed. It is a good idea to conceal our identity. This way, we can see his true personality!” Zhuang Xian nodded his head in agreement. Zheng Fei came to a realization as well. Having changed into the clothes of an ordinary person and suppressed their cultivation, no one would guess that they are master teachers. People would simply think of them as ordinary elders. Only under such circumstances will they be able to peer into the truth. Soon, after asking about, they arrived at Zhang Xuan’s classroom. “This classroom is way too small!” Observing the classroom before their eyes, Liu Ling and company frowned. They had seen the scale of Hongtian Academy for themselves on their way here, and even the most ordinary teacher possesses a classroom several hundred meters square large. Yet, the classroom before them isn’t even a hundred meter square large. Regardless of infrastructure or design, they are exceptionally simple and shabby. With a single glance, it was clear that this is the worst facility in the entire academy. “Seems like that Zhang laoshi isn’t treated very well in the academy!” With such poor conditions, it is truly a wonder how Zhang laoshi manages to tolerate. If it were them, they would have long fallen out with the academy, flung their robes, and resigned. “To be able to remain calm, humble, and motivated under such conditions, it seems that he places his responsibilities above his pride. I am impressed.” Liu Ling expressed his heartfelt thoughts. Despite being subjected to unfair treatment, the other party doesn’t bear any resentment or vent any frustration on his students. To not allow such humiliation get in the way of his character, that is truly impressive. “Cousin Wang Tao, I still don’t understand what Zhang laoshi spoke about the convergence of spirit energy. Can you explain it to me once more?” Walking toward the classroom, before they even entered it, they could hear questioning voices from the grass patch before the entrance. The three men stopped in their footsteps. “Alright. However, Zhang laoshi’s words were exceptionally profound and I understood less than a tenth of it. In any case, I have made a note, so how about we study it together?” The senior known as Wang Tao hesitated for a moment before replying. “Great!” The first voice chirped delightfully. “Look, this is what Zhang laoshi said. In Juxi realm, one should view one’s own body as a part of the natural flow of spiritual energy in the air and converge them together into one’s body instead of forcefully absorbing it. This way, one will be able to better store spiritual energy and the rate of absorption of spiritual energy will increase. Back then, Zhang laoshi brought up ten methods to do so, but I only remember three of them. We can study them together. Look at the first one…” Wang Tao’s voice echoed from the classroom. “View one’s own body as a part of the natural flow of spiritual energy in the air?” Listening to the conversation between the two, the three master teachers became shocked. Their astonishment reflected on their faces. “I’ve heard of this theory from my teacher… That Zhang Xuan laoshi is capable of speaking such profound logic as well?” Liu Ling’s jaws dropped. Whether one is truly an expert, his performance will tell. As master teachers, they stand at the very pinnacle of the occupation of teachers. Naturally, they hold a deep knowledge about imparting knowledge, and they are also capable of telling right from wrong. Even though they hadn’t sat through Zhang Xuan’s lesson, judging the conversation between the two students alone, they were able to tell that Zhang laoshi’s theories are innovative, correct, and straightforward. Even they themselves find it hard to conduct a lesson of such standard. The theories brought up by the duo weren’t incredibly profound, but they point straight to the essence of Juxi realm. It felt as though they were standing before a vast ocean, endless and unimaginably deep. The more they listened, the more it was beneficial to their cultivation. They had benefited greatly from the exchange. As the three master teachers continued to listen, they became increasingly amazed. Rooted to the spot, they shuddered with agitation. 195 Three Shocked Master Teachers 2 “To be capable of analyzing a mere Juxi realm so thoroughly, it seems that Zhang laoshi’s comprehension toward cultivation isn’t something that I can match up to. He has long reached the 【Enlightenment】 realm.” After eavesdropping on the conversation of the duo for another moment, Liu Ling could not help but say. “To be enlightened means to have grasped the laws of the world. In the Enlightenment realm, one’s cultivation would have reached Zongshi realm. Only at that realm will one form his own school of understanding toward cultivation. Could it be that Zhang Xuan has already reached Zongshi realm?” Zhuang Xian found it unbelievable. “It is not that only Zongshi experts are able to reach the Enlightenment realm. Some incredible teachers, through their comprehension and study of cultivation, manage to form schools of their own. By imparting the knowledge and theories they have compiled to their students, they are able to enlighten their student to the truth, thus massively benefitting their students. Such teachers are absolutely rare and hard to find in the world. To think that this Zhang laoshi would be one of them…” At this point, Liu Ling’s eyes grew increasingly bright. He couldn’t help but mutter, “Such a talented bud!” “Indeed. Even for me, I can’t help but feel excited listening to his theories toward cultivation! To be able to describe the complex subject of cultivation in the simplest words such that anyone will be able to understand it. His standard is indeed astounding.” Zhuang Xian nodded his head. “If one were to cultivate according to his theory, improvements would definitely be swift. One probably won’t exceed a year in breaking through Fighter 1-dan Juxi realm!” Zheng Fei commented. “However, it is a pity that we’re just listening by the side. We are only qualified to attend the most basic lectures of Zhang laoshi. If we were taught by him personally, we might have already achieved a breakthrough!” The three master teachers were wallowing in their awe for Zhang Xuan when they suddenly heard the voices before them echoing once more. “Listening by the side? Those two… are only listening in on his lesson?” The three master teachers stared at one another as their minds were blown once again. There are different types of students under the tutelage of a teacher. There are students who listen in, normal students, and direct disciples. Initially, given how the duo was discussing cultivation methods, the three master teachers thought that they were true disciples of Zhang laoshi, and thus, they had been imparted with the purest and most profound theories. However, upon hearing ‘listening in’ did they realize that they are just the most basic students under his tutelage. If a listener student can learn such profound theories, it would be hard to imagine what his normal students and true disciples will be able to achieve. “Indeed. When Younger Sister Wang Ying first started to learn under Zhang Xuan, she was only Juxi realm primary stage. After coming under the personal tutelage of Zhang laoshi, in a short ten days, her cultivation rose swiftly, and she succeeded in reaching Dantian realm yesterday night!” “I’m truly envious. Say, why was I so foolish back then? Why was I so obsessed with coming under Lu laoshi’s tutelage before? If only I had joined Zhang laoshi earlier, I would have long achieved a breakthrough as well…” The two continued to chat, and their tone revealed their envy for the other students. … “She reached Dantian realm from Juxi realm in ten short days?” Upon hearing the words of the duo, the three master teachers felt as though they were struck by a massive hammer on their head. They thought that they were going insane. In Fighter 1-dan, one gathers spiritual energy and circulate it around his body to nourish and open meridians. Without accomplishing all of these thoroughly, it is impossible for to reach Dantian realm. In other words, there are no shortcuts whatsoever for this realm. Thus, without years of hard work, it is difficult to achieve a breakthrough from this realm; even for them, without half a year, it is impossible for them to help their students do so. Yet, a breakthrough in ten days? The three master teachers were astonished, unable to believe what they had just heard. If that is true, doesn’t that mean that Zhang Xuan’s ability to teach is superior to theirs? How is that possible? Boom boom boom! They were feeling uncertain when the ground below them started to quake. “It’s Yuan Tao. That fellow is probably knocking against walls again… Let’s go and take a look!” Wang Tao’s words sounded in the air. Soon, their footsteps grew faint as they gradually walked into the distance. “Yuan Tao? Isn’t that the fellow who scored the worst for the entrance examinations?” Zhuang shi couldn’t help but ask. On their way here, they had inquired about Zhang laoshi’s affairs and found out that he had accepted five students. As the student with the worst result during the entrance examination, Yuan Tao was especially conspicuous and, as such, the three master teachers had a deep impression of him. “Yes, let’s go. We’ll take a look as well.” Liu Ling gestured and the trio followed the sound of the footsteps before them. They are all Half-Zongshi experts. It is impossible them to be discovered by the two students. After several dozen meters, they stopped after a corner and a few figures appeared before them. They saw a fatty who was charging furiously toward a wall. Every time he rams against it, the ground trembles vigorously. “What incredible defensive ability! With such extraordinary defensive capability, even a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm expert would find it hard to break through…” Seeing the fatty’s actions, the three master teachers were once again, blown out of their minds. While Wang Tao and Wang Yan’s do not have sufficiently discerning eyes and are unable to judge how strong Yuan Tao’s defense truly is, but they, as master teachers, are able to tell with a single look. Even for them, they would take quite a bit of effort to break through the fatty’s defense. For the student who was the last in the entrance examination to possess such overwhelming defense all of the sudden… The three master teachers felt their head unable to cope with the sudden turn of situations. “Quick, look over there…” Zheng Fei suddenly said. Following the direction where he was pointing, Liu Ling and Zhuang Xian saw a sixteen to seventeen-year-old little girl executing a kick toward a wooden pole which was around a bowl thick, as though a superior bow with its bowstring pulled tautly was released. Kacha! The wooden pole broke into two. “What a powerful leg technique. There must be at least 400kg of strength behind her kick. Not only so, her turn, leg raise, strength exertion, and hip twist… All of her movements were seamlessly coordinated as one. This shows that she has at least immersed herself in leg techniques for seven to eight years. Otherwise, it is impossible for one to reach such a level!” Liu Ling praised. Even though it was just an ordinary kick, it revealed the good foundations the lady possessed. Without years of hard work, it is impossible to reach such a level. “Is this Zhang Xuan’s student as well? But why didn’t we hear about him having a female student who is adept in leg techniques when we asked around?” Zhuang Xian couldn’t help but ask. Zhang laoshi only has five students, and as such, it wasn’t difficult to find out what his students are adept at. However, they had never heard of him having a female student who is adept at leg techniques. “Wang Ying, to think that your leg techniques would become so powerful right after your legs recovered!” The two young men who were in the classroom previously walked over and complimented her. “Wang Ying? She’s that Wang Ying whose legs are injured?” Liu Ling almost fell to the ground. As the daughter of Clan Head Wang Hong, Wang Ying’s leg injury wasn’t any secret. They had heard the news, but… if her legs had been injured, how can she exert such powerful strength through them? Furthermore, he had just confidently claimed that the other party must have trained for at least seven to eight years to have built up such a solid foundation for her leg skills. Yet, to think that she had been just treated of her injury… The heck! How can someone whose legs were just treated exert such powerful strength that can destroy a wooden pole so thick with a single kick? Why does it feel like a dream? Liu Ling felt a fiery sensation on his face, and that he was on the verge of going berserk. While he found the event embarrassing, the other two master teachers didn’t have the leisure to bother about that. They were staring in another direction with widened eyes. “Liu shi…” Due to his anxiety, Zheng Fei’s voice quivered. “What’s wrong?” Seeing that his two friends weren’t going to pester him for his judgemental error, Liu Ling heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he turned over to look at them two. “Look over there…” Zheng Fei pointed. Puzzled, Liu Ling lifted his head and peered over. The other party was pointing toward a young man. At that moment, he held a spear in his hand and was standing motionless on the spot, resembling a statue. “What’s wrong?” He wasn’t sure what the other party was trying to point out. That is a posture which spear users often stand in to feel their spear. Those who love to use spears would often stand in such a position to feel the connection between their body and the spear… logically, there shouldn’t be anything weird about the situation. “It’s not his actions, it’s…” Zheng Fei wanted to explain, but before he could finish his words, the spear-carrying young man suddenly moved. There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his movements. As though a dragon rising from the sea, his eyes gleamed with might. In an instant, the tranquil young man seemed to have transformed into another person. It was as if he became an incredibly sharp and taut spear that was capable of even piercing through the heavens. “This is…” Liu Ling staggered backward. Flabbergasted, his eyes narrowed to the point that they were as thin as needles. “Spear Intent? Achieving Spear Intent at such a young age?” As a master teacher, it was natural that he knew of Spear Intent. He had also once seen a master displaying it. However, those who are capable of releasing Spear Intent are, at a minimum, forty-year-old. The teenager before him exuded a domineering aura along with the movement of his spear, and it is clear that he has comprehended Spear Intent… Even though it is the most basic of it all… that is still Spear Intent! How did he do it? Liu Ling felt his entire body turn cold. This should be the student who specializes in using the spear, Zheng Yang. Back then, given how he was rejected by Wang Chao laoshi, he was probably only capable of the fundamentals. Yet, in just ten days or so, Zhang laoshi had turned him into a spear master capable of releasing Spear Intent… This is no longer a question of whether he is a capable educator. But… it’s a miracle! Lifting his head to look at his old buddies, the two of them, Zhuang Xian and Zheng Fei, were also standing in a daze on the spot. The same thought had popped into their minds simultaneously. This Zhang Xuan laoshi… who exactly is he? 196 Eligibility to Take the Master Teacher Examination Rubbing between his eyebrows, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. After two days of hard work, he finally finished dealing with the problems of those who paid the fee previously. At last, he is free from work. Most of the people who visited him inquired him about their cultivation while a small portion was afflicted with terminal diseases. Using the Library of Heaven’s Path and the knowledge he had accumulated from the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, he managed to look into their flaws and solve every problem successfully. “It will be the Teacher Evaluation in two days’ time. I wonder how much have those brats progressed in their training…” Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan sneaked out of the mansion. He had been busy with the matters on this end for the past two days, and as such, he hasn’t had time to return to the academy for a look. If Zhao Ya and the others hadn’t followed his instructions, it would be difficult for them to achieve victory over Lu Xun’s students. As for Lu Xun and Wang Chao, who had been waiting at the entrance of the mansion, Zhang Xuan left them to be. After an entire day of anticipation, the duo also realized that they had thoroughly offended Yang shi and that it was impossible for them to be accepted as his apprentices. Thus, they could only leave in disappointment. After finding a remote alley, Zhang Xuan took off his disguise, reverted to his usual look, and returned to the academy. “Master Zhang!” Upon reaching the entrance of the academy, he heard a familiar method of address. Turning around to take a look, he saw Huang Yu and Bai Xun walking toward him with large strides. “Such a coincidence! We were about to enter the academy to look for you. Since you’re here, we’ll be able to spare the trouble.” Stepping forward, Huang Yu said with a smile. “Looking for me?” Zhang Xuan asked. Didn’t these two fellows complete their painting examination already? They had already bought the paintings, so why would they look for me? Well, if they want to buy more, I wouldn’t mind painting another for some quick bucks. “We have something that we need to trouble you with…” Huang Yu spoke in embarrassment. “What is it? If it is within my scope of ability, I will try my best to help!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Huang Yu had helped him previously and thus, Zhang Xuan didn’t think that it was inappropriate for him to turn down her request. However, he made sure to leave some leeway in his words. If she were to really ask for the impossible, Zhang Xuan could at least still turn her down. “Master Zhang, you should know that the reason why we went to Master Lu Chen’s residence awhile ago was to obtain the Ink Daylily Canvas!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. He was long aware of the matter. It seemed that she was intending to give the painting to someone else. In the end, Zhang Xuan managed to create a painting of the fifth level, resulting in the duo demanding his painting instead and causing him to feel awkward. Zhang Xuan had felt apologetic to Master Lu Chen for the incident. “Actually, the reason why we sought the Ink Daylily Canvas was so as to gift it to someone as a birthday present… The paintings that you gave us are perfect as birthday presents, just that…” At this point, Huang Yu hesitated for a moment. “I’m afraid that Elder Tian might want to meet its painter after seeing the painting, so… I would like to invite you to the birthday banquet as well!” “Birthday present? Birthday banquet?” Zhang Xuan immediately understood what was going on. It seems that the reason why Huang Yu was so adamant on obtaining the Ink Daylily Canvas was so that she could gift it to someone else as a birthday present. “I am not interested in birthday banquets, so I’ll pass!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Regardless of whose birthday banquet it was, it was no business of his. He couldn’t be bothered to make a trip over to please someone else. “Master Zhang, you really should come along. Elder Tian is a good person, even Emperor Shen Zhui is visiting him as well…” Seeing the other party rejecting his request, Bai Xun added on hastily, his face full of anxiety. “Emperor Shen Zhui is going as well?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. He had thought that this is an ordinary birthday banquet for nobles and such. If Emperor Shen Zhui is going as well, then the matter probably isn’t as simple as Zhang Xuan had imagined it to be. “Indeed, not just Your Majesty, our teacher is going as well. To tell you the truth, the one who invited you to the birthday banquet aren’t us but… my teacher, Master Teacher Liu Ling!” Huang Yu hesitated for a moment before saying. “Liu Ling is your teacher?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in shock and bewilderment. “He knows of me?” Huang Yu is an assistant master teacher, so it wasn’t surprising for her to have a master teacher as her teacher. Just that… He is currently in the identity of Zhang Xuan, not ‘Yang shi’. So, how is it possible that Liu shi know of his identity? Even sending his apprentice to invite him? “Can it be that… my identity has been revealed?” A wary look immediately appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face. If his identity was exposed, he would be in danger! Putting aside the fact that impersonating a master teacher is a heavy crime, just the fact that he, as an insignificant figure in a remote country who isn’t even in his twenties yet, is able to possess such vast knowledge and incredible eye of discernment means that it was likely that he possesses an incredible treasure! They would definitely want to lay their hands on this treasure, and this would put him in a dangerous position. “Not just Liu shi, even Zhuang shi and Zheng shi know you as well. Yesterday, when I told them that you are able to produce a painting of the fifth level, they became so excited that they nearly leaped from their seats!” Bai Xun said. Even until now, he found what happened yesterday mind- boggling. His teacher, knowing that he and Huang Yu are acquainted with Master Zhang, called the both of them over to question them about him. Upon hearing that young Zhang laoshi had created paintings of the fifth level, their faces flushed red with agitation, as though they were suffering some kind of panic attack. Then, they commanded them authoritatively that they have to bring Zhang laoshi to the birthday banquet tonight by hook or by crook. “Master Zhang, this is a good opportunity! I’ve never seen my teacher getting so interested in someone else. Since you’ve caught his attention, it is likely that you’ll become an assistant master teacher soon!” Envy appeared in Huang Yu’s eyes. “Furthermore, you already have a supporting profession. Along with the identity as an assistant master teacher, you will be eligible to take the master teacher examination immediately!” All teachers dream of becoming a master teacher, and gaining the appreciation of a master teacher is the ideal opportunity for them to achieve the goal. “Supporting profession? Eligible to take the master teacher examination? What do you mean?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. “You don’t know the requirements to undergo the master teacher examination?” Huang Yu stared at him with a peculiar expression. Tianxuan Kingdom doesn’t have any master teachers, and the prerequisites for the examination are not recorded in any of the books. Furthermore, it hasn’t been long since Zhang Xuan transcended over. Thus, it isn’t surprising for him not to know of it. “Not only must a master teacher be capable of offering someone guidance on their cultivation, he should be able to guide those of other professions as well. Thus, on top of vast knowledge on the topic of cultivation, a master teacher also needs to possess a supporting profession…” Seeing the puzzled look on the other party’s face, Huang Yu explained, “Using simple words, one needs to be skilled in another profession in order to be eligible to take the 1-star master teacher examination; if one is skilled in two professions, one will be eligible to take the 2-star master teacher examination, so on and so forth. Of course, the requirements for the supporting profession grow higher as you proceed higher up the ladder. The more stars you possess, the more knowledgeable you have to be of each supporting profession. If you’re just going to take the 1-star master teacher examination, having the profession of a painter is more than enough!” “That is to say, with your supporting profession of a painter and the identity of an assistant master teacher, you will be eligible to take the 1-star master teacher examination! Of course, it is another matter whether you will be able to pass the examination. But at the very least, you will be eligible for it. On the other hand, I… Even though I am an apprentice master teacher, I am still not qualified to take the examination!” At this, Huang Yu smiled bitterly. The reason why there are so few master teachers and why the examination is so hard is because of this. There are countless professions throughout the Upper, Middle, and Lower Nine Paths. Every single profession requires one to devote extensive effort to achieve mastery. Taking Master Lu Chen for example, he had immersed his entire life into painting but is only able to produce a painting of the fourth level. From this, one can see the immense difficulty involved. There are some, due to the lack of a supporting profession, who remained as apprentices their entire life, never becoming eligible for the examination. Yet, not only is the person before her capable in teaching and possesses powerful cultivation, he has also reached the level of a grandmaster in painting. If he were to become an assistant master teacher, he would easily meet the prerequisites for the examination. His starting point is so much higher than hers. It is truly a wonder to her how he had managed to achieve so much despite not being much older than her. “So that’s why…” After hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan finally understood why master teachers are so respected. So this is the reason why master teachers are able to offer guidance to people of all professions. In order to be eligible for the examination, one needs to first have a supporting profession. The higher one climbs, the more supporting profession one needs to have. That is why the master teachers possessing multiple stars are extremely formidable and rare. One needs to possess a frightening amount of knowledge to reach their level. It is no wonder why Huang Yu, despite being an assistant master teacher, is devoting her efforts to learning painting and treats Master Lu Chen so respectfully. It seems that she intends to take painting as her supporting profession so as to earn the rights to take on the master teacher examination. “I also have a 1-star apothecary emblem. Does this mean that as long as I become an apprentice, I will be eligible to take the master teacher examination?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. After days of impersonating as a master teacher, he came to understand how fearsome the identity is. With this identity, no matter where he goes, he will be respected. No one will dare to pick a fight with him. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared for the identity of a master teacher as he possesses the Library of Heaven’s Path. However, it is different now. The black aura hidden in his body meant that someone was trying to kill him. However, if he were to gain protection from the identity as a master teacher and the Teacher Guild, the other party would have to reconsider before laying hands on him. Besides, the sky is the limit. Possessing such an incredible Library of Heaven’s Path, it would be a waste to limit himself to just Tianxuan Kingdom! With venturing out into the world in mind, both cultivation and a respectable identity are important. With the identity of a master teacher to rely on, many things would become so much easier and convenient to accomplish. Drawing a parallel, only an official apothecary is allowed to enter the Apothecary Guild’s book collection vault, and they are granted steep discounts when buying pills. “Looks like I should hurry up and take the master teacher examination!” Zhang Xuan made up his mind. With the cheat code that is called Library of Heaven’s Path, it would be a waste if he doesn’t become a master teacher. A person just has to execute a punch and he will be able to see the person’s flaws. Just from this alone, supposed master teachers and experts mean nothing before him. No matter how powerful a person can become, can he surpass the Heaven’s Path? No one can conceal anything before the Path of Heaven. Besides, even the Heaven’s Path is flawed, so how can a human possibly be flawless? As long as one possesses flaws, Zhang Xuan will be able to tell through the books created by the library! Only as an official master teacher can Zhang Xuan execute this ability of his without any worry and rise to the top! Otherwise, given his current identity, gathering sufficient books to create the Heaven’s Path Divine Art would be impossible, needless to say, wanting to advance swiftly. “I have to acknowledge one of them as my teacher?” In order to become a master teacher, one has to first become an assistant master teacher. To do so, one has to acknowledge a true master teacher as his teacher and have him guide the way. To acknowledge Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, or Zheng Fei as his teacher? This makes no sense. In the past two days, the trio had been often visiting the mansion, revealing their intentions of wanting to acknowledge Yang shi as their teacher from time to time. But because Zhang Xuan planned to erase the identity of Yang Xuan soon, he hadn’t agreed to it. But from the looks of it, it is unlikely for them to give up anytime soon. If he were to acknowledge one of them as his teacher as Zhang Xuan. And accept them as disciples as Yang Xuan. Then the situation would truly be incredulous. That is to say… as Zhang Xuan, he would be their student, but as Yang Xuan, he would be their master! To become both his own grandstudent and grandmaster… Furthermore, he mustn’t allow both of them to meet, otherwise, his identity will be exposed… The heck! How ridiculous that would be! Briefly thinking of this scenario, Zhang Xuan could not help but feel stifled at his heart. 197 It Has Been Awhile Since We Last Me “I can’t allow that to happen…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. If he does so, he might soon suffer from an identity crisis. However, if he doesn’t acknowledge one of them as his teacher, he won’t be able to become an assistant master teacher and as such, won’t be eligible to take the master teacher examination. Just the thought of it made his head hurt. “Forget it, I won’t think about it for now. However, it is also good to meet the three master teachers as Zhang Xuan. Firstly, I can get closer to them. Secondly, I can ask them about the poison aura in my body!” After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan made up his mind. That black aura in his body hasn’t become a danger yet, but he still has to get rid of it. If he were to ask them as ‘Yang Xuan’, it would be unbefitting of his identity as an enlightened expert. Rather, it is more appropriate for him to ask them as Zhang Xuan. If Lu Xun and Wang Chao were to know of his thoughts, they would definitely go blind from crying. After failing to acknowledge Yang Xuan, they went to visit the three master teachers yesterday, only to be kept at their door… Yet, with the three master teachers wanting to meet this fellow, he still has to consider twice, furthermore with such reluctance… Will you die if you don’t act cool? “When does the birthday banquet start? Also, who is Elder Tian, for the three master teacher and Emperor Shen Zhui to be visiting him personally?” Zhang Xuan still found the situation peculiar. To have the three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui visit him personally, this Elder Tian is by no means an ordinary figure. However, if he were any formidable figure, Zhang Xuan’s previous self should have long heard of him. But why does he have no impression of him at all? “The birthday banquet is today, so we will make it if we rush over now.” Upon hearing the question, Huang Yu immediately realized that he had decided to join them and heaved a sigh of relief. She explained, “Elder Tian used to be a teacher at Beiwu Academy, and Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi had all once studied under him. Even though he doesn’t specialize in teaching cultivation, he is nevertheless half a teacher to the three of them. Now that he is celebrating his ninetieth birthday, and the three master teachers happen to be in Tianxuan Kingdom, it is only right for them to offer their blessings to him…” Even though this Elder Tian is a citizen of Tianxuan Kingdom, he was a teacher at Beiwu Academy. Each of the three master teachers had once studied under him and as such, he could be considered as half a teacher to them. The reason why Liu shi had Huang Yu head here was actually to have her attend the birthday banquet. In the end, due to Shen Hong’s affair, the three master teachers had gathered together here. And if the three master teachers are joining in the celebration, how can Emperor Shen Zhui stay out of it? As for Beiwu Academy which Elder Tian had taught in, it is the largest academy in the Beiwu Kingdom. Huang Yu and Bai Xun were previously students there. Having flipped through the books in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault, these simple geographical terrains of the surrounding kingdoms are available to Zhang Xuan with just a simple thought. The Beiwu Kingdom is a Tier 2 Kingdom near Tianxuan Kingdom. The master teachers holding the reigns in the country are Liu Ling and Zhuang Xian. Kingdoms can be classified under Titled, 1st Tier, 2nd Tier and, finally, unranked such as Tianxuan Kingdom. The higher tier the kingdom is, the more prosperous it becomes. Naturally, more resources go through their hands, and the standard of their fighters will be higher as well. “Even though this Elder Tian doesn’t teach others how to rise their cultivation, he can be considered as a teacher?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. All of the teachers in Hongtian Academy specialize in raising a student’s cultivation. Taking Wang Chao laoshi for example, even though he is a master of spear arts, he is also responsible for guiding his students’ cultivation. If one doesn’t teach cultivation, how can he be considered a teacher? “Beiwu Academy is at a much larger scale compared to Hongtian Academy, and there are many different types of teachers there. Cultivation is only one of the subjects taught there. There are many teachers who specialize in different subjects, such as pill forging, painting and such. Students can choose to either specialize in one of these occupations or take it as a supporting course to boost their knowledge and temper their mind. Liu shi and the others, in preparation for the master teacher examination, only came under Elder Tian for a short period of time. As such, they cannot be considered as true students of his. He can only be considered as half a teacher to them.” Huang Yu explained patiently. If teachers guide students only on their cultivation, how can the knowledge of apothecaries, blacksmiths, and the other occupations be passed down? After all, the master teachers can’t do all the work by themselves! If that were the case, wouldn’t master teachers tire themselves to death? Clearly, there are teachers who specialize in different fields. Elder Tian was such a specialized teacher. “What does he teach?” Understanding the situation, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. This is similar to the schools in his previous life. There are teachers who specifically teach Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics, English, and such. It is impossible for a teacher to be proficient in all fields, and naturally, they can’t teach every single subject. “What Elder Tian teaches is the Way of Tea, he is a tea master!” Huang Yu smiled. “A tea master?” There was an introduction of tea masters in the kingdom’s Book Collection Vault. It is an occupation of the Lower Nine Paths and sounds unflattering. However, it has a huge following in some of the kingdoms. Brewing tea can help one relax his state of mind, helping him to achieve tranquility. Formidable tea masters can even brew tea that is capable of calming another person’s state of mind, allowing him to achieve calmness upon consumption. It is something that is useful for one’s cultivation, and its effects are in no way inferior to Tranquil Heart Pill. More importantly, the Way of Tea is much easier than pill forging, smithing, painting, and other occupations. Even though it is difficult to become a true master, as a skill, it is easy to pick up. Most of the sons of prestigious families and nobles in the higher tier kingdoms involve themselves in the art. “Alright, I’ll follow you there.” After getting a clear idea of the situation, Zhang Xuan didn’t hesitate further. Since the birthday banquet was going to start soon, he followed behind Huang Yu and Bai Xun and stepped into the carriage. The place where Elder Tian resided was in the suburbs of the kingdom, and it was a significant distance away from Hongtian Academy. It took the carriage nearly two hours to reach its destination. Before a vast and luxurious garden, the carriage came to a stop. Upon stepping out of the carriage, the trio was overwhelmed by the crowd before them. Elder Tian was a teacher at Beiwu Academy and had guided master teachers. Just this fact alone attracted countless powerful individuals to offer him their blessings in person. “Master Zhang, follow me…” Upon alighting from the carriage, Huang Yu led the way to the entrance, displayed a name scroll, and easily entered the residence. As expected of the residence of a person whom the three master teachers are paying a visit to, it is massive and filled with countless corridors. It isn’t difficult for those here for the first time to lose their way. “Liu shi and the others probably haven’t arrived. We should wait for them in the side hall.” Huang Yu seems to have been here before, and she navigated around the residence with familiarity. In a short while, they arrived at a vast hall. Even before walking in, they observed that a huge crowd had already gathered in the hall. “Xiao Yu, you are finally here…” Upon stepping into the hall, a delighted voice called out immediately. Following which, a young man came running up to her in delight. This young man appears to be around twenty-three to twenty- four, and he is dressed in white. He has a dashing face which Zhang Xuan can’t hope to match up to. Bai Xun’s face darkened upon noticing the person and he quickly stood in front of Huang Yu. “Bai Xun, what do you want?” A frown formed on young man’s forehead. “Are you qualified to call her Xiao Yu? I advise you to stay away from her, otherwise, don’t blame me for acting impolitely.” Bai Xun stared at the other party furiously. “Acting impolitely? You speak as though we’ve never fought before. Have you ever won against me?” The young man waved aside Bai Xun’s threat and continued, “Besides, this is my home. As the host, I should give my all to welcome my guest. You wish to interfere in this as well? Aren’t you being nosey, Bai xiao wangye!” “You…” Bai Xun raised his eyebrows as he prepared to enter a fight. “Enough!” Seeming to have expected that the two would quarrel, Huang Yu’s eyebrows knitted tightly together. Glancing at the two, she said, “We’re here to offer our blessings to Elder Tian. If you two really must fight, do it after!” “Rest easy, Xiao Yu. I can’t be bothered with a boor like him whose head is only filled with slaughter!” After which, the young man chuckled lightly, “Xiao Yu, I’ve just learned a new tea brewing method. Let’s go, I will make a pot for you. It’ll definitely calm your mind, and after drinking it a few times, you’ll surely reach Heart of Tranquil Water quickly…” “I’ll pass. I have to wait for Liu shi here!” Huang Yu remained completely unmoved to the other party’s passionate welcome and rejected him flatly. “It’s alright if you don’t want it. I also happen to want to greet Liu shi, so I’ll wait for him here with you then…” The young man didn’t pay his rejection any heed and simply chuckled nonchalantly. Since the other party was insistent on staying here, Huang Yu wasn’t in a good position as a guest to drive her host away as well. “Shameless!” Bai Xun was outraged, but he no longer spoke of fighting with the other party. From the looks of it, it seems that he isn’t a match for the other party. Otherwise, given his fiery temper, he isn’t the type to hold himself back due to the occasion. Despite knowing the temper of the young noble, the young man paid him attention. At this moment, the young man suddenly noticed Zhang Xuan and looked at him with doubtful eyes. “Xiao Yu, this is…” “Oh, allow me to introduce you two!” Huang Yu glanced over and spoke. “Master Zhang, this is Tian Long, the sole grandson of Elder Tian; Tian Long, this is Zhang Xuan laoshi from Hongtian Academy.” “Zhang Xuan? This name sounds familiar. I seem to have heard of it somewhere…” The young man Tian Long frowned as he mused over the name. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “Hongtian Academy! You’re the one who is going to compete with Lu Xun laoshi in the Teacher Evaluation, Zhang Xuan?” The news of the Teacher Evaluation had spread like wildfire, and it was difficult for anyone to remain unaware. “Lu Xun is the most incredible celebrity teacher in Hongtian Academy, and to dare to compete with him in a Teacher Evaluation, you sure are courageous. I’m impressed!” Even though he said so, there wasn’t the slightest bit of awe in his expression. Rather, it was filled with contempt. Being the son of Master Lu Chen and a famous star teacher in Tianxuan City, Lu Xun possesses tremendous fame. Matched against a nobody like Zhang Xuan, everyone believes that it would be a completely one-sided match. Seeing the other party behaving in such a manner, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Yet another arrogant nobody. “Tian Long, what do you mean by that?” Bai Xun couldn’t withstand it any further. “I don’t mean anything. Just that, humans are valued for knowing their place. To overestimate oneself will only make one’s life difficult.” Tian Long shook his head. “I dare you to say, who is the one who doesn’t know his place? Master Zhang just wants to keep a low-profile and refuses to flaunt his abilities…” Bai Xun bellowed angrily. Even though he had heard of Lu Xun, he wasn’t familiar with him. On the contrary, he was completely awed by Zhang Xuan’s prowess. Upon hearing the words of the other party, Bai Xun was enraged. “Master? What do you mean by master? Do you think anyone can be addressed by the title of a master so simply?” Tian Long sneered. Flinging his hands, he stared down at Bai Xun haughtily, “That’s the title of someone who has reached an astounding level of mastery in their occupation. Only a person like my grandfather, who has reached the peak in the Way of Tea, can be qualified to be addressed as a tea master. For a mere twenty-year-old teacher at Hongtian Academy to be called a laoshi is already flattering, yet he dares to call himself a master? How naive…” Sneering coldly, just as Tian Long was about to continue speaking, he suddenly noticed an elder walking over and shut his mouth hurriedly. Then, he respectfully clasped his hands and welcomed him, “Tian Long pays his respect to Master Yuanyu!” He is the number one physician in Tianxuan Kingdom, Yuanyu. Toward the greeting of the other party, Master Yuanyu nodded his head impassively. Just as he was about to proceed further in, he suddenly caught sight of Zhang Xuan. His eyes lit up and he rushed forward to him passionately. “Master Zhang, you’re here as well… It has been awhile since we last met!” 198 Won’t Condone It Next Time “What?” Upon seeing this sight, the respectful Tian Long’s body suddenly jolted, as though a mace had clubbed his head. What did Master Yuanyu just call him? Master? Who was Master Yuanyu? A true master physician, a person who was of equal standing as his grandfather, Elder Tian. No matter where he went, he was respected by everyone, and even Emperor Shen Zhui had to treat him with utmost respect. Even a genius like him who was known in his generation had to talk to him carefully for fear of offending him. For such a person… to run over to a fellow who was younger than him and respectfully address him as… master? Furthermore, his attitude seemed as though he had met his idol…. The hell, what was going on? More importantly, he had just said that Zhang Xuan had no rights to be named master, and at the very next moment, Master Yuanyu came running over. This face slap… Tian Long felt his face warp in embarrassment, and there was a fiery sensation all over it. However, that wasn’t the end of the incident. Initially, he thought that Master Yuanyu running over for the lad would leave the lad extremely honored and gleeful. Yet he only saw him frowning. “Didn’t we just meet a few days ago?” ‘Frowning? ‘The hell are you frowning!’ Tian Long’s mouth twitched. The other party was an elder, and saying that it had been long since they met… was just basic pleasantries. Yet, this fellow pointed that out in public…. ‘Can’t you speak properly?’ Initially, he thought that Master Yuanyu would fly into a rage, only to see him smack his forehead, as though he had only realized the fact now. “Yes! Yes! More importantly, I have placed Master’s painting in my room and admired it daily. The more I look at it, the more I feel that our levels are different. That’s why I forgot that we had just met a few days ago.” “It’s just a painting, there’s nothing much to admire about it. If you wish to learn, I can teach you!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. “Really? Then I’ll be truly grateful for your teaching then…” Master Yuanyu became so excited his beard flew up along with his words. Putong! Tian Long staggered. He could almost see thunder rumbling around him. Yuanyu… Aren’t you a master? Why do you look like an elementary schooler at this moment? Learning from this lad? What the hell are you going to learn from him? Is he qualified for it? “He…” Unable to stand it any longer, he turned to look at Bai Xun. “Master Zhang is a true master painter that even Master Lu Chen is impressed with. If he isn’t worthy for the title of master, who else can be worthy of it?” Bai Xun looked at him with glee and disdain. ‘Trying to brag? ‘I’ll see what you have to say now!’ ‘Acting so arrogantly previously, even telling him to “know his place.” You’re the one who should know your place!’ “Master painter?” Only then did Tian Long recall that Master Yuanyu was not only a skilled physician, he was a talented painter as well. However, he couldn’t understand what kind of standards a fellow who wasn’t even twenty and had a terrible reputation in the academy could reach such that even a master painter like Yuanyu would be so impressed with him. Even though painting wasn’t as popular to the Way of Tea, it was still one of the Nine Paths, and it was difficult to achieve mastery in it. “He might have just copied the drawing of some master and gained a slight bit of fame from it. Master should just be a respectful address for him. Otherwise, at his age, even if he had learned painting ever since he was born, it should be impossible for him to reach the level of a master…” Painting was similar to tea making in certain aspects, and as such, Tian Long understood the difficulty of the occupation. He had been studying the Way of Tea since he was seven, and it had been eighteen years since then. Even so, he had only reached the second level of the Way of Tea, 【Essence Restoration】. In terms of apothecary ranking, he was equivalent to a high- level apprentice, but even so, he was still a significant distance away from officially joining the ranks of the occupation. Given the other party was younger than him. How could he have reached the level of master? Master was a title given to those who had officially entered the threshold of the occupation. For example, an official apothecary could be called a master apothecary. Only an official painter or someone who was capable of drawing a painting of the fourth level could be named such. For a fellow below twenty to draw a painting of the fourth level? This was like saying that he was able to brew a tea of the fourth level. What a joke! …… … Regardless of whether Tian Long believed it or not, Master Yuanyu’s action of greeting Zhang Xuan had attracted the attention of many. Thus, Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually. “You should work first. If you really wish to learn painting from me, feel free to look for me anytime!” He was here just to visit the three master teachers to ask about the black aura over his body. He didn’t wish to cause a big ruckus here. After all, a person should keep a low-profile! If this fellow were to keep following him, how could Zhang Xuan maintain a low profile? This didn’t align with his goals at all! “Yes, I’ll head over there first then. When I have time, I’ll look for Master Zhang to study from you.” Master Yuanyu also knew that his identity was way too eye-catching, and that staying here would cause trouble for Zhang Xuan. As such, he clasped his hands and left. Those who were skilled would be respected as masters. Even though the other party might be young, just his ability of being able to produce a painting of the fifth level made him worthy of respect and learning from. …… … Overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment, Tian Long didn’t really hear the conversation between the two. When he looked at Zhang Xuan laoshi once more, not only was he not impressed with the other party, he was even angrier than before. It wasn’t a secret that he liked Huang Yu, which was also the reason why he had been on bad terms with Bai Xun. Knowing that Huang Yu would come for his grandfather’s birthday banquet, he specially learnt a tea brewing method to showcase to her. Yet, before he could even do so, he was humiliated before this fellow. He could be considered to have good self-control to stop himself from attacking him. “Even if he isn’t a true master, just by the fact that Master Yuanyu came over to greet him, he is unlikely to be ordinary….” Even though he was infuriated, he didn’t lose his cool. He calmly pondered on how he could embarrass the other party and regain his pride. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind. “Right, they’re here as well. I remember someone reporting to me back then. I was too busy waiting for Xiao Yu that I didn’t get a chance to greet them. If I brought him over to them now, it should be interesting….” At this point, he stepped forward and said, “Zhang laoshi, I’m truly apologetic. I didn’t know that you were skilled in painting, so do forgive me for my insolence!” Even though he said this, there wasn’t the slightest hint of sincerity in his tone. Facing this kind of hypocritical fellow, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered to waste his time with him. As a result, he casually waved it off. “I’ll drop it this time, but I won’t condone it the next time!” “You…” Despite his polite apology, the other party lectured him like a teacher disciplining his own student. Tian Long felt another stifled sensation in his chest and he nearly burst into anger. ‘Can’t we talk normally? ‘I’ve heard people say that those who are skilled in painting are all gentle and courteous, and their words tend to be wise and profound. Yet, this fellow could kill a person with his words…’ Is he truly a master painter? Nearly flying into a rage, he clenched his fist. The angrier he was, the more he knew he couldn’t express it. A glint of cold intent gleamed through his eyes, but a smile remained on his face. “Yes, I’ll take note of it later. Since we don’t know when Liu shi and the others will come, why don’t we head upstairs first? This way, we’ll surely be able to see them when they arrive!” If those familiar with Tian Long saw his current expression, they would immediately understand that someone was in for a ride of misfortune. “This…” Huang Yu hesitated as she turned to the young man beside her. Even though she was an assistant master teacher and possessed exceptional standing, Zhang Xuan was considered by Master Lu Chen as a peer of his. Therefore, she dared not make a decision without asking for his approval. Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Many people had noticed him when Master Yuanyu came over to greet him. To him, it was no difference waiting below or on top. In any case, he was likely here for the entire day, so there was nothing to hurry over. “Alright!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan agree to it, Huang Yu turned to express her consent as well. Upon seeing this sight, Tian Long felt even more frenzied. He didn’t know the relationship between Zhang Xuan and Huang Yu, but seeing the two of them exchanging gazes here and there, seemingly intimate with one another, as though a couple…. The strong envy he felt made his face twitch, and his rage was pushed further toward the limit. Guests were received at the second floor of the side hall. From here, the guests could drink a cup of tea while enjoying the scenery by the window. Guests could overlook the entire mountain mansion, which seemed like a massive garden of flowers. It was pleasing to the eye. Walking up the stairs, the party of four headed up. There were many seats on the second floor. Quite a few people were seated, sipping on tea and chatting casually. Those who were able to attend Elder Tian’s birthday banquet were all famous figures of Tianxuan Kingdom, and every one of them had outstanding backgrounds. As such, a personal maid was attending to each and every one of them. It seemed like these maids were specially trained in the Way of Tea as well. Their movements were smooth, and it created a bizarrely beautiful sight. “This way…” Tian Long led the way at the front, scanning the surroundings while proceeding forward, as though looking for someone. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he stopped. “Brother Lu and Brother Wang, pardon me for not greeting you two earlier. I didn’t know that you were here….” Following his gaze, the others saw two people sitting at a table not too far away. They were the star teachers of Hongtian Academy, Lu Xun and Wang Chao. They had come for Elder Tian’s birthday banquet today. “Tian Long, you are doing this intentionally right?” Upon seeing this fellow bringing them here, how could Huang Yu not understand his intentions? Her face immediately sank. Everyone knew that Zhang Xuan laoshi was going to face off with Lu Xun laoshi soon, and the two of them had a hostile relationship with one another. Clearly, the other party had ill intentions in mind bringing Zhang Xuan to meet with Lu Xun. “Xiao Yu, what are you talking about? I just happened to meet with Brother Lu and Brother Wang here. Since we’re here, why don’t we sit down and drink some tea together? You can also try out my tea as well.” Tian Long’s lips curled upward as he sneaked a glance at Zhang Xuan. Kid, weren’t you arrogant just now? “Won’t condone it the next time.” Won’t condone your head! Now that Lu Xun laoshi is here, let’s see how you continue feigning as a master and an expert! Lu Xun and Wang Chao clearly didn’t expect to meet Zhang Xuan here. Wang Chao glanced at Tian Long and frowned. “Brother Tian, don’t the guards check the invitation letter? This is Elder Tian’s birthday banquet! Why does it seem as though anyone could get in easily?” Upon hearing those words, Tian Long nearly leapt with joy. He had heard that Wang Chong had an impatient nature. To think that it would turn out to be such a useful weapon now. He was still contemplating how to spark off the conflict between them when this guy immediately shot an arrow at Zhang Xuan. Even though he was delighted, he still feigned that he was in a difficult position. “They must have checked the invitation letter. I invited Assistant Master Teacher Huang Yu and Bai xiao wangye personally. As for this… Zhang laoshi, even though I wasn’t the one who invited him, since he is their guest, I am not in a good position to say anything….” “Guest? A low-level teacher can be invited as a guest for Elder Tian’s birthday banquet as well?” Wang Chao sneered. Zhang Xuan was merely a low-level teacher in the academy. In terms of social position, he truly wasn’t qualified to attend Elder Tian’s birthday banquet. “Enough, Wang Chao!” Lu Xun waved his hands, interrupting his friend’s sarcastic remark. He glanced at Zhang Xuan and said impassively, “I’m sorry, Zhang laoshi, Wang Chao tend to speak his mind, so he might appear a little rude. However… this truly isn’t the place where you should be. You should return quickly so that Huang Yu xiaojie won’t be criticized because of you, and Hongtian Academy’s reputation won’t be tarnished!” 199 You Must Be Zhang Xuan laoshi! “Lu Xun, what do you mean?” Hearing those words, Huang Yu could no longer hold herself back. What do you mean by criticized? What do you mean by tarnish Hongtian Academy’s reputation? Zhang laoshi was invited by the three master teachers to the birthday banquet, yet why do you speak as though his presence here was an embarrassment? “I don’t mean anything else. People should not be in places which their identity does not allow them to be in. Huang Yu xiaojie, I know that you are an assistant master teacher, and you are deeply trusted and doted upon by Liu shi. Even so, you shouldn’t act so obstinately. This is Elder Tian’s birthday banquet, so you should pay more attention to your actions! Elder Tian had been half-teacher, half-friend of Liu shi. If you bring a low-level teacher with such a terrible reputation over, it would be troublesome if you incur Liu shi’s ire!” Lu Xun shook his head. Neither sarcasm nor anger could be seen on his face, and it seemed as though he were just recounting facts. In his eyes, it didn’t matter whether Zhang Xuan really scored a zero in his Teacher Qualification Examination or not. This fellow was just a low-level teacher, and it wasn’t befitting of his identity to be in such a high-class birthday banquet. Forcefully bringing someone of his caliber along would only lower Huang Yu’s standing. This was akin to bringing a beggar to a luxurious hotel. Regardless of how well-dressed and cultured one was, one would only be pulled down by the companion and become a laughingstock. A dragon is only a dragon when it is accompanied by a phoenix. If accompanied by a pig, it would become a dog. “You…” Hearing those words, Huang Yu was infuriated. She was about to say something when she saw Zhang Xuan walk to the table and sit down in a chair. He casually poured a cup of tea and lifted his head to look at the two arrogant star teachers. “After spouting so much nonsense, your main point is that I’m just a low-level teacher with a terrible reputation. If that’s the case… amazing Lu laoshi, why do you want to challenge me to a Teacher Evaluation? Aren’t you just ruining your awe- inspiring reputation?” Initially, Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered with the duo putting on airs. However… I tried to spare your dignity, didn’t I? Yet, you just had to trample of mine. Hearing those words, Huang Yu and Bai Xun exchanged glances. At the same time, they were impressed. As expected of Zhang laoshi, his words sure were savage. But it made perfect sense. Didn’t you say that bringing him over would drag down my prestige? If that’s the case, as a great star teacher of Hongtian Academy, why did you challenge him to the Teacher Evaluation? Aren’t you simply making a fool out of yourself? “You?” Lu Xun chuckled softly. He didn’t feel humiliated by Zhang Xuan’s words at all. Lifting his lids, he said, “You are just a stepping stone for me to reach higher grounds. If you have to blame something, blame it on your terrible luck for meeting me.” “Stepping stone?” “Indeed. Tomorrow’s Teacher Evaluation will surely attract the attention of Yang shi and the other three master teachers. Brother Lu will display the results of his tutelage to them, earning him the appreciation of the four master teachers. He will then he able to reach greater heights, becoming a true assistant master teacher. As for you, you are only a foil to the show!” Wang Chao chuckled gently as he stared at him in sympathy. ‘You are just a stepping stone. Did you think that you are someone incredible? ‘Honestly, you should feel flattered to be able to become Lu Xun’s stepping stone.’ “Are you two that certain of your victory?” Upon realizing that the other party had such intentions, Zhang Xuan shook his head. He didn’t know about the intent of the three master teachers, but it was impossible for “Yang shi” to come and spectate the competition. Even less so, he wouldn’t accept Lu Xun as his apprentice. “Actually, it doesn’t matter whether he wins or not. There is something that you all might not be aware of!” Wang Chao and Lu Xun were just about to continue speaking when Tian Long suddenly chuckled and interrupted. “What?” Wang Chao glanced at Tian Long. With a haughty look, Tian Long said, “Actually, Liu shi’s intention for coming to Tianxuan City isn’t just to offer blessings to my grandfather on his birthday. More importantly, he wishes to accept Brother Lu as his disciple. Even though this matter is supposed to be a secret, Liu shi had written a letter to my grandfather to tell him about it. I simply happened to see the letter. That’s why I know about it.” “Oh? Is that true?” Clearly unaware of this news, Lu Xun’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Given Brother Lu’s incredible reputation, it is normal that a master teacher would set his sights on you. As my grandfather’s student, Liu shi dares not hide the matter from him and revealed everything to him. It is precisely because of this that I sent you an invitation so that he can introduce you to Liu shi during the banquet later, and accept you as his disciple!” Tian Long said. “I’ll have to thank Elder Tian for this matter then….” Hearing the affirmation of the other party, Lu Xun stood up with excitement. Knowing that it was hopeless between him and Yang shi, he turned his attention to the three master teachers. However, in the past two days, the three master teachers didn’t seem to be around. Every time he tried to pay a visit to them, they weren’t around, which made him panic. Initially, he thought that his plan was doomed, just like how it was with Yang shi. Yet, it turned out that Yang shi had already set his sights on him. This was wonderful! “Looks like we’ll become fellow apprentices then….” Lu Xun smiled kindly at Huang Yu. “Who is your fellow apprentice!” Huang Yu snorted. Huang Yu had no idea what Liu shi was thinking of, but since Tian Long already said so, he should be confident of the matter. Could it be that… she would really become peers with this fellow? Huang Yu felt conflicted. This fellow was extremely arrogant, and she disliked his attitude. But honestly speaking, this fellow was also extremely capable, and she was impressed by him as well. For him to be able to reach such great heights in Tianxuan Kingdom without the guidance of a master teacher, he must have his way with teaching students. “Did you hear? Brother Lu is about to become an assistant master teacher. Don’t you feel ashamed to stay here?” Upon hearing such wonderful news, Wang Chao was delighted for his friend as well. Turning his gaze to look at the indifferent Zhang Xuan, he felt another surge of disgust for him. “About to become? So that means that he isn’t accepted, right?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t be bothered with this matter at all. It was just that he didn’t realize Liu shi was interested in Lu Xun. At this moment, he was considering whether he should use the identity of “Yang Xuan” to advise the other party against this matter. After all, if “Yang Xuan” accepted Liu Ling as his student, then Lu Xun would be his disciple’s disciple. However, this fellow was self-assuming and arrogant…. This kind of disciple would get on his nerves! He didn’t want such a disciple! “Continue acting haughtily then. I’ll see whether you can still do so later…” Seeing how that guy was feigning nonchalance to the matter, the two men who were trying their best to become his disciple’s disciples stared at him with disdain. They had seen arrogant people, but they had never seen such an arrogant person. Once the three master teachers arrived, Lu Xun would become an assistant master teacher. Yet, that fellow didn’t feel embarrassed to remain here…. How could someone be so shameless? Furthermore, to be seated here sipping on tea…. How can you still be in the mood to drink tea now! If it were me, I would jump off the building in embarrassment. “Hehe, Brother Wang, you can’t really say that either. I heard Xiao Yu and Bai xiao wangye calling this Zhang laoshi Master Zhang just awhile ago. I’ve heard he is a true master painter, and he seems to be quite an incredible figure!” Zhang Xuan’s skin seemed to be thicker than what Tian Long thought it out to be. Seeing that the other party was indifferent to the matter, Tian Long added this. “Master painter?” Placing his hands behind his back, Lu Xun glanced at Zhang Xuan with disdain. “You dare call yourself a master painter before me? Don’t you find it hilarious? Even if you want to brag, you should know your limits!” Even though he hadn’t returned home for many years, he knew better than anyone else how difficult it was to become a master painter. It was one thing for the famous worst teacher in the academy who got on good terms with Huang Yu to flaunt his new identity. But wasn’t it too much to be bragging about this as well? “Indeed! Brother Tian, you must have heard wrong. Brother Lu comes from a distinguished family of painters, and his father, Master Lu Chen, is Tianxuan Kingdom’s most incredible master painter. Even Emperor Shen Zhui had learnt from him. Since childhood, Brother Lu has been learning painting from him. How could he possibly not know if another master painter appeared in the kingdom?” Wang Chao chuckled and shook his head. “Seeing the two of you speak like this, I feel relieved. I thought that it was real. After all, Master Yuanyu…” Tian Long was just about to talk about Master Yuanyu’s previous attitude when a commotion broke out below. “Hurry up, the three master teachers are here!” “Emperor Shen Zhui is here as well. Let’s hurry over to welcome them….” Gossip was flying all around the room. “The three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui are here?” Hearing the commotion below, Tian Long stopped talking. Then he turned to look at Lu Xun and Wang Chao. “Brother Lu and Brother Wang, let’s go down to welcome them as well!” “Alright!” Since the three master teachers had arrived, the crowd in the room could no longer remain seated and quickly hurried downstairs. “Senior Huang Yu, let’s go welcome Teacher together!” Lu Xun chuckled. “Who’s your senior?” Huang Yu harrumphed. Then she turned to look at Zhang Xuan. “Let’s go!” Knowing that Huang Yu, as a student, had to welcome her teacher, Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Besides, he was here to meet the three master teachers. Since they had arrived, it would be good for him to take a look as well. Hualala! The crowd on the second floor filed out, and in a few moments, the entire floor was empty. Walking toward the main hall, they saw a few figures in the hallway leading here. They were the three master teachers— Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, Zheng Fei—and Emperor Shen Zhui. Even though these four people had behaved respectfully before Yang shi, they looked imposing here. “Paying respect to Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi! Paying respect to Your Majesty!” Even though there were many clan heads and elders of prestigious clans here, all of their heads were lowered at this moment. “Just like you all, we’re here to offer our blessings to Elder Tian. There’s no need so act so constrained around us.” Emperor Shen Zhui smiled. Even though he said this , the others didn’t dare follow the letter of the law. Everyone simply smiled politely, too afraid to speak. “Let’s go!” Upon seeing the three master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui walking over, Tian Long smiled and brought Lu Xun and Wang Chao forward. As the apprentice of a master teacher, how could Huang Yu lag behind them? As a result, she walked over with Bai Xun and Zhang Xuan as well. “Teacher!” Walking forward, Huang Yu and Bai Xun immediately bowed respectfully. “Have you invited him yet?” Upon seeing the duo, Liu Ling’s, Zhuang Xian’s, and Zheng Fei’s eyes immediately lit up. The past two days, they had donned their disguises and camped at Hongtian Academy, waiting for Zhang Xuan’s appearance so that they could accept him as their apprentice. Yet the fellow never returned. It seemed he had disappeared, and even Emperor Shen Zhui was unable to find him. So they had no choice but to have Huang Yu and Bai Xun look for him as well. Initially, they didn’t hold much hope for it either. However, upon seeing that there were no signs of depression on the faces of the two, their hearts skipped a beat. “We’ve invited him over. This person beside me is…” Huang Yu wanted to introduce Zhang Xuan, but Lu Xun interrupted her. With excitement written all over his face, he clasped his hands and said, “Lu Xun pays respect to Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Zheng shi…” Initially, he thought that after introducing himself, the three master teachers would immediately display their care and concern for him before going ahead to accept him as their apprentice. In the end, the three simply disregarded him, as though they didn’t see him at all. They walked toward Tian Long and surrounded him. A bright smile was on their faces. “You must be Zhang Xuan laoshi. Finally, we get to meet you in person. You don’t know how difficult it has been for us to find you….” “Ehhh?” Tian Long was stunned. 200 Elder Tian “I…” Tian Long froze. Looking at the three master teachers who were grinning brightly, to the point that they were almost fawning over him, Tian Long was confused. He wanted to say something, but not a word would come out of his mouth. So… what was going on? Zhang Xuan was even more confused. After a few days of not meeting the trio… why did the three people suddenly turn foolish? Putting aside the fact that I am Zhang Xuan, what’s with your excited looks? The one who had scammed your money was Yang shi, the matter has nothing to do with me…. Even if you have seen through my identity, you should look for him instead of me…. “Cough cough, Liu shi, he isn’t Zhang laoshi. He is Elder Tian’s grandson, Tian Long…” Huang Yu said quickly, who couldn’t stand watching the situation any longer. “Ah? You aren’t him? If you aren’t him, why didn’t you say so? Tsk, you made me happy for nothing!” Glaring at Tian Long, Zheng Fei snorted. If not for the occasion, it seemed he would have slapped the other party’s face. Looking at his ferocious expression, Tian Long was on the verge of tears. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to say so. But you three simply rushed here and took me to be Zhang Xuan laoshi, not even giving me a chance to explain myself. I am frightened by your suddenly hospitality, alright?’ It wasn’t surprising that the three master teachers would recognize the wrong person. In terms of build and looks, Tian Long was superior to Zhang Xuan. Huang Yu had only said that Zhang Xuan was beside her. Before she could even confirm whether it was to her right or to her left, Lu Xun had interrupted her. Naturally, they thought that the tall and handsome man was the person they were looking for. “If he isn’t it, then… where is Zhang laoshi?” Liu Ling looked around once more. “I am Zhang Xuan….” Knowing that it would only be more awkward if he dragged it out, Zhang Xuan stood forward and revealed his identity. “You are Zhang laoshi? Indeed, you look as dashing and capable as I thought you to be.” Liu Ling stepped forward with a bright smile on his face. “Indeed! With such a valiant disposition, you stand out even among everyone else here. I could recognize you immediately from the crowd,” Zhuang shi praised. “As expected of the ideal teacher of Tianxuan Kingdom. Not bad, not bad,” Zheng Fei quickly added as well. “…” Dark lines streaked across Zhang Xuan’s face. ‘I’m dashing, capable, valiant, and an ideal teacher? ‘If so, how did you all recognize the wrong person? Why did you all think Tian Long was me?’ To think a master teacher could spout bullshit… with such a straight face. Where’s your dignity? What about status? “May I know why the three master teachers are looking for me?” Seeing the heated passion in their gazes, Zhang Xuan couldn’t stand it anymore and hurriedly asked. “Oh, there are too many people here. Let’s find another suitable location to speak!” Liu Ling said. With so many people looking, he couldn’t possibly say that he had heard of Zhang Xuan’s affairs, specially went to the academy to investigate his capabilities, and thus wanted to accept him as his disciple! If he were to say so, not only would others think him insane, Zhang Xuan would also be frightened away by him. Where in the world could one find a master teacher recruiting an apprentice so actively? “Sure!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Judging from the other party’s attitude, it was unlikely that they knew he was “Yang Xuan.” Otherwise, they would have long ago made a move on him. Since that was the case, it just so happened that he wanted to ask them about the black aura in his body as well, so he agreed. “Let’s go!” Seeing that Zhang laoshi seemed easy to speak to, the trio heaved sighs of relief. They stood around Zhang Xuan, as if afraid he would run away, and escorted him forward. Drinking in the view, everyone felt perplexed. On the other hand, Lu Xun felt his world crumbling apart. Initially, he thought he would earn the appreciation of the three master teachers just by revealing his identity and would become Liu shi’s apprentice. From there on, his name would spread far and wide. But… what was going on? Not only did they disregard him after hearing his name, they rushed forward to Zhang Xuan, whom Lu Xun had been looking down upon, and fawned over him…. Didn’t Tian Long just say that he was already decided to be Liu shi’s apprentice? That Zhang Xuan was only a low-level teacher, not to mention he also possessed a poor reputation. So why would the three master teachers surround him? Gritting his teeth, Lu Xun stepped up. “Liu shi… I am Lu Xun, Hongtian Academy’s star teacher…” “Oh, I know. I met you at the royal palace last time.” Liu Ling nodded his head and pushed him away. “Alright, will you excuse me? I have something to speak to Zhang laoshi about, so move to the side. Don’t block the path!” “…” Lu Xun staggered as he stared at Liu shi walking into the distance. At this moment, Lu Xun’s body went stiff, and the thought of suicide even flashed through his mind. ‘No matter what, I am the number one, star teacher of Tianxuan Kingdom. To send me away after saying a few words…. Shouldn’t you at least ask about my affairs? Yet, you simply pushed me away, telling me to not block the path…’ Toward Zhang Xuan, as though afraid he would disappear into the thin, the three of them surrounded him like he was some treasure. On the other hand, to Lu Xun… Lu Xun felt utterly stifled. ‘Can anyone tell me what is going on?’ Suppressing the urge to spit blood, Lu Xun turned to look at Tian Long. Didn’t you have inside news on the matter? Didn’t you say that Liu shi had written a letter, saying that he wanted to accept me as his apprentice? Which teacher in the world wouldn’t spare a second glance at his own apprentice? “I…” Seeing Lu Xun’s blaming gaze, Tian Long felt frenzied too. I really saw that letter! I have no idea what is going on either… While the duo was perplexed over the matter, Wang Chao felt as though his face had been slapped multiple times. Thinking that Lu Xun would definitely become an apprentice of Liu shi today, he was the one who put Zhang Xuan down the most previously. Yet, in the end, he only humiliated himself through his words. He said that the other party was just a foil and a stepping stone. Yet why did it feel like Lu Xun was the foil and the stepping stone now? He thought that the other party was shameless and that he should just end his life…. Now he seemed like the one who should end his life! Perhaps… Wang Chao, along with Lu Xun and Tian Long, looked at Huang Yu and Bai Xun. If someone knew what was going on, it had to be the two of them. One of them was Liu shi’s apprentice while the other one is Zhuang shi’s student. And they were the ones who brought Zhang Xuan over. “We… don’t know either!” Huang Yu quickly shook her head. The three master teachers had only told them to bring Zhang Xuan over. They didn’t say what they were going to do, so even they too were confused by the current situation. Regardless of whether it was Liu shi or Zhuang shi, they held an austere image in the minds of the others. It always seemed like they were on a different level from the rest of them. Yet, at this moment, they seemed like they were fans chasing after an idol, following Zhang Xuan around. Even though they had seen it for themselves, they still found it hard to believe. “Should we… go over to take a look?” Unable to comprehend what was going on, they couldn’t hold back their curiosity and hurriedly followed behind them. Especially Lu Xun. If he doesn’t receive an answer today, he might just die from his rage and indignation. Just a moment ago, he was acting so haughtily, as though it was embarrassing for him to be compared with Zhang Xuan. But now, the three master teachers were fawning over him… while he was thrown to a corner…. ‘What was good about the fellow? For the three master teachers to neglect me like this?’ ………… “Your Majesty, Liu shi, Zhuang shi, Zheng shi, old master sent me out here to welcome you all after learning of your arrival.” Before they could walk too far, an elder walked forward to welcome them. The butler of Tian Residence, Tian Gang. “Mhm!” Liu shi nodded his head. Even though he wanted to accept Zhang Xuan as his apprentice right now, they were currently at Elder Tian’s birthday banquet and it was unbefitting for a guest to steal the spotlight from the host. “This way please. Old master is waiting for you all at the main hall.” Tian Gang led the crowd forward. “Zhang laoshi, let’s go. Elder Tian was once my Way of Tea teacher and he is a kind person,” Liu Ling explained with a smile. Facing the kind gesture from the three master teachers, Zhang Xuan could only nod his head in agreement. After taking a few steps forward, he suddenly saw Emperor Shen Zhui walking toward him with a smile on his face. “Zhang Xuan laoshi, I have long heard of your name. Now that I’ve met you, you are indeed as incredible as they make you out to be. You will definitely reach great heights in the future and your name will spread far and wide. If you have any requests for me, feel free to speak of them. Tianxuan Kingdom may not be a powerful country, but we don’t lack resources. As long as it’s within our means, I will try my best to obtain it for you!” Hearing the other party’s words, the bizarre look on Zhang Xuan’s face deepened. Naturally, he could tell that Emperor Shen Zhui was trying to express his goodwill. Just that… as an ordinary teacher in the academy, why would an emperor express his goodwill toward him? Besides, you should have heard of it… my reputation as a terrible teacher…. The personality of these fellows seemed to have changed all of the sudden, treating him so well. In the past few days, Zhang Xuan had been disguising himself as Yang shi, and he hadn’t appeared as Zhang laoshi at all! Zhang Xuan was unable to comprehend the reason for their change in attitude. However, this was good as well. He was still thinking that it would be hard to approach the three master teachers as Zhang Xuan, especially given their standing. But from the looks of it, it seemed like he was thinking too much into the matter…. He was truly curious to know how the name of Zhang Xuan suddenly became so prestigious in the few days he had disappeared. Such that even the Emperor and master teachers would rush forward to fawn over him. Zhang Xuan simply nodded his head and said nothing else. Seeing the calm on the young man’s face, Emperor Shen Zhui was impressed. As expected of someone the three master teachers had set their eyes upon, just his state of mind was exceptional. If it were any other youngster, if the Emperor were to praise them and promise them such, they would definitely become gleeful and complacent, thinking that they were exceptional beings blessed by the heavens. Yet the other party only impassively nodded his head, completely unmoved by his words at all. Just his calm itself was worthy of respect. However, Emperor Shen Zhui was oblivious to the fact that it wasn’t calm but… deep in contemplation. Besides, Zhang Xuan was already used to their presence after coming into contact with them as Yang shi the past few days. As such, he no longer felt any presence from them, and as a result, he didn’t feel nervous at all. Following behind the butler, they soon arrived at a vast hall. The moment they walked in, the aroma of tea immediately assaulted their senses, and they immediately felt revitalized. “Come, sit!” An elder was seated in the direct center of the hall. In front of him was an exquisite tea set. Hot water, in the form of steam, was rising slowly from it. This was where the aroma of tea came from. “Shen Zhui (Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, Zheng Fei) pays respect to Elder Tian!” The four of them stepped forward. Zhang Xuan followed behind them and glanced at the elder. Even though it was his ninetieth birthday, he looked like he was in his seventies. With a snow-white beard, from afar, his appearance was reminiscent of an enlightened saint. “Yes, yes.” The elder casually waved his hands, not lifting his head at all. Lifting up a teacup, he casually poured tea into it. Instantly, the light, refreshing fragrance of the tea leaves immediately surged out from within. It seemed that the tea set had a soul of their own. With just the slightest movement from Elder Tian, hot water poured into the teacup. His movements were smooth and looked exceptionally beautiful. Even before tasting the tea, everyone was already full of compliments. All eyes were fixated onto every single movement of Elder Tian. Just the sight of the preparation of the tea felt pleasurable. “This is the Way of Tea? Incredible!” Zhang Xuan was just thinking that the Way of Tea could not be compared to pill forging and that sort. However, after looking at the movements of the elder, he immediately realized that there wasn’t a single job in the Nine Paths that was ordinary. “Please!” The elder beckoned. Several maids stepped forward and presented the teacups to Emperor Shen Zhui and the three master teachers. There were a total of six cups. After presenting four cups to the others, there were still two left. After handing out the teacups, the elder wiped his hands dry. Only then did he lift his head to look at the crowd and see Zhang Xuan. He was taken aback by the latter’s presence. “You are…”