Library of Heaven's Path
Chapter 925-933

Chapter 925: Zhang Xuan Returns

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The formalities for the inauguration ceremonies of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies were rather similar.

It was not arrogance or complacency, but their ability to impart knowledge and manage their respective Master Teacher Academies could be considered top-notch even when compared to the preceding principals in the history of their academies.

Yet, even with capabilities like theirs, they had only received 45% and 37% of their predecessors’ recognition. This fully reflected the difficulty of the formality.

Even if a fellow in his early twenties were to start studying from his mother’s womb, how capable could he possibly be?

Could he really be more capable than them and have received an even higher recognition from the predecessors?

“Surpassed? It is more like there is no basis for comparison at all!”

Seeing their expressions, how could Wu Ran be unaware of the thoughts going through the minds of his two old friends? He couldn’t help but shake his head.

“No basis of comparison? It can’t be that… he has received a recognition rate exceeding 50%?” Shen Pingchao asked with a frown.

Even at the limits of his imagination, he couldn’t think of anyone achieving anything much more than that.

Those who were chosen to become the principals of a Master Teacher Academy were the geniuses among geniuses, individuals who had contributed greatly to the academy in many ways. In the first place, it was already unthinkable to have a student who had only just enrolled into the academy become the principal. Yet, could that student really have obtained more than half of the predecessors’ recognition?

If that was the case, wouldn’t the predecessors… be far too lacking in their judgement?

“Exceeding 50%?” Wu Ran shook his head.

Noting Wu Ran’s response, Wo Tianqiong thought that the other party was denying the matter and heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Just as I thought, how could a recognition rate of 50% be achieved that easily…”

However, before Wo Tianqiong could finish his words, the other party spoke. “If it was only that much, I wouldn’t have made such a fuss. The recognition rate that the new principal has achieved is… 100%!”

“100%?”

The two principals nearly spurted blood.

You must be joking with us!

Every individual had their own thoughts and preferences, and satisfying everyone, not to mention more than a hundred top-notch geniuses throughout history, was definitely impossible!

This was the reason why over the years, despite the emergence of many outstanding principals, never had there been a person who had achieved a 100% recognition rate.

Yet, a newly enrolled student who was barely in his early twenties had actually won the recognition of the hundred predecessors?

“I know that the both of you won’t believe it. However, this is the truth. There is no faking it.” Wu Ran sighed deeply.

When he first heard the news, his reaction had been just like the other two. His lower jaw had nearly dropped straight to the ground from shock.

Had it not been for the hundred thousand witnesses present on the scene who could verify the matter, he would have definitely thought that it was a lie!

“Since you are so certain of the matter, there should be no doubt.” Knowing that his old friend wouldn’t lie to him over such an important matter, Wo Tianqiong turned to look at him with a perplexed expression. “After inviting the predecessors to the ceremonial ground, we are only granted three sentences to speak. What did the new principal say in order to win the recognition of all of the preceding principals?”

With his lips twitching uncontrollably, Wu Ran replied, “He didn’t say anything much… Instead, he pummeled the wills of the predecessors instead!”

“P-pu-pummeled?” Shen Pingchao and Wo Tianqiong staggered weakly.

They had heard of principals uttering words to fawn on their predecessors, and they had also heard of principals bragging about their achievements in the hope of aweing them, but none had managed to achieve such outstanding results before. For pummeling to be so effective… When did the wills of the predecessors become so lacking in guts that they would submit to force?

“Not only so, the new principal has also obtained the complete recognition of every single teacher and student in the Master Teacher Academy, thus successfully forging the Impeccable Principal’s Seal. On top of that, during his public lecture, he induced the phenomenon of countless animals, regardless of species, be it donkeys, roosters, dogs, or cats, achieving a breakthrough to become savage beasts.”

Fearing that the two principals would suffer a mental breakdown, Wu Ran swiftly went through everything before they could properly muse over the implications of the matter, hoping to lessen the blow.

“Impeccable Principal’s Seal…”

“Countless animals achieving a breakthrough to become savage beasts…”

Nevertheless, the blow still left the two principals dumbstruck for a very long time before they could regain their sanity. “Have you met the new principal?”

“Not yet.” Wu Ran shook his head. “When I arrived, I heard that he left around two months ago for his 6-star master teacher examination, Empire Building.”

“Two months? It seems like we won’t have an opportunity to meet him then.”

“Indeed. Considering the difficulty involved in Empire Building, even if he is a truly talented individual, it will still take him a minimum of several years to succeed.”

Hearing that the new principal was in the midst of taking the most difficult assessment for his 6-star master teacher examination, Shen Pingchao and Wo Tianqiong shook their heads in disappointment.

“Several years? There is no need for that! Based on the latest news I have received… he has already cleared the test!” Wu Ran said.

“Didn’t you say that… he only left two months ago for the examination?” Wo Tianqiong’s mouth twitched in astonishment.

“Indeed. He cleared the test within two months, advancing a Conferred Kingdom into an Unranked Empire,” Wu Ran replied with a nod.

“…” The two principals.

Just before heading there, they had still been discussing about how the students were lacking worldly experience, and they should allow the students to interact with one another more so as to learn that there was a taller mountain, a person greater than themselves. However, after hearing all those words, they suddenly had a feeling that the ones who were lacking worldly experience were them!

It had been five hundred years since they had taken over as the principals of their respective Master Teacher Academies, and in the period of time, they had seen many different kinds of geniuses. However, they had never met one who could match that Principal Zhang’s caliber!

“In the Combat Master Selection, the ones who will be assessed are the students, not the principals. The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy might have found an outstanding principal, but from what I know, the strength of their students is still not up to par. I guess we will see the true prowess of the new principal personally then!”

“Indeed. While it is important for a principal to be a capable individually in order to win the respect of others, what is more important is his ability to bring the academy forward to greater heights. If he can’t achieve that, then no matter how many predecessors recognize him or how advanced a Principal’s Seal he was able to form, they would merely be for show.”

Being the principal of the Master Teacher Academy wasn’t a one-man show to display the extent of one’s capability. Rather, it was a responsibility to manage the academy effectively so as to maximize the potential of the students. If the students were unable to meet the benchmark, the principal would have failed their job regardless of how capable they were or how great a reputation they had accrued.

Utilizing all resources available at hand to maximize the strength of the students, that was the core responsibility that a principal had.

The Four Great Master Teacher Academies had always been in a state of rivalry, and they would be lying if they said that the emergence of such an outstanding principal in the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy didn’t leave them feeling pressured.

At that moment, they had all made up their minds. They would have their students perform spectacularly in the Combat Master Selection so that everyone would learn that the pride of a principal lay not in their own strength but the strength of their students.

…

While an air of rivalry was brewing within Hongyuan City, Zhang Xuan was seated atop the Byzantium Helios Beast, on his journey back to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Empire Building was indeed worthy of its title as the most difficult 6-star master teacher examination test. Even with the means he had at hand, he had still found himself overwhelmed by the many things he had to do.

Fortunately, his efforts hadn’t been in vain. He had finally accomplished the task at hand.

Within the two months, using the five hundred high-tier spirit stones he had obtained from the Shen Clan and Liu Clan, he had also advanced his cultivation to Half-Saint pinnacle.

The strength he could draw from his zhenqi cultivation had also increased from the initial 60,000,000 ding to 84,000,000 ding, granting him might superior to even the 75,000,000 ding that the average Nascent Saint pinnacle cultivator wielded.

With the rise in his strength, ordinarily speaking, taking into account the 20,000,000 ding and 32,000,000 ding from his soul cultivation and physical body cultivation respectively, the maximum strength he could harness should have been 136,000,000 ding, greater than a Saint realm 1-dan cultivator.

However, things didn’t go as planned.

No matter how he cultivated, his strength just wouldn’t break the 100,000,000 ding bottleneck, stopping right at 99,999,999 ding.

It was as if the 100,000,000 ding was the manifestation of the difference between a Saint and a Transcendent Mortal. As long as he didn’t achieve Sainthood, it would remain an unbreachable barrier.

A ding of difference demarcated the gap between a deity and a mortal.

However, even though Zhang Xuan was unable to wield strength exceeding 100,000,000 ding, the strong cultivation foundation that he had built up allowed him to crush even an ordinary Saint realm 1-dan intermediate stage cultivator easily.

More importantly, after the two months of cultivation, the zhenqi reserve he had in his body was so great that it would astound any cultivator.

Using an analogy, if the zhenqi reserve of an ordinary Half-Saint cultivator was a small pond, his would be a massive lake, at least several dozen times greater than the former.

In other words, if he were to release his zhenqi all at once, it would be comparable to that of dozens of Half-Saint pinnacle experts. Just the notion of it in itself was fearsome.

Naturally, he wasn’t the only one to have achieved a breakthrough in the past two months. Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er had successfully advanced to Chrysalis realm pinnacle too.

Dong Xin and Hu Yaoyao had also managed to match him, becoming Half-Saint pinnacle experts themselves.

To anyone else, this rate of cultivation was inconceivable and only existed in one’s dream. However, after tagging along with Zhang Xuan for so long, the four of them seemed to think of it as something perfectly normal, and they even felt that they might have been cultivating a little too slow.

In fact, were it not to reinforce their cultivation, they might have already achieved a breakthrough to Nascent Saint, swiftly approaching Saint realm!

Under his guidance, Zhao Feiwu and Mo Yu had also reached Transcendent Mortal 5-dan.

The Byzantium Helios Beast, which had been tagging along with them, through consuming the many inner cores stored in the Golden Beartiger Beast’s storage ring, had also significantly advanced its cultivation, reaching Saint realm 2-dan advanced stage.

The nine kings of the Cloudmist Ridge had also achieved breakthroughs as well, reaching Spiritual Perception realm.

Two months was nothing to a cultivator, passing by with just the snap of a finger. However, it was within this seemingly short period of time that everyone around Zhang Xuan, be it beast or human, had made frightening advancements in their cultivation.

At the same time, after three months of work, the Myriad Anthive Queen had expanded the Myriad Anthive Nest to around five hundred meters in diameter. The space had also become more stable, similar to a mini world.

Many buildings had been constructed within, making it feasible to house several hundred or even a thousand men within.

The nine kings of the Cloudmist Ridge and the Byzantium Helios Beast usually lived in harmony in the nest, not interfering with one another.

Zhang Xuan’s clone had also been cultivating its soul under the Bodhi Tree all along, and it had recently managed to achieve a breakthrough to Chrysalis realm.

Speaking of which, Zhang Xuan, confident in his newfound strength, had challenged his clone to yet another battle, hoping to wash away the many humiliating defeats he had suffered at the latter’s hand. However, as soon as the battle started… just like the many times before, he was viciously pummeled into submission.

For some reason, even though his clone’s soul cultivation hadn’t increased by much within this period of time, the other party’s strength had still grown by an even greater amount than his.

Because of this matter, Zhang Xuan had been frustrated for a very long time before coming to a realization.

Perhaps, from the very start, his clone hadn’t been able to utilize the full extent of the unbelievable strength contained within the Nine Hearts Lotus. However, over time, as the compatibility between his clone’s soul and the Nine Hearts Lotus increased, his clone would be able to draw more strength from the Nine Hearts Lotus, thus enhancing his fighting prowess.

In other words, even if his clone didn’t cultivate and spent its days sleeping idly, he would still display a fighting prowess beyond one’s imagination once the compatibility of his soul and the Nine Hearts Lotus became perfect!

Of course, this realization sent Zhang Xuan into another downward spiral of unhappiness.

Eventually, he could only sigh and accept it. It couldn’t be helped. Since he was lacking in innate talent, he could only make up for it through diligence.

…

While Zhang Xuan was cultivating, Luo Qiqi suddenly entered the room and said, “Teacher, we have arrived at Hongyuan City. Shall we head straight to the Master Teacher Academy or…”

“We have arrived?” Zhang Xuan stood up and took a look outside before saying, “Let’s head to the manor first!”

With School Head Mo and School Head Zhao in the Master Teacher Academy, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to worry about the matters there. For the time being, he was more interested to see how far Wang Ying and the others had progressed during his absence.

He hadn’t brought them to Xuanyuan Kingdom alongside him for two reasons.

One, he had already taught them all they needed to know, so there was no need for them to tag along.

Two, he wanted them to learn how to become independent. In a sense, this served as a test for them. He wanted to see how far they could cultivate on their own in his absence.

In the end, they were the only ones who could dictate the route they wanted to take. He had been by their side, supporting them, ever since the start of their journey from Tianxuan Kingdom, and it was about time for them to learn how to advance on their own.

“Alright!” Luo Qiqi nodded.

Before long, the Byzantium Helios Beast began making its descend toward a resplendent manor in the middle of Hongyuan City.

Chapter 926: Premature Commencement of the Combat Master Selection

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Even though Zhang Xuan had been allocated a residence within the Master Teacher Academy with a good location and rich spiritual energy after becoming the principal, he would still spend most of his time staying at the manor outside of the academy.

In any case, the manor wasn’t too far away from the academy, so he wouldn’t be delayed much should any emergencies occurred. Besides, it was much quieter than the residence in the Master Teacher Academy, and his students were living in the manor, too.

Shortly after landing in the courtyard, Sun Qiang rushed forward and greeted him agitatedly. “Young Master, you are back!”

Over the past two months, this fellow seemed to have gotten even rounder. His cultivation had advanced, but not by much.

He had always been gluttonous and lazy, and it seemed like, in Zhang Xuan’s absence, he’d had his fair share of good food but neglected his cultivation.

Knowing that the other party was unlikely to change, Zhang Xuan lectured him for a short moment before instructing, “Call Wang Ying and the others over.”

“Yes!” Sun Qiang replied before backing away.

Not too long later, Wang Ying and the others walked into the main hall.

Over the past two months, his direct disciples had made significant advances in their cultivation. It seemed like their progress hadn’t slowed just because he wasn’t by their side.

Wang Ying had managed to reach Chrysalis realm primary stage whereas Zheng Yang and Liu Yang were at Ethereal Treading realm pinnacle. Even though the cultivation of the latter two was slightly lower than Wang Ying’s at the moment, Zhang Xuan could tell that they were nearing their bottleneck and were likely to make a breakthrough very soon.

Before Zhang Xuan departed, he had imparted the simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to them and gave them many pills and other resources he had received from the beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge, which could help aid the advancement of their cultivation.

As such, if their progress had been slow, they would have truly let him down.

While the three of them had made significant advancement in their cultivation, Wei Ruyan’s cultivation had remained stagnant, still at Chrysalis realm primary stage as it was two months ago.

However, this was within expectations too.

Wei Ruyan had progressed simply far too quickly due to the nourishment from the massive accumulation of medicinal energy in her body. While her cultivation was at Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to compare it to a castle in the air. If she were to cultivate carelessly, it might lead to everything crumbling down instead.

As such, before leaving, Zhang Xuan had left her a single goal—to cultivate her way up from the very bottom, Fighter 1-dan, reinforcing every single realm of her cultivation thoroughly.

Within two months, she had managed to cultivate up to Chrysalis realm primary stage. While her cultivation hadn’t advanced at all, her foundation and fighting prowess had grown to become far greater than they had been when she first awoke.

She was no longer the weak person whose cultivation was propped up by the mere consumption of medicine but a real Chrysalis realm cultivator both in cultivation and fighting prowess.

“Not bad!” Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Unlike the lazy Sun Qiang, at least his students were still reliable and didn’t let him down.

“At this moment, some of you are at Chrysalis realm primary stage while others are swiftly approaching it. Currently, there are two routes for you to choose from.”

Activating a formation to prevent any information from leaking beyond the walls, Zhang Xuan gazed at his students grimly.

“I have two sets of cultivation techniques in hand. The first one will allow you to advance your cultivation swiftly, and it won’t take you too long to reach Saint realm.

“The second one will be significantly slower, and it will be difficult to cultivate too. However, if you succeed, your fighting prowess will increase manyfold, granting you extraordinary might.”

The Saint Ascension Decipher was powerful, but the difficulty was steep as well. Without a resolute will, it would be impossible for one to reach the end of the path.

Zhang Xuan had no intention of forcing his student into anything. Whether to cultivate the Saint Ascension Decipher or the ordinary Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he felt that this was a decision for them to choose for themselves.

After a moment of silence, Wang Ying suddenly spoke up. “Teacher, I choose the second option!”

“We also choose the second option!”

Before long, the others also spoke in agreement.

Having reached this point, an opportunity to increase one’s fighting prowess manyfold didn’t come easy. They were reluctant to miss it.

“Choosing the second option means that you will have to work harder and suffer more than anyone else, but even so, success is not guaranteed at the end of the path… Have you considered this matter thoroughly?” Zhang Xuan warned grimly.

Zhang Xuan’s students quickly replied.

“We have made up our minds!”

“Pain means nothing at all. As long as we can become stronger, we don’t fear anything!”

Seeing his students choosing the second option without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded in approval. “That’s good.”

From the very start, cultivation was a battle against the heavens, a tussle with fate. If they couldn’t even replace the courage for something like this, it was unlikely that they would be able to reach greater heights in the future even if they remained under his tutelage.

Zhang Xuan swiftly took out a few manuals of a simplified version of the Saint Ascension Decipher, which he had compiled and copied earlier, and passed it on to his students. After which, he gave them some time to read and memorize the content before beginning to explain it thoroughly.

The Saint Ascension Decipher was an extremely complicated cultivation technique, and even he had struggled slightly to comprehend it back then. If he didn’t explain the content clearly and his students were to comprehend it incorrectly, there was a good chance that a major problem might occur with their cultivation.

Four hours later, after seeing that his students had a thorough understanding of the Saint Ascension Decipher, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He instructed his students to cultivate diligently and dismissed them before turning his sight back to Sun Qiang.

“I believe you are well aware of the strength my teacher wields.”

“Yes!” Sun Qiang hurriedly responded with a nod.

Even though he wasn’t too sure how powerful the old master was, he was certain that the latter, at the very minimum, was an 8-star master teacher or even beyond, an existence that stood at the very top of the Master Teacher Continent.

“It’s good that you know. So long as he wishes, he could easily replace 7-star master teachers or even 8-star master teachers to serve as his butler. If this is the limit of your potential, I think that it won’t be long before my teacher changes his butler,” Zhang Xuan said nonchalantly.

Against Sun Qiang, he could only be vicious. Otherwise, the other party would slack at every single opportunity he found.

“Yes!”

Cold sweat began trickling down Sun Qiang’s back.

In his period of time, the fawning of the Hongyuan Empire royal family and the gifts from the Shen Clan and the Liu Clan had all confused him, causing him to forget his priorities.

It was only after hearing those words that it dawned on him that if he wanted to follow the young master and the old master, he would need to become more powerful.

If he were to lag behind the others, it wouldn’t be long before he became worthless to the old master and the young master. Neither of them would spare him an additional glance.

He clearly understood that without those two, he would be nothing more than an ordinary fatty. All of the prestige and wealth he enjoyed at the moment was just like the moon in a lake, dissipating with a single touch.

“You have been with me since Tianxuan Kingdom, and it is for your own good that I am saying these words. I hope that you know what is best for you. Alright, putting that aside for now, in the two months that I have been away, did anything happen?” After seeing that Sun Qiang understood his message, Zhang Xuan decided to stop there and asked about another matter instead.

“Un. The head of the Shen Clan visited a while ago, saying that it was best for the Cloudmist Flower to be sold in small batches over time so as to fully capitalize on its reputation as a rare commodity and maximize the profits from it. Thus, after some negotiation with them, we decided that we will release only ten jin of it every month in each empire…” Sun Qiang swiftly brought Zhang Xuan up to speed on the various business dealings.

“Un, I will leave all decisions for that to you.” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He didn’t possess the acute business sense that Sun Qiang and the Shen Clan had, so it was best for him to stay out of the matter and leave it to be professionals.

“Alright. This is the first sum of profit from the sale of the Cloudmist Flower!” Seeing that the young master was uninterested in the details of the business, Sun Qiang spoke no more of it. Instead, he presented a storage ring to him.

Taking it, Zhang Xuan took a look inside, and his eyes widened in shock. “So many?”

A warm radiance emanated from a humongous pile of several thousand high-tier spirit stones within the storage ring. The spiritual energy that shrouded them felt so concentrated that it took one’s breath away.

“The profits we have earnt so far total to 3,327 high-tier spirit stones. The next sum should be coming in next month,” Sun Qiang replied with a smile.

“More than three thousand high-tier spirit stones…” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched.

He had spent so much effort beguiling others and taming beasts, but he had only earned a few hundred high-tier spirit stones to date. Yet, just by selling a small portion of the Cloudmist Flower, he had easily earned a profit many times greater than that. Somehow, it felt like his efforts in the past had been in vain.

But nevertheless, he did need as many spirit stones as possible at the moment, so this was good news for him.

Three thousand high-tier spirit stone might seem like a huge fortune, but it might not necessarily last him till Saint realm 1-dan primary stage.

Not to mention, his students had also begun cultivating the Saint Ascension Decipher, and their consumption of spirit stones would surely rise exponentially. On top of that, there was also the Byzantium Helios Beast and the nine kings of the Cloudmist Ridge. It could be said that high-tier spirit stones were disappearing in his household at every moment.

Putting aside a few thousand, even several dozen thousand high-tier spirit stones wouldn’t last long in his household!

In truth, while the Cloudmist Flower was valuable, it was still extremely difficult to sell it for such a price. Otherwise, the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge would have long initiated such a business.

However, with the Earth Vein Spirit Essence being sapped dry and the mist shrouding the Cloudmist Ridge dissipating gradually, the conditions for producing Cloudmist Flowers were gradually deteriorating. As such, the Cloudmist Flower had become an exclusive and highly limited commodity.

On top of that, the Cloudmist Flowers on sale had a high maturity, and the Shen Clan had worked extremely hard on its marketing as well. Naturally, the price was driven up to an unbelievable extent.

Sun Qiang pondered for a moment before saying, “Also, School Head Mo came by yesterday. It appears that several guests have arrived at the Master Teacher Academy, and they are looking for you!”

“Looking for me? Who is it?”

“It is the principals of the other three Master Teacher Academies. They seem to have arrived at Hongyuan City recently. They wish to discuss the Combat Master Selection with you,” Sun Qiang reported.

“They have arrived?” Zhang Xuan was stunned for a moment before recalling that the centennial Combat Master Selection was just around the corner.

“I will return to the Master Teacher Academy now!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Combat Master Selection was a huge event that occurred among the Four Great Master Teacher Academies every hundred years; the pride and dignity of each and every academy was at stake. As the principal, this was a responsibility he couldn’t shirk from.

He swiftly left the residence and headed to the Elder Hall.

Shortly after he walked into the room, he saw Zhao Bingxu rushing up to him with an anxious look on his face.

“Principal Zhang, you are finally back. That is a huge relief…”

Noticing that something was wrong with Zhao Bingxu’s state, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown, “Did something happen?”

“Reporting to Principal Zhang, Principal Wo Tianqiong from the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, Principal Shen Pingchao from the Luoqing Master Teacher Academy, and Principal Wu Ran from the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy have arrived at our academy. According to the news we have received, the representatives from the Combat Master Hall will be arriving shortly after as well. School Head Mo is currently keeping watch, waiting to welcome them in at any moment. I was also with him, but I rushed over as soon as I heard that you have returned,” Zhao Bingxu said anxiously.

“Isn’t there some time before the commencement of the Master Teacher Selection?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Back then, shortly after he returned from the Saint Ascension Platform, the Golden Origin Cauldron had said that there were still three months before the Combat Master Selection began. Judging from that, there should still have been several days for him to prepare. Why would everyone arrive so quickly?

“We just received news from the Combat Master Hall a moment ago that they received new orders from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters; the Four Great Master Teacher Academies are to finish the selection exercise within three days,” Zhao Bingxu explained.

“Such a rush?”

Zhang Xuan was still intending to conduct a lecture for his academy’s candidates so as to raise their fighting prowess ahead of the selection, but who would have thought that the selection would begin shortly after his return? That was way too fast!

“I am not too sure about the details, but the Combat Master Selection will be commencing very soon, so I have to ask Principal Zhang to head over!” Zhao Bingxu said.

If Principal Zhang hadn’t returned in time for the Combat Master Selection, they, as the Ten Great Master Teachers, would have had to overstep their authority to hold the fort in his absence. However, since Principal Zhang had returned just in time, it was only right for him to manage the situation personally.

They had managed to replace quite a handful of outstanding youths in the internal selection within the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but after seeing the candidates from the other three academies, they had no confidence whatsoever that their own candidates would be able to stand their ground against the others.

There was a clear difference between their candidates and the others, and if things went as they expected, they would only have one or two candidates clearing the selection.

“Let’s head over to take a look.”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan and Zhao Bingxu swiftly made their way to the training ground.

Chapter 927: I Will Give You Three Minutes

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Even before arriving at the training ground, Zhang Xuan and Zhao Bingxu could already see the massive crowd that had gathered in the area. Nearly every student in the academy had congregated, curious to watch the event. The bustle was even comparable to that on the day of the inauguration ceremony.

The Combat Master Selection was a festive event that only happened once every hundred years. On this occasion, one would be able to witness the strongest fighting power of their power class, so there was no master teacher who would be willing to miss such an opportunity.

It wasn’t just the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy who were present, the master teachers from the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and even those from the surroundings empires were there, too, and each and every one of them had an excited expression that revealed their anticipation for the event that would occur very soon.

“Even though the Combat Master Hall is just a branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion, being a combat master grants one the opportunity to obtain even more resources, allowing one to cultivate faster than others. This is also the reason many hope to join their ranks,” Zhao Bingxu said.

Typically speaking, combat masters commanded less prestige than master teachers. After all, as the military branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion, they specialized only in fighting, which meant that their capability in their supporting occupations and their ability to impart knowledge, the very factors that gave rise to the master teachers’ prestigious standing in the world, fell beneath that of normal master teachers.

However, if one could join the Combat Master Hall, the Master Teacher Pavilion would devote resources to groom them, thus allowing them to grow easier and faster than an ordinary master teacher.

This was also the reason many master teachers desired to join their ranks.

However, it was a pity that the requirements to become a combat master were very demanding on one’s combat talent. Out of ten thousand master teachers, there might not even be one who could meet the mark.

Halfway through his words, Zhao Bingxu suddenly recalled the astounding battle talent that their principal possessed too, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Principal Zhang, have you ever thought of becoming a combat master?”

He might not have had much confidence in the students of their Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but he had no doubt that their principal would qualify if he were to take the examination too.

“Me? I have no interest!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Like Kong shi, his plan was to study many occupations and become a true master teacher who would spread his teachings across the world.

Besides, if he were to become a combat master who knew nothing but battle, how was he going to resolve his Innate Fetal Poison?

As such, he didn’t have much of an interest in becoming a combat master.

“That’s a relief…” Zhao Bingxu heaved a sigh of relief.

If their principal were to join the Combat Master Hall, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy would surely return back to the disunited and chaotic situation it had been in before.

There was no way they would be able to replace another principal who could win the recognition of every single preceding principal and held the respect and admiration of every single student and teacher.

While they were speaking, they arrived at the training grounds, and the students who saw them hurriedly bowed respectfully.

“Paying respects to Principal Zhang, paying respects to School Head Zhao!”

“Principal Zhang has returned!”

“I heard that the reason for Principal Zhang’s absence was because he was challenging the Empire Building test of the 6-star master teacher examination. To have returned now, could it be that he has cleared the examination?”

“Do you even need to ask? Of course, he must have cleared the examination! Given the prowess of our principal, taking a 6-star master teacher examination is nothing at all!”

“Indeed! Putting aside the 6-star master teacher examination, even if he were to become a 7-star master teacher this very instant, I wouldn’t be surprised at all…”

…

The news swiftly rippled across the crowd, and it didn’t take long for everyone present to learn that Zhang Xuan was at the training grounds. Their eyes couldn’t help but light up in excitement.

The emotion they harbored toward most elders was just deference for their power and authority, but toward the principal, who was younger than most of them, the emotions they felt were nothing but respect and admiration, and it was to the point where one could nearly call it blind faith.

After witnessing their principal produce miracle after miracle, at this point, they wouldn’t be too surprised regardless of what the other party did. Instead, they would just think of it as what ought to be the case.

After gesturing with a nod at the hot-blooded students, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to Zhao Bingxu and asked with a frown, “Where are other elders and the men from the other three Master Teacher Academies?”

The place was filled with students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and master teachers from the surrounding Master Teacher Pavilions, but not a single student or teacher of the other three Master Teacher Academies was anywhere to be seen.

“They are currently on the flying ship.” Zhao Bingxu pointed with a bitter expression.

Tracing his finger, Zhang Xuan immediately saw a massive ship floating in the air, propped up by eight saint beasts both at the front and the back. Its sheer size was sufficient to block out most of the sky, and its very presence seemed to carry an indomitable air around it.

Too preoccupied with the students on the training ground, Zhang Xuan had failed to notice the massive ship flying high in the sky instantly.

Focusing his sight toward the ship, he soon noticed three old men standing on the deck with their hands behind their backs. They commanded a grand air around them, as if conquerors who could shake the world with a wave of their hands.

As for School Head Mo and the others, they were currently standing right in front of the three old men, seemingly negotiating with them.

“They aren’t coming down?” Seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.

To arrive at their Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy but refuse to alight from their flying ship, this could be said to be disregarding the honor and prestige of their Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

“School Head Mo is currently trying to invite them down, but considering how long it has been since then, it doesn’t seem like it’s working.” Zhao Bingxu’s complexion wasn’t too good either.

Instead of walking in through the entrance with their students as it should be for a formal visit, they had chosen to fly their ship all the way in instead. That was no different from barging into one’s living room on a mount, and it was considered extremely disrespectful behavior.

On top of that, the fact that School Head Mo and the others were speaking to them in front of the ship instead of on the ship showed that things weren’t going well on their end.

“Tell them that I, the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, invite them to the audience stand to spectate the Combat Master Selection,” said Zhang Xuan.

“Yes!” Zhao Bingxu nodded, but just as he was about to leave to relay their principal’s words, he hesitated for a moment and asked, “But… what if they still refuse to come down?”

Considering that School Head Mo and the others had negotiated with the other party but to no avail, there was a good chance that the name of their principal might not work either.

With a displeased frown, Zhang Xuan raised his fingers and said, “I will give them three minutes.”

“Three minutes?” Stunned, Zhao Bingxu’s lips twitched.

Judging from their principal’s tone… it seemed like he was prepared to wreak havoc if needed to!

But… of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies, Hongyuan was the weakest. If they were to start something, the ones to ultimately lose out would indubitably be them too.

Hesitating for a moment, Zhao Bingxu felt that he should advise their principal against that. “Principal Zhang, no matter what, they are still guests. If we make a move against them, others could easily replace faults with us…”

If the other party were to be pummeled at their doorstep, wouldn’t they suffer the same fate when they arrived at the other party’s doorstep a hundred years later?

“Make a move against them? You are overthinking it.”

Zhang Xuan shook his head and shot Zhao Bingxu a look of disdain. “We are master teachers, cultured individuals, so how can we resort to violence just because things don’t go as we wish? Besides, the three principals are 7-star master teachers. Even if we wish to make a move against them, we have to be able to defeat them first!”

As 7-star master teachers, even with the most conservative of estimates, they had to be at Saint realm 2-dan. Unless Zhang Xuan were to have the Golden Origin Cauldron, the Byzantium Helios Beast, and the Myriad Anthive Queen attack them simultaneously, it would be difficult for him to achieve victory.

Besides, to resort to violence right from the start, how could the Master Teacher Academy lower itself to such brutish measures?

As master teachers, they were all dignified members of society. Naturally, they should be using civilized means befitting their standing to deal with conflict!

“Cough cough!” Feeling Zhang Xuan’s disdainful gaze on him, Zhao Bingxu couldn’t help but feel an extremely stifled sensation in his chest. “Then… the three minutes you spoke of…”

If it was another principal who had said that he was a cultured person, he would have believed it without any hesitation! But the man before him… he rummaged through everything in his brain but just couldn’t replace any reason to believe those words!

Would a cultured person challenge another to a Physician Life-and-Death Duel without any hesitation? Would a cultured person reduce a huge chunk of the entire Physician School to ruins on a whim?

Would a cultured person dismantle a puppet into its respective parts just because it wouldn’t submit to him?

Could anyone be less cultured than him?

“Oh… What I mean is that if they are still up there by the end of three minutes, I will just have to use my own way to invite them down!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand leisurely. “Alright, just go ahead and do as I’ve told you to.”

“Ahh… Alright then,” Zhao Bingxu replied with an uneasy frown, apprehensive of what their principal would do.

However, since their principal had already issued such an order, he would just have to do as instructed. Thus, he leaped up and made his way toward the flying ship.

…

In the sky, School Head Mo and the others looked at the three old men and the many students behind them standing on the deck with looks of helplessness.

Just as Zhao Bingxu had said, they had been negotiating with the other party for a very long time, but the other party just wouldn’t go down. On top of that, as fellow master teachers, they couldn’t possibly do anything that could be considered a breach of etiquette, thus resulting in the awkward standstill they were in.

“Elders of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, you should return for the time being. We won’t be sending you off,” Wo Tianqiong said with a smile as he stroked his beard.

“This…” Seeing that he was unable to convince the other party to alight from the ship, School Head Mo and the others sighed deeply. Just as they were about to give up and head down, they suddenly saw Zhao Bingxu flying up.

“Principals, I am School Head Zhao Bingxu of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Our principal invites you and your students down for a gathering.” Zhao Bingxu clasped his fist respectfully.

“Your principal has arrived?”

The three principals immediately turned their gazes downward to catch a glimpse the legendary new principal that they had heard so many rumors about, but there were simply far too many people below; it was hard for them to replace the other party, especially considering they knew nothing about the other party’s appearance.

“That is indeed the case.” Zhao Bingxu nodded.

“Since he is here, I won’t make things harder for you all anymore. Relay our message to him. We will send our men down to participate in the Combat Master Selection when it begins. We won’t cause any unnecessary delays, so he doesn’t have to worry about that,” Wo Tianqiong said.

“This…” Seeing that the three principals had no intention of budging, Zhao Bingxu recalled their principal’s words, and the feeling of uneasiness he felt suddenly intensified. Anxious, he urged, “Principals, I think that it will be best for you to head down now. Our principal… doesn’t have the best of tempers, and he has the uncanny ability to realize the seemingly unexpected and impossible. It wouldn’t be good if some unhappiness were to arise among our academies out of this matter.”

Their principal hadn’t said what he intended to do, but this only served to worsen Zhao Bingxu’s apprehension.

His words were extremely earnest, but to the ears of those hearing them, it sounded as if he was threatening them instead.

“Doesn’t have the best of tempers? Unhappiness? Hah, he just became the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but his head is already in the moon?” Shen Pingchao was the first to flare up.

His face darkened as he said in displeasure, “A young man like him shouldn’t get complacent and think that he is the entire world just because he has achieved some accomplishments of his own. Our Luoqing Master Teacher Academy does not belong to him, and there is no reason we should listen to his words! I will say this clearly, I won’t be alighting from this ship today. What is your principal going to do about it, is he going to force me down from this ship?”

“Principal Shen is right. If we refuse to alight from this ship, is your Hongyuan going to make a move on us? Tell your principal that youth is not a reason for recklessness. One must be absolutely careful with his words. I was still rather impressed with him after hearing about his feats, but to think that he would be such a complacent individual instead. You should start praying that his arrogance doesn’t lead to Hongyuan’s downfall instead!” Flinging his sleeves, Wu Ran harrumphed with a livid expression.

Bad temper? Unhappiness? Does that new principal really think that he can climb over our heads that easily?

Even if some unhappiness does arise, with the three of our academies on the same side, the one to suffer will be you!

“I… That isn’t what I mean…” Not expecting his kind advice to be misunderstood in such a manner, Zhao Bingxu hurriedly tried to clarify his earlier statement, but he just couldn’t replace the words to do so properly. In an instant, he panicked even more.

Their principal had given him the time limit of only three minutes. Given the other party’s personality, who knew what he would do?

If he were to have dispatch all of the spirit beasts and saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge to encircle the flying ship and attack it, there would be an intense battle even before the Combat Master Selection began!

If that was the case, the Four Great Master Teacher Academies would become a laughingstock of the entire Master Teacher Continent!

“That isn’t what you mean? What else do you mean then? Why don’t you tell us what your principal instructed you to tell us word for word then?” Gazing at Zhao Bingxu with eyes as sharp as an eagle, Wo Tianqiong could tell that the other party had words that he was hesitant to say.

“Our principal…”

Zhao Bingxu was conflicted, but he knew that it would only complicate matters if he were to continue hiding it at this point. Thus, gritting his teeth, he said, “He said that he hopes for you to come down within three minutes, or else… he will have to replace other ways to resolve this problem…”

“Three minutes?”

Hearing those words, School Head Mo and the others nearly keeled over.

Doomed… At this rate, a battle would really occur!

Chapter 928: Masochists

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Three minutes?”

“Find other ways to resolve the problem?”

“What an arrogant fellow! Fine, let’s remain on this ship then. I sure would like to see how he intends to resolve this problem!”

The three principals were also visibly stunned for a brief moment before their complexions darkened even further.

They had been wondering what words the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had instructed Zhao Bingxu to relay to them, but to think that this would be it!

A newly inaugurated principal actually showed dared to speak to them, 7-star master teachers, so arrogant, devoid of any respect… You are asking for it!

Since this is how arrogant you wish to play, fine! Four can play the game!

Let’s see what you can do about us then!

“Principal Wo, Principal Shen, Principal Wu…” Seeing that the trio had already flown into a rage before he could finish his words, Zhao Bingxu felt extremely distressed.

By saying that their principal had a bad temper, he was only intending it as earnest advice to the three principals out of goodwill. He hadn’t expected that those words would complicate matters further.

“Speak no more. Leave!” Wo Tianqiong waved his hands coldly.

“This…”

Seeing that their minds were made up, Zhao Bingxu could only shake his head. Together with School Head Mo and the others, they headed back to the training ground.

Soon after the group from the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy left, the three principals traded gazes and shook their heads.

“That Principal Zhang of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy sure sounds like an interesting person.” Shen Pingchao chuckled softly, the displeasure and anger on his face from before disappearing completely.

“Indeed. We intended to pose this flying ship as a test to see if he could resolve this problem perfectly, but from the looks of it… he sure is a hot-tempered person!” Wo Tianqiong sighed deeply.

As 7-star master teachers and the principals of their respective Master Teacher Academies, it was natural that they knew how disrespectful their behavior was. The reason they did so nevertheless was not because they looked down on Hongyuan and wanted to provoke it, but because they wished to assess the capability of the newly-appointed principal for themselves and see how he would deal with such a difficult situation.

In a sense, it could be seen as a test they were posing to the other party as veteran principals.

After all, the principals of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies were considered fellow peers, and they wanted to see if a twenty-year-old fellow was qualified to become one of their own.

In truth, this problem also wasn’t a difficult one to resolve.

Going by normal conventions, as long as the other party had prepared a simple banquet for them and personally headed up to invite them down humbly, owing to the other party’s sincere attitude, they would have had to drop their airs and comply.

Yet, that fellow had refused to lower his head, even threatening them with a time limit of three minutes, saying that he would take his own measures should they refuse to come down.

He sure was arrogant!

“It is not really a bad thing for a young person to be hot-blooded and arrogant, but too much of it will only impede his development!” Wu Ran shook his head. “In any case, this should do well to quell his arrogance. Hopefully, this will teach him that being talented shouldn’t serve as a reason for him to behave haughtily!”

“That’s right.” Shen Pingchao nodded. “In truth, I am starting to feel a little curious as to the reason he dared utter such arrogant words. I wonder what his method of ‘inviting us down’ will be.”

“Well, we will know soon enough.”

The trio glanced at one another and chuckled softly.

Barely after they had started laughing, a voice reminiscent of the chiming of bells sounded deafeningly in the air.

“Moo!”

It sounded like the roaring of thunder and the stampede of thousands of beasts at the same time.

“What is that?”

Alarmed, the trio straightened their postures, prepared to make a move if necessary. However, before they could even react, they suddenly noticed that the bodies of the sixteen saint beasts propping up the flying ship were sinking.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Before anyone could release a scream of agony, the ship abruptly descended with increasing momentum to the ground.

The Cloudcliff Flying Ship was several dozen meters long, and it was dependent on the sixteen saint beasts to remain afloat in the air. With all of the saint beasts being incapacitated all of a sudden, it lost all of its support simultaneously and began on an unstoppable free fall downwards.

“The Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons! That fellow used the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons to suppress the saint beasts! This is disastrous…” Exerting his zhenqi, Wo Tianqiong stopped in midair, but watching the flying ship fall beneath him, his mouth couldn’t help but twitch uncontrollably.

The saint beasts supporting the Cloudcliff Flying Ship were all saint beasts who possessed the Dragon Bloodline. Such saint beasts possessed extraordinary physical prowess, making their flight speed and endurance far superior to their counterparts. As such, they were the ideal candidates to drive the flying ship.

If one had to pick a flaw regarding them, it would only be their natural deference toward those who possessed the Pureblooded Dragon Bloodline

But Pureblooded Dragons had already disappeared from the world many years ago. As such, there should have been no one who could exploit this flaw, and it should have been safe for them to use those Dragon Bloodline saint beasts.

Who could have known that the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons, something that everyone thought had gone missing many years ago along with the Pureblooded Dragons, would ring out all of a sudden!

Wasn’t it said that these notes could only be voiced by those of the Dragon Tribe?

How could a human possibly voice it?

Not to mention, with such astounding prowess that even these Saint realm beasts would succumb to it at that!

But while he was in disbelief, he didn’t just freeze on the spot. He swiftly gathered a compressed layer of air beneath the Cloudcliff Flying Ship in order to slow its descent to a gradual halt.

Shen Pingchao and Wu Ran also swiftly recovered from their shock and assisted him.

The Cloudcliff Flying Ship might have been massive, but the strength of three 7-star master teachers was tremendous, too. Under their combined efforts, they eventually managed to stop the descent of the flying ship safely in midair. However, barely after they had heaved a sigh of relief, yet another sound echoed from beneath.

“Mou!”

Hong long!

The sound wasn’t loud, but it carried great penetrating power, reverberating in the ears of all clearly. In an instant, the sixteen saint beasts, whose bodies had been stiffened immobile and tongues were hanging from their mouths from the earlier sound, suddenly went into a rampage and charged downward, tugging the flying ship that was connected to them by a harness along with them.

Due to their furious charge, the massive ship, which had just come to a halt through the laborious effort of the three principals, was suddenly dragged down once more.

It was already sufficiently difficult to prop up that heavy flying ship, but with the incredible might of sixteen powerful saint beasts acting against them on top of that, there was no way the three principals could possibly hold on. Thus, the flying ship began falling once more.

Hong long long… Boom!

A huge cloud of dust rose up as the floating Cloudcliff Flying Ship crashed into the ground, creating a huge depression. The students, who had been standing on the deck, were forcefully thrown off the ship.

Due to the massive impact from the crash, some of the students who possessed lower cultivation sustained severe injuries even before participating in the Combat Master Selection.

Even those who had higher cultivation felt the zhenqi in their body going into disarray from the impact, and they couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the abrupt happenings.

Not only were those from the three Master Teacher Academies stunned by the turn of events, even School Head Mo and the others, who had just returned to the ground, found their mouths twitching uncontrollably upon seeing this sight.

They had thought that the time limit their principal had come up with was just for show, but who would have thought that he was really serious?

Didn’t the heritage regarding the tongue of the Dragon Tribe disappear a long time ago? Furthermore, to speak it with apparent fluency, just how did their principal learn it?

At that moment, the three principals, who had been still standing grandly a moment ago, suddenly plummeted down from the sky and landed onto the deck of the ship. Dust cloaked their faces, leaving them in an indescribably unkempt state.

School Head Mo and the others hurriedly asked, “Are you all fine?”

The three principals had shouldered the weight of the flying ship and the rampaging might of sixteen saint beasts simultaneously, and even with their Saint realm 2-dan and 3-dan cultivation, it was still beyond what they could withstand.

It was already fortunate that they weren’t too severely injured from it.

Zhao Bingxu felt his head spinning furiously as he muttered beneath his breath, “Principal Zhang, is this what you mean by ‘cultured’?”

The other party had just told him that he would resolve the matter in a mature manner befitting cultured individuals that master teachers should be… and barely a few moments later, such was the sight that had unfolded before him.

Is this what you mean by cultured?

Who in the world has ever seen a cultured man throwing his guests off from their flying ship, and on top of that… even crashing the other party’s ship?

Zhao Bingxu swiftly searched through the crowd for their principal so as to reason with him, to have him know that such actions were unconducive for the relations between the Four Great Master Teacher Academies. However, when he found the young man he was looking, Zhang Xuan was standing right in front of the saint beasts that had been propping up the flying ship.

Pilipala!

A series of punches and kicks, and in the next moment, the saint beasts released excited calls, and sixteen droplets of fresh blood flew out from their glabellae, headed toward the young man.

Sealing of contracts, the saint beasts had acknowledged their new master!

“The heck!”

“Not only did our principal crash their flying ship, he even tamed their saint beasts?”

The Ten Great Master Teachers were completely dumbstruck by the inconceivable sight before them.

“Alright!” Patting the dust from his hands, Zhang Xuan raised his hand, and the saint beasts swiftly undid the harnesses around their bodies and gathered in a neat line before him, as if soldiers forming up before their commander. Each of their heads were tilted upward proudly, as if delighted with the new master they had acknowledged.

Since they had refused to come down even after his invitation, he could only replace another way to invite them down.

In truth, Zhang Xuan had already noticed that the sixteen saint beasts possessed the Dragon Bloodline at first sight. Since that was the case, the solution couldn’t have been any simpler.

The Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons and a bout of taming did the job.

Even though these sixteen were saint beasts, they only had the cultivation of Saint realm 1-dan primary stage. Given Zhang Xuan’s current strength and the fact that those saint beasts were still affected by the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons, it didn’t take him too much effort to tame them.

Since you were the ones who were being disrespectful first, there is no need for me to uphold etiquette with you.

We can talk about it slowly after I tame these saint beasts of yours!

“This…” Climbing up from the remains of the flying ship, Wo Tianqiong and Shen Pingchao nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

We were only trying to assess you to see how well you can adapt to difficult situations… Surely you didn’t need to go so far as to destroy such a precious flying ship and steal those sixteen saint beasts.

Not to mention, I had to serve those saint beasts the best food and drinks just to make them work for me. It is one thing for them to betray me, but what is with the proud look on their faces?

Do you need to be so smug about taking that fellow as your master?

They had heard that the other party often did things beyond one’s expectations, but this… it was not just beyond expectations, it was beyond common decency!

“He is Principal Zhang? I see… I should have guessed it!”

Contrary to the stifled looks on the faces of the other two principals, as soon as Wu Ran saw Zhang Xuan’s appearance, his body immediately began trembling in agitation.

He had heard about the many incredible deeds of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy’s new principal, but he had never seen the other party in person. Never would he have thought that it would be the young man who had pointed out the flaws in Kong shi’s insight on the Saint Ascension Platform and received Kong shi’s acknowledgement!

Back then, when the young man abruptly disappeared, he had spent several days searching for him around the Saint Ascension Platform but to no avail. Just when he thought that he had lost the opportunity to converse with that outstanding young man and learn from him… it turned out that the other party was the legendary principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!

If he had known earlier, he would have definitely paid the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy a visit long ago. There were many lingering questions and doubts in his mind, which he wanted to consult the other party about!

Back then, he had been thinking that it was impossible for such an outstanding young man to be buried amid the dust—a true star would eventually outshine those around him—and it seemed like that was indeed the case!

As a person who had been acknowledged by Kong shi himself, earning the recognition of the many preceding principals was a piece of cake!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Eventually, unable to hold himself back any longer, he rushed forward to the young man and greeted him. “Wu Ran of the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy pays respect to Zhang shi!”

“It seems like we meet once again,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

“Yes!” Wu Ran clasped his fist and nodded excitedly.

“This…”

The Ten Great Master Teachers and innumerable students glanced at one another, overwhelmed with frenzy by the sight before them.

Those principals, who had been standing haughtily on their flying ship a moment ago, refusing to comply with School Head Mo and the others, had suddenly had such a huge change in attitude after crashing down, greeting their principal like a humble student…

Could it be that these principals also suffered from the same affliction that plagued the preceding principals, willing to comply only after undergoing a round of pummeling?

In other words… masochists?

Chapter 929: Compensation

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Cough cough! So, you are Principal Zhang! I have heard much about you, and you are indeed an outstanding individual!”

It took a long while before Wo Tianqiong and Shen Pingchao flew over awkwardly from the rubble to meet Zhang Xuan.

Had they known that it would end with such embarrassment, they would have just alighted from the ship immediately.

After suffering such a heavy and embarrassing fall, the towering and otherworldly image they had built with great difficulty had shattered into bits too.

“Junior Zhang Xuan pays respect to Principal Wo and Principal Shen!” Zhang Xuan bowed deeply.

As a 6-star master teacher, he couldn’t show any breach in etiquette toward a 7-star master teacher, or else the other party would be able to easily criticize his behavior.

“As fellow principals, we can be considered peers, so there is no need to uphold such formalities with us. Principal Zhang, it was indeed impolite of me to drive my flying ship into your Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, but… may I ask of you to return my saint beasts to me?” Wo Tianqiong asked with a livid face as he clasped his fist.

As an artifact, the Cloudcliff Flying Ship wasn’t so fragile as to be destroyed with a single crash. While it did suffer a certain degree of damage, it was still within an acceptable range and could be repaired. However, those saint beasts were valuable assets of their Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, and even with the great wealth they possessed, it would be a huge blow to lose them!

Furthermore, without those saint beasts, how were their students and teachers supposed to return to the academy after the Combat Master Selection came to an end?

Qingyuan Conferred Empire had vast territories, and the Four Great Master Teacher Academies were located very far from one another. Even on the Cloudcliff Flying Ship, it still took them more than a month to get there. If they were to travel on foot, those who hadn’t reached Saint realm would probably first die of old age before returning back!

With a conflicted expression, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, “It is not really a problem for me to return them to you, but…”

“But what?” Wo Tianqiong asked.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan replied, “To be honest, for this Combat Master Selection, our Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy invited top-notch gardeners to put up exquisite sights for those present to enjoy. For that, we purchased many valuable artifacts in order to bring out magnificent aesthetics worthy of the occasion, and as a result, we are still knee-deep in debt at the moment. Yet, your flying ship has destroyed everything with its crash. Considering the wealth that your Yunxu Master Teacher Academy has, is it possible… for you to compensate us for that? If you are willing to do so, I will surely return your saint beasts immediately!”

The fall of the Cloudcliff Flying Ship had caused a huge depression in the ground, and many of the academy’s buildings had been reduced to rubble.

“Top-notch gardeners? Exquisite sights? Valuable artifacts?” Wo Tianqiong’s mouth twitched.

It was not like he couldn’t see the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy from his flying ship, and he knew that those were ordinary buildings. Furthermore, exquisite sights? Valuable artifacts? He had taken a look when the ship crashed to the ground, and the wreckage only covered an ordinary square and several streets.

Despite knowing this, he had no choice but to go along with whatever the other party was saying since his saint beasts were being held captive by the other party. Thus, clasping his fist, Wo Tianqiong asked, “May I know how much it will cost?”

“I am not too sure about it either. As you all know, it hasn’t been long since I became the principal, so I am not too sure about such matters either. Why don’t I help you ask around?”

Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan beckoned School Head Mo over and asked, “School Head Mo, I need you to come up with an estimate for the cost of repairing the buildings and artifacts that Principal Wo’s flying ship has destroyed.”

“Yes!” School Head Mo nodded before flying into the air to assess the damage.

A moment later, he returned and informed Zhang Xuan through zhenqi telepathy, “Principal Zhang, the flying ship has destroyed a total of eight buildings and three lakes. All in all, the reparation cost should add up to around… two high-tier spirit stones!”

Even though it might seem as if high-tier spirit stones were not worth much, given the astounding pace at which Zhang Xuan was consuming them, their purchasing power was not to be scoffed at.

The area that the flying ship had crashed into didn’t have any important amenities, so two high-tier spirit stones was more than sufficient to repair them perfectly.

“What did you say?” As if he couldn’t believe what he had heard, Zhang Xuan exclaimed in shock as a frown surfaced on his forehead. “20,000 high-tier spirit stones? Are you sure that is sufficient to fix the amenities perfectly?”

“20,000…” School Head Mo was dumbstruck by Zhang Xuan’s response.

When did I say twenty thousand? I clearly said two high-tier spirit stones…

“Those exquisite buildings were not only carefully built by the hands of top-notch masters, they are also symbolic of the sweat and tears of our predecessors, an important heritage of our Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy! Its value is not something that can be measured with just money! Take a closer look before coming up with another estimate. Don’t worry, the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy is the leading academy of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies. Given their prestige and wealth, they won’t stoop so low as to avoiding payment!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Keng…” School Head Mo’s lips twitched. With a questioning tone, he asked, “Then… about 25,000? Or perhaps 30,000?”

“Are you certain 30,000 is enough?” Zhang Xuan asked sternly.

“30,000… does seem to be insufficient now that you mention it. How about 50,000?” School Head Mo’s eyelids were twitching uncontrollably as he spoke.

“50,000? We need that many high-tier spirit stones to repair the amenities? Well, I guess that is to be expected. Those are the legacies that our predecessors have left in our hands, and we can’t measure them with just mere money.”

Zhang Xuan sighed deeply before turning an apologetic gaze to Wo Tianqiong. “Principal Wo, just as you have heard, the destruction the flying ship has caused to our academy is simply too great. We will require roughly 50,000 high-tier spirit stones in order to restore it to its original state.”

Hearing those words, Wo Tianqiong’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Can you be any faker than that?

Those lousy amenities of yours won’t even cost five high-tier spirit stones to repair… but the price you are telling me is 50,000?

Do you take me for a fool?

However, he knew that the other party was intentionally hiking up the price in order to repay the favor. Well, he was indeed the one who had been disrespectful first.

Sighing helplessly, Wo Tianqiong shook his head and offered a compromise, “Cough cough. Principal Zhang, it was indeed discourteous of me to have my flying ship barge into the grounds of your academy. For this, allow me to earnestly apologize to you for my breach of etiquette. How about this, why don’t you allow my Yunxu to repair your amenities for you? I guarantee that they will be exactly the same as before.”

Noting the other party’s courteous attitude, Zhang Xuan replied with a smile, “You are offering to repair our amenities for us? I can’t expect Principal Wo to do that for us! However, it happens that our academy is still lacking a grade-7 Spirit Gathering Formation, so if Principal Wo is willing to have one set up for us, we will take care of the reparations ourselves.”

Bringing a massive ship to my academy, are you trying to put on airs before me? You should be glad that I am willing to back down with just this. Otherwise, my airs would be able to easily crush you into the ground!

“A grade-7 Spirit Gathering Formation?” Hearing those words, Wo Tianqiong’s cheeks began to twitch.

To set up a grade-7 formation, not only would one have to invite 7-star formation masters over, one would have to purchase grade-7 formation flags as well. Each one of those grade-7 formation flags cost a huge fortune, and to buy enough of them to construct a formation covering an entire academy and capable of operating for many years… The cost was nothing short of terrifying!

But judging from the other party’s expression, this seemed to be the other party’s bottom line. If he were to turn this down as well, it was likely that he wouldn’t be getting back his saint beasts.

Sixteen saint beasts that possessed the Dragon Bloodline, that was a huge fortune to their academy! Furthermore, for them to be kidnapped before their eyes, that was a huge disgrace to the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy. He had to get them back no matter the cost!

Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Wo Tianqiong finally clenched his jaw and replied, “Alright, I will agree to your request!”

“Principal Wo sure is generous; you have my respect!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist politely before turning to the saint beasts behind him and flicking his wrists consecutively to return their droplets of blood, thus releasing their master-servant contract. “Alright, you are free now. You should return to Yunxu.”

Roar roar roar!

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, the saint beasts howled indignantly, unwilling to part from him.

As ones who possessed the Dragon Bloodline, they understood the significance behind the Eight Notes of the Heavenly Dragons. The person before them was very likely a transformation of a Pureblooded Dragon. It wasn’t easy for them to take him as their master, and they took pride in the very fact. Yet, in the next moment, their contracts were dispelled, so it was natural that they would feel indignant.

Seeing the reactions of those saint beasts, Wo Tianqiong gritted his teeth and promised, “If you return to Yunxu, I will double your provisions!”

Roar!

Hearing his promise, the sixteen saint beasts hesitated for a long moment before reluctantly returning back to the Cloudcliff Flying Ship, unhappy and disappointed.

Watching this sight, Wo Tianqiong felt incredibly stifled within, and he had to calm himself for a long while before he could catch his breath.

He had heard that Principal Zhang was a person who had the uncanny ability to realize the seemingly unexpected and impossible, and after seeing it in person, he couldn’t help but fervently agree with it.

Indeed, the other party was indeed so skilled at realizing the unexpected that he felt that he might die from stress if it were to happen a few more times.

Just after he eased the pain in his chest, the young man opposite to him suddenly sighed deeply and said, “If you really wish to follow me, you can always secretly return after sending them back to Yunxu.”

Roar roar roar!

The sixteen saint beasts immediately howled in frenzied delight.

Wo Tianqiong suddenly felt the intense ache in his chest return, threatening to take his life away.

What the heck is this? You can’t do that!

At this rate, I fear that I will die of rage even before the Combat Master Selection begins.

He had been pumped up when he first arrived, thinking that with the experts Yunxu had, they would surely achieve unprecedentedly good results this time around. Who could have known that even before the Combat Master Selection had begun, he would already be done in badly by the new principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

Just thinking about the matter left him incredibly frustrated inside.

Driving his zhenqi to suppress the pain in his chest, Wo Tianqiong said, “Alright. Now that we have resolved this problem, let’s talk about how we should proceed for the Combat Master Selection.”

“Indeed. The reason we are gathered here today is for the centennial Combat Master Selection, so we should get to the main topic at hand!” Shen Pingchao said. “Combat masters represent the top fighting power within the Master Teacher Pavilion, and they are the sharpest blades that mankind has to fend off the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. As such, we have to deal with this matter carefully.”

“That is a given.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had only given them a small punishment for their disrespect toward the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy previously. After that was settled, he would still have to collaborate with them closely on the Combat Master Selection so as to not impede such an important matter.

Putting aside the matter from before, Wo Tianqiong said grimly, “The slots for the Combat Master Selection this round have been doubled. On previous occasions, only fifty students were accepted over the five grades for the Four Great Master Teacher Academies, but this time around, they are accepting a hundred!”

“Accepting a hundred?” This was the first time Zhang Xuan was hearing about the slots for the Combat Master Selection, and he couldn’t help but be astonished.

Over the five grades, Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had more than a hundred thousand students. Even though he wasn’t too sure about the numbers for the other three Master Teacher Academies, considering their superior standing to Hongyuan, their numbers likely exceeded Hongyuan’s.

In other words, using even the most conservative of estimates, out of a total of 400,000 students across the Four Great Master Teacher Academies, only a hundred people were accepted into the Combat Master Hall once every century!

In other words, the ratio was 1 in 4000!

Furthermore, if they were to consider the norm of fifty slots, the ratio would rise to 1 in 8000. It was no wonder others viewed entering the Combat Master Hall as a great prestige, it was extremely difficult to join!

“While the number of slots did increase, the selection has become stricter as well. I heard that there might even be life-and-death duels!” Shen Pingchao continued.

“Life-and-death duels?” Zhang Xuan frowned upon hearing those words.

“Indeed. Unlike normal master teachers, the sole responsibility for combat masters is to fight and fend off the dangers threatening humanity. Without undergoing a life-and-death situation, how can they display fighting prowess surpassing the ordinary?” Wu Ran said.

Chapter 930: Impartation Ahead of the Battle

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“That’s true.” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Without undergoing the experience and fear from a life-and-death situation, it was difficult for one to sharpen their state of mind and maximize their fighting potential.

Zhang Xuan might not have cultivated for long, but a crucial reason why he was able to attain the fighting prowess he currently possessed was due to the numerous life-and-death situations he had been in. There was no expert who had become strong without paying the corresponding price for it.

Most master teachers were already skilled fighters themselves, and becoming a combat master meant being the cream of the crop among the master teachers. To be able to surpass the already powerful master teachers, it went without saying that one would have to put in much more effort than the others.

Just taking Zhang Xuan for example, in order to attempt to cultivate a higher-grade Origin Core, he had spent two whole months only to cultivate from Half-Saint primary stage to Half-Saint pinnacle. If it had been an ordinary Heaven’s Path Divine Art, he would have already been a Saint realm expert by now.

This was the amount of effort and hard work that one would have to put in!

“May I know what form the Combat Master Selection will take? Have you heard any news about it?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“I am not too sure about the details, but the norm is to conduct an elimination tournament among the candidates; the top fifty will be selected to join the Combat Master Hall.”

The rules of the selection might change each and every time, but the fundamental prerequisite to becoming a combat master would never change, and that was to possess fighting prowess superior to the other competitors!

Regardless of how, under the circumstances that one didn’t utilize any special artifact or tamed beast, as long as one was able to defeat the other competitors of the same grade, one would be the ultimate victor.

“An elimination tournament…” Zhang Xuan nodded.

That was indeed the most straightforward and fairest way to sieve out the strongest ones among the candidates, but its flaw was also apparent as well—the lives of the candidates could potentially be put at risk.

In an important selection like this, there was no room for holding back. Candidates would be forced to use their full strength, and casualties were inevitable under such circumstances.

At this moment, Wo Tianqiong suddenly proposed with a smile, “Right, since the representatives from the Combat Master Hall have not arrived yet, why don’t we have our candidates display their prowess so that they can prepare themselves for what is to come? This way, they should be able to keep their nerve in the selection later on and exert their greatest fighting prowess!”

“Indeed. This will also give them a glimpse into the strength of their competitors as well.”

“It is important for master teachers to interact more with one another so that they can improve. If a person just keeps to themself, their worldly view will only be narrowed, thus limiting their growth!”

Shen Pingchao and Wu Ran nodded in agreement.

“That sounds good.” With three of the principals expressing their approval for the matter, it wouldn’t be good for Zhang Xuan to disagree.

Besides, this would be good for Hongyuan’s candidates as well. They would be able to prepare themselves mentally for what was to come.

Having received unanimous approval regarding the display of power, the principals swiftly issued several instructions to their teachers, and before long, hundreds of students with cultivation ranging from Consonant Spirit realm to Chrysalis realm emerged from the flying ship.

Just like the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, the other Master Teacher Academies had also selected twenty men for each of the five grades, meaning that there were a hundred candidates from each academy.

The emergence of the three hundred geniuses from the three other Master Teacher Academies put a huge amount of pressure on the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began assessing them carefully.

Each of them had compact muscles, and their zhenqi was rich and condensed. They were definitely qualified to be considered experts among those of their cultivation realm.

“School Head Mo, bring our candidates over,” Zhang Xuan instructed.

School Head Mo nodded, and not too long later, the hundred candidates the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had chosen appeared in the training grounds.

This was the first time Zhang Xuan had seen the candidates of his academy, and comparing them to the candidates from the other academies, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

The candidates from Hongyuan were of the same age range and cultivation realms as the other candidates, but in terms of disposition and richness of zhenqi, it was clear that they were lacking.

If they were to really fight in an elimination tournament, it was highly likely that only a pitifully small number of them would be able to clear the selection.

It was no wonder even the Ten Great Master Teachers themselves had forgotten about a matter as major as the Combat Master Selection before, needing the reminder of the Golden Origin Cauldron. It seemed like the Combat Master Selection was indeed nothing much to the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and on the contrary, it could even be considered a source of shame that no one was willing to speak about.

As time passed, everyone had eventually forgotten about the matter.

“I am a Grade-1 student from the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, Wei Chang!”

As the four hundred students participating in the Combat Master Selection settled down before a dueling platform, a student from the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy leaped onto the stage, and with a jerk of his arm, a powerful aura burst into the air. Perhaps due to the immense amount of zhenqi gushing through his acupoints, a whistling sound could be heard from his body.

Despite only possessing the cultivation of Consonant Spirit realm, he commanded an aura that felt as though he could pierce through the heaven.

“Powerful!”

“Indeed! With such strength, there are probably very few Grade-2 students who can rival him…”

“I definitely wouldn’t be a match for him at all…”

“Formidable! As expected of Yunxu, which is ranked first among the Four Great Master Teacher Academies, their students are indeed extraordinary!”

…

Seeing Wei Chang’s display of power, the Grade-1 students beneath the dueling platform couldn’t help but show grim expressions.

Despite being at Consonant Spirit realm too, the other party’s strength was clearly far beyond theirs. Putting aside Grade-1 students like them, even Grade-2 students, Cosmos Bridge realm cultivators, would struggle to be a match for him.

Just that single move had managed to strike fear in their hearts.

Seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan frowned.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with the display of power, but this could easily create undue mental pressure on the relatively weaker Hongyuan candidates.

It seemed like the other principals were trying to vie back some dignity after the fall.

“I am a Grade-1 student from the Luoqing Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Lin…”

“I am a Grade-1 student from the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy…”

…

Soon, all of the Grade-1 students of the other three Master Teacher Academies had made their round on the dueling platform. Even though their cultivation was only at Consonant Spirit realm, the aura and disposition they exuded revealed a hint of the immense fighting prowess they could potentially display.

There were a couple who possessed unique constitutions, which easily granted them a might far greater than their peers when activated. They weren’t lacking even when compared to Wang Ying and the others when they had still been at Consonant Spirit realm.

On the other hand, the candidates from Hongyuan were truly unimpressive in comparison. Not only were their physical conditions beneath that of their opponents, even their comprehension of battle techniques was vastly inferior as well. If they were to fight the other candidates in a duel, it wouldn’t matter much if they lost, but if things went wrong, they could stand to be severely injured.

Of the twenty Grade-1 students selected, there were only one or two who could still stand their ground against the others. The rest stood no chance at all.

But that was to be expected. It must have been at least three months since the other academies selected their candidates, and on the long journey to Hongyuan, they would have received the personal guidance from a 7-star master teacher as well. It would have been difficult for them to not have raised their fighting prowess in such a situation.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan had only returned from Xuanyuan Kingdom not too long ago, and this was his first time meeting Hongyuan’s candidates, leaving him no chance to offer them his guidance. Given so, how could Hongyuan’s candidates possibly match up to the others?

Even if School Head Zhao, School Head Mo, and the others had guided them personally, limited by their eye of discernment and knowledge, their impartation would still be unable to match up to a 7-star master teacher.

This… How can we win this? Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples in distress.

Even before the selection had begun, the confidence of Hongyuan’s candidates had already been shattered to bits. Given their current state, they probably wouldn’t last several blows from their opponents in the duel later on.

After which, the Grade-2, Grade-3, Grade-4, and Grade-5 candidates headed up to display their strength, and the fighting prowess that Hongyuan’s candidates displayed was truly unsatisfactory.

Of the Four Great Master Teacher Academies, the candidates from Yunxu were the strongest. Each and every one of them was capable of challenging opponents beyond their cultivation, making them difficult adversaries to face.

If only Xue Zhenyang, Long Cangyue, and the others hadn’t achieved a breakthrough.

He had offered his personal guidance to them, and after the duel they had with Wu Xu, their fighting prowess had soared significantly. If they were to be participate in the Combat Master Selection as well, there was a very good chance that they would have been able to win some slots for the Grade-5 class. However, it was a pity that they had already achieved a breakthrough to Half-Saint, thus losing the qualification to do so.

Zhang Xuan did conduct lectures for the Xuanxuan Faction from time to time, but as freshmen, their starting point was too low. Compared to the other seniors who had been in the academy for some time, their fighting prowess was still lacking.

This was also the reason none of them had cleared the internal selections.

After watching the power display, Wu Ran remarked with a frown, “Principal Zhang, it doesn’t look too good for your candidates.”

As a 7-star master teacher, it was apparent to him that the candidates from Hongyuan were considerably weaker than those from the other three academies.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for Hongyuan to obtain a decent number of slots.

“Un.” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Turning to Wo Tianqiong and the others, he asked, “Since the representatives from the Combat Master Hall have yet to arrive, may I make use of this time to impart some combats insights to my candidates first?”

“You wish to conduct a lecture for your candidates now?” Hearing his words, Wo Tianqiong and the others were taken aback.

It was not to say that a last-minute impartation would be completely useless, but considering that the representatives of the Combat Master Hall were going to arrive in two hours’ time, according to the news they had received, its effectiveness would be minimal at most!

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Considering the current condition of Hongyuan’s candidates, if he didn’t do anything, even if the number of candidates that the Combat Master Hall accepted was increased to two hundred or three hundred, most of their candidates would still be unable to clear the selection.

Thus, the only thing he could do was impart some combat insights to them and hope that it would aid them in the duels to come.

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Ran couldn’t help but offer some advice. “Principal Zhang, there is no rule forbidding you from offering pointers to your candidates at this point, but if you lecture them now, I fear that it might confuse them and lower their fighting prowess instead!”

The fact that these students had cleared the internal selection to become candidates for the Combat Master Selection meant that they possessed extraordinary aptitude for battle, and they had already forged their own fighting style.

If Zhang Xuan were to attempt to correct their faults, it could mess up their fighting style, resulting in their moves becoming chaotic, thus lowering their fighting prowess instead.

Knowing that Wu Ran was advising him out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan replied with a smile, “I understand, but I still need to give it a try.”

After which, he gathered the hundred candidates from Hongyuan and set up a barrier to isolate the area, preventing anyone from peering in or hearing what was happening inside, before turning to face them.

Gazing intently at the candidates, Zhang Xuan asked, “Are there any of you who are reluctant to become a combat master?”

Being a combat master had its pluses, but there were still quite a number of master teachers whose interests lay not in that direction.

“No!”

The crowd shook their heads.

Since they had participated in the internal selection and cleared it, they would have already long made up their minds.

“Good. Since all of you intend to become combat masters, you are going to have to raise your fighting prowess to greater heights.”

Seeing that there was no one who was reluctant to become a combat master, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and said, “I will teach you a few insights and tricks that can raise your fighting prowess and grasp of battle swiftly. I hope that you can work hard and try to comprehend them.”

At this point, it was already too late to reinforce their cultivation further. Since it was impossible to work on their cultivation, the only viable option was to raise their comprehension of battle techniques and grasp of battle.

“Yes!” Upon learning that their principal was going to guide them personally, the eyes of the students couldn’t help but light up.

The confidence that had extinguished after witnessing the might of the candidates of the other academies had also reignited.

They could still recall the huge commotion that had arisen from the public lecture their principal had made during his inauguration ceremony. Back then, his lecture had extremely been general so that it was applicable to teachers and students alike in the academy, but even so, it had still had such tremendous effects.

Now that they were receiving the other party’s guidance directly, what kind of effects would there be?

Just the thought of it left them trembling in anticipation.

Seeing the passionate eyes on him, Zhang Xuan knew that they were ready to learn. Without any hesitation, he began his lecture.

“The crux of battle techniques lie in refining one’s exertion of zhenqi, maximizing the strength one is able to display. As such, if one wishes to further the prowess of their battle technique, they must possess a pure state of mind that will drive them forward courageously…”

Chapter 931: The Representatives from the Combat Master Hall Arrive!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhu Jian was one of the Grade-1 students chosen by School Head Xu Changqing to participate in the Combat Master Selection. Two years ago, Hongchi Empire had sent him to the academy to study.

After the guidance of his teacher and the hard work he had put in for two years, he had finally reached Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, a step away from reaching Cosmos Bridge realm.

In truth, he had already accumulated sufficient zhenqi to achieve a breakthrough three months ago. However, in order to participate in the Combat Master Selection, he had decided against it, choosing to further refine his Consonant Spirit realm cultivation instead. Through his hard work, he was able to almost reach the limits of what could be achieved in his realm.

This was also the reason he had able been to emerge victorious in the internal selection with an outstanding result of being in the fifth place.

He had originally been an unfavored prince of Hongchi Empire, but if he could become a combat master, he would surely stand out among the other princes. Even if he couldn’t inherit the throne in the end, at the very least, he would be able to free himself from the scorn of others and become a respected figure in the royal family.

He had thought that with his outstanding achievement of finishing fifth place in the internal selections, he would be able to emerge victorious in the Combat Master Selection as long as he were to work hard.

However, when he saw the power display from the other three Master Teacher Academies, his heart had turned cold. Even though the candidates from the other academies were in Grade-1 as well, their strength was at a totally different level.

Even without exchanging blows, he could clearly feel from the might the others emanated that he wouldn’t even make it into the top forty with his current strength.

Given that there were only twenty slots for each grade, it could be said that… it was hopeless for him.

While the principal had said that he would conduct a lecture just to impart his combat insights to them, he still didn’t think a short two hours could cause any significant change in his strength.

After all, cultivation was a process of accumulation. It was infeasible to raise one’s fighting prowess abruptly just by some last-minute training.

Even if the knowledge that the principal was going to impart to them was profound and exquisite, allowing him to raise his fighting prowess up a notch, he had no doubt that he would still be utterly defeated at the hands of the experts from the other three Master Teacher Academies.

The display of power from the other candidates had utterly shattered his confidence.

Sighing deeply, he turned his gaze back to the front.

The principal was looking over with a kind gaze, and his warm voice echoed in his ear like heavenly music. He was explaining the utilization of certain tricks and battle techniques in combat. Just by hearing a few words from him, the students could feel their zhenqi pulsating excitedly, wanting to practice as he had taught.

Listening to the lecture, Zhu Jian was awed as well.

It had to be said that the principal’s comprehension of battle techniques and combat had reached a masterful level, far more formidable than any master teacher he knew of.

However, it was a pity that time was too short. Two hours was just insufficient to change anything.

If only Principal Zhang had returned half a month earlier, there might still be hope of victory. Zhu Jian sighed deeply.

If they had half a month’s time to ruminate over the principal’s combat insights and incorporate them into their fighting style through practice battles, they might just have been able to make a massive improvement that could allow them to potentially achieve victory in the Combat Master Selection.

However, now that they were only two hours away from the selection, what was the point?

Shaking his head, Zhu Jian was thinking that he should just give up and listen no more when the eyes of a junior seated not too far from him suddenly lit up, seemingly having comprehended something. That junior raised his finger and tapped forward, and the glint of a sword materialized on the tip of his fingernail before falling straight to the ground, creating a huge depression.

This is… Sword-Man Union? Zhu Jian narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

He had sparred with this junior before, and the other party did possess quite a bit of talent in swordsmanship. Nevertheless, the other party had still been a huge distance off from matching up to him. Why would the other party… suddenly reach Sword-Man Union when he wasn’t even close to it yet?

Sword-Man Union, that was an extremely important demarcation line in swordsmanship. One who had achieved that realm would have their fighting prowess increased immensely! Even though the junior had only ranked tenth back in the internal selection, with the newfound prowess he had just obtained through comprehending Sword-Man Union, the other party would definitely be able to get into at least the top three should the internal selection be conducted once more!

Frightening!

Geji! Geji!

While he was still trying to digest the shock from his junior’s abrupt breakthrough, he suddenly heard another sound not too far away. It came from the creaking of bones and muscles, but the deafening loudness of the noise made it sound like the rumbling of thunder instead, and even the ground seemed to tremble under its sheer volume.

This is… the sound of the Tigerhowl Adamantium Fist being cultivated to Major Accomplishment! But when I crossed blows with that fellow just yesterday, wasn’t his mastery of the technique… only at Novice level? Zhu Jian’s lips twitched as he felt his head spin in confusion, unable to make sense of what was happening around him.

The person who had produced that loud creaking sound was a familiar face too. In the Grade-1 internal selection, the other party had ranked seventeenth. Just the day before, he had sparred with the other party, and the other party’s mastery in his Tigerhowl Adamantium Fist had clearly been at Novice level, still a certain distance away from reaching Initiate.

One’s mastery of battle techniques could be classified into several tiers: Novice, Initiate, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Consummation.

How could that fellow, in the blink of an eye, make a breakthrough of three whole tiers and reach Major Accomplishment in his mastery of the Tigerhowl Adamantium Fist?

Wasn’t that a little too exaggerated?

Hu hu hu!

However, that wasn’t the end of Zhu Jian’s shock. Not too far away, zhenqi suddenly started gushing out of a young man’s Taiyang acupoint, gathering atop his head in the form of a bizarre bird that seemed like it could soar into the sky at any moment.

(The Taiyang acupoint refers to one’s temples, which are located between the top of the ear and the eye.)

With just a glance, Zhu Jian could immediately tell that this was another symbol of one achieving Major Accomplishment in the mastery of a certain battle technique.

Peng peng peng! Pah pah pah!

Be it his front, back, left, or right, innumerable surges of zhenqi spurted chaotically within the area of the barrier. Almost every single student, after listening to the principal’s lecture, had comprehended something and achieved a breakthrough.

The principal’s lecture… is that formidable?

It was only at this moment that Zhu Jian realized that he was about to let the opportunity of a lifetime slip through his fingers. He swiftly suppressed the shock and incomprehension in his mind to listen to the lecture carefully.

It had to be said that the principal’s lecture was first-rate. The content gradually delved from the basics to the complex, and the essence regarding combat skills and battle techniques was carefully sieved out and laid bare before everyone to see.

Profound concepts that they struggled to understand normally were deciphered into simple language that they could easily comprehend and grasp.

Just by listening to it for a short moment, Zhu Jian found himself falling into a deep trance, his attention completely absorbed by the words spoken before him.

It was at this moment that he realized that, despite his many years of cultivation and studying of battle techniques, his understanding of combat was laughably shallow. As compared to what the principal was lecturing, it was indeed not worth a mention at all.

…

Due to the barrier, it was impossible to see or hear what was happening inside. Thus, those who were outside were unaware of the innumerable breakthroughs in the comprehension of battle techniques occurring within.

Seeing that their principal had gathered all of their candidates together to conduct a lecture, School Head Mo fell into a daze.

“Isn’t it a little too late for Principal Zhang to be conducting a lecture at this moment?”

Based on the news he had received, the representatives of the Combat Master Hall would be arriving very soon. To be conducting a lecture now… wasn’t it a little too late to be trying to hug the Buddha’s leg?

(Hugging the Buddha’s leg: This is proverb referring to desperate last-minute attempts.)

“It is indeed a little too late for that…” Zhao Bingxu shook his head.

“The fighting prowess of a cultivator comes from the accumulation of cultivation and battle experience over a long period of time. Just a simple lecture itself can’t possibly raise the students’ fighting prowess by much. It is probably a last-ditch attempt from Principal Zhang, but it doesn’t seem optimistic…” Xu Changqing sighed deeply.

It was not that they didn’t believe in Principal Zhang’s prowess, but there was a limit to a student’s ability to comprehend. Within the span of two hours, no matter how profound or incredible a teacher’s lecture was, it would be futile if the students hardly comprehended a word of it!

In fact, even if they were to comprehend it, it was not guaranteed whether they would be able to utilize it effectively in a real battle or not.

It seemed like their principal was still too young and naive.

“Sigh, but it isn’t as if we have any other solution in mind either. Let’s just wait and see then…” Shaking his head, Zhao Bingxu fell silent. However, the worry in his eyes was unconcealable.

…

It wasn’t just the Ten Great Master Teachers who didn’t think Zhang Xuan’s efforts were appropriate.

Wo Tianqiong, Shen Pingchao, and Wu Ran also shook their heads after seeing Zhang Xuan’s actions.

Indubitably, impartation of knowledge was something that would benefit the students. However, whether it was effective or not was another question.

Knowledge was something that had to be built up, tested, and reinforced over time. If a few lectures could easily raise a person’s fighting prowess immensely, wouldn’t that mean that just anyone could become an expert of the Combat Master Hall?

Not even the Combat Master Hall had the capability to raise the prowess of their own members that quickly!

Recalling Zhang Xuan’s identity, Wu Ran muttered meaningfully, “Perhaps… he is just reluctant to admit defeat!”

One must know that he was an incredible genius who had the capability and courage to point out even Kong shi’s flaws!

It was natural that a person like him would be prideful. It was inevitable that he would replace it hard to accept that his students were far weaker than the other candidates, and Wu Ran could empathize with such an emotion as well.

However, it was futile. No matter how well the other party did for two hours, the only plausible conclusion was failure!

…

Oblivious to the thoughts of the others, Zhang Xuan was busy imparting the essence of the simplified version of the Heaven’s Path battle technique and his combat experience to them in the most simplified explanation he could come up with, not intending to keep anything from them.

He was imparting the exact same knowledge that he had imparted to Wang Ying and the others, disregarding whether they were his direct disciples or not.

“Speed is not everything in combat. The person who is able make his move faster than the other may not necessarily claim the advantage in the battle. What is more important is to understand the intent and purpose behind your opponent’s move, because only through knowing that will you be able to prepare yourself and make countermeasures in advance…” Zhang Xuan spoke calmly, his tone carrying a unique rhythm to it that piqued one’s attention.

The Heart of a Teacher paired with his Soul Depth comparable to a 7-star master teacher allowed the knowledge he explained to penetrate deep into the mind of the students, allowing them to understand just by hearing, accomplish just by understanding, and master just by accomplishing.

The amount of spiritual energy in the surroundings is insufficient…

As the students before him comprehended the essence of his impartation, their zhenqi began to palpitate in excitement, and their mastery over their battle techniques rose swiftly. However, in face of such a situation, not only was Zhang Xuan not delighted, he even frowned instead.

In order to master a battle technique, not only must one comprehend the essence of it, the zhenqi circulation pathway for it must also be paved entirely.

Most powerful battle techniques had their own unique zhenqi circulation pathways, and if one didn’t drive zhenqi through it often, it was extremely easy for it to become blocked.

This was also the reason one was sometimes unable to fully execute a battle technique despite comprehending the essence of it. After all, not everyone possessed the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, which could travel through any meridian easily without being impeded.

As such, the cultivation of battle techniques involved the driving of zhenqi as well, so naturally, one would have to consume spiritual energy as well. Considering that Zhang Xuan’s lecture had caused so many students to achieve breakthroughs one after another, the spiritual energy within the barrier was running low.

If this continued, the students could very well replace themselves being disturbed in the midst of their comprehension due to the lack of spiritual energy to fuel their zhenqi circulation.

Once that happened, it would be extremely difficult for them to return back to their state of comprehension once more.

In a sense, this was similar to musing over one’s sudden inspiration, where disturbance could break one’s train of thought, causing one to lose their grasp over their comprehension.

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Xuan swiftly took out the Earth Vein Spirit Essence and flicked droplets of it from the tip of his finger to the acupoints of the students.

While the spiritual energy within high-tier spirit stones was purer, it was more difficult to absorb, making it less effective in comparison.

At this point, he was running low on Earth Vein Spirit Essence, but this was a crucial moment, and he couldn’t afford to hesitate.

Tzzz la la!

The students, who were in the midst of their comprehension, suddenly felt a resurgence of energy. Their understanding of their battle techniques swiftly deepened, and the meridians that had been closed previously also suddenly opened up entirely.

Infused within the spirit essence wasn’t just concentrated spiritual energy but a tinge of Heaven’s Path zhenqi as well. Under the effects of Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the students were able to overcome the previous blocks easily.

“Hmm?” Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan was just about to continue his lecture when he suddenly frowned and look into the distance.

Beneath the vast blue sky, a massive aerial saint beast could be seen whizzing through the air. In just a few moments, it was already floating right above the academy.

The representatives from the Combat Master Hall are here. It has only been an hour though…

Zhang Xuan had thought that he would have two whole hours to lecture, but just an hour in, the representatives of the Combat Master Hall had already arrived.

“Alright, I shall end the lecture here!”

Stopping his lecture, the students within the barrier gradually roused from their trance.

After all of them had recovered, Zhang Xuan raised his hand and removed the barrier.

With this, the Combat Master Selection… had commenced!

Chapter 932: The Selection Process

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The saint beast was massive, more than a dozen meters long. It had a dark blue body, which contrasted with its fiery-red wings that harnessed blazing flames. Before the saint beast even arrived, the crowd on the training grounds could already feel an incredible heat emanating from it.

There were around a dozen men who stood on top of the saint beast, but as if they were rooted to the spot, their posture didn’t budge in the slightest despite the movements of the saint beast.

“The heat can be vividly felt even from such a far distance away… how can anyone ride on that saint beast?”

Many master teachers were bewildered by the sight before them.

Even from where they stood, the heat already felt unbearable. If they were to really sit on the back of the saint beast, wouldn’t they be reduced to dried meat in an instant?

“Furthermore… have you all noticed that there is no room on top of that saint beast?” someone amid the crowd exclaimed.

It was then that everyone realized that the saint beast’s back didn’t have the usual room that would be attached for transportation purposes, so that the passengers could be avoid the wind resulting from the flight and travel in comfort.

Without the room, it meant that one would have to stand without any support or protection from the flames on the saint beast’s back. It might still be endurable for a short journey, but it would be nothing short of a torture for a long journey. Those who possessed weaker cultivation or minds would surely replace themselves collapsing under the ordeal.

“This is a method used by the Combat Master Hall to temper their members. Even when travelling around, they are expected to continue their training,” Wo Tianqiong muttered.

“Indeed. The Combat Master Hall is extremely strict on its members, pushing them to cultivate at every possible opportunity, not allowing them to show the slightest bit of laziness. To them, even journeying can be used as a form of cultivation,” Shen Pingchao said.

After many years as the principals of Master Teacher Academies, they had come into contact with the Combat Master Hall on many occasions, thus granting them a glimpse into the habits and behavior of combat masters.

It was due to their persistence in training that the members of the Combat Master Hall were able to grow so strong.

“If I am not mistaken, that is the Saint realm 3-dan Inferno Phoenix Saint Beast, known to possess the bloodline of the Divine Phoenix. The temperature of the flames on its back is on par with that of earth flames, and if one can withstand the heat of the flames for a prolonged period of time, one’s physical body will be enhanced significantly, and the purity of one’s zhenqi will also be refined further,” Wu Ran remarked.

It was not sufficient for the members of the Combat Master Hall to possess superior talent; more importantly, they had to be able to devote their everything to their training!

Looking at all of that, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Talent did grant one a starting line ahead of the others, but if one was unwilling to put in the hard work, one would never be able to get to the end.

Taking him for example, even though the cultivation technique he practiced was the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, granting him a great advantage over other cultivators, he never allowed himself to slack in his cultivation. Everything that he knew he had to do, he would accomplish with all of his effort, not allowing the slightest opportunity for a slip-up to occur.

Hu la!

Amid the commotion beneath, the aerial saint beast flapped its wings and gradually landed on the training ground.

Thirteen men dressed in master teacher robes leaped off the top of the aerial saint beast.

Their master teacher robes were tight-fitting, as opposed to the loose ones that master teachers usually wore, and inscribed on the emblems pinned on their chests was a sword instead. Looking at it from afar, one couldn’t help but feel the chilling aura of a sharp sword.

The one who stood at the very center was a middle-aged man who seemed to be in his forties. He exuded an air of valiance, and the powerful aura he emanated revealed the immense strength he wielded.

He was a Saint 2-dan realm expert, but his presence felt far more overwhelming than ordinary cultivators of his cultivation, reminiscent of an unsheathed sharp blade.

His cultivation might have been beneath Wu Ran, but there was little doubt that Wu Ran be the one to ultimately lose in a real duel.

“Formidable!” Zhang Xuan remarked as he turned his gaze toward the other members of the representative party.

Suddenly, he caught sight of two familiar faces, and his eyes lit up.

They were Lu Cheng and Wu Xu, whom he had met in the valley back when he was attempting to pick the Scarlet Firefly Fruits. He had guessed that they were combat masters previously, and it seemed his deduction was spot-on.

The duo felt very different from two months ago. Their cultivation felt significantly stronger, and their zhenqi seemed to be much purer as well. Wu Xu had even successfully achieved a breakthrough from Chrysalis realm pinnacle to Half-Saint.

Even though it hadn’t been long since Wu Xu had made the breakthrough, the energy he harnessed within his body felt vast like the ocean, as if it was undepletable.

It seems like my suggestion worked out for him, Zhang Xuan thought with a chuckle.

Wu Xu had been intending to use the Scarlet Firefly Fruit to attempt a breakthrough previously, but Zhang Xuan had chosen to not sell it to him. Instead, he had sold the other party his Earth Vein Spirit Essence.

Through making use of the easy absorbability of the spiritual energy harnessed within the Earth Vein Spirit Essence to fuel his zhenqi, he was able to build up the momentum required for a breakthrough and successfully reached Half-Saint.

“Zhang shi!” Just when he noticed the duo, the duo also noticed him and bowed respectfully.

Combat masters tended to be arrogant due to their superior fighting prowess, but they shared great respect for experts stronger than them as well.

Even though Zhang shi had only been at the Ethereal Treading realm, he had been able to subdue them easily. His fighting prowess had already way surpassed theirs, reaching a terrifying level. In face of such a genius, they dared not show the slightest disrespect to him.

The four principals stood up and introduced themselves.

“I am the principal of the Yunxu Master Teacher Academy, Wo Tianqiong (… the principal of the Luoqing Master Teacher Academy, Shen Pingchao; … the principal of the Qingzhu Master Teacher Academy, Wu Ran; … the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan). Pleased to meet you, combat masters!”

The middle-aged man also hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his fist respectfully. “I am a Hundred Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, Zhuo Qingfeng!”

Even though he was from the Combat Master Hall and possessed superior fighting prowess, the standing of the four principals was still above his, so he would still have to keep up with the formalities.

“So, it’s Zhuo shi!” Wo Tianqiong chuckled. “I have long heard of you. A blade to level three rivers, a breath to sweep nine provinces! Once, you pursued the Five Bandits of Qingyuan with a single sword in hand for ten years straight; in all that time, they didn’t dare return to their den. That grand feat of yours has won the respect of this old man!”

Hearing that the principal of the number one academy beneath Qingyuan Conferred Empire had heard of his name, Zhuo Qingfeng responded with a soft chuckle. “Principal Wo, you are too courteous. Those are just insignificant deeds!”

“There is no need to be humble. The fact that you were able to become a Hundred Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall is testimony to your strength.” Wo Tianqiong stroked his beard with a smile.

Knowing that Wo Tianqiong was only trading pleasantries to soothe the situation, Zhuo Qingfeng replied with a polite smile before getting to the matter at hand. “I had a message delivered to Principal Wo some time ago, so I believe everyone present should be aware of the changes in the slots by now!”

“Yes, we have heard that the Combat Master Hall will be taking in a hundred combat masters in this selection,” Shen Pingchao and the others replied.

Wo Tianqiong had informed them of the matter some time ago. This was good news, since it meant that more of their students would be able to join the Combat Master Hall.

“Indeed. However, I would first like to clarify that this doesn’t mean that our selection criteria will be any less strict, but instead, it will be even harsher than before!” Zhao Qingfeng said with a nod.

“Harsher than before?” The few principals traded glances with one another, and Zhang Xuan stepped forward and asked, “May I know the format that the selection exercise will be in? How does the Combat Master Hall intend to conduct it?”

“The norm in the previous few selections was to conduct an elimination tournament, where the candidates would duel one another, and the remaining fifty would be brought into the Combat Master Hall,” Zhuo Qingfeng said.

Wo Tianqiong and the others nodded.

While the rules regarding the Combat Master Selection might differ from time to time, the crux of it still usually revolved around an elimination tournament between the candidates in the form of duels, and the remaining candidates would be brought into the Combat Master Hall.

“Such a tournament format means that each candidate will have to fight several battles. Not only is it time-consuming, those who are injured in prior battles due to facing a stronger enemy will be unable to exert their full strength in the subsequent battles as well. As such, we have decided to try a different selection process this time around.”

The previous elimination tournament format aimed to sieve out the strongest ten from a total of eighty candidates from the Four Great Master Teacher Academies in each grade. In other words, each person would have to fight a minimum of three battles.

Considering that the cultivation of every candidate was equal, every single battle would be tough, requiring each candidate to utilize their full strength in order to emerge victorious. By the time they finished the three rounds, most would already be a step into their grave.

In fact, there were occasions where a candidate who possessed the potential to enter the top ten was eliminated in the first round due to meeting an extraordinarily powerful opponent. Even on the off chance that the candidate won, they would still be eventually eliminated due to the severe injuries they had sustained early into the tournament.

This wasn’t just a loss for the Four Great Master Teacher Academies but for the Combat Master Hall as well.

However, such had been the case for many years, so upon hearing that the selection format would be changed, Wo Tianqiong, Shen Pingchao, and Wu Ran couldn’t help but glance at one another in bewilderment.

It was undeniable that an elimination tournament had its flaws, but it was also one of the few methods that most cultivators viewed to be fair and could accept the results. If the new selection format wasn’t viewed to be as fair as an elimination tournament, the candidates might replace it hard to accept their elimination, and that could pose many problems as well.

However, the trio didn’t remain perplexed for too long.

“The new selection format is simpler and faster. Instead of an elimination tournament among the candidates, the members of our Combat Master Hall will be the ones to fight and assess the capability of the candidates. If a candidate is able to withstand three blows from one of our members of the same cultivation, they will have cleared the selection!” Zhuo Qingfeng explained.

“Three blows?” Hearing those words, Wo Tianqiong and the others frowned.

While this selection process did sound much simpler, in truth, the difficulty had been hiked up.

Others might have been unaware of the fearsome might that members of the Combat Master Hall possessed, but having served as the principals of their respective academies for many years, they knew very well that the prowess that each combat master wielded could be considered invincible among those of their cultivation realm. The candidates they had chosen and trained were strong, but in a real duel against a combat master, three blows… it was rather doubtful whether they would be able to withstand it or not.

Noting the frowns on the principals’ faces, Zhuo Qingfeng assured, “Don’t worry, I have already instructed them to standardize the force they use for each candidate, and I will also be keeping watching myself. There won’t be any situation where a combat master goes easy or makes things difficult for a specific candidate!”

Hearing those words, Wo Tianqiong and the others replied with smiles, “We don’t doubt the Combat Master Hall’s integrity.”

There was no reason for the Combat Master Hall to compromise the credibility of their own selection exercise, so there was no need to worry about that.

Waving his hand, Zhuo Qingfeng said calmly, “Since that’s the case, let us start the selection right now so that we can end it as soon as possible!”

“Alright!” At the other party’s urging, the principals hesitated for a brief moment before nodding in agreement.

After everything they had done to prepare their candidates for a battle against the other candidates, it turned out that the Combat Master Hall would be invigilating the selection themselves, catching them completely off-guard.

While this selection format was rather unorthodox, it wasn’t without its advantages. It was impossible for their candidates to defeat the combat masters, but if it was just three blows, considering the strength of their own candidates, they should still be able to grit their teeth and persevere to the end.

“Xu Tai and Chen Zhu, you two will be assessing the Grade-1 candidates!” Zhuo Qingfeng instructed.

“Yes!”

Two young men clasped their fists and stepped out from the group.

Both of them looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, and their cultivation was equivalent to the Grade-1 students, Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle. However, they commanded a threateningly sharp aura, which sent one’s alarm bells ringing.

“Allow me to go first!” the young man on the left, Xu Tai, said to his companion on the right, Chen Zhu, before leaping onto the dueling platform. Surveying the Grade-1 candidates standing beneath the dueling platform, he announced, “Any Grade-1 candidate who is able to withstand three blows from me will be deemed to have cleared the selection examination!”

After saying those words, he flicked his wrist and wielded a sword. The cold glint reflected off the sword, inducing shivers in one’s body.

At the same time, his aura also began to surge. Despite being only at Consonant Spirit realm, his aura seemed to create a huge pressure that penetrated straight into one’s soul. It felt that even a Cosmos Bridge realm would be unable to rival him.

“Formidable…”

“I thought that Yunxu’s candidates were plenty scary, but to think that the combat masters would be even more frightening! To be able to cultivate in the Consonant Spirit realm to such an extent… as expected of combat masters!”

“Indeed. Even with my Cosmos Bridge cultivation, I don’t think that I would be able to defeat him…”

Feeling the powerful air shrouding Xu Tai, everyone’s expression subconsciously tensed.

Chapter 933: Zhu Jian Makes a Move

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Consonant Spirit realm, this was the realm where a cultivator would first come into contact with matters relating to the soul, as well as the first hurdle that one would face on the long journey to becoming a true expert. Typically speaking, no matter how much a cultivator reinforced their cultivation, there was still a limit to the strength one could wield at Consonant Spirit realm. Yet, the aura of the combat master on the dueling platform felt heavy like a towering mountain, far surpassing the conventional boundaries of a normal Consonant Spirit realm cultivator.

“Allow me to go first!”

Amongst the crowd beneath, a masculine voice suddenly sounded, and a young man leaped onto the stage.

“It’s Zhao Zhongchuan of Yunxu! In the internal selections, he was ranked sixth!”

“To be ranked sixth strongest in Yunxu, there is no doubt that he will be able to clear the selection!”

“Indeed. This will also be a good opportunity for us to see the prowess of that Combat Master Xu so that we can prepare ourselves in advance!”

“Un. It is a huge disadvantage to go first, given that one doesn’t have concrete information on the opponent’s prowess yet. However, given Zhao Zhongchuan’s strength, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to withstand three blows!”

…

Upon seeing the young man, hushed whispers immediately spread beneath the stage.

Many of the Grade-1 candidates were staring at the dueling platform intently, unwilling to miss a single second of the battle.

Previously, Zhao Zhongchuan had displayed astounding prowess in the power display, and even among all eighty candidates from the four Master Teacher Academies, he would easily rank within the top fifteen.

In other words, even in the usual elimination tournament format, he would have been able to clear the Combat Master Selection.

With such a powerful candidate going up first, the other candidates would be able to assess the full extent of the prowess that Xu Tai wielded so that they could possibly take precautions for their turn.

Upon seeing Zhao Zhongchuan, Xu Tai flicked his sword slightly and asked nonchalantly, “Where is your weapon?”

Despite his overwhelming strength, he didn’t show the slightest complacency or underestimate his opponent.

“It’s here!” Flicking his wrist, Zhao Zhongchuan wielded a saber, and flicking it lightly, a powerful gust of wind whipped up in the surroundings.

“Begin!”

Knowing that his opponent was stronger than him, Zhao Zhongchuan immediately dashed forward to grasp the initiative so as to control the tide of battle. At the same time, he flung his saber furiously, and saber qi shot forth furiously from his blade, filling the area several dozen meters ahead of him completely with saber qi.

“Not bad!”

Wo Tianqiong had been slightly worried when he saw Zhao Zhongchuan volunteering to head up first. However, upon seeing this sight, he heaved a sigh of relief.

This was the strongest technique that Zhao Zhongchuan had in his arsenal. Under its relentless attacks, even a Cosmos Bridge realm would have to back down for the time being or risk being fatally wounded.

Knowing that the crux of the duel lay not in defeating his opponent but withstanding three blows, Zhao Zhongchuan didn’t bother taking the risk to try out his opponent first, deciding instead to use his strongest move so as to suppress his opponent right from the start. From this, it could be seen that he wasn’t an inflexible person.

“Not too bad, but still too slow!”

In face of the endless saber qi, Xu Tai didn’t panic in the slightest. Instead, with a light chuckle, he suddenly made a swift maneuver, which made his figure disappear entirely from the spot. A moment later, he abruptly reappeared before Zhao Zhongchuan and did a light jab with his sword.

Ding!

Feeling a massive might gushing toward him furiously, sealing the movements of his saber, Zhao Zhongchuan was forced to retreat several steps, and a stifled sensation welled up in his chest from the abrupt termination of his battle technique.

“Drats!”

Seeing that the other party had managed to overcome his strongest technique with just a single jab, Zhao Zhongchuan was alarmed. He immediately tried to retreat to a safe location to regain his footing in the battle, but a cold glint flashed across his eyes, and all of a sudden, a bone-chilling sword was pressed right against his neck.

With his sword pointed directly toward Zhao Zhongchuan’s neck, Xu Tai said impassively, “You have lost.”

“I… have lost?” Zhao Zhongchuan’s face turned pale.

The other party had managed to corner him with just two moves, leaving him devoid of an opportunity to retaliate at all. If this had been a life-and-death duel, his head would have already rolled.

“T-this…”

“Zhao Zhongchuan has lost?”

“If he could only withstand two moves, doesn’t that mean that… there is no hope for us?”

…

The faces of the crowd below turned grim.

Zhao Zhongchuan was an existence who could be ranked in the top fifteen among the Grade-1 candidates, and yet, he had fallen within two moves. So, wouldn’t that mean that the others stood less of a chance?

“It seems like… the difficulty has indeed been heightened!” Wo Tianqiong clenched his fists tightly upon seeing this sight.

He had thought that with the revised rules, it would be easier for all of the candidates to clear the selection. After all, it was only three moves! However, it seemed like he had underestimated the difficulty of the matter.

Combat masters were simply too much stronger than the other cultivators of the same cultivation realm, to the point that it was despair-inducing.

“How are we supposed to fight against that?” Zhu Jian muttered despondently.

Zhao Zhongchuan was far superior to him in terms of zhenqi purity and complexity of moves, and yet, the other party had still been unable to withstand three moves from the combat master. If he were to go up, he had no doubt that he would be utterly defeated.

It seemed like… his dream of becoming a combat master was going to come to a halt.

“Let me give it a try!”

At that moment, another young man leaped onto the dueling platform.

Zhu Jian recognized the young man. The latter was one of the top students from the Luoqing Master Teacher Academy, having placed third in their internal selections. He had also participated in the power display earlier, and his pair of golden and silver rings were capable of performing consecutive lethal attacks.

With Zhu Jian’s current strength, even two of him combined wouldn’t be a match for the young man.

Ding ding ding!

While Zhu Jian was still deep in thought, the duel on the platform began.

This time, Xu Tai was the one to take the first move. With a flick of his sword, he charged toward the young man with furious momentum.

It was as if Xu Tai’s movements were precisely measured with a ruler; there weren’t any excessive motions in his movements at all. In the first move, he accurately breached the defense of the double rings his opponent had put up. In the second, he managed to get into close quarters with his opponent, and in the third, his sword accurately pierced into his opponent’s chest. It wasn’t too deep, but fresh blood still flowed profusely from the wound.

“I admit defeat!” The face of the young man from Luoqing paled.

Had the other party not gone easy on him and exerted just a bit more strength, he would have been a lifeless corpse by now.

He had thought that he would have been able to stand his ground with his strength, but to think that… he hadn’t been able to withstand three moves either.

As the young man walked down the dueling platform, the atmosphere among the crowd suddenly grew extremely heavy. Everyone looked at one another with an awful complexion.

It was one thing for Zhao Zhongchuan to have lost—he was only ranked fifteen among all of the candidates—but the young man from Luoqing could definitely get into the top ten with his strength. Yet, to think that even he would be unable to withstand three moves. The difficulty of the test had far exceeded their expectations!

Previously, there had been a few who were still harboring hopes that, as long as they were to grit their teeth and endure the three moves, they would be able to clear the test. But from the looks of it, such thoughts had been too naive.

“Allow me!”

Another candidate leaped onto the dueling platform.

This candidate was skilled in defensive and evasive maneuvers, and as soon as the battle begun, he began skirting around the dueling platform, hoping to drag the battle beyond three moves. However, Xu Tai was far swifter than the candidate had expected.

With just two moves, Xu Tai had already cornered him and knocked him off the dueling platform with severe wounds.

This fellow sure is a difficult opponent to deal with. He has no particularly major flaws that one can easily exploit against him, Zhang Xuan noted with a grim expression.

As expected of a combat master! Xu Tai’s speed, strength, and defense were nearly impeccable. Had Zhang Xuan faced him as a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator as well, he would have had to take at least a single move in order to defeat the other party!

Fearsome!

Considering how Zhang Xuan could easily rival opponents with cultivation far beyond his, it was indeed rare for him to require one whole move in order to subdue an opponent of the same cultivation realm.

Of course, if he were to use the Eye of Insight or the Library of Heaven’s Path, he should have been able to destroy the other party in half a move.

Soon, more and more candidates went up to the dueling platform, but each and every one of them were defeated. It was not until the tenth candidate that a person finally managed to withstand three blows with great difficulty.

That candidate was ranked first within Qingzhu’s internal selection, and he was known to be invincible among the Grade-1 students. Yet, a person of his caliber had barely managed to clear the selection.

The combat master on the dueling platform, Xu Tai, was indeed a little, no, far too powerful.

“Is there anyone else?”

It didn’t take long for the selection to come to a standstill. There were still many candidates who hadn’t gone up yet, but after witnessing the fearsome prowess that Xu Tai possessed, they dared not stand up.

“Candidates from Yunxu, Luoqing, and Qingzhu have stood up and faced me, but I don’t seem to have faced any from Hongyuan yet. Is there anyone from Hongyuan who wishes to give a try? Or could it be that you don’t even have the courage to do so? If that’s the case, why even bother coming for this Combat Master Selection?” Xu Tai sneered as he turned his sight toward the candidates from Hongyuan’s side.

The candidates from the other three academies had already tried their luck, and it was only the candidates from Hongyuan who had remained motionless, none going up to challenge him at all.

“This…” Hearing Xu Tai’s words, the faces of the Grade-1 candidates from Hongyuan flushed crimson in embarrassment.

They knew full well where they stood. They wouldn’t be a match for even Zhao Zhongchuan and the others, so they would only be making a fool out of themselves even if they were to head up.

“Forget it, I will go. What else can happen other than defeat?” Seeing that no one was willing to make a move, Zhu Jian clenched his jaws and volunteered himself.

In any case, the worst that could happen was a loss. Given that the other party had specifically named Hongyuan, if they continued to cower with lowered heads, they would only become sinners who had brought shame to the academy.

They might be weak, but they mustn’t become cowards!

Stepping forward, Zhu Jian leaped onto the stage.

“Not bad, it seems like you still have some guts.” Xu Tai chuckled softly. “Take out your weapon!”

“Weapon? There is no need for that. I shall face you with my bare hands,” Zhu Jian replied with a shake of his head.

His loss was already sealed, so there would be no difference whether he used a weapon or not. Since that was the case, he might as well save a bit of strength.

“You aren’t going to use a weapon? I will just say this in advance, I won’t go easy on you just because you are unarmed!” Seeing that his opponent wasn’t intending to use a weapon, Xu Tai shook his head, but it seemed like he had no intention of casting aside his sword due to it.

Instead, he flicked his wrist, and a piercing shrill echoed in the air.

Tzz la!

Innumerable sword qi slashed through the air, headed toward Zhu Jian.

Xu Tai didn’t go easy on Zhu Jian just because the latter was unarmed. Just as he’d done with the other candidates, he went at the latter at his full strength right from the start.

The sword qi harnessed a bone-chilling aura, which left Zhu Jian’s goosebumps standing on end before it could even approach, and his face paled in fright.

He had witnessed the other party’s swordsmanship several times in the previous battles, and he knew that even if he were to dodge this attack, the other party would swiftly follow up with another strike that would leave him cornered. Sighing deeply, he was just about to surrender and admit defeat when he suddenly recalled Principal Zhang’s teachings.

Since the worst thing that can happen is loss, why should I admit defeat? Perhaps, if I try a bit harder, I might just get lucky and clear the test…

As soon as such a thought surfaced in his head, the various insights that Principal Zhang had just explained to him suddenly gushed into his mind like a torrent.

The other party’s sword is pure and earnest, seemingly having come right from his heart. According to what Principal Zhang said, in order to unravel such swordsmanship, I will have to examine him closely to assess the purpose and intent behind his swordsmanship, as well as the maximum might he can exert through it.

I have already seen the maximum might of the other party’s swordsmanship earlier, and the purpose and intent are clear, too—he intends to overwhelm me with his sword qi so as to limit my movements. If I counterattack, I will be falling into his trap instead.

From the classifications that Principal Zhang listed earlier, the aim of his swordsmanship is to force me to expose an opening, which he can then exploit against me. If I wish to unravel his swordsmanship… I will have to force him force him to err before me!

These thoughts swiftly flowed into Zhu Jian’s mind. It might seem complicated, but everything came to him in just an instant.

When Principal Zhang first explained those concepts, it had felt extremely abstract to him. However, utilizing them in a battle now, he suddenly realized that everything the other party had said was truly the utmost essence of combat.

With these realizations, the other party’s profound swordsmanship, which he had been unable to comprehend earlier, suddenly seemed as if it was nothing special at all. Everything was apparent to him, be it the direction of the other party’s attack or his possible future maneuvers. It was as if all of its secrets had been laid bare to him.

Principal Zhang said that the best way to deal with such a move is…

Gritting his teeth, Zhu Jian faced the other party’s swordsmanship without dodging at all. Instead, he squeezed his body together while directing his forefinger forward abruptly.

Puchi!

Zhu Jian felt as if his finger had managed to strike something, and in a moment of fluster, he hurriedly took a step back before taking a closer look at what had happened.

It was only then that he realized that Xu Tai, whom he was fighting with, was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back, spurting large mouthfuls of blood on the ground.

“This…”

Seeing the fellow, whom so many experts before had been unable to defeat, lying on the ground after just a casual finger jab from him, Zhu Jian was dumbfounded.

At this point, there was only one thought in his mind…

Is this a sham accident to scam me of my wealth?