The sight before Zhang Xuan turned dark, and he nearly fell to the ground.
He thought that the other party was truly conflicted and lost, and yet, who could have thought that the other party was actually preparing a trap for him to jump into!
All along, he had always been the one to scheme against others, and never had he thought that he would actually be outwitted by a young lass…
To drop a bunch of philosophical questions first in order to lead him to tell her to follow her heart so that she would be justified to say what she wanted to say afterward…
Zhang Xuan cleared his throat and replied, “I like you too. I like everyone from the Xuanxuan Faction as well. If I didn’t like you, why would I accept you as my apothecary student?”
To be confessed to by his own student… How embarrassing!
“Teacher, you know what I mean. The type of like that I am referring to isn’t that.” Luo Qiqi stared at Zhang Xuan intently with her large eyes as she spoke.
“You should return to the Combat Master Hall first. I still have matters to attend to.” Right after saying those words, without giving Luo Qiqi an opportunity to respond, Zhang Xuan turned around anxiously and flew in the direction of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“Hahaha!” Watching the sight, Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Her teacher had always been a composed person. This was the first time she was seeing him in such a fluster.
“You were the one who told me to follow my heart. I might address you as my teacher, but we have never undergone an official acknowledgement ceremony… As long as I’m not your direct disciple, this isn’t a problem at all!” Luo Qiqi muttered as her lips curled into a ravishing smile.
In the Master Teacher Continent, it wasn’t appropriate for a student to harbor such thoughts about her teacher, so for a very long time, she had been suppressing her true desires. However, after her teacher’s ‘counselling’, the dilemma that she had been facing finally cleared up, and a beautiful smile surfaced on her lips.
She might have addressed Zhang Xuan as her teacher, but since they hadn’t gone through an acknowledgement ceremony, the teacher-student relationship between them had yet to be officialized.
Since that was the case, it wasn’t against the rules for her to court the other party!
…
“Phew! That was a close shave!” After flying for some distance, Zhang Xuan came to a halt and wiped away his cold sweat.
While his actions may seem unprincipled time to time, he would never dream of laying his hands on his students. This was his moral boundary as a teacher and a belief he held firmly onto.
Are kids nowadays all that brave? Zhang Xuan shook his head.
It took many, many days of hesitation before he could build up the courage needed to confess to Luo Ruoxin, and that young lass actually just directly said that she liked him to his face…
My gosh, it was fortunate that he had fled quickly. Otherwise, wouldn’t he die of embarrassment if she were to say anything more than that?
The world sure is becoming more and more open… Zhang Xuan looked at the sky and remarked deeply.
He had always conducted himself properly so as to not get into any messy relationship with the ladies. Yet, who could have thought that he would still end up being placed in such an awkward situation?
Just the thought of it left his head hurting.
How was he to face Luo Qiqi in the future?
“Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore. I should head to the Master Teacher Pavilion first!”
Driving his Soul Depth, Zhang Xuan calmed his mind down before continuing on his way to the Master Teacher Pavilion. At that moment, however, he suddenly noticed a beautiful figure swiftly rushing toward him.
“Zhang shi!”
“Yu Fei-er? Didn’t you return back to the Combat Master Hall?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
At this point, Yu Fei-er had already switched into a crimson dress which embraced her body tightly, fully displaying her alluring figure.
It must be said that this fiery-tempered princess truly had a beautiful physique. It might have paled in comparison to Hu Yaoyao, but her perfectly-shaped hips which extended down to her slender legs was truly a sight to behold. At the same time, perhaps it was due to her intentionally concealing it in the past, but under the tight embrace of her dress, her chest looked far more voluptuous than before.
At this moment, her appearance was one that would leave the gazes of others lingering upon her.
“Zhang shi, there’s a matter which I need to talk to you about.” Yu Fei-er said with bit lips.
“Cough cough, I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll talk to you some other time. Farewell!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand hastily as he prepared to take his leave.
“This won’t do! Since you are willing to listen to Qiqi’s words, why won’t you listen to mine as well?” Yu Fei-er harrumphed unhappily as she swiftly grabbed Zhang Xuan’s arm.
“This…” Cold sweat burst from Zhang Xuan’s head.
No matter how low his emotional quotient may have been, the very fact that the other party had specially changed her dress up and returned for him was more than sufficient clue for him to figure out what the other party was going to say.
“I’m only going to say one thing to you. I’m willing to follow you wherever you go in the future, even if it’s to the end of the world…” Yu Fei-er said.
She was one with a fiery temper, and she usually dealt with matters decisively as well. Nevertheless, it took all of her courage in order to say those words.
“I see.” Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying, “Very well, acknowledge me as your teacher then! As long as you become my student, I’ll bring you wherever I go. Otherwise, you would only be able to follow me as my maid.”
“You…” Yu Fei-er glared at Zhang Xuan furiously.
“Ah? Is that a no? I guess we’ll just have to forget about this matter then. Alright, I still have things to attend to at the moment, so I’ll be taking my leave first…”
Hu!
Once again, without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan pushed his Heaven’s Path Movement Art to its very limits and disappeared on the spot.
“Hmph!”
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan leave, Yu Fei-er’s tightly-clenched fists finally opened up once more. With a smirk, she muttered, “I would like to see who you will choose, Qiqi or me!”
…
What the heck is this… Fleeing to a remote alley, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Just one awkward situation was intolerable to him, and they just had to come in pairs… It was truly too much pressure to face the confessions of both of them simultaneously…
If not for the recent rise in his Soul Depth, he might have just collapsed under the immense mental stress and lost his mind.
“It won’t do to drag this matter out for too long. I have to find Ruoxin soon and show them that I already have a girlfriend so that they would give up on me!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Being too outstanding also came with its troubles too!
How vexing!
He really had to proclaim his attached status soon, or else, if everyone were to come confessing to him one after another, even a person of his Soul Depth wouldn’t be able to take it.
Just fending off the two of them took everything that he got. If more were to come, he wouldn’t be able to cultivate anymore.
The next time I meet any ladies, I must accept them as my disciple in advance so that they wouldn’t have any opportunity to harbor such thoughts… Zhang Xuan thought as he stroked his lower jaws.
Making his way forward as he contemplated over this matter, he soon arrived at the Master Teacher Pavilion.
The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion was even grander than the Combat Master Hall. The majestic and towering building seemed to signify the dignity and standing of the number one occupation on the Master Teacher Continent. Even from a distance, Zhang Xuan could see many master teachers walking to and fro inside the building, and countless cultivators had gathered in the area in hopes of finding a suitable teacher to guide them along.
Zhang Xuan walked into a remote alley and swiftly switched into his master teacher robe and pinned on his master teacher emblem before making his way into the Master Teacher Pavilion.
Upon seeing the six brilliant stars gleaming on his chest, there was no one who dared to stop his passageway. Every single person that he walked by bowed to him respectfully.
While 6-star master teachers might seem nothing much to the topmost echelon of Qingyuan Empire, they were still formidable existences to the eyes of the common populace. Not to mention, a 6-star master teacher as young as Zhang Xuan, given sufficient time, was bound to become a 7-star master teacher as long as he didn’t die prematurely.
“Zhang shi, can I have your autograph? I don’t have any paper on hand, so why don’t you sign it on my inner wear instead…”
“Hey, don’t cut my queue, I was the one who came first! Zhang shi, just sign over here…”
“Scram to one side, Zhang shi is mine!”
…
Shortly after walking through the doors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan suddenly saw a huge group of girls rushing in his direction.
“I…” Zhang Xuan’s face warped in astonishment.
There were plenty of idol-chasing crazed fans in his previous world as well, but this was the first time he had seen someone asking to have an autograph signed on her inner wear in public!
“Everyone, I understand your agitation, but… I am an upright person, and I am already attached too. Pardon me, but I won’t be able to fulfill your wishes. Besides, as a master teacher, I hope that you will focus on my inner beauty instead of just my appearances…” Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, but before he could finish his words, the group of ladies had already rushed by his side, heading out of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“Lunatic!” One of the ladies in the group stopped for a brief moment turn to examine Zhang Xuan from head to toe before harrumphing in disdain. After which, she turned her flabby face back forward, and shaking her millstone-sized bottom, she charged forward along with the crowd while shouting, “Zhang shi, wait for me!”
In the direction where she was charging towards, Zhang Xuan soon spotted a white-robed young man standing not too far away with seven stars gleaming on his chest. The white-robed young man looked at the crowd apologetically and said, “Pardon me, but I still have important matters to attend to at the moment. I’ll sign autographs for you all later on…”
“But we want it now!”
The group of ladies exclaimed resoundingly.
“Alright, alright…”
Despite the demanding attitude of his fans, the white-robed young man waved his hand patiently to calm them down. After which, he gracefully flicked his hand in the air for a few moments, and a floating name appeared.
“Suspended Imagery? He is a… 7-star painter?” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.
A painting could be divided into various grades—Reality Depiction, Spiritual Canvas, Infused Intentions, Breathtaking Verisimilitude, Spirit Creation, Spirit Wisdom…
Those who were able to produce works at the level of Spirit Wisdom were already worthy of becoming 6-star painter.
Up to 6-star, painters would require a paper as a medium for them to express their creative conceptions. However, upon reaching 7-star, they would be capable of producing their work in mid-air, painting their picture and words without anything to serve as a medium.
And the fact that the young man was capable of writing in mid-air showed that he had already comprehended the seventh level of painting—Suspended Imagery!
Zhang Jiuxiao…
Zhang Xuan read the name that the white-robed young man written, and his lips suddenly began twitching.
It turned out that the young man had the same surname as him, so naturally, others addressed him as Zhang shi as well…How embarrassing!
Indeed, there were plenty of people in the world who went by the surname of ‘Zhang’ as well. He wasn’t the only ‘Zhang shi’ in the world.
Just that… his name went by a single character of ‘Xuan’, which meaning could be interpreted as only levitating a few inches off the ground. On the other hand, the other party’s name is ‘Jiuxiao’, reminiscent of a roc soaring in the Nine Heavens… The conception behind their names was simply far too different1!
While Zhang Xuan was lamenting over how shallow his name was, he examined the two words, ‘Zhang Jiuxiao’, closely. Those two words carried a unique beauty and aura around them that seemed to draw one into a trance, rendering their minds incapable of anything but to appreciate the immensely beautiful words before them.
This was an ability that only 7-star painters could wield.
“Alright, I’ll just leave a single autograph here, you can decide its allocation amongst yourselves. I still have some urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave first…” After writing his name, Zhang Jiuxiao smiled at the crowd before turning around and leaving elegantly.
“He’s simply too dashing!”
The ladies who had demanded the autograph a moment ago couldn’t help but fall into a daze upon seeing his smile.
“As expected of Zhang shi. Every time he comes to the Master Teacher Pavilion, there would always be a huge group of girls waiting for him, Compared to him, it’s like we don’t even exist at all!”
“Well, he’s the number one genius of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, a one-in-five-hundred-year prodigy. Furthermore, given how cultured and refined he is, how can we compete with him?”
“Indeed, he’s far beyond our league…”
A few master teachers lamented bitterly as they walked by the area.
“The number one genius of QIngyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion?” Zhang Xuan muttered beneath his breath after hearing their words.
Indeed, to be able to become a 7-star master teacher at such a young age and achieve such outstanding accomplishments as a painter, it was little wonder why so many ladies would go in a frenzy over him.
“Indeed, there are many talented prodigies in this world. I am not too bad myself, but I mustn’t get complacent over it.” Zhang Xuan warned himself.
While he might have been able to advance his cultivation swiftly, he mustn’t get conceited over the matter. Given how large the Master Teacher Continent was, there were bound to be outstanding geniuses who could match him somewhere.
While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, the lady with the millstone bottom from before walked over once more and glanced at him disdainfully, “What are you looking at? Have you never seen a beauty in your life?”
“…” Zhang Xuan.
