‘Gedeng!’
Both King Zhongqing and Emperor Chu Tianxing’s hearts skipped a beat.
“Zhang Xuan? Which Zhang Xuan?”
“Zhang Xuan from Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom.” Reading on, Bai shi’s lips began quivering in fear. “After which… he became appointed as the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!”
Considering how the previous declaration had resounded throughout Qingyuan City, they would have to have been deaf to not hear it. He had thought that the Zhang Xuan person, whoever he was, was courting his own death, and yet… to think that the other party had a history of successfully crashing a Master Teacher Pavilion!
He had thought that it was an ignorant novice, but it turned out to be an experienced veteran instead!
“The Master Teacher Pavilion in the Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom should be a 3-star branch at the very most, so it’s not too surprising that he was able to successfully crash it. Do you think that… he’ll be able to crash our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion as well?” King Zhongqing asked hesitantly.
“I can’t say for sure. However, since he has a previous experience in pavilion crashing, I believe that he should understand how difficult the matter is. Since he dares to challenge the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, it is likely that he is confident that he will be able to successfully crash it,” Bai shi replied with an apprehensive frown.
Overwhelmed with anxiety, King Zhongqing howled in desperation, “There’s no way he can succeed. He mustn’t succeed!”
Bai shi shook his head and sighed deeply. “I don’t know whether he’ll succeed or not, but regardless of the results… the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion can be said to be a goner already…”
Injustice was rife in the world, even within the Master Teacher Pavilion. Despite the rules put in place by the Master Teacher Pavilion, it was unable to avoid it altogether. Throughout history, many geniuses had fallen not at the hands of powerful enemies but from the schemes of their peers.
The death of every single genius master teacher was a huge loss to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it was in view of this that the Master Teacher Pavilion had implemented the system of pavilion crashing to serve as an avenue for these geniuses to redress their grievances.
Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan succeeded or failed, the very fact that the headquarters had agreed to his request meant that the headquarters held Zhang Xuan in high regard, and as a consequence of that, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would be effectively plastered with a label of incompetence and mistreating rising prodigies. The headquarters would summon Pavilion Master Gou for further investigation, and no matter how the investigation turned out, the latter’s reputation would be ruined.
“There’s no way he can succeed, there’s just no way… Puu!” King Zhongqing roared with clenched jaws when he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and fresh blood burst through his lips.
He quickly turned to Bai shi and pleaded, “Quick, beat me. Beat me up with all your might! I need it! I need it right now…”
“…” Bai shi.
“…” Emperor Chu Tianxing.
…
In the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion…
Seeing the two words in the sky, Wu shi felt his vision darken.
He did think that Pavilion Master Gou had displayed a lack of fairness in this matter, but still… no matter what, this was where he had grown up and spent several centuries in. He already considered this place his home, and he could not bear to see someone wrecking it.
However, he knew that it was already too late to say anything.
Given the present circumstances, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to choose this course of action.
Zhang Xuan was only a 6-star master teacher whereas Pavilion Master Gou was a 7-star master teacher, as well as the head of the regional Master Teacher Pavilion. If the latter really attempted to indict him for some crime, the only way Zhang Xuan could have possibly salvaged himself was through crashing the entire Master Teacher Pavilion.
Wu shi stood in a daze for a long while, and all the frustrations and helplessness he felt within him eventually materialized in the form of a deep sigh.
On the other hand, Pavilion Master Gou was so angered by the course of events that his entire body was trembling in rage.
Having served five hundred years as the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he was already nearing his retirement age. He had thought that he could spend the end of his career in peace and retire with a perfect record, but who would have thought that he would actually end up stepping on a huge landmine at the final juncture?
He knew that regardless of the outcome of the pavilion crashing, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s reputation was doomed to be sullied.
“You! Do you know what it means to crash a Master Teacher Pavilion?” Suppressing the exploding rage within him, Pavilion Master Gou glared at the young man before him with gritted teeth.
If looks could kill, the world would have withered there and then.
“You are asking me that question? Humph!”
As if there was lightning within his eyes, Zhang Xuan glared at Pavilion Master Gou with a frightening gaze as he spoke.
“For mankind, I, Zhang Xuan, descended alone into the Subterranean Gallery to mend the seal leading to the otherworldly battlefield!
“For mankind, I hunted down the Ten Kings of the Qingtian Lineage one after another, averting a potential crisis!
“For mankind, I have groomed the students of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy and granted them strength comparable to the combat masters!
“I have devoted my life to protecting mankind, putting myself in precarious situations time and time again, and I have never regretted my actions! And yet, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion dares to humiliate me like this… I only hope that the headquarters will give me an opportunity to redress my grievances! Since you are incompetent and useless, choosing to cover up for those who have sinned just to avoid stepping into muddied waters, I’ll just have to use my own methods to resolve this matter!
“As for whether you are embarrassed by this matter or not… why should I care about that?”
“You!” Choked by Zhang Xuan’s words, Pavilion Master Gou spurted a mouthful of blood.
He had thought that the figure whom he was dealing with was a mere 6-star master teacher, and a few words of criticisms would surely have made the latter bow obediently before him. Never in his dreams had he expected the other party to be such a fearless troublemaker!
“Pavilion Master Gou… I hate to say this, but you have really done wrong this time around.” Wu shi closed his eyes and shook his head.
While others might have been unaware of it, he knew that the young man before him was a Celestial Master Teacher and a Celestial Saint, a figure whose standing was on par with Kong shi’s!
Putting aside the head of a branch, even the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters would dare not humiliate the other party in such a manner!
Humiliating a figure like that was no different from undermining the authority of the heavens! If the other party were to take such an insult lying down, how could he possibly stand dignified before the masses ever again?
Hearing the words spoken by Wu shi, Pavilion Master Gou’s face warped in fury, and he spat furiously through gritted teeth, “You said that I have done wrong? Humph, do you think that it’ll be that easy to crash our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion? Sound the bells!”
Since things had already reached that point… there was no way that he would let the other party get away so easily!
Dong dong dong dong!
Shortly after his bellow, four resounding chimes echoed from the depths of the Master Teacher Pavilion, indicating the arrival of a pavilion crashing challenger.
Hong long long!
In just fifteen minutes, all of the 6-star and 7-star master teachers had returned to the Master Teacher Pavilion with grim expressions on their faces, as if soldiers preparing to march onto the battlefield.
“There are two steps to pavilion crashing. Firstly, the challenger must defeat all the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion. Secondly, the challenger must successfully clear the Master Teacher Tower! Currently, all of the 6-star and 7-star master teachers in our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion are present here. If you wish to crash our pavilion, you will have to first trample over their dignity!”
At which point, Pavilion Master Gou slowly swept over the gathered master teachers with his gaze before bellowing authoritatively, “Master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, someone has come to challenge our dignity. What shall we do?”
“Annihilate him!”
“Make him learn that our Master Teacher Pavilion is not a place for him to fool around!”
“How dare a 6-star master teacher act so brazenly as to challenge our Master Teacher Pavilion? See how I eradicate him with a flick of my hand!”
…
Upon understanding what was going on, the master teachers howled furiously.
Seeing that morale was high among the master teachers, Pavilion Master Gou nodded in satisfaction. “Good! Let’s begin then!”
There were dozens of thousands of 6-star master teachers in the Qingyuan Master Teacher Academy, and their might was no joking matter when combined together. No matter how talented or powerful Zhang Xuan was, their forces were more than enough to grind him down eventually!
“Who will go first?”
“Allow me! As a member of the Master Teacher Pavilion, I wish to strike down the brazen fool who dares challenge us!”
Shortly after those words were spoken, a loud whiz sounded from the air as a young man descended from the sky.
Zhang Jiuxiao!
He had just rushed over from the Appraiser Hall.
“Good!” Pavilion Master Gou nodded.
Zhang Jiuxiao was the offspring of a Sage Clan, the Zhang Clan. Even though he was just part of the side family, his talent was unrivalled by any other in the Qingyuan Empire. On top of that, as a 7-star master teacher, he had many means up his sleeves. Without a doubt, it would be a piece of cake for him to deal with Zhang Xuan!
Pavilion Master Gou secretly sent a telepathic message to Zhang Jiuxiao. “There’s no need to show him mercy. Let him learn the heavy price he must pay for daring to crash our Master Teacher Pavilion!”
“Pavilion Master Gou, rest assured. I know what to do!” With a frown, the aura surrounding Zhang Jiuxiao grew stronger and stronger as he turned to look at the young man not too far away with narrowed eyes.
From the moment he met the fellow the day before, the fellow had embarrassed him time and time again. Since that was the case, he would resolve this humiliation once and for all with a fight!
“A duel between master teachers can come in many forms—a challenge of Soul Depth, a fight in supporting occupations, a direct showdown, a lecture… Since you are the challenger, I have the right to choose the type of challenge,” Zhang Jiuxiao said as he walked confidently toward Zhang Xuan before eventually stopping five meters in front of the latter.
As the offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had been able to take many shortcuts in his cultivation, resulting in his state of mind being less tempered than others. However, he was confident that his capabilities in all other aspects were top-notch, and he would not lose to anyone!
Since that fellow had dared challenge the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he would make that fellow learned that he was not to be trifled with.
In no mood to entertain Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan waved his hands impatiently. “Speak!”
“I choose a showdown, a duel to pit our strength against one another!” Zhang Jiuxiao sneered coldly.
A duel was the most direct and easiest way for him to establish his superiority. As a member of the Zhang Clan, he had cultivated many powerful battle techniques, so defeating a fellow whose cultivation was beneath his was truly no big deal.
“Jiuxiao, you mustn’t!”
On the other hand, hearing that Zhang Jiuxiao was proposing to have a direct fight instead, Pavilion Master Gou immediately recalled how Zhang Xuan had sent Vice Pavilion Master Tian flying with a flick of his hand, so he quickly sent a telepathic message over anxiously.
Since even a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert like Vice Pavilion Master Tian was no match for Zhang Xuan, how could Zhang Jiuxiao possibly stand a chance?
Zhang Jiuxiao shrugged the other party’s worries away with a chuckle. “Pavilion Master Gou, rest assured! No matter what, I am an offspring of the Zhang Clan. While my cultivation is only at Saint 3-dan Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, my fighting prowess has already far exceeded that level. To be honest with you, I have never revealed my true strength before.”
As there was no peer who was a match for him, there had never been any need for him to use his full strength before. For the first time, he planned on displaying his true strength in public to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson!
Hong long!
His acupoints burst open simultaneously, and an overwhelming aura abruptly burst forth from him.
In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had already exceeded the boundary of Saint 3-dan pinnacle, reaching Saint 4-dan.
“Primordial Spirit realm? When did Zhang Jiuxiao achieve a breakthrough?”
“It seems like he has been concealing his true strength all along…”
“To reach the Primordial Spirit realm beneath thirty, he is truly fearsome…”
“He isn’t the most formidable genius of our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion for no reason! There’s no way that 6-star master teacher can possibly be a match for him!”
…
Seeing Zhang Jiuxiao’s cultivation surge to Saint 4-dan in an instant, everyone was taken aback for a moment before admiration and respect seeped into the depths of their eyes.
“Zhang shi is so dashing. I knew that no one would be able to match him!”
At some point in time, the millstone-bottom lady had arrived in the hall, and hiding behind a pillar, she peeked on Zhang Jiuxiao coyly with stars twinkling in her eyes.
She knew that her idol was no ordinary person, but she had not expected him to be so extraordinary. Just by the momentum itself, he had already overwhelmed his opponent many times over. Watching this sight, her massive heart could not help but thump in excitement.
Hu!
Zhang Jiuxiao’s aura eventually stabilized at Primordial Spirit realm primary stage. He clenched his fists tightly as he leisurely stretched his neck, causing crisp ‘Geji! Geji!’ sounds to echo in the room. After which, he turned to look at the young man before him with eyes filled with disdain. “Let’s begin.”
“Are you certain you are ready?” Zhang Xuan asked indifferently.
“Indeed. If you wish to use a weapon, feel free to do so. I’ll catch anything that you send at me with my bare hands and show you the unbreachable gap between a mortal like you and a true prodigy!” Zhang Jiuxiao harrumphed coldly as he channeled his zhenqi toward his hands, creating a golden shimmer around them.
“Weapon?” A derisive smile emerged on Zhang Xuan’s lips as he said impatiently, “I don’t have time to waste on you. Since you are ready, I’ll start now.”
He was extremely busy.
Crashing the pavilion meant that one had to face all the master teachers associated with the Master Teacher Pavilion and overcome the many wills left behind by the preceding master teachers in the Master Teacher Tower. He had no additional time to waste on this fellow.
“I don’t have time to waste on you either, so I’ll end you in an instant!”
Seeing how Zhang Xuan was taking him lightly, the final string of sanity within Zhang Jiuxiao’s mind finally snapped, and with a furious roar, he dashed forward.
“You want to end me? Try it then!” Without even bothering to dodge Zhang Jiuxiao’s attack, Zhang Xuan raised his head, and a voice reminiscent of the crisp chime of a bell boomed.
“Kneel down!”
Boom!
It was as if thunder had rumbled within the room. In an instant, the momentum that Zhang Jiuxiao had built up for his offense vanished without a trace, and before anyone could process what was going on, the other party abruptly plummeted from the sky and crashed to the ground.
With his kneecaps firmly fixed onto the ground, Zhang Jiuxiao kneeled before Zhang Xuan with indignation and frenzy written on his face.
