While he might have offered a fair number of pointers to Zhang Jiuxiao, he had viewed the latter as a friend rather than a student all along. Who would have thought that the incomparably prideful genius would actually want to become his student instead?
“That’s right!” Zhang Jiuxiao replied with a resolute gaze.
The others might not know much about the young man before him, but having been with the latter ever since his time in the Qingyuan Empire, he still knew a fair bit about him. For one, he knew that, of the young man’s students, Zheng Yang had become the Progeny of Combat of the Combat Master Hall, Zhao Ya had become the young court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, and Yuan Tao was the most talented offspring and possibly the next clan head of the Yuan Clan.
Those were the only three students of the young man that he knew about, but just the three of them were already more than enough to shake the Master Teacher Continent at its core!
And it was one thing for his students to be formidable, but more than that, the young man himself was the only man to become a Celestial Master Teacher in the past several dozen millenniums after Kong shi!
Not to mention, he was the direct disciple of the most esteemed grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
There was no doubt that the young man possessed unimaginable potential within him. If he could become the young man’s student, he would be able to soar into the boundless sky along with him instead of remaining as a nobody in his clan.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, “I don’t go easy on my students. Are you certain that you want me to be your teacher?”
“Yes, I am certain!” Zhang Jiuxiao replied.
“Very well. From today onward, you shall be my student!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Even though Zhang Jiuxiao’s talent and bloodline were not on par with Zhang Chun, Zhang Feng, and the others, the greatest merit that he had over the rest of them was that he was incredibly tenacious. Under his guidance, the other party would surely be able to reach great heights.
However, he was only going to take in Zhang Jiuxiao as his student and not his direct disciple.
With so many uncertainties surrounding his life at the moment, he was not ready to commit to accepting another direct disciple.
“Thank you, Teacher!” A hint of slight disappointment flashed across Zhang Jiuxiao’s eyes when he heard Zhang Xuan address him as his student rather than his direct disciple. Nevertheless, he quickly kneeled onto the ground and kowtowed.
Being the student of a Celestial Master Teacher was a great honor as well. To him, this meant much more than becoming a core member of the Zhang Clan.
“I have a cultivation technique here. I want you to practice it well and reach Grand Dominion realm before we reach the Zhang Clan!” With a tap of his finger, Zhang Xuan transferred a cultivation technique into Zhang Jiuxiao’s mind.
Currently, Zhang Jiuxiao was only at the Leaving Aperture realm, a huge way off from reaching the Grand Dominion realm. While Zhang Xuan had offered the other party pointers in the past, those pointers were intended to resolve the flaws in his cultivation rather than to enhance it. After all, Zhang Jiuxiao was not part of his lineage, so he was not obliged to impart anything to the other party.
But now that he had imparted a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art to the other party, as long as he had ample resources, it would not be too difficult for him to push for a breakthrough of two cultivation realms within a month.
In a sense, this could be considered a trial for Zhang Jiuxiao as well. If the other party could not even achieve this much, he would not be worthy of being his student!
Hearing that he had to reach Grand Dominion realm within a single month, Zhang Jiuxiao’s cheeks visibly twitched. However, he swiftly gritted his teeth and replied solemnly, “Teacher, I won’t let you down!”
The higher one’s cultivation realm was, the more difficult it was to raise one’s cultivation realm. Even for the geniuses of the Sanctum of Sages, it would take several months of cultivation for them to push for just a breakthrough in their cultivation stage. Nevertheless, since his teacher had already given him the instruction, he would just have to accomplish it regardless of the cost!
Boom!
Seeing the resolve in Zhang Jiuxiao’s eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to issue a few more instructions, his mind suddenly jolted. A book had floated out from the shelves in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and it slowly flipped open, revealing a golden gleam within it.
A golden page?
It had been so long since Zhang Xuan had taken in any students that he had nearly forgot that the Library of Heaven’s Path still had such a function.
The power harnessed within each formed golden page was immense. Back then, he had planted one within Wei Ruyan in order to ensure her safety in the Poison Hall, and eventually, it had actually succeeded in killing one of the Four Eminences with ease. With the golden page as a trump card, there was no longer anything for him to fear in the Zhang Clan!
Hmph, Zhang Clan, just you wait! This time, I won’t rest until my reputation as the God of Destruction is imprinted deeply into every single one of your minds!
Zhang Xuan’s clenched fists trembled in agitation as a vicious glint flashed across his eyes.
…
Not too long after Zhang Jiuxiao left, Luo Xuanqing came over.
Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan was in his residence, Luo Xuanqing heaved a sigh of relief. Using a particularly complex set of hand seals, he sealed the surrounding space tightly before walking up to Zhang Xuan.
“Brother Zhang. As you know, I don’t like to beat around the bush, so I’ll just get straight to the main issue at hand. I want you to kill a man for me.”
“You want me to kill a man for you?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
He had thought that the matter that Luo Xuanqing was going to talk to him about was regarding Luo Ruoxin, but who would have thought that the latter would actually ask him to kill a man instead!
As a master teacher and a member of civilized society, he believed that violence should always be the last resort, and he always made sure to conduct himself as such.
Putting aside the couple of unfortunate accidents that would happen every now and then, the only time that he had truly played the role of an aggressor was when dealing with the Xuanyuan Kingdom.
“If possible, I would not make this request of you. But as long as this man remains alive, our Luo Clan will never be able to live in peace!” Luo Xuanqing shook his head and sighed deeply.
He would not make a move if there was another option, but this was a direct order from the First Elder, and he himself knew what was at stake. There was simply no way around it.
For his younger sister’s sake, he would have to carry this out!
“What kind of man could possibly wield so much influence over the Luo Clan?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.
As the second strongest Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, the ranks of the Luo Clan were filled with countless experts. And yet, there was actually a man in the world who could leave them feeling so uneasy? Just who could this incredible figure be?
Surely, he would be helpless before a person whom even the Luo Clan struggled to deal with!
“Do you still remember what I told you about my younger sister the previous time we met?” Luo Xuanqing asked.
Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
“She’s currently grounded in our clan. I recklessly summoned my Dimension Sundering Ordeal in hopes of gathering sufficient strength to save her, but… it’s a pity that I’m still far too weak,” Luo Xuanqing said with a solemn expression on his face.
Zhang Xuan nodded once more.
Even if the other party did not explain it to him, he had already guessed as much.
“Like I told you the previous time, the reason she’s being grounded is because the clan found out that there’s someone whom she already likes, and I requested you to help me investigate his identity, right?” Luo Xuanqing continued.
“Yes, I still remember that. I thought that there isn’t any concrete news concerning that man yet,” Zhang Xuan said with a frown.
The last time that the other party had spoken to him about this matter, he had nearly been shocked out of his wits. Fortunately, it seemed like Luo Ruoxin had not revealed his identity.
Nevertheless, that matter still left him feeling deeply pressured. Eventually, in order to save time and become an 8-star master teacher as quickly as possible, he had ended up challenging the Tower of Master Teachers.
“I have managed to gather new intelligence regarding the matter. During the period that my younger sister disappeared, she seems to have resided in a place known as the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy for quite a long period of time. I suspect that that man might be there as well, so I hope that you can head down there and root out that man,” Luo Xuanqing said.
“The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy…” Zhang Xuan’s lips twitched inconspicuously upon hearing those words, and his pupils narrowed slightly. With a slightly astonished voice, he asked, “It can’t be that you want me to kill that man, can it?”
Judging from where the flow of the conversation was heading, it appeared that Luo Xuanqing was about to request him to assassinate himself!
He really had no idea what he should make of this situation.
While others might not know who the rumored lover of the Luo Clan’s little princess was, how could he possibly not know who that man was!
It was already hard on him to be asked to investigate and uncover his own identity, and now, he even had to assassinate himself as well. This was ridiculous!
“As expected of my brother! You understand me well!” Luo Xuanqing nodded in satisfaction.
“Why do you want to kill him?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown. “Won’t the little princess be upset if he were to be killed?”
Luo Xuanqing claimed that he doted on his younger sister, but here he was, plotting to kill the man his younger sister loved. Was that not hypocritical?
Was it that difficult to simply grant her this simple wish?
Would he only be happy after sending his younger sister down a road of tragedy, marrying a man who had never once appeared after their engagement?
“I know that she’ll be upset, but this involves…” Luo Xuanqing exclaimed in agitation, but halfway through, he suddenly froze. After which, he shook his head with a deep sigh, clearly not wanting to delve any deeper into this topic.
He raised his head to look at Zhang Xuan once more and said, “Just tell me whether you are willing to do it or not. As long as you root out that man and kill him, I’ll accord you the position of at least an elder in the Luo Clan!”
“Elder?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I don’t need anything like that. I only want to ask if the little princess knows if you are aiming to kill the man she loves. You do know that once she finds out about the matter, this will become a permanent rift in the relationship between the two of you. You’ll never be able to go back to the old days anymore.”
“I understand all of that, but… I have no choice!” the discomposed Luo Xuanqing cried out with reddened eyes.
“How can there be no other choice? At this rate, she’ll become nothing more than a pawn for power! Why can’t she pursue her own happiness? Does she really have no choice but to marry that young prodigy from the Zhang Clan?” Zhang Xuan exclaimed fervently.
Under Zhang Xuan’s relentless questioning, Luo Xuanqing finally snapped. “Yes! She has no choice but to marry the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan! There’s no other option for her to choose!”
