A massive pair of hands reached out from the book, causing the entire underground hall to tremble non-stop, as if there was an earthquake. The massive hands slammed powerfully upon the barrier.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave gushed out into the surroundings, forcing Zhang Xuan and the others to back away uncontrollably. By the time the storm calmed down, they turned their sights to the barrier once more, only to see it still intact. There was not the slightest damage to be seen. On the other hand, Vicious’ fingers had started bleeding.
“Master, let me give it another try…”
With his attack failing to breach the barrier, Vicious lowered his head in embarrassment.
“There’s no need for that. If you make another move, it’s likely that the entire underground hall will collapse on us!” Zhang Xuan said.
The underground hall was already at its limits after the multiple impacts. If they continued, there was no doubt that it would collapse on them. Of course, given their strength, they would not sustain the slightest damage. What was worrisome was the countless citizens of the Tianxuan Royal City living above.
The might of the Ancient Sages was simply too great. If the strength of a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator ran amok in the slightest, the city could very well be reduced to a living hell.
“What should we do then?”
“We can’t do it the forceful way. There’s bound to be another way to bypass this barrier,” Zhang Xuan said with a smile. “The fact that even a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator like you is unable to breach it meant that the barrier was set up by Kong shi. Going down this line of thought, I think I should be able to figure something out!”
The reason Zhang Xuan had Vicious made a move was to test the limits of the barrier. The fact that it could withstand Vicious’ attack meant that it likely had something to do with Kong shi.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan walked up to the barrier and infused his Celestial Master Teacher aura within.
Given that they were both Celestial Master Teachers, perhaps this might be the key to resolving the bottleneck before him.
Weng!
As the aura flowed in, the barrier suddenly began wavering. Countless insights regarding education and mentorship flowed into his head, leaving him with a deeper impression of the master teacher occupation.
It was as if all of the ideals that Kong shi embraced had been imparted to him.
“Using the world as an example, one can right their minds to align with nature and encompass everything in the world…”
A voice echoed in Zhang Xuan’s head. It could have been a lingering thought from Kong shi, but at the same time, it seemed like it was his own interpretation as well.
A Celestial Master Teacher was a master teacher recognized by the heavens. Using the heavens as an example, Celestial Master Teachers were able to swiftly rise through the ranks. However, if they wished to surpass the heavens, the difficulties they would face were manyfold.
Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, and the others, for example, had learned under him as his direct disciples, allowing their cultivation to rise far beyond the speed of ordinary cultivators. However, if they wished to surpass him… Well, this was something that they would never be able to achieve in their lifetime.
It was not that they were weak, but most of their cultivation techniques that they had practiced came from him, and it had formed the foundation of their cultivation. If they wanted to surpass him, they would have either to have to gain a deeper understanding of his cultivation techniques or overthrow everything that they had learned before.
Kong shi had more than three thousand disciples in the world, but not a single one of them was able to surpass him. From there, it was apparent how difficult it was to surpass one’s lineage.
“I think I understand. I am a Celestial Master Teacher, a master teacher acknowledged by the heavens. In other words, my existence is viewed to be beneath the heavens. As such… it’s nigh impossible for me to comprehend any rules that surpass the heavens! Since that’s the case… why should I remain as a Celestial Master Teacher?”
It was as if enlightenment had suddenly struck Zhang Xuan as his eyes widened in realization. “Since you deny me of my breakthrough, I shall be a Celestial Master Teacher no more. Instead, I’ll become… the World’s Teacher!”
If he wished to achieve a breakthrough to Ancient Sage, he would be able to do it easily through his Spear Quintessence, Saber Quintessence, or even Fist Quintessence and the like. However, once he did so, everything would be settled. It would be nigh impossible for him to find a path unique to him anymore.
As such, he had been searching for something that he could say that was his and his alone. This was also why he had been suppressing his cultivation all along, refusing to achieve a breakthrough over the past two months.
And at that very moment, he seemed to have found a direction.
The fact that he could receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and become a Celestial Master Teacher meant that the world was sentient!
Since that was the case, why did he necessarily have to be the one being acknowledged? Why could he not become its teacher instead?
If one took the world as an example and learned from it, one would never be able to surpass the limits of the world. On the other hand, as the World’s Teacher, his position would be above the world right from the start. Naturally, the path leading to Ancient Sage would be much smoother than ever.
However, becoming the World’s Teacher is easier said than done. I have to understand the world and grasp its strengths and flaws. Only then will I become worthy of that position. More importantly, I will have to forsake my title as a Celestial Master Teacher!
His mind churned at an incredible speed in order to map out a feasible plan. Once he had confirmed his direction, he closed his eyes and decisively released all of his Celestial Master Teacher aura at once.
All gains were bound to accompany some loss.
If one wanted to fill a sack with gold ingots, one would have to toss away the silver ingots in it first.
While the Celestial Master Teacher might be a position that almost all desired, it had become nothing more than a restriction on him. Thus, there was no pity in casting it away!
His success had always been built on his diligence, tenacity, upright character, and unyielding spirit. As for the role of Celestial Master Teacher? Heh, that was a mere transient title!
As his state of mind settled down, he began expelling the energy that he had absorbed from his five acknowledgements of Celestial Master Teacher. An aura so concentrated gushed out and rose right into the azure sky as if a pillar of light. Reaching the tip of the world, it exploded and transformed into innumerable currents of energy that dissipated into the surroundings.
As the Celestial Master Teacher aura dissipated, Zhang Xuan’s will slowly floated into the sky. The will of the heavens crushed down on his will, commencing a battle of willpower.
…
The Baijiang Empire Master Teacher Pavilion.
“The path of teacherhood is centered around three aspects, the impartation of knowledge, the proper conduct of one’s character, and the enlightenment of one’s heart. The reason Kong shi’s teachings were able to reach everyone in the world is due to the lack of discrimination in his impartation. His heart was vast enough to encompass the world. As a master teacher, you should constantly bear your responsibility in mind. The lineages of mankind must be properly passed down from generation to generation in order to ensure our survival through the ages…”
A bunch of newly qualified master teachers were standing before the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, and an elder was lecturing them with a solemn look on his face.
“Yes!” The master teachers nodded in response.
From the moment that they became master teachers, they came to know of their responsibilities, and they chose to accept the burden.
For tens of thousands of years, the Master Teacher Pavilion had both been respected and humiliated by the population. Nevertheless, the reason it was able to withstand the trial of time and remain at the top of the world was because of the unchanging spirit passed down across the generations.
“Wonderful. Kneel down and pay respects to the ancestors!”
The elder was just about to step aside to allow the newly qualified master teachers to pay respects to the ancestral tablets when the ground suddenly started trembling. The ancestral tablets placed neatly on the altar began to shake nonstop.
Huala!
All of the ancestral tablets fell down simultaneously, and they were all facing the same direction.
“What’s going on?”
The elder widened his eyes in shock. He quickly turned toward where the ancestral tablets had fallen, and he caught sight of a silhouette formed out of clouds and rainbows. Dressed in a long robe, that figure seemed to tower over the entire world, making it impossible to see his body fully.
The figure was faced against them, but the aura that he emanated made others dare not look at him directly. Instead, it seemed to compel one to bow down before him.
“That’s… a Celestial Master Teacher!” the elder exclaimed as his body stiffened in shock.
In all of history, the only person who was known to have been a Celestial Master Teacher was Kong shi himself.
Many master teachers had sought to emulate his path afterward, but no matter how hard they tried, they had been unable to accomplish that feat. Yet, at that very moment, there was another Celestial Master Teacher among them!
Putong!
Unable to hold back his agitation any longer, the elder kneeled to the ground and bowed.
The elder glared at the newly appointed master teachers, who were still blanked out from the abrupt turn of events, and bellowed, “A new Celestial Master Teacher has descended among us; an era of prosperity lies right ahead! Hurry up and bow down!”
“Y-yes!”
The crowd quickly got to their knees and bowed deeply.
The information regarding a Celestial Master Teacher was only passed down within the Master Teacher Pavilion, but at this very moment, countless people were witnessing this sight together.
The faraway figure had his legs firmly planted on the ground, and his body was shouldering the weight of the heavens. This was a sign of utmost intimacy with the world, but the figure pushed the two away with a look of disdain on his face.
He was actually… scorning the heavens!
