The Silver Armored General often followed the military for campaigns, and it just so happened that he had received a short break for the last few days. Thanks to that, he had noticed his son’s issue and saved him. If he was outside, it would already have been too late by the time he heard the news.
How much self-blame would he feel if that had been the case?
Just thinking about it left him deeply frightened. That was why he had lost his temper and barged in.
“From a young age,” Zhang Xuan said, “Zhuo Yan has been instilled with the notion that he has to become a Celestial God like you. Despite his lacking talent, he has been enduring all kinds of stress, diligently going through supplementary lesson after supplementary lesson, all in the hope of not lagging behind his peers. He might not even have had a single day of rest from cultivation over the years!”
At the back, Zhuo Yan lowered his head silently.
On the other hand, the Silver Armored General spoke up. “A cultivator should push himself to the limits when he’s young. What’s the use if he only pushes himself when he reaches my age? I’m doing this with his future in mind! Furthermore, if he doesn’t become a Celestial God, given the lifespan of an average god, it will difficult for him to live past a hundred. My lifespan is a thousand years. Am I to watch helplessly as my young son ages and passes away earlier than me?”
“I am not saying that the plans you have in mind for your son aren’t justified, but cultivation is not about unending diligence,” Zhang Xuan replied. “A balance must be struck in order for one to go further. More than just raising his cultivation, a cultivator must temper his will and his state of mind. If he trudges on without having any time to rest and reflect, it will be hard for him to go beyond a certain point.”
He could understand the feelings of a parent wanting his child to do well in life. He felt the same way for his direct disciples. However, that was simply infeasible.
‘Doing well in life’ was often viewed as a relative term, so it was impossible for everyone to do well together.
“He has been working hard to meet your expectations, such that he anxiously attempted to make a breakthrough before he could reinforce his cultivation. The overwhelming stress pinned on him weakened his will, preventing him from gathering his focus to overcome the hurdle ahead of him. Furthermore, if I am not mistaken, Fan Zhe laoshi seems to have said something to him during the supplementary lessons that worsened his stress.”
Fan Zhe was slightly confused for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
“He has been attending your supplementary lessons for some time now, but he hasn’t managed to become a middle-tier God to date,” Zhang Xuan said. “My guess is that you issued an ultimatum to him, telling him that he has to make a breakthrough by tonight!
“His will was already worn down from all of the stress around him, and your words were the final straw that crushed him. He lost to his own impatience, causing his inner demons to get the better of him. This resulted in the current situation that we see.”
The Silver Armored General was silent for a moment before looking at Zhuo Yan with a complicated expression on his face. “Is what Brother Zhang said true?”
He wanted his son to fare well in life, but what was the use if something happened to his son in the process of doing so?
“Yes…” Zhuo Yan meekly looked at his father as he fidgeted a little uncomfortably.
He had never seen such a look on his stern father’s face before, and he was afraid that he would be reprimanded for his weakness.
As the person in question, he knew very well how he ended up in his current state. It was exactly as Zhang Xuan had said.
The Silver Armored General sighed deeply before speaking in resignation. “I won’t push you anymore, so don’t force yourself to take on more than what you can bear. No matter where you find yourself in the future, so be it.”
If that was the fate for his son, there was no point forcing it.
He was tempted to criticize Fan Zhe for pushing his son so hard, but he realized that he was equally guilty. This made him feel deeply conflicted within. He wondered if what he had been doing all this while was really wrong.
Shaking his head, he turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “Brother Zhang, you have saved my son and given him a new life. I, Zhuo Feng, owe you a favor. No matter what you ask of me in the future, even if it costs me my life, I’ll do my best to fulfill what you need without a word of complaint!”
“General Zhuo, you are too courteous… I didn’t help your son with the intention of obtaining any compensation. I just hope that the reputation of master teachers won’t be sullied by the fiasco here. I can’t say that master teachers are selfless individuals, but they are people who prioritize the welfare of their students above everything. I would be grateful if you don’t look at master teachers in a negative light over this isolated incident,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
He had been a teacher ever since he transcended over to this world, and he had come to view the occupation that Kong shi had created with pride. Naturally, he felt uncomfortable when he saw someone undermining it.
“Could it be that… Brother Zhang, are you a master teacher as well?” Fan Zhe asked.
The others also turned their gazes over curiously.
They had never seen Zhang Xuan before, but the fact that he could cure Zhuo Yan easily showed that his medicinal skills were above those of Physician Yu Feng. Could he actually be a formidable master teacher?
Normal master teachers were nothing much in the Firmament, but the direct disciples of the Heaven Subjugation Monarch were known to be masters of multiple occupations. Even though the person standing before them looked young, could he possibly be related to them in one way or another?
“You can say so,” Zhang Xuan replied frankly.
Back on the Master Teacher Continent, he had been known to be the strongest master teacher, and just like Kong shi, he had been dubbed the World’s Teacher. That being said, the Master Teacher Pavilion in the Firmament probably had its own set of tests in order to assess a person’s qualifications as a master teacher, but he had never been through those formal procedures.
“I see, that’s a huge relief.” Fan Zhe heaved a sigh of relief.
He had caved in to his greed, but he still felt a great attachment to the occupation. He remembered the days where he had devoted his all to teaching his students, and he viewed those days as his greatest pride.
He was glad that Zhang Xuan was around, or else his misdeeds would have left a stain on the reputation of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“Fan Zhe laoshi, may I offer you a suggestion?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“Please feel free to speak.” Fan Zhe clasped his fist.
Despite being weaker than him, the young man’s knowledge was far greater than his. Furthermore, the young man had saved him from the dire situation earlier. So, he was willing to heed any advice that the young man had to offer him.
“Indolence is a natural trait of most cultivators, and that is even more so for youths. Putting the rationale of your actions aside, I don’t think that it’s a bad idea for you to set up supplementary classes so that your students have more time to learn, but rote learning will only grind down their motivation and induce impatience. Eventually, they could walk down the same path as Zhuo Yan, rendering your efforts futile.”
Fan Zhe was silent for a moment as he reflected upon those words. Then, he raised his gaze and asked, “Is there any other way to go about doing it then?”
There were cases where students had benefited greatly from his supplementary classes, but he had also noticed that there was a lack of substantial improvement in most students.
He had tried investigating the reason behind it, and the conclusion that he had come to was that they had grown tired of cultivating.
But he could think of no way to resolve this issue. Cultivation was meant to be a dull and boring process, and there was no way to circumvent it.
“As a teacher, you should take the individual traits of each student into consideration and nurture them accordingly. There is no one fixed formula that works when it comes to teaching; you need to purposefully adapt to the needs of each of your students. Use their unique traits to encourage good learning habits in them and encourage them to overcome their indolence. Once those good habits have been instilled in them, they will be able to find their own way forward,” Zhang Xuan said.
“Use their unique traits to encourage good learning habits…” Fan Zhe repeated while nodding slowly. “But that’s easier said than done!”
It was no easy feat to get close to a person and understand him, not to mention that he had to take care of dozens of students at once. Even if he wanted to do it, he did not have that much time and energy to spare for everyone.
“There are limitations to what you can feasibly do, but every small step you take makes a huge difference to the outcome. Take Zhuo Yan for example. He has faced great pressure from a young age, and his inability to meet the expectations of those around him shattered his confidence. If you gave him some encouragement, it would help him greatly.”
At this point, Zhang Xuan turned to Zhuo Yan and said, “You have also heard what I have just said. While I was checking your body earlier, I found that you aren’t lacking in talent, unlike what you have heard from those around you. On the contrary, your talents far surpass those of most of your peers. It’s just that you haven’t been able to utilize them well.”
“My talents surpass those of most of my peers?” Zhuo Yan looked at Zhang Xuan skeptically before shaking his head.
However, in the depths of his eyes, there was an unmistakable glimmer of hope.
Ever since he was young, he had been described as a wastrel. Any resources that were put into him would just go to waste. Even ordinary academies had turned him away.
The views of those around him had shaped his internal perception of himself. As such, he found it hard to accept the compliments of others.
“I don’t speak empty words, so there’s no need for you to doubt me. It’s the stress that you have been mounting on yourself that fills you with fear, preventing you from making a breakthrough. Listen to my words and open your mind. Use the method that Fan Zhe laoshi imparted to you and try to make a breakthrough again…”
Zhang Xuan had infused the Impartation of Heaven’s Will in his speech, causing Zhuo Yan’s emotions to sway along with his words. The young man subconsciously heeded his words and sat down on the floor.
His eyes were initially filled with confusion and incomprehension, but they gradually grew firm and determined under Zhang Xuan’s encouragement. Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and began driving his divine energy around his body.
Gugugugugu!
With a resounding burst, the bottleneck that had restrained him as a low-tier God was blasted apart, causing his cultivation to surge all the way up to middle-tier God.
In actuality, the perception that others had of Zhuo Yan was not wrong. Zhuo Yan was indeed severely lacking in talent, such that it was no exaggeration to say that he was unsuited to become a cultivator.
It had probably taken the Silver Armored General Zhuo Feng a lot of resources in order to raise his son’s cultivation to low-tier God.
There was a good chance that Zhuo Yan might never become a middle-tier God in his entire life.
However, while Zhang Xuan was healing his injuries earlier, he had nourished the young man’s body with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, altering his constitution.
As a result, while Zhuo Yan’s talents still could not be described as top-notch, he would probably be able to stand his ground against most of his peers.
What he was lacking now was confidence. As long as he could regain his confidence, he should be able to reach considerable heights in the future.
“Zhang shi, I really don’t know how to thank you for your help…” The Silver Armored General Zhuo Feng lowered his head in agitation.
“It’s what I should do,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile before falling silent.
At this moment, he could not help but think about how humble and low profile he had become ever since severing his clone from himself. This thought left him feeling deeply assured.
Hu!
A while later, Zhuo Yan opened his eyes to perceive the raging energy coursing through his body. With reddened eyes, he struggled on the inside for a while before kneeling before Zhang Xuan. “Zhang laoshi, please take me in as your student!”
He had been following Fan Zhe for several years now, but the improvement in his cultivation had not been substantial. On the other hand, he had met Zhang Xuan a moment ago, and all of a sudden, he had already made a breakthrough in his cultivation.
He realized that this might be the opportunity of a lifetime for him. If he could have such a man as his teacher, his achievements in the future would be boundless.
“Y-yes, that’s right. Zhang shi, I ask of you to take my son as your student!” Zhuo Feng hurriedly nodded in agreement.
All this while, he had thought that his son was a little slow on the uptake, but it turned out that he was quite sharp-witted when it came to this matter.
At the same time, he also switched from using Brother Zhang to Zhang shi as a sign of respect.
“If you really wish to take me as your teacher, I don’t mind taking you in as my student either,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
Given that the other party had not built his foundation up well, it was unlikely that he would take the other party as his direct disciple. However, he did not mind taking the other party in as an ordinary student and imparting some knowledge to him.
“Student Zhuo Yan pays respect to Zhang laoshi!” Zhuo Yan kneeled to the floor and kowtowed deeply.
There was also a distinction between a student and a direct disciple in the Firmament.
Even though Zhang Xuan did not take him in as his direct disciple, Zhuo Yan was already glad that he had been able to become the student of such a great teacher.
“Since you address me as your teacher, it’s only right for me to impart something to you.” Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message over to Zhuo Yan. “I’ll give you a cultivation technique that’s suited for your constitution, and as long as you cultivate it diligently, there’s a chance that you might be able to become a Celestial God in the future.”
He was extremely familiar with the cultivation techniques beneath the Celestial God realm, and while he was checking on Zhuo Yan’s condition through the Library of Heaven’s Path earlier, he had already gotten some ideas.
It did not take him long to impart a set of cultivation techniques over to Zhuo Yan.
After going through the details of the cultivation technique, Zhuo Yan’s eyes lit up in delight. He quickly bowed deeply to Zhang Xuan once more as a show of gratitude.
His cultivation might be lacking, but that did not hinder the fact that he had come from a relatively prestigious family. He had the opportunity to come into contact with many formidable cultivation techniques, but in terms of ingenuity, none of them came close to what his teacher had just imparted to him!
As long as he cultivated it diligently, he should be able to make a breakthrough to high-tier God and reach for higher realms in the near future!
The value of such a precious cultivation technique was priceless!
To actually bestow such a thing upon him without asking for any compensation…
So, this was a true teacher!
For the longest of time, he had been viewed as a wastrel in the eyes of others. This was the first time that someone had regarded him so highly, and it left him with mixed feelings.
Zhang Xuan walked forward to help the young man up.
Weng!
At that moment, the Library of Heaven’s Path suddenly jolted, and a golden page materialized.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.
It seemed like his trip to the Master Teacher Pavilion had not been wasted. This golden page would allow him to protect himself against most experts in the Firmament.
Not only so, coming into contact with the academies of the Firmament’s Master Teacher Pavilions and the teaching style of other master teachers had given him a newfound understanding toward the education and the relationship between a teacher and a student.
