Weren’t these guys the arrogant fellows from before?
The domineering commander who was standing imposingly on the savage beast before… Why was half of his body stabbed into the ground as though a seedling?
And the main culprit of the entire incident, the princess consort, had her face swollen similar to that of a pig. If not for her elegant clothes, no one would have thought that she was out of place amidst of a group of beggars.
Even that ferocious savage beast seemed to have been knocked insensible from the impact.
This, this…
Mo Hongyi’s eyes widened as though huge bells.
What in the world happened? In the blink of an eye, those arrogant fellows were reduced to such a state?
Doubtful, Mo Hongyi heard the sound of another two hitting the ground.
Hurriedly turning his gaze over, he saw two ‘patients’, flung out from the room on top of the savage beast, crashed onto the concrete ground in the distance.
They were Lin Ruotian and Lin Lang.
They were already severely injured before, and after being flung several hundred meters away from a height of several dozen meters, all of their bones were shattered. Their souls left their body, heading straight to the underworld to report their attendance.
“Father, brother…”
Upon seeing this sight, Lin Long’s blood rushed to her head in agitation, and she fainted.
Even to the moment of his death, Lin Ruotian was indignant.
He thought that he would be able to get back at Zhang Xuan and slaughter those who had dared to humiliate him. Yet, never in his dreams could he have expected that the savage beast would be struck down.
Even so, he was still hopeful. No matter what, Commander Liang was still a Zhizun realm advanced stage expert. Yet, he ended up being flung into the air, and after that… there was no more after.
He came here to exact his vengeance, yet he was done in before he could even meet his sworn enemy…
How could his life end so tragically?
If he knew this would happen, he wouldn’t have waited for his daughter. If he had relented earlier, he wouldn’t have suffered so many days of humiliation in vain…
“The Lin Clan has truly met their match this time!”
“Indeed! Not only is Zhang shi talented, he has a good teacher as well. Fighting against him, isn’t that no different from committing suicide?”
“To rush over without even trying to investigate the matter clearly, they deserved it…”
Seeing the pathetic state of the group from Xuanyuan Kingdom, not only did no one pity them, everyone even felt exhilarated.
Almost everyone had learned about Lu Chong and the Qu Clan’s matter by now. The Lin Clan had oppressed many smaller clans in the capital throughout the years, and their reputation hadn’t been great. Now that they had fallen, everyone swiftly turned against them.
“This is the doing of Zhang shi’s teacher?”
“Indeed. Someone in the sentry tower saw the entire situation previously. He ordered a master teacher named… Little Su or something, I’m not too sure!”
“Regardless of who it is, to be able to throw a Zhizun realm expert around so casually, that person possesses fearsome strength…”
“Indeed. From now on, Zhang shi’s residence is a forbidden zone! Whoever dares to barge in will be expelled from the clan!”
…
A commotion broke out in the capital.
“Little Su? You mean that… Su shi was the one who did it?”
Mo Hongyi’s face flushed, and he clenched his fists tightly.
As expected of a 4-star master teacher! It was a correct decision to acknowledge one of these two after all. His cultivation would surely soar swiftly in the future.
Jiya!
Just as he walked around the area anxiously for Su shi and Ling shi to come out, he heard the gates opened, and two figures walked out.
“Butler Sun, we’ll be leaving now. If you meet Zhang shi, tell him that we’ll be waiting for him at the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!”
Su shi clasped his fist.
“Don’t worry, it’s a small matter!” Sun Qiang waved.
“This…” Mo Hongyi’s body swayed from side to side.
That was Su shi and Ling shi, 4-star master teachers of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance! It was one thing for Yang shi to not escort them to the door, but why didn’t Zhang shi send them off either?
To have a butler do the job… And more importantly, wasn’t this butler being a little too disrespectful?
Look at his expression, he was obviously being perfunctory and… impatient!
Impatient your head! It was one thing if you didn’t know Su shi and Ling shi’s identities, but they have just shown their incredible strength. How can you still treat them with blatant disregard…
Are you insane, or are you ill?
“Probably not… That Yang shi probably possesses unfathomable means. This is why the butler dares to behave arrogantly as well…”
Mo Hongyi was no fool as well. He soon understood the situation. But then, he fell silent once more.
To be able to induce the fear of a 4-star master teacher… How powerful must this Yang shi be?
…
Back in the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“You said that… teacher addressed Su shi as… Little Su?”
Staring at the report in shock, disbelief flashed across Pavilion Master Jiang’s eyes.
“Yes! Not only so, Su shi seems to be exceptionally obedient to Yang shi’s words…” Elder Zhu replied.
“Su shi is a 4-star master teacher of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, yet he treated teacher with such respect, not even complaining when he was called Little Su… Could teacher’s capability be beyond that of a 4-star master teacher?”
Pavilion Master Jiang knew that Yang shi was no ordinary person, but he couldn’t have guessed that he would be such a formidable figure.
To be treated with utmost respect by even a 4-star master teacher, how powerful must he be?
After recovering from his shock, Pavilion Master Jiang commented with a sigh, “Probably only a master teacher of his caliber would be able to groom a talent like Zhang Xuan!”
Despite his young age, Zhang shi had shown incredible talent. Even if he was talented, he would still require a capable teacher to show him the way. In the very least, Jiang Shu felt that he didn’t have the ability to groom a student like Zhang Xuan.
“Right, pavilion master. Su shi and Ling shi have left Zhang shi’s residence, and they’ve returned to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance on an aerial savage beast!” Elder Zhu reported.
“Un, Su shi and Ling shi are elders of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance’s Master Teacher Pavilion. They must have a lot of matters to handle, so they couldn’t possibly stay for too long!”
Pavilion Master Jiang nodded. Then, hesitating for a moment, he said, “Make some preparations, let’s meet Zhang shi and his teacher. Most probably, they will be leaving Tianwu Royal City soon as well!”
He knew about Su shi and Ling shi’s motive here, and given that they had left, it could only mean that they had achieved their goal.
Since the Master Teacher Tournament was in three months, Zhang shi would probably be leaving soon.
“That’s right!”
Elder Zhu nodded.
Zhang shi was a genius, and a small place like Tianwu Kingdom wasn’t sufficient for him to spread his wings. He had to head to somewhere larger for him to soar into the skies!
…
Pavilion Master Jiang and Elder Zhu were right. At this very moment, Zhang Xuan was considering the matter of leaving.
His cultivation had reached Zongshi realm pinnacle, and without sufficient Zhizun realm cultivation techniques, he couldn’t achieve a breakthrough.
And it was impossible to find cultivation techniques of that level in Tianwu Kingdom.
Thus, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to head to higher tier kingdoms.
Reverting back to his original appearance, Zhang Xuan walked into the main hall.
At this moment, Zheng Yang and the others were still kneeling. It had been two days since then, and even though their bodies were shaking and threatening to collapse at any moment, their gazes were growing more and more determined. The frivolousness within their eyes had disappeared.
The two days had sharpened their will and determination.
Knowing that his purpose had been met, Zhang Xuan nodded.
“Get up!”
Zhang Xuan gestured before heading to the top seat.
Lu Chong, Zhao Ya, and the others also walked up, and at this moment, all six students of Zhang Xuan were gathered in this area.
“I intend to leave Tianwu Kingdom for the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. If any of you are unwilling to follow me, I won’t force you!”
Zhang Xuan spoke calmly as he glanced at the crowd.
It was time for them to make a choice again.
Students weren’t slaves. If they weren’t willing to follow along with him, it could only mean that their fate as teacher and student had come to an end.
“I’m willing to follow teacher!” Zhao Ya stepped forward.
“I’m the same as well!” Zheng Yang and the others hurriedly spoke up.
Without their teacher, they wouldn’t possess the strength they did now. They wanted to follow behind their teacher and rise to greater heights.
“Lu Chong, what about you?”
Soon, his five students from Tianxuan expressed their willingness to pursue Zhang Xuan. Only Lu Chong remained quiet all this while.
“I’ve already said that my life belongs to teacher. Naturally, I’ll follow teacher no matter where you go! However, before that, I have some matters that I have to attend to!” Hesitating for a moment, Lu Chong replied.
“Hm?” Zhang Xuan turned to look at him.
“The Myriad Kingdom Alliance is several hundred thousand kilometers away. Once we leave Tianwu Kingdom, it’ll be hard to tell when I’ll be able to return. I hope that… before leaving, I can pay respects to my parents and kin first!” Lu Chong said.
“Yes, it’s only right for you to pay respect to your parents and kin!” Zhang Xuan replied.
Since there was a long journey ahead of them, it was understandable for Lu Chong to want to pay final respects to his family before leaving.
“Also… I would like to ask teacher to help me claim the object that my ancestor left behind. My current strength… is still insufficient!” Lu Chong said.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
The object Lu Chong was referring to probably referred to the letter with Kong shi’s personal handwriting on it.
This item was useless to Zhang Xuan, but this was an heirloom from Lu Chong’s ancestors. It wasn’t surprising that Lu Chong would want to retrieve it before leaving.
“Thank you, teacher!”
Gratitude filled Lu Chong’s eyes.
“Since you have decided to follow me, I’ll lay down my ground rules first!”
Since everyone had agreed to it, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings, and a stern expression appeared on his face.
“The relationship between a teacher and a student hinges on fate. In an academy, you are free to leave a classroom and change your teacher as you please. However, since you have decided to follow me, I won’t allow for that.”
In a normal teacher and student relationship, even though the students were still expected to respect their teacher, the relationship wasn’t binding.
Taking Lu Chong’s class for example, even though Bai laoshi, their previous teacher, had taught them for a considerable period of time, the students didn’t feel any guilt acknowledging Liu laoshi as their new teacher.
It was the same in Hongtian Academy as well. If the student felt that a teacher’s education ability was subpar, they could withdraw and change teachers as they please.
“Teacher… are you taking us in as your direct disciples?”
Suddenly, realization struck, and Zheng Yang asked in agitation.
Zhao Ya and the others also clenched their fists tightly.
There was also a hierarchy to students as well; direct disciple, normal students, and listening in. There was a huge disparity in standing among them.
A normal student could change their teacher as they please. However, if a direct disciple were to do this, it would be equivalent to betraying his teacher and his heritage. He wouldn’t be able to complain even if those from the same line killed him.
Direct disciples were entitled to the secret arts of their teacher, as well as the most detailed guidance. At the same time, their standing was also superior to the other students.
But in return, they had to remain loyal to their teacher.
At the same time, becoming a direct disciple was an acknowledgement from a teacher to a student. After all, no one would impart their ultimate techniques to someone they didn’t acknowledge.
Even though Zhao Ya and the others had regarded themselves as Zhang laoshi’s direct disciples, the latter had never brought up the topic, and they’d felt a little disappointed over the matter. Thus, upon hearing this matter, they couldn’t hold back their excitement.
Becoming a direct disciple meant officializing their identities!
In the future, they would be able to stand upright when speaking up for their teacher.
“That’s right. However, if you become my direct disciple, you have to follow some of my rules: You must respect me and follow my instructions; you are not to be defiant.
“Without my permission, you are not to pass down the skills I impart you all.
“You must treat others magnanimously, and you mustn’t bully the weak.
“Honesty is the basis of trust. You mustn’t hide anything from me.
“Unity is of key…
“If you feel that you can follow all of these rules, I’ll take you in as my direct disciple. If you were to infringe of any of these, I, Zhang Xuan, will kill you personally!”
Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan stood up and spoke sternly. At the very end, it felt as though the air in the room had frozen.
Even though his students might seem frivolous, they held utmost respect for him in their hearts. Zhang Xuan felt that this was what he was looking for in a direct disciple.
But even so, he had to make some things clear beforehand.
“We are willing to come under Zhang laoshi’s lineage to become Zhang laoshi’s direct disciple. We’ll follow teacher’s orders obediently and remain loyal to you until our deaths!”
Without any hesitation, Zhao Ya and the others kneeled to the floor.
“Good!”
Zhang Xuan nodded. “From now on, Zhao Ya will be your senior while Wang Ying is ranked second, followed by Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, then Lu Chong. The six of you are to get along harmoniously, and I bar any internal conflicts among you all!”
Even though Wang Ying was the first student Zhang Xuan accepted, she had a weak character. Of the group, only Zhao Ya possessed the insight and cultivation to take on the role of the leader. If Zheng Yang and the others were to lead the group, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause.
“Yes!”
The group nodded.
With this, the ceremony ended.
…
Autumn of the Year 1736, in Tianwu Royal City, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, Wang Ying, Yuan Tao, and Lu Chong became Zhang shi’s direct disciples.
