“The teachers of the ten schools will be conducting a public lecture each on the ‘Impartation Podium’ later today. We hope that Brother Zhang can attend it with us. Your eyes are far more discerning than ours, so we trust your judgement more,” Ruohuan gongzi said awkwardly.
After suffering multiple blows while competing with the man before him, he knew better than anyone else that the other party was a man of incredible capability.
If the other party could help him find a teacher, it would definitely be far better than him fumbling around and trying his luck.
There were only three days for students to find a teacher. Their future was at stake here. They could soar to great heights with a good teacher, but if they were to make a mistake with this, they could potentially end up capping their future accomplishments instead.
Eventually, they’d decided that it would be best for them to consult Zhang Xuan on this matter. They had all come from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, so they were familiar with one another.
Even when compared to Hong shi and the others, Zhang shi’s judgement was still far more precise and accurate.
“Impartation Podium? Public lecture?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
Too overwhelmed by challenging the blacksmith examination, he hadn’t had the time to learn what was going on in the academy yet.
The Impartation Podium stood at the very center of the academy, and it was usually the venue for most major events. At the same time, it also served as a dueling platform for students to resolve their differences.
As for public lectures, he had heard of them back when he was still a teacher in Hongtian Academy.
To put it simply, it was a lesson which anyone could attend if they wanted.
The public lectures served as a platform for students to assess a teacher’s capability so that they could better choose their teachers.
At the same time, it also introduced a fair degree of rivalry among the teaching staff, encouraging them to work harder and strive for excellence in their teaching.
“Yes, does Zhang shi want to head over as well?” Everyone turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
Seeing the determined expressions on their faces, it was clear that they wouldn’t give up easily on this matter. After all, it was extremely easy for one to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of master teachers conducting public lectures there.
This choice could potentially determine how far they would rise as a master teacher, so they weren’t willing to take it lightly.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan nodded.
“Alright, I will go with you all then. This will be a good opportunity to see the standard of the teachers in the academy…”
Since most of the teachers were participating in this event, it was unlikely that there would be any people at the Terpsichore School or Demonic Tunist School, making it difficult for him to find the books he sought. Thus, he might as well make use of the time to take a peek at the quality of lessons in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy so that he could have a rough gauge of where he stood.
With Zhang Xuan having made up his mind, the group headed left for the Impartation Podium. It was some distance away from the Elite Sector, but with their current cultivation, it didn’t take too long for them to arrive at their destination.
There was only one word that could be used to describe the venue—congested.
All thirty thousand freshmen were currently standing atop the Impartation Podium, in search of a suitable teacher for them. There were also a couple of seniors who had decided to join in the bustle as well. Despite the immense size of the podium, it was completely packed with men. One would have easily gotten lost if it had been their first time here.
Ruohuan gongzi had looked into the event beforehand, so he began introducing the various technicalities regarding it.
“In order to better facilitate the freshmen around the various public lectures held by the teachers, they have divided the Impartation Podium in a manner such that there’s a narrow passageway for movement, and as long as one walks along the passageway, they will be able to listen to the lectures held by all of the teachers.”
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan glanced at the crowd ahead of him, and indeed, he could see that most people were heading in the same direction, which was likely where the passageway Ruohuan gongzi mentioned was.
Standing on elevated platforms on both sides of the passageway were teachers who were busy lecturing the crowd gathered around them. Being too far away, the group wasn’t able to hear the content of the lectures. Nevertheless, they could see the intoxicated looks of the students listening to the lectures, seemingly fully-immersed in the lecturers’ words.
Nearly all of the teachers in the Master Teacher Academy were 6-star master teachers, and at such a level, how could their ability to impart knowledge possibly be lacking? No matter how boring their lessons might be, their deep understanding of cultivation easily made up for it. Their words carried a kind of strength that drew people in, leaving the listeners deeply entranced by the brand-new world opened to them.
“Juniors, may I interest you in the ‘Teacher Information Documentation’?”
Just as the group was about to follow the crowd into the passageway, a smiling young man suddenly walked up to them and blocked their way.
The young man seemed to be in his thirties, possessing a lanky figure reminiscent of a bamboo. A 5-star emblem stood on his chest, which showed that he was at least a Grade-2 student in the academy.
“Teacher Information Documentation?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
The young man glanced in the surroundings, and after ensuring that no one was looking, he whipped out a book and passed it over while whispering in a hushed voice, “Yes. Our Ashen Moon Faction has specially compiled all of the information regarding the teachers in the academy, as well as their various unique characteristics, interests, and the results of their students. Using this as a reference as you listen to the various public lectures, you will be able to make a better choice…”
“There is such a thing?”
Bewildered, Zhang Xuan took the book, and just as he was about to flip it open, the young man before abruptly stopped him.
“Every single one of us in the Master Teacher Academy possesses a photographic memory. If I allow you to browse through the book, how am I supposed to sell it? If you wish to look at it, you will have to buy it…”
Anyone with a Soul Depth beyond 10 would possess a photographic memory. Considering that the minimum requirement to enter the academy was for one to be a 4-star master teacher, it meant that every single student had a photographic memory.
The Teacher Information Documentation contained extremely precious information, and the other party was clearly intending on using it to earn some additional money. If he were to allow his customers to browse through it and memorize its contents, who would bother buying the book?
“How much does it cost?” Ruohuan gongzi asked.
Since this document had been prepared by the seniors, it should be accurate. If they could buy a copy, it would help facilitate them in choosing which teacher to acknowledge.
“Our Ashen Moon Faction spent great effort to gather and compile the information, so we have to charge a higher price in order to recoup our losses. Each copy costs a hundred middle-tier spirit stones, and the price isn’t up for negotiation!” the young man said.
“A hundred middle-tier spirit stones?” Everyone was shocked.
Coming from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Ruohuan gongzi had barely seen any middle-tier spirit stones in his life. Luo Xuan, who had come from the strongest sect in the region, fared slightly better in his financial position, but forking out a hundred middle-tier spirit stones was still far beyond his means.
As for Song Chao, he could hardly take out a middle-tier spirit stone under Zhang Xuan’s beguilement back then, so asking him to take out a hundred at once was clearly asking too much.
In other words, of all of them, Zhang Xuan was the only one who could afford the document!
The price sure was steep!
Taking the distressed expressions before him into sight, the young man hurriedly said, “You all find the documentation expensive? You do know that there is detailed information on each and every teacher in here, right? Once you find a suitable teacher, it’s just a matter of time before you make the breakthrough to become a 5-star master teacher. By then, you won’t need to worry about having insufficient middle-tier spirit stones anymore!”
There was a huge gap between each rank of a master teacher. While there were limited opportunities for a 4-star master teacher to earn middle-tier spirit stones, 5-star master teachers didn’t have such a worry.
“Thank you for your concern, but we don’t need it!” Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
A hundred middle-tier spirit stones for a document… That was daylight robbery!
Besides, Zhang Xuan didn’t need such a thing either.
For one, he had just touched the book earlier, and a replica had appeared in his mind… On top of that, his version was more detailed with indications to mark which information was inaccurate.
“You don’t need it? How could you not need it? Finding a suitable teacher in the academy is of utmost importance! If you take this lightly, you might just find yourself unable to progress a single step forward as a master teacher, and eventually, you might even end up being expelled by the academy…” Not expecting the freshmen to turn down his offer, the young man froze for a moment before hurriedly trying to persuade them.
Rejecting a teacher that one had acknowledged was an extremely troublesome process that could result in dire consequences, so it was extremely important for the freshmen to choose their teacher wisely.
If they were to make the wrong decision, their future would be bleak.
“We really don’t need it. We bought a copy earlier, so we don’t need another one!” Zhang Xuan said.
“You have already bought one?”
The young man froze for a moment before a thought struck him, and he said, “Did you buy from the True Helios Faction instead? I can tell you safely that the documentation they have is incomplete and inaccurate, so you will be far safer buying from me…”
“If I may ask, what are the True Helios Faction and Ashen Moon Faction that you speak of?” Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.
“You don’t know?”
The young man was shocked for an instant before nodding in realization. “I forgot, you have just arrived in the academy, so it’s natural for you to be unaware of it. Our academy has many student organizations, and every single one of them was established by the strongest students in the academy. Our Ashen Moon Faction is led by Senior Long Cangyue while the True Helios Faction is headed by Senior Xue Zhenyang!”
“Long Cangyue? Xue Zhenyang?”
“Un, both of them are esteemed Grade-5 seniors, and they possess formidable strength. As long as you join any organization, you will be given the opportunity to receive pointers from the seniors!” the young man said proudly.
“Receive pointers?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before he understood what was going on.
To become a Grade-5 student, one had to be a 6-star low-tier master teacher.
(Grade-1 students are at 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star; Grade-2 students are at 5-star low-tier, Grade-3 students are at 5-star high-tier; Grade-4 students are at 5-star pinnacle; Grade-5 students are at 6-star low-tier.)
Often, a teacher would be paired with many students, and this left them little time to care for all of them. Thus, it would be highly beneficial if they could receive the pointers of a 6-star low-tier master teacher outside of lessons as well.
“Indeed. The academy is filled with many geniuses, and if you can’t keep up, you will only lag behind. This means that you might lose the opportunity to go on experiential training and obtain valuable cultivation resources… If you wish to keep up, the only way before you is to join one of these factions!” the young man said.
Hearing those words, Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and the others couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
Unlike Zhang shi, they didn’t possess extraordinary talent or capability. Unless they received all of the resources they could get, it was impossible for them to stand out amidst all of the geniuses in the Master Teacher Academy.
If they couldn’t stand out, they might lose out on many valuable opportunities offered by the academy, thus limiting their future achievements.
Thus, it was inevitable that they would have to join one of these student factions.
“Alright, you will get to know more of it in the future, so there is no need to worry about it at this point. For now, what is important is for you to find a teacher who fits your criteria, and the documentation offered by the True Helios Faction won’t be enough for it. I am only saying this out of worry, but you really should buy the one from our Ashen Moon Faction. Not to brag, but our Senior Long Cangyue received a much higher placing than Senior Xue Zhenyang in the Annual Tournament…”
The young man continued to advertise the book in his hand.
“I appreciate your gesture, but we really don’t need it…”
If the book only cost one or two middle-tier spirit stone, Zhang Xuan could still consider buying it. But a hundred? That was clearly exploitation! How could he agree to it?
Thus, he decided to turn down the offer.
Seeing that the few freshmen before him were still unwilling to buy the document after all he had said, the young man’s face darkened.
“You refuse? That won’t do! Since you bought the documentation from True Helios Faction, you must buy the one from our Ashen Moon Faction as well. Otherwise, I can tell you that you will face a lot of trouble in the future for offending us!”
The smile had disappeared from his face, and his tone was menacing.
“Face a lot of trouble? Are you threatening us?” Zhang Xuan asked impassively.
The young man harrumphed.
“Threatening? Of course not, this is just a warning from me in my capacity as your senior. Even though all of the students in the Master Teacher Academy are master teachers, the water here isn’t as calm as it seems!”
Saturday’s 2nd chapter
