After all, Jiang Qingqin had personally witnessed the rate at which Zhang Xuan learned.
He had still been completely ignorant the first day, but the following day, his capability as a demonic tunist abruptly soared to 7-star. Considering that, it shouldn’t take him too long to master another supporting occupation.
“I am not worried about his supporting occupations but his cultivation. Zhang shi is currently only at Perfect Harmonization realm, but the minimum requirement to take the 6-star examination is to reach Chrysalis realm pinnacle,” Zhao Bingxu said.
5-star low-tier, high-tier, and pinnacle corresponded to Cosmos Bridge realm, Perfect Harmonization realm, and Ethereal Treading realm.
In order to take the 6-star master teacher examination, one’s cultivation had to be Chrysalis realm pinnacle at the minimum.
Back then, when Zhang shi clashed with You Xu, he had exposed his strength—Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle. It was impressive for a freshman, but he was still two realms away from becoming a 6-star master teacher. To progress through two realms within three months… One could say that it was nearly impossible.
“Ah… Actually, when I went out a few days ago, I accidentally made a breakthrough, so my cultivation is currently at Ethereal Treading realm…” Zhang Xuan said.
“Accidentally?” Everyone widened their eyes in shock.
Others had to put in a huge amount of effort while expending many valuable treasures in order to reach Ethereal Treading realm, and yet, you claim that you reached it accidentally? On top of that, you still dare to say it as if you have been wronged…
Can you be more serious? This is an important matter we are speaking of!
In truth, they had wronged Zhang Xuan. It was indeed true that he had made the breakthrough unintentionally, and he was frustrated by the matter.
“You made the breakthrough to Ethereal Treading realm?”
But different from the frustrated and stifled expressions of the others, School Head Mo froze, and his mouth suddenly began twitching. “When Zhang shi first participated in the entrance examination, I remember that his cultivation was only at Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle. It was to save a group of students that he made the breakthrough to Cosmos Bridge realm in the midst of the examination…”
As the invigilator, he had kept tabs on the happenings of the examination so as to source out talented students which the academy could devote resources to grooming. According to what he’d heard, Zhang Xuan had forcefully raised his cultivation by an entire realm just so to save his fellow peers from the encirclement they were in.
He had lamented after hearing the news as such forceful and abrupt breakthroughs tended to leave hidden traumas within one’s body, limiting one’s future progress. This was also why he had advised Zhang Xuan to take note of this matter and make sure to stabilize his cultivation well… But before he knew it, the other party was suddenly at Ethereal Treading realm…
“It has been less than twenty days since the entrance examination, right?” someone amid the crowd muttered.
Everyone hurriedly turned their gazes to the young man in horror, as if they were staring at a monster.
To advance from Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm to 8-dan Ethereal Treading realm in slightly more than half a month…
That was nearly three whole realms!
Are you sure you aren’t some renowned expert concealing your cultivation to toy with us?
Even Cultivation Impartation couldn’t possibly be as fast as that, right?
Don’t you need to reinforce your cultivation?
Don’t you need to spend some time digesting and musing over the intricacies of each cultivation realm?
Just as they were feeling frenzied over the matter, they suddenly heard Zhang Xuan sighing deeply, and with an embarrassed look, he said, “Indeed. I have been spending so much time advancing my supporting occupations that I wasn’t able to find much time to cultivate, so my progress has been slow…”
In truth, he had been intending to sweep through the ten schools within ten days and spend an additional six more striving for Saint realm 1-dan, thus graduating within half a month.
But more than half a month had passed, and he was only at Ethereal Treading realm primary stage. Additionally, he had only mastered five supporting occupations as well… He was embarrassed by his incapability.
Hearing those words, the crowd nearly spurted blood.
The heck!
You call this slow?
If your pace is considered slow, then what do you call spending several decades just to raise our cultivation by one stage?
Also, wipe that embarrassment off your face!
The ones who should be embarrassed are us!
What made things worse was that despite the ridiculousness of Zhang Xuan’s words, they could tell that he wasn’t lying, deepening the trauma they had just suffered.
Ever since the other party enrolled in the academy, he had spent seven days to master five supporting occupations, achieving proficiency levels surpassing even those of the heads of the respective schools, causing pandemonium in his wake…
Not only so, he even had the time to conduct lectures and establish the influential Xuanxuan Faction. Despite all he had done, he was still able to find time to make the breakthrough from Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle to Perfect Harmonization realm pinnacle…
If he had devoted his time to just cultivating in itself…
Forget it, let’s not think about it anymore! It will only make us feel worse anyway!
In comparison to the other party, their rate of cultivation was indeed not only slow. It was as if they suffered from a complete lack of talent!
As stifled as they were, recalling the unfathomable expert the other party had as a teacher, they could only accept what was before them.
Incredible talent paired with an unparalleled teacher. If the other party were to be on the same level as them, that would be truly embarrassing. He would be unworthy of his title as a genius!
After a long moment of silence, one of the elders spoke up. “Given Zhang shi’s capability, reaching 6-star within three months shouldn’t be a problem for him!”
“I think so, too.” Words of agreement soon rippled through the group.
Three months wasn’t a long time for a cultivator; it would be gone in one period of seclusion. But to the fellow before them, they dared not think what he could achieve within this limited period of time.
Perhaps, he might even be able to make the breakthrough to Saint realm!
“Then… since we have come to a consensus, let’s not hesitate any longer. We shall conduct the inauguration ceremony in three days then!” Mu shi declared with a wave of his hand.
The inauguration of the principal of the Master Teacher Academy was a huge affair with great implications for the surrounding Tier-1 Empires and Master Teacher Pavilions.
The reason it was set for three days later was to allow for sufficient preparation time for the ceremony and to invite the guests.
Besides, they had to fix the Elder Hall and the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall first. Otherwise, if others were to see the tattered state the great Master Teacher Academy had been reduced to, they would probably laugh themselves to death.
Having decided on the matter, the others quickly nodded in agreement.
While the Golden Origin Cauldron did have a vote in the matter as well, given that even Mu shi had expressed his support for Zhang Xuan, it had no choice but to go along with the majority decision as well.
In any case, its standing wouldn’t change regardless of who became the principal, so there was no need for it to go all out to oppose Zhang Xuan either.
Seeing how the group had come to a decision without him, Zhang Xuan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
In your discussion, deciding whether I should be the principal or not, shouldn’t you have asked for my opinion as well?
Perhaps noticing Zhang Xuan’s thoughts, the Byzantium Helios Beast said, “Master, becoming the principal might be a heavy responsibility, but it comes with many privileges as well. For one, you can access the facilities of the school—the libraries and such—freely!”
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.
If he could gain access to all of the books in the academy freely, becoming the new principal was indeed nothing much.
After the confirmation of this matter, the group discussed, for another two hours, how best to allocate the various responsibilities for the preparations of the inauguration ceremony.
Nearing the end of the meeting, School Head Mo turned to Zhang Xuan and said apologetically, “Zhang shi, until the inauguration ceremony is over, we can’t bring you into the principal’s residence. Thus, we will have to ask you to remain in your manor for a while longer…”
Even though this matter was already approved by the Ten Great Master Teachers and Mu shi, Zhang Xuan still couldn’t be considered the official principal until the inauguration ceremony was over. Thus, he couldn’t use most of the authority he had as the principal just yet.
Understanding this, Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
In any case, it was just three days. It would pass in a flash.
In the discussion, it was decided that Zhang Xuan should focus his attention on raising his cultivation and clearing the 6-star master teacher examination, so most of the responsibilities of the principal would be distributed among the Ten Great Master Teachers for the time being.
Naturally, upon hearing those words, Zhang Xuan heaved a huge sigh of relief.
At that point, he suddenly recalled another matter he had to tend to, so he asked, “I need to forge a grade-7 pill, so may I borrow Senior Golden Origin Cauldron for a moment?”
It had been ten days since he had left Hongyuan City, and while he hadn’t had the time to check on Wei Ruyan yet, her soul should have been sufficiently nourished at this point. It was about time for him to move on to the next step.
Thus, the urgent matter at hand was to forge the Grand Intermittence Pill.
The various medicinal herbs should have been gathered by now, and Apothecary Lu and the others should have achieved a certain level of mastery in the forging technique he had imparted to them. What he was lacking now was a proper cauldron to forge the Grand Intermittence Pill in.
“Cough cough…” His face flushed with anxiety, Zhao Bingxu hurriedly explained, “Zhang shi, Senior Golden Origin Cauldron is a weapon caldron, not a pill cauldron!”
It went without saying that there was a huge difference between a weapon cauldron and a pill cauldron.
As a 6-star blacksmith and apothecary, Zhang shi should have been more than able to tell the difference!
Why would he make such a bizarre request out of the blue?
“I understand, but the medicinal energy contained within a grade-7 pill is so great that I fear that Spirit-tier cauldrons will be unable to harness it. Most probably, only a Saint cauldron like Senior Golden Origin Cauldron will be able to do so,” Zhang Xuan said.
Zhang Xuan was confident that Apothecary Lu and the others would be able to successfully forge the Grand Intermittence Pill if they were to follow his procedures strictly without incurring a cauldron explosion, but after his previous few experiences in pill forging, he understood that things wouldn’t necessarily go as planned regardless of how thorough the preparations were.
If a Spirit-tier cauldron was used and it failed to confine the explosion, the entire Master Teacher Academy could possibly be reduced to rubble.
This was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.
“This…”
Zhao Bingxu was perplexed. “There is a huge difference between a pill cauldron and a weapon cauldron. How are you going to forge a pill in him?”
“There’s no need to worry. Even though Senior Golden Origin Cauldron is a weapon cauldron, he is still ultimately a cauldron. As long as I place a formation over him to alter his properties slightly, he will work fine as a pill cauldron as well,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
The main difference between a pill cauldron and a weapon cauldron lay in their temperature.
Weapon cauldrons were far better at retaining heat, thus allowing the temperature to rise to higher levels.
On the other hand, pill cauldrons could heat up and cool down swiftly, making it easier to manipulate the temperature.
Fortunately, this problem could be easily solved by implementing a formation on top of the cauldron, so it wasn’t a huge issue.
Hearing that Zhang Xuan could alter the properties of a weapon cauldron into that of a pill cauldron with a formation, Zhao Bingxu hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“If you are confident, I will talk to Senior Golden Origin Cauldron on your behalf…”
However, at that moment, the Golden Origin Cauldron suddenly harrumphed. “I am a Saint weapon cauldron, and you expect me to forge a pill for you? Dream on!”
As a Saint artifact, it had its own pride. To it, making it forge a pill was like forcing a duck to lay chicken eggs, and it viewed it as a huge insult. How could it possibly agree to that?
Hearing those words, Zhao Bingxu clasped his fist and pleaded, “Senior…”
“Don’t waste your breath, it’s not like you are unaware of my temper. If you say another word, I shall swallow you and turn you into cinders!” the Golden Origin Cauldron bellowed with unconcealable pride in its tone.
“This…”
Hearing the obstinate tone of the Golden Origin Cauldron, Zhao Bingxu could only sigh deeply and shake his head helplessly. “Zhang shi, this… I’m afraid that I won’t be able to help you on this. If Senior Golden Origin Cauldron refuses to help you, there is no way we can force him to help you.”
If the spirit within a Saint artifact refused to cooperate, it would be impossible to use the artifact. If the Golden Origin Cauldron were to tamper with the forging process even in the slightest, the medicinal herbs could be easily turn to ash, resulting in a tragic failure.
“Let me try to negotiate with him myself!” Zhang Xuan told Zhao Bingxu telepathically before walking up to the Golden Origin Cauldron.
It must be said that the Saint artifact was indeed massive, standing half a head taller than Zhang Xuan. It emanated a domineering aura that exerted immense pressure on those standing before it.
As expected of the Guardian Saint Artifact of the Master Teacher Academy, it indeed possessed fearsome prowess.
Even the Byzantium Helios Beast, despite its breakthrough, was no match for the other party.
The Golden Origin Cauldron harrumphed coldly. “You want me to forge pills for you? That is impossible, so you’d better kick that idea out of your mind. Otherwise, even if they have all nominated you to be the next principal, I will still reduce you to cinders.”
“Senior, hold it for a moment. It won’t be too late for you to make your decision after hearing my offer!” Zhang Xuan smiled confidently.
After which, he stepped closer and placed his palm lightly on the Golden Origin Cauldron. Following which, he circled around the Golden Origin Cauldron, smacking his palm on it intermittently as he walked by.
“Do you think that… Zhang shi will be able to tame Senior Golden Origin Cauldron?” School Head Mo asked School Head Zhao discreetly as he gazed at the sight before him.
Zhao Bingxu shook his head. “I think it will be difficult. It’s not like you don’t know Senior Golden Origin Cauldron’s temper. He even snubbed the old principal back then, so I don’t think Zhang shi will fare any better with him. To persuade him… unlikely. Truly unlikely!”
“I think so too…” School Head Mo sighed.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, a sharp sound suddenly echoed from the Golden Origin Cauldron, and its massive body jolted abruptly.
The next moment, it cuddled up to Zhang Xuan, as if a lapdog trying to please its owner, “Ding Ding1 pays respect to master! Master, I will forge whatever you want me to! Isn’t it just pills? How many do you need?”
“…” School Head Mo.
“…” School Head Zhao.
“…” The others.
Starve:
Sorry for the late chapter. Been busy with quite a handful of stuff nowadays. The second one is currently undergoing editing, so it should probably be up soon.
