In the tattered Elder Hall of the Master Teacher Academy, Mu shi and the others couldn’t help but fall in a daze as they stared at the destruction before them.
The Elder Hall had many years of history to it, and countless precious antiques and relics from the predecessors had been stored in it. But now… it had all been reduced to rubble.
To be able to reduce the entire area to this state with just the aura he exuded, collapsing even the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, Yang shi’s prowess was too fearsome!
Wei Ranxue couldn’t help but remark, “It seems like… Zhang shi’s destructive capabilities were picked up from Yang shi!”
The other school heads nodded in agreement with bitter smiles.
Even though Zhang shi had destroyed quite a few of buildings since his enrollment, they could tell, that had happened due to a series of unfortunate coincidences, and it wasn’t intentional. However, the matter with Yang shi was different. In a fit of rage, the entire Elder Hall just abruptly collapsed under his wrath…
That ability to destroy was clearly a level higher than Zhang shi’s!
Tearing down walls and buildings without the slightest warning beforehand in the face of a disagreement…
It was truly fortunate that they didn’t hurt his student!
If someone had really injured Zhang shi, wouldn’t Yang shi tear down the Master Teacher Academy or even the entirety of Hongyuan City?
“It is really a blessing that there is a protective formation around the area which helped to conceal the destruction from the eyes and ears of others, and Yang shi seemed to have held himself back as well, so the destruction isn’t too widespread. Otherwise, the Master Teacher Academy would become the laughingstock of the entire Master Teacher Pavilion for years to come!” Mu shi said.
“Indeed!” The others nodded in agreement.
It was clear that Yang shi had reined in his immense strength, choosing to destroy only the Elder Hall, Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, and the buildings in the region in order to strike fear into their hearts. Otherwise, given the other party’s incredible strength, if he had wished to see blood, putting aside just the handful of them present at the scene, it was questionable whether even the full force of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion would be able to stop him!
“Repair those buildings within a day, and send out news to the relevant powers in the region to inform them that the new principal has been chosen, and they are invited to attend the inauguration ceremony,” Mu shi instructed.
The others nodded in acknowledgement to his instructions.
“Right. As for the matter regarding Yang shi, since we are all master teachers, I believe that you should know what to do even without me saying so. As per the norm, make sure to seal your lips tight. Anyone who fails to do so will be punished according to the crime of betraying humanity!” With his hands behind his back, Mu shi’s eyes swept through the crowd with a gaze as sharp as a knife.
The whereabouts, appearance, and even students of a pinnacle master teacher like Yang shi were considered to be confidential secrets of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Juniors like them had no right to discuss such matters.
Otherwise, if news were to leak to the enemies of the Master Teacher Pavilion and some sort of mishap occurred, they would be unable to pay for their sins even if they were to die a thousand times over.
Mindful of the grave importance of the matter, the crowd nodded. “Understood.”
After which, Mu shi’s pressurizing gaze fell upon Lu Feng. “What about you, Lu Feng?”
Lu Feng had a grudge against Zhang shi, and it was also due to Zhang shi that he was going to suffer severe punishment from the Master Teacher Pavilion. If he were to attempt to exact vengeance on Zhang shi, it could potentially lead to dire consequences.
“It is my fault that the Elder Hall has been reduced to its current state. I will donate all my wealth to supplement the reparation cost for the destruction here. After which, I shall apply to become a guardian of the Subterranean Gallery!” Lu Feng said.
“You wish to go to the Subterranean Gallery?”
“This…”
Hearing this decision, everyone’s faces darkened. Even School Head Mo, who had a poor impression of Lu Feng, frowned upon hearing those words. “Are you certain?”
“I have been reflecting on my deeds, and I realized that in my pursuit to become the principal of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, I have lost sight of what I stood for originally. Perhaps, I might be able to rediscover myself in the Subterranean Gallery. Even if death lies at the end of this path, I have no regrets!” Lu Feng nodded in determination.
When he looked back at his past, he realized that his aim had changed at some point in time. He had not started out as a person hungry for power, but under the intense rivalry amid the Ten Great Master Teachers and his desire to prove himself, the desire for the principal seat sparked in his mind, and before long, it had grown into a blazing flame.
And like a moth attracted to a flame, he found himself sinking deeper and deeper into his desire.
However, with Zhang shi decided as the next principal, the flame that had blinded his eyes vanished, and as if a man awakening from a dream, he suddenly realized how ludicrous and shallow his actions had been.
The reason Kong shi established the Master Teacher Pavilion wasn’t to bask in the respect and glory of it, nor was it to serve as a tool to vie for power and claim supremacy. It was to guard mankind and bring it to greater heights.
But the allure of power was simply too difficult for any man to resist. Even the most steadfast of master teachers could stumble easily in its face and lose the faith they had held resolutely at the start of their journey.
“Since you have made such a decision, I will not report this matter to the headquarters for the time being and allow you to remain as a 6-star master teacher. However, I hope that you remember your promise. Don’t let the Master Teacher Pavilion and yourself down anymore!” Mu shi said.
Hearing that Mu shi was willing to give him another chance, Lu Feng’s eyes reddened in agitation. “Thank you, Mu shi!”
For a moment, he suddenly recalled the oath he had made when he first became a master teacher several centuries ago, and the surge of passion that he had felt back then ran through his old body once more.
Following which, Mu shi turned to School Head Zhao and instructed, “Zhao Bingxu, you will be in charge of liaising with the powers and inviting them to the inauguration ceremony. Remember not to reveal the matter of Zhang shi being the succeeding principal for the time being! He is still too weak at the moment, so it is necessary that we take such precautions to ensure his safety. Once he receives the Principal’s Seal in the inauguration ceremony, there will be no need for us to worry about his safety anymore…”
“Understood!” Zhao Bingxu nodded.
“As for Mo Zhu and Wei Ranxue, you will be in charge of keeping a lookout on the internal state of the academy. Take note of the atmosphere in the academy and make sure to quell any unnatural movements that might not be conducive to the inauguration ceremony…” Mu shi continued.
However, halfway through his words, the ground suddenly began trembling, and a deafening blast reverberated from the distance.
Hearing the explosion, Mu shi narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
Along with the other school heads gathered in the Elder Hall, he immediately headed in the direction of where the explosion originated from.
A short distance away from the academy, they saw an entire row of collapsed residences. It seemed like the explosion had originated from that area.
Mo Zhu’s eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed in astonishment, “Isn’t that… Zhang shi’s manor?”
He had heard that King Huai had given Zhang Xuan a manor, and he had looked into the matter as well. Naturally, he knew where the manor was as well.
But this… why would it collapse out of the blue?
“It can’t be that Zhang shi, in a fit of anger… decided to destroy his own manor as well?” Wei Ranxue gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
It was said that just for the renovations, King Huai had spent hundreds of high-tier spirit stones. Yet, in an instant, that extravagant manor was reduced to rubble along with dozens of residences in the surroundings.
This was an even greater tragedy than what had happened to the Elder Hall!
They had known that wherever Zhang Xuan went, destruction wouldn’t be too far away, but to destroy his own manor as well… This was way too exaggerated!
They had seen people going on a rampage and punching others, but they had never seen anyone going on a rampage and punching themself!
“It doesn’t seem like he has torn down his manor intentionally. Look!” At that moment, Mu shi abruptly pointed upward.
Hong long!
As if in response to his words, a violent jolt suddenly occurred from the direct center of the area of destruction, and a seven-colored mist abruptly burst forth, illuminating the surroundings.
“This is… Pill Mist?”
“Pill Mist? Legend has it that it will only appear when a grade-8 pill is forged…”
“The higher grade a pill is, the more potent it will be. Upon reaching a certain point, it has to suffer a backlash from the heavens as well. The Pill Mist is a form of heavenly tribulation that appears with the forging of grade-8 pills… Just what in the world is Zhang shi forging? How could Pill Mist appear here?”
…
Upon taking a closer look at the form of the mist, the school heads immediately recognized what it was, and they nearly lost their sanity.
Pill Mist, just as the name suggested, was a phenomenon that occurred in the midst of the forging of a grade-8 pill. For it to appear, didn’t it mean that… Zhang shi was attempting to forge a grade-8 pill?
“No, it isn’t a grade-8 pill. If that were the case, there would be a tribulation within the Pill Mist, but the fact that it is absent means that it is highly unlikely that the pill forged has reached grade-8 yet. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it is a grade-7 pinnacle at the very minimum, and the chances are that it is an Inscribed Pill as well. Otherwise, such a phenomenon wouldn’t have occurred!” Mu shi said with a frown.
He had once had the privilege of witnessing the formation of a grade-8 pill with his own eyes. Not only was there Pill Mist, even the apothecary himself had to undergo a lightning tribulation as well. Through the refinement of lingering lightning sparks, the pill would be further perfected, thus forming a sentient spirit within it.
However, the fact that there was only the Pill Mist but no lightning tribulation meant that the grade of the pill forged hadn’t reached the mark yet.
“A grade-7 pinnacle Inscribed Pill?”
Everyone’s mouths twitched in astonishment.
That was likely to be more valuable than most ordinary grade-8 pills!
Pills could be classified into four tiers of quality: Formation, Satiation, Perfection, and Inscribed Pill.
Even within their academy, Inscribed Pill was a thing of the legends. Only very few apothecaries had achieved it in their lifetime. Yet, to think that Zhang shi would manage to achieve this level of quality while forging a grade-7 pill…
Was this for real?
“Let’s go over to take a look!”
Unable to hold back their curiosity, the school heads hurriedly flew over.
…
In Hongyuan Empire’s royal palace, a middle-aged man was currently sitting before a golden table with a brush in his hand, browsing through memorials.
The emperor of Hongyuan Empire, Yu Fei-er’s father, Yu Shenqing!
He had a dense layer of zhenqi shrouding around him, morphing into the forms of many beasts such as dragons and tigers, projecting an authoritative disposition that put others at bay.
Even though he wasn’t driving his cultivation, judging by the aura he commanded by itself, it seemed that Yu Shenqing possessed strength on par with School Head Mo and the others—Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle.
A eunuch walked into the room and reported, “Your Majesty, we have completed the preparations for the banquet tonight!”
“Un!” Putting down his brush, Yu Shenqing pinched his glabella before asking, “What did Fei-er say? Did she manage to invite Zhang Xuan over?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Her Highness says that Zhang shi has received the invitation and that he will be here tonight!” the eunuch reported.
“That’s good. I would love to see the young man who dares to make my daughter his maid!” Yu Shenqing harrumphed in displeasure.
“Your Majesty, that Zhang shi has caused quite a huge ruckus in the Master Teacher Academy, so he is likely to be a man with great capability… However, to make Her Highness his personal maid, he has indeed overstepped his boundaries!” the eunuch said.
“Indeed! I have doted on my daughter ever since she was born, and it pains me deeply to even chide or nag at her. And yet, he actually dared to take advantage of her… I sure would like to see how many heads that fellow has! I will make sure to teach him a lesson when he arrives later on so that he learns what humility is…” Yu Shenqing’s gaze turned cold.
At that moment, the ground beneath him suddenly tremored violently.
Frowning deeply, Yu Shenqing instructed, “What happened? Go and take a look!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Hearing those words, the eunuch hurriedly rushed out of the palace.
Not too long later, the eunuch returned with a bizarre look on his face. “Reporting to Your Majesty, it seems like… Zhang shi has destroyed the manor that King Huai gifted him!”
“He destroyed his own manor?” Yu Shenqing was taken aback.
“That’s right. That Zhang shi… When he went to the Blacksmith School, the Blacksmith School collapsed. When he went to the Physician School, the Physician School collapsed. When he went to the Apothecary School, the Apothecary School collapsed… Now, when he returned to his own manor, even his manor collapsed… He really brings destruction wherever he goes!” the eunuch remarked.
“Brings destruction wherever he goes?” Yu Shenqing’s mouth twitched.
“This… Shall we cancel the banquet tonight then? Or… why don’t we just cancel our invitation to Zhang Xuan! No, that won’t do. It would be a breach of etiquette if we were to cancel the banquet or our invitation abruptly… Since that’s the case, help me invite Formation Master Wu over and have him set up a dozen Fortification Formations in case anything happens!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The eunuch was slightly stunned for an instant before nodding and backing out from the palace.
