Library of Heaven’s Path - Chapter 725

Chapter 725: Giving Out Points

 

“Pavilion Master Mo, please wait here for a moment. Allow me to organize the freshmen first before assembling the Ten Great Elders for a conference,” Elder Mo said before turning around to exit, leaving Mo Gaoyuan and Zhang Xuan in the gazebo.

After a moment of silence, Mo Gaoyuan suddenly asked, “Zhang shi, may I ask if… Yang shi is here as well?”

The reason he had put a high-tier spirit stone up as a reward for the tournament and had come over here to meet Zhang Xuan was to strike up a relationship with Yang shi.

“My teacher has always been a carefree person who hates to be restrained, so I am unsure of his whereabouts as well,” Zhang Xuan replied casually. “I heard from my teacher that you met with some trouble trying to open the Zhukong acupoint. May I know if the problem has been resolved already?”

“Speaking of this, I really have to thank Yang shi for his guidance!”

At this point, Mo Gaoyuan clasped his fist politely.

If not for Yang shi’s guidance, he might have ended up straying further and further from the right path, and perhaps, it might even have become impossible for him to ever reach Saint 2-dan in his life. Now that he had healed his internal wounds, a breakthrough was already within sights.

This incident served to further emphasize how fearsome Yang shi was.

With just a casual glance, the other party had been able to determine the cause of his problem and come up with a solution which would not only resolve the problem but further his cultivation as well.

Even if he could clone himself ten times over, he would still be no match for the other party.

In his eyes, the Ten Great Master Teachers of Hongyuan Academy were probably not much different from children playing house.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Teacher has always been a person who follows his whims. Since he has offered to help you, it only goes to show that the both of you are fated. Thus, there’s no need for you to think too much about it!” Zhang Xuan chuckled.

“I see!” Mo Gaoyuan nodded in response.

There were indeed some high-ranked master teachers who based their decisions off fate after having comprehended the essence of the world. If fate didn’t allow for it, they would never offer their guidance to another.

It was also because of fate that Yang shi offered his guidance to Mo Gaoyuan, and he had never expected anything in return.

Besides, even if Mo Gaoyuan intended to return the favor, he had to have something that could interest the other party in the first place…

At that moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled another matter and asked, “Right, since Elder Mo is a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer, why don’t I see his tamed beast anywhere? May I ask, what saint beast is he contracted to?”

Even though he was certain that the Byzantium Helios Beast was a spy of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, there were still several doubts he had in his mind.

Firstly, considering the proximity between Leiyuan Peak and the Master Teacher Academy, it was doubtful that such a powerful saint beast could reside on the mountain without catching the attention of the master teachers in the academy.

“It’s Inferno Dragon Saint Beast!” Even though Mo Gaoyuan was unsure of the purpose behind Zhang Xuan’s words, he still chose to answer his query without any hesitation.

“Inferno Dragon Saint Beast?”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

He had never heard of such a saint beast before, but it should be fine as long as it wasn’t the Byzantium Helios Beast.

“Indeed. That tamed beast of his… Sigh, it’s truly an unfortunate event!” Upon speaking of the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast, Mo Gaoyuan hesitated for a moment before shaking his head in pity.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan was bewildered by Mo Gaoyuan’s reaction.

“Based on what I know, it seems that the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast… doesn’t have long to live.” Mo Gaoyuan sighed.

“Doesn’t have long to live?” Zhang Xuan was left even more puzzled by the other party’s words.

Typically speaking, saint beasts possessed a far greater longevity than humans. As such, it was extremely rare for a beast tamer to outlive their tamed beasts.

“Yes. It appears that the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast has met with some trouble in its cultivation… Forget it, let’s not talk about such a depressing topic!”

Halfway through his words, Mo Gaoyuan shook his head, deciding to speak no further.

Even though the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast’s fiery temperament made it unsuited to serve as the invigilator for the examination, the least it could do was show its support by attending, especially considering how important the entrance examination was.

Thinking that the situation was peculiar, he had asked Elder Mo regarding the matter just a moment ago, and only then did he learn about the problem plaguing the Inferno Dragon Saint Beast.

“Alright.”

Seeing how Mo Gaoyuan was unwilling to speak any further on the matter, Zhang Xuan chose not to ask as well.

…

Hu Qing was a 4-star pinnacle master teacher from Qingyuan Tier-2 Empire. His cultivation had only reached Clarifying Turbidity realm advanced stage, still a way off from reaching pinnacle.

He had come from a remote location, and he had to give up on a lot of things before he could pass the examination to come here.

In the final round of the Master Teacher Tournament, in order to get into the top ten, he had to fight frenziedly without care of his life, sustaining seventeen grievous wounds before he could defeat his opponent.

The reason he was so desperate was because he was different from the others.

The other master teachers could still return to their local Master Teacher Pavilion to enjoy the highest of privileges if they were unable to qualify for the Master Teacher Academy, but such an option didn’t exist for him!

Born with a deadly affliction, there was only a single medicinal herb which could save his life. However, this herb was incredibly valuable and the only way he could obtain it was through enrolling into the Master Teacher Academy and purchasing it with academic credits.

He’d thought that as long as he was willing to put his life on the line, he would be able to pass the entrance examination no matter how difficult it was… Who knew that in the end, despite how hard he tried, he still failed the examination!

He’d attempted to hunt down spirit beasts to procure their inner core, but he had ended up being surrounded by them instead, and he’d nearly lost his life in that encounter. It had taken him tremendous effort to escape from the encirclement, but even so, he’d ended up suffering grievous wounds for it. Eventually, the examination finished without him obtaining a single inner core.

Without a single point to his name, he would be unable to become a member of the academy.

Unable to obtain the medicinal herb required to cure his affliction, it would just be a matter of time before his illness was triggered, resulting in his death.

“No, I must enroll in the Master Teacher Academy by hook or by crook…”

Withstanding the immense pain from his wounds, he struggled to his feet and walked over to one of the celebrated geniuses in this examination—Yu Cheng.

He had watched the bet earlier, and he knew that the other party possessed more than two thousand points. As long as the other party was willing to give even a single point to him, he would be able to enroll in the academy, and there would still be hope for his affliction.

Clasping his fists and bowing deeply, Yu Qing pleaded earnestly, “Brother Yu… I am Yu Qing, a master teacher from Qingyuan Empire. As long as Brother Yu can give me a single point so that I can pass the examination, I am willing to spend the rest of my life serving you to repay your magnanimity…”

Even though it was a huge blow to his dignity as a master teacher, with his life at stake, he had no choice but to endure it!

“Give you a single point? Who do you think you are?”

Yu Cheng was already frustrated about losing to Zhang Xuan when this fellow suddenly came over to beg him for points. Displeased by the other party’s actions, his face darkened.

All in all, he only had two thousand points. Even though he was unable to win Elder Mo’s favor, he was still hoping that he could catch the attention of other elders through this achievement. If he were to give this fellow a point, was he supposed to give one to everyone who came begging him for it?

The moment he created this precedent, it would only cause a whole string of trouble. Furthermore, none of these points had come easily. He’d had to work extremely hard for every last one of them, so he was reluctant to give them away as well.

“I…”

Humiliated, Hu Qing’s face turned crimson. His head hung lowly by his chest, and he clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his jaws in determination and kneeled onto the ground. “I beg Brother Yu to give me a single point to clear this examination. As long as you grant my request, I’ll obey every single command you ask of me without the slightest hesitation in the future!”

“You are just a measly Transcendent Mortal 4-dan advanced stage weakling. Even if you were to become my servant, you would be no use to me at all. Scram! Otherwise, I’ll kick you away myself!” Yu Cheng harrumphed furiously with a frown.

What the heck was this supposed to be?

If a Consonant Spirit realm expert had come to him with these words, he could still consider the matter. But a fellow who hadn’t even reached Clarifying Turbidity realm pinnacle actually wanted to negotiate with him? How insolent!

He’d had to spend invaluable artifacts in order to earn his points, and he was even humiliated by a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast for it.

Given how much he had gone through for them, how could he be willing to give his points away so easily?

Senior Feng stepped forward and said, “The fact that you weren’t able to obtain any points only goes to show that you are lacking in ability and are unworthy of becoming a member of the academy! I suggest you stop embarrassing yourself here.”

They might not be able to match up to Zhang Xuan, but without a doubt, they possessed capability superior to most of their peers, and they had the rights to be proud.

“Indeed, stop your shameful actions here. If everyone were to beg for points just because they couldn’t earn any, the academy wouldn’t be called the Master Teacher Academy but the Beggar Academy!”

“You only have yourself to blame for not working hard enough!”

“You are not fated with the Master Teacher Academy, so just leave… Don’t soil the dignity of master teachers here!”

…

The master teachers in the region also waved their hands disdainfully in response to Hu Qing’s actions.

It was undignified for a master teacher to beg for points like that. If they were to condone such actions amongst them, how could they hold their heads up high and preach to the world?

A failure meant a failure. Since Elder Mo had set this a rule, they were meant to follow it.

“Alright…”

Knowing that it was hopeless, Hu Qing’s body trembled uncontrollably as he stood up.

At this instant, he felt as if the wind had blew away every bit of dignity he carried.

While master teachers were expected to behave nobly, they were still mortal. There was no mortal who could truly be selfless, and even master teachers had their own desires and goals.

“Forget it…” Hu Qing shook his head.

He knew that even if he were to abandon his pride, there was not a single person here who would give him a single point. Since that was the case, he might as well clutch onto the final shred of pride he had and leave with his head held high.

Hu!

But just as he was about to walk away, Elder Mo suddenly appeared in the air, and with a resounding voice, he said, “In this examination, there are a total of 6817 people who passed the examination. Those who failed to obtain a single point have failed the examination, and they are not fated with the Master Teacher Academy!”

“Not fated…”

The faces of the twenty thousand people who had failed the examination turned pale.

While they knew what the outcome of the examination would be, it was still difficult for them to accept it. Their hopes and dreams lay within the Master Teacher Academy, and after all they had been through, they couldn’t accept failure so easily.

“However, there’s no need to worry. Upon learning of this news, Zhang shi of Huanyu Empire approached me, and he offered to give his points to the others so that everyone can pass the examination. He hopes that our Master Teacher Pavilion can grow stronger through this!

“After careful consideration, I decided to agree to his request.

“In other words, from today onwards, everyone here will be a student of our Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!” Elder Mo announced grandly.

“Give points… to us?”

“Zhang shi was willing to fork out his points so that we could pass the examination?”

“This…”

Everyone was stunned by the sudden news. At the same moment, Hu Qing’s body began trembling in agitation, and tears began streaming down his cheeks.

Just for a single point, he abandoned his pride, fell to his knees, and pleaded desperately with another man. But he was rejected mercilessly, and he thought that this was where his journey would end!

Yet, at the lowest point in his life, Zhang shi stepped forward and offered to give his points to everyone so that they could clear the examination…

This was the magnanimity that a master teacher should possess, selflessly putting the human race above his own needs!

“Zhang shi… thank you!” Hu Qing fell to his knees once more and vowed solemnly, “From this day forward, you shall be my benefactor. Regardless of what you ask of me, I’ll do it without any hesitation!”

But different from the previous time, he had kneeled willingly this time around!

“This…”

Seeing those who had failed the examination mutter words of gratitude for Zhang shi, Yu Cheng and Senior Feng’s bodies trembled.

It was just a moment ago that they had rejected giving out a single point, and in the next, it was announced that Zhang shi was going to give out his points so that everyone could pass the examination…

‘Did your face slap have to come so quick and exaggerated?’

The duo quickly scanned the surroundings, only to see disdainful gazes from the freshmen on them. It was as if their eyes were saying, “How could the both of them be master teachers but behave so differently?”

Pu!

Unable to stand it any longer, Yu Cheng felt his old injuries acting up, and he spurted a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, Senior Feng also found the sight before him turning dark. He had been traumatized so many times that he had lost his confidence.

What in the world was this? Why was it that nothing good ever happened from anything associated with that Zhang Xuan?

Chapter 726: Luo Ruoxin

 

“Tomorrow, you will be choosing your teachers. Senior students, organize the freshmen and bring them to their living quarters…” After dealing with the miscellaneous issues, Elder Mo issued some instructions to the senior students before returning back to the gazebo.

“Zhang shi, you need not go with the rest. It’ll be hard for you to cultivate in those shared dormitories. Follow me back to the academy later on, and I’ll arrange individual living quarters for you!” Elder Mo said.

As one of the Ten Great Elders of the Master Teacher Academy, he possessed the rights to determine a student’s living quarters.

A top-notch genius like Zhang shi shouldn’t be staying in the shared dormitories like others.

“Thank you, Elder Mo.”

Understanding the other party’s intentions, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist in gratitude.

He had too many secrets on him, so it would be best for him to get individual lodging for himself.

After which, Mo Gaoyuan offered a ride to Elder Mo and Zhang Xuan, and soon, the three of them were headed for the Master Teacher Academy on the back of the Langya Saint Beast.

With the senior students dealing with the matters here, and Bai shi holding the fort, there was nothing for them to worry about.

With the swiftness of Langya Saint Beast, it wasn’t long before a massive academy came into sight.

Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was built to house a hundred thousand master teachers. There were lakes and mountains within the compounds of the academy, and gazing down from the sky, it looked like a castle.

Even the entire Myriad Kingdom City seemed to pale in comparison to the academy.

It was no wonder this was the place where the top-notch geniuses of different empires converged. Just the size of the academy itself already far surpassed the capitals of the smaller empires.

“This is the Elite Sector, where the most outstanding master teachers of each grade stay. Take my token and find the student-in-charge to organize lodging for you. Pavilion Master Mo and I will have to meet the other elders to discuss that problem!”

Soon, the Langya Saint Beast landed near a cluster of the academy’s residences. At this point, Elder Mo flicked his wrist and threw his token to Zhang Xuan.

After grabbing the token, Zhang Xuan began to survey the surroundings. It was a beautiful place with lush greenery and a clear stream flowing through the area. The exquisite-looking residences were lined side by side in a row.

A Spirit Gathering Formation was set up in each of these residences, creating a dense concentration of spiritual energy in the area. Even without entering the residences, one would already feel refreshed and revitalized under the nourishment of the spiritual energy.

‘As expected of the Elite Sector, it’s indeed extravagant!’

After taking a look, Zhang Xuan nodded in awe.

These Spirit Gathering Formations were of a higher grade than the one he had inscribed back in Honghai City, each having reached grade-6. If one were to cultivate here, one would definitely make much greater progress than compared to elsewhere.

The Master Teacher Academy couldn’t afford to offer such luxury to all of its students, so only the most outstanding of geniuses were allowed to reside in these residences.

“Thank you, I’ll be heading down now!” Zhang Xuan said as he leaped off the back of Langya Saint Beast.

Elder Mo and Mo Gaoyuan glanced at one another before gesturing for the Langya Saint Beast to take off into the distance.

The matter regarding the appearance of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was a grave issue. They had no time to lose.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a sealed chamber.

There was a total of thirteen seats in the room, each of them reserved for the most esteemed figures in the academy, namely the principal and the Ten Great Elders.

A powerful formation was installed within the room, ensuring that nothing discussed in there would leak out.

“What has happened for you to summon us so urgently?”

Just as the duo took their seats, a few elders suddenly pushed open the door and walked in with deep frowns.

The last time an emergency meeting had been held was when the old principal had gone missing. What could have happened this time for Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo to summon all of them so urgently?

“Take a seat please. We’ll start when everyone arrives!” Elder Mo gestured to the seats around him.

The elders nodded and sat at their respective positions.

Soon, the door opened once more, and a few more elders entered.

Before long, eleven seats were filled.

“Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo, you can speak now!” The white-bearded elder who seemed to be the oldest amongst the group gestured for them to begin.

“Alright!” Elder Mo nodded.

Flicking his wrist, he took out a Record Crystal and said, “Before I begin, I would like you all to watch this first…”

With a tap of his finger, the battle scars on the top of Leiyuan Peak which he had recorded earlier appeared before everyone’s eyes.

The elders were initially perplexed to see the rubble in the crystal, but after taking a closer look, their faces slowly turned livid.

“These are… the marks of battle from an Otherworldly Demon? How is Senior Byzantium Helios then?” the white-bearded elder asked worriedly.

The others also swiftly turned their gazes to Elder Mo.

As a member of the Ten Great Elders, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, just by looking at the scene recorded by the Record Crystal, he was still able to deduce the parties involved in the battle.

“Senior Byzantium Helios… has gone missing!” Elder Mo said grimly.

“Missing?” The other master teachers were stunned by the revelation, and even Mo Gaoyuan’s expression was colored with disbelief.

Back then, Elder Mo had only said that he had found traces left behind by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, but he hadn’t gone into much detail. As a result, he didn’t think that the Byzantium Helios Beast would actually end up being attacked by Otherworldly Demons and go missing.

“This is what happened…” Not daring to hide anything, Elder Mo swiftly revealed his agreement with Byzantium Helios Beast, as well as what he’d found on the peak.

The white-bearded elder slammed his palm on the table and declared grandly, “How dare those Otherworldly Demons infiltrate our Hongyuan City and kidnap Byzantium Helios Saint Beast! For the reputation of our Master Teacher Academy, we must apprehend them!”

The Ten Great Elders were responsible for governing the Master Teacher Academy, and they were each in charge of a school in the academy. For one, Elder Mo wasn’t just an elder in this academy, he was also the head of the Beast Tamer School.

On the other hand, the white-bearded elder was the head of the Martial Arts School, Xu Changqing.

A female elder harrumphed coldly.

“This is no longer an issue of our school’s reputation, but the safety of Senior Byzantium Helios!”

She was the head of the Terpsichore School, Wei Ranxue.

“Senior Byzantium Helios is the tamed beast of the old principal. He has braved through life-and-death situations with us, and he had slaughtered innumerable Otherworldly Demons to bring peace to mankind. With all that he had done, how could we face the old principal if anything were to happen to him? And what rights would we have to call ourselves the Ten Great Master Teachers if we couldn’t even save him?”

“Indeed, we must not allow anything to happen to Senior Byzantium Helios! However, we don’t have any clues as to his whereabouts at the moment, so we shouldn’t act recklessly,” said Elder Mo. “At this moment, our primary focus should be on finding Senior Byzantium Helios’ whereabouts. If he’s still alive, we’ll find some way to save him. If he has been killed, we should avenge him even at the cost of our lives!”

Another two of the elders added the discussion.

“I agree. However, I think that we should carry out our actions discreetly first, or else we might risk alarming the Otherworldly Demons. If they were to learn that we’re on their trail, they might potentially resort to extreme actions!”

“I concur. Since the Otherworldly Demons dared to lay their hands on Senior Byzantium Helios, it is unlikely that they would hesitate in attacking the academy too. We can’t discount the possibility that this might be a scheme to lure us away from the academy. Thus, we should proceed warily with the investigation.”

“That is exactly what I am worried about. I fear that they might have left behind those marks intentionally to lure us into a trap…” Elder Mo frowned.

There didn’t seem to be any attempt by the Otherworldly Demons to conceal the marks of battle on Leiyuan Peak, as if the other party was intentionally showing it to them. It was due to his worry that this was a trap by the Otherworldly Demons that Elder Mo was hesitant to take action on his own, choosing to hold a conference with the other elders first instead of combing through the mountain range to search for Senior Byzantium Helios.

After a moment of discussion, the group was still unable to decide on anything. It was at that moment that the head of the Apothecary School, Lu Feng, interjected in the discussion. “Senior Byzantium Helios possesses a fighting prowess far above us. If even he wasn’t a match for the enemy, it’s unlikely that we will be able to save him even if we do uncover his whereabouts!”

The others nodded in agreement as well.

Just like them, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast was at Saint 1-dan pinnacle as well. However, as a saint beast, he wielded strength far beyond the others. Yet, the Byzantium Helios Saint Beast had been captured before he could even get an opportunity to send out a help signal to the rest of them. Through this, it could be seen how formidable the adversary they were facing was.

If they couldn’t defeat the Otherworldly Demons, even if they managed to find the whereabouts of the Byzantium Helios Beast, they wouldn’t be able to save him.

“In a few days, Mu shi from Qingyuan Conferred Empire will be making a trip here to select the new principal and investigate the death of the old principal. When the time comes, we can report this matter to him and have him help us look into the matter as well!” School Head Lu said.

“This…” At this point, everyone hesitated.

If they were to rely on the headquarters for everything, wouldn’t that be as good as saying that they, as the Ten Great Master Teachers, were inept and powerless to deal with issues?

“I know what you are thinking of, but the enemy we are facing is an existence who was able to bypass our security and abduct Senior Byzantium Helios without alarming anyone. This issue is already beyond our ability, so this matter must be reported to the headquarters!” School Head Lu said affirmatively.

The Apothecary School was the number one school in the Master Teacher Academy, and this gave more weight to his words.

“Alright…” After a moment of contemplation, the other master teachers eventually conceded.

Just as they were about to discuss their next course of action, School Head Lu suddenly flicked his wrist, and a Communication Jade Token appeared in his hands. He took a glance at it, and his eyebrows shot up.

“Everyone, follow me. Mu shi has arrived!”

“Mu shi is already here? So early?”

“Didn’t he say that it would take a few more days?”

“It’s impossible for us to fathom the thoughts of experts like him. Don’t forget, he did say that he would be able to arrive a month ago, but he ended up postponing his arrival all the way until now…”

“That’s true…”

Initially, Mu shi had sent a message to them, saying that he would arrive at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy a month ago, but after a long wait, he never came. But just a day ago, he had sent another message over saying that he had been held up by some issues, and he would arrive a few days later. However, he ended up showing up that day instead.

As such, his arrival had caught everyone off-guard.

Amidst discussions, the group walked over to the lounge where the academy welcomed esteemed guests. Soon, they saw an old man with a snowy beard seated on one of the chairs with a dignified posture. Seated beside the old man was a young lady who seemed to be in her early twenties.

“Mu shi!”

Upon walking into the room, the elders immediately clasped their fists and bowed respectfully.

As a 7-star master teacher, Mu shi was one of the top figures in the Master Teacher Academy. Even as the Ten Great Master Teachers, they dared not to show the slightest disrespect to the other party.

“Un. Allow me to introduce to you all; this is Luo shi. She’s… a junior of mine. She is a 6-star master teacher, and as a part of her training, she will be serving as a teacher here for the time being. Thus, I’ll have to trouble you to make the necessary arrangements.” Standing up, Mu shi gestured to the young lady beside him and introduced her.

“Junior?”

Taken aback, everyone quickly turned their gazes to the young lady. At this point, the young lady stood up, clasped her fist, and bowed. “Ruoxin pays respect to the elders of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!”

“6-star master teacher? She is already a 6-star master teacher despite her young age?”

Everyone was taken aback.

Luo Ruoxin looked as if she was barely in her twenties. Talent wasn’t a sufficient reason to explain how one could qualify as a 6-star master teacher at such an age. The chances were that she had come from an incredible family or possessed an astounding background!

It was likely that her being a junior of Mu shi’s was a lie.

As a 7-star master teacher, it would be difficult for him to groom a twenty-year-old 6-star master teacher.

Most likely, she was the offspring of a Sage Clan, heading to a lower empire so as to experience the taste of life and temper her spirit.

Only such clans could groom such incredible geniuses!

“It is incredible that Luo shi has reached such heights at your young age; you have my admiration. Regarding the issue of taking up a teaching role in our academy, I’ll make arrangements for it right now. May I know… what do you specialize in? Is there any school you are interested in?” School Head Lu asked with a smile.

Chapter 727: Elite Sector

 

“Didn’t the academy just accept a new batch of freshmen recently? Why don’t you allow her to conduct a public lecture and take in any students who are willing to acknowledge her as their teacher?” Mu shi proposed.

“This…” School Head Lu hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding, “Alright then!”

Going by conventions, new teachers weren’t qualified to conduct public lectures, but since it was a request from Mu shi, they were willing to bend the rules.

Besides, Mu shi’s attitude also seemed to verify the guesses in everyone’s heart.

If Luo Ruoxin wasn’t a descendent of a Sage Clan, why would Mu shi make such a request on her behalf? If she was just an ordinary junior, he could have just left her to fend for herself in the academy. There was no need for him to go through so much trouble.

More importantly, Luo Ruoxin had a nonchalant expression on her face, as if it was only right for such a thing to happen.

Only the descendant of a powerful clan would dare to put on such an attitude.

“Mu shi…” After making arrangements for Luo Ruoxin, the elders gathered around Mu shi and told him about the issue regarding the Otherworldly Demons.

“I was still troubled as to who I should nominate as the new principal. After all, regardless of whom I choose, there will bound to be disagreements, and this could pose significant inefficiencies in the management of the academy. But since such a matter happened…”

Mu shi hesitated for a moment before continuing, “How about this? Of the ten of you, whoever who finds Byzantium Helios Beast, saves him, and wins his acknowledgement shall be the next principal! You all should have no objections with this, right?”

While the Ten Great Elders managed separate schools each, it was inevitable that there would be some degree of rivalry among them. Otherwise, the principal’s seat wouldn’t have remained empty despite it being years since the disappearance of the old principal.

Mu shi had been troubled over this issue when he was dispatched to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy to nominate the next principal, but this incident came at a timely moment.

Through making this the selection criterion, everyone would stand an equal chance at becoming the next principal. Furthermore, through saving the old principal’s tamed beast, the new principal would be able to build up his fame and authority, making it hard for anyone to undermine him.

“This… Alright!”

The elders glanced at one another, and after a moment of hesitation, they eventually nodded in agreement.

While this matter would be extremely tricky to deal with, it could also be viewed as an opportunity to display their capability.

If they were able to do what others weren’t able to, that could, in a way, show that they had the qualification to head the Master Teacher Academy.

Otherwise, should the current situation where no one was content with allowing another head them, the Master Teacher Academy would continue to remain divided.

…

While the elders were welcoming Mu shi, Zhang Xuan had finally reached the very center of the Elite Sector.

Due to Elder Mo’s anxiety to meet the other elders to discuss the issue regarding the Otherworldly Demons, he could only figure out the way himself.

“If I’m not mistaken, there must be a massive spirit vein beneath the ground. The deeper I head in, the closer I reach the center of the spirit vein, the richer the spiritual energy in the surroundings is!” Zhang Xuan muttered as he felt the changes in the spiritual energy concentration around him.

Most likely, a senior of the academy had set up a massive Spirit Gathering Formation in the area, and over the years, it had grown to become an immense spirit vein.

Even though the residences were built side by side, there was a significant difference between among them. The further in the residences were, the closer they were to the core of the spirit vein. If one could get a lodging at the core of the spirit vein, their cultivation would surely soar swiftly.

But regardless of how concentrated the spiritual energy in the region was, it didn’t have much significance to Zhang Xuan. After all, he cultivated mainly through absorbing spirit stones. No matter how concentrated the spiritual energy in the surroundings was, could it possibly possess spiritual energy more concentrated than within a spirit stone?

After looting Yu Cheng and Senior Feng’s storage rings, he wasn’t lacking any spirit stones at the moment. However, as he had yet to compile the Heaven’s Path Divine Art for the next tier, he could only put aside his cultivation for the moment.

In any case, the positioning of his residence didn’t matter to him. All he needed now was a quiet residence where he could cultivate.

After walking for a moment longer, a massive building came into sight.

This was where Elder Mo had told him to report to in order to claim a residence in the Elite Sector.

Zhang Xuan slowly walked up the stone stairs and entered the building.

There was only a handful of senior students seated on the chairs in the lounge, and they seemed to be discussing the difficulties they had met in their cultivation.

“For the Northern Harmony Palm, the zhenqi should start flowing from the left and terminate at the right. Through this way, the zhenqi could make a full circulation around one’s body, thus maximizing the might of the technique!”

“I don’t think that it’s as simple as you have said. If that’s all to the technique, we would have long mastered it. There must be a problem somewhere with our understanding…”

“I recall my teacher once telling me that this palm technique should rise from the south and end in the north. I think that the direction is significant in this technique as well…”

The group discussed with a deep frown on their foreheads.

To qualify for the Master Teacher Academy, one had to be a 4-star pinnacle master teacher at the minimum. Even though it was hard to determine what grade the seniors before him were in, they carried a relatively powerful aura.

As the other party hadn’t driven their zhenqi, it was impossible for Zhang Xuan to gauge their strength without using the Eye of Insight. Nevertheless, their cultivation was unlikely to be beyond Cosmos Bridge realm.

“Seniors!” Seeing that the group were engrossed in their chat, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted them with a smile.

“You are…”

Hearing those words, the group immediately turned their gazes over. However, upon realizing that it was an unfamiliar face, they frowned.

They were the few worst scoring students in the academy this year, so the academy had punished them by assigning them to various places to do menial labor.

The place they were currently in was the Elite Sector, and students who were qualified to stay here were the top geniuses of their grade. As the academy wanted them to focus their attention on furthering their cultivation, their daily chores ended up falling in their hands.

Waiting upon those geniuses would temper their mental fortitude, and at the same time, it provides a platform for them to build connections with those geniuses. These connections may prove to be useful to their future.

As such, the group here was familiar with everyone in the Elite Sector, and the young man before them was clearly a foreign face.

“I am a freshman of the academy. Elder Mo directed me to you for a residence in this sector, so I’ll be troubling you for that.” With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan whipped out the token Elder Mo had passed to him.

“Elder Mo?” Taken aback, the group hurriedly got to their feet.

Elder Mo was the head of the Beast School, as well as one of the Ten Great Master Teachers. Even as seniors, they dared not to disrespect a student whom Elder Mo had directed here.

After checking his token and verifying it to be the real thing, one of the older students clasped his fist and said, “Give us a moment, junior. We’ll bring you to your residence right after some discussion!”

With those words, he gathered the group to a side of the room.

Due to the spiritual energy concentration gradient down the spirit vein, there was a significant difference between each residence. If they were to settle him into the wrong room, they might bring trouble upon themselves.

As such, it was imperative that they discussed this matter thoroughly.

“Since Elder Mo directed him here personally, that junior probably possesses incredible talent. It just happens that the junior living in the first residence in the D Sector has just moved away after being promoted to Grade 2, so we could settle him there.”

“The first residence in the D Sector? That sounds like a good plan!” Another senior nodded in agreement.

The Elite Sector could be divided into the A Sector, B Sector, C Sector, and D Sector, corresponding to Grade 4, Grade 3, Grade 2, and Grade 1 respectively. Naturally, those in the higher grade would be prioritized in terms of proximity to the core of the spirit vein.

Even though the junior before them was only a freshman, just the fact that he was directed here by Elder Mo hinted at his capability, making him qualified to stay in the first residence.

“But is it really good to assign a freshman the first residence?” While there were some who agreed with that course of action, some voiced their objections as well.

“She’s right. The other students have been eyeing the first residence ever since news broke that Cheng Yue would be promoted to Grade 2. Those fellows would surely be outraged if they were to hear that a freshman had taken their place!” Another senior added.

The grades in the Master Teacher Academy were determined by one’s ranking as a master teacher, not how many years one had been in the academy. One would enroll into the academy as a 4-star pinnacle master teacher, and the requirement to be promoted to Grade 2 was to become a 5-star master teacher.

In order to advance to 5-star, not only must one’s cultivation reach Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Cosmos Bridge realm, one’s Soul Depth and knowledge must also reach a certain mark. On top of that, one must have five 5-star supporting occupations.

As such, it would take around a decade for an average master teacher to advance a grade!

It was in view of this that the Master Teacher Tournament was only held once every ten years. Outside of it, the Master Teacher Academy would only accept a handful of students each year. On that note, that was how Huanyu Empire’s Ye Qian joined the academy.

But getting back to the matter at hand, as long as one hadn’t made the breakthrough to 5-star yet, one would be ineligible to be promoted to Grade 2.

The first residence in the D Sector had always been occupied by a Grade 1 student known as Cheng Yue, and he had just successfully passed his 5-star master teacher examination this year. As such, he had left his previous residence for one in the C Sector.

However, there were many other Grade 1 master teachers who were eyeing the same residence as well. If they were to assign it to a freshman, they might turn hostile against that freshman.

“But what can we do about it? It was Elder Mo who pointed him here, they will have to accept it somehow. In any case, we aren’t the ones who should be troubled by this matter. This will be an opportunity for us to see how capable the freshman is for Elder Mo to give him his token!” One of the seniors said with a chuckle.

“That’s true…” The others nodded in agreement as well.

After discussing the matter, they walked up to Zhang Xuan and said, “We have found a residence for you. This way please!”

With those words, the group began walking to the D Sector, and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind them.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of a residence.

After taking a quick glance of it, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

This residence was located very close to the core of the spirit vein, so it was rich in spiritual energy. On top of that, its surroundings were very quiet. In other words, as long as he were to set up a formation around the residence, no one would be aware of it even if he were to pummel the Byzantium Helios Beast in it.

“Zhang shi, this will be your residence. Here is the key!” The senior opened the door before passing it over to him.

They had learned of the young man’s name on the way here, so they changed their method of address from junior to Zhang shi.

“Thank you!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

But just as he was about to step into the residence, a young man suddenly appeared with an awful complexion on his face and said, “Huang Xing and Zhou Tong, what do you mean by this? I’ve told you many times to hand the key over to me, but you rejected my request again and again. Who is this fellow? Why are you giving the key to him instead?”

“Are you in Grade 1? Why haven’t I seen you around before?”

“To attempt to move into the residence right after enrolling in the academy, do you think that you are Cheng Yue?”

A man and a lady dressed in the master teacher robe with four stars pinned on their chest entered right after the young man. Upon seeing the key in Zhang Xuan’s hands, they glared at him in displeasure.

They were the occupants of the second, third, and fourth residence in the D Sector, and they had been eyeing this residence for a very long time.

If they could take down the first residence, not only would they get to enjoy the concentrated spiritual energy there, it would also signify that they were the top of the Grade 1 students, a position of immense prestige.

The trio had thought that with Cheng Yue’s departure, the residence would be passed down to one of them. Who knew that Huang Xing and the others would bring a complete stranger in!

Who the hell was this?

Even if they had offered the residence to you, to move in without any hesitation… Do you even know what this signifies?

Chapter 728: Three Great Geniuses Looking For Trouble

 

“Please calm down. It was not me but Elder Mo who decided Zhang shi’s lodging…” The student known as Huang Xing hurriedly explained the situation.

“Elder Mo?” The trio was taken aback by the revelation.

Why would the esteemed Elder Mo, one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, direct a mere Grade 1 student here?

They glanced at one another hesitantly for a moment before a gleam of determination flashed across the eyes of the first young man, and he gritted his teeth and said, “Regardless of whether it’s an instruction from Elder Mo or not, to stay in the first residence, you must first possess strength surpassing us. This is a rule established by the Master Teacher Academy. Flout it, and it won’t be just us but the entire Grade 1 cohort who will object to this! This young man over here, do you dare to compete with me?”

In order to further motivate the students, the residence placings in the Elite Sector were determined by one’s strength and capability. This was a long-established tradition of the Master Teacher Academy, so even an esteemed elder like Elder Mo would have to think twice before flouting it.

“Zhang shi, this young man here is Wu Chan. He possesses a cultivation of Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, and with his superior strength, he managed to clinch the second place in the Annual Tournament among the Grade 1 students. It is only due to his lacking Soul Depth that he hasn’t been promoted to a 5-star master teacher yet…” One of the seniors who had led Zhang Xuan here sent him a telepathic message discreetly, explaining the background of the three students before him.

“Annual Tournament?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Back when he was still in Tianxuan Kingdom as a teacher, there was something of this sort in Hongtian Academy as well. To this date, he could still recall how much trouble he had gone through for his students for it. Was he going to have to undergo it as a student now that he was in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?

Furthermore, this Annual Tournament was likely going to be very different from the one he had in Hongtian Academy.

After all, Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy was built not for cultivators but master teachers.

“Yes. Every year, there would be an inter-grade tournament where students would clash with one another with their capabilities as master teachers. Only the one who emerges as the champion of the tournament is qualified to stay in this residence…” Seeing the confusion on Zhang Xuan’s face, the senior explained.

According to the other party’s words, it seemed like the Annual Tournament should be somewhat alike to the Master Teacher Tournament.

Every year, the students would be put against one another, and they would be ranked according to how they perform. Rewards would be offered to those who had performed spectacularly to further motivate them the students to work harder.

Judging from the attitude of these three students before him, it seemed like they had qualms regarding him taking the first residence.

However, that was to be expected. How embarrassing it would be if it were to be made known that the first residence which they had fought over for so long had been taken by a freshman! They wouldn’t be able to face other students in the academy!

Realizing this fact, Zhang Xuan turned to Wu Chan and smiled, “Sure. What do you want to compete with me on?”

As much as Zhang Xuan wanted to keep a low profile, that didn’t mean that he was afraid of trouble.

If he couldn’t establish a clear dominance over the other students, he would soon find a steady stream of challengers queuing up before his residence, wanting to defeat him and claim the residence for themselves. If that was going to be the case, he would rather settle it once and for all.

“By right, as students of the Master Teacher Academy, we should be competing on our capabilities as master teachers. However, that will be both lengthy and troublesome. Thus, I propose that we settle it through a physical duel!” Wu Chan said with a confident smile.

There were simply too many aspects of a master teacher that one could be evaluated on, so competing on them one by one would be inconvenient and time-consuming. As such, settling it with their fists was a more viable option in this case.

“A physical duel?”

“That’s right. We might be master teachers, but there should be little doubt that our cultivation forms the very foundation of our capabilities. As long as you are able to defeat me in a physical duel, I won’t utter a word of complaint regarding your stay here!” Wu Chan replied.

“I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded. After which, he turned to the other two and asked, “What about you two? What do you want to compete on?”

“Me? I want to compete with you on the execution of Impartation of Heaven’s Will!” the female student replied.

Perhaps the female student had tailored her master teacher robe, but it was extremely fitting on her. It shaped out her slim and elegant figure beautifully.

Even though her charm could hardly match up to Luo Qiqi’s and Yu Fei-er—those two were existences who were touched by the Goddess of Beauty after all—she still commanded an elegance that would easily put her in the center of gazes.

“She’s the second runner up of the Annual Tournament, Ran Xiaoxiao,” the senior informed Zhang Xuan telepathically. “As for the last guy, he’s the third runner up, Xiao Nan!”

Noting down what the senior said, Zhang Xuan turned to Xiao Nan and asked, “What about you?”

“I’ll compete with you in a physical duel as well!” Xiao Nan replied.

“Alright!” Seeing that the two men wanted a physical duel while the lady wanted to compete of Impartation of Heaven’s Will, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella. Turning to the female master teacher, Ran Xiaoxiao, he said, “I won’t take advantage of you. You’re Ran Xiaoxiao, right? You shall fight in my stead and teach the both of them a lesson!”

“Ah? I shall fight in your stead?” Ran Xiaoxiao froze upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words.

Is this fellow a lunatic?

The three of them had come here to teach him a lesson, and yet he wanted her to fight the others on his behalf? Isn’t it a little too early to be dreaming?

Wu Chan and Xiao Nan were startled by Zhang Xuan’s words, and they turned to look at him as if he was a fool.

They thought a man who was directed here by Elder Mo would possess some kind of extraordinary talents, but to think that that talent would be boasting!

Ran Xiaoxiao had come together with them to challenge him, so how could she possibly make a move against them.

“That’s right. If I’m not mistaken, it seems like it has been three months since your Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints are sealed, causing the zhenqi in your body to start flowing in the opposite direction. Do you feel an intense itch across your entire body?” Zhang Xuan asked with a light chuckle.

Even though Ran Xiaoxiao hadn’t executed any battle technique, her current cultivation realm was only at Cosmos Bridge realm, so the Eye of Insight was effective against her.

“Y-you…” Ran Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in astonishment.

It was true that it had been three months since her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints had been sealed, resulting in a stalemate in her cultivation. As zhenqi began to accumulate, an intense itch gradually consumed her, leaving her in great agony.

“If you were to do as I say, you will be able to resolve that issue easily!” Ignoring her astonishment, Zhang Xuan spoke nonchalantly.

“The reason why your two acupoints were sealed is due to your incorrect zhenqi circulation technique. Direct your zhenqi to your Huihai acupoint and…” Just like this, Zhang Xuan swiftly listed a dozen more acupoints.

Ran Xiaoxiao was still hesitant whether she should give it a try after hearing those acupoints when she suddenly felt her zhenqi surging uncontrollably through her body.

“This is… Impartation of Heaven’s Will? Crap…”

Upon realizing what was going on, Ran Xiaoxiao’s face paled, and she nearly burst into tears.

She had just said that she would compete with the other party on Impartation of Heaven’s Will when the other party started even before she was ready. Wasn’t this cheating!

She immediately tried to forcefully terminate her zhenqi’s circulation so as to dispel the effects of the Impartation of Heaven’s Will when she suddenly felt the seal on her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints loosening. It seemed as if they would open up at any moment now.

“This…” Ran Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes blankly, dumbstruck.

Could it be that… the other party’s method was right? Circulating her zhenqi in such a pathway would resolve the bottleneck which had trapped her for three months?

With such thoughts in mind, she abandoned the notion of terminating her zhenqi’s circulation, allowing her zhenqi to flow freely under the effects of the Impartation of Heaven’s Will.

Hong long!

In just a short instant, she felt her bottleneck dissipating under the flow of zhenqi, and a feeling of lightness abruptly embraced her body. Her aura also became much more refined and sharper.

“Alright, you should go and duel with them now!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

“Yes!”

Under the effects of the Impartation of Heaven’s Will, Zhang Xuan’s words were absolute, leaving her no room for objections. With a faint smile, she turned around and charged at Wu Chan and Xiao Nan.

“What the freaking hell!”

“Screw this bullshit!”

Seeing Ran Xiaoxiao charging at them with furious momentum, how could the duo remain oblivious to what was going on?

They had been waiting for Zhang shi to duel with them, but the comrade whom they marched here with ended up turning against them instead. The abrupt twist in the situation left them feeling light-headed, and curses spilled out of their mouths.

In a normal duel between master teachers, one would typically test the capability of one’s opponent before making any move. Yet, the first thing the fellow did was to beguile one of their own to side with him.

Nevertheless, one thing was for sure. Given that Ran Xiaoxiao had chosen to challenge him to an Impartation of Heaven’s Will duel, it could only mean that she had reached incredible heights in her Soul Depth. But even so, she ended up falling prey to the other party’s words. This goes to say that he did possess exceptional means despite being a freshman.

It would be unwise to underestimate the young man before them.

“Hmph! If you think that you can win against us just by beguiling Ran Xiaoxiao, you are being way too naive! As rivals, we have clashed dozens of times over the years. We are well aware of her cultivation techniques, battle techniques, and the maneuvers she usually utilizes in battle…” Wu Chan harrumphed coldly as he easily dodged Ran Xiaoxiao’s consecutive punches with movements as swift as lightning.

As the second, third, and fourth rankers in the Annual Tournament, it was inevitable that they would view one another as rivals. They had clashed with one another frequently, granting them a thorough understanding of each other’s moves. If that fellow thought that he could defeat the both of them through beguiling one of them through Impartation of Heaven’s Will, he was dreaming!

“Wu Chan, I’ll deal with Ran Xiaoxiao. You should go and teach that fellow a lesson…” Xiao Nan harrumphed.

“Alright!” Wu Chan nodded.

However, just as he was about to advance for the young man, the latter’s nonchalant voice suddenly sounded in the air, “Coalescence of the Night Rain, Drifting Snow of the Glacier Mountain, Frosted Leaves Crimson Blossoms…”

The words were neither fast nor slow, paced pleasantly to the ear.

Those phrases were the maneuvers of the battle techniques they specialized in.

However, under normal circumstances, these maneuvers couldn’t be executed back-to-back with one another. However, for some reason, he suddenly felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to execute them.

“No! I mustn’t fall for his tricks!” Knowing that if he were to really do so, he would fall under the other party’s control like Ran Xiaoxiao, becoming a tool under his Impartation of Heaven’s Will, Wu Chan bit his tongue in determination.

Under the excruciating pain, he felt his head clearing up. Following which, he heard a series of pah pah pah pah, and by the time he turned his head, Xiao Nan’s face was already swollen as if a pig’s head.

“This…” Astonished by the sight before him, Wu Chan’s eyeballs nearly popped from their sockets.

Even if Xiao Nan possessed strength beneath Ran Xiaoxiao, it should be impossible for him to be defeated in just a few moves!

For this to happen, Wu Chan could only think of one possibility… that was if those maneuvers the other party were put together, not only was it possible to execute it, it would even display an astounding prowess!

Otherwise, considering how Ran Xiaoxiao and Xiao Nan were nearly equally matched, it didn’t make sense how the latter could be bashed so badly in just a few breaths!

“I don’t believe it…”

The more he thought about it, the more Wu Chan felt doubtful and apprehensive about the matter. Gritting his teeth, he charged right at Ran Xiaoxiao.

As a practitioner of the same battle technique, he was very familiar with these maneuvers as well. Upon seeing the other party execute them, he immediately knew how he should move to evade those attacks. But for some reason, the other party’s moves seemed to be much more difficult to deal with than usual.

After barely avoiding a few blows by a hair’s breadth, he was already sweating profusely.

Clearly, Ran Xiaoxiao’s cultivation had advanced significantly under that fellow’s guidance, to the point where even he could hardly match up to her!

Could an Impartation of Heaven’s Will advance Ran Xiaoxiao’s cultivation by so much?

Or was the combination of those few maneuvers that powerful?

“Screw it! I should just give it a try myself…”

Wu Chan took a step back to leap out of the battle before executing the moves in the order which the young man had said earlier.

Puuu!!

But by the time he reached the third blow, he suddenly felt his zhenqi running amok as it abruptly ran in the opposite direction. His face paled, and crimson blood spewed from his mouth.

Pah pah pah!

At the same moment, Ran Xiaoxiao had already rushed up to him and slammed him onto the ground with a slap.

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in bewilderment, uncomprehending of the situation before him.

“Ran Xiaoxiao has just opened her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints, and she has the constitution of a female as well, so it’s fine for her to use these moves in succession. But what is this fellow doing? Does he know that using moves so haphazardly can make his cultivation go berserk easily…”

Chapter 729: Blacksmith School

 

Every single battle technique has its own unique zhenqi circulation method and execution style, so it’s important for a cultivator to pair them together wisely.

Using an analogy, while it’s possible for one to punch his left fist to the right while punching the right fist to the left, the clash in the momentum from both actions made in unison would potentially result in muscle tear and disturbances in one’s zhenqi.

This was the problem Wu Chan was suffering from at this instant.

The maneuvers which Zhang Xuan advised Ran Xiaoxiao on was in consideration of her unique circumstances having just opened her Ziwei and Yingtai acupoint and her incredible physical flexibility as a woman.

On the other hand, Wu Chan had yet to open those acupoints, and his body was slightly more rigid as a male as well, making it highly dangerous for him to execute those moves in succession.

I am guiding Ran Xiaoxiao, why in the world are you trying to learn it as well? Look at what this brings you, you ended up crippling yourself before you can achieve anything…

With this incident, there was no way Wu Chan could be a match for Ran Xiaoxiao anymore!

If Wu Chan were to know Zhang Xuan’s thoughts, he would surely burst into tears.

Your Impartation of Heaven’s Will is so powerful, and my Soul Depth has been my main weakness all along. After seeing the massive improvement Ran Xiaoxiao has made under your guidance, how could I possibly hold myself back from giving it a try…

In the end, of the three geniuses who came to challenge Zhang shi, two of them were lying on the ground, frothing at the lips, while the last one was completely obedient to him. Huang Xing and the others couldn’t help but gape at that sight.

This was way too exaggerated!

The second, third, and fourth rankers of the Annual Tournament had come to challenge him. Yet, with just a few words from their opponents, they ended up turning against one another, eventually landing them in utter defeat…

They couldn’t help but doubt the authenticity of the sight before them. Was this a show they had cooked up to toy with them, or were they just dreaming?

It was fortunate that they hadn’t offended Zhang shi earlier! Otherwise, the ones who would be lying on the ground at this moment might be them!

It was no wonder Elder Mo would direct him to the Elite Sector personally, he did possess the talent worthy of that!

At the same time, Ran Xiaoxiao was staring at the sight before her in a daze. It seemed as if she could hardly believe that the rivals whom she wasn’t able to overcome in the past few years could be defeated so easily.

“Alright, I’ll be leaving the rest to you all then…”

With Zhang Xuan’s current Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle cultivation, it would be almost bullying if he were to make a move on these Grade 1 students. It would be damaging to his reputation if word were to spread out, so he had opted to have Ran Xiaoxiao fight in his place instead.

With this, there should be no one else in the Grade 1 who would oppose his occupation of the first residence. With nothing else tying him here, he waved his hand casually and walked toward the residence.

Pushing open the door to the residence, he immediately felt a surge of spiritual energy gushing by him.

The residence was extremely large. On top of the usual amenities, there was even a personal training ground in the courtyard and a sealed chamber for discussing important matters. Honestly speaking, it seemed more like a manor than a residence.

It was no wonder the trio had wanted this residence. The privileges granted to the top of the grade was indeed incredible.

After taking a casual look around the residence, Zhang Xuan didn’t dive straight into cultivating. Instead, he took a seat in one of the rooms to contemplate on his next course of action.

There were a total of ten schools representing an occupation each in this academy, and each of them had a humongous library containing a precious trove of knowledge. It wasn’t easy for Zhang Xuan to enroll into the academy, so he should make use of the opportunity to tour the academy and learn everything he could.

By the time he was done, he should be ready to take on the 6-star master teacher examination.

Only upon becoming a 6-star master teacher would one be considered to have taken one’s first step into the world of the top experts in the Master Teacher Continent. This was an essential step for Zhang Xuan to gain the power to protect himself and those around him.

“But before then, I have to find higher tier cultivation technique manuals first!”

Zhang Xuan’s Heaven’s Path Divine Art was only up to Cosmos Bridge realm at the moment. To advance to Perfect Harmonization realm, he would have to gather even more cultivation technique manuals to compile a complete Heaven’s Path Divine Art for that cultivation realm.

“The cultivation techniques are gathered in the Cultivation Hall!”

Zhang Xuan recalled the words Luo Qiqi had told him on the journey here.

Gathered in the Cultivation Hall was the reflection and comprehension notes and cultivation technique manuals that countless geniuses had left behind over the years.

As long as he could gain entry into the Cultivation Hall, he would surely be able to compile a complete Perfect Harmonization realm Heaven’s Path Divine Art!

Or if luck would permit it, perhaps even beyond that!

“However, the prerequisite to viewing the Perfect Harmonization realm cultivation technique manuals in the Cultivation Hall is for one to be a 5-star master teacher, and an adequate amount of Academic Credits! For the time being… I should first try to become a 5-star master teacher first!”

Despite the sea of knowledge hidden within the Cultivation Hall, there was a price for its entry.

As a 4-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan was only qualified to view the Consonant Spirit realm and Cosmos Bridge realm cultivation technique manuals at the moment. The Perfect Harmonization realm cultivation technique manuals were currently beyond his reach.

And more importantly, in the first place, he would need some Academic Credits to enter the Cultivation Hall.

Naturally, he had no Academic Credits having just enrolled in the academy. He would only be turned away at the entrance even if he were to head for the Cultivation Hall.

“To qualify for the 5-star master teacher examination, I would need five 5-star supporting occupation, and at the moment, the only occupation that I have at that rank is appraiser. It seems like I’ll need to prepare a bit before taking the examination… How troublesome!” Zhang Xuan rubbed in glabella in frustration.

For each advancement in one’s master teacher rank, one would have to take on another supporting occupation while raising the ranks of all supporting occupations to the corresponding master teacher rank.

Too often were there master teachers who were hindered not by their cultivation, but their inability to bring up the required number of supporting occupations to the required rank to be promoted.

So far, the only 5-star supporting occupation Zhang Xuan had was appraiser. As for the remaining supporting occupations, formation master, physician, painter, and beast tamer were at 4-star, while apothecary was at 3-star.

While Zhang Xuan had other supporting occupations such as poison master and soul oracle, those occupations were often frowned upon due to their history and their nature, and he might be shunned for learning their skills. Thus he wouldn’t be able to consider them for his promotion prerequisites.

“I should pay a visit to the other schools while I have the time to take the examinations for my supporting occupations!”

After some contemplation on the matter, Zhang Xuan thought that it would be better for him to take things a step at a time.

He wasn’t in a rush for time anyway, and the academy provided a convenient platform for him to take the examinations as well. If he could clear as many examinations as he could here, he could be spared the trouble from trying to find the occupation guilds in the future.

“I have managed to compile the Heaven’s Path Smith Art recently but I haven’t gotten a chance to take the examination yet. Perhaps I should take the examination for it first…”

Eventually, Zhang Xuan decided to visit the Blacksmith School first.

Through compiling the books Wu Yangzi had left behind, his current smithing proficiency could be said to be on par, or even superior to a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith. Thus, he could take the 6-star blacksmith examination straight without a problem.

At the same time, this was a good opportunity for him to get a view on the capability of the Blacksmith School.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Xuan stood up without hesitation and walked out of his residence.

By the time he left the residence, Wu Chan and the others had already left.

After all, as seniors in the school, it was indeed embarrassing for them to remain here after losing to a freshman.

Zhang Xuan went back to the massive building and swiftly found Huang Xing and the others. From them, he got the location of the Blacksmith School, and swiftly made his way over.

Of the ten schools, the Blacksmith School was second only to the Apothecary School. There were many students who took it as their supporting occupation, and even when he was a distance away, he could already see a huge crowd moving to and fro the area.

“Perfect Harmonization realm, Ethereal Treading realm…”

Zhang Xuan gauged the cultivation of the crowd by sweeping through them with his Eye of Insight.

There were plenty of students who had reached Perfect Harmonization realm and Ethereal Treading realm among the crowd, and there was even a handful who had reached Chrysalis realm.

With such strength, they would stand unchallenged in Huanyu Empire. Even in Hongyuan Empire, they stood amongst the top.

As expected of the Blacksmith School, it was indeed incredible.

After asking around, Zhang Xuan soon found the area where blacksmith examinations were held.

The schools in the Master Teacher Academy were associated with the respective occupation guilds, so the results of the examinations held here were officially recognized.

In other words, by clearing the blacksmith examination here, he could receive an official emblem from the Blacksmith Guild.

Considering how there were nearly a hundred thousand master teachers in the academy, if they had to head out to their respective guilds to take the examination, not only would it be a huge inconvenience to the master teachers, it would also be a great burden on the guilds in the vicinity as well.

Thus, the occupations had decided to set up a branch within the respective schools to oversee the examination so as to make things convenient.

“Blacksmith Guild—Hongyuan Academy Branch…”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the plaque hung in front of a towering building before walking in.

The vast lounge was filled bustling with a huge crowd. Zhang Xuan estimated that there was probably at least a few hundred people in here.

“Tailor-made Spirit intermediate-tier weapon from a 5-star blacksmith, priced at only half an Academic Credit!”

“I have a Spirit intermediate-tier saber fresh from the forge, going at just one Academic Credit! Don’t miss this opportunity, you won’t see another weapon as cheap as this…”

“I’m lacking a Goldenforest Ore, and I am willing to trade two Academic Credits for it!”

“Three Searing Blaze Stones, going at one Academic Credit each…”

…

It was as if Zhang Xuan had leaped into a market. Some were offering weapon forging services, some were selling their forged weapons, some were buying all kinds ores, and some were selling all kinds of smithing resources.

Since most of them were dressed in a master teacher robe, they should be students of the academy.

“The purchasing power of Academic Credits sure is amazing…” After taking a look around the stores, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but notice that most trades were conducted using Academic Credits.

When Zhang Xuan first heard about the importance of Academic Credits from Luo Qiqi, he had thought that its price would, at best, be equivalent to middle-tier spirit stones. However, perhaps due to the fact that Academic Credits were essential in accessing most facilities in the Master Teacher Academy, its value seemed to be comparable to even high-tier spirit stones.

It was no wonder why Luo Qiqi and the others had gone all the way to Huanyu Empire to search for Wu Yangzi’s underground chamber for just a handful of Academic Credits. It seemed like it wasn’t easy to earn Academic Credits at all. Otherwise, 5-star blacksmiths wouldn’t have to go to the extent of setting up stores as if roadside vendors.

The items they were offering would be invaluable treasures back in Huanyu Empire, but they weren’t even worth half an Academic Credit in here.

“Is there anything you need?”

After squeezing through the crowd to reach the reception desk with much difficulty, Zhang Xuan found a young lady smiling at him.

Through asking around, Zhang Xuan learned that the receptionists were also the students of the academy as well. They had accepted this mission from the academy to earn Academic Credits.

While such missions were humble, they were neither dangerous nor skill-based, so it was more suited for the less-skilled students.

“I wish to take the blacksmith examination!” Zhang Xuan said.

“May I know what rank are you going for? I’ll make arrangements for you right now!” Upon hearing that the young man before her was going to take the blacksmith examination, the young lady’s eyes immediately lit up.

“I’ll… take the 5-star examination!” After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan replied.

If the examination was knowledge-based, it wouldn’t be a trouble for him to pass the 6-star examination. However, that was very unlikely to be the case.

Considering his lacking proficiency in smithing, as well as his lacking cultivation, the products he could smith would likely be unflattering.

Thus, he decided to play it safe and take the 5-star examination first. In any case, his current goal was to advance to become a 5-star master teacher for the time being anyway.

“5-star?”

The lady nodded with a smile and said, “May I have your 4-star emblem and your student token? I’ll help you register for the examination…”

“Emblem? Student token?” Zhang Xuan’s face reddened in embarrassment. “I don’t have any of those yet…”

Zhang Xuan had never taken the blacksmith examination before, so he didn’t even have a 1-star emblem, On the other hand, as a freshman who had just entered the academy a few hours ago, his name wasn’t even listed in the academy’s records yet. How could he possibly have a student token on hand?

“You don’t have those?”

The young lady froze for an instant before her smile vanished into a frown, “Who are you then? What are you doing at our Master Teacher Academy?”

Chapter 730: The Importance of Academic Credits

 

Anyone without a student token couldn’t be considered as a student of their academy… If that was the case, who in the world was the young man before her?

As one of the very few major academies under Qingyuan Conferred Empire that served as a cradle for aspiring master teachers, only those who possessed superior talent or capabilities were allowed to step onto its premises.

“I am a freshman from this year’s batch… I just entered the academy, so I haven’t received my student token yet!” Realizing that the other party had misunderstood that he was an outsider, Zhang Xuan hurriedly explained.

“A freshman?” The young lady was stunned for an instant before it dawned on her that the entrance examination was just held earlier today. She couldn’t help but shake her head.

To think that a freshman would visit the Blacksmith School on his very first day in the middle of the night instead of resting…

“I’ll be honest with you. To take the blacksmith examination, you’ll require a student token, the corresponding emblem, and Academic Credits. Without Academic Credits, no one will bother going through the trouble of preparing the examination for you!”

Upon realizing that Zhang Xuan was a freshman, the young lady explained.

“I’ll require Academic Credit for this as well?” A bitter smile crept onto Zhang Xuan’s lips.

“Of course. Even if you were to take the examination in the guilds outside the academy, you will still need to place spirit stones with the guild as a deposit. If there’s nothing on the line, there would surely be a few who would come to try their luck every day, wasting the efforts of those preparing the examinations and the resources of the Master Teacher Academy!” the young lady harrumphed.

For a freshman to attempt to take the examination without even getting a clear idea of how the academy’s system works, was he just that brazen or simply negligent?

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

She was right.

Under normal circumstances, if one wanted to take an examination in a guild, one would have to place a fixed deposit with the guild first, and it would only be returned if one passed the examination. This served as a barrier to deter the arrogant and those trying their luck.

The Master Teacher Academy seemed to follow the same policy as well, just that instead of a deposit of spirit stones, it was Academic Credits now.

“How many Academic Credits will I require to take the 5-star blacksmith examination?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“To take a 5-star supporting occupation examination will typically take two Academic Points whereas a 6-star examination will require four Academic Points.” the lady replied.

“Two points?” Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck. “May I also clarify another issue? In other guilds, the deposit will be returned if one were to clear the examination. Does this apply here as well?”

Having walked around the Blacksmith School, he had roughly grasped how difficult it was to earn Academic Credits. Considering how even smithing a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon for another might not even be worth half an Academic Credit, two points was indeed an astronomical sum!

It would be great if he could claim a refund if he were to clear the examination. Otherwise, he would surely have a spend a huge amount of Academic Credits to clear the necessary examinations required for him to become a 5-star master teacher.

“Refund? How could the Academic Credits possibly be refunded?” the young lady shook her head upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words.

“Just remember this; in order to live in the academy, possessing Academic Credits is a must. In here, no other currency is more useful than Academic Credits. To earn Academic Credits, you will have to clear missions, complete tasks, or break existing records! Alright, you should return for now. I might still be able to give you some leeway regarding your lack of a student token since you are a student of our Master Teacher Academy, but without Academic Credits, you won’t be able to even activate the [Ocean of Weapons] to take the examination.”

“Activate the Ocean of Weapons?”

“The Ocean of Weapons is an artifact crafted in a collaboration between the Blacksmith School and Celestial Designer School to automate examinations. Once activated, the examinee will be brought into a simulation, where he would craft a weapon through a puppet. As long as his crafted weapons meet the requirements, he would be considered to have cleared the examination.” Even though the young lady was starting to get impatient at this point, she still answered Zhang Xuan’s query politely.

“Simulation? Puppet? Wouldn’t a practical examination where one undergoes the entire smithing process be a more accurate indicator of skill?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Most guilds that he had been would demand the examinees to display their true prowess. Thus, he couldn’t help but be a little bewildered when the other party mentioned simulation and puppets.

Could it be that one didn’t need to smith a weapon for real to clear the examination?

“It would indeed be a better indicator of skill if one could undergo the entire smithing process, but do you know how expensive are the materials required for smithing are? Of the hundred thousand master teachers in the academy, there are at least fifty thousand of them who have smithing as their supporting occupation. If we were to have each of them smith a real weapon, how much valuable ores and metals would be wasted?” the young lady harrumphed.

“However, you need not worry, While it is an illusion, you will be ranked based on the data we gathered from several hundred 6-star pinnacle blacksmiths ever since the inception of the academy. As long as the core of your smithing aligns with theirs, you will surely clear the examination! The disparity in results would only be at most one in a billion!”

While it was true that the Ocean of Weapons was a smithing simulation, it had been refined by innumerable 6-star blacksmiths over the years, making it extremely life-like. As long as one could successfully smith a weapon inside the simulation, they would surely be able to succeed in real life as well, and vice-versa.

“I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Indeed. Considering how there were fifty thousand blacksmiths in the academy, there would at least be a thousand who would take the examinations each year. If the academy were to conduct a real practical examination for each of them, how much precious ores and metals would they waste each year?

It was one thing if they had passed and forged a decent weapon, but considering the success ratio over the years, it was likely that most of the ores and metals would be ruined. No matter how wealthy the Master Teacher Academy was, this was an expense they couldn’t afford to bear.

Furthermore, unlike medicinal herbs, ores and metals were depletable resources. As such, no blacksmith would be willing to see so much precious resources going to waste each year.

As such, the Master Teacher Academy decided to develop a simulation to conduct the examinations instead.

“Alright, you should return now. Even if you do possess the capability to pass the 5-star blacksmith examination, you will still need two Academic Credits. Without that, I won’t be able to give you any leeway even if I wanted to!” the young lady waved Zhang Xuan away.

“If I recall correctly, you said that to earn Academic Credits, we can either clear missions, complete tasks, or… break existing records? May I know how does breaking the existing records work?” Knowing that he would be unable to do anything without sufficient Academic Credits, Zhang Xuan continued asking.

“Break existing records?” The young lady’s eyes began flying around the place, and blood nearly gushed from her mouth.

Probably only a freshman like the other party would dare to spout such arrogant words!

Those achievements were termed as “records” for a reason—there was no master teacher in the academy who could surpass it.

As a freshman, it is understandable for you to lack knowledge about the functioning of the academy, so I explained them to you patiently. But now, you are telling me that you intend to break existing records to earn Academic Credits?

You must be dreaming!

If Academic Credits could be earned that easily, why would the others go through so much trouble of setting up their own store?

Seriously, shouldn’t there be a limit to your naivety?

“Indeed. May I know what records are there? I would like to try challenging them…” Zhang Xuan replied.

Missions would likely be more troublesome to deal with, or else a request wouldn’t be made for it… As for tasks, Zhang Xuan hadn’t been acquainted with any teacher yet, so that would be out of question. Thus, the only remaining option for him to earn Academic Credits quickly was to break records.

Of course, he would try to pick out the easier ones to earn some points first. For the harder ones, he could attempt them later, after he browsed through the library.

As the saying goes, poverty makes the downfall of a hero. Without Academic Credits, even if he possessed superior capability, he would still find his activities severely restricted in the Master Teacher Academy.

“You…” Seeing the fellow before her going on and on about breaking records, the young lady shook her head in displeasure.

Do you know even understand why they are called records? Do you honestly think that you can surpass them just because you want to?

Initially, the young lady was still thinking that this freshman was diligent, rushing to the Blacksmith School right after clearing the entrance examination, and she respected him for it. That was the reason why she chose to answer his queries patiently. However, as the fellow before her got more and more arrogant, she found her patience swiftly wearing thin, and hostility was beginning to take its place.

Nevertheless, she tried her best to rein in her fury as she gestured casually, “If you wish to give it a try, so be it. The Passageway of Records is over there, feel free to take a look. However, allow me to give you a word of advice. Don’t enter any of them easily, or else you might be thrown out of the Blacksmith School…”

These records represented the achievements of the talented predecessors of the Blacksmith School, and they were a symbol of honor. Challenging these records without the capability to back it up could be considered as a sign of disrespect to these predecessors, and one would be severely punished for it.

Furthermore, being humiliated was just one matter, but one could potentially be severely injured while challenging those records if one wasn’t sufficiently strong.

“Over there?” Zhang Xuan glanced at the direction where the young lady was gesturing toward, but his view was obstructed by a huge crowd moving to and fro the area.

“I am free now, so allow me to lead you over…” With a proud harrumph, the young lady raised her head and led the way.

Since you spoke so arrogantly about breaking the records, let’s see how you will make a fool out of yourself then!

As a freshman, it was one thing for you to be ambitious. However, to declare so proudly that you would break the existing records of the Blacksmith School, who do you think you are?

If it was that easy to do so, why do you think there would be people here offering their services to smith weapons or selling their work? Why do you think students would go through all the trouble, braving through life-and-death situations to clear difficult missions?

Of all of the conceited men I have seen, you top the list!

The fellow before her was most likely a high-flyer from some rural area who had never ventured into the greater world. Accustomed to being the top, he naturally thought of himself as superior to others, not knowing that his outlook was merely like a frog in a well.

Oblivious to the fact that he had already left a terrible impression on the lady before him, Zhang Xuan followed behind her closely through the crowd.

Before long, he found himself standing before a black door.

This door somewhat resembled those he saw during his 2-star master teacher examination in Tianwu Kingdom. There were words written on the white wall beside the door:

“Melting three Black Crystal Ore in ten minutes. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith Zheng Rong in the 3784th year of the establishment of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy…”

“Diverting the earth flames to completely melt a lump of Glacier Silver within two hours. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith…”

“Withstanding the heat within the Chamber of Earth Flame for 17 minutes. Accomplished by 6-star Blacksmith Liu Han…”

…

These were the records set by the predecessors of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, and the details of whom and when it was achieved was written on it as well.

After taking a casual glance, Zhang Xuan’s face gradually turned grim.

To be honest, these records were indeed incredible even from his point of view.

Taking just the Black Crystal Ore for example, this object was known to be one of the hardest ores to process. Even a typical 7-star blacksmith would require at least an hour to melt it down, but the record holder Zheng Rong actually managed to do it within ten minutes! That was an astounding feat!

Even Zhang Xuan, with his current cultivation realm, would be unable to do the same!

This was even more so for Glacier Silver. This material was known to be impossible to be melted through normal flames. The only way to forge a weapon out of it was to soften it by exposing it to earth flames for a prolonged period of time and slowly mold it into a weapon. Generally speaking, such a process would take several months, and yet, the record holder had managed to melt it down into liquid metal within two hours!

“So, do you think you can rival their achievements?” Glancing at the arrogant young fellow beside her, the young lady scoffed.

“It’s not impossible… but it’ll be troublesome!” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

If he were to really set his mind to it, he was confident of surpassing those records. However, he would have to pay a hefty price for it as well. The price he had to pay wasn’t worth that bit of Academic Credits.

Taking Glacier Silver for example, as long as he were to infuse his Heaven’s Path zhenqi into the earth flame to intensify the heat, it should be possible for him to melt it fully within an hour… However, the zhenqi he would have to expend to do so would reach a fearsome level.

Furthermore, there was a risk that he might expose the secret regarding his Heaven’s Path zhenqi as well. If that were to happen, there would be no doubt that others would attempt to acquire his secret, even at the expense of his life. That was how great the allure of Heaven’s Path zhenqi was.

While he had “Yang shi” to keep such people in check, it was still best for him to steer clear of trouble if possible.

“You’re saying that you can break these records? How conceited!” Hearing the conversation the duo had, a blacksmith stepped forward and sneered.

“Li Xuan, where on earth did you find such an arrogant fellow?”

Chapter 731: Chamber of Earth Flame

 

Zhang Xuan turned around to take a look.

The other party was a young man who seemed to be in his thirties. The brilliant five stars pinned on his chest indicated that he was a 5-star master teacher!

“Senior Luo Yan!”

Upon seeing the young man, the young lady whom the other party had identified as Li Xuan leaped in fright, and she hurriedly bowed her head politely.

“Isn’t Senior Luo Yan one of the top ten master teachers in Grade 4? If I recall correctly, he’s also one of the top 5-star pinnacle blacksmiths in the Blacksmith School. To utter such haughty words in his presence, that fellow must be asking for a beating!”

“Indeed, that fellow is acting far too frivolously here. This is the Blacksmith School, not a bragging competition. How did such a person even pass the entrance examination in the first place?”

“I have seen most of the famous Grade 1 and Grade 2 students, but his face looks unfamiliar to me.”

“He’s probably just saying those words to attract attention…”

…

The Passageway of Records represented the pride and achievements of the Blacksmith School. Only the top blacksmiths in the school would dare to gather here and challenge the records. But even so, most of them would come with the intention of challenging themselves, not to surpass the existing records.

After all, the records signified the very pinnacle of the Blacksmith School over its millenniums of existence.

Yet, this fellow came here and declared that “It’s not impossible, but it’ll be troublesome”. Naturally, these words would incur the displeasure and hostility of the geniuses here.

Even the top blacksmiths of the Academy School dared not to utter such words! It took those geniuses here all they had to not rush up and pummel that arrogant fellow.

“Reporting to senior, he… he is…”

Under the glare of a renowned Grade 4 student, Li Xuan’s body trembled uncontrollably in fear, “He’s a newly enrolled student, and he’s here to take a look around…”

“A freshman?”

Upon hearing that the other party was just a freshman, Luo Yan shook his head in disappointment and fury, “The quality of the students are getting worse and worse with each passing generation! The Passageway of Records symbolizes the blood and sweat of countless predecessors of our Blacksmith School, how can you allow just anyone to enter here and besmirch this place?”

At this point, Luo Yan’s eyebrows shot up, and his voice grew sharper, “What are you still waiting for? Scram!”

“Yes…”

Li Xuan swiftly nodded as she tugged Zhang Xuan out with her. However, to her shock, the latter refused to budge. Instead, he turned to Luo Yan with an annoyed expression and questioned, “Are you the head of the Blacksmith School?”

“I’m not…” Taken aback, Luo Yan replied in confusion.

The other students watching the commotion were stumped by Zhang Xuan’s abrupt question as well.

“One of the Ten Great Master Teachers?” Zhang Xuan continued asking.

“That’s not it either…”

“So, an elder of the Blacksmith School?”

“Of course not… What are you driving at?” Annoyed by Zhang Xuan’s persistent questioning, Luo Yan finally snapped.

“If you are neither the head of the Blacksmith School nor one of the Ten Great master Teachers nor an elder of the Blacksmith School, why the heck are you ranting here for?” Zhang Xuan shook his head with a sigh.

Why the heck are you interfering with us if you have no place here?

What a meddlesome fellow you are!

“Ah…”

Li Xuan was still wondering what Zhang Xuan was going to say when she heard those words. Her body began shaking violently, and she nearly fainted from sheer fear.

Do you know who you standing before? How can you speak to him like that?

He’s a Grade 4 student, a 5-star high-tier teacher, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert! For a freshman like you to talk back to him like that, aren’t you afraid of being pummeled to death?

Everyone else in the Passageway of Records also glanced at one another, their eyes bulging from astonishment.

Arrogant! They had never seen someone as arrogant as this!

Furious, Luo Yan’s face turned so red that it looked as if he would erupt at any moment, “What did you say?”

“Nothing much. Just that you should do whatever you have to do, and don’t hinder me from earning Academic Credits!”

Couldn’t be bothered with the other party, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the records around him.

Having read so many books on smithing, his comprehension of the subject had already reached an extremely profound level. It was possible that the head of the Blacksmith School might not even be a match for him in terms of their understanding of smithing.

The only thing that was lacking was his cultivation.

If only he has reached Saint realm, he would be able to sweep through all of the records easily.

But with his current cultivation… it would be a little troublesome.

“Alright, I’ll take this!”

After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Xuan swiftly chose the record he wanted to challenge. He felt that there was a good chance that he could surpass the existing record, so he turned to Li Xuan and asked, “If you don’t mind, help me apply for this. I want to challenge this record!”

“Challenge?” Li Xuan froze.

You still want to challenge the records after seeing the existing ones? Do you really think that you can surpass any of these?

The crowd who was watching the commotion also glanced at one another and shook their heads.

After offending a higher grade student, you still want to challenge a record? Did someone knock the sense out of you?

With such a cocky attitude, how did you even pass the master teacher examination and get into this academy on top of that?

“Un, I want to challenge this Chamber of Earth Flame. I’ll be depending on you to make the application for me.” Zhang Xuan replied calmly.

The Chamber of Earth Flames was a scorching chamber heated by tapping into earth flames. The longer that one can remain in there, the stronger one’s physical body is likely to be.

As blacksmiths, it is inevitable that one will be exposed to intense heat. If one doesn’t possess a sufficiently strong body, one will easily lose concentration in the midst of smithing, resulting in misjudgement and mistakes.

As such, a strong physical body that is resistant to heat is imperative for blacksmiths.

The reason why Zhang Xuan chose this over the other challenges was because he had cultivated the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body and tempered his body using earth flame. The underground chamber might be hot, but he was confident of holding on for more than 17 minutes.

As such, it should be easier for him to clear this challenge as supposed to the others.

“Chamber of Earth Flame?”

“Is that fellow a fool? To choose that of everything else… Is he tired of living?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps being a freshman, he doesn’t know how fearsome it is!”

“And here I thought he might at least stand a chance. To think that he would be an idiot instead…”

Upon hearing the record which Zhang Xuan wanted to challenge, everyone turned their eyes to him with gazes seeming to suggest that they were staring at a fool.

Even Luo Yan who was so furious that he could kill Zhang Xuan with a single slap widened his eyes in astonishment.

The Chamber of Earth Flame was also known as the Chamber of Obliteration or the Death Record. Over the years, most of those who attempted to challenge this record ended up either dead or crippled.

Putting everything aside, the current record holder, 6-star Blacksmith Liu Han, had managed to survive inside for seventeen minutes, but he ended up searing every single inch of his flesh, damaging his foundation. Eventually, he died before he even reached 150.

For a Saint, dying at 150 was definitely considered as a premature death.

Luo Yan had also attempted this record himself, but he fled just three minutes after entering.

As for the others, even though they had never experienced it personally, they had also heard of how terrifying it was from the others.

If there was a record on the record which most would want to avoid challenging, this would definitely be ranked at the top of the list!

And yet, that fellow chose that single record which everyone was dying to avoid… Not to mention, he even proudly declared that he could clear the existing record. Has living become that tiresome for you that you have to rush to your death?

“In the Chamber of Earth Flame, flames would sprout from every nook and cranny, making it impossible for you to avoid them at all. Your skin will be seared by blazing heat… Do you want to reconsider your option?” Shocked, Li Xuan hurriedly tried to persuade the young man beside her.

As infuriated she was by that young man, she was still the one who brought him here, and she couldn’t possibly watch as he leaped to his death.

“Don’t worry, you can go ahead and make arrangements! If I find myself at the limit of my tolerance, I’ll immediately leave the chamber.” Knowing that the other party was worried about him, Zhang Xuan replied.

“This…” Seeing Zhang Xuan’s insistence, Li Xuan realized that she would be unable to change his mind, so she could only give in, “Alright then. Actually, there’s no need to apply for anything beforehand. All you have to do is to place your palm against the door, and after stepping in, declare which is the record you wish to challenge, and the mechanism will send you to your destination!”

Zhang Xuan nodded, “Thank you!”

Leaving these words behind, he walked up to the door leading to the Chamber of Earth Flame.

“Freshman, what is your name?” Seeing that the fellow was insistent on entering the chamber, Luo Yan harrumphed. “If you can survive three minutes in there, I can overlook your prior disrespectful behavior!”

Even though Zhang Xuan had acted extremely arrogantly, he did feel a slight bit of respect for him for being willing to challenge the Chamber of Earth Flames even after knowing how terrifying it was.

“My name is Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan replied with a slight smile as he placed his palm on the door.

Jiya! The door to the chamber opened, and he walked in.

Upon entering the chamber, the doors behind him immediately closed, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

“I will challenge the Chamber of Earth Flame!” Zhang Xuan declared.

Jiya!

As soon as he spoke those words, the ground beneath him rumbled as a mechanism came to life.

There were various overlaps between in the skills of a blacksmith and a celestial engineer. As such, the two schools were particularly close to one another. This passageway, or perhaps it might be more appropriate to call it a lift instead, seemed to be installed with an extremely profound mechanism, allowing it to process human speech and transport the challenger to his destination.

A moment later, the rumbling came to a halt.

Darkness veiled the entire area, leaving it impossible for Zhang Xuan to determine where he was. Nevertheless, based on the echoes in the area, it seemed like he had arrived in a massive chamber.

Just as he was about to activate his Eye of Insight to perceive his surroundings, a bundle of flames abruptly lit up before him. It swiftly grew into a blazing flame that spread across the entire chamber. A furious surge of heat wave gushed at him, threatening to burn his skin to crisp.

“Hot!” Zhang Xuan exclaimed with a grim expression.

He thought that the Chamber of Earth Flame would at most be as warm as the flames in the Cleansing Lake. If there was any lava, he could even dive in and attempt to absorb the spiritual energy within it while tempering his body. But it seemed like he had underestimated the difficulty of this task!

His surroundings were raging with a roaring blaze. It was already taking his entirety to maintain a layer of zhenqi to ward off the flames, so how could he possibly cultivate under such circumstances?

At this moment, he felt as if he had been stuffed into an oven. If he were to stop the circulation of his zhenqi, he might find himself well done.

It was no wonder why the others had shot him looks of sympathy when he chose to challenge this record, it was indeed worthy of the fearsome reputation it held!

“If this were to continue, I might not be able to even sustain for two minutes!” Zhang Xuan frowned as he drove his zhenqi to fend off the searing heat.

He thought that this would be a walk in the park for him, especially since he had mastered the First Incandescence of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, but it wasn’t as easy as he thought it out to be.

Even with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he couldn’t sustain himself too long in here.

“Something is weird here. Normal earth flames shouldn’t be this hot!”

Such a thought plagued Zhang Xuan’s mind.

Normal earth flames, even those buried deep within the lava, should be tolerable for him, given his Transcendent Mortal 6-dan pinnacle cultivation and Heaven’s Path zhenqi. He should be able to swim in there freely without being burnt.

There was something particularly unnatural about the earth flame before him.

At this temperature, his physical body wasn’t the only thing that was being seared. Even his soul was being damaged by the unbelievable heat.

“If it comes down to it, I’ll just have my clone take my place while I hide inside the Anthive Nest…” Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.

While the heat was a little beyond him, he didn’t have any worry about breaking the record.

As terrifying as the earth flame may be, it wouldn’t be able to faze his clone in the least.

However, that would, in some sense, be considered as cheating.

“I should first try to see what’s going on in here first.”

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan suppressed his urge to swap with his clone, and thin strings began surfacing in his eyes, “Eye of Insight!”

Weng!

Soon, Zhang Xuan realized what was amiss.

“This isn’t a natural chamber. The heat seems to be drawn in by a man-made formation, and the formation core is… four Searing Blaze Stone… No, this isn’t Searing Blaze Stone but…” After gazing at the depths of the flames for a moment, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up, and his body began to tremble in agitation.

“Earth Flame Heart!”

Chapter 732: Second Incandescence

 

Earth Flame Heart is an ore formed at the very core of the earth flames after several thousand years of refinement and tempering. It contains an incomparable quantity of fire energy, and if an ordinary cultivator were to just touch it, they would be scalded.

Usually, 6-star blacksmiths would use it as a coal to process ores which are exceptionally resistant to heat. Who could have thought that it would be used as a core to the formation of this Chamber of Earth Flame?

Under his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan could see the incredible profoundness of the formation before him. It was crafted in a manner that allowed it to take in spiritual energy from the surroundings to sustain the emanation of heat from the Earth Flame Heart.

As such, despite the passing of many years, the Earth Flame Heart was still brimming with power.

“It would be cheating if I were to stop the formation… I should try to break the record openly instead!” Zhang Xuan thought after studying the formation for a moment.

Even though the formation was extremely complex, he could still stop it very easily.

Once he were to do so, the heat in the chamber would recede, allowing him to remain here as long as he could.

Just that, if he were to do so, he might be placed under the suspicion of cheating, and the Blacksmith School might not recognize his accomplishment if they were to notice it. After all, the main motive behind this challenge was to gauge the resilience of one’s physical body, not to test one’s ability to stop a formation.

Besides, did he really have to go that far as to cheat for a mere record?

Was he such a person?

“This will be useful to my Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!” Zhang Xuan muttered with a smile on his lips.

The reason why he was delighted upon seeing the Earth Flame Heart wasn’t due to him finding the core of the formation but that it was one of the materials required for the cultivation of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body’s Second Incandescence!

Back then, when he was in the underground chamber, he had merged the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body with many other physical body cultivation techniques he had obtained from Luo Qiqi. While he did manage to compile a complete Heaven’s Path cultivation technique, it still had four flaws with it, each corresponding from the Second Incandescence to the Fifth Incandescence!

The flaw for the Second Incandescence was that he would require Earth Flame Heart to successfully cultivate it.

However, Earth Flame Heart was an extremely rare material that could hardly be found anywhere. Thus, Zhang Xuan could only stop right after the First Incandescence. However, since he had encountered it here, how could he possibly allow this opportunity to slip past his fingers?

Since the First Incandescence had boosted his physical body strength to 4,000,000 ding, would it be the same for the Second Incandescence as well?

“Let me give it a try!”

Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan immediately dived into action. Dissipating the layer of zhenqi he had been using to protect his body, he opened up all of the pores in his body and began to absorb the spiritual energy from the surroundings furiously.

If it had been anyone else, even they had cultivated the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body as well, they wouldn’t dare to behave so rashly, especially when they didn’t know where the Earth Flame Heart was.

However, Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing both the Eye of Insight and Library of Heaven’s Path, the flaws of the chamber would literally appear before him. He could easily tell which regions were suitable for cultivating, allowing him to absorb the spiritual energy from the flames without hurting his own body.

Activating the Red Dust Heaven Ascending Steps, Zhang Xuan positioned himself in a sitting position above the center of the room with the four Earth Flame Hearts directed accurately at four acupoints in his body. With a massive inhalation, the flames in the surroundings began gushing into his body as though fire dragons ascending to the skies.

Pilipala!

Under the intense heat of the fire dragons, his muscles and bones began emitting loud cracking noises. At the same time, his face swiftly flushed crimson, and he clenched his fists tightly in agony.

Flawed cultivation techniques were indeed far more difficult to cultivate. Putting everything aside, just for this Second Incandescence, not only did he require the Earth Flame Heart, his body would also undergo immense pain as it was tempered by the flames.

If not for his strong mental resilience and soul, he might have fainted at this very instant.

Gugugu!

Nevertheless, despite the intense pain, the effects of the tempering was apparent. His physical body which had already reached an extremely stable state, resulting in stagnated growth, was evolving at a visible pace. Its stamina, durability, defense… every aspect of his body was being reinforced.

4,000,000 ding!

4,500,000 ding!

5,000,000 ding!

6,000,000 ding!

…

Time swiftly passed, and before long, he had already reached 8,000,000 ding!

At 8,000,000 ding, his physical strength was already comparable to a Perfect Harmonization realm primary stage expert!

In other words, just in terms of physical strength he could draw from his body, he could fight on equal grounds with a Perfect Harmonization realm expert. If he were to utilize his zhenqi and soul cultivation on top of that, he could match even an Ethereal Treading expert!

The enhancement he had received was indeed frightening!

Hu!

Breathing out a mouthful of turbid air, Zhang Xuan slowly descended to the ground.

With this, he had successfully cultivated the Second Incandescence of his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!

For the Third Incandescence, he would require Origin Heavy Water as a catalyst. Thus, he could only stop at this point.

“After cultivating the Second Incandescence, the heat here is no longer able to faze me…” Zhang Xuan thought as he glanced at his surroundings quietly.

With the advancement of his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body, not only was his physical strength enhanced, his body had also become immune to the heat emitted by the Earth Flame Heart. While this place could easily burn anyone else to cinders, he could easily lie down in this area and sleep for as long as he could without suffering a burn.

“It seems to be a little too early to leave yet… I need to break the record in order to receive Academic Credits…” Zhang Xuan frowned.

As the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body was a Heaven’s Path cultivation technique as well, and he was only cultivating a fifth of it, it was unlikely that too much time had passed during his cultivation. Even though he didn’t keep track of the timing, the chances were that he would fail the challenge if he were to leave now.

“Perhaps I can cultivate my soul in here while waiting!”

Since he had no choice but to wait anyway, Zhang Xuan decided to draw his soul out to cultivate.

The reason why the spiritual energy within the Cleansing Lake could be absorbed by his soul was because it had been refined and cleaned by the earth flame beneath it.

On the other hand, a formation augmented by Earth Flame Heart had been set up within this chamber. Under the intense heat, the spiritual energy here had also been refined, making it suitable for a soul to absorb.

Thus, disregarding his physical body, Zhang Xuan’s soul floated in the midst of the chamber.

Due to the flaws in the Soul Guiding Formula, soul oracles feared sunlight, flames, and everything that was yang in nature. However, having cultivated the perfected Soul Guiding Formula, Zhang Xuan’s soul possessed no such flaws. As a result, despite the overwhelming heat in the surroundings, his soul was still able to fly around freely without suffering any damage.

Even though he only had the Consonant Spirit realm Heaven’s Path Soul Art, making it impossible for him to make a breakthrough, he could still absorb spiritual energy to enhance his soul, just like what he did in the Cleansing Lake.

Back then, due to his clone frenziedly wrestling spiritual energy from him, his soul wasn’t able to reach ten meters. However, with the spiritual energy within this chamber, he could try to surpass that bottleneck.

Tzzzzzz!

The refined spiritual energy in the area began flowing swiftly towards Zhang Xuan’s soul, nourishing it.

“As I expected, it works…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

As expected of one of the treasures required in the cultivation of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body. After many years of refinement under the intense heat of the Earth Flame Heart, the spiritual energy in the surroundings had become far purer than that in the Cleansing Lake, making it the best tonic for his soul!

“This time, I should finish absorbing my share before bringing clone out!”

With the prior experience at the Cleansing Lake, Zhang Xuan knew that his absorbing speed would surely be unable to compete with his clone, so he decided to take in whatever he could first before bringing that fellow out.

…

While Zhang Xuan was busy absorbing the spiritual energy in the chamber, there was a huge mess outside the chamber.

At this point, it had already been two hours since Zhang Xuan had entered the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Everyone thought that the fellow would leap out after a minute or two, but time continued to tick on, and before they knew it, it was already two hours… For there to be no signs of him after so long, had he already died in there?

“The mechanism in the Chamber of Earth Flame has the ability to detect the presence of life. If the challenger of the record were to pass away, he would immediately be sent back out…” Luo Yan frowned in confusion.

He had once challenged the Chamber of Earth Flame, so he had studied up on it and knew a fair bit about its inner working.

As soon as the mechanism detects the lack of presence of any life in the chamber, it would immediately deport the challenger back to the Passageway of Records.

Considering how that fellow hadn’t been deported after such a long period of time, it could only mean that… he was still alive and kicking!

Did that fellow really enter the Chamber of Earth Flame?

Could he have run off to some other challenge to slack about?

Otherwise, to last for two whole hours… was this even possible?

And the truth was that he wasn’t the only one who was getting frenzied over this matter. The others who had gathered around after hearing Zhang Xuan’s arrogant declaration were also clutching their hair in madness.

Most record challengers would just aim to beat the record for a few seconds, or even at most, just a minute or two. After all, these records were made by the predecessors by pushing their bodies to the very limit. Yet, to surpass it by severalfold and still remain within… Was he planning to remain in there for days?

“The heat from the Chamber of Earth Flame is capable of melting even steel, and to stay there for two hours…” Luo Yan subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he turned to Li Xuan.

“Are you certain that he’s a freshman?”

“That’s what he told me… I don’t think he’s lying. If he’s a senior, we should have heard of him before…” Li Xuan hurriedly replied.

Her lips were also twitching in astonishment from what was going on.

Even though she was serving as the receptionist of the Blacksmith School, she was also a master teacher herself, and she possessed an eye of discernment worthy of one. Based on her judgement, she could tell that Zhang Xuan wasn’t feigning his ignorance in their interactions.

For someone who didn’t know the slightest thing about the records to challenge it, it was inevitable that she would regard him as arrogant. Who would have known that not only would he actually do it, he would even successfully surpass the existing record?

After all, this was a record which had remained unbroken for countless years!

“To think that I thought that he was being conceited…” Recalling how she had looked at the other party disdainfully, her face couldn’t help but turn red in embarrassment.

That fellow did have the capability to back up his words!

Yet, her eyes failed to see through it…

“Freshman…”

On the other hand, having received the confirmation from Li Xuan, Luo Yan’s eyelids began twitching.

All along, he had been proud of his record of remaining in the Chamber of Earth Flame for three minutes, and he had been bragging about it over the years. Due to it, he had won the admiration of respect of many. Yet, he actually mocked the person who had been inside for two hours and longer…

It would be difficult for even the Ten Great Master Teachers to break the seventeen minutes mark, needless to say, two hours!

Upon thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a stinging sensation on his face.

“Senior, the Chamber of Earth Flame is incredibly dangerous. No matter how resilient Zhang shi’s physical body is, it should be impossible for him to remain in there for so long. Could something have happened to him?” After waiting for a moment later, a master teacher suddenly spoke up.

Records were records for a reason. To surpass them was already an incredible feat in itself, but to do so with a gap of severalfold was unthinkable!

“Un, I also find the situation inconceivable… Wait for me here, I’ll go and look for my teacher to ask him about this matter. Given how knowledgeable he is, he should be able to figure out what is going on.” Luo Yan replied after a moment of hesitation.

With those words, he walked out of the Passageway of Records and soon, he arrived before a room.

“Teacher!” Luo Yan called out as he knocked on the door.

“Luo Yan? What’s wrong?” The elder in the room raised his gaze and asked.

The vice-head of the Blacksmith School, Yuan Hong!

A 6-star pinnacle master teacher and blacksmith, his standing within the Blacksmith School was second only to the school head.

“Reporting to teacher, someone is currently challenging the Chamber of Earth Flame!” Luo Yan reported anxiously.

“Chamber of Earth Flame? The existing record of seventeen minutes has left many helpless in its face. It won’t be easy for anyone to surpass that!” Yuan Hong remarked with a smile as he stroked his beard.

“Who is it? Lu Wu? Chen Hai? Or is it Du Jiu? The quality of the students in the Blacksmith School has been going down with each passing generation. In the current generation, they are the only ones who stand a chance for that record!”

Chapter 733: You Still Have the Cheek to Ask for Academic Credits?

 

The students whom Yuan Hong listed were the top geniuses of the Blacksmith School, possessing capability surpassing Luo Yan.

Smithing required one to temper their bodies, but only a handful was willing to tolerate the painful process. As a result, there were very few capable blacksmiths in the Blacksmith School.

This had always been a thorn at Yuan Hong’s heart, so upon hearing that someone was challenging the Chamber of Earth Flame, he couldn’t help but lament.

“It isn’t them, it’s a freshman named Zhang Xuan!” Luo Yan hurriedly replied.

“A freshman?” Yuan Hong was stunned by the news.

“Yes, he has just passed the examination and joined the academy today, and he doesn’t even have his student token yet… It seems like he hopes to earn some Academic Credits from beating the records so that he could activate the Ocean of Weapons to take the 5-star blacksmith examination…” Luo Yan explained.

“Preposterous!” Yuan Hong bellowed in fury upon hearing that a freshman who hadn’t even received his student token actually went to challenge one of the records.

As the vice-head of the Blacksmith School, he was in charge of upholding discipline amongst the students. How could a freshman who had just barely joined the academy be allowed to challenge the Chamber of Earth Flame? Wasn’t that practically suicide?

Does he even know what the Chamber of Earth Flame represents?

“Even if others don’t comprehend it, surely you should understand the significance of this matter! The Chamber of Earth Flame takes a huge toll on one’s physical body. As a freshman who has never gone through the systematic training of our Blacksmith School, how could he possibly survive in there?”

The more Yuan Hong spoke, the more livid his face became.

“Teacher…” Luo Yan tried to speak up, but he was interrupted before he could start explaining himself.

“Alright, you are just a student, so you can’t be blamed for this. If someone were to insist on challenging the records, you don’t have the authority to stop them anyway. I don’t mean to blame you by saying all of this, but I am enraged by how arrogant the students are becoming. Honestly, the recent few batches of students are the worst I have ever taught in my entire career…” Yuan Hong sighed.

He knew that it wasn’t right for him to vent his anger on his student, so he shook his head and said, “Alright. How long has that fellow been in there? Has he suffered severe burns? Here is a bottle of Clear Spirit Water, it should be able to treat his burns…”

“No. That freshman is still… in the chamber!” Luo Yan finally found a chance to speak up amidst his teacher’s words.

Yuan Hong was an excellent teacher, but he had a fatal flaw—he was too naggy.

Due to that, there was not a single student who wouldn’t get a headache from his lectures.

“You just have to apply the Clear Spirit Water on his external burns to…” Just as Yuan Hong was starting to explain how the Clear Spirit Water should be used, he suddenly froze, and his eyes began bulging from their sockets. “What did you say? What do you mean by he isn’t out yet? When did he enter the chamber?”

“He… entered around two hours ago!” Luo Yan replied.

“Two hours ago?” Yuan Hong’s body shook in astonishment, and he nearly blacked out.

“Indeed. I have no idea what’s going on, so I came over to report this matter to you…” Luo Yan replied.

“Report? What is the point of reporting it now! How could he possibly last for two hours? Most likely, he was burned to cinders within two seconds after he entered the chamber!” Yuan Hong slammed the table before him furiously and stood up.

What the heck was this?

You should know how severe this matter is, and you choose to report it to me only two hours later?

The Chamber of Earth Flame would deport any corpses back, but if one were to reduced to cinders as soon as they arrive there, the mechanism wouldn’t be activated.

Given that there were no movements whatsoever after two hours, it could only mean that the other party was dead.

“There’s such a thing as well? I… didn’t know…” Luo Yan was taken aback by the revelation.

He only knew that corpses would be deported back immediately, but he didn’t know about the matter regarding being burned to ashes.

If that was the case, didn’t that mean that the fellow inside was already dead…

“You are still too inexperienced. I have been in this Master Teacher Academy for more than 800 years, so the things I have seen is far more than the books you have read!” Yuan Hong harrumphed.

“I’ll follow you over to check out the situation in the Chamber of Earth Flame. Even though it’s regretful that a life is lost just like that, he brought it upon himself, acting so arrogantly despite his ignorance…”

However, halfway through Yuan Hong’s words, the ground beneath him suddenly shook, and the sound of something collapsing abruptly rumbled deafeningly.

Boom!

Judging from the sound, it seemed to be coming from the Passageway of Records.

“What’s going on?” Astonished, the duo rushed out of the room.

A freshman had just died, and this mess suddenly sprung up on them. What the heck was going on today?

“Bad news, Yuan shi! The Chamber of Earth Flame has collapsed!” A master teacher rushed into the room and reported.

“Collapsed? What do you mean… What collapsed?” Yuan Hong was taken aback.

“It’s the Chamber of Earth Flame in the Passageway of Records…” the master teacher hurriedly replied.

Yuan Hong nearly went insane, “How could that be? It is a masterpiece created in a collaboration between the Blacksmith School and the Celestial Designer School, so how in the world did it collapse?”

As a part of the Passageway of Records, the Chamber of Earth Flame was reinforced to the very limits by the combined effort of the Blacksmith School and the Celestial Designer School. Furthermore, it was forged using top-quality materials, so how could it collapse that easily?

Just what was going on?

Standing by the side, Luo Yan’s figure also staggered upon hearing that news.

It was just a moment ago that he had reported the issue regarding the Chamber of Earth Flame when such an issue occurred. What was happening inside there?

The master teacher who had charged into the room to report also seemed to be in disbelief, “I’m not too sure myself as well. I only saw the entire place being reduced to ruins…”

“Let’s go over to take a look…”

With twitching lips, Hong Yuan immediately rushed out of the room anxiously, and before long, he was standing right before the Passageway of Records, or at least what it used to be.

At this moment, half of the Passageway of Records had already collapsed, and the entire room was cloaked with dust.

“What happened?” Luo Yan turned to Li Xuan and asked in bewilderment.

“I have no idea either… We were waiting for Zhang shi when a loud rumbling noise suddenly sounded from the Passageway of Records… Before we knew it, it was already like that…” Li Xuan cried tearfully.

She wasn’t the only one who was dumbfounded by the situation, the remaining crowd in the area were also frozen in shock.

No one could comprehend why the Passageway of Records, which had always been known for its durability, would abruptly cave in. But if one thing was for sure, considering that the Chamber of Earth Flame was at the very center of it…

“Zhang shi… is probably dead.” Luo Yan muttered as he recalled what his teacher said.

However, at that moment, resounding footsteps echoed amidst the dust, and following closely was a series of violent coughing.

“Cough cough…”

Upon hearing the sound, a jolt ran through everyone’s body. They swiftly turned their sight to the source of the sound, and an approaching young man came into their vision.

Who else could it be other than Zhang shi!

“Y-y-y-y-you’re fine?” Luo Yan’s eyes bulged in shock at that sight, and his body began trembling uncontrollably in agitation.

His teacher had just told him confidently that this fellow would have been burned to cinders by now, and yet here he was, completely unharmed without the slightest burn on his skin…

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

If you are alive, why the hell did you stay in there for two hours? Not to mention, how in the world did you collapse the fortified Chamber of Earth Flame…

Are you a spy who is here to wreak havoc in our Blacksmith School?

“I’m fine!”

At which, Zhang Xuan shot a glance at the ruins remaining of the passageway, and he continued awkwardly, “But it seems like this Passageway of Records… is damaged!”

“Seems?”

Everyone staggered upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words.

Look at the mess behind you, is there even any doubt about this matter? Even a blind man could tell that it’s utterly ruined!

“You are the freshman who went in just now?” Forcing himself to calm down, Yuan Hong turned to Zhang Xuan and asked.

“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though he didn’t recognize the man before him, the other party harnessed incredible power within him that wouldn’t lose out by too far to Elder Mo and Pavilion Master Mo. Most likely, he was an important figure of the Blacksmith School.

“Weren’t you trying to challenge the record? What happened?” Yuan Hong questioned.

How in the name of Kong shi did you collapse the Chamber of Earth Flame while challenging the record?

“This… I’m not too sure either. After entering, I realized that the heat from the Chamber of Earth Flame is still tolerable for me, so I started to cultivate while biding my time. Before I knew it… the entire chamber was already collapsing on me!” Zhang Xuan replied with a crimson face.

As a soul oracle, Zhang Xuan was able to draw his soul out to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings directly. This allowed him to absorb spiritual energy at a far swifter pace than ordinary cultivators, and before long, with a jolt running through his body, his soul had already broken through the ten-meters bottleneck.

However, this was where the calamity started. With the breakthrough, Zhang Xuan’s rate of absorption abruptly rose significantly, and the previous absorption had already depleted a considerable amount of spiritual energy in the chamber. As a result, the Earth Flame Heart ran out of spiritual energy far quicker than he had imagined.

The Earth Flame Heart was the core of the formation sustaining the Chamber of Earth Flame. Without any spiritual energy to sustain it, how could the formation continue to function normally?

Just like what happened in the Cleansing Lake, the energy in the area which was being regulated by the formation immediately went berserk, and it was only by a great stroke of fortune that an explosion didn’t occur.

Nevertheless, the Chamber of Earth Flame began to cave in, and the Passageway of Record which was closely linked to it was affected as well…

It was fortunate that Zhang Xuan had his soul return immediately to his body as soon as he realized something was amiss and used his zhenqi to ward off the collapsing rubble. Otherwise, he might just make history by becoming the first student to die not of heat but of collapsing rubble in the Chamber of Earth Flame.

Looking at the mess around him, an indescribable feeling of frustration and helplessness gripped Zhang Xuan.

This… All he wanted to do was to break a record and earn some Academic Credits so that he could take the 5-star blacksmith examination. Who could have thought that this innocent desire of his would result in such a tragic accident?

In any case, while he was the culprit behind this incident, he was determined to deny all allegations.

Putting everything aside, just that four Earth Flame Hearts were already way beyond his means to compensate.

As such, the only option he had left was to feign ignorance of the matter.

“It collapsed on you… before you knew it?” Hearing such shameless words, everyone felt faint-headed, and Yuan Hong even staggered weakly.

This Chamber of Earth Flame has been in the Blacksmith School for at least four thousand years by now, and you are the only one of all challengers who encountered such a problem… Did you think that you can wiggle your way out of this just by feigning ignorance?

Even if you were to say these words to a three-year-old child, he wouldn’t believe you!

Can you at least show more sincerity and come up with a more believable lie?

“I’ll give you one more chance. What happened?” With a livid face, Yuan Hong asked once more.

“After entering the Chamber of Earth Flame, I realized that the searing spiritual energy there happens to be ideal for tempering one’s physical body, so I accidentally absorbed too much of it… I also didn’t know that it would collapse just like that…” With a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan could only confess honestly.

“Happens to be ideal for tempering one’s physical body? Accidentally absorbed too much of it?” Yuan Hong was speechless.

The others might not know too much about the Chamber of Earth Flame, but as a person who had participated in its reparation works, he knew very well about its inner working. There were four Earth Flame Hearts at the center of the formation in the chamber, and each of them harnessed incredibly fiery spiritual energy.

If an ordinary human were to touch it, he would be reduced to ashes in a moment. Even a 6-star blacksmith could be roasted to death from the inside if he were to attempt to absorb the searing spiritual energy inside it… And yet, you actually found it ideal for tempering your physical body, and absorbed too much of it?

How much spiritual energy did you absorb to cause the Chamber of Earth Flame to collapse!?

Just as Yuan Hong was about to interrogate the young man before him further on the issue, the young man suddenly turned to look at him with a hopeful gaze and asked, “I managed to last two hours in the Chamber of Earth Flame, so I should have already broken the existing record… So, may I get my Academic Credits now?”

“Academic Credits? You still have the cheek to ask for Academic Credits?” Yuan Hong nearly exploded from rage.

You destroyed the entire Chamber of Earth Flame and collapsed half of the Passageway of Records, and you still have the audacity to speak about Academic Credits? Where is your sense of shame?