Chapter 845: I Nominate Zhang Xuan to Be the Principal
As he would have to expose the existence of the Library of Heaven’s Path in order to explain how he managed to tame those Otherworldly Demonic puppets, Zhang Xuan had planned to have ’Yang Xuan’ make an appearance to save the day.
Thus, through his mental connection with his clone, he had the latter appear in Yang Xuan’s form.
Zhang Xuan had initially only intended to have Yang Xuan scare the others just a little, but who could have known that he would blow the entire matter way out of proportion?
Looking at the wreckage around him, Zhang Xuan slapped his forehead in frustration.
All his clone had needed to do was prove that he wasn’t an Otherworldly Demon, but that fellow actually turned the Elder Hall, along with many other crucial buildings, into rubble...
As for how everything had happened...
The powerful aura, which his clone seemed to emanate, was from Vicious, naturally.
That fellow had once said that as long as he devoured Kong shi’s personal handwriting, he would be able to turn his aura that was drenched with killing intent like all other Otherworldly Demons into a purer and more orthodox form, similar to that of a master teacher.
The collapse of the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall was probably a result of the aura coming from Kong shi’s personal handwriting. While Kong shi had yet to reach his peak when he left behind those words, there was no way that the will of any master teacher would dare to stand against him.
As for the aura of a Celestial Master Teacher, as his clone’s soul had come from his, he had also been recognized by the heavens. On top of that, Vicious was around to assist, so they managed to pull it off easily.
And the final disappearance was naturally not teleportation either. While the crowd had been being distracted by their own fear, Zhang Xuan had managed to slip them into the Myriad Anthive Nest discreetly.
Entering a folded space was similar to entering another world. Even with the spiritual perception of a Saint 2-dan expert, it was impossible to find any traces of them anywhere, thus creating the illusion of teleportation.
It was fortunate that they had managed to pull it off perfectly, but considering the destruction left in their wake... wasn’t this going too far?
Since this was only a small conflict, Zhang Xuan had intended to just erase all doubts of him being an Otherworldly Demon from the minds of the others, but this... He could see deep fear in the eyes on him!
Just as he was conflicted as to what he should do under such circumstances, Mu shi suddenly stepped forward, clasped his fist, and bowed.
"Senior Uncle!"
Zhang Xuan was slightly stunned for a moment before he responded with a slight nod. "There is no need to stand on ceremony!"
Since ’Yang Xuan’ was his grandteacher, as the direct disciple of Yang Xuan, there was no mistake with Mu shi addressing him as such.
Senior Uncle? Lu Feng’s lips twitched, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
Mu shi was a 7-star master teacher, so in terms of seniority, Lu Feng could be considered to be a generation younger than the other party. If the other party was calling Zhang Xuan ’Senior Uncle’... Didn’t that mean that his seniority before Zhang Xuan had dropped yet another generation, putting him on equal standing as the latter’s grandstudent?
It was just a moment ago that he had still been a junior...
Would the other party be calling him a child next?
What the heck was going on!
Not only did Lu Feng suffer a heavy blow from this, Dong Xin’s vision had also darkened upon hearing those words.
Previously, Long Cangyue had said that going by the current trend, the next one of them to provoke Zhang Xuan could just end up as his great grandstudent...
Back then, she hadn’t thought much of it, thinking that it was impossible. But this...
As a direct disciple of Lu Feng, if her teacher’s seniority was that of Zhang Xuan’s grandstudent, wouldn’t that make her his great grandstudent?
Of the Great Four Student Factions in the Master Teacher Academy, Hu Yaoyao was the first to challenge Zhang Xuan, and she ended up becoming his apprentice.
Xue Zhenyang was the second, and he became his grandstudent.
And she, being the third... became his great grandstudent!
Tears wouldn’t stop flowing down Dong Xin’s cheeks. If she had known that this would happen, she would never have gotten involved in this trouble.... Now, she would have to call even Hu Yaoyao her grandteacher...
"This..." Pavilion Master Mo and the others were also at a loss after hearing Mu shi calling Zhang Xuan ’Senior Uncle’.
Paying no heed to the bizarre expressions of the crowd, Zhang Xuan asked Mu shi, "With this, there shouldn’t be anyone who still suspects me of being an Otherworldly Demon, right?"
Mu shi hurriedly shook his head. "Of course not!"
You are Yang shi’s student, and Yang shi is a Celestial Master Teacher. There is no way a student of a Celestial Master Teacher could be an Otherworldly Demon.
The other master teachers in the area also hastily agreed.
"Since this matter is cleared, this hearing should be over. I can take my leave now, right?" Zhang Xuan continued.
"Of course!" Mu shi nodded hurriedly.
"Alright, I will bid you all farewell now," Zhang Xuan said.
Given the current state of affairs, even if he didn’t say a word, the Master Teacher Academy would still certainly make sure that Lu Feng was punished severely for his actions. As the most senior figure in the room, there was no need for him to lower his standing to deal with a mere grandstudent.
If he really insisted on dealing with Lu Feng, the prestige that he had just built up using his clone’s disguise would be diminished.
Furthermore, the reputation of the Master Teacher Academy was at stake here, so it wouldn’t be good for a student like him to get involved in the matter. It would be best to leave it to the school heads to deal with the matter as they deemed fit.
But just as Zhang Xuan was just about to leave, School Head Mo stepped forward and said, "Zhang shi, please wait a moment!"
"Is there still a problem?" Zhang Xuan asked politely.
School Head Mo had granted him plenty of help ever since his enrollment, so he had a high opinion of the latter.
Even in the hearing just a moment ago, before Yang shi made an appearance, he had been active in speaking up for him.
"It is like this... Mu shi once said that anyone who finds Senior Byzantium Helios will be made the next principal. Since you were the one who found Senior Byzantium Helios, and you have even become his master... I feel that it will only be right for you to take on the responsibility as the next principal of our academy!"
After saying those words, School Head Mo turned to look at the others and asked, "What do the rest of you think of this matter?"
Ever since the old principal disappeared, the academy had slowly become divided, and troubles had emerged one after another. It was imperative that someone in the academy had to step up to take hold of the situation, and Zhang Xuan seemed to be the ideal candidate for that.
While he might be lacking in his cultivation, he made up for that through his deep comprehension in the other supporting occupations.
Besides, he had Senior Byzantium Helios as his tamed beast. With such powerful backing, who would dare question his authority?
"I was thinking of making the same suggestion!" Zhao Bingxu nodded in agreement.
"I have no qualms with Zhang shi becoming our next principal!" Wei Ranxue replied.
"I think that Zhang laoshi is the most suitable candidate to become the principal as well!" Jiang Qingqin nodded.
"I agree!" School Head Xu Changqing of the Martial Arts School hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Wang Ying and the others were guest elders of their school. If their teacher were to become the principal, they would surely be willing to devote more time to imparting knowledge to the student.
In just a few moments, half of the Ten Great Master Teachers had already expressed their support for the motion.
Senior Uncle is a student of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy himself, and he also fulfills most of the conditions required to become the principal. If he is willing to take on this responsibility, that will truly be a blessing for the academy!
Mu shi’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. "I agree to this motion as well!"
His main mission for coming to the Master Teacher Academy was to nominate and confirm the next principal.
While Senior Uncle might still be young, and his cultivation is still weak, he has a strong backer who is more than sufficient to make up for his deficiencies.
Besides, Senior Uncle is also an exceptional genius. Most likely, he will be able to rise up to the role in just a few years’ time, and under his leadership, the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy could be brought to unprecedented greatness!
Mu shi turned his sights to the remaining five school heads. "What about the rest of you?"
"This..." Lu Feng and Chen Chengxun glanced at one another with extreme reluctance. They would have vetoed the motion immediately under normal circumstances, but considering their current plight and Zhang Xuan’s newfound status...
"Since even Mu shi is in support of this matter, I have no objections either," the head of the Painter School said.
"I have no objections, too!" the head of the Celestial Designer School said.
"I am of the same opinion as the others!" Zhong Dingchun, the head of the Physician School, nodded.
Eventually, Lu Feng and Chen Chengxun had no choice but to relent as well. "Alright, we agree to the motion!"
They had no choice in this matter. With eight of the Ten Great Master Teachers in support of this motion, even if they were to voice their disagreements, nothing would change.
With all of the school heads in support of this motion, School Head Mo was just about to make the official declaration of the results when a deep, resounding voice suddenly sounded.
"One of the requirements to become the principal of the Master Teacher Academy is to be a 6-star master teacher. Zhang shi hasn’t met this requirement yet. I disagree with this matter..." the Golden Origin Cauldron objected.
As the Guardian Saint Artifact of the Master Teacher Academy, its position was higher than even that of the school heads. Naturally, it had a say in the matter as well.
"Senior Golden Origin Cauldron, even though Zhang shi isn’t a 6-star master teacher yet, given his astounding talent, it won’t be long before he successfully clears the examination," School Head Mo said.
The others nodded in agreement at School Head Mo’s words.
They had witnessed the heaven-defying talent of that young man personally, and the copious destruction all over the Master Teacher Academy served as testimony to that. If even a genius like him couldn’t pass the 6-star master teacher examination, who else could?
"You may be right, but have you all forgotten about the selection three months’ time?" the Golden Origin Cauldron asked.
"Three months’ time?" The crowd frowned, unsure of what the Golden Origin Cauldron was referring to.
"It seems like all of you have really forgotten about it... Three months from now will be the centennial ’Combat Master Selection’!" the Golden Origin Cauldron exclaimed.
"Combat Master Selection? Now that you mention it... it has indeed been a hundred years since the previous selection!"
"The Qingyuan Conferred Empire’s Combat Master Hall only conducts a selection exercise once every hundred years. I wasn’t a school head yet during the previous selection, so I don’t really recall it..."
"The four great academies under Qingyuan Conferred Academy will be gathering together for the selection. It will be a huge event!"
"I had forgotten about that as well... If Zhang shi fails to become a 6-star master teacher within the next three months, we won’t stand a chance against the other three academies!"
...
Everyone fell silent.
"Combat Master Selection?" Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.
He didn’t think that he would remain in Hongyuan Empire for too long, so it didn’t matter to him whether he became the principal of the Master Teacher Academy or not. However, judging from everyone’s tone, it seemed like they had some apprehensions regarding the Combat Master Selection.
"I believe Zhang shi should have heard of combat masters before?" School Head Mo asked.
Zhang Xuan nodded in response.
The Combat Master Hall could be considered an offshoot of the Master Teacher Pavilion, serving primarily as its offensive wing.
Combat masters were considered master teachers as well, but they need not be skilled in teaching nor did they have to take on supporting occupations. All that was required of them was to be sufficiently strong to clear the respective examinations to obtain their master teacher rank.
Each combat master was known to possess the capability of fighting with opponents with higher cultivation levels than them. Even among the powerful master teachers, they could be considered experts.
Back then, when he was in Huanyu Empire, he had once been suspected of being a combat master on one occasion.
"The master teachers of the Combat Master Hall are famed for their overwhelming strength, and most regard it as an honor to join their ranks," School Head Mo explained.
"Once every century, the Combat Master Hall will select fresh blood from the various academies to fill their ranks, and the next selection happens to be in three months’ time!"
"Three months..."
"That’s right. In three months’ time, the four academies will gather together for the selection. However, due to the limited slots... the principals of the four academies will be first competing in a duel to decide on the allocation of slots to each academy first!"
School Head Mo said awkwardly, "If Zhang shi becomes the principal, you will have to participate in the principals’ duel. Given your current strength... I fear that you might not be able to hold your ground against the others!"
As principals of Master Teacher Academies, the opponents Zhang Xuan might face would be 6-star pinnacle or even 7-star master teachers.
Given Zhang shi’s talent, there was no doubt that he could surpass the other principals if given sufficient time... but the duel was in three months’ time!
"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.
It was no wonder everyone was worried. He was currently only at Ethereal Treading realm primary stage, which would put him at a fatal disadvantage against the other principals.
"Actually, there is no need to worry. If I am not mistaken, Zhang laoshi already has five supporting occupations at 6-star rank. As long as he earns one more, he will have cleared the supporting occupation prerequisite for the 6-star master teacher examination. I think it is possible to make it within three months!" Jiang Qingqin interjected.
Currently, the 6-star supporting occupations that Zhang shi had were blacksmith, physician, apothecary, terpsichore, and demonic tunist.
He was still lacking another one to clear the supporting occupation prerequisite for the 6-star master teacher examination. Given the ridiculous rate which he learned at... getting another supporting occupation up to 6-star within three months shouldn’t be a problem!