Chapter 10: Defaulting

"Alright, you said you recruited four students. Are you going to bring them here for us to confirm, or are you just going to stand there and wait for us to slap you?"

Seeing that this last-place teacher was audacious enough to challenge all four of them to a bet, Qian Biao smirked coldly.

"Bring the students here?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You are all teachers from the Logistics Department; surely you aren't unaware of such simple matters! To confirm whether I've recruited four students is very easy. As soon as a student drips blood onto my token to acknowledge me as their master, the Academic Affairs Office will automatically generate their identity information. You can check there to confirm everything clearly. The Academic Affairs Office wouldn't conspire with me to deceive you, would it?"

Once a student's identity is verified, the information is automatically transmitted to the Academic Affairs Office, where it is meticulously recorded. No one can fake it.

"Li Yuan, go check! I want to see how this guy will keep up his pretense in a moment!"

Hearing his words and seeing his confident expression, Qian Biao paused, then turned to give an order.

Li Yuan, who was one of the teachers that had just mocked Zhang Xuan, turned and walked out upon hearing the command.

Both the Academic Affairs Office and the Logistics Department were administrative departments and not far apart. Li Yuan didn't take long to return, his face looking very displeased.

"Well?"

Seeing his expression, Qian Biao's heart sank, and an ominous premonition arose within him.

"He does have... four students who have acknowledged him as their teacher! Here is their list and detailed information..."

Li Yuan's face was ashen.

He still couldn't believe it was true.

Were these four students blind? With so many teachers at Hongtian Academy, why would they choose a guy who scored zero on the teacher qualification assessment and seemed to know nothing?

"Let me see. He probably just found some blind, crippled students who are on the verge of expulsion to be his own!"

Qian Biao snatched the list.

The remaining two teachers also hurried over.

Many teachers would recruit academically weaker students to boost their numbers. Such students were always on the verge of expulsion, and even if they stayed, they wouldn't last more than a few months!

In Qian Biao's view, even if someone like Zhang Xuan, who was last in ranking, managed to recruit students, they would surely be the worst, most undesirable ones.

Taking on such students just to make up numbers wouldn't bring any pride; it would only be more shameful!

"Wang Ying... a girl? The name doesn't sound promising; she's probably one of the lowest-ranked in the entrance exam..." Qian Biao snorted as he saw the first name on the list.

Not just anyone could enter Hongtian Academy. To get in, one first had to pass an entrance assessment, and the academy would rank candidates based on their scores, admitting only those who met the qualifications.

Students ranked highly in the entrance assessment were usually sought after by excellent teachers and were all quite well-known. Apparently, there was no one named Wang Ying among them.

"Teacher Qian, keep reading..." Before Qian Biao could finish his sentence, he heard a slightly trembling voice from a teacher beside him.

"What's wrong? Is it worse than I said?"

With a cold laugh, Qian Biao looked down. After just one glance, his pupils involuntarily contracted. Behind Wang Ying's name was a detailed annotation about her: "67th place in the new student entrance assessment, younger sister of Elder's disciple Wang Tao, daughter of the Wang family, one of the Four Great Clans of Tianxuan City!"

"A daughter of the Wang family? Wang Tao's sister?" Qian Biao gasped.

In Tianxuan Kingdom, there were Four Great Clans, and the Wang family was one of them. A young lady from that family had actually acknowledged this last-place teacher as her master? Was it true?

Shouldn't someone like her be studying under Lu Xun or Wang Chao?

If her family background alone inspired fear, what truly crushed him was Wang Ying's brother, Wang Tao!

Wang Tao was a student from two years ago who had consistently ranked among the top ten in the annual academic performance reviews since his enrollment. This year, he was even personally taken on as a disciple by an Elder of the academy!

With a brother of such talent, how could his sister be ordinary?

Influential, talented, and with an impressive brother, she actually acknowledged *this* guy as her teacher?

My eyes must be playing tricks on me; I must have read it wrong!

Qian Biao felt like he was being struck by lightning and was about to faint.

"Now, look at the next one..."

Just as he was trembling and in disbelief, another teacher called out, his voice quivering.

"If he managed to recruit a Wang Ying, that's just pure luck. I don't believe he could recruit anyone more impressive..." Gritting his teeth, Qian Biao continued down the list. As his eyes landed on another name, his body trembled again, and his vision went black.

"Zhao Ya? Zhao Ya, ranked seventh in the year-end assessment? The daughter of the White Jade City Lord?"

Qian Biao felt like crying but had no tears.

He had just said he didn't believe Zhang Xuan could recruit anyone more impressive, and he never would have dreamed that he actually had... and not just that, but a super-talented student that countless teachers vied for!

He had heard of this Zhao Ya even before she arrived; she was the daughter of the White Jade City Lord, not only beautiful but also incredibly talented!

Such a person would be fought over by countless high-ranking teachers. How could she have acknowledged *this* good-for-nothing as her teacher?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Forcing himself to endure, he looked further down the list. Liu Yang and Zheng Yang, while not as famous, had also ranked quite high in the new student entrance assessment, both within the top hundred!

Especially Zheng Yang, who was reportedly skilled with the spear. During the assessment, he hadn't been given the opportunity to showcase his full ability, which was why his rank was lower. If he were allowed to use his spear, he might even make it into the top twenty!

After scrutinizing the list of all four students multiple times, Qian Biao and the other teachers felt like they were going insane.

This was completely illogical!

"You must have used some deceptive tricks. Although they acknowledged you as their teacher, they don't know who you really are. Once they find out, they'll quickly drop your class..."

Suddenly, Qian Biao roared, his face twisted in a ferocious grimace.

What right did someone who scored zero on the teacher qualification assessment have to recruit such outstanding students? He must have used some unknown, despicable, and shameless methods. Once these methods were exposed, these students would surely leave in anger!

In other words, while it was true that he had four students, they wouldn't stay long and would eventually drop his class.

"Whether they drop my class or not is none of your concern. Our bet was whether I *currently* have students. Now that you've confirmed I have four students, isn't it time to honor the bet?"

Too lazy to bother with the wild conjectures and ferocious faces of the four men, Zhang Xuan said calmly.

Qian Biao, Li Yuan, and the other two looked as if their parents had died.

The content of their bet was indeed whether he *currently* had students, with no mention of the future.

By that calculation, they had lost!

However, admitting defeat and being slapped by the academy's worst teacher was absolutely unacceptable!

"The bet? Kid, what if we don't honor it?"

Hesitating for a moment, Qian Biao sneered, his plump face contorted in a ferocious grin.

"Exactly. Even if we don't honor it, what can you do to us? Haha, do you want to beat us up? More importantly, do you even have the strength?"

"The academy's worst teacher, with the lowest cultivation level, trying to show off in front of us. Believe it or not, the four of us could beat you to a pulp right now, and no one would dare to interfere?"

"Stop acting so arrogant, and maybe you can stay in the academy a bit longer. Otherwise, you'll be kicked out and humiliated soon enough!"

Li Yuan and the others instantly understood Qian Biao's implication and sneered in unison.

Not only did Zhang Xuan perform poorly in the teacher qualification assessment, but his cultivation level among all the teachers was also unremarkable; if not dead last, he was certainly close!

Precisely because of this, he wasn't insightful enough to spot problems in students' cultivation.

Qian Biao and the others were naturally unwilling to be slapped. Since their opponent's strength was low, they intended to simply renege on the bet.

"Oh? So, you're not planning to honor it?"

Zhang Xuan didn't get angry; instead, he looked at them with a smile.

"That's right! Kid, who do you think you are, wanting to slap me? Believe it or not, I'll slap you to death right now!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan still so tactless and arrogant, Li Yuan immediately flared up in anger and swung a slap.

Before his palm even reached Zhang Xuan, a whistling wind pressed in, causing a feeling of constricted breathing.

Although Li Yuan was only a teacher from the Logistics Department, his cultivation was indeed not low; he had already reached the late stage of Martial Artist Fourth Realm!

The Nine Layers of Martial Artists: First Layer Gathering Breath, Second Layer Dantian, Third Layer True Qi, Fourth Layer Skin and Bone, Fifth Layer Cauldron Power, Sixth Layer Acupoint Opening, Seventh Layer Profound Connection, Eighth Layer Grandmaster, Ninth Layer Supreme!

Each layer was like a new heaven; the higher one cultivated, the more difficult it became.

Each layer was further divided into four stages: early, middle, late, and peak.

Zhang Xuan was the youngest teacher in the entire academy, only nineteen years old this year, and his cultivation was only at the peak of the Martial Artist Third Layer True Qi Realm!

Li Yuan was almost an entire major realm higher than him!

The difference in strength across a major realm was immense, almost impossible to overcome.

*Slap!*

Just as everyone thought Li Yuan was certain to slap Zhang Xuan's face and make him dizzy, there was suddenly a crisp sound. Immediately after, everyone saw Li Yuan's face turn red, blood spurt from his mouth, and a mouthful of teeth scatter across the ground.

"This... how is this possible?"

Everyone stood dumbfounded, on the verge of losing their minds.