Chapter 1158: Fourth Recognition of Famous Teachers by the Heavenly Realm

"Teacher Zhang, I'll take my leave..."President Ruan also turned and left.In the courtyard, only Sun Qiang and Liu Yang remained.

Turning around, Zhang Xuan watched the night sky where Wang Ying and the other student had disappeared. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood motionless.

"Go on, all of you go!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Those destined to leave, will always do so. A true dragon cannot stay confined; otherwise, how can it grow?

"Teacher..." His heart aching, Liu Yang took a step forward, wanting to say something, when he felt a tightening on his arm.

"Let the Young Master be alone for a while..." Sun Qiang sighed.

Liu Yang glanced at him, saw him shake his head, then nodded and followed him out of the courtyard. Indeed, the teacher needed quiet, not comfort, at that moment. It was certainly not easy to see students leave one after another.

"What can I do for Teacher?" Stepping out of the courtyard, Liu Yang looked at the tranquil night and couldn't help but ask.

"What you can do is cultivate diligently, and not let down the Young Master's efforts in nurturing you!" Sun Qiang said.

"Yes, Zhao Ya, Lu Chong, Yuan Tao, Wei Ruyan, Zheng Yang, Wang Ying... they have all left, and only I remain. I must become stronger so as not to betray Teacher's deep kindness!"

Clenching his fists, Liu Yang narrowed his eyes.

Before, they all cultivated together and made progress together. Although he wasn't the fastest, he wasn't too slow either, and was quite content. Now, that feeling was gone, replaced by immense pressure.

Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, Wei Ruyan, and Lu Chong had all gone to places suitable for their physiques to cultivate and receive inheritances. Once fully activated, rapid improvement was a certainty. Zheng Yang and Wang Ying, on the other hand, went to places suited for their talents, where they would receive complete inheritances and various resources for cultivation, ensuring their progress would also be swift.

Only he remained here.

If his cultivation speed was slower than theirs, wouldn't it imply that his teacher was inferior to those powers?

"No, I must work even harder!"

With a determined look, Liu Yang turned and walked towards his room. He had to cultivate; not a moment could be wasted.

As fellow disciples, he didn't want to be left far behind when they met again, truly becoming a burden to their teacher.

"Sigh..." Sun Qiang was speechless, not expecting Liu Yang to leave so abruptly without any hesitation.

"Never mind, I won't compare myself to these cultivation fanatics. I'll go out for a stroll and see what delicious food Qingyuan Empire has to offer..."

Stretching, Sun Qiang headed out.

Since arriving in Qingyuan City, he had always stayed in the courtyard with the members of the Xuanxuan Society, never venturing out to experience the nightlife of a Conferred Empire. Now that he had some free time, he decided to take a walk around.

He wasn't very interested in cultivation; otherwise, with the Young Master's personal guidance and unlimited resources, his strength would have long since broken through to Half-Saint, not like now, being less than full and half-rattling.

Standing quietly in place, Zhang Xuan felt a loneliness he had never experienced before.

Almost all his students had left, Luo Ruoxi had also gone, and it seemed as if he was the only one left in the entire world.

It was as if he had returned to the time when he first transmigrated into this world, when he could be expelled at any moment, with not a single student under his tutelage...

Everything felt so strange, so lonely.

"Although they could better receive knowledge by staying with me, leaving... was a better choice!"

"Keeping them by my side would only limit their development, offering no benefit..."

Thoughts flowed through his mind, and in an instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to grasp that elusive insight once more.

"That's right, a teacher's love for their students involves planning for their long-term future... Teaching students isn't like forging weapons, where many can be made from a single mold. They must live their own lives, experience their own joys and sorrows, and undergo their own struggles! Staying by their side, with 'cramming' style teaching, might allow them to grow quickly, but losing the opportunity for tempering is like a weapon not being quenched; they can never become truly strong individuals or mighty figures. Their departure also signifies that they have grown up..."

Boom! His mind shook violently, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Immediately afterward, countless unique auras poured down from the sky, enveloping him in an instant.

The Fourth Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher! A unique power surged into his body, rapidly increasing his state of mind index, and his entire aura grew by leaps and bounds. He himself seemed to enter a special state of artistic conception, becoming even more profound and distant.

In the Combat Master Hall's grand meeting hall.

"Hall Master, these are the combat theories we've summarized over the past few days from the Xuanxuan Society, all reportedly taught by Teacher Zhang!"

Hall Master Lu Wangqiu of the Movement Technique Hall flipped his wrist, producing several thick books. They had only gone to the Xuanxuan Society to learn; they hadn't left for good.

Hall Master Xing casually opened one, looked down, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"This Teacher Zhang is indeed a genius; his understanding of combat has reached an astonishing level! Though his theories are simple, they directly pinpoint the core of cultivation. With any martial art technique before him, he can easily find its flaws and break through them..."

After finishing the books and recalling the knowledge in his mind, Hall Master Xing couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Only by seeing it firsthand did he realize that combat could be like this. Truly worthy of being Master Yang's eminent disciple; he's formidable.

"Indeed, I listened carefully during his lecture today. Although the knowledge he explained was simple, it could enlighten people and greatly advance their understanding of cultivation..."

Hall Master Yan Qinghai of the Palm Technique Hall spoke up. The other hall masters simultaneously nodded.

If previously there was some psychological resistance among them towards joining the Xuanxuan Society, it had now completely vanished, replaced by pure delight. As long as they studied diligently, it was foreseeable that the overall combat strength of their Combat Master Hall would rapidly increase!

"It seems this exchange was the correct decision..." Hall Master Xing agreed, sighing emotionally. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly sensed something and his pupils contracted.

A wave of energy! The various hall masters also seemed to sense it, and one by one, they quickly stood up.

"Let's go see..." Without any hesitation, Hall Master Xing's body flickered, and he rushed outside, arriving in the blink of an eye at a grand hall not far from the meeting room.

Here stood the ancestral tablets of the Combat Master Hall's past generations, as well as a statue of its founding patriarch.

Upon entering, they immediately saw numerous ancestral tablets and the statue of the founding patriarch shaking incessantly, as if witnessing something terrifying.

"What's happening?" Lu Wangqiu's expression changed. Having lived for over eight hundred years, this was the first time he had witnessed such a situation. In fact, nothing similar had ever been recorded in the history of the Combat Master Hall.

Clatter! Just as they wondered what was happening, they saw numerous ancestral tablets topple in unison towards a single direction, bowing with reverence and respect. The statue of the founding patriarch also prostrated itself on the ground, as if having encountered an existence that commanded its heartfelt admiration.

"This... could it be..." Recalling something, Hall Master Xing's pupils contracted.

"What is it?" Everyone looked over.

Combat Masters primarily focused on battle; their breadth of knowledge was far inferior to that of Master Teachers.

"Ten Thousand Masters paying homage, bowing in obedience, this is... a Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher being born!"

Hall Master Xing's lips were dry, and his voice trembled.

"Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher?" Everyone's faces turned pale.

Lu Ran was a Master Teacher apprentice in the Master Teacher Pavilion of Qingyuan Empire. He was normally responsible for cleaning and organizing the Conferred Master Hall. It was supposed to be his day off, but his replacement had an unexpected emergency, so he was called back.

"I had an appointment with Luo Yan to meet her parents, and now it's ruined. She's definitely going to scold me to death..."

His brows were furrowed in a knot, and his face showed displeasure.

If he hadn't come here, he would have definitely been on a date tonight. Perhaps, overcome with emotion, he could have won the beauty's heart and ended his single life... Well, now everything was ruined.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

"They're just empty ancestral tablets; it's not like I need to guard them every day..."

Pushing open the door and looking at the empty hall, Lu Ran shook his head.

The Conferred Master Hall contained only empty ancestral tablets and a statue of Kong shi.

However, these were inanimate objects; a quick sweep was all that was needed. There was no need to come every day, let alone constantly watch them!

"Never mind, I'm just an apprentice now. If I can just hold on for another half a year and become a true Master Teacher, I won't have to do these menial tasks anymore..."

He was currently just an ordinary apprentice, only capable of doing cleaning and organizing. However, once he became a true Master Teacher, his status would be completely different.

Although a 1-star Master Teacher wasn't much in Qingyuan Empire, they were still Master Teachers, holding a respected position that commanded deference, unlike now, where he had to pander to others and be on call.

"I'll just sleep here and apologize to Luo Yan tomorrow!"

Stretching, he went to a corner of the hall, arranged several mats together, and lay down diagonally on them. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt the hall shake violently.

"What's wrong?" Startled, he quickly sat up.

This was the Master Teacher Pavilion, the most important place in the entire Qingyuan Empire, surrounded by all sorts of formations. Even earthquakes or flash floods would absolutely not affect it. How could... such a violent tremor occur?

While he was wondering, he saw countless ancestral tablets standing directly in front of him, one by one, leap off their altars.

"This..." His face turned pale, and Lu Ran trembled all over. He had never seen such a situation, let alone heard of it.

These ancestral tablets were inanimate objects, merely carved with the names and biographies of past Master Teacher Pavilion ancestors. Before, when he cleaned, he had accidentally knocked over several, but nothing had happened... How could they now, as if alive, be jumping down from above?

With a clatter! Falling to the ground, the tablets stood neatly in a row, as if commanded, all facing a single direction.

Frozen stiff, Lu Ran dared not move. He hid in the corner, frantically covering his mouth, terrified of making any sound.

Boom! Just as he was nervously at a loss for what to do, he saw the previously motionless statue of Kong shi also come to life, turning around to face the same direction.

Its gaze was deep and distant, just like a living person's.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Ran's breath hitched. Immediately afterward, he saw the stone-carved Kong shi gently bend down, clasping its hands together.

"Fellow Daoist... greetings!"