Chapter 1196: Bizarre Training Method

Elder Hall of the Combat Master Hall.

"Has the Hall Master gone to find Master Zhang?" Hall Master Wei frowned.

"Yes, if my guess is correct, the lesson should have already begun..." Hall Master Liao nodded.

"With Master Zhang personally taking charge, I can finally rest easy. He transformed ordinary students from Xuanyuan Academy, who had mediocre combat abilities, into combat masters as powerful as, or even exceeding, those of the same rank within a short period. His ability is truly astonishing!"

"Indeed! Even though it's just for three days, with his involvement, our Qingyuan Combat Master Hall should become much stronger. Perhaps we might even achieve unexpected gains..." Hall Master Liao also sighed with emotion. They had communicated with Xuanyuan Academy and were aware of the incredible depth of Master Zhang's teachings. Those who seriously studied his methods not only saw a significant increase in their combat power but also experienced astonishing leaps in their understanding of combat.

"How about we secretly observe?" Hall Master Wei couldn't help but suggest.

"Observe secretly?"

"Yes, I truly want to hear how Master Zhang conducts his lessons and trains these young ones. If we could learn a thing or two, we could also help our own students make rapid progress and become much stronger in the future!" Hall Master Wei stroked his beard.

"That's a good point... Let's go and see together!" Feeling tempted, Hall Master Liao stood up. Master Zhang's lesson for the combat masters was not a secret, and there was no harm in elders observing.

The two quickly walked towards the training hall.

"Why is the door open?"

Before they even reached it, they noticed the training hall's doors were wide open, completely unlike a closed training session. Rushing over, they found the spacious hall completely empty. It seemed the twenty individuals meant for special training had all vanished.

"Where are the people?" The two hall masters exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what was happening. Weren't they supposed to have special training and a lecture in the training hall? Why had everyone disappeared?

"There's a cleaner over there, let's ask them..." After looking around and finding no one, Hall Master Wei pointed. Hall Master Liao indeed saw a cleaner, dressed in dirty clothes, meticulously scrubbing a toilet in a quiet room nearby.

"Friend, did you see a group of combat masters training... training..." Before he could finish, Hall Master Wei's mouth twitched. The person scrubbing the toilet turned around. It was none other than the super genius they had selected... Shi Hao! Shi Hao was renowned throughout the Combat Master Hall for his profound cultivation of true qi. Why... why was he kneeling here scrubbing a toilet instead of cultivating?

"Hall Master Wei, Hall Master Liao!" Seeing them, Shi Hao quickly clasped his hands.

"You... why are you here? Where are the others? Wasn't Master Zhang supposed to give you a lecture?" Unable to hold back any longer, Hall Master Wei asked directly.

"It's a task assigned by Master Zhang. He told me to scrub all the toilets in the Combat Master Hall within three days..." Shi Hao replied.

"All the toilets in the Combat Master Hall?" The two hall masters' eyes widened. The entire Combat Master Hall housed tens of thousands of people, and tens of thousands more had arrived from Xuanyuan Academy. A place for twenty thousand people, plus numerous public facilities... the number of toilets would certainly exceed ten thousand! To scrub all of them in three days... there wouldn't even be enough time, let alone time for cultivation.

"Yes, and he also told me to use this..." Shi Hao held up the item in his hand. Taking a look, the eyelids of both hall masters twitched again. What the other man was holding was not a toilet brush, but a feather duster... A feather duster was soft; it could dust, but scrub away residue and grime from a toilet... how was that even possible?

"Alright, Hall Masters, I don't have time to talk much. So many toilets must be scrubbed clean within three days. If I don't finish, I'll be in trouble... I must get back to work!" With that, Shi Hao ignored the two of them and squatted down again, diligently cleaning.

"This... well, we won't disturb you. So... where are the others?" Seeing him seriously scrubbing the toilet and ignoring them, Hall Master Wei could only ask.

"Jiao Tan is swatting flies in the outdoor restroom, Xiao Qin is catching birds... As for the others, I'm not sure. You can go out and look for them; you might find them!" Shi Hao said without lifting his head.

"Swatting flies? Catching birds?" The two hall masters swayed, their vision dimming. Weren't they supposed to be lectured? Weren't they supposed to undergo urgent, short-term training? Now they were scrubbing toilets, swatting flies, and catching birds... What was going on?

With gloomy faces and utterly confused, the two left the training hall. Just as they were about to search for the two who were catching birds and swatting flies, they saw a young man, grinning broadly, trailing behind a female combat master.

"Hey pretty lady, don't leave! Can we do something embarrassing together...?"

"Slap!"

"If you don't want to, you don't have to, but why hit me? Hey, big brother, can you do something embarrassing with me?"

"Scram!"

"Alrighty then..."

Witnessing this scene, Hall Master Wei couldn't help but look at Hall Master Liao beside him, both their mouths twitching, almost on the verge of tears.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's your student, Lu Jianling, right?"

"Yes, he is. My student is usually quite introverted and shy. How... how can he be so blunt chasing girls, and more importantly, what does it mean to chase boys...?" Hall Master Liao covered his face, afraid his student would see him and invite him to do something embarrassing too.

"I don't know either..." Hall Master Wei swallowed hard.

The two continued forward and then saw a young man standing before a large tree, circulating his true qi, seemingly engaged in some form of training.

"That's Dong Rui from the Defense Hall. He has an iron skin and bones, making him invulnerable to swords and spears..." Hall Master Wei recognized him and nodded. "Good, at least one of them is normal. Otherwise, with the toilet scrubbing and flirting with men... I'm genuinely afraid I wouldn't be able to bear it and would spit out blood if I kept watching."

"Hmm..." Hall Master Liao also sighed in relief and was about to speak when he saw Dong Rui, not far away, finish his breathing exercises. With a push of his foot, he climbed to the top of the tree, then... suddenly let go. *Splat!* He plunged headfirst into the ground, burying himself like a radish. *Thud!* Struggling, he pulled his head out, his face covered in blood. He casually applied some medicine, then returned to the tree, took a couple of deep breaths, and climbed up again. *Splat!* He fell headfirst once more, with even more blood on his head.

The two hall masters were going crazy. Weren't they supposed to be training? Weren't they supposed to be lectured? How could all the super geniuses they had painstakingly selected, the strongest "Soldier Kings" of every rank in the Combat Master Hall, have gone completely mad?

Continuing onward, they encountered even more bizarre sights: some were lying in bathtubs, pretending to be corpses, while others buried themselves motionless in the dirt... All twenty geniuses were quickly found, and every single one of them was acting like a madman, doing things they never would have dreamed of before.

"Hall Master... what exactly is going on?" Unable to bear it any longer, they went to Hall Master Xing's residence and found him staring blankly. The two hall masters couldn't contain themselves. "We want these combat masters to achieve miracles, not to turn into lunatics..."

"I... I don't know either!" Hall Master Xing turned his head. Only then did the two realize that the usually dignified Hall Master's hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and his eyes were dark, as if he hadn't slept for days. He seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.

"Master Zhang arranged it this way, and he told me not to interfere. I... I don't know what he's actually doing!" Hall Master Xing was also at his breaking point. He had expected Master Zhang to use some extraordinary training methods, but upon seeing what was written, he had completely lost his mind. It was indeed special... but it was outrageously special! "Are you sure this is actual training? Or is he trying to completely destroy our Qingyuan Combat Master Hall?"

"You don't know either? Then... you're just letting him do whatever he wants?" Hall Master Wei couldn't help but say.

"I wanted to say something too, but he said... if I didn't trust him, I could just ignore it! After agonizing for a long time, I decided to stop interfering..." Hall Master Xing gave a bitter smile. As the Hall Master of the Combat Master Hall, he couldn't comprehend the other party's actions. But since he had invited the other party to act, he had to trust him. Otherwise, he, as the Hall Master, would lose all credibility.

"But..." The two hall masters wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin. After an unknown period, Hall Master Liao couldn't help but ask, "Master Zhang... is he really training them?"

"I don't know either... Let's just leave it be. Our people wouldn't have ranked highly anyway, so perhaps letting him experiment might... create a miracle!" Hall Master Xing shook his head, full of helplessness. Their Qingyuan Combat Master Hall was already very weak. Judging by past performances, even though the combat masters selected this time were exceptionally talented, it was uncertain whether they would secure even two spots... It was essentially treating a dead horse as if it were alive. What if Master Zhang really could create a miracle, just as he had before?

"It seems we have no choice... By the way, where is Master Zhang?" Hall Master Wei looked around, didn't see Zhang Xuan, and couldn't help but ask.

"Just now, he took his physician and alchemist emblems and said he was going to the Master Teacher Pavilion to take the Seven-Star Master Teacher examination..." Hall Master Xing replied.

"Taking the Seven-Star Master Teacher examination?" The two were stunned once more. "You were supposed to train our people, but you turned all the combat masters into lunatics, and then you went off to take the Seven-Star Master Teacher examination yourself... Isn't that a bit too audacious!" The two hall masters felt their worldview completely collapsing.

Hall Master Xing was correct; Zhang Xuan had indeed arrived at the Master Teacher Pavilion. Training combat masters was a minor matter for him; becoming a certified master teacher was the most important. With this identity, he would be qualified to contend for a spot in the Saint Son Hall, which would allow him to find Luo Ruoxi, question her thoroughly, and make preparations and plans for future events.

Walking through the spacious hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he headed directly towards Master Wu's residence. Having the experience of elevating a kingdom to an empire, as long as his auxiliary occupations and state of mind met the requirements, he could apply for the emblem without needing to take an examination. For others, this might involve some bureaucratic hassle, but finding Master Wu was the most convenient option for him.

"Master Wu, if Deputy Hall Master Tian hadn't discovered the danger back then, our Combat Master Hall might have been completely annihilated. Are you now saying he framed a six-star master teacher from a first-tier empire? And even arrested him... Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?" Just as he arrived at the room, before he could push the door open, he heard an aged voice emanating from within.