Chapter 1199: Zhang Xuan vs Zhang Jiuxiao

"Zhang Xuan? Which Zhang Xuan?" Chu Tianxing and King Zhongqing's hearts skipped a beat simultaneously.

"Zhang Xuan from Xuanyuan Kingdom, who later became... the Headmaster of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Academy!" Master Bai's lips trembled as he continued reading.

He had naturally learned of the commotion earlier. He had assumed Zhang Xuan was courting death, but to his surprise, he had already successfully challenged a Master Teacher Hall once before! They thought he was a novice, but he was a repeat offender!

"Xuanyuan Kingdom is just a kingdom, easily bypassed. But this is the Qingyuan Empire; it's absolutely impossible to succeed here!" King Zhongqing's body trembled.

"Having challenged a hall before, he must know the difficulty. Daring to challenge again means he's not acting recklessly..." Master Bai had a different perspective.

"No one will succeed..." King Zhongqing gritted his teeth.

"I don't know if he can succeed, but... regardless of success or failure, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall is... finished!" Master Bai shook his head.

The rule of challenging the Hall came into existence because a genius master teacher was wrongfully killed. To prevent the loss of talented individuals, this system was established, allowing anyone who felt wronged or received unfair treatment to challenge the Hall to resolve disputes. Regardless of the outcome, once the headquarters approved the challenge, it would brand the local branch with the label of suppressing talent and providing unfair treatment. Hall Master Gou would certainly be taken away for interrogation by the headquarters, and his lifelong reputation would be ruined.

"He won't succeed; he'll surely die in there... *Pffft*!" Gritting his teeth, King Zhongqing roared frantically. Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest, coughed up blood again, and his face went pale. He quickly turned to Master Bai: "Slap me, slap me, slap me hard! I need to, I need to..." Master Bai was speechless. Chu Tianxing was speechless.

At the Master Teacher Hall, Master Wu's vision blurred as he watched the two characters appear in the sky.

Although he felt Hall Master Gou's actions were inappropriate and overly biased, this was, after all, where he had grown up, and he couldn't bear to see it in such a state. However, he knew it was too late to say anything now. Master Zhang's actions were born out of desperation.

He was only a 6-star Master Teacher, while Hall Master Gou was a 7-star Master Teacher and the Head of the Hall. If he truly faced unfair treatment, there was no other way but to challenge the Hall. Master Wu sighed inwardly, feeling it was irreversible, while Hall Master Gou trembled with rage, almost having a seizure.

He had been Hall Master for five hundred years and was on the verge of retirement. He had hoped for a peaceful, uneventful conclusion to his career, never dreaming he would stir up such a massive storm that exploded right in his face.

Now, regardless of whether the challenger won or lost, the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall would be completely ruined, becoming a laughingstock.

"You... you're very good. Do you know what challenging the Hall represents?" Suppressing the explosive rage in his chest, he gritted his teeth and looked at the young man.

"What does it represent? Humph!" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows rose, his eyes gleaming like brewing thunder. "I, Zhang Xuan, for humanity, entered the Subterranean Tunnel alone to repair the seal; for humanity, I killed the Ten Kings of Qingtian, averting catastrophe; for humanity, I cultivated Master Teachers, making them comparable to Combat Masters! For humanity, I have served diligently, without regret, even facing a hundred deaths! And now, in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall, I suffer such humiliation... I only hope the headquarters will grant justice! Since you are incompetent and shield those who have erred, then... I will resolve this in my own way!" He added, "As for your shame... what does it have to do with me!"

"You..." Hall Master Gou was so enraged he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He had thought Zhang Xuan was just a 6-star Master Teacher who would obediently comply after a few reprimands. He never dreamed the man would show no fear at all!

"Hall Master... you truly made a mistake!" Master Wu shook his head.

Others might not know, but how could he not? The person before them was a Master Teacher Acknowledged by Heaven, Conferred as a Saint by Heaven and Earth! Such a figure was comparable to Master Confucius. Let alone a branch hall master, even the head of the Master Teacher Hall headquarters wouldn't dare insult him, couldn't insult him! Insulting him was tantamount to insulting the Heavens. If he didn't seek justice, how could he uphold his own heart and comprehend the Heavenly Dao?

"Made a mistake? Challenging the Hall? The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall isn't that easy to challenge! Ring the bell!" Seeing Master Wu say this, Hall Master Gou's face became ferocious as he clenched his teeth. Since the situation was irreversible anyway, then... let them fight!

*Dong, dong, dong, dong!* Accompanying his loud command, four chimes rang out from the Master Teacher Hall. Four chimes signified a Hall Challenge.

*Rumble!* Within a quarter of an hour, all Master Teachers of 6-star rank and above in Qingyuan City arrived, each with a solemn expression, like soldiers before a battle.

"Challenging the Hall requires two steps: first, defeating all Master Teachers of the Hall; second, challenging the Master Teacher Pagoda! Right now, all Master Teachers of 6-star rank and above from my Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall are gathered here. If you want to challenge the Hall, you must step over their dignity to pass!" Looking at the assembled Master Teachers, Hall Master Gou scanned the crowd: "Master Teachers of my Hall, someone is challenging our dignity. What do we do?" "Destroy him!" "Let him know the Hall isn't that easy to challenge..." "Just a 6-star Master Teacher, mere chickens and dogs! Watch me crush him with one hand..." Everyone understood what was happening, and veins popped on their foreheads as they roared loudly.

"Very good! Then let's begin!" Seeing the morale rise and everyone's fighting spirit soaring like dragons, Hall Master Gou breathed a sigh of relief.

There were tens of thousands of Master Teachers of 6-star rank and above in the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall. When all gathered, they formed a human ocean. Even if Zhang Xuan possessed high talent and immense power, the sheer number of people would wear him down to death.

"Who will fight first?" "I will! I'm also a member of the Master Teacher Hall; I'll fight for the Hall!" No sooner had the words fallen than a hurried whoosh was heard in the air, and a young man rushed straight over. It was Zhang Jiuxiao, who had rushed over from the Appraiser Guild.

"With you here, I can rest assured..." Hall Master Gou nodded.

This Zhang Jiuxiao was a descendant of the Saint Clan Zhang. Although he was only from a collateral branch, his talent was unmatched throughout history. Furthermore, as a 7-star Master Teacher with numerous techniques, subduing the person before them would undoubtedly be very simple!

"Don't show any mercy. Let him know... the price of challenging the Hall!" After agreeing, Hall Master Gou secretly transmitted a message.

"Hall Master, rest assured!" Zhang Jiuxiao's eyebrows furrowed, and his aura grew stronger and stronger. He turned to look at the young man nearby, his eyes narrowing.

Ever since he met this person yesterday, he had been humiliated... Since that was the case, they would settle their grievances with a single battle!

"Master Teacher combat can involve various methods: state of mind, auxiliary occupations, combat power, lecturing... Since you're challenging the Hall, I'll choose the method!" Taking a step forward, Zhang Jiuxiao stood less than five meters from Zhang Xuan, brimming with confidence.

As a scion of a prominent family, he had experienced few setbacks, so his state of mind might be slightly inferior, but in other aspects, he was absolutely top-tier, not weaker than anyone! Since this person dared to challenge, he would let him know what true strength and power were.

"Speak!" Zhang Xuan nodded, too lazy to say more.

"I choose... combat!" Zhang Jiuxiao sneered. Combat was the most direct and fastest method. As a family scion, he had cultivated many advanced martial techniques, so defeating someone weaker than him should be no problem.

"Jiuxiao, don't..." Hearing this genius Master Teacher immediately suggest combat, and recalling how Zhang Xuan had just sent Vice Hall Master Tian flying with a single palm, Hall Master Gou's pupils contracted, and he quickly spoke up.

Although Zhang Jiuxiao's strength was outstanding among his peers, he was still far inferior to Vice Hall Master Tian. If even the latter was no match, how could Zhang Jiuxiao possibly withstand him?

"Hall Master, rest assured. I am a descendant of the Saint Clan Zhang. Although my cultivation is only at the peak of Saint 3-dan Embryonic Realm, my combat power is far greater than that. To be honest, since coming here, I've never truly displayed my full strength..." Zhang Jiuxiao chuckled lightly.

Since arriving at the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall, he had never fully displayed his strongest combat power. Since he was going to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson today, he might as well unleash his full strength!

*Boom!* Numerous acupoints on his body simultaneously opened, causing a violent roar as his aura surged. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the peak of Saint 3-dan and reached 4-dan.

"Zhang Jiuxiao, the great genius, has already broken through?" "It looks like he broke through earlier but deliberately suppressed it..." "To reach Saint 4-dan before thirty, that's terrifying..." "A genius is truly a genius. This kind of strength is definitely not something a 6-star Master Teacher can contend with!" Seeing Zhang Jiuxiao no longer suppress his cultivation and reach Saint 4-dan in the blink of an eye, everyone was filled with surprise and adoration.

"Master Zhang is so handsome... I knew Master Zhang's strength was the best!" Millstone Butt, unnoticed, had also arrived in the hall, hiding in a corner, her eyes full of stars.

At the early stage of the Primordial Spirit Realm, Zhang Jiuxiao stopped. He clenched his fists, producing creaking sounds, then tilted his head, looking disdainfully at the young man opposite him: "Let's begin!"

"Are you ready?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Indeed. If you wish to use a weapon, you may... I will meet you empty-handed. Don't worry, I'll beat you until you doubt your very existence and know what a true expert is!" Zhang Jiuxiao sneered coldly. His *qi* circulated, and his palms seemed to turn golden-yellow.

"Weapons?" Zhang Xuan sounded a bit helpless. "I don't have time to waste with you. Since you're ready, I'll begin..." He was very busy. Challenging the Hall required facing all Master Teachers and contending with the countless ancestral wills left within the Master Teacher Pagoda. He had no time to chat idly with this fellow.

"I don't have time to waste with you either! Lie down!" With a roar, Zhang Jiuxiao leaped into the air, pressing his palm down as he soared towards Zhang Xuan.

"Lie down? No interest. On the contrary, you..." Without dodging, Zhang Xuan slowly stepped forward, raised his head, placed his tongue against his lower jaw, and his voice boomed like a massive bell, suddenly erupting: "Kneel!" *Boom!* Like a sudden clap of thunder, Zhang Jiuxiao's attacks, filling the sky, seemed to meet their nemesis and vanished in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, he *plop*-ped down from the air. His knees bent, and he knelt perfectly straight before Zhang Xuan, his face filled with fury and humiliation.