Chapter 1261: Playing Dead?

"Teacher Zhang has never encountered the 'Teacher's Heavenly Voice' before and doesn't understand the Heavenly Sound Brush's characteristics. Even with his strong mental fortitude, he's unlikely to win!"

"Teacher Song precisely leveraged this point, deliberately issuing this challenge. It seems Teacher Zhang's undefeated record is about to come to an end!"

"Indeed, as expected of a quasi-8-star master teacher, none of them are easily underestimated. It appears he's identified Teacher Zhang's weakness and deliberately acted on it..."

After waiting a while longer, seeing that the brush remained motionless, the crowd below the stage began to grow restless.

Although "Teacher's Heavenly Voice" is a form of "Teacher's Heavenly Impartation," it is considerably more challenging. Many master teachers, even those with high mental cultivation and exceptional teaching abilities, find it difficult to make the brush write on their first attempt. Teacher Zhang might be in this very situation.

"Benefactor, Teacher Zhang..." Elder Xu looked over, full of worry.

This young master, their benefactor, was challenged precisely because he saved them. If he were to be punished or harmed as a result, they would truly be troubled by their conscience.

"Don't worry," Sun Qiang waved his hand, looking nonchalant. "My young master... has never lost a challenge like this!"

Since he first met his young master nearly a year ago, they had weathered countless storms. How could he possibly lose in such a minor situation?

Just as he was brimming with confidence, he saw his young master on stage, seemingly a little tired, stretching, and taking a few steps back.

"Alright..."

He finished speaking and paused, saying nothing further.

Sun Qiang's eyelids twitched, and the fat on his face quivered.

The brush hadn't even moved, and he was "alright"... Wasn't the young master invincible?

Could it be that this time he couldn't continue and was about to concede?

Seeing his action, Yao Mantian's expression also changed. "Teacher Zhang," she said, "the 'Teacher's Heavenly Voice' has no time limit; the victor is determined by the quantity of writing..."

"I know!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "After saying all that, I should be able to win, right?"

"Win?"

Yao Mantian's eyes widened, and she almost choked on her saliva.

The Heavenly Sound Brush hadn't moved an inch from the moment you started speaking until now, as if it were asleep... How could you possibly win?

"Not a single word written, and you expect to win?" Song Xuan sneered, equally stunned.

The fact that his opponent had managed to make all master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion of Qingyuan Empire acknowledge him as their teacher, and had successfully passed the challenge, meant his state of mind must be no weaker than Song Xuan's. He had previously worried whether the number of characters would exceed nine, but now it seemed... he had worried for nothing!

If he had known his opponent was so inept, he wouldn't have wasted his mental energy writing that ninth character!

What a complete waste!

"Teacher Yao," Song Xuan said, stepping forward with a cupped fist, "the result is clear. You witnessed it yourself, and you brought this Heavenly Sound Brush. Please announce the outcome..."

"This..." Yao Mantian's face showed hesitation.

Master teacher challenges are only held when there's a conflict between master teachers. Once one side concedes, the winning party can even kill them without punishment!

This Zhang Xuan had just slain Emperor Qingtian and saved so many people in Qingyuan Imperial City. His contributions were immense. If the punishment were too severe, it would be difficult for the headquarters to justify.

"I wonder... what kind of punishment Teacher Yao will mete out to Teacher Zhang after winning? He has just contributed greatly to humanity and is a super genius who successfully passed the challenge..." she said, pausing before announcing the result, reminding them.

"Teacher Yao, don't worry, I won't kill him," Song Xuan said, his face contorted with malice. "However, he insulted my dignity and ruined my reputation, so I cannot let him off lightly! I will cripple him, making him just like me... And that 'furnace cauldron' that injured me must also have its spiritual essence destroyed, in addition to a public apology!"

"Just like you?" Yao Mantian's mouth twitched.

This man had been literally castrated by Zhang Xuan's 'furnace cauldron.' Although she hadn't witnessed it herself, she could infer it... If Zhang Xuan were to be "just like him," wouldn't he also have to be castrated?

However...

While this condition was harsh, recovery was possible if one acquired a "Continuity Pill." At most, he would endure some pain and humiliation.

As for the destruction of the 'furnace cauldron's' spiritual essence and the public apology, those were even simpler demands.

"Alright!"

After a moment of thought, she looked at Zhang Xuan. "Teacher Zhang, victory and defeat are common in contests. There's no need to take it to heart. As long as your life isn't endangered, there will always be a chance to recover later..."

Having said this, she shook her head, looked around, and her voice rang out clearly: "Very well, I shall now announce the result..."

Before she could finish, Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Teacher Yao," he interrupted, "it's not over yet, is it? Why are you announcing the result?"

"Not over?" Song Xuan scoffed. "The Heavenly Sound Brush didn't write a single word under your 'Teacher's Heavenly Impartation.' The outcome has already been decided. How is it not over?"

With so many people as witnesses, and Teacher Yao present, denial was useless.

"Doesn't 'Teacher's Heavenly Voice' have no time limit?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Just because the Heavenly Sound Brush isn't moving now doesn't mean it won't write in a moment..."

"In a moment? What a joke!" Song Xuan sneered. "The 'Teacher's Heavenly Impartation' is finished. If it hasn't moved, it hasn't moved. As a 7-star master teacher, do you not even have the courage to admit defeat?"

"It..." Zhang Xuan shook his head, about to explain, when he heard Yao Mantian sigh. "Teacher Zhang, the Heavenly Sound Brush didn't move, which indicates you've lost..."

"Lost?" Zhang Xuan sighed. "Has Teacher Yao also failed to notice?"

"Notice what?" Yao Mantian frowned.

"Since you haven't noticed..."

With a touch of exasperation, Zhang Xuan lifted an eyelid, looked at the brush fixed motionless in the air, and, with evident displeasure, reprimanded it: "Aren't you going to write? What are you playing dead for?"

The damn thing had been listening to his lecture for so long, yet it wasn't writing, just playing dead in the air. It was absolutely ridiculous.

"The Heavenly Sound Brush has been nurtured by countless master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion and embodies the will of the Teacher's Dao... Scolding it like that will definitely make it even less likely to write..."

No one had expected this fellow to resort to outright cursing. Everyone was stunned, and Yao Mantian's vision went black; she nearly fainted.

The Heavenly Sound Brush was incredibly proud. Even their Hall Master He wouldn't dare use such a tone, yet this man had the audacity to simply start cursing it...

This was tantamount to completely offending it. Forget about writing; it would be a miracle if it didn't just doodle all over his face...

Covering her forehead, unsure what to do, she suddenly heard an uproar from below the stage, followed by countless shouts of surprise, as if something incredible had just happened.

"What happened?"

Frowning, Yao Mantian looked up, and what she saw left her involuntarily frozen in place.

The Heavenly Sound Brush, which had been perfectly still moments ago, suddenly began to tremble continuously. The entire brush shifted from gold to a pale white, and a gentle, warm light seemed to emanate from within it.

Immediately afterward, the spiritual energy in the sky rapidly converged. Within the blink of an eye, spiritual energy from hundreds of kilometers around was drawn in, directly flowing into the brush.

Creak! Creak!

Under the impact of the immense spiritual energy, the Heavenly Sound Brush seemed to be undergoing a complete transformation, emitting sounds like a creature breaking free from its cocoon.

"This is... this is..."

Her fists clenched, Yao Mantian's body swayed, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her beautiful face: "The Heavenly Sound Brush... breaking through?"

The Heavenly Sound Brush, though not a Saint Artifact, still varied in quality, much like the difference between sheep's wool and wolf hair in a regular brush.

A brush nurtured by a 9-star master teacher would undoubtedly be vastly different from one nurtured by an 8-star master teacher.

Her particular brush was merely an ordinary Heavenly Sound Brush, capable of transcribing the 'Teacher's Heavenly Voice' of an 8-star low-grade master teacher without much difficulty. However, it couldn't handle higher-ranked pronouncements.

Under normal circumstances, for a Heavenly Sound Brush to break through, it would require nurturing by a higher-ranked master teacher using master teacher energy. How... how did this Teacher Zhang manage to make it break through after just lecturing for a while?

And with such an immense commotion?

Click! Click!

Just as she stood there, utterly shocked and at a loss, the brush, which had remained still, suddenly began to shake and write rapidly.

Lines of characters appeared before everyone's eyes in the blink of an eye.

"One, two, three... eighty-seven... It's writing too fast, I can't even count them all!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Look, it's writing so fast it's starting to smoke!" someone else shouted.

"Smoking?"

Song Xuan's face contorted. He quickly looked up and indeed saw the Heavenly Sound Brush not far away, writing so rapidly that a long trail of white smoke billowed behind it.

When he had used his 'Teacher's Heavenly Voice,' the brush had behaved as if constipated, spitting out one character at a time, remaining motionless for long periods... But now, it was like a floodgate had burst open...

The disparity was simply too immense!

"This is... Heavenly Sound Wolf Smoke!"

Unlike the astonishment of the others, Yao Mantian swallowed, her voice trembling.

"Heavenly Sound Wolf Smoke?"

Song Xuan frowned. Though he was a quasi-8-star master teacher, he had never heard of it.

"The Heavenly Sound Brush, while it values words like gold and doesn't write easily, will, upon encountering a truly profound 'Teacher's Heavenly Impartation,' write like a wisp of smoke... that is, Heavenly Sound Wolf Smoke. This form of writing can meticulously record every single nuance described by the master teacher..."

Yao Mantian's delicate fists were white-knuckled.

"Meticulously? This... how is that possible!" Song Xuan exclaimed in disbelief. "Even the most flawless 'Teacher's Heavenly Impartation' will inevitably contain interspersed words that carry little meaning, and these are not recorded..."

No matter how perfect a lesson or how skilled a teacher, it's impossible for every single word to be meaningful; there must be some filler words interspersed. No matter how powerful 'Teacher's Heavenly Impartation' is, it's not a secret manual where every word is meticulously chosen.

For this reason, "Teacher's Heavenly Voice" records text selectively; it's impossible for it to record absolutely everything.

"Yes, many words have no meaning, but... have you forgotten one possibility?" Yao Mantian asked with a wry smile.

"One possibility?"

Song Xuan froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, his body stiffening like a wooden stick. "Is Teacher Yao referring to... 'Every Word a Pearl,' a phenomenon unique to 9-star master teachers?"

"Precisely, 'Every Word a Pearl' is what generates Heavenly Sound Wolf Smoke..." Yao Mantian affirmed.

"This... this... But he's only a 7-star master teacher..." Song Xuan said, still full of disbelief as he looked over again.

Indeed, he saw the brush in the air writing faster and faster, creating streaks of afterimages. At this very moment, above the entire high platform, lines of characters floated, continuously absorbing the recently gathered spiritual energy, as if they could soar away at any moment.

"This is too exaggerated... It's simply not stopping!"

Swallowing hard, Song Xuan felt as if he had taken 10,000 points of damage and was on the verge of bursting into tears.