Chapter 1306: Bu Shang, Ancient Sage

The reason I came to the Saint Son Hall was to find Luo Ruoxi, free her from the Zhang family's engagement, and be with her. After enduring countless hardships to finally reach this place, and knowing I would see her soon, how could I not be excited?

"Don't worry, I will marry you openly and honorably, without putting you in a difficult position..."

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes, slowly calming his agitated emotions. Involving the Master Teacher Continent and two super families, this matter was bound to be full of difficulties, but what did great difficulties matter? Anyone who dared to contend with him, even the top family, even the strongest power on the Master Teacher Continent, would not have an easy time!

He exhaled and stood on the beast's back, gazing into the distance. A colossal academy lay nestled against the ground, like a dormant behemoth, majestic and imposing, quiet yet awe-inspiring.

"The person who founded this academy must have at least a nine-star understanding of formations..." He nodded inwardly.

The academy's buildings were constructed against the mountain, each part ingeniously crafted to perfectly blend with the environment, forming a harmonious whole, like a perfect oil painting. To create such architecture, the founder of the Saint Son Hall must not only be a nine-star formation master but also possess an extremely high level of horticultural expertise.

"The founder of the Saint Son Hall is Ancient Sage Bu Shang, who once studied under Kong Shi and was one of his direct disciples!" Seeing his astonishment, Zhao Xingmo explained.

"Kong Shi's direct disciple?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. He had thought the Saint Son Hall was merely inherited from a nine-star master teacher or some saint; he never imagined its founder was a direct disciple of Kong Shi.

"Indeed, otherwise, how could the core disciples of the Sage Clans be sent here to study!" Zhao Xingmo said with a hint of pride.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan suddenly understood. He had previously wondered why powerful families like the Zhang and Luo clans, undoubtedly possessing nine-star master teachers and numerous experts in various professions, would send their core disciples to study at the Saint Son Hall. He hadn't expected the academy's founder to be a direct disciple of Kong Shi! This status alone indicated that the academy was certainly not simple.

"Among Kong Shi's many direct disciples, Ancient Sage Bu Shang might not have been the most famous, but he was the best at preserving Kong Shi's knowledge and ideals! The Saint Son Hall has existed for tens of thousands of years, enduring the test of time, yet Kong Shi's ethos has been perfectly passed down. Studying here, one can easily feel the spirit passed down by this eternal teacher, and his deep desire for humanity to be strong! Studying here makes people wiser and more perceptive, something no family or holy land can achieve!" Zhao Xingmo continued.

Zhang Xuan nodded. Kong Shi's greatness went without saying. The fact that Ancient Sage Bu Shang passed down Kong Shi's knowledge and ideals alone made the Saint Son Hall's claim as the foremost academy in the world entirely justified. No wonder countless great families across the continent flocked to it; the spirit passed down by Kong Shi alone was something many holy lands couldn't match.

"I've heard of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu before; I wonder which of him or Ancient Sage Bu Shang is stronger?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but look at him.

"Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was Kong Shi's servant, while Ancient Sage Bu Shang was his direct disciple. It should be easy to infer who was stronger, shouldn't it? Of course, these are ancient secrets involving ancient sages, so we shouldn't say too much!" Zhao Xingmo smiled.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyes widened. Although the other party didn't explicitly state it, the implication was clear: Ancient Sage Bu Shang was stronger. It was like Sun Qiang and Zheng Yang. Sun Qiang was his servant; although he followed him daily and received the best guidance, his combat strength was still significantly inferior to Zheng Yang and the others.

"Among Kong Shi's seventy-two direct disciples, the ten strongest were known as the 'Ten Sages,' and Ancient Sage Bu Shang was one of them. His Eye of Insight was unparalleled in the world, unmatched by anyone." Zhao Xingmo said. As a member of the Saint Son Hall, he deeply admired the patriarch who founded the academy and knew much about his deeds.

"Eye of Insight?"

"Yes, Ancient Sage Bu Shang was the second master teacher after Kong Shi to comprehend the Eye of Insight, and he even used it to create a unique 'pupil technique.' It is said that during a battle against the Fae, a single glance from him instantly obliterated Fae emperors within his line of sight, leaving them no escape! It was incredibly powerful... Unfortunately, this pupil technique has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, and no one has been able to master it..." Zhao Xingmo shook his head.

"Pupil technique? Instant obliteration?" Zhang Xuan was shocked. He possessed the Eye of Insight and knew the limits of this talent; it could at most see through illusions and identify flaws... but the ability to kill with a mere glance was something he had never conceived of. If that were true, it would be too terrifying.

"Indeed, being able to master this pupil technique means inheriting the legacy of Ancient Sage Bu Shang and automatically becoming the Hall Master of the Saint Son Hall! This position is no lower than, and perhaps even higher than, the patriarchs of the Sage Clan Zhang and Sage Clan Luo." Zhao Xingmo sighed.

"Become Hall Master? The Saint Son Hall... doesn't have a Hall Master?" Zhang Xuan asked, confused. How could the world's foremost academy, which educated countless geniuses and whose former students included many elders and patriarchs of the Sage Clans, not have a Hall Master?

"The most important condition to become the Hall Master of the Saint Son Hall is to possess the Eye of Insight and comprehend the pupil technique passed down by the ancestor. The Saint Son Hall hasn't seen such a genius for over three hundred years... Currently, the academy's affairs are mostly handled by the acting Hall Master!" Zhao Xingmo said. These matters were not secrets; anyone who became a member of the Saint Son Hall would generally know them, so speaking of them wasn't gossiping.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Every power had its own legacy; if one couldn't accept it or gain the ancestor's approval, they couldn't command respect or make others submit. Especially this foremost academy, its requirements were even stricter, allowing no flaws whatsoever. Otherwise, let alone the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, even the entire faculty and student body of the academy probably wouldn't acknowledge them. If even the faculty and students didn't acknowledge them, even becoming the true Hall Master would hold no sway.

"We've arrived. Let's disembark!" Just as he was about to ask more questions, he heard Zhao Xingmo's voice. Looking forward, he saw the sacred beast had arrived above the square in front of the Saint Son Hall and was slowly descending. Zhang Xuan knew it wasn't the time for more questions, so he said nothing further.

Whoosh! The sacred beast landed, and everyone flew off its back. The square was teeming with people, and various sacred beasts were present, seemingly all young talents who had traveled from different places to participate in the final assessment. A quick glance revealed that all of them had formidable auras and impressive strength.

"Teacher Zhao, are we really going to undergo the mountain-gate trial with these people?" Ma Minghai's mouth twitched after a glance. Among the crowd in the square, some were weaker than them, but many more were stronger, each radiating power like a rainbow; even without fighting, it was clear they couldn't be defeated. Within the scope of the Conferred Empire, they had always considered themselves geniuses, but upon seeing these individuals, they realized... they weren't just a little bit inferior.

"Many of them are core disciples of the Sage Clans. Not only do they have pure bloodlines, but more importantly, they received the best training from a young age, so it's normal for them to be powerful! As we said before, brute strength is only one part of the mountain-gate trial; as long as you perform your best, you should all be able to pass, so don't worry too much..." Seeing their nervousness, Zhao Xingmo reassured them. It was only natural for the core disciples of the Sage Clans to possess great strength by activating their bloodlines and benefiting from unlimited resources and the best education from childhood. Different starting points naturally led to disparities; these were innate conditions that couldn't be compensated for, only narrowed through continuous effort and diligent pursuit.

"Alright..." Despite understanding this, everyone remained somewhat nervous.

Unlike the others, Zhang Xuan's Eye of Insight flickered as he quietly observed. "As expected of the Sage Clan disciples, they are indeed powerful..." He couldn't help but exclaim. Among these individuals, not only were there experts at the Out of Body realm who had survived lightning tribulations, but there were even some who had reached the Half-Domain realm... To possess such strength before the age of thirty meant their talent was in no way inferior to his! After all, while his current combat power was formidable, his true cultivation was only at the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm, and he was still a considerable distance from the Half-Domain realm.

"Hmm? I see quite a few among them who aren't master teachers..." Someone in the crowd asked.

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan also noticed. Among the youths standing in the square, many were not wearing master teacher robes, indicating at a glance that they were not master teachers.

"The Saint Son Hall practices education without discrimination. Those who come for the assessment include not only master teachers but also practitioners of other professions, such as from the Blacksmith Guild, Alchemist Guild... They also send people here every year. Therefore, the Saint Son Hall is not exclusively for master teachers; other professions are also represented." Zhao Xingmo smiled. The Saint Son Hall, as the world's foremost academy, did not solely cultivate master teachers; other professions also had corresponding inheritances there. Consequently, the number of candidates from other professions who came for assessment each year often exceeded that of master teachers.

"So that's how it is..." Everyone nodded. Within the eight Conferred Empires combined, there were only about thirty people. If they were to proceed to the re-assessment, only twenty would remain... This showed how rare such talents were. The plaza before them had no fewer than ten thousand young people awaiting assessment. He had previously wondered how there could be so many, but if the recruitment scope wasn't limited to master teachers... then it made sense. The "nine streams" of professions in the world, categorized as upper, middle, and lower, did not literally represent twenty-seven distinct professions. "Nine streams" was a general term signifying a multitude of occupations. Combined, the numerous professions certainly numbered over a thousand... Which profession wouldn't produce a few geniuses each year? Given this, it was entirely expected to have so many people undergoing the assessment.

"Let's see what the talents from other professions are capable of..." Knowing this, Zhang Xuan looked towards the practitioners of other professions. A moment later, he shook his head. While other professions certainly had their share of powerful individuals, they were generally a bit weaker compared to master teachers. The title of "foremost profession" was indeed well-deserved.

"Hmm?" After looking around, just as he was about to avert his gaze, his eyes suddenly lit up: "These... are people from the Glacier Palace?"