Chapter 1542: Yang Xuan Becomes Junior Martial Brother

"This..." Zhang Xuan paused, then nodded in understanding.

Having encountered many master teachers throughout his journey, Zhang Xuan observed a dichotomy: some, regardless of their rank, were humble, polite, and amiable, upholding the venerable traditions of their profession without fail. Others, however, were arrogant and self-important, using their status to act imperiously, indistinguishable from other powerful factions or influential families.

While the Master Teacher Pavilion's founding principles were noble, over time, corruption was inevitable.

Power and high status can indeed corrupt one's character, and master teachers are not immune to this.

"Take this current situation, for instance. The Master Teacher Pavilion issued an arrest warrant for you. I've reviewed your records; you have earned great merits and possess extraordinary talent. Under normal circumstances, the Master Teacher Pavilion should have actively intervened to mediate. However, your ability to neutralize the lightning tribulation, coupled with your exceptional natural endowments and apparent lack of formal lineage, makes you an incredibly valuable commodity. Your arrest is a minor concern; the greater motive for many is to extract from you the secret methods for breakthrough and for countering lightning tribulations..."

Master Yang shook his head with a sigh. "The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters has now fragmented into several factions. Each hoards its knowledge, eager to outdo the others. True academic exchange, as it once was, has ceased. If one faction were to acquire your methods, they would undoubtedly gain an advantage and suppress the others... Master Kong's original intent in establishing master teachers was to strengthen humanity, but human nature... alas!"

"Human nature... it's truly difficult to define," Zhang Xuan remarked with a sigh.

In its nascent stages, the Master Teacher Pavilion adhered to the principles of public service and education without discrimination. Yet, after tens of thousands of years, with humanity stable, many have become blinded by power, forgetting their original ideals.

Indeed, the character of some true peak master teachers can sometimes fall short compared to even the one-star master teachers he had previously encountered.

At least those master teachers had not yet been corrupted by power and might.

"Yes, the Saint Domain only grants a lifespan of a thousand years, and for tens of thousands of years, no one has managed to break beyond it. Many, upon reaching the peak, lose their motivation. In such circumstances, it's natural for them to seek out better treatment... But enough of this!"

With a look of disappointment, Master Yang chose not to dwell further on the subject.

These issues ran deep, ingrained, and could not be resolved by one or two individuals alone.

"These are the accumulated drawbacks that have emerged over tens of thousands of years of the Master Teacher Pavilion's legacy... However, no matter how ostentatious master teachers may become, when it comes to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, they remain unequivocally committed; no one would ever shirk their duty! Consequently, in the eyes of successive Pavilion Masters, these internal issues were merely minor ailments, insignificant as long as the original core mission remained intact. Thus, over time, this became the current state of affairs!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even if power continued to corrupt individuals, as long as their stance on the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe remained unchanged, it signified that the master teachers retained their glory and had not truly drifted with the tide, losing sight of themselves.

"After Master Kong vanished, the Great Saint realm became the undisputed peak; no one has since managed to break beyond it, and no one has been able to fully convince everyone. But your emergence changes everything. A Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher... you are destined to lead us down a different path and restore humanity to its former glory!"

Having finished his contemplation, Master Yang looked at Zhang Xuan with profound excitement.

Previous interim Pavilion Masters lacked the necessary moral authority and prestige to command universal respect, making it difficult for them to control the overall situation. However, the emergence of this individual was entirely different.

"Great Saint?" Zhang Xuan furrowed his brow.

"Indeed. Above the Saint 9-dan, there exists the Great Saint realm. However, this realm isn't divided into nine stages but four! Breaking through the Great Saint realm leads to the Ancient Saint realm! This is the level attained by figures like Qiu Wu and Bu Shang. Since Master Kong's departure, tens of thousands of years have passed, and no one has managed to reach it."

"This..." Zhang Xuan's heart trembled.

He had always believed that 'Ancient Saint' was merely an honorific for ancient sages, never imagining it was an actual, formidable major cultivation realm.

"What realm is Master Kong?" Unable to contain his curiosity, Zhang Xuan looked over.

Given that his servants and disciples were all Ancient Saints, what realm had this foremost figure of humanity, the founder of the master teacher profession, truly achieved? And what kind of power did he wield?

"Master Kong had reached a realm beyond human comprehension... a level that we, his descendants, cannot even begin to fathom!"

Master Yang's eyes lifted, gazing into an unknown distance, his face filled with awe.

Master Kong was said to be invincible from birth. No one truly knew the extent of his power or the depths of his wisdom, and even if someone did, it was certainly not information for juniors like them to inquire about.

"Having said all this, I trust you now have a clearer understanding of the current state of the Master Teacher Pavilion. If you are not to reveal your identity as a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher, then you will require another identity—one that allows you to establish yourself without drawing suspicion. Otherwise, having successfully challenged the Pavilion twice in just a single year and caused such a stir... I fear the consequences will be severe!"

Master Yang looked at him again.

"This..." Zhang Xuan fell silent.

What he said was true. A master teacher's high rank simply indicated their strength, a high cultivation of character, and a certain contribution to education. But did it necessarily guarantee superior personal conduct?

Would the director of an education bureau necessarily possess higher personal integrity than a regular teacher? Not always!

It often came down to good fortune and high talent, neither of which had any bearing on personal character.

In fact, powerful master teachers, elevated to such lofty positions and detached from ordinary people, sometimes became even more apathetic.

Thus, even though the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters similarly upheld the 'Way of the Teacher,' it was not as tranquil as one might imagine.

"I naturally wouldn't dare to take you as my disciple. However... I could take you as a disciple on behalf of my late master. This means we could declare to the outside world that you are my senior martial brother. In this way, even if outsiders express doubt, with my master having passed away, my intervention would silence any further questions! Of course, this is merely a title; even my late master would not have been qualified to accept you as a disciple..."

Master Yang articulated his idea.

"Senior martial brother?" Zhang Xuan's face twitched as he scratched his head. "This... isn't this a bit inappropriate... Junior Martial Brother!"

"A Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher holds such revered status that they are considered on par with Master Kong himself. If I weren't afraid of being too audacious, I would wish to apprentice myself to you... Referring to you as my senior martial brother is already overstepping my bounds!"

Master Yang quickly interjected.

While his position as the First Grand Elder was exceedingly high, with few in the current era capable of matching it, it still paled significantly in comparison to a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher.

To address Zhang Xuan as 'senior martial brother' while masquerading as his 'junior martial brother' was already a breach of etiquette, and Master Yang felt deeply apprehensive about it.

After a moment's pause, Zhang Xuan reluctantly nodded. "Very well then, Junior Martial Brother Yang Xuan!"

"Senior Martial Brother Zhang..." Master Yang exhaled in relief, his heart brimming with joy.

He had initially pursued Zhang Xuan with the intention of taking him as a disciple, but instead, he had ended up accepting Zhang Xuan as his senior martial brother... Despite this unexpected turn, he remained immensely thrilled.

With the emergence of a Heaven-Acknowledged Master Teacher... the fragmented Master Teacher Pavilion was bound to be unified, humanity would grow ever stronger, and confronting future crises would become significantly easier.

"Oh, and speaking of which, Junior Martial Brother, I heard you once helped someone reconstruct their meridians. Is that true?"

Having confirmed their new relationship and established a course of action, Zhang Xuan no longer dwelt on the previous matters, instead looking at Master Yang with curiosity.

The Guild Leader had just mentioned that Master Yang had once replaced meridians, so since they were already face to face, it was the perfect opportunity to inquire in detail.

"That is true!" Master Yang nodded.