Chapter 158: Five-Star Incident

The Chen Residence was well-known throughout the Tianxuan Kingdom, considered a prominent family due to the presence of a certified alchemist. Typically, a family like this, with an abundance of elixirs, would be flourishing and filled with pride. However, a pall of gloom hung over the entire mansion, immersed in a somber atmosphere.

"Alright, this rule will be implemented. No one is to object, or they will be immediately expelled from the family!" In the main hall, Alchemist Chen Xiao looked around, speaking with a dispirited air.

He had been invited to a pill debate with someone named Zhang Xuan, who, to his shock, had immediately declared that Chen Xiao did not have long to live. Feeling his own vitality waning, Chen Xiao was filled with despair and began to arrange his affairs upon returning to the family. As an alchemist, his presence ensured the prosperity of the entire Chen family. However, he knew that once he died, powers coveting his family's wealth would inevitably use all their influence, and the family's decline would only be a matter of time. To prevent this, he had established new family rules, instructing all family members to sell their assets, disappear without a trace, leave the royal city, and never return.

"Patriarch..."

Hearing his words, a chorus of weeping erupted. Having enjoyed a life of luxury, many found it difficult to accept the sudden decree to abandon their homes and leave.

"Enough! What kind of decorum is this, weeping and wailing?" Alchemist Chen Xiao waved his hand, "Chen Cong, go and handle it!"

Chen Cong, his son, had already been appointed the new patriarch, as Chen Xiao knew his own time was short.

"Yes!" Chen Cong nodded, about to leave, when a young man approached him and whispered something in his ear. After hearing it, Chen Cong's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked up, "Father!"

"What's wrong?" Alchemist Chen Xiao picked up his teacup, frowning with a hint of anger. He had always believed his son understood priorities; why was he being so disobedient now? Did he not realize that the Chen family's prosperity was solely due to his status as a certified alchemist? Without his deterrent presence, how could they possibly protect the wealth accumulated from years of alchemy?

"Father, a Master Teacher has arrived in the royal city. Perhaps he can solve your problem," Chen Cong said directly, seeing the displeasure on his father's face and not daring to hesitate.

"A Master Teacher? Isn't that just false news?" Alchemist Chen Xiao shook his head. If it were a genuine Master Teacher, how could he, a one-star alchemist, not have received any news at all?

"I don't know if it's true or false. Yesterday, when I heard the news, I sent Chen Tao to investigate. This Master Teacher, Yang Xuan, not only cured Ling Tianyu's wife's illness, but even Du Miaoxuan of the Du family knelt at his door, and..."

"And what?"

"And, Du Miaoxuan went in for less than ten minutes and emerged as a Tongxuan realm expert from the peak of the Dingli realm!" Chen Cong hurriedly added, "Most importantly, Luo Chong, the President of the Blacksmith Guild, also paid a special visit. When he came out, he praised him profusely, saying he was a true Master Teacher..."

Before he could finish, a "clink" echoed as his father's teacup crashed to the floor. Immediately, Chen Xiao's previously lifeless eyes turned bloodshot, as if burning with fire. "Where is this Master Teacher? Quickly take me to him!"

"Go now? But I still need to sell the family property..."

Chen Cong mumbled, still processing, when he saw his father, who moments ago had been utterly despondent and seemed on the verge of death, already at the door. Waving his hand, Chen Xiao exclaimed, "Sell what?! Hurry up!"

"..." Chen Cong.

"..." The Chen family members.

The weeping that had echoed through the room instantly ceased. Everyone's mouths seemed stuffed with eggs, unable to utter a word, as they stared dumbfounded at their patriarch, whose attitude had undergone such a sudden and drastic change.

Elder Qian held no real power in the Tianxuan Kingdom, yet his status was extremely important. Every half month, Emperor Shen Zhui would summon him to the palace for a personal consultation. He served as the Emperor's eyes, responsible for gathering and compiling all news, both domestic and foreign, into reports for reference. With this intelligence, Emperor Shen Zhui could make wise and decisive judgments, allowing the kingdom to prosper and avoid being encircled by powerful enemies. Consequently, even the most powerful figures in the kingdom dared not offend him, fearing he might transmit inaccurate information that could lead to royal suspicion.

Today was the time for compiling news reports again, and he arrived at his designated office early in the morning. The room was already crowded with people, all engaged in animated discussion.

"What kind of decorum is this, making such a racket?" Elder Qian's face darkened as he saw his subordinates arguing loudly instead of working.

"Yes!" Everyone's expressions changed, and they quickly returned to their positions.

"Elder Qian..."

A middle-aged man walked over.

"Hm, have there been any important events in the past few days?" Elder Qian sat down, raising an eyebrow. His job was precisely this: to inquire about the importance of various matters, compile them, and then decide whether to report them to the Emperor.

"In the past ten days, there have been seventeen one-star events, twelve two-star events, and three three-star events..." The middle-aged man hesitated, then handed over a form.

The reported events were categorized by priority. For ease of reading and compilation, they were typically assigned a star rating based on their level of importance. One-star events were the least important, while higher star ratings indicated greater significance. Five-star was the highest, signifying something as critical as a foreign invasion or the kingdom being on the verge of collapse.

Hearing the report, Elder Qian casually took the form and began to read.

"Young Prince Bai Xun of Zhenbei challenged Prime Minister Liu Cheng's son and injured him, leading to a dispute between the two major families—rated one-star!"

"Shang Luzhong took a concubine the day before yesterday, a woman from the Tianyu Kingdom whose specific identity remains unknown—rated one-star!"

"Seventeen members of the Tianxuan Merchant Group were ambushed by bandits at Plum Snow Ridge and completely wiped out; the bandits are very likely the notorious thieves who escaped several months ago—rated one-star!"

One-star events, though considered the least important, were far from trivial. For instance, Bai Xun's challenge to the Prime Minister's son, if not handled properly, could easily escalate into conflict, leading to disputes between two major power figures within the court and potentially causing national instability. However, these individuals were clearly accustomed to handling such matters, dealing with them efficiently and without much emotional fluctuation.

"Hmm, the ratings are very reasonable!" After reviewing the seventeen one-star events, Elder Qian nodded and turned to the second page, which primarily listed two-star events.

"A disaster struck Bailingshan in the southwest, displacing thousands and rendering them homeless; the situation is now stable—rated two-star!"

"The Tianxuan Treasury has issued new gold notes, with the highest denomination now one million per note—rated two-star!"

"Marquis Huainan has broken through to the late Tongxuan realm, becoming one of the kingdom's top ten experts—rated two-star!"

These matters were fundamentally related to state governance and the kingdom's overall situation, making their importance significantly greater than one-star events. After reviewing the twelve two-star events, Elder Qian nodded again, finding these ratings to be reasonable and orderly, with no issues.

He turned to the third page, looking at the highest, three-star events.

"The Teacher Guild dismissed Elder Shang Chen, Director of Academic Affairs at Hongtian Academy, ruling that Teacher Zhang Xuan's teacher qualification assessment last semester was incorrect—rated three-star!"

"Teacher Zhang Xuan and Teacher Lu Xun will undergo a teacher evaluation in twelve days—rated three-star!"

"Matters involving the Teacher Guild and the academy automatically add one star. Teacher Lu Xun is the most likely person in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom to become a Master Teacher, which also automatically adds one star. These two events being rated three-star is good!"

After reviewing these, Elder Qian nodded again.

"These are fine, yes, but..." The middle-aged man's face was filled with hesitation.

"What is it?" Elder Qian raised an eyebrow.

"It's an event that happened in the past two days. We couldn't assign a star rating to it; that's what we were just discussing," the middle-aged man explained.

"Oh? Tell me about it!" Elder Qian prompted, looking at him.

"Three days ago, a man named Yang Xuan arrived in the royal city, claiming to be a Master Teacher. He cured Ling Tianyu's wife's illness," the middle-aged man reported.

"Oh, I heard about that. I even checked with the Teacher Guild; there's no record of this person in the kingdom's archives. I suspect it's just a gimmick by Ling Tianyu, so no need to pay it much mind. Go ahead and list it as a one-star event!" Elder Qian instructed. Master Teachers were like stars, drawing widespread attention. The presence of even one Master Teacher could significantly boost a kingdom's overall strength. If this person were truly a Master Teacher, how could he have arrived in the royal city so quietly, without anyone knowing?

"A one-star event?" The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. If he only cured Ling Tianyu's wife, then a one-star rating would suffice. But just yesterday, Elder Du Miaoxuan of the Du family, one of the four great clans, knelt at his door for an entire day. He was inside for about ten minutes, and when he emerged, he had broken through from the peak of the Warrior Fifth Layer, Dingli Realm, to the Tongxuan Realm!"

"What? A massive increase in strength?" Elder Qian was stunned, his expression turning solemn. "If that's the case, it could be classified as a two-star event..."

"Yesterday afternoon, Lord Luo Chong, the President of the Blacksmith Guild, entered the residence. When he left, he was beaming and full of praise, declaring him to be a true Master Teacher..." Ignoring Elder Qian's tentative rating, the middle-aged man continued.

"Luo Chong..." Elder Qian suddenly stood up, his eyes wide. Who was Luo Chong? The President of the Blacksmith Guild, one of the true pinnacle figures in the Tianxuan Kingdom. If even he believed it, could this Yang Xuan truly be a Master Teacher?

"Then... then this matter can be classified as a three-star event..." Before he could finish, the middle-aged man's voice sounded again.

"This morning, President Ouyang Cheng of the Alchemist Guild and Alchemist Chen Xiao also arrived at the residence. However, they were both blocked at the door by the butler and not allowed to enter. Not only did they not leave, but they had no complaints whatsoever!"

"This... this..." Elder Qian's face flushed then paled, and his body swayed. "This is a four-star—no, a five-star event! Quickly write this down; I need to report to His Majesty immediately, with the utmost speed!"

"Five-star?"

"No need to confirm again?" A five-star event hadn't occurred in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom for decades. The people who had just been discussing their inability to assign a rating to the event simultaneously froze and erupted in an uproar upon hearing Elder Qian's words.