Chapter 203: Qualification Assessment for Master Teachers

Rubbing his temples, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. After two consecutive days of intense work, the problems of everyone who had paid were completely resolved, and he finally had some free time.

Most of these people had been unable to achieve breakthroughs, while some were suffering from incurable diseases. Combining the flaws he observed with the knowledge from the kingdom's library, all issues were fundamentally resolved to everyone's great satisfaction.

“The Teacher Qualification Exam is the day after tomorrow. I wonder how those little rascals are progressing with their cultivation...”

He stretched lazily and quietly left the mansion. He had been busy with these matters for the past two days and hadn't had time to return to the academy. With the Teacher Qualification Exam coming the day after tomorrow, if Zhao Ya and the others hadn't met his requirements, winning would certainly be a lot of trouble. As for Lu Xun and Wang, who had been waiting at the entrance, he couldn't be bothered with them. He didn't summon them, and after waiting an entire day, the two realized they had offended the Master Teacher, and their dream of becoming his apprentices was shattered, so they dejectedly returned.

He found a secluded spot, removed his disguise, reverted to his original appearance as Zhang Xuan, and strode towards the academy.

“Master Zhang!”

Just as he reached the academy gate, he heard a familiar shout. Turning his head, he saw Huang Yu and Bai Xun walking briskly towards him.

“We were just about to go to the academy to find you. Since you’re here, it saves us the trouble,” Huang Yu said with a smile as they approached.

“Looking for me?” Zhang Xuan asked, looking at them puzzled. Hadn't these two already completed their painting and calligraphy assessment? The money for the painting they bought had also been delivered. Why were they looking for him? If they wanted to buy another painting, he wouldn't mind painting one more to earn some extra cash.

“We might have something else we'd like to trouble you with...” Huang Yu said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“What is it? If I can do it, I’ll help as much as possible!” Zhang Xuan nodded. Huang Yu had helped him before, so it was hard to refuse. However, he didn't commit too strongly, leaving room to change his mind if there was truly something he couldn't do.

“Master Zhang, you know about us seeking the ‘Ink Pavilion Picture’ from Master Lu Chen before, right?”

Zhang Xuan nodded. He already knew about it. It seemed they were seeking that painting as a gift for someone. As a result of him drawing a fifth-realm painting, they no longer wanted Lu Chen’s piece, which made him feel a bit awkward, as if he had wronged Master Lu Chen.

“We were actually looking for the ‘Ink Pavilion Picture’ to give as a birthday gift... The painting you gave us is perfect as a birthday present, but...” Huang Yu hesitated here, “I’m worried that if Elder Tian sees the painting, he might want to meet the artist, which would still be troublesome... So, we’d like to invite you to the birthday banquet with us!”

“A birthday gift? Attend a banquet?” Zhang Xuan realized. Huang Yu had mentioned before that they wanted to give the ‘Ink Pavilion Picture’ to someone; it turned out it was for a birthday celebration.

“I’m not really interested in attending birthday banquets. Let's just skip it,” Zhang Xuan shook his head. No matter whose birthday banquet it was, it had nothing to do with him, and he wasn't keen on going out of his way to flatter others.

“Master Zhang, please go. Elder Tian is a very kind man, and even Emperor Shen Zhui himself will be attending...” Seeing him shake his head, Bai Xun looked anxious and quickly urged.

“Emperor Shen Zhui is going too?” Zhang Xuan was surprised. He had thought this so-called birthday banquet was just for some high-ranking officials or nobles, but if Emperor Shen Zhui himself was attending, it was probably not that simple.

“Yes, not only His Majesty, but our teacher will also be there. To be honest with you, the one inviting you to the banquet isn’t us, but... my teacher, Master Teacher Liu Ling!” Huang Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Liu Ling is your teacher?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “He knows me?” Given Huang Yu was an assistant apprentice, it was easy to assume she had a Master Teacher as her instructor. However... his current identity was Zhang Xuan, not ‘Master Yang’. Did this great Master Teacher Liu know who he was? And he specifically sent people to invite him? Could it be... his identity had been exposed?

Zhang Xuan immediately became alert. If his identity were truly exposed, setting aside the grave crime of impersonating a Master Teacher, how could a nobody under twenty years old know so much or possess such sharp insight? He must have relied on some powerful treasure! An innocent man is guilty because of his treasure. This alone could incite countless people’s greed and lead to utter ruin.

“Not only Master Liu, but Masters Zhuang and Zheng also know. Especially yesterday, when I told them you could draw a fifth-realm painting, they were all so excited they nearly jumped up!” Bai Xun interjected. Recalling yesterday's events, he still found it incredible. Their teachers, knowing that he and Huang Yu knew Master Zhang, deliberately called them over to inquire. Upon hearing that this Teacher Zhang, not much older than themselves, could create fifth-realm paintings, they all became so excited their faces turned red, as if ill. Then, they gave them strict orders: they must bring him to the birthday banquet today.

“Master Zhang, this is a great opportunity! I’ve never seen our teacher so interested in anyone. Once he takes a liking to you, becoming an assistant apprentice will be just around the corner!” Huang Yu’s eyes showed deep envy. “And you also have an auxiliary profession; with the assistant teacher status, you can even directly take the Master Teacher assessment!” As a teacher, the greatest desire is to become a Master Teacher. Now, with a Master Teacher’s appreciation, it’s the best possible opportunity.

“Auxiliary profession? Directly assess to be a Master Teacher? What does that mean?” Zhang Xuan looked puzzled.

“You don’t know the requirements for assessing to be a Master Teacher?” Huang Yu looked at him with some surprise. There were no Master Teachers in Tianxuan Kingdom, nor were the assessment requirements recorded in books. Furthermore, Zhang Xuan hadn't been transmigrated for long, so how could he know these things?

“Master Teachers can not only guide cultivation, but also other professions. Therefore, besides having vast knowledge, the most important thing is to possess a certain auxiliary profession...” Seeing that he truly didn’t understand, Huang Yu explained: “To put it simply, mastering one auxiliary profession qualifies you to assess as a 1-star Master Teacher; mastering two qualifies you for a 2-star Master Teacher, and so on! Of course, the requirements for auxiliary professions also gradually increase with higher ranks. For a 1-star Master Teacher assessment, the Calligrapher-Painter profession is entirely sufficient!”

“This means that as long as you have the Calligrapher-Painter profession and the status of a Master Teacher’s assistant, you can qualify to assess as a 1-star Master Teacher! Although we don’t know if you’ll pass, you can at least participate in the assessment, whereas I... even as an assistant apprentice, I don’t have that qualification!” At this, Huang Yu gave a wry smile.

This was precisely why Master Teachers were rare and difficult to assess. There are numerous professions, from high to low, and each requires countless hours of dedicated study. The difficulty can be seen from Master Lu Chen, who spent his entire life studying and could only produce fourth-realm paintings. Some people spend their entire lives as apprentices without ever qualifying for the assessment because they lack an auxiliary profession. Yet, this person before them not only teaches well and is powerful but has also reached the level of a Calligrapher-Painter Grandmaster. Once he becomes an assistant apprentice, he can easily assess to be a Master Teacher. His starting point was far higher than hers. She truly couldn’t understand how he, not much older than herself, had achieved this.

“So that’s the principle...” After listening to the explanation, Zhang Xuan finally understood. No wonder Master Teachers could guide any profession; the root cause lay here. To succeed in the assessment, one must first possess an auxiliary profession. The higher the rank, the more auxiliary professions required... This is precisely why Master Teachers of higher ranks are more formidable, rarer, and possess an even more terrifying breadth of knowledge. No wonder Huang Yu, despite being a Master Teacher’s apprentice, was still desperately studying painting and calligraphy and held such respect for Master Lu Chen. It seemed she intended to use the Calligrapher-Painter profession as her auxiliary skill to qualify for the Master Teacher assessment.

“I already have the 1-star Alchemist profession. Doesn’t that mean as long as I get an apprentice status, I’ll be qualified to assess as a Master Teacher?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. After these days of maintaining his disguise, he understood the formidable power of a Master Teacher’s identity. With this identity, not only would he be respected wherever he went, but virtually no one would dare to cause him trouble.

In the past, he might not have cared whether he had a Master Teacher’s identity or not, but now it was different. The hidden dark energy within him indicated that someone was plotting to kill him. With a Master Teacher’s identity and the protection of the Teacher Guild, even if his enemies wanted to act, they would certainly have to think twice. Furthermore, the sky is the limit, and with such powerful abilities, he couldn't possibly be confined to the Tianxuan Kingdom forever, could he? Whenever he traveled, strength was one factor, but identity was another important one. With a Master Teacher’s identity as a backing, many things would become much more convenient and easier. Just like becoming a true alchemist grants access to the Alchemist Guild's unique library and cheaper prices for elixirs; without that identity, it would be almost impossible.

“It seems I need to assess to be a Master Teacher as soon as possible!” Zhang Xuan made his decision. With this heaven-defying artifact, not becoming a Master Teacher would be a waste. As long as he performed a boxing routine, he could discern an opponent's flaws. Based on this alone, any so-called Master Teachers or powerful experts... were mere trash before him. No matter how strong, could they be stronger than the Heavenly Dao? Under the Heavenly Dao, nothing can hide. If even the Heavenly Dao is incomplete, how could humans possibly be without flaws? Where there are flaws, a book can be formed, and knowledge obtained! Only by becoming a true Master Teacher could he unreservedly use this skill and march triumphantly forward! Otherwise, with his current identity, it would be almost impossible to gather enough books to create the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, let alone make rapid progress.

“Let me acknowledge one of them as my teacher?” To become a Master Teacher, one must first become an assistant apprentice. And to become an apprentice, one must formally acknowledge a true Master Teacher as their mentor, allowing them to be their guide. Accept Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, or Zheng Fei as his teacher? How could such an idea seem so absurd?

Over the past two days, the three of them had frequently come to the mansion, hinting at their desire to acknowledge him as their teacher. He had never agreed, thinking his identity as Yang Xuan would soon disappear. However, from their demeanor, it was clear they wouldn't give up anytime soon.

If he, as Zhang Xuan, were to truly acknowledge one of the three as his teacher, and then they, in turn, acknowledged “Yang Xuan” as *their* teacher... That would be a huge mess. In other words... as Zhang Xuan, he would be the grand-disciple, while as Yang Xuan, he would be the grand-master! He would be his own grand-master, and his own grand-disciple... Crucially, he couldn't let both sides meet, as one glance would expose everything...

Damn it! What kind of situation is this? Just thinking about it filled him with exasperation.