Chapter 328: Assessment of Two Stars

"Is it completely broken?"

Wu Shi's face clouded over.

That was a Grandmaster-level puppet, yet you, someone testing for a 1-star master teacher, found thirty flaws and completely dismantled it... If the 4-star master teacher who forged it knew about this, they would surely vomit blood and pass out on the spot.

This is absurd!

"You've entered the second trial. I was worried you might encounter danger, so I asked..." Wu Shi said, barely suppressing his exasperation.

"The second trial? The Unblemished Hall... has other trials?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking confused.

He just went in and fought a puppet. He didn't notice any other trials!

Upon hearing this and seeing his bewildered expression, all the master teachers swayed, feeling as if they were about to spit blood.

"You... only encountered one puppet? You didn't see the others?" Jiang Chen couldn't hold back and finally spoke.

"Puppets, oh, I encountered two. As soon as I entered, one rushed over. I wasn't paying attention at the time and used too much force; one slap sent it lying motionless on the ground. I guess... it's also broken! Could it be... that counted as a trial?"

Zhang Xuan recalled the events.

Immediately upon entering the Unblemished Hall, a puppet charged at him. He was unprepared at the time and simply slapped it. He never imagined he'd use so much force that the thing would never get up again.

The second puppet appeared later, and because he was so engrossed in the fight, he completely forgot about the first one.

Could it be... the one he disabled with a single slap was the first trial?

If that's the case, then this first trial was far too simple!

"Disabled with a single slap?"

"This was supposed to be the trial you undergo to qualify as a 1-star master teacher..."

Everyone was going crazy, and Jiang Chen felt his vision darken.

When he had taken the master teacher examination, he had poured his heart and soul into fighting that puppet, even almost dying on the spot. Yet this fellow... didn't even pay attention and simply sent it flying with a slap...

Did the difference really have to be this great?

The most crucial part was... This was the very content you were supposed to be tested on, yet you sent it flying with a slap, were completely unaware, and continued forward. Do you have to be so ostentatious?

"It counts..."

Wu Shi was utterly speechless.

"My dear fellow, are you here to take the master teacher examination or to wreck the place? It seems that after your master teacher examination, nearly all the puppets in our Master Teacher Pavilion will be completely destroyed..."

"You have successfully passed all five trials. You are now considered a master teacher. However, you must still undergo the Q&A session before your badge can be awarded to you!" Taking several deep breaths to suppress his exasperation, Wu Shi spoke.

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had thought the master teacher examination would be troublesome, but he didn't expect it to be this simple. Now that he was a 1-star master teacher, he could enter the Master Teacher Library to read! This was the perfect opportunity to research Master Kong's life and find a method to resolve the congenital fetal poison within his body.

Just as he was about to ask where the Master Teacher Pavilion's library was located, he saw Mo Hongyi step forward from the side, exuding astonishing confidence and arrogance.

"Wu Shi, Elder Zhu, I wish to take the 2-star master teacher examination. Please open the examination grounds!"

This fellow had utterly shattered all of his records, and he could no longer tolerate it. He decided to take the examination immediately. Only by becoming a 2-star master teacher could the events of today be settled. Otherwise, whenever people mentioned him, they would also mention this record-breaker. How could he possibly show his face in public after that? The dignified number one genius of the kingdom could not tolerate such humiliation!

"The 2-star master teacher examination?"

"How long has Master Mo been a 1-star master teacher? He's already attempting to qualify for 2-star?"

"A genius is truly a genius; their cultivation speed is beyond the imagination of us ordinary people..."

Everyone was startled.

It had been many years since anyone attempted the 2-star examination, yet he was going to take it now. While surprised by his timing, many discerning individuals understood his motives. Mo Hongyi intended to challenge Zhang Xuan and prove that he was the true number one genius.

"Very well!"

Elder Zhu and Wu Shi hesitated for a moment before nodding. The Master Teacher Pavilion did not discourage competition; students were also assessed based on their achievements. Only through competition could there be progress. Mo Hongyi's decision to attempt the 2-star master teacher examination was indeed a great boon for their branch.

"I will make the preparations now; the examination can proceed today!" Elder Zhu spoke, and just as he was about to prepare the examination materials, a faint voice rang out.

"Uh... since the 2-star master teacher examination can also be taken today, and preparing it once is already a hassle, why don't... I just take it along the way as well?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

He was already taking the 1-star examination anyway, and since the 2-star examination was also available, he might as well take both at once to save time and the trouble of a second preparation.

"Pfft!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present nearly spat blood. The previously noisy hall fell silent, and everyone stared at him as if he were a monster.

"Preparing it once is already a hassle... so I'll just take it along the way..."

"Good heavens!"

"This is the 2-star master teacher examination! There are only three 2-star master teachers in the entire Tianwu Kingdom... and you want to just 'take it along the way'..."

He made it sound as simple as dropping by the market to buy groceries. "Are you buying groceries? Oh, I'll just pick some up along the way..."

"Good grief! Can we even have a proper conversation or interaction anymore?"

Mo Hongyi's body swayed violently. He had watched as Zhang Xuan relentlessly shattered all his records, and he had finally steeled himself to attempt the 2-star examination, only for the other party to declare he would also 'take it along the way'...

Such intense exasperation made him feel as if he was about to vomit blood. "You're deliberately trying to humiliate me, aren't you? Fine then! Since you insist on being so disrespectful, don't blame me for retaliating."

He snorted coldly to himself, then gritted his teeth and looked over. "Given your accomplishment of passing all five trials, you are indeed qualified to attempt the 2-star master teacher examination. However... to participate, you must first meet the prerequisites. Do you possess these qualifications?"

Though he loathed to admit it, he knew that this fellow genuinely possessed the credentials to attempt the 2-star master teacher examination. However, merely possessing the credentials might not be enough. Because taking the 2-star examination requires certain preconditions. If these requirements aren't met, even if you wish to take the examination, you won't be qualified.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"The 2-star master teacher examination, similar to the 1-star, also has requirements for auxiliary occupations, but even higher. It stipulates that you must possess at least two auxiliary occupations, and both must have reached the 2-star level!" Mo Hongyi's face showed a proud expression. "While I am modest, I am a 2-star Alchemist, a 2-star Formation Master, and a 2-star Artificer. My auxiliary occupations fully meet the requirements! May I ask, are yours sufficient?"

He turned to look at Zhang Xuan, his hands clasped behind his back. "Merely possessing a single 1-star Alchemist badge, I'm afraid, won't be enough to qualify for the 2-star master teacher examination!"

"Auxiliary occupations must reach 2-star? And there must be two of them?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback, never expecting such a regulation existed. Master Liu seemed to have mentioned it before, but his explanation was vague, so he hadn't paid it much mind.

"Indeed! If you do not possess these auxiliary occupations, please leave..."

Since it was already an open challenge, there was no need to save face. Mo Hongyi snorted, and just as he was about to continue, he saw the young man in front of him hesitate for a moment, then with a flick of his wrist, a badge appeared in his palm.

"This is a 2-star Calligrapher-Painter badge. I originally tested for 3-star, but they didn't have the badge available and said I'd have to wait ten days. So they just gave me a 2-star one to tide me over. I never thought I'd actually need to use it!"

"A 2-star Calligrapher-Painter?"

"To 'tide you over'?"

Everyone nearly spat blood once more. Mo Hongyi's face was utterly contorted. He had just finished saying that the other party only had a 1-star Alchemist badge and wasn't qualified, and the other party immediately produced a 2-star one. Did he have to be so quick? Did he have to be so humiliating?

"You need two occupations, right? Here's another one..." Withdrawing the Calligrapher-Painter badge, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist again, and another badge appeared. It was precisely the 2-star Beast Tamer badge he had acquired during his examination at the Beast Hall.

The two gleaming 2-star badges shone brightly, dazzling everyone's eyes.

"He actually has two 2-star occupations?"

"A 2-star Calligrapher-Painter, a 2-star Beast Tamer... and he possesses such formidable alchemy skills..."

"Master Mo might be in a bit of a predicament now..."

Upon seeing Mo Hongyi challenge Zhang Xuan's occupational qualifications, only for Zhang Xuan to produce the required badges, everyone uniformly turned their gaze to the self-proclaimed number one genius. They wanted to see what he would say next.

Under everyone's gaze, Mo Hongyi's face twisted. Having gone too far to back down, he no longer cared about appearances and gritted his teeth once more.

"Even if your occupations are sufficient, to properly qualify as a 2-star master teacher, you must first possess the strength of a Grandmaster. If your cultivation isn't high enough, you are not qualified!"

The 2-star master teacher examination also had cultivation requirements. Failing to reach the Grandmaster realm would render one unqualified. This was similar to the 1-star master teacher examination, where one would not be qualified to test without reaching the Tongxuan realm.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze shifted back to Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan's Heavenly Dao True Qi was so pure that outsiders couldn't discern his true cultivation level unless he actively displayed it. However, his effortless defeat of the Grandmaster-level puppet in the Unblemished Hall had piqued everyone's curiosity, making them wonder what his true strength was.

"The Grandmaster realm... indeed, I haven't reached it. I am currently only a Half-Grandmaster!" Seeing that the 2-star examination also had cultivation requirements, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then his body swayed, and his aura was revealed without reservation.

"Half-Grandmaster!"

"While Half-Grandmaster is indeed very close to Grandmaster, it's still not enough to qualify..."

"That's right, it looks like he won't be able to take the 2-star master teacher examination..."

"To defeat a Grandmaster-level puppet and find thirty flaws with only a Half-Grandmaster cultivation... Such strength is truly terrifying!"

Seeing that he had only revealed a Half-Grandmaster cultivation, everyone couldn't help but shake their heads. For the 2-star master teacher examination, auxiliary occupations and cultivation level were rigid requirements. One simply couldn't take the examination if they didn't meet them; these rules were set by the main Master Teacher Pavilion and couldn't be altered by anyone. While Half-Grandmaster appeared to be on the verge of the Grandmaster realm, there was actually a vast difference between them. With good luck, one might break through in a year or two, but with bad luck, one could be stuck there for thirty or fifty years. Aside from everything else, there were fifteen 1-star master teachers in the entire Tianwu Kingdom (including Mo Yu and Zhang Xuan), yet only three 2-star master teachers. This alone demonstrated the immense difficulty.

"If you haven't reached the Grandmaster realm, you aren't qualified to take the examination. Let's just drop it!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan's cultivation had indeed not reached the Grandmaster realm, Mo Hongyi breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand dismissively.

"Hold on... don't be so hasty!" Seeing the other party jump to conclusions so quickly, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Since the 2-star examination requires the Grandmaster realm, please wait a moment!"

Having said that, he closed his eyes.

"Wait a moment?" Mo Hongyi was puzzled. "Wait for what?"

Boom!

Before he could react, he felt Zhang Xuan's aura suddenly surge, like a soaring bird shooting straight into the heavens.

Zhang Xuan opened his eyes again and smiled faintly. "All right, I've reached Grandmaster now."