Chapter 409: Headquarters Visitors

"That's the bell for the Grandmaster Hall, summoning all grandmasters for an emergency assembly. Something big must have happened!"

Zhao Ya's expression tightened.

The bell of the Grandmaster Hall didn't usually ring indiscriminately; such urgency clearly indicated a problem.

"Let's go and see first. If Teacher is in the royal city, he will definitely rush there too..." Zhao Ya instructed, her delicate brows furrowed.

The bell of the Grandmaster Hall was for gathering grandmasters. If Teacher Liu was truly Grandmaster Zhang, he would surely rush over upon hearing the sound.

"Okay!" Zheng Yang and the others nodded.

The group simultaneously headed towards the Grandmaster Hall.

"An emergency assembly bell? Who rang it?"

Hall Master Jiang, still standing outside the Lin Manor, pondering Grandmaster Zhang's recent lecture, was also taken aback by the sound. Not everyone was qualified to ring the Grandmaster Hall's bell. In the entire Tianwu Kingdom, only the Hall Master and the two remaining 2-star grandmasters possessed that ability. Yet, all three of them were currently here, so what was happening?

"Something must have happened. Let's go back and see!" Elder Zhu's expression hardened.

"Right!" Hall Master Jiang nodded without hesitation, leading a group of grandmasters quickly towards the Grandmaster Hall.

"An emergency grandmaster assembly. Let's go take a look too!" Mo Tianxue and the others hurried to follow.

The Grandmaster Hall was the foundation of a kingdom's stability. Without its grandmasters, a kingdom might not only be demoted in status but could also easily be annexed by other kingdoms.

At this moment, the bell echoed throughout the royal city, drawing the attention of countless people. Even Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi were startled.

"The Grandmaster Hall is calling; let's go!" Mo Hongyi's expression was grave.

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Teacher..." Lu Chong followed him.

"Go find Mu Xueqing and the others, and come together!" Knowing his intention, Zhang Xuan waved his hand. They had originally planned to take the assessment tomorrow, but now that Mo Hongyi had recovered and they were heading there anyway, if it wasn't a major emergency, it would be a good opportunity to complete the exam and officially become a 2-star grandmaster.

Hall Master Jiang and the others dared not delay. It wasn't long before they arrived at the Grandmaster Hall. Before they even entered the main hall, an apprentice came to greet them.

"Hall Master, Elder Zhu..."

"What happened?" Jiang Shu frowned, looking at him.

"It's people from the headquarters... They didn't see a grandmaster, so they asked me to ring it!" the apprentice explained.

"Headquarters?" Hall Master Jiang's heart jolted. "Quick, take me to them!"

Pushing open the door and entering the main hall, they indeed saw two old men seated upright in the room.

"Are you Jiang Shu?" Before he could speak, one of the old men looked over, stroking his beard. "This old man is Su Fan, and this is Ling Yuheng. We are from the Grandmaster Guild of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance!"

"Su Fan, Ling Yuheng?" Hall Master Jiang was first stunned, then his whole body trembled, rigid on the spot. His eyes showed disbelief: "Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, 4-star grandmasters... Grandmaster Su, Grandmaster Ling?" Although he had never been to the Alliance, the names of Grandmaster Su and Grandmaster Ling were renowned throughout the four seas; almost every grandmaster knew them. Could it be... these two? Why had they... come in person?

"Hehe! Indeed, it is this old man!" The two smiled simultaneously, nodding slightly. With no excessive words or gestures, they exuded a sense of peace and tranquility, without any of the oppressive aura typically associated with great renown.

"Four-star..." Upon hearing the conversation, Elder Zhu and the others also turned pale, nearly fainting from shock. These were legendary existences, each possessing the means to turn stone into gold and the power to destroy heavens and earth. They had thought such figures were extremely distant, yet here they were, speaking amiably with everyone. They had previously wondered who had rung the emergency assembly bell; it turned out to be them. Indeed, dignified 4-star grandmasters had the qualifications and ability to do so.

"Don't be nervous. We've come this time for Zhang Xuan!" Seeing the group's stiffness, Grandmaster Su smiled. His voice, like a spring breeze melting into rain, resounded in their ears. Their stiff bodies involuntarily softened, and their tension vanished.

Teacher's Impartation of Heavenly Will!

"So powerful..." Feeling the changes in their bodies, everyone's faces were filled with awe. A single sentence could dispel their nervousness; surely, a single sentence could also render them powerless to resist. Four-star grandmasters... truly formidable!

"Zhang Xuan?" Recovering from his shock, Hall Master Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Xuan had broken countless records at the Grandmaster Hall. Although he hadn't deliberately informed them, the headquarters would certainly have ways to know about the assessment results. Such astonishing achievements would be hard to ignore.

"Is Grandmaster Zhang here? Which one is he?" Grandmaster Su looked around.

"Reporting to Grandmaster Su, Zhang Xuan is currently undergoing the trustworthiness assessment for 2-star grandmasters and is not here..." Hall Master Jiang quickly replied.

"Not here? Then bring me the recording jade crystal from that day's assessment. We want to see the true situation!" Grandmaster Su said indifferently, nodding.

"Yes!" Without daring to hesitate, Hall Master Jiang gave an order, and a grandmaster immediately left. Before long, he returned with the recording jade crystal from the assessment hall.

Grandmaster Su and Grandmaster Ling exchanged glances. As Grandmaster Su placed his hand on the crystal, the assessment scenes immediately appeared. The Trust Room, the Auxiliary Cultivation Hall, the Puppet Hall, the Cultivation Technique Sea, the Flawless Hall... The young man went through the assessments one by one. At first, Grandmaster Su and Ling were somewhat hesitant, but the more they watched, the graver their expressions became, until finally, like everyone else, they were filled with astonishment.

"This..."

Soon, after finishing the content, the two exchanged glances, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes. Students taught for only a few days, trustworthiness reaching 85%; initial temperament score 5.1, reaching 10.1 after a while; 130 points in the Auxiliary Cultivation Hall; in the Cultivation Technique Sea, a hundred bells chimed simultaneously, a single word of rebuke, and thoughts submitted; thirty flaws in the Flawless Hall; casually breaking through to Grandmaster realm... These numerous achievements, even when witnessed firsthand, felt like a dream, making them hard to believe. Where on earth did this guy come from? How could he achieve such incredible results?

"Reporting to Grandmaster Su and Grandmaster Ling, I, Jiang Shu, can guarantee with my grandmaster's reputation that Grandmaster Zhang didn't even know what the exam questions were beforehand. These are records left on-site, without any alterations!" Seeing their disbelief, Jiang Shu explained.

"Hmm, whether it's been altered or not, we can still tell..." Grandmaster Su nodded. As 4-star grandmasters, they could discern at a glance whether Jiang Shu was speaking truthfully and if the recording jade crystal had been tampered with. It was precisely because of this that they felt so astonished. The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance gathered countless super geniuses from numerous kingdoms, yet it seemed none had achieved something so extraordinary. Of course, if not for this reason, they wouldn't have rushed from the Alliance to this remote corner upon receiving the news.

"Tell us about Grandmaster Zhang's background!" Returning the recording jade crystal, Grandmaster Su asked.

"Yes, Grandmaster Zhang is from the Tianxuan Kingdom..." After a moment's thought, Hall Master Jiang replied. To become a grandmaster, one not only needed high talent but also had to undergo investigations by the Grandmaster Hall. Zhang Xuan's identity and origin were not difficult to ascertain, and Hall Master Jiang had quickly obtained the most detailed information.

"...Currently, he's a 3-star calligrapher and painter, surpassing 3-star alchemists and physicians—though he doesn't have badges for those two, meaning his ability has reached that level, but his actual strength is slightly lower. He's a 2-star beast tamer... In terms of cultivation, he has reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm and has comprehended the half-Heart of the Weapon..." Jiang Shu introduced in detail.

With each profession introduced, Grandmaster Su and Grandmaster Ling's expressions hardened, and as more was revealed, they became somewhat numb. At the same time, they were full of wonder: how could a person from a remote corner possess so many professions? And have such strong talent as a grandmaster?

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but ask.

"At first, I was also curious, but then I found out that Grandmaster Zhang's teacher is very powerful!" Jiang Shu explained. "It's highly probable he's a 4-star grandmaster, just like the two of you, or even... higher!"

"Oh?" The two grandmasters' expressions simultaneously turned grave. "What's the name of this teacher of his?"

"Yang Xuan!"

"Yang Xuan?" Grandmaster Su and Grandmaster Ling exchanged confused glances. They knew many 4-star and even 5-star grandmasters, but they had never heard this name.

"Grandmaster Yang is now my teacher too..." Seeing their disbelief, Jiang Shu immediately recounted how he met Grandmaster Yang and how he became his disciple.

"A single pointer allowed you to tame the Crimson-skinned Tiger and revealed your cultivation flaws?" Grandmaster Su's eyes widened. He could also identify Jiang Shu's cultivation problems, and he could barely guide someone to tame a Crimson-skinned Tiger... But to do it so quickly, so swiftly, was almost impossible. For this Grandmaster Yang to achieve this so easily, without even dismounting from his flying savage beast, his discernment must be incredibly sharp!

"Yes!" Jiang Shu nodded. He genuinely admired Grandmaster Yang. After cultivating the revised cultivation art provided by the other party, not only had his old hidden injuries completely healed these past few days, but his cultivation also vaguely felt like it could break through its shackles at any moment. Even the biggest fool would know this was Grandmaster Yang's credit. A casual pointer could have such an effect. As Grandmaster Yang's direct disciple, Zhang Xuan, being constantly influenced by him, wouldn't be too surprising for being so extraordinary.

"Is this Grandmaster Yang still in the royal city? Could you take us to meet him?" After recovering from his shock, Grandmaster Su couldn't help but ask. Although he hadn't heard the name Yang Xuan, someone who could cultivate a student like Zhang Xuan and whose casual pointers could cause such a significant change in Jiang Shu was likely a grandmaster of equal or even higher rank than themselves. If they could meet and exchange insights, it would definitely be of great benefit to both parties.

"Teacher is in the royal city, but... he's not often at his residence. If the two of you wish to meet him, please allow me to report to him in advance, and then I will reply!" Jiang Shu hurriedly said. Although Teacher was in the royal city, he was like a divine dragon, rarely seen and often not at his residence. Without Teacher's permission, he wouldn't dare to casually bring others over, even if they were two 4-star grandmasters.

"Hmm! Then we'll trouble Hall Master Jiang..." Grandmaster Su nodded, just about to continue speaking, when he saw Elder Zhu, who had gone out briefly, hurrying back.

"Grandmaster Su, Grandmaster Ling, Hall Master, Grandmaster Zhang and Mo Hongyi have arrived. They're at the assessment location and seem to be concluding the grandmaster assessment early..."

"Concluding the grandmaster assessment early?" Hall Master Jiang was stunned. "It's only been a few days? Have they already, under their disguised identities, gained the students' trust to a trustworthiness score of forty?"