Chapter 417: Elder?

"Another one?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

After painstakingly guiding Mu Xueqing and teaching her swordplay, the teacher and student had temporarily parted ways. He hadn't expected to receive genuine gratitude and another golden book.

Although he didn't know the full extent of the Book of Heaven's effects, its ability to easily improve his state of mind and allow him to memorize countless pieces of knowledge made it an invaluable treasure.

"Teacher, no matter where you go, we will find you!" Mu Xueqing secretly vowed to herself before turning and leaving with the others.

The room quickly became quiet. Only Lu Chong remained, standing still with an unreadable expression.

"You..." Zhang Xuan was about to speak when Lu Chong interrupted him.

"Teacher, I have no home or family of my own. Wherever you go, I will follow!" Lu Chong's eyes showed determination.

"Alright!" Seeing no hesitation in him, Zhang Xuan understood his student's character and knew that further persuasion would be useless. He immediately nodded.

After dealing with his many students, Zhang Xuan had just stepped out of the room when Master Liu approached him, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you just going to leave them kneeling there?" Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, Wang Ying, and the others were still kneeling motionless in the hall. Were they going to stay like that indefinitely?

"Their cultivation has advanced too quickly, making them somewhat impetuous. Kneeling for a longer period will help them calm their minds and act less recklessly!" Zhang Xuan explained.

To him, poisoning was no big deal, and he wasn't angry. The only reason he intentionally left them kneeling there, ignored, was to temper their minds and help them go further in their future.

Just like Lu Chong, whose mind had become as strong as steel after his family's misfortune. Even with rapid cultivation advancements in just a few days, he showed no signs of superficiality; instead, he seemed more composed.

Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, Wang Ying, and the others had followed him, receiving the best education and growing accustomed to a privileged life. It was time to teach them a lesson, to make them understand the difficulties of cultivation and prevent them from becoming too conceited.

"You're right, I overlooked that..." Master Liu nodded. At that moment, he truly admired his senior brother.

When he first met his senior brother, he was still naive in his actions, but now, he possessed the demeanor and bearing of a true teacher in every aspect.

A teacher must not only improve a student's cultivation but also fortify their state of mind.

If cultivation were like building, the state of mind would be the steel framework of the structure.

Without that framework, no matter how many bricks or how skilled the techniques, the future height would be limited, and it would be difficult to withstand trials.

He used the situation to his advantage, punishing them with a stern demeanor, but in reality, he was meticulously tempering them... Just as plum blossoms emit fragrance only after enduring bitter cold!

"I only hope they can understand your painstaking efforts..." Master Liu sighed with emotion.

Sometimes, students don't understand why their teacher is so strict, leading to rebellious thoughts. By the time they regret it, it's already too late.

Zhang Xuan nodded and chatted with Master Liu for a while before leaving the mansion to handle the remaining matters.

Grand Apothecary and Liao Qing had already left the King City. The Ji family came to apologize and presented many items, which he collected into his storage ring without hesitation.

The matter with the Ji family was never a big deal, and there was nothing to pursue.

By the time everything was handled, it was already late at night.

The next day, he went to the Physician Guild, scanned all the books he hadn't finished, and then absorbed all the books from several other guilds in the kingdom into his library. He was busy until dark before returning to his mansion.

"Let's begin!" With a thought, a golden book was summoned.

Two 4-star master teachers had specifically requested to see Yang Xuan. It was impossible to keep avoiding them. To avoid being seen through, he needed a vast amount of knowledge. Since he now had two golden books, using one wouldn't be a waste.

"Learn knowledge..." *Boom!* As the thought arose, a violent rumble shook the room. The golden book suddenly released a dazzling light, and the content of all the books in the library instantly poured into his mind. Zhang Xuan's vision went dark, and he fainted.

At the Physician Guild. Looking at Physician Mu Hong, who lay unconscious on the ground, Physician Cheng Feng's face was filled with helplessness.

This former guild master had gone to the Lin family to help them detoxify someone, but the result was... the poison wasn't cured, and he ended up like this. A dignified 3-star physician... it was truly embarrassing.

"Physician Cheng Feng, is there any way to save him?" Physician Mu Hong's student was Xie Shunda, a 2-star physician in the guild. He was now looking over with great tension.

"I've tried every method, but the poison he's afflicted with... it's just too potent. I'm helpless!" Physician Cheng Feng shook his head.

He had carefully studied this poison; it could merge with zhenqi, leaving no way to counter it.

"Unless..." "Unless what?" Xie Shunda's face tightened.

"Unless Guild Master Liu, that is, Master Zhang, takes action personally. He can solve so many difficult illnesses, and his medical skills are astounding. Although this poison is potent, he might have a solution!" Physician Cheng Feng said.

"Zhang Xuan..." Hearing that name, Xie Shunda's face not only failed to brighten but instead darkened. He let out a long hiss: "It was his student who administered the poison! He must have colluded with that Poison Hall Master to do this!"

That Hall Master Liao treated Master Zhang with the utmost respect, as if he were his own father. Physician Mu Hong was severely poisoned, and the Poison Hall Master appeared. Who would believe there was no connection between the two?

"Nonsense! You can't just make such accusations!" Physician Cheng Feng's expression became stern. "Master Zhang is a master teacher and a grandmaster of medicine. How could he be involved with the Poison Hall?"

"Me, making accusations? Hmph, so many people saw it with their own eyes; how could it be false?" Xie Shunda scoffed. "And breaking through the Wall of Dilemmas, becoming guild master, *ptui*! What right does someone who associates with people from the Poison Hall have to be the Physician Guild's master?"

"Furthermore, I don't think he understands medicine at all. The problems on the Wall of Dilemmas must have had their solutions prepared beforehand. Otherwise, how could he have solved so many problems in such a short time?"

Seeing his teacher lying motionless on the ground, Xie Shunda could no longer hold back and roared. Each of the difficult cases on the Wall of Dilemmas was incredibly challenging. How skilled could a guy not even twenty years old be, even if he had been learning medicine since birth?

Clearly, someone had given him the answers beforehand, and he was merely reciting them. Otherwise, if his medical skills were so profound, why hadn't he treated anyone else's illnesses? No one had heard of him solving any other medical conditions.

"This..." Physician Cheng Feng hesitated. He had been there when Master Zhang came to the Physician Guild and wasn't aware of many things before he directly entered the Wall of Dilemmas... it was clear he knew nothing. It was strange in itself that such a person could consecutively solve nineteen difficult cases. To be honest, he also had some doubts.

"Such a person is simply unworthy of being our Physician Guild's master. I hope Physician Cheng Feng can uphold justice, convene a physicians' assembly, revoke his title as master, and prevent him from deceiving people..." Xie Shunda continued to snort.

Before he could finish speaking, a middle-aged man rushed in.

"Physicians Cheng Feng, Xie Shunda, there's a development at the Wall of Dilemmas... a message has come through!" The middle-aged man shouted excitedly as he entered.

"A message? Did he answer the last one incorrectly?" Xie Shunda's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked over.

A few days ago, Master Zhang had answered twenty difficult cases consecutively. For the last one, the Wall of Dilemmas had not given a clear response. They had expected to wait more than ten days, but a message had come today.

"Incorrect?" The middle-aged man who had rushed in paused, then quickly shook his head: "It didn't say correct or incorrect..."

"Didn't say?" Both of them were stunned simultaneously. If there was an answer, there should naturally be a right or wrong. What did 'didn't say' mean?

"Then... what did it say?" Xie Shunda couldn't help but ask.

The middle-aged man who entered hesitated: "It said... 'Appoint Liu Cheng as an elder of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance Physician Guild. His specific rank will be tested separately once his cultivation reaches the required level!'"

"Appoint him... as an elder of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance Physician Guild?" Physician Cheng Feng and Xie Shunda exchanged glances, swaying simultaneously, almost spitting blood.

What in the world? The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance was the highest-level organization in the kingdom. The elders of its Physician Guild were at least 4-star. Appointing this Liu Cheng as an elder?

Xie Shunda felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped hard. He had just declared the other person unworthy of being guild master, and now... the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance Physician Guild had sent a message appointing him as their elder... Oh my! You must be doing this on purpose... His face flushed crimson, Xie Shunda was on the verge of tears.

In a room within the Master Teacher Pavilion, there was only a white wall. It was the Messaging Wall! Master Su, Master Ling, Hall Master Jiang, and others stood before the wall.

"Reporting to Master Su, Master Ling, and Hall Master Jiang, the Pavilion of Conferment has been fully repaired!" Elder Zhu entered the room and bowed with clasped fists.

"That's good!" Hall Master Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master Kong's statue suddenly shook, causing countless ancestral tablets to fall. Such a thing has never happened anywhere else. Master Ling, have you found the cause?" Master Su asked with a frown.

They were all present that day when Master Kong's statue suddenly fell, causing the entire hall to shake. They still didn't understand what had happened.

Previously, they had suspected if it was due to Master Zhang's prostration that he received ancestral recognition, but they ultimately shook their heads. That was Master Kong's statue, imbued with Master Kong's will. How could it easily recognize just anyone? Legend had it that even 9-star master teachers had prostrated themselves hoping to become Master Kong's students and were rejected. A 2-star master teacher... what a joke!

"I can't figure it out!" Master Ling also found it completely baffling. He shook his head, picked up a brush casually, and smiled: "But no need to worry. I plan to inquire with headquarters right now... If we can't figure it out, the guild master and others there should have heard something!"

"Yes, ask quickly..." Master Su nodded. Just as he was about to suggest how to inquire, the enormous wall before them suddenly flashed with light, and a line of text appeared.

"Ancient Master rejected, transforming into a mournful bell! Within the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, someone, after passing the master teacher examination, refused the recognition of his predecessors. If any Pavilion of Conferment collapses, report it immediately!"

"Pavilion of Conferment collapsed?" Master Su, Master Ling, Hall Master Jiang, and the others were dumbfounded.