Chapter 59: The Mad Trainees

"I've already prepared an excuse for Grandpa," Shang Bin said through gritted teeth. "Teacher Cao Xiong has a student named Liu Yang who was coerced by Zhang Xuan into becoming his student. Teacher Cao Xiong has already applied for tomorrow's Heart of Learning Inquisition. When the time comes, all Grandpa has to do is step forward and revoke his qualifications—it'll be incredibly simple!"

Cao Xiong had spoken of "enticement," but Shang Bin changed it to "coercion." The difference of just two words created a world of disparity. "Enticement" might suggest an issue with the teacher's character, but "coercion" implied a moral failing.

"Coercion? Are you certain?" Elder Shang Chen was taken aback.

"I am certain!" Shang Bin nodded.

"If that's the case… well then, tomorrow I will invite Elder Mo from the Teachers' Guild to be a witness. If the Heart of Learning Inquisition can indeed prove that Liu Yang is not genuinely his student, then revoking his teaching qualification might be possible," Elder Shang Chen said after a moment of hesitation.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Shang Bin's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Where there are teachers, there are naturally organizations that assess and protect their status—namely, the Teachers' Guild. This guild reviews teachers' conduct and can revoke their qualifications. From Zhang Xuan's perspective in his previous life, its function was similar to an education bureau. Teachers are expected to be role models and to instruct students willingly. If a student is coerced and expresses dissatisfaction, the teacher's qualifications can be revoked. The Heart of Learning Inquisition is considered the fairest method to determine if a student is genuinely committed to being a teacher's student.

"You punk, enjoy your moment of triumph now. Tomorrow, when you lose your teaching qualifications, we'll see how arrogant you can be!" The thought of getting his revenge tomorrow made Shang Bin clench his fists involuntarily, feeling a surge of satisfaction from head to toe.

Unaware that a plot had been set against him, Zhang Xuan felt invigorated after a night's rest. Looking in the mirror, his body, refined by the Heavenly Dao Golden Body, had smooth, fair skin like a baby's, without any scars. He looked considerably younger; without knowing his identity, one might even mistake him for a student.

"Excellent!" he mused, striding towards the classroom. Upon arrival, he saw that his five students had thoroughly cleaned the room, both inside and out, and had even boiled water for drinking. Wang Ying, Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, and the others were all brimming with energy, their gazes once again filled with admiration and excitement for Zhang Xuan.

Initially, these students had felt cheated by acknowledging as their teacher someone who ranked last in the teaching qualifications assessment. However, after yesterday's lecture, they all knew that despite his poor reputation, this person before them was genuinely formidable! Wang Ying, in particular, had recounted some of the teacher's theories to her father and family elders; even they were full of praise, with some unable to fully grasp them, and even insisted on bringing Wang Tao to apprentice under him! This clearly demonstrated his caliber. How could they not be excited to apprentice under such a person?

"Hmm, everyone is here promptly today. Zhao Ya, grind this herb into powder and swallow it with water. Also, this is a cultivation technique I just hand-wrote for you; practice according to it, and you should recover in about three days!" Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan knew exactly what they were thinking. He nodded and handed over the Cold Yang Mother Herb he had bought last night, along with a book.

Zhao Ya's illness was caused by cultivating a purely Yin-attributed technique. After going through all the books in the Teachers' Library yesterday, Zhang Xuan had found a solution through the Library of Heaven's Path. Although this new technique was far inferior to his own Heavenly Dao Divine Art, it was exceptionally valuable, having been compiled by him from dozens of secret manuals. It still had some minor flaws, but they would not affect the overall outcome.

"Yes!" Zhao Ya tucked the herb into her pocket and casually opened the book. She noticed the fresh ink, indicating it had just been written. After reading for a moment, her pupils contracted, and she looked up with disbelief. "Teacher Zhang, even though I'm new to the academy, I've heard of all the famous secret manuals here. This one... it's several times more powerful than the Jade Maiden's Pure Heart Art I practice. How... how have I never heard of it? And... why is there no title on the book?"

As the City Lord's daughter, Zhao Ya had countless books at home and had seen many secret manuals, so her discerning eye was sharp. The manual in her hand was immeasurably more potent than the Jade Maiden's Pure Heart Art she had previously practiced, yet... how could she have never heard its name? Any cultivation technique, no matter how it was copied, typically bore the name of its creator. But this book was completely blank, with nothing on it, prompting her bewilderment.

"Oh, I compiled this book yesterday based on your physique. I just finished writing it; it doesn't have a name originally. If you find it inconvenient to refer to, you can give it one yourself!" Zhang Xuan replied. The books formed by the Library of Heaven's Path, which compiled the correct aspects of secret manuals, naturally had no titles. He hadn't bothered to name it and simply wrote it out and brought it along. He hadn't expected Zhao Ya to ask, so he gave a casual explanation.

"What? Teacher... you wrote this yourself? Is this... a cultivation technique created by Teacher?" Not only Zhao Ya, but everyone else present also had their pupils contract, almost fainting from shock. Anyone capable of creating a cultivation technique was a master-level figure, a peerless expert whose name would be etched in history! Could their obscure teacher truly have created such a high-level technique? Was it real?

"You could say that," Zhang Xuan replied. Since he couldn't explain the Library of Heaven's Path and how these books appeared out of nowhere, claiming he created them was an acceptable simplification. He didn't see any issue with it and nodded casually.

"That's incredible...""The Jade Maiden's Pure Heart Art was created by a martial artist at the eighth realm, the Grandmaster stage, in our family. For Teacher to casually create something of even higher caliber, just what level of strength has he reached?"Seeing him admit it, the five students were practically beside themselves.

Only a handful of people had managed to create cultivation techniques in the hundred-year history of Hongtian Academy, and each of them was a renowned figure. The fact that their teacher could do it left them almost faint with adoration. Moreover... what was most important was what Teacher Zhang had just said: "If you find it inconvenient to refer to, you can give it one yourself..." Which master, upon creating a cultivation technique, didn't pour their heart and soul into it, cherishing it like a priceless treasure, only passing it on to their direct disciples? Yet Teacher Zhang, having created a technique, not only gave it away casually but was also too lazy to even name it, allowing his student to do so... One must understand that whoever named it might be remembered by future generations, while the creator might fade into obscurity. To disregard such lasting fame and legacy... he must be truly indifferent to worldly desires and possess incredibly noble character! No wonder Teacher Zhang was so formidable, yet remained obscure at school and even bore the bad reputation of being the worst teacher. It turned out he was so pure, so disdainful of fame and fortune...

"Teacher Zhang..."As these thoughts flooded their minds, the five students' eyes simultaneously reddened, and they were all on the verge of tears from emotion.

"What's wrong with you all?" Zhang Xuan was utterly bewildered, seeing his students, who had been fine moments ago, now with reddened eyes. Had these students... all gone mad at once?