Chapter 70: Doubt

"You're not accepting him? Are you serious?"

Shang Bin, Cao Xiong, Shen Biru, and the others were tearing at their hair, on the verge of losing their minds. Today's events were more astonishing than anything they had witnessed in their entire lives.

Who was Wang Tao? A super genius ranked among the top ten in the academy. What teacher wouldn't clamor to take him as a student? Even Elder Shang Chen only managed to "acquire" him due to his position as Dean of Instruction... Such a genius, and the esteemed Head of the Wang Clan personally requesting... you actually refused?

Shang Bin and the others felt as if they had taken ten thousand points of damage and could barely breathe. They had just finished mocking him for being unable to recruit students, and now... the Head of the Wang Clan himself had brought his son over. What was even more astonishing was... he refused to accept him!

"My heart, my liver..." Elder Shang Chen's blood was churning in his throat, threatening to gush out at any moment. Was there any justice left? Any decency?

"I'm an Elder, the Dean of Instruction! It was bad enough that you dropped my class to seek out a fellow who scored zero on the teacher qualification exam, but the crucial point is... he still won't take him!"

Elder Shang Chen felt as if his face had been savagely ripped off, crumpled, and thrown onto the ground. He wished for a crack to open up so he could disappear into it instantly. It was utterly humiliating! He was utterly disgraced!

Elder Mo Xiang, standing to one side, felt his eyes might pop out of his head. He had just begun to change his opinion about Teacher Zhang, but now it seemed that wasn't enough!

Clan Head Wang Hong's face was also flushed with embarrassment. He immediately shot a meaningful glance at his son.

"Teacher Zhang, I humbly ask you to accept me as your student!" Wang Tao quickly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and spoke with utmost sincerity. He had indeed looked down upon Teacher Zhang before, but after personally witnessing his sister's legs being healed and her strength soaring, and recalling how his own sword had been effortlessly caught between two of the teacher's fingers yesterday, he was now utterly convinced and filled with admiration.

"No," Zhang Xuan said, waving his hand. Just as students choose their teachers, teachers also have the right to choose their students! This Wang Tao had barged into the classroom just two days prior, showing no respect for his elders and even drawing his weapon against him. How could he possibly accept such a person as a student? Even Zhao Ya, at the beginning, had only questioned him a few times, yet she was still punished with cleaning duty! As a teacher, if one lacked dignity and authority, students would show contempt, and how could any meaningful progress be made in their education?

"I know I was reckless and offended you, Teacher," Wang Tao quickly explained, understanding the reason for the refusal. "I hope you can overlook my youth and lack of manners and not hold it against me!"

The dignity of a teacher cannot be insulted. He had approached with a sword, intending to harm the teacher; it was already lenient that the teacher hadn't held it against him. To then seek to become his disciple and face rejection was entirely understandable!

"Indeed, my son did not know of your great talent at the time, Teacher, and may have acted impulsively. I hope you can forgive him..." Clan Head Wang Hong hastily added.

"Clan Head Wang, there's no need to say all this. I believe Teacher Zhang's refusal isn't because of that!" Just then, an untimely voice chimed in. Following the sound, they saw it was Cao Xiong, who had previously failed the 'Heart of Learning' interrogation.

Earlier, with Elder Shang Chen's authority, Cao Xiong might have been able to mitigate his punishment, or at least delay it and downplay the wager. But now, with the esteemed Clan Head Wang Hong himself appealing to Zhang Xuan, it seemed impossible to renege on the bet from the failed 'Heart of Learning' interrogation! Since things had already come to this, he no longer cared about losing more face.

"Hm?" Clan Head Wang Hong's expression darkened when someone interrupted him, clearly displeased.

"This Zhang Xuan's own cultivation is only at the Martial Artist Three-Realm True Qi Stage, while Young Master Wang Tao is a Martial Artist Four-Realm Skin-Bone Stage expert!" Cao Xiong shouted, his face contorted. "His strength isn't even as great as Young Master Wang's, so how can he teach or guide him? He dares not accept because he knows his own limitations!"

"Exactly! He's not even as strong as Young Master Wang Tao, yet he's taking him as a student? What a joke!" Shang Bin chimed in, quickly catching on.

"Clan Head Wang, please think twice. It's one thing to drop my class, but to have Young Master Wang Tao apprentice himself to someone weaker than him... his future cultivation might not be so smooth!" Elder Shang Chen's eyes also flickered. Yes, that's right! This Zhang Xuan, currently standing before them, was widely known throughout the academy to be only at the Martial Artist Three-Realm True Qi Stage. For a dignified Four-Realm expert to apprentice himself to someone with a lower cultivation level was, in itself, a complete joke!

"This..." Clan Head Wang Hong hesitated. His heart sank with a 'thump!' He had only heard from Wang Ying that Zhang Xuan's teaching theories were astounding; he didn't know his exact cultivation level. While Wang Tao had engaged him in combat, he had never mentioned Zhang Xuan's specific cultivation, so Clan Head Wang Hong was unaware. If what they were saying was true, and Teacher Zhang indeed possessed only the strength of a Martial Artist Three-Realm True Qi Stage practitioner, then he genuinely wouldn't be able to instruct Wang Tao! While teachers could impart knowledge through theory, true understanding in cultivation came from personal experience. If the teacher himself hadn't reached a certain stage, it was unlikely he could effectively teach methods for it. It was like a teacher in Zhang Xuan's previous life trying to explain a problem they themselves couldn't solve; how could they possibly teach it to students? Many things required the teacher to know them first before the students could learn. Otherwise, even the finest theories would be mere illusions, utterly useless.

"Zhang Xuan, even if you want to teach Young Master Wang Tao, do you even have the strength? If not, stop putting on airs!" Seeing Zhang Xuan remain silent, Cao Xiong's eyes gleamed with excitement and malice. "A Martial Artist Three-Realm cultivation might fool some new students, but it's useless against older ones!"

"Indeed, Clan Head Wang," Elder Shang Chen said, stroking his beard as his confidence returned. "Teacher Cao Xiong makes a very valid point. Zhang Xuan himself hasn't even broken through to the Martial Artist Four-Realm, so how could he possibly know how to cultivate, much less guide someone in the Skin-Bone Stage?"

"No, what you're saying is all wrong!" Hearing the mockery, Wang Tao protested, quickly standing up to explain, "Who said Teacher Zhang's strength isn't as good as mine? Yesterday, when I unintentionally offended him, I unleashed a full-power sword strike, and he easily caught it between two fingers. If he were only at the True Qi Stage, he certainly couldn't have done that!"

"Caught with two fingers? Haha, Young Master Wang Tao, even if you want to save him some face, couldn't you come up with something a little more believable?" Cao Xiong sneered, "You are a late-stage Martial Artist Four-Realm Skin-Bone expert, with strength exceeding 700 kilograms. Add to that the speed and weight of your sword, and even an early-stage Martial Artist Five-Realm Aperture Opening expert would find it incredibly difficult to parry with bare hands, let alone two fingers... You're not implying that our Teacher Zhang, who scored zero on his teacher qualification exam, has already reached the Aperture Opening Stage, like an Elder, are you?!"

While a sword is light and agile, a full-power strike from a late-stage Skin-Bone expert is as fast as lightning. Without an extremely deep understanding of the opponent's swordsmanship and knowing the exact angle of attack, even an early-stage Aperture Opening expert would struggle to intercept it... Yet Wang Tao claimed the academy's worst teacher casually caught it? What a preposterous joke!

"I saw it too! The teacher caught it with two fingers!" Liu Yang hastily corroborated. The scene that day had been witnessed firsthand, with not an ounce of falsehood. However, Liu Yang's immense trust in Zhang Xuan meant that, to outsiders, his statement only sounded like he was trying to cover up a lie.

"Clan Head Wang Hong, you are a cultivation master!" Elder Shang Chen ignored their explanations and smirked coldly. "Do you honestly believe someone who hasn't reached the mid-Aperture Opening Stage could catch Young Master Wang Tao's full-power sword strike with two fingers?"

"This..." Clan Head Wang Hong hesitated. Indeed, for an ordinary Aperture Opening expert, catching Wang Tao's full-power sword strike with just two fingers would be extremely difficult! While Teacher Zhang's theories were excellent, for someone so young to have reached the mid-Aperture Opening Stage... even Clan Head Wang Hong found it hard to believe. After all, it would be simply too astonishing!

"Young Master Wang Tao, I understand you wish to apprentice yourself to Zhang Xuan, and that's why you're intentionally exaggerating to boost his reputation. However, there's a limit to everything; going too far is not advisable..." Seeing Wang Hong fall silent, Elder Shang Chen grandly waved his hand, his demeanor confident and authoritative. Just as he was about to continue pontificating with profound theories to prove Wang Tao's words were false, the voice of the on-duty teacher suddenly rang out from outside the room.

"Elder Shang!"

"What is it?" Elder Shang Chen frowned, clearly displeased. "Didn't you see I was just making my point? So tactless!"

"Someone outside is asking to see Teacher Zhang Xuan," the on-duty teacher hurried to explain. "They've found their way here..."

"Looking for Zhang Xuan? Who is it?" What was going on today? Everyone seemed to be looking for him!

"It's... the Crown Prince of Zhennan, Young Prince Bai Xun!" the on-duty teacher replied.