Chapter 735: Collapsing Purple Sun Beast

At the foot of Leiyuan Peak.

A streak of light descended, revealing a figure and a flying spiritual beast landing directly.

"Elder Mi!"

The figure came forward, clasped his fists, and smiled.

"Hall Master Mo!" Elder Mi hastily returned the greeting.

It was none other than Mo Gaoyuan, Hall Master of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Hall! Although he was not one of the Ten Great Elders, his status and strength were no weaker than theirs.

"Langya Sacred Beast!" Elder Mi looked at the flying spiritual beast nearby and also clasped his fists. It was Mo Gaoyuan's tamed beast, the Langya Beast, at the initial stage of Sacred 1-dan! Being a sacred beast as well, Elder Mi dared not show any disrespect in his etiquette.

"Greetings, Elder Mi!" the Sacred Beast spoke in human tongue.

"May I ask why Hall Master Mo and the Sacred Beast have come?" After the greetings were exchanged, Elder Mi looked over, puzzled. The Master Teacher Academy and the Hongyuan Master Teacher Hall were on equal footing, both under the control of the Conferred Empire. When it came to recruiting new students, the latter had no right to interfere.

"I heard countless geniuses have arrived, so I just came to take a look..." Mo Gaoyuan smiled. Since the entrance examination had begun, Teacher Zhang must have also arrived. He wanted to see if he could build a good relationship and take the opportunity to inquire about Teacher Yang's situation.

"Indeed, many geniuses have come, but whether they can pass the examination is still unknown!" Hearing that the other party had no specific business, Elder Mi let out a sigh of relief, stroking his beard with a smile.

"Oh? Elder Mi, why do you say that?" Mo Gaoyuan asked, puzzled. Since it was an examination, most people should naturally pass; otherwise, there would be no point in setting up the project. "Isn't this examination about hunting spiritual beasts at the pinnacle of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan? For these genius master teachers, completing this task shouldn't be difficult, should it?" The Master Teacher Academy examination was a grand event in the Hongyuan Empire; as Hall Master of the Master Teacher Hall, he was certainly aware of it. A 4-star pinnacle master teacher, facing a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan spiritual beast, might be slightly lacking in strength, but completing the task should still not be difficult.

"The Master Teacher Academy is a place for recruiting master teachers, not merely for those with greater strength or brute force. If it were just hunting, it would be too easy!" Elder Mi chuckled. "This examination is not that simple!"

"Oh?" Hall Master Mo was stunned. He exchanged a glance with the Langya Sacred Beast, both looking over with curiosity. Master teachers were not butchers; their primary role was to educate. Only when education was impossible would they resort to extermination. Even if the numerous spiritual beasts captured on Leiyuan Peak had committed many evil deeds, they should still have a chance to reform. There was no need to hunt them all down and seize their inner cores! Previously, they had found the examination rules a bit strange. Hearing Elder Mi's words now, it seemed the examination was probably not as simple as they had heard, and there might be more to it.

"On the surface, this examination is about hunting, with the winner being whoever obtains the most inner cores. In reality, it assesses a master teacher's adaptability, quick thinking, and how they handle dangerous situations!" Elder Mi had nothing to hide from Mo Gaoyuan. He explained with a smile, "In fact, the many spiritual beasts on the mountain have already been organized. As soon as the new students enter the mountain range, they will fall into traps laid by the beasts and be ambushed!"

"Ambushed?" Mo Gaoyuan frowned, a hint of anxiety in his voice. "These are the future of the Master Teacher Hall..."

"Don't worry, the spiritual beasts' encirclement will only prevent them from escaping and cause minor injuries; it won't be life-threatening!" Knowing what the other party was concerned about, Elder Mi reassured him. These students were the future of the Master Teacher Hall and pillars of humanity; even as one of the Ten Great Elders, he wouldn't dare to kill them indiscriminately. All the spiritual beasts were instructed to surround them but not kill them; it was not an extermination. If it wasn't like this, how could Teacher Ding and the others, when surrounded by hundreds of spiritual beasts, have survived until Zhang Xuan rescued them, with not a single casualty? The situation was simply too critical for anyone to realize, and even Zhang Xuan hadn't paid much attention to it.

"So that's how it is!" Mo Gaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes brightening. "Spiritual beasts forming an alliance, setting traps, and engaging in a battle of wits with master teachers—whether they realize it or not, this is an excellent training experience for these new students. It will help them understand that even beasts cannot be casually slaughtered or plundered! At the same time, it can cultivate their ability to work together and realize that individual ability is insignificant in this examination... As expected of Elder Mi, truly impressive!" Falling into the spiritual beasts' trap would naturally make the new students understand that master teachers are not omnipotent. It would teach them to be humble and patient, essentially giving them a lesson before even entering the Academy.

Hearing the praise, Elder Mi nodded with a smile.

"The method is good, but since the executors are spiritual beasts, it's quite difficult. Only a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer like Elder Mi could achieve this, right?" Mo Gaoyuan exclaimed with admiration. Since the examination involved thirty thousand master teachers, there must be at least twenty or thirty thousand spiritual beasts on the mountain. To make so many unruly creatures obediently surround master teachers without killing them—how strong a control would that require?

"Me? How could I have such ability? Naturally, I relied on the power of a Sacred Beast!" Elder Mi shook his head with a wry smile. Although he was a 6-star pinnacle beast tamer, he still couldn't tame tens of thousands of spiritual beasts and make them obedient.

"A Sacred Beast? Elder Mi's Fire Dragon Sacred Beast?" Mo Gaoyuan was surprised. Everyone knew that Elder Mi had a tamed beast, a Fire Dragon Sacred Beast at the mid-stage of Sacred 1-dan, which could spew flames and possessed extraordinary strength.

"Fire Dragon? That fellow has a volatile temper; it's good enough if it doesn't cause trouble. How could it handle something like this? I spent countless resources to get the Ziyang Sacred Beast to help!" Elder Mi said with a bitter smile.

"Ziyang? The old academy head's tamed beast?" Mo Gaoyuan's pupils contracted.

Elder Mi nodded.

"If it's helping, then I'm relieved. The old academy head never returned from that trial, and although the academy's affairs are temporarily handled by the Ten Great Elders jointly, Ziyang's status in the academy is actually comparable to the head's; no one dares to defy it. With it leading the numerous spiritual beasts, those creatures certainly wouldn't dare to resist!"

"The Ziyang Sacred Beast is proficient in ancient beast language. With it overseeing the trial, there will be no worries!" Elder Mi affirmed. After the old academy head disappeared, the Ziyang Sacred Beast had been listless. He had spent an immense sum to get it to agree, and even now, just thinking about the cost made him feel the pinch. Nevertheless, the result was excellent. With the Ziyang Sacred Beast, proficient in ancient beast language, overseeing it, the trial would certainly be foolproof and problem-free. Sacred Beasts could speak human language, and theoretically, they could translate ancient beast language and convey it to beast tamers. However... knowing the syllables and their meanings was one thing, but actually being able to speak them was another! Ancient beast language was designed to match the physical constitution of spiritual beasts. Even if one knew the syllables, without the correct pronunciation techniques or corresponding cultivation methods, it would be impossible to speak. Therefore, even for a beast tamer, it was very difficult to learn ancient beast language from a Sacred Beast. Furthermore, since Sacred Beasts could already speak human language and communicate without hindrance, many beast tamers above 6-star felt no need to specifically learn beast language.

"With the Ziyang Sacred Beast involved, there'll definitely be no issues. I just hope it won't be too strict and will give the students a chance to pass. If it were truly impartial and not a single one passed, that would be terrible..." Mo Gaoyuan said. The Ziyang Sacred Beast's status in the academy was equivalent to the head's, and it always conducted matters with precision. If it became too serious, he truly feared that the new students would find it difficult to pass.

"Don't worry, I discussed this with the Sacred Beast long ago. It will trap them first, and when the time is right, it will release them..." Elder Mi nodded. Mid-sentence, he smiled and pointed forward, "Look, someone has already successfully descended the mountain!"

Mo Gaoyuan followed his gaze and indeed saw a group of people descending the peak and walking towards them. It was just noon now, with some time left until the afternoon. Returning at this time meant they must have completed the task, passed the examination, and were coming to report back.

"What... what is that?" Upon seeing the figures, Elder Mi was about to go check their scores when his eyes suddenly widened. Behind the group, several hundred spiritual beasts followed, their heads drooping like defeated roosters.

"This... it looks like they've been tamed?" Swallowing, Mo Gaoyuan's jaw dropped as well. As both a master teacher and a beast tamer, he could tell from the spiritual beasts' appearance that they had clearly been tamed. Otherwise, they wouldn't be looking so submissive and docile. Two hundred-odd people taming four or five hundred spiritual beasts? Didn't they say the spiritual beast alliance was supposed to trap the students to make them realize the difficulty? And wasn't the Ziyang Sacred Beast personally organizing it? What... what was going on?

On the other side.

"Make me acknowledge you as my master? In your dreams..." The Ziyang Sacred Beast clenched its teeth. It was the old academy head's tamed beast. Although the head was likely dead, it was impossible to make it submit to a member of the Spirit race! Beasts also had principles! Having followed the old academy head for so many years, it had long since prioritized the interests of humanity. Even if it died, it would never surrender to an enemy!

"In my dreams?" Unexpectedly, this sacred beast, which he thought was colluding with the Spirit race, had such backbone. Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Keep beating it until it submits!"

Hearing the command, the many puppets resumed their barrage of punches and kicks.

Five minutes later.

The Ziyang Sacred Beast, whose status was comparable to the academy head and was known as the academy's strongest combatant, had been beaten so badly that it was barely breathing, on the verge of death.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter if you don't submit to me. I'm going to ask you a question now, and you must answer truthfully. Otherwise, even if your physical body dies, I can extract and refine your soul, making you wish for death but unable to find it!" Seeing that the Ziyang Beast was still unyielding, refusing to acknowledge him as master even when on the verge of death, Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked over, his gaze hardening. "Were you assigned by the Spirit race to come here and slaughter master teachers? If you tell me the exact location of those Spirit race members, I can grant you a swift end!"

"Spirit race... assigned?" Raising its swollen eyes, the Ziyang Sacred Beast almost fainted. What kind of assignment?! Elder Mi begged at my door for two whole months, preaching about various righteous causes and promising all sorts of benefits, which is why I came! My purpose was to temper the new students and cultivate more powerful master teachers for my master... What does that have to do with the Spirit race?! It's you, on the other hand! You used the heart of a Spirit race expert against me, then savagely beat me with Spirit race puppets... And finally... you ask me if I was assigned by the Spirit race? Have you no shame? You can't just turn the tables and accuse me like that!