Chapter 74: Teaching Office Fakes?

"This..."

Hearing the three men shout, Elder Mo and Huang Yu exchanged glances, then both looked at Zhang Xuan. If what they said was true, the Teachers' Guild would indeed need to re-examine the case. After the examination, if the claims were substantiated, it was highly probable that Teacher Zhang's teaching license would be revoked.

"I still underestimated these people; they're skilled at manipulating the rules." Zhang Xuan frowned, surprised that despite repeated setbacks, his opponents were still trying to retaliate. It seemed that in any world, malicious intent could cause deep harm. To be frank, the mess left by his predecessor was indeed very troublesome. If the academy didn't investigate too deeply, everything would be fine, and he could continue teaching. However, once they did investigate and reported the matter to the Teachers' Guild, he would face the risk of having his teaching license revoked. If expelled, his situation wouldn't be much better than Cao Xiong's. Therefore, he absolutely could not let them succeed.

The facts remained: his predecessor had scored zero on the teaching assessment and had caused students to suffer a cultivation deviation. These were unchangeable truths. In other words, the mess left by his predecessor was currently his greatest weakness. Even if he could teach students exceptionally well in the future, leveraging the Heaven's Path Library, it would still be difficult for him to become a respected teacher or gain credibility. He had to find a solution! Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat helpless. His transmigration was involuntary; he couldn't control the timing. Moreover, if his predecessor hadn't been so incompetent, he wouldn't have been able to transmigrate in the first place! Could he really just let them report him to the Teachers' Guild and have his teaching license revoked? Absolutely not!

"Hmm? Isn't there the issue of my sudden surge in strength that I can't explain? I can use this to my advantage..." Just as he was at a loss, a brilliant idea suddenly sparked in his mind. He looked at Shang Chen and Shang Bin again, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips. "Since you're giving me no quarter, then I'm afraid I won't be holding back."

...

"Zhang Xuan, aren't you still full of smugness? Let's see if you can maintain that arrogance when you go to the Teachers' Guild..." Seeing Elder Mo and Huang Yu hesitate, Shang Bin laughed heartily, brimming with excitement. However, before his laughter died down, he noticed Zhang Xuan, hands clasped behind his back, looking over with a hesitant expression and conflicted eyes. He seemed to have something he wanted to say but was deliberating whether to reveal it.

"What? Are you begging for mercy?" Seeing his demeanor, Shang Bin felt an unadulterated sense of satisfaction. "Too bad... it's already too late!" "Beg for mercy?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You're overthinking it. I'm merely considering... whether or not to reveal the truth." "Ah!" He sighed, his voice laden with worry, pain, hesitation, and discomfort. In short, anyone who heard him would immediately sense his heavy heart, recognizing him as a man with a profound past.

"Tell what? What are you talking about?" Shang Bin frowned, unsure of Zhang Xuan's intentions. "Very well then, since it's come to this..." Without replying, Zhang Xuan shook his head, adopting a look of profound sorrow. After a moment of internal conflict, he continued, "I was originally thinking that since we are all colleagues and teachers, for the sake of the academy's reputation, even if someone had committed an egregious act, we should prioritize the greater good. But now, it appears..." As he spoke, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked upwards with a pained expression.

"Uh? What do you mean?" Seeing him sigh and shake his head, drawing everyone's attention, Shang Bin and Shang Chen, grandfather and grandson, exchanged a puzzled glance. They had no idea what this fellow was playing at. What's with the pretense? You're about to be expelled anyway; acting won't do you any good now!

"I think he's just deliberately spouting nonsense to divert attention! Don't let him trick you!" Shang Bin snapped, having recovered his composure. Scoring zero on the teaching assessment and causing students to suffer cultivation deviations were well-known facts within the academy—an indelible stain that couldn't be washed away. What good was a glib tongue? These were undeniable facts! Even if he tried to deny them, there were records available. Let's see how he could explain his way out of this.

"Master Zhang, is there something you're hesitant to share? Elder Mo and I are here; you can speak freely!" Huang Yu looked at him. "Excellent!" Zhang Xuan silently nodded, giving her a look of approval. He had been feigning reluctance all this time, waiting precisely for her to say that. Now that she had, he could seamlessly continue his narrative.

"Actually, I preferred not to speak about this matter..." Zhang Xuan shook his head, assuming a look of profound regret. He walked two steps to a strength-testing stone pillar in the center of the hall, clenched his fist, and punched it squarely. *Buzz!* Light flashed, and a row of numbers appeared on its surface: Fifty-five Tripods!

"Fifty-five Tripods?"

"Aperture Acupoint realm peak?"

"He possesses the strength of an Aperture Acupoint realm peak cultivator, so... why did the assessment claim he was only at the True Qi realm?"

...

Although they had heard from Prince Bai that Zhang Xuan's strength surpassed his, and they were somewhat prepared, seeing such immense power from a single punch still left them incredulous! Gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd, jaws nearly hitting the floor. A Martial Artist Sixth-level Aperture Acupoint realm expert gains one 'tripod' of strength for each acupoint opened. Many individuals, throughout their entire lives, only manage to open thirty or forty acupoints, and even at their peak, their strength falls far short of this! To effortlessly unleash such power, didn't it imply... that he had already reached the peak of the Aperture Acupoint realm? Yet... he had been tested just before the holiday and was only at the peak of Martial Artist Third-level True Qi realm. To advance several levels in a single holiday... that seemed impossible! Even the most prodigious genius in the kingdom hadn't been known to progress this rapidly! Everyone looked on skeptically, eager for his explanation.

"I imagine you're all wondering why I was tested at the True Qi realm before the holiday, only to seemingly reach the Aperture Acupoint realm in such a short period!" Observing their reactions, Zhang Xuan slowly explained, "Actually... my cultivation didn't experience a sudden surge over the holiday! Instead, I cultivated steadily, just like everyone else. Even before the holiday, while I didn't possess exactly fifty-five tripods of strength, I wasn't far from it!"

"You had this much before the holiday? That doesn't seem right. The teacher assessment back then included a cultivation test..." Patriarch Wang Hong began, but then paused abruptly as something dawned on him. "The Hongtian Academy's teacher assessment is conducted by the Academic Affairs Office in a private setting, and the results for all teachers are announced by the Academic Affairs Office... No one else knows the details! This means... the conclusion that you were only at the True Qi realm before the holiday was provided by the Academic Affairs Office, not necessarily reflecting the truth of the situation..." Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. Whether it was the zero score on the teaching assessment or his alleged True Qi realm strength, these were all official results reported by the Academic Affairs Office. No one else had been present during the actual assessment. This implied... the Academic Affairs Office might very well have falsified the records!