Chapter 747: The Academy

Combat techniques, each set has its own unique qi circulation path and method. Many moves, even if they can be executed, are not meant to be used haphazardly.

It's like being able to punch to the left and to the right, but if you switch to attacking right before finishing a left punch, you risk muscle damage and qi depletion.

This is exactly what Wu Chen is experiencing now.

The moves Zhang Xuan had just taught Ran Xiaoxiao were designed to utilize her newly opened Ziwei and Yingtai acupoints. Combined with her female physique and flexible body, she could instantly unleash fighting power far beyond the ordinary, making her unpredictable.

Wu Chen hadn't opened those two acupoints, and he was a man. Why would he try to learn what Zhang Xuan had taught Ran Xiaoxiao? Now, before even getting a chance to fight, he had crippled himself through practice.

Naturally, he was no longer an opponent!

If Wu Chen knew what he was thinking now, he would surely burst into tears on the spot.

"Your 'Teacher's Impartation' is so powerful," he would think. "My mental fortitude was already weak, and Ran Xiaoxiao's move was so potent. Even as a half-step 5-star Master Teacher, I couldn't resist the temptation to try it..."

Huang Xing and the others, who had been standing to the side, felt their eyes almost pop out as they watched: of the three troublemaking geniuses, two were now lying on the ground, and one was attentively following Master Zhang's lead.

This was just too unbelievable!

The second, third, and fourth ranked students from the annual competition had come to cause trouble, and after only a few words, they ended up fighting each other to the death, all defeated.

Even seeing it with their own eyes felt like a dream!

Fortunately, they hadn't bothered this guy earlier; otherwise, they would probably be the ones lying on the ground.

No wonder Elder Mi had personally made arrangements for him; he truly possessed the ability.

"Alright, you can take care of those three now..."

Seeing Ran Xiaoxiao's excited expression after defeating an opponent she had failed to beat so many times, Zhang Xuan knew there was no point in staying. He waved his hand.

His current strength had already reached the peak of the Bridging Heaven Realm. Acting against these first-year students would be somewhat like bullying the weak, and it wouldn't be very honorable if word got out.

Pushing open the door and entering the separate courtyard, he immediately felt a surge of spiritual energy.

The courtyard was extremely spacious, featuring a garden, a training ground, and a private reception hall. It closely resembled a small mansion.

No wonder these few people wanted this courtyard; the perks for the top-ranked student were truly extraordinary.

Walking into the room and closing the door, Zhang Xuan didn't cultivate or continue his investigations. Instead, he closed his eyes in contemplation.

With ten major professions and countless books available, now that he was finally here, it was a good opportunity to visit the various academies and learn all the necessary knowledge.

Once this was completed, he would be almost ready to test for a 6-star Master Teacher.

Only when a Master Teacher reached 6-star would they truly enter the ranks of the world's powerhouses, possessing the ability to protect themselves and handle any situation.

"However, before that, I need to find cultivation techniques for higher realms!"

He currently only possessed cultivation techniques for the Bridging Heaven Realm. To advance to the Unity Realm, he would first need to find numerous secret manuals to compile a Heaven's Path cultivation technique.

"Cultivation techniques are all gathered in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion!"

On the way here, Luo Qiqi had explained the academy in detail to him, so he knew the location of the cultivation techniques: the Cultivation Technique Pavilion.

This place gathered insights and experiences left by countless powerhouses over thousands of years in the academy, as well as various secret manuals left by those with astonishing and brilliant talent.

As long as he could get in, he would definitely be able to compile the Heaven's Path cultivation technique for the Unity Realm.

He could even complete those for higher realms.

"However, to view the Unity Realm secret manuals in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, one must first be a 5-star Master Teacher and have... academic credits! Or... should I test for a 5-star Master Teacher first?"

Although there were cultivation techniques in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, it wasn't a place anyone could just enter and exit freely.

He was currently only a 4-star Master Teacher, which meant he could only view cultivation techniques for the Spirit Unification and Bridging Heaven Realms. He wasn't qualified to view those for the Unity Realm.

Furthermore, most crucially, entering required consuming academic credits.

He had just arrived at the academy and had no credits at all; if he went, he'd be kicked out and wouldn't be able to see anything.

"To test for a 5-star Master Teacher, five auxiliary professions need to reach 5-star. Currently, only my Appraiser profession is at that level. I'll need to test for the others beforehand... It's quite troublesome!"

He rubbed his temples.

Master Teacher examinations required several prerequisites; with each level increase, one had to master an additional auxiliary profession.

Because of this, many Master Teachers were prevented from advancing further, not due to a lack of ability, but an insufficient number of auxiliary professions.

Currently, he only had one auxiliary profession that reached 5-star: Appraiser. The others were a 4-star Formation Master, Physician, Calligrapher-Painter, Beast Tamer, and a 3-star Alchemist.

As for professions like Poison Master or Soul Master, they couldn't be openly acknowledged; even if he possessed them, they would be useless here.

Although he knew many professions, their levels hadn't reached the required standard, so testing for 5-star wouldn't be easy.

"Since I have time now, I'll go test for a few auxiliary professions first!"

After thinking it over, he knew that with his current status, he couldn't enter the Cultivation Technique Pavilion. So, he had to settle for the next best thing: testing for 5-star Master Teacher first.

To test for Master Teacher, one must first test for auxiliary professions. Since time wasn't an issue for him, he could test for several at once while he was here, saving himself the trouble of visiting various guilds.

"There are ten academies here. I've studied artifact forging, but I don't have a ranking. While I have time, I'll go test for it..."

After mentally reviewing the ten academies, he decided to go to the Artifact Forging Academy first.

He had received Wu Yangzi's complete inheritance and combined it with Heaven's Path artifact forging. Even a peak 6-star artifact forger might not compare to him, so he could definitely test for the artifact forger profession first.

And also get a glimpse of the Artifact Forging Academy's standards.

He acted on his thought immediately, with nothing to hesitate about. He stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Wu Chen and the others outside the door had already left.

The veteran students, who had been in the academy for who knows how many years, had been so badly tormented by a newcomer that they had no face left to remain there.

He found Huang Xing and the others, asked for directions to the Artifact Forging Academy, and then walked in that direction.

The Artifact Forging Academy was the largest among the ten academies, second only to the Pill Academy. It attracted an extremely large number of students taking it as an auxiliary profession. Even before he arrived, he saw a teeming crowd of students everywhere.

"Unity Realm, Void Amalgamation Realm..."

His Eye of Insight activated, and he looked over.

Among these students, there were many powerhouses at the Unity Realm and Void Amalgamation Realm, and even some at the Chrysalis Sealing Realm.

Reaching this level, they could walk unhindered in the Illusion Feather Empire. Even in the Hongyuan Empire, they would absolutely be considered heroes capable of guarding a region.

As expected of the Artifact Forging Academy, it was truly formidable.

He walked around, asking for directions, and soon found the place for testing as an artifact forger.

Many departments within the Master Teacher Academy also had other guilds stationed there. Testing here would grant recognition from the corresponding guild.

This meant that if he tested as an artifact forger here, his badge would still be usable and recognized even if he went to the Artifact Forger Guild.

The academy had over a hundred thousand Master Teachers, and countless more who studied artifact forging as an auxiliary profession each year. If all of them went out to test, the Artifact Forger Guild would probably collapse.

Rather than such a hassle, it was better to move the branch here, making it convenient for everyone.

"Artifact Forger Guild, Hongyuan Academy Branch..."

Seeing the words written in front of the tall building, Zhang Xuan shook his head, pushed open the door, and walked in.

Inside the spacious hall, people were everywhere. A quick glance revealed several hundred.

"5-star artifact forgers offering custom forging services! Mid-tier spirit weapons for just half an academic credit!"

"I have a newly forged peak mid-tier spirit long saber here, selling for just one academic credit! Once missed, you won't find it this cheap again..."

"Missing one Gold Forest Ore. Anyone with a piece willing to exchange for two academic credits!"

"Three Flame Stones for sale, one academic credit..."

Walking inside, it felt like entering a marketplace. There were those offering forging services, those selling weapons, and even those buying various ores or selling various artifact forging materials.

All these people were wearing Master Teacher robes; they must be academy students earning academic credits through various items.

"Academic credits have such strong purchasing power..."

After looking around, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but gasp in awe.

He had initially heard Luo Qiqi say academic credits were important and thought they would at most be equivalent to mid-tier spirit stones. Now, it seemed their value was so high that even high-tier spirit stones would be difficult to purchase with.

No wonder those few people ran all the way to the Illusion Feather Empire, searching for Wu Yangzi's underground palace, just for a few academic credits. These credits were indeed not easy to earn; otherwise, dignified 5-star Master Teachers and 5-star artifact forgers wouldn't need to set up stalls like street vendors.

Treasures that were priceless and unavailable in places like the Illusion Feather Empire couldn't even be exchanged for half an academic credit here. Even seeing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.

Squeezing through the crowded people, he finally made it to the front desk, where a smiling woman looked over.

Through asking, Zhang Xuan also learned that these service personnel were also academy students, undertaking work-study tasks from the academy to earn academic credits.

Although these tasks didn't seem very glorious, they posed no danger and required no special skills, making them suitable for students with weaker academic performance.

"I'd like to test for artifact forger!" Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing that he wanted to test for artifact forger, the woman's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "How many stars would you like to test for? I'll arrange it for you right away, senior student!"

Not knowing which year he was in, she conventionally addressed him as "senior student" to show respect.

"I... I'll test for 5-star!" Zhang Xuan said, after a moment of hesitation.

With his understanding of artifact forging, testing for 6-star would be no problem. However, first, his cultivation wasn't high enough, and second, he was only strong in theory; if he personally forged artifacts, his practical skills would certainly be far behind.

After considering, he decided to test for 5-star first. Anyway, his immediate goal was to advance to a 5-star Master Teacher.

"5-star?" The woman nodded, then smiled slightly. "Please bring your 4-star badge and student ID, senior student, so I can register you..."

"Badge? Student ID?" Zhang Xuan's face flushed. "I don't have either..."

He had never tested for artifact forger, not even 1-star, so it was impossible for him to produce a 4-star badge. As for a student ID, he had just entered the academy, hadn't even chosen courses or found a teacher, and didn't even know if his name was in the academy's register. Naturally, he didn't have one.

"You don't?" The woman froze, her eyebrows furrowing, her smile vanishing completely. "Then who are you," she asked, "and what are you doing at the Master Teacher Academy?"