Chapter 757: He Is Called Zhang Xuan

"Is it true?"

"That's wonderful..."

Upon hearing the dean's confirmation, Yuan Hong and the others flushed with excitement. As peak six-star artifact masters, they knew very well what the name Wu Yangzi represented in the Hongyuan Empire. When this esteemed elder disappeared, there was no further news, causing turmoil throughout the Artifact Forger Guild. Countless individuals tirelessly searched for clues, but all efforts were in vain, yielding no trace. They never dreamed that a few students would be the ones to find him! It was foreseeable that once his body was publicly revealed, it would cause a huge sensation and have a significant impact on their entire Artifact Forging Academy.

"You've done very well. I will apply to the academy for credits and give you substantial rewards!" Zhao Bingxu looked at the group, his satisfaction growing with each moment. In his youth, he had also tried to find the relics of Elder Wu Yangzi but had failed. Now, it seemed these students were even more exceptional than he had been back then!

"Thank you, Dean!" Xing Yuan and the others cupped their fists. When they initially applied for the mission, Dean Xiong Bing thought it would be difficult to succeed, so the rewards set were not high. Now that they had not only found the relic but also the remains of Elder Wu Yangzi, the rewards would naturally be significantly increased.

"Now that the elder's remains have been found, what about his legacy...?" a vice dean couldn't help but ask. When the elder had suddenly disappeared years ago, he hadn't left behind his legacy, which led countless future generations of geniuses to seek it out. Since these individuals had found the remains, perhaps the legacy had been found as well? Although, given their current strength, this legacy might not be strictly necessary, and their status prevented them from attempting to seize it, if obtained, it would undoubtedly advance the skills of countless artifact masters and greatly benefit the entire Artifact Forging Academy.

"To answer the dean, the legacy has indeed been found... I was also accepted as a direct disciple by Elder Wu Yangzi. However, whether or not to hand this over to the academy is not something I alone can decide!" This time, it was Luo Qiqi who spoke, not Xing Yuan.

"It's been found?"

"It's not something you alone can decide? That's right, the legacy is the result of so many of your efforts; naturally, it requires proper discussion!"

"Don't worry, if you truly don't wish to make it public, I can assure you that no one will trouble you..."

"The Master Teacher Pavilion has its rules. As master teachers, as long as you apply for knowledge protection, no one will intentionally offend the Master Teacher Pavilion over this item!"

Hearing that she had truly obtained the legacy, everyone was surprised and then nodded. While master teachers imparted knowledge and resolved doubts, they also had their own teaching legacies and personal considerations; it was impossible to pass on everything. For this reason, there were categories such as direct disciples and auditing students. Auditing students could only receive superficial knowledge, while core cultivation techniques were typically passed on to direct disciples. Therefore, direct disciples held higher status than auditing students and were automatically referred to as "senior martial brothers/sisters." Since Wu Yangzi's legacy had been obtained by her and she had been accepted as a direct disciple, if she was willing to share it, that was goodwill; if not, no one dared to say anything. The Master Teacher Pavilion had such rules and such magnanimity; otherwise, what qualifications would it have to guide the world?

"It's not our collective effort, but rather one person's... As long as he agrees, I imagine Qiqi sharing the legacy wouldn't be an issue!" Yu Fei'er, seeing the misunderstanding, couldn't help but explain from the side.

"One person?" Zhao Bingxu and Yuan Hong exchanged puzzled looks.

"That's right, this person saved all of us and helped me obtain the legacy. If it weren't for him, we would definitely be dead by now!" Gratitude shone in Luo Qiqi's eyes.

"The dean just promised to reward us. We don't need anything for ourselves, but we hope this person is not left unrewarded!" Xing Yuan also couldn't help but interject. Although he was somewhat annoyed by Princess Yu Fei'er's entanglement with that guy, he knew a life-saving debt had to be repaid.

Seeing the genuine sincerity in their tones, Zhao Bingxu couldn't help but turn to them, frowning, "What exactly happened? What transpired? Could there still be danger in this ruin?" When Elder Wu Yangzi disappeared years ago, no news of it spread. Even those in high positions like themselves only vaguely speculated that it might have been the work of the Qiling Tribe. As for the truth, no one knew. Even if it were true, after so many years, how could there still be danger?

"More than just danger, Elder Wu Yangzi was captured by the Qiling Tribe. This is what he personally wrote..." Luo Qiqi nodded, flipping her wrist to produce a book, which she handed over. It was precisely the handwritten book of Wu Yangzi they had obtained in the underground palace. It meticulously detailed his capture and his struggles with the Qiling Tribe within the underground palace.

"This..." Zhao Bingxu took the book and quickly skimmed through it, his pupils involuntarily constricting. "Qiling Tribe puppets? Did... you encounter these in the underground palace?"

"Yes! We were trapped, and he risked his life to save us. To eliminate those puppets, he even destroyed the entire underground palace, becoming trapped inside..." Luo Qiqi explained, recounting the events of that day in detail. When she mentioned that the person had fought the Qiling Tribe puppets alone to save her, everyone fell silent. If it had been them, to risk their lives to save someone they weren't particularly familiar with in such danger would surely have been difficult. Hearing that the person had given her the legacy without even glancing at it, everyone secretly admired him. As artifact masters, they were astonished that he showed no interest whatsoever in the legacy of the artifact master Wu Yangzi, even allowing someone else to become a direct disciple. Such a quality was beyond their reach. Upon hearing that he had faced numerous Qiling Tribe puppets alone, risking his life to save Yu Fei'er and the others, the five deans were all agape, unsure how to respond.

"If those Qiling Tribe puppets had escaped the underground palace, it would have been a fatal blow to the entire Illusory Feather Empire, and even the Hongyuan Empire, plunging countless humans into peril. What he did was... to save everyone!"

"Indeed, to single-handedly lure these Qiling Tribe puppets and collapse the underground palace, even if he might not have survived, it stopped them... Sacrificing oneself for others, that is the true mark of a master teacher!"

After a long silence, Zhao Bingxu, Yuan Hong, and the others couldn't help but speak, all expressing profound admiration. To sacrifice oneself for humanity, even knowing death was certain, without hesitation—that was a true master teacher! This reminded them of Confucius. Confucius had founded the master teacher profession precisely for the sake of humanity. Over tens of thousands of years, the Qiling Tribe had disappeared. While the original spirit of master teachers had endured, those willing to shed blood and even give their lives for humanity had become increasingly rare, almost non-existent. To their surprise... they had just heard about such a person with their own ears; how could they not admire him?

"Yes, he is a true master teacher!" Xing Yuan also nodded.

"This legacy was obtained with his help. If he agrees, I will hand it over to the deans without hesitation!" Luo Qiqi said. Wu Yangzi's legacy contained Zhang shi's efforts; if he agreed to hand it over, she certainly wouldn't hesitate. But if he didn't agree, even if they killed her, they wouldn't get a single piece of information.

"Since the person you speak of possesses such great righteousness, willing to sacrifice his life for humanity, I doubt he would say much about handing this over!" Yuan Hong remarked with emotion.

"Yes, he would definitely do that. He is just that kind of person..." After a slight hesitation, Luo Qiqi couldn't help but nod. Her alchemy teacher, though young, never cared about personal gains or losses; he was a true master teacher. If asked, he would surely agree to hand it over without the slightest hesitation.

"Alright, I agree to hand over the legacy. However, I hope the academy will properly reward him!" Thinking this, Luo Qiqi no longer hesitated. With a flick of her wrist, a book appeared. It was the unique Zither Forging Method, created by Wu Yangzi and discovered in the underground palace—a method that had driven countless people to madness.

"This..." Taking the book and casually flipping through it, Zhao Bingxu immediately knew it was genuine, his eyes reddening with excitement. The artifact forging concepts within were incredibly refreshing. It could be said that once this method was publicized, the entire Artifact Forging Academy's skill level would skyrocket. Even he would have a chance to break through the six-star bottleneck and reach a higher realm!

"Eliminating the hidden danger of so many Qiling Tribe puppets and being willing to contribute this forging method—his merit is incomparable. So, where is he now? Is he... still alive?" Zhao Bingxu couldn't help but ask. Luo Qiqi had only explained that the person had willingly stayed in the underground palace to save them, without mentioning his final fate. If he were still alive, their Artifact Forging Academy would repay him with all its might. If he were truly dead... they would absolutely treat his family well, so as not to discourage the hearts of meritorious master teachers.

"Alive... Of course he's alive!" Unexpectedly, her attempt to credit Zhang shi had led to such a misunderstanding. Luo Qiqi hastily clarified, "Not only is he alive, but he's also participating in the academy's assessment. He's probably already become a new student at the academy!" Zhang Xuan had not told them the results of his assessment, and even now, they didn't know if he had passed. However, in her opinion, with Zhang shi's level, an entrance exam would certainly pose no problem for him.

"A new student? You mean... the person who saved you is a new student at the academy?" Zhao Bingxu was stunned, and the other deans were equally bewildered. Hearing about someone so selfless, willing to risk his life to save others, they had assumed he was at least a five-star master teacher, or even higher. They never dreamed that he was just a young man who had only applied for assessment this year.

"Yes!" Luo Qiqi nodded.

"This... What's his name? I'll send someone to find him immediately. We must use every means possible to recruit him into our Artifact Forging Academy!" Yuan Hong couldn't help but speak. Apart from everything else, simply for presenting the Zither Forging Method, this new student would gain an extremely high status in the academy, earning the respect of countless people who would willingly address him as "Senior Brother!"

"He is my alchemy teacher. His name is... Zhang Xuan!" Luo Qiqi said, filled with pride.

"Zhang Xuan?" Yuan Hong froze, his body involuntarily swaying, his eyes widening. "The Zhang Xuan you're talking about... is he a young man of this height, appearing to be in his twenties, with fair skin?"