Chapter 796: Apprentice Hu Yaoyao

"Teacher..."

Hu Yaoyao's eyes reddened. She bit her red lip, hesitated for a moment, and then knelt on the ground. Although she utterly detested Zhang Xuan, she dared not disobey her teacher's command.

"Xiao Wei, forget it... she was just momentarily confused!" Zhang Xuan said, looking weak.

"Xiao Wei?"

Hu Yaoyao was exasperated. Her teacher, Wei Ranxue, was one of the Ten Great Grandmasters, a peak six-star grandmaster, and the esteemed Dean of the Skyblaze Institute. Yet, this mere freshman, a young man of around twenty, actually called her "Xiao Wei"...

"This student of mine has always been mischievous," Wei Ranxue said. "I usually let her do as she pleases, but today, she caused trouble for you, Master Zhang. If I don't teach her a good lesson, she might not realize the seriousness of her actions!"

With her discerning eye, Wei Ranxue naturally noticed some issues; it probably wasn't as simple as Master Zhang claimed. However, her student was indeed quite unruly. She hadn't said anything before, but now was a good opportunity to teach her a lesson, lest she cause greater calamity. Putting aside everything else, Master Zhang's understanding of the Skyblaze Master profession was far beyond her own! She had been wondering how to invite him to lecture at their institute, and now, this fellow had gone and caused him trouble! Wasn't this just asking for trouble? How could she even bring up the invitation now?

"Teacher..." Hu Yaoyao hadn't expected her teacher to believe the other party instead of her. Her face was filled with anxiety.

"Enough!" Wei Ranxue waved her hand dismissively. "Master Zhang and I are having a conversation between elders; it's not your place to interrupt! Now, kneel there and reflect properly!"

"Elders..." Hu Yaoyao trembled uncontrollably. This fellow... wasn't he a freshman? When did he become an elder?

"Master Zhang, my unruly disciple caused you injury. This is a Minor Restoration Pill for healing; it should be useful to you!" With a flick of her wrist, Wei Ranxue produced a jade bottle and handed it over.

"A Minor Restoration Pill? A level six pill?" Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment.

The Minor Restoration Pill was a level six pill; even a Saint realm expert would find it highly effective for injuries. If sold, it would be worth at least several high-grade spirit stones! To give it away so readily... it made him a little embarrassed.

"How should this unruly disciple be dealt with? Master Zhang, just say the word, and I'll do it immediately!" Seeing him accept the pill, Wei Ranxue breathed a sigh of relief and continued. As long as the other party accepted the item, he likely wouldn't punish her severely.

"Deal with her?" Zhang Xuan hesitated. Actually, if this woman hadn't tried to make an issue of him and Luo Qiqi, he wouldn't have been angry. It was her threatening to exploit the pure teacher-student relationship that made him decide to teach her a good lesson, to let her know that there are limits to what one can do and not everything can be used for leverage.

"How about this: I happen to need an apprentice," Zhang Xuan said after some thought. "Let her follow me for three months, and then, let's consider today's incident resolved!"

The matter of Wu Yangzi's relic hadn't been mentioned yet, and he still had interactions with this person. It would be better to take her as an apprentice first; it would be easier to ask questions then.

"An apprentice?" Hearing this request, Hu Yaoyao nearly fainted. She, a dignified six-star grandmaster, to be this fellow's apprentice? What kind of joke was this? Her teacher would surely not agree! Otherwise, where would her teacher's dignity be?

Just as she thought Dean Wei would immediately refuse, she saw her eyes light up, filled with excitement: "Excellent! I'll thank Master Zhang on Yaoyao's behalf right away!"

This Master Zhang's understanding of the Skyblaze Master profession had reached an incredibly profound level. As his apprentice, as long as she studied diligently, she would surely progress rapidly and grow stronger! To be honest, even she was quite envious of this status. How could she refuse?

"Teacher..." Her eyes reddened, and Hu Yaoyao quickly cried out.

"Enough!" Interrupting her, Wei Ranxue said, "To be accepted as Master Zhang's apprentice is a blessing you've earned over several lifetimes! Starting today, you will leave this courtyard, follow Master Zhang, study diligently, strive for academic success, and return soon!" As her instructing teacher, she still had this much authority to make decisions.

"Apprentice..." Hu Yaoyao clenched her teeth, feeling tears stream down her face. Her teacher actually agreed directly? Why? She had brought this fellow here, originally intending to put him in his place and make him her subordinate. Now, look at this... she had become his apprentice! What kind of situation was this!

"Thank you, Xiao Wei!" Hearing the agreement, Zhang Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master Zhang, this is your rank insignia; I've already applied for it on your behalf!" Wei Ranxue said. "And here's my elder's badge. The academy has many rules and quite a bit of trouble; having this will make things much more convenient!" With a flick of her wrist, Wei Ranxue handed over a rank insignia and an elder's token.

After she returned at noon, she applied to the headquarters. She quickly received a reply and had the insignia made. She came to find Hu Yaoyao, but unexpectedly saw this scene upon arrival.

"Thank you!" Accepting the insignia and token, Zhang Xuan nodded. It had to be said that Xiao Wei was quite efficient.

"Then I won't disturb you further. I'll take my leave now!"

After saying a few more words and telling Hu Yaoyao to report to him tomorrow, Zhang Xuan then turned and left with Luo Qiqi.

Watching the two leave, Hu Yaoyao finally looked at her teacher and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher... why?" She simply couldn't understand why her teacher, the esteemed Dean Wei, one of the Ten Great Grandmasters, wanted her to be this fellow's apprentice.

"Master Zhang's understanding of the Skyblaze Master profession... it wouldn't be an exaggeration for me to call him 'teacher'!" Wei Ranxue explained. "The Rainbow Ripple Dance you performed earlier had seventeen flaws, and he corrected every single one! This is what I compiled based on his words. Take a good look; you'll understand just how formidable he is once you've finished reading it!" With a flick of her wrist, she produced a book.

After listening to Master Zhang's explanation, she compiled the knowledge she gained into a book and instantly felt greatly enlightened. He truly was a Skyblaze Master far more skilled than her. If one cultivated according to this, the Rainbow Ripple Dance wouldn't just make a few sky larks fall; it could probably even bring down dragons. Realizing this, she came to find Hu Yaoyao and asked her to deliver the insignia. Firstly, to foster a good relationship, and secondly, to let her student know that there are always people better than you, and there's always a higher mountain. She just hadn't expected to find that the two had already clashed upon her arrival. Since that was the case, she simply did them a favor and had Hu Yaoyao become the other party's apprentice. This way, she could also learn diligently, and perhaps one day, surpass herself and aspire to be a seven-star or even higher-ranked Skyblaze Master.

"Teacher... did he really modify all of these?" After an unknown period, Hu Yaoyao swallowed and looked over with wide eyes.

"Mmm!" Wei Ranxue nodded. If she hadn't witnessed it herself, she wouldn't have believed it. Only after speaking with him personally did she realize how profound Master Zhang's understanding of the Skyblaze profession was.

"This..." Hearing the confirmation, Hu Yaoyao then remembered that her soul had been impacted by him, causing dizziness. At that time, the other party hadn't even danced. Rather, his every movement and gesture inherently formed dance techniques! Even her teacher, standing right before her, couldn't do that!

"Alright, study it carefully and remember my words: be respectful towards Master Zhang. Don't waste this opportunity!" Knowing that her student might need some time to accept this, Wei Ranxue nodded and turned to leave. Her student was good in every aspect, except for being too arrogant. Having suffered a great loss this time, she should come to a realization!

Seeing her teacher leave, Hu Yaoyao looked at the book in her hand again. A moment later, she began to dance gracefully in the room. She wanted to test whether the modified content was indeed correct!

She was inherently beautiful. Coupled with her luxurious attire, as she danced, the entire room seemed to bloom like a flower, and an intoxicating aura continuously drifted outwards. The koi in the pond, smelling this aura, became entranced and plopped to the bottom. The flowers in the courtyard also seemed to dance passionately to the rhythm, their petals fluttering in the wind. If anyone were present, they would surely become engrossed and unable to extricate themselves; even a Half-Saint expert would find it difficult to escape.

After an unknown period, Hu Yaoyao finally understood... this was the true dance technique, the genuine dance technique! What she had learned before was nothing compared to this! She stopped, and only then realized that, at some point, her face was already covered in tears.

"I actually... cried!" Touching the tears on her face, Hu Yaoyao was dazed and lost in thought. When she danced this before, she vaguely understood its charm. Though she could unleash considerable power, she was far from truly understanding it. But now... it felt as if this dance technique had integrated into her soul, completely merging with her, becoming a part of her body. Before, at most, she knew its form but not its essence. But now, she truly understood it!

"How deep is his understanding of the Skyblaze Master profession... to be able to modify this dance technique so perfectly?" Only after testing it did she realize that the content in the book had no errors whatsoever. She exhaled and couldn't help but murmur to herself.

As she was deep in thought, she saw Xin Ru walk over. "President, Seniors Dong Xin, Xue Zhenyang, and Long Cangyue are requesting an audience!"

"Let them in!" Hu Yaoyao nodded. She had originally expected to easily subdue Zhang Xuan tonight, so she had arranged to meet with several people beforehand, intending to show him off. She never dreamed that she *would* subdue someone... but it turned out she was the one subdued.

"How did it go? Where's Zhang Xuan? How did you deal with him?" Xue Zhenyang strode in, his voice boisterous.

"That's right, quickly tell us how you taught him a lesson. Has he already succumbed to your charm and become obedient?" Long Cangyue also chuckled. In their view, since Hu Yaoyao had guaranteed she could teach him a lesson, she would definitely succeed! Even they were extremely wary of this monstrous woman.

"Taught him a lesson?" Hu Yaoyao turned her face, bowed slightly, and with a composed expression, said, "Hu Yaoyao, apprentice to Zhang Xuan, greets you all!"