Chapter 830: Generation

"What?""Did he say Dean Lu Feng is a loose-lipped idiot?""And challenge the Pill Refinery Institute?"

Hearing the argument between the two on stage, everyone below went wild. After the old dean's disappearance, most matters, big and small, at the Master Teacher Academy were decided by Dean Lu Feng. Although not the titular dean, he effectively held that position. Furthermore, he was the head of the Ten Elders, and figures like Elder Mi looked up to him, giving him an extremely high status in the academy. For a freshman to publicly insult him as a loose-lipped idiot and tell him to get lost was an act of blatant defiance.

"How could Master Zhang be so reckless?" Wei Ranxue, Zhao Bingxu, and the others all reeled. They had thought Dean Lu Feng's intervention would quickly resolve the situation, but they hadn't expected Master Zhang to be so unyielding, directly confronting him. Dean Lu Feng was known for his uprightness and strict adherence to rules, treating them as unshakeable mountains. A direct insult like this was akin to tearing off his face—it would be strange if he didn't go furious. Indeed, before the words even finished echoing, Dean Lu's face darkened, his eyes narrowed, and his voice rumbled like distant thunder.

"What did you say?""Are you deaf, or blind? If you can't hear, you can at least see! Yu Xu and I are engaged in a life-and-death battle as six-star physicians, which means we are equals, not master and student. So, there's no need to invoke some grand principle of teacher-student hierarchy to pressure me. Besides, we haven't even determined a winner, and you barge in to disrupt and forcibly stop us... You talk about rules, but is *this* how you uphold them?"With an unflinching gaze, Zhang Xuan smirked coldly. He was indeed a student, and contradicting his superior was a grave offense by the rules. However, his duel with Yu Xu was as six-star physicians, making them peers in that context. In other words, as long as the match hadn't ended, his identity was not that of a student, but a six-star physician. Even if the other party was a six-star Master Teacher, they were still just peers. What right did he have to interfere?

Lu Feng's face turned ashen, his lips trembling with rage. "Sharp-tongued, aren't you? No matter what you say today, I will protect Yu Xu. I will personally petition the Master Teacher Pavilion and mediate with the Physician Guild regarding this matter!""You're going to protect him?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed. Although it seemed strange that this man would go to such lengths to protect Yu Xu, a moment's thought made it clear. When he had purchased medicine from Wei Changfeng, he had personally seen Dean Lu Feng send people to buy herbs. Not only were the prices cheap, but the transactions were also very smooth. One was a pill alchemist, the other a herb cultivator; they must have communicated and interacted frequently, establishing a good relationship. Otherwise, Lu Feng wouldn't risk offending the Physician Guild's headquarters just to interrupt a life-and-death duel.

"Indeed!" Lu Feng snorted, sweeping his arm with an air of invincible authority. "Dean Yu, come with me! I'd like to see who dares to stop me in this Master Teacher Academy!""Yes!" Seeing Dean Lu Feng personally intervene with such a firm stance, Yu Xu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed behind him. He had already lost the life-and-death duel; staying here would surely bring misfortune. It was best to leave."Leave? I haven't given permission to leave. Who dares to move?" Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan let out a cold snort, then looked at Yu Xu. "You caused Wei Changfeng's death, disregarding the dignity and ethics of a master teacher. What face do you have left to be a role model? Kneel!"

"Kneel?" Yu Xu was stunned. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a peculiar force suddenly stimulate the acupuncture points in his knees, and intense pain immediately surged through him. *Thud!* Without time to respond, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground. With Heaven's Path zhenqi hidden within the opponent's body, a single thought could turn it into poison, subduing him with ease.Lu Feng's face turned livid, looking utterly dark, like the bottom of a pot. He had just declared he was taking Yu Xu away, only for Yu Xu to kneel right there. This was a blatant slap in the face, a series of resounding slaps, in fact. Since when did his esteemed reputation as the Dean of the Pill Institute become so worthless?"Zhang Xuan, are you truly going to oppose me?" His gaze turned menacing, staring coldly, as if wanting to tear the young man to shreds.

"Oppose?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You're not even worth opposing! Honestly, before you showed up, I didn't even know who you were." Possessing the Heaven's Path martial arts, which are invincible, he didn't even know who this mere Pill Institute dean was before he emerged. Opposing him? You're overestimating yourself!Lu Feng was practically driven mad with rage."Alright, I'm tired of your nonsense. The physician's life-and-death duel isn't over yet. No one can take him away. Don't even say you're just an acting dean; even if the true dean came personally, it wouldn't matter! Otherwise... you'll only be taking away a corpse!" Waving his hand casually, Zhang Xuan didn't bother to explain further. Heaven's Path zhenqi had already infiltrated the opponent's bone marrow. Yu Xu's life or death was now entirely at his command. No matter who you were, trying to take him away was a pipe dream!"You dare!" Lu Feng gritted his teeth.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, looking at Yu Xu. "He says I don't dare. Come on, vomit some blood for him to see!"As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Xu, still kneeling on the ground, immediately felt a strange force churning his internal organs. He couldn't hold it in any longer and "Ugh!" violently spewed a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the ground. Lu Feng swayed, his vision momentarily darkening, nearly losing his mind. This was a blatant provocation!"What, still not convinced? Come on, Yu Xu, keep going, vomit until he's convinced!" With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow."Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Obeying his command, Yu Xu continued to violently gush mouthfuls of blood. After just a few more spatters, his face turned deathly pale, looking as if he could collapse at any moment."Stop!" Seeing his old friend continue to vomit and surely die, Lu Feng was so furious his teeth nearly ground together, yet he was helpless. At this point, even the biggest fool would realize that during the physician's life-and-death duel, Master Zhang must have administered an extremely potent poison. Otherwise, Yu Xu wouldn't be so obedient, kneeling when told to kneel, and vomiting when told to vomit. He didn't even have the courage to object.

"Stop!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.Only then did Yu Xu cease vomiting blood. His body went limp, and he gasped for breath, feeling as if half his life force had been drained. Having been a Master Teacher for nearly a thousand years, he had never endured such humiliation.Seeing him stop, Lu Feng quickly stepped forward, took out an antidote pill, and fed it to him. Yu Xu gasped a few times, then couldn't help but shake his head. Although the antidote pill was powerful, it had no effect whatsoever on the poison he had ingested. The poison left in his body by Zhang Xuan had already penetrated the most hidden parts of his system, where even zhenqi couldn't reach, rendering the situation critical and medicine useless."Damn it!" Standing up, Lu Feng glared at Zhang Xuan again, his teeth grinding audibly. "Very well, you are quite capable! However, I must remind you of something: while you won the physician's life-and-death duel, Yu Xu is a six-star high-grade Master Teacher and is protected by the academy. Given your status, you are not qualified to decide his life or death!"

Zhang Xuan frowned. Although the other party's tone was impolite, he knew what was said was true. A physician's life-and-death duel could, at most, ruin a person's reputation. Killing them was not permissible because... in addition to being a physician, the opponent also held the status of a Master Teacher. Every Master Teacher was a pillar of society, cultivated at immense cost by the Master Teacher Pavilion. Especially one who had reached six-star high-grade, as long as they hadn't committed heinous crimes or acted against humanity, no one of the same rank had the right to execute them. Unless... a seven-star Master Teacher personally decreed it, or they were tried by the Teachers' Tribunal. It was precisely for this reason that he had used Heaven's Path Impartation to try and induce the opponent to commit suicide. If Yu Xu had genuinely died, claiming it was a suicide out of shame would leave no evidence, and no one could do anything to Zhang Xuan. However, having suffered a loss once, it would be much harder to successfully manipulate him again."I can spare his life! But I will take him with me. As for whether others act against him, that won't be my concern!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. Although he very much wanted to kill the man, he preferred to let Wei Ruyan personally exact revenge and slay her father's killer with her own hands.

"Take him away? This is the Master Teacher Academy. Don't you think it's too naive to try and take away a vice-dean?" With a sweeping gesture, Lu Feng sneered."Are you not planning to abide by the rules of the life-and-death duel?" Zhang Xuan frowned."Rules will naturally be followed. However, now that the life-and-death duel is over, your identity reverts to that of a student of the Master Teacher Academy. As the dignified acting dean and head of the Ten Elders, surely stopping a student doesn't violate any rules, does it?" Lu Feng's eyes gleamed. Earlier, when the two were engaged in a physician's life-and-death duel, his interference would have violated the rules. But now that the match was over, and the other party had reverted to his student identity, for him, the venerable dean, to stop or discipline a student was not a violation. On the contrary, it would be seen as a righteous act.

Zhang Xuan's expression turned grim. What the other party said was true. No matter what, he was just a student. There was an established order between teachers and students, a distinction of hierarchy. Within the academy, if a teacher blocked him, he genuinely had no recourse. Threatening Yu Xu with poison was one thing, but actually poisoning him to death would mean a four-star Master Teacher poisoning a six-star Master Teacher—an act of insubordination that would inevitably lead to an investigation by the Master Teacher Pavilion. That would create even more trouble. Indeed, worthy of being the Dean of the Pill Institute, a six-star high-grade Master Teacher. He was better at manipulating rules than Zhang Xuan."Leave Dean Yu here and release him from the poison. As for your victory in the wager, I will have him compensate you... In this way, I will let you leave, and we can pretend nothing happened today. Otherwise, as a teacher, if I discipline a disobedient student, and it reaches the Master Teacher Pavilion, no one will speak up for you!" Lu Feng scoffed.

"Are you determined to make trouble for me?" Seeing that the other party had no intention of backing down and would act the moment he refused, Zhang Xuan's gaze turned icy. Indeed, when Master Teachers became shameless, they were even more formidable than him. A ruffian isn't scary; what's scary is an educated ruffian!"Making trouble? I'm not making trouble for you, I'm merely educating a junior. If your seniority were higher than mine, you could naturally discipline me however you wish!" Lu Feng chuckled. Seniority could crush a person. You are a student; I am a teacher. This very status is enough to keep you from raising your head, and no one can say anything about it!

Zhang Xuan wanted to say something but didn't know how to respond. As he was struggling with how to handle the situation, he heard an anxious shout from an old man below the stage. "Elder Zheng, Elder Wang, Elder Liu, you're here too! Don't go up..." Immediately, the sound of rushing wind followed as several figures leaped onto the stage. Then, a calm voice spoke: "Dean Lu, the three of us are newly recruited guest elders of the Combat Master Hall, enjoying special academy privileges. I wonder... if we might be considered your peers?"