Chapter 836: The Ten Deans All Know

"It ran away by itself? What do you mean 'it ran away by itself'?"

Lu Feng and the other four vice deans were all stunned.

Six-star alchemists would keep some of the pills they refined for personal use, but the surplus was sold. These pills were typically stored in the Pill Hall, where dedicated teachers sold them at standardized prices. This middle-aged man was in charge of that department.

The entire fortune of all six-star alchemists in the Alchemist Academy, one could say, was tied up in the Pill Hall. And now you're telling us the pills ran away on their own... What kind of joke was this?

"They really did run away on their own..." The middle-aged man's lips trembled. He was distraught but didn't know how to explain. As a teacher in the academy, he possessed the strength of a six-star master teacher. For someone of such caliber to be incoherent indicated just how shocking the incident was.

"What exactly happened?" Lu Feng's face darkened, and he couldn't help but scold, "Explain the matter in detail!"

"Well, it's like this," the middle-aged man quickly said. "I was just checking the pills in the Pill Hall when... they suddenly flew up, shot straight out of the room, and just, just vanished..."

"The pills flew away by themselves?" The five deans were all dumbfounded.

Level six pills, like spirit-grade weapons, possessed their own sentience. But if they hadn't acknowledged a master, how could they just run off on their own? And making a pill acknowledge a master was even harder than a weapon doing so. Even the alchemist who refines the pill finds it difficult, let alone an outsider! Most crucially... for so many pills to acknowledge a master simultaneously, that was utterly impossible!

"Before the pills flew away, did anyone enter the Pill Hall?" Remembering something, Lu Feng quickly asked.

"There was a young man, around twenty years old, who came in," the middle-aged man recalled after a moment's thought. "He said he just wanted to look around and touched every single pill... But he didn't buy any and left after a short while!" Not many people could afford level six pills, and only one person had come that morning, so he was easy to remember.

"A young man around twenty? Does he look like this?" Lu Feng pointed a finger, and a spiritual energy projection of a person's face immediately materialized in the air. It was Zhang Xuan. Having reached the Saint realm, his *zhenqi* could accomplish many unimaginable feats, and manifesting an image was one of them.

"That's him!" The middle-aged man quickly nodded.

"As expected..." Lu Feng swayed, nearly losing his mind. He had constantly worried that Zhang Xuan would turn the entire Alchemist Academy into a miserable sight like the Physician Academy, taking all sorts of precautions. Yet, as it turned out... not a single building was demolished! Instead... he had raided their lair!

To refine these level six pills, the entire Alchemist Guild had expended an unknown amount of resources and incurred immeasurable costs. One could say that several deans were deeply in debt before these pills were even sold. And now... with a mere touch, all those pills acknowledged him as their master and were taken away... This was going to bankrupt every six-star alchemist in the Alchemist Guild!

If the Pill Refining Building had collapsed, it could be rebuilt with money, and both the Master Teacher Academy and the Alchemist Guild would share the cost. But with these pills gone, not only would the deans become utterly destitute, they wouldn't even have any capital left to teach students...

Lu Feng clutched his chest. His heart, his lungs, his liver... they all ached!

"Let's go take a look!"

The group rushed towards the Pill Hall. Upon seeing the room utterly empty, their faces turned as white as paper. With the pills flying away on their own and no concrete evidence, even if they confronted Zhang Xuan, there was nothing they could do if he denied it!

"Where did that... young man who came and touched the pills go? Do you know?" Unable to contain himself, Lu Feng looked at the middle-aged man again.

"He... seemed to have gone to the Alchemist Classroom!" After a moment's thought, the middle-aged man nodded.

"The Alchemist Classroom?" Lu Feng swayed again. "It's over!" Ignoring everything else, he shot straight out. The other vice deans also followed in a hurry, as if they had seen a ghost.

The Alchemist Classroom was where alchemists held their classes; all students learning alchemy were there. If that guy went there and started lecturing like he did outside the Library Pavilion... Damn it, there might not be anyone left in the entire Alchemist Academy! When he went to the Artificer Academy and the Physician Academy, although he caused buildings to collapse, it actually boosted their reputations, drawing more people to learn those professions. But if he did what he did outside the Library Pavilion... everyone would rush to withdraw from classes, and all the teachers would lose their students... The Alchemist Academy would cease to exist in name and reality! In an academy, students come first. Can teachers without students still be called teachers?

Damn it! Not only did he take all the level six pills, but he was also going to make all the students leave... This was an attempt to sever the roots of the Alchemist Academy!

Lu Feng clutched his chest again. His heart, his lungs, his liver, his bladder... he felt pain everywhere.

The vice deans moved like a whirlwind, reaching the Alchemist Classroom in roughly ten breaths. A single glance was enough to bring them to tears. The Alchemist Classroom, which had previously been bustling with people, was now almost deserted, with only a handful of individuals remaining. A large classroom meant for tens of thousands of people appeared to have been completely emptied; not even a shadow was seen.

"Teacher Wu, where are the students? Where are the students who were supposed to be here?" After searching around, Lu Feng finally found a teacher and couldn't help but step forward. This was Teacher Wu Tian, a six-star alchemist and an academy elder.

"Dean, you've come at a good time. I was just about to bid you farewell..." Without answering Lu Feng, Teacher Wu said this while packing his belongings.

"Bid farewell?" Lu Feng stiffened, a look of urgency on his face. "Could it be... because of that Zhang Xuan?"

"That's right!" Wu Tian nodded and smiled, "Just now, I listened to Master Zhang's lecture, and it truly enlightened me. I have already acknowledged him as my teacher. From now on, I will no longer serve as an elder of the Alchemist Academy, but instead, I will become an ordinary member of the Xuanxuan Club! I will diligently cultivate and strive to achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible!"

"Acknowledge him... as your teacher?" Lu Feng's lips twitched, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The fact that Wu Tian could teach tens of thousands of people simultaneously showed his standing in the Alchemist Academy. For such a prominent figure... to actually acknowledge Zhang Xuan as his teacher? You must be joking, right? Not only that, but he was also going to become an ordinary member of the Xuanxuan Club... The Xuanxuan Club was just a student organization in the academy; what was an elder doing joining it?

"Alright, no more talk, farewell..." As he spoke, Wu Tian finished packing his belongings and turned to leave.

"Elder Wu, don't rush... If you've acknowledged Zhang Xuan as your teacher, what about the other teachers? There are over three hundred and forty teachers in our Alchemist Classroom, where have they all gone?" Seeing him about to leave, Lu Feng quickly called out. "Although you are an elder and very important to the academy, if the other teachers are still here, one or two leaving isn't a big deal. But how is it that... this place is completely empty? Not only are there no students, but not a single teacher can be found?"

"Oh, those teachers acknowledged him even earlier than I did," Wu Tian said with a wave of his hand, a determined look in his eyes. "They're all quite cunning and already rushed to the Xuanxuan Club to attend lectures. I can't chat any longer, or I'll miss class and fall behind..." He walked further and further away, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

"They all... acknowledged him as their teacher?" Lu Feng's body swayed, and he plopped down onto the ground, utterly losing all his dean-like composure and dignity.

Damn it! Not only were the pills and students gone, but even the teachers had been taken as disciples... If he had known this, it would have been better if Zhang Xuan had just collapsed the Alchemist Academy. Now that there were no students or teachers left, what was the point of keeping the academy?

Lu Feng and the four vice deans all felt on the verge of tears.

"Dean, if it weren't for your insistence on meddling in You Xu's affairs," Vice Dean Zhou, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak, "I believe... our academy would have at most just collapsed. Now... what do we do?"

"This..." Tears streamed down Lu Feng's face. Previously, if someone had suggested the academy collapse, he would have definitely beaten them up. But now, if that truly happened, he would be overjoyed! The Alchemist Academy was known as the best in the Master Teacher Academy because of its numerous students and teachers. This also allowed him to become the head of the Ten Elders and serve as the acting dean... But now, the entire academy was left with just a few deans, like commanders without troops, probably even worse off than the Jinghong Academy! What kind of situation was this?! His heart, lungs, liver, bladder—now even his bladder's outlet throbbed with pain!

"Let's go see," Lu Feng said, gritting his teeth and standing up again, feeling utterly depressed. "I refuse to believe that he, a mere student, can truly make over three hundred teachers and more than sixty thousand students of our Alchemist Academy wholeheartedly devoted to him!"

"Alright!" Seeing his persistence, Vice Dean Zhou said no more. The group followed, swiftly pursuing Teacher Wu, who had walked away earlier.

After walking for nearly twenty minutes, they arrived at the freshman district, which was the headquarters of the Xuanxuan Club. From a distance, it was a sea of people, a dense mass of heads, countless in number. At the entrance, three fourth-year students stood guard outside, some holding long spears, others wielding large sabers, full of vigor. These were precisely Ying Qin, Bai Mian, and others who had lost the wager earlier.

Behind the main gate sat a stout man on a stool, holding a bamboo basket. His thick, chubby legs swung back and forth. Seeing the group approach, he immediately greeted them, "Oh, isn't this Dean Lu? If you want to come in for a lecture, it's one high-grade spirit stone per person! Fair and just, no cheating, no favoritism."

"What did you say?" Lu Feng's face twitched, and he nearly exploded.

Hearing the argument, Zheng Yang emerged and cupped his fist. "Dean Lu Feng," he said, "Since we are both academy elders, I won't be too formal and will call you Senior Brother Lu! Senior Brother Lu, Master is currently teaching profound alchemy techniques. If you wish to enter, you must pay. This is the rule and a sign of respect for the teaching profession. Uncle Sun Qiang is also just following the rules, so let's not make things difficult for my uncle as juniors!"

"Senior Brother? Sun Qiang... Uncle Sun? And calling us 'juniors'..." Lu Feng's vision went black. Damn it... When did I become a generation younger than this fat man who knows nothing but how to collect money?