Chapter 867: Smoke and Rosy Clouds

At the Master Teacher Academy, the Elder Council Hall lay in ruins. Looking at the pile of debris before them, Master Mu and the others still felt a chill in their hearts.

Many buildings in the Elder Court had stood for countless years, containing precious antiques and traces left by ancestors. And now, they had been utterly reduced to rubble. Just his aura alone had pressured the area into this state; even the Enfeoffment Hall couldn't withstand it. This Master Yang's power was truly terrifying.

"It seems... Master Zhang learned his destructive capabilities from Master Yang!" Wei Ranxue couldn't help but exclaim. The elders exchanged glances, all nodding with a wry smile.

While Master Zhang had caused considerable damage to various buildings since entering the academy, it was understandable and not intentional. Master Yang was different; the moment he got angry, the entire Elder Court collapsed. This level of destruction was far greater than Master Zhang's. Tearing down walls and buildings at a moment's notice... Fortunately, no one had harmed his student. If someone had actually attacked and injured him just now, wouldn't he have torn down the entire Master Teacher Academy, or even the entire Hongyuan Empire?

"Fortunately, the Elder Court was protected by a formation, preventing the news from spreading," Master Mu said. "Master Yang also saved our face by intentionally holding back his power, not completely shattering everything. Otherwise... our Master Teacher Academy would have become the laughingstock of the entire Master Teacher Pavilion!" "Indeed!" Everyone felt a chill of dread in their hearts.

Indeed, it was clear that the other party had held back his strength. Destroying the Elder Council Hall, the Enfeoffment Hall, and all the buildings in the Elder Court was merely a show of deterrence. With his heaven-defying power, if he truly wished to kill, let alone the ten elders present plus Master Mu, it was hard to say if even the Master Teacher Pavilion of the Qingyuan Conferred Empire could withstand him.

"Repair all these buildings within a day," Master Mu continued. "Also, send people to spread the news of the new Dean's appointment and invite various factions to attend the ceremony..." Everyone nodded simultaneously.

"By the way, regarding Master Yang, you are all Master Teachers, so you should know how to handle this without me saying," Master Mu continued. "Keep your mouths shut; no one is to speak of it! Otherwise, you will be punished for treason against humanity!" With a wave of his hands, Master Mu's gaze was like a knife. The whereabouts, appearance, and even students of a peak Master Teacher like Master Yang are humanity's greatest secrets. They are not for people like them to discuss or debate. Should the information leak and something unexpected occur, even dying ten thousand times wouldn't be enough compensation. "Yes!" Understanding the gravity of the situation, everyone nodded simultaneously.

"Lu Feng, what about you?" Seeing everyone agree, Master Mu turned to look at Lu Feng, who was not far away. He had a conflict with Master Zhang and had been punished for it. If he harbored resentment, unpredictable trouble could easily arise.

"The Elder Court became like this because of me," Lu Feng said. "I will donate all my property to help repair this place. Then, I will voluntarily apply to guard Di Hai!"

"Go to Di Hai?" "This..." Upon hearing his decision, everyone's expressions changed. Even Elder Mi frowned, "Have you thought this through...?"

"I have," Lu Feng nodded, his expression firm. "Before, I yearned too much for the Dean's position and lost my true self. By going to Di Hai, I will rediscover myself. Even if I die there, it will not have been a wasted pursuit!"

He wasn't inherently bad; he simply yearned too much for the Dean's position and to prove himself among the Ten Elders. Now that the new Dean had been appointed and all hope was gone, he looked back at his past actions, which seemed like a dream, and realized how ridiculous they had been. Master Kong founded the Master Teacher profession not for them to enjoy high status or to contend for power, but to protect humanity and strive for their race. Yet, simply by enjoying the pleasures that power brought, even the most resolute minds had gradually been corrupted, losing their initial faith.

"Very well," Master Mu said. "Since you have made this decision, I will delay reporting your case and allow you to retain your Six-Star Master Teacher rank. However... I hope you will uphold your promise and not disappoint the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Thank you, Master Mu!" Hearing that his report would be delayed and his Six-Star Master Teacher rank preserved, Lu Feng's eyes reddened. The scene of his oath when he first became a Master Teacher faintly appeared before his eyes, and countless passionate emotions seemed to slowly surge within his chest.

Ignoring Lu Feng, Master Mu turned to give instructions. "Zhao Bingxu, you are responsible for inviting various forces to attend the ceremony. Remember, Master Zhang's identity as the Dean must not be revealed for now! His current strength is insufficient, so his safety must be ensured. Once he officially takes office and obtains the Dean's Token, the rest will fall into place..." "Yes!" Zhao Bingxu nodded.

"Mi Zhu and Wei Ranxue, you two will be responsible for internal academy affairs, calming the emotions of the various colleges..." Master Mu continued to make arrangements, but before he finished speaking, the ground suddenly shook, and a tremendous roar, like an explosion, rang out.

"What happened?" Hearing the sound wasn't far, Master Mu's pupils contracted. He, along with many elders, simultaneously shot into the air, looking straight towards the source of the sound. Not far from the academy, a manor had collapsed, with countless buildings reduced to rubble, and the explosion was emanating from that very place.

"That's... Master Zhang's manor!" Mi Zhu's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but exclaim. He had heard about Prince Huai bestowing the manor upon Zhang Xuan and had naturally investigated, knowing where the latter resided. How... how did it suddenly turn into this?

"Could it be that Master Zhang, when angry... even demolishes his own house?" Wei Ranxue swallowed. What a luxurious manor! It was said Prince Huai had spent an unknown fortune renovating it. And now, it had been directly reduced to ruins, with dozens of enormous courtyards blasted beyond recognition. It looked even worse than the Elder Court!

They only knew that Zhang Xuan demolished whatever he touched... But to demolish his own manor when angry... wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?! They had seen crazy people who went around beating others, but never one so crazy he'd damage his own property!

"He didn't intentionally demolish it, look quickly..." Without answering their question, Master Mu's pupils suddenly contracted, and he pointed forward. Boom! As he spoke, the center of the ruins before them boomed violently once more. A burst of colorful mist suddenly erupted, illuminating the surroundings like a beacon.

"This is... a Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist?" "A Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist? Legend has it, it only appears when refining Grade-8 pills..." "The higher the pill grade, the more heaven-defying it is, and it will incur the condemnation of the heavens. A Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist is a type of heavenly tribulation that only occurs with Grade-8 pills. Master Zhang... what is he refining? How could this appear?"

Seeing the appearance of the cloud clearly, several elders recognized it, and they were all on the verge of going mad. A Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist, as the name suggested, was something that only appeared during pill refining, and only when a Grade-8 pill was successfully created. Yet, one had appeared before their eyes; didn't that mean Master Zhang... was refining a Grade-8 pill?

"It's not a Grade-8 pill," Master Mu said, frowning. "If it were, there should also be a tribulation within this Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist. Since there isn't... it means the pill being refined hasn't reached Grade-8 yet. However, even if it's not Grade-8, it must be peak Grade-7, and it probably reached... the Pill Vein realm to possess such might!"

He had been fortunate enough to witness the pill formation phenomenon of a Grade-8 pill once. Not only was there a Dan Cloud of Rosy Mist, but the pill refiner also had to endure a lightning tribulation. Only then could the formed pill be perfectly round and plump, immediately gaining sentience upon its creation. This one before them only had the Dan Cloud, no lightning tribulation, indicating its grade was still insufficient.

"A Pill Vein realm... peak Grade-7 pill?" Everyone's mouths twitched. This... might be even more precious than some ordinary Grade-8 pills!

Pills were divided into: Formed Pill, Plump, Perfect, and Pill Vein! Pills in the Pill Vein realm—with so many pill refiners in their entire Master Teacher Academy, they had only ever heard of them, never successfully created one. And Master Zhang had refined a pill of this caliber and succeeded... Was this real?

"Let's go take a look!" The elders could no longer restrain themselves and flew straight towards it.

The Imperial Palace of the Hongyuan Empire. A middle-aged man sat before a golden table, reviewing memorials. This was His Majesty the Emperor of the Hongyuan Empire, Yu Shenqing, father of Yu Feier. At this moment, with a slight movement of the brush in Yu Shenqing's hand, true qi swirled, forming shapes of various exotic beasts, like dragons and tigers, exuding an intimidating aura that made others dare not approach. Although he hadn't fully displayed his strength, his every gesture emanated an oppressive aura that pervaded the heavens and earth. This Emperor's strength was likely no weaker than Elder Mi's and the others, having already reached the peak of Saint Realm 1-dan.

"Your Majesty, the banquet is ready!" A eunuch entered. "Hmm." Yu Shenqing paused the wandering brush, rubbing his brow. "What did Feier say? Was that Zhang Xuan invited?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Princess said Master Zhang has accepted the invitation and will come tonight!" the eunuch smiled. "Good," Yu Shenqing scoffed. "I'd like to see what kind of young talent dares to demand my daughter as his maid!"

"Your Majesty, this Master Zhang has caused quite a stir at the academy and should be a very capable person," the eunuch said. "However... demanding the Sixth Princess as his maid is a bit too audacious!"

"Indeed. My daughter, a favored daughter of heaven—I can barely bring myself to say a harsh word to her," Yu Shenqing's gaze turned cold. "Yet he dares to trifle with her! I'd like to see if this fellow has three heads and six arms or ten brains! When he arrives, I will certainly teach him a good lesson, so he knows his place..." Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly heard a roar from the ground.

"What happened? Go take a look!" He raised an eyebrow and waved his hand. "Yes!" The eunuch hurried out.

Not long after, he returned with a strange expression. "Reporting to Your Majesty, it's... the courtyard Prince Huai gave to Master Zhang. He... demolished it himself!" "He demolished it himself?" Yu Shenqing was stunned.

"Yes, this Master Zhang—when he went to the Artifact Forger Academy, it collapsed," the eunuch quickly explained. "When he went to the Physician Academy, it collapsed. When he went to the Pill Refiner Academy, it was ruined... And this time, he just returned to his own residence, and it too became ruins..."

"He demolishes wherever he goes?" Yu Shenqing's mouth twitched. "This... the banquet, see if you can cancel it, or just don't let this Zhang Xuan come! No, canceling abruptly would be improper. How about this: go invite Master Formation Wu and have him set up more than a dozen strengthening formations in the banquet hall, just in case!" "Yes!" The eunuch nodded.