Chapter 909: Four Great Empires

Hongyuan Imperial Palace.

Seeing Zhang Xuan leave, with no further collapses or destruction, Yu Shenqing breathed a sigh of relief. The newly appointed Principal Zhang was excellent in all aspects: talent, auxiliary professions, foresight, insight, and character. His only flaw was his penchant for causing destruction. Every time he visited, Yu Shenqing would be on edge, terrified that his palace would be dismantled. This time, not only did he not demolish the building, but he even revitalized the Bodhi Tree, which was quite unexpected.

"Your Majesty!" As soon as Yu Shenqing returned to the Imperial Study, the old eunuch Luo Fu entered.

"Yes, what's the situation at Cloudmist Ridge?" Yu Shenqing looked over. Given the massive commotion at Cloudmist Ridge, Emperor Yu Shenqing of the Hongyuan Empire naturally kept a close watch. He had even ordered his soldiers to be ready for an immediate assault.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Cloudmist Ridge and the Master Teacher Academy have reached a ceasefire!" Luo Fu quickly clasped his fists.

"A ceasefire?" Yu Shenqing frowned. Just that afternoon, the battle had been raging fiercely, with neither side giving way. How could it have suddenly stopped?

"Elder Mi personally went to Cloudmist Ridge to negotiate, and the fighting ended after that..." Luo Fu explained.

"Negotiations?" Yu Shenqing looked at him. "Who proposed them first?" Whichever side initiated negotiations typically signified their surrender or a disadvantaged position.

"The Academy," Luo Fu nodded.

"The Academy?" Yu Shenqing was stunned. "The prestigious Master Teacher Academy surrendering to a group of spirit beasts? And Elder Mi had to go in person? This... this was simply too incredible!"

"Indeed. The negotiations took place at Cloudmist Ridge, and the exact details haven't been uncovered yet. However, in the afternoon, many of the spirit beasts that had been fighting the Master Teacher Academy retreated!" Luo Fu said. Spirit beasts were wary and highly repelled by humans. Cloudmist Ridge had always been a forbidden zone for humans, making it very difficult for even the Hongyuan Imperial Family to gather information there.

"It must have been some kind of compromise made for tomorrow's Principal Inauguration Ceremony," Yu Shenqing mused after a moment of hesitation, then nodded. The inauguration ceremony was set for dawn. Although the notice was rushed, many first-tier empires within the Academy's sphere of influence would undoubtedly send representatives. If they saw so many spirit beasts attacking humans, it might cause them to lose confidence in the new principal.

"Probably so... However, we've already dispatched people to infiltrate Cloudmist Ridge. The details of the negotiations and other information should, barring any unforeseen circumstances, be relayed back before the Principal's Inauguration Ceremony!" Luo Fu stated.

"Understood!" Yu Shenqing nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a young eunuch rushed in.

"Your Majesty!" The eunuch knelt on the ground.

"What happened?" Yu Shenqing's brow furrowed, knowing that for someone to enter so late without being summoned, it must be urgent.

"The Emperors of Hongchi, Yuanjiang, Baituo, and Chiyao Empires have arrived at Qianhe Hall!" the young eunuch reported quickly.

"Arrived? They came quite fast!" Yu Shenqing was momentarily surprised, then stood up. "Let's go see them!"

Although the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy bore the name of the Hongyuan Empire, its students came from over a dozen surrounding first-tier empires. Hongchi, Yuanjiang, Baituo, and Chiyao were the closest of these nations. Upon hearing about the new principal's inauguration, the supreme rulers of these empires had all personally rushed over to show their respect.

Entering the main hall, they indeed saw four middle-aged men seated in the guest seats. Their aura was like clouds, and each possessed extraordinary strength. To be the supreme ruler of a first-tier empire, one's power had to be at least at the peak of Saint 1-dan.

"Brother Chu, Brother Han, Brother Shen, Brother Nie!" Yu Shenqing greeted each of them in turn. "You rushed here in less than three days; the journey must have been exhausting!"

"How could we not come for the new principal's inauguration?"

"The Academy is the stable foundation for our dozen-plus first-tier empires. It would be a great loss not to attend such a grand event in person!"

"The old principal has been missing for over two years, and now a new one has finally arrived. Naturally, we must meet him!"

The middle-aged men all smiled. In their respective empires, their word was law, and no one dared to contradict them. However, compared to the Master Teacher Academy, they were still somewhat inferior. Upon receiving the invitation, they immediately dropped all their affairs and hurried over.

"By the way, we've just arrived and are wondering who the new principal is? Is it Elder Zhao Bingxu or Elder Lu Feng?" a middle-aged man asked after the pleasantries. This was Emperor Chu Yi of the Hongchi First-tier Empire. Hearing his question, the others also focused their gaze. Having just arrived in Hongyuan City and coming to the imperial palace late at night, their natural purpose was to inquire about this so they could prepare appropriate gifts. Otherwise, sending medicinal herbs to an elder from the Artificer Academy might not only fail to leave a good impression but could even be counterproductive.

"Neither of them!" Yu Shenqing shook his head with a wry smile upon hearing their guesses. Originally, he too had assumed that if a new principal were to emerge, it would surely be one of these two. Yet, the outcome was...

"Not?" The four emperors were all startled, exchanging glances. "Then may we ask, Brother Yu, which elder it is? Please inform us in advance so we can prepare!" Chu Yi quickly urged.

"Well..." Yu Shenqing hesitated. The news of the new principal had not yet been officially announced. Although he knew it in advance, it was through personal connections.

"What's the matter? We'll find out at tomorrow's ceremony anyway. Could it be, Brother Yu, that you're unwilling to disclose it?" One of the middle-aged men frowned.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to disclose it. Since the Academy hasn't announced it in advance, there must be a reason... If I overstep and reveal it prematurely, it would be disrespectful to the Academy," Yu Shenqing shook his head.

"It seems Brother Yu doesn't trust us! Our identities are already inextricably linked with the Master Teacher Academy. Do you truly think we would leak information?" Understanding his concerns, Chu Yi shook his head. "We merely wish to know so we can prepare our congratulatory gifts in advance!"

"This... very well!" Knowing that not telling them would only lead to various suspicions, and possibly even displease the empires, Yu Shenqing did not hesitate for too long before nodding. "This matter is confidential to the Academy. I hope you all will keep it strictly confidential until the inauguration ceremony!" The men before him were all rulers of nations; they would certainly understand the severity of leaking information. Should any misfortune befall the new principal, the Master Teacher Pavilion would undoubtedly investigate the source, and whoever leaked the news would face ruin. Thus, even telling them wasn't critically important, but he still needed to make the request clear in advance.

"Rest assured!"

"We've been friends for so many years; there's no need for doubt!" the men replied simultaneously.

"Very well then. According to the information I've received, the new principal is Master Zhang Xuan!" With a sweep of his hand, Yu Shenqing activated all the restrictions within the palace, then transmitted his voice.

"Zhang Xuan?"

"Master Zhang?"

The four emperors exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion. They had all heard of, and many had met, the Master Teacher Academy's ten great elders. But... where did this Zhang Xuan come from?

"Could it be that this... Master Zhang came from the headquarters?" Chu Yi couldn't help but ask. The others were equally puzzled. The Master Teacher Academy cultivated master teachers, representing the future of humanity, a grave responsibility. This so-called principal was not a position just anyone could assume. This Zhang Xuan, whose name they had never heard before, was very likely a direct appointment from the headquarters. But... didn't the headquarters generally avoid interfering with branch academies? Why would they directly send a master teacher here, and even appoint him as principal?

"This... he didn't come from the headquarters, nor is he an elder of the Academy. He's... a new student who just enrolled this year!" Seeing their utter bewilderment, Yu Shenqing explained.

"A new student?"

"A newly enrolled student... made principal?"

The four emperors were utterly dumbfounded, looking as if they had seen a ghost. The Master Teacher Academy was the cornerstone of humanity, revered by all. How could they let a new student, who had just entered the academy, become principal?

"You must be joking, right?"

"I know this news is hard to accept, but it's the truth!" Yu Shenqing gave a bitter laugh. To be honest, when he first heard the news, he too was filled with disbelief. But after personally witnessing Master Zhang's various abilities, he was thoroughly convinced and admired Master Mu and the others for their foresight and courage.

"Just what kind of background does this Master Zhang have?" After a moment, unable to hold back, one of the middle-aged men asked.

"Master Zhang is a 4-star master teacher, and he's only 20 years old this year!" Yu Shenqing replied. "Though young, he possesses five 6-star auxiliary professions: artificer, alchemist, physician, demonic tune master, and spirit awakening master. He also excels in beast taming, formation arrangement, and medicinal herb cultivation, making him an absolute super genius!"

"Five 6-star auxiliary professions? Even with numerous auxiliary professions, he's still only a 4-star master teacher. What qualifications does he have to be principal?"

"Indeed, this world has no shortage of geniuses. If he hasn't reached a certain level, he probably isn't qualified to be principal!"

"On the way here, I heard that the Academy, for the sake of tomorrow's ceremony, humbled itself and compromised with the spirit beasts of Cloudmist Ridge! Has the entire Master Teacher Academy gone astray since the old principal's disappearance?"

"I heard about that too! The esteemed Master Teacher Academy actually negotiated with a group of spirit beasts – what an outrage! And now, they're making a 4-star master teacher the principal... What exactly is going on?"

The faces of the four emperors of the first-tier empires all turned ashen. They had also heard about the conflict between the Cloudmist Ridge spirit beasts and the Master Teacher Academy, and that humans had initiated negotiations. They thought that was absurd enough, but they never imagined something even more preposterous! Making an inexperienced, twenty-year-old young man the principal?

"What is the meaning of this?"

Seeing the expressions on the four emperors' faces, Yu Shenqing didn't know how to begin explaining. Indeed, if one only heard Master Zhang's age and rank, they would undoubtedly think this way. But only by witnessing him firsthand would one truly understand how formidable this seemingly young Master Zhang was.

"This matter must be clarified, otherwise, our Hongchi Empire will not recognize this principal!"

"Our Yuanjiang Empire won't recognize him either!"

"Neither will my Baituo Empire..."

The emperors all stood up simultaneously, their eyebrows raised in indignation.