Chapter 914: Battle Among Students

The new headmaster had used a Master Teacher's Heaven's Mandate to publicly humiliate him. Yet, instead of reacting with fury, the man thanked the headmaster for saving his life. This bewildering turn of events left everyone who witnessed it completely confused. It was simply too incredible to fathom.

"I was too eager for quick results in my cultivation, which led to a deviation," explained Hall Master Liao Cong, shaking his head as he stepped forward, seeing the confusion on everyone's faces. "This caused my true qi to flow improperly, leading to a dull pain in my Huyang acupoint and weakened kidney function. I initially thought it was minor and could be resolved with a little more care in the future. However, only after Master Zhang's guidance did I realize it had already damaged the very foundation of my body. He instructed me to slap myself twice to open the Longxi and Chiyang acupoints in my neck. Once these acupoints were open, the previous blockages immediately cleared. Then, by standing on my head, my true qi began to circulate smoothly throughout my body... This single method completely resolved the hidden problem!" Hall Master Liao Cong raised his hand, declaring, "I challenged Headmaster Zhang, but he held no grudges and instead helped me heal. This truly demonstrates the broad-mindedness of a Master Teacher! From today onward, our Yuanjiang Empire Master Teacher Hall will support him as headmaster, loyal until death!"

"It can be done like that?""Two slaps, then a handstand, and the hidden problem is solved..."A commotion erupted in the audience. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering if Hall Master Liao was secretly collaborating with the headmaster, had they not witnessed the initial difficult situation themselves.

From the emperor's seating area, Emperor Chu Yi swallowed hard. "It seems Headmaster Zhang truly possesses some ability!" Like several hall masters, he had been full of doubts, believing the man was too young to be headmaster and must have ascended for other reasons. However, seeing him swiftly and decisively resolve the challenges from two hall masters, displaying a master's demeanor, a change inevitably occurred in his heart.

"Let's continue to observe," another emperor shook his head. "I still think he's too young." While age wasn't the sole determining factor for a Master Teacher, it heavily influenced one's disposition and character. Without the tempering of years, a person might lack the maturity and gravitas to inspire trust.

"Master Zhang's mental fortitude is superior, even to Hall Master Liao's; I am truly impressed." As he spoke, another elder rose. "However, to become headmaster, one must also possess the ability to teach and nurture students. Humble as I am, I have guided several students, and they are all present today. May I ask where Master Zhang's students are? Perhaps they could spar with each other to demonstrate the quality of his teaching?"

"Student sparring?""That's a brutal challenge!"A commotion rippled through the crowd upon hearing this. A teacher's primary duty was instruction. The most direct way to assess their quality was through their students: the stronger the students, the more formidable the teacher. If the esteemed headmaster of the Master Teacher Academy lacked the ability to impart knowledge to students, any other accomplishments would be meaningless. This elder's challenge was arguably even more ruthless than the previous two. While Wu Weitian and Liao Cong had merely aimed to embarrass, this individual was cornering the headmaster. Master Zhang was indeed a genius with remarkable personal abilities, but... he was only twenty years old and merely at the Chrysalis Seal realm. How powerful could his students possibly be?

The elder's words had barely faded when a middle-aged man rose. With a shake of his arms, a powerful aura surged skyward. He was a late-stage Saint Realm 1-dan expert! Such strength would undoubtedly place him at an elder's rank even within the Master Teacher Academy.

"Headmaster... that was Hall Master Xue Cangyun from the Baituo Empire Master Teacher Hall!" Zhao Bingxu quickly transmitted a message. "If I'm not mistaken, this person must be his direct disciple, Hong Lin... He's been studying with him for over a hundred years and reached Saint Realm 1-dan thirty-five years ago...""Studying for over a hundred years?" Zhang Xuan was speechless. This was a formidable move indeed. A late-stage Saint Realm 1-dan cultivator who had studied with a hall master for over a century would undoubtedly possess exceptionally high skill and insight, practically unrivaled within his own level. For any other request, he might have been able to decline, but a student-to-student spar involved the dignity of the master teacher path and a teacher's fundamental ability. There was no way to refuse it. In other words, as a Master Teacher and the Headmaster of the Academy, he had to accept the challenge, whether he wanted to or not; there was no retreat. True to their reputations, the most powerful figures from various Master Teacher Halls were clearly not to be underestimated.

As Zhang Xuan was pondering this, the middle-aged man named Hong Lin looked over, cupping his fists. "I am willing to spar with the headmaster's students. May I ask where they are?""We are here!" As soon as his voice fell, several clear voices rang out. Everyone looked over in unison, seeing Wang Ying, Zheng Yang, and others stand up. As guest elders of the academy, they naturally couldn't be absent from the new headmaster's inauguration ceremony. At this moment, Wang Ying had already broken through the Harmonizing Spirit realm and reached the Bridge to Heaven realm. A sixteen or seventeen-year-old at the Bridge to Heaven realm would be considered a top-tier genius anywhere, but to truly compete with Hong Lin, she was still significantly outmatched.

"There's no hope of winning..." Headmaster Xu Changqing of the Martial Arts Academy shook his head. He had invited Wang Ying and the others to be guest elders and was well aware of their strength. Their foundations were solid, and they were considered top-notch within their respective levels. However, a Saint Realm expert like Hong Lin was simply too powerful. Even if he suppressed his cultivation, his superior insight and experience would still allow him to easily crush them. A six-major-realm gap simply could not be compensated for by a solid foundation or a deep understanding of weapon essence.

"You are the headmaster's students? Haha, I can suppress my cultivation to match yours and fight you!" Seeing Wang Ying and the others step forward, with the strongest only at the Bridge to Heaven realm, Hong Lin couldn't help but laugh aloud. With such disparity in strength, he could easily defeat several of them with a single breath. There was no doubt; he was guaranteed to win this match.

"Then let's go!" Wang Ying cried out, leaping onto the elevated platform first. Hong Lin chuckled and followed. As the two stood poised for battle, their blades practically drawn, Zhang Xuan was about to offer some instructions when a faint voice sounded. "Senior Sister Wang Ying, as a direct disciple of our teacher, it would be beneath your status to personally engage. Allow me, a mere teaching student, to take your place!"

As the voice faded, an elderly figure landed on the platform, bowing deeply to Zhang Xuan, hands clasped together. "Your student greets you, Teacher!""Hmm!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up when he saw the person, then he gave a wry smile. How could he have forgotten him? It was none other than Jiang Qingqin, the Headmaster of the Demonic Tune Academy. He was a legitimate, officially acknowledged student, fully capable of fighting in Wang Ying's stead.

"Isn't that Headmaster Jiang?""Headmaster Jiang, one of the Ten Great Elders, is Master Zhang's student?""Are you joking? How is that possible?""No, Master Teachers value the lineage of teaching most highly. Headmaster Jiang is a peak 6-star Master Teacher; how could he possibly acknowledge a teacher so casually? If he said it, he's certainly not joking!""Even though we know it's true, why is it so hard to believe?""Indeed, Master Zhang tamed the former headmaster's spirit beast... and now Headmaster Jiang is his student. It feels like a dream!"

"Headmaster Jiang..." Below the stage, Hall Master Xue Cangyun swayed, nearly fainting. He had assumed the opposing side's students would be weak, perhaps at best Bridge to Heaven realm, which would already be commendable. Instead, one of the Ten Great Elders, whose strength surpassed his own, had appeared. How could they possibly fight now?

As he stood there, his face filled with gloom, he heard Jiang Qingqin on the stage chuckle softly, her voice piercing through the air. "You are Hall Master Xue Cangyun's student? Haha, I can suppress my cultivation to match yours and fight you!" Hearing these words, Hong Lin's eyelid twitched. This was precisely what he had just said to Master Zhang's various students, now returned to him word for word.

"You..." Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Hong Lin gritted his teeth and shouted, "Then let's go!" As he spoke, a long sword appeared in his palm. *Zila!* He unleashed a streak of sword light, thrusting it straight forward. One had to admit, his comprehension of swordsmanship was exceptionally profound, having already reached the realm of "man and sword as one." While not comparable to Zhang Xuan, he was by no means inferior to Wang Ying and the others. In other words, if Wang Ying and her group had truly gone up against him, victory would have been almost impossible. Even setting aside his superior vision and insight, his centuries of combat experience alone were incomparable to these students, who had never faced life-or-death battles.However, such abilities were trivial to Headmaster Jiang. With a faint smile, a qin appeared in his palm. His fingers brushed lightly across its strings, and a clear, resonant note immediately rang out. *Ding-dong!* It was like a silver vase shattering, a bronze bell tolling. Before Hong Lin could react, the sword light before him shattered inch by inch. Then, like a cockroach flicked away, he was sent flying off the platform with a whoosh, vanishing from everyone's sight as a streak of light. It seemed he would be confined to bed for many days, even if he survived.

"A 7-star Demonic Tune Master?" Xue Cangyun abruptly stood up. Under normal circumstances, even with a disparity in strength between Headmaster Jiang and Hong Lin, it would be extremely difficult to defeat him so easily within the same cultivation level, unless Headmaster Jiang's understanding of musical cultivation had reached the seventh realm! If Xue Cangyun were to encounter a Demonic Tune Master of that caliber, he would only be able to flee as far and fast as possible, never daring to confront them directly. The former Headmaster Jiang, who had never stood out among the Ten Great Elders, had acknowledged Zhang Xuan as his teacher—that was one thing. But to acknowledge him with *this* level of power... What madness was this?As he pondered this, utterly bewildered, he heard the disgruntled grumbling of Wei Ranxue, another of the Ten Great Elders, from nearby. "Damn it, that guy stole the spotlight! Master Zhang has shown me half the kindness of a teacher, so I'm practically half a student... Dealing with someone like that, even a teaching student is overkill. Someone like me, with half a teacher's connection, would be enough..."

"Headmaster Wei is also his student?" Hall Master Xue's vision swam. The numerous teachers and students of the academy also reeled, their mouths twitching as they looked at Zhang Xuan on the stage."Brother... We tolerated the academy's guardian sacred beast being your spirit pet; we tolerated the establishment of the Xuanyuan Society, making over half the academy's students members; we even tolerated your alchemy lectures granting tens of thousands of alchemy students 'half a teacher's kindness'... But at least two of the Ten Great Elders being your students? This is absolutely intolerable! Is the Master Teacher Academy run by your family?"