Chapter 917: Please Ancestors

"No! Didn't you notice, they weren't congratulating Teacher Zhang on becoming the dean, but congratulating their master..." After a long silence, someone finally exclaimed.

"That's right! They said 'master'!"

"When sacred beasts say 'master,' there's only one possibility... they're pet beasts!"

"Are you saying Teacher Zhang tamed... all the kings of Cloudmist Ridge? And they moved their lairs here as gifts?" This revelation caused a stir, and the entire Master Teacher Academy erupted in commotion.

None of the Master Teacher Academy students were fools; they understood in an instant. Immediately, they all looked at the calm, twenty-something youth on the high platform as if they had seen a ghost, their minds reeling. The students from the Beast Tamer School, in particular, were completely distraught.

Taming even a single spirit beast took them years, requiring them to prepare various treasures and delicacies in advance, catering to its preferences, humbling themselves, and practically begging. Yet, this person on the stage had seemingly effortlessly tamed the Purple Sun Beast and even all the kings of Cloudmist Ridge... Could it get any more exaggerated?

While they were still dumbfounded, tens of thousands of spirit beasts in the sky and on the ground simultaneously bowed, each looking at the young man on the platform, roaring in unison.

"Hoooooowl..." An elderly beast tamer in the crowd exclaimed, "That's the ancient beast language!"

"Ancient beast language? What does it mean?" the people around him quickly asked.

Few were proficient in the ancient beast language; not even all the master teachers in the academy understood it. "I can only understand some simple parts..." The elderly beast tamer hesitated. "It seems to be saying... 'Congratulations, master, on becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy...'"

"Master? Don't tell me these spirit beasts... have also been tamed by Teacher Zhang and become his pet beasts?"

"It seems so..."

"He tamed the kings of Cloudmist Ridge and then, incidentally, tamed all their spirit beasts?"

"Wherever the president—oh, no, the dean—goes, he simply leaves nothing behind..." Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief once more.

No sooner had they wondered if things could get any more exaggerated than this scene unfolded before them. "Dean, are you sure you're only a 4-star master teacher and not Confucius in disguise?" Even Confucius, they had never heard, tamed tens of thousands of spirit and sacred beasts in one go when he was young. They looked at the young man on the high platform again as if he were a monster.

"It seems the so-called negotiations were conducted by the dean himself, not as we imagined, involving great sacrifices and enduring humiliation, but rather... by completely conquering their stronghold," one of the students from the Beast Tamer School, who had participated in the battle, was the first to realize.

"Exactly! He just went there and tamed them directly—the Ten Kings, all the spirit beasts, none were spared... With such ability, what need was there for negotiations?"

"How ridiculous that we kept questioning! No wonder Elder Zhao just said we wouldn't have to worry about beast tides from Cloudmist Ridge anymore. If all the spirit beasts have become pet beasts, how could there be another beast tide?"

"Cloudmist Ridge, a problem the Master Teacher Academy couldn't solve in tens of thousands of years, was resolved by Teacher Zhang even before he took office. If I were one of the Ten Elders, who else would I choose for dean?" After the initial shock, only wry smiles remained.

Earlier, when they heard about the negotiations with Cloudmist Ridge, everyone assumed it involved some humiliating concession that would dishonor the academy. Now, it was clear that was far from the truth; instead, it was a tremendous victory for humanity.

Once this news spread, it would undoubtedly shock the entire Qingyuan Conferred Empire.

"He tamed them all..." Looking at the sky and the numerous spirit beasts around him, Zhu Chenqing's eyes reddened. His greatest goal was to avenge his family, and now that all the spirit beasts had completely submitted, it meant his great vendetta had been repaid! "Dean, thank you!" He clasped his fist and knelt, his reverence truly heartfelt, without a trace of falsehood.

"Alright, you can all go down now!" Accepting the many congratulatory gifts, Zhang Xuan rubbed his brow. He had been completely unaware that the spirit and sacred beasts would pull such a stunt! If he had known, he would have surely dissuaded them; how could he have allowed them to carry on like this? Although their actions were meant to bring him honor, he was still frustrated. It's best not to flaunt one's wealth; it would have been much better if they had given him these things quietly. Now that they were presented as gifts for everyone in the academy to see, getting rich secretly was no longer an option.

"Yes!" The Fiery Blaze Lion nodded and slowly led the numerous spirit and sacred beasts away. Seeing the sky and ground full of spirit and sacred beasts retreat in an orderly fashion, strictly following commands, all the master teachers exchanged glances, filled with admiration. With such a dean, there was no doubt the academy would flourish!

"Alright, if there are no further questions, we shall proceed to the next item: worshipping the ancestors!" Seeing the crowd's attitude shift from doubt to reverence, Zhao Bingxu smiled and announced.

"We acknowledge Teacher Zhang as dean, without further questions!" everyone responded in unison.

"Very well, then, let us invite the ancestors!" Zhao Bingxu nodded and proclaimed loudly.

Inviting the ancestors was a customary tradition for the Master Teacher Academy when a new dean took office. Its purpose was to gain the recognition of the many previous deans of the Master Teacher Academy. While it sounded somewhat similar in effect to the Hall of Conferred Teachers, it was actually quite different. In the Hall of Conferred Teachers, one knelt before the numerous outstanding ancestors of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and the more recognition one received, the higher their future achievements were destined to be. Inviting the ancestors, on the other hand, involved the residual thoughts of past deans selecting and recognizing the new dean. The more times these dean-consciousnesses recognized the individual, the greater the authority and benefits they would gain within the academy. The Master Teacher Academy was not as simple as it appeared on the surface, involving deeper matters that even someone of Elder Zhao Bingxu's status was not privy to.

*Boom!* As Zhao Bingxu spoke, the sky immediately darkened. A massive formation around the high platform slowly began to operate, casting flickering shadows over the surroundings, like a colossal dark cloud descending.

"What's going on?" Many students had never witnessed such a scene and were filled with uncertainty and surprise. "Weren't they just inviting the ancestors? Why did the sky suddenly turn dark?"

"It seems you are unaware," an elder said, stroking his beard. "The last time a dean took office, I happened to be present, and it was exactly like this! The so-called ancestors are actually residual thoughts left by numerous deans within the academy. They are a type of soul and cannot be active in sunlight. Only by activating the formation and obscuring the sun can they be invited forth."

"Souls? Are they witch souls?" a student, unable to contain his curiosity, couldn't help but ask.

"Witch souls? How could that be? Witch soul techniques involve possessing others for survival, and even refining living people into soulless golden figures—it's utterly inhumane! How could our Master Teacher Pavilion, with its upright and noble spirit, ever use their methods?" The elder's face showed disdain.

"Then..." The student was puzzled. As far as he knew, only witch souls behaved that way, needing to operate in darkness and requiring the sun to be obscured.

"These ancestors are the master-way intentions condensed by successive deans; they are simply incomparable to the minor path of witch souls! If you don't believe me, watch..." No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp whistling sound was heard, followed by the appearance of a faint, ethereal figure of an old man on the high platform. The old man had a square face and an heroic aura between his brows, exuding a spirit that seemed capable of swallowing the heavens. He was completely different from the sinister chill of a witch soul; instead, he radiated an awe-inspiring righteous energy.

Looking at the figure of the old man not far away, Zhang Xuan frowned slightly. Previously, like the other students, he had also thought that the so-called ancestors might be witch souls, reasoning that even the most powerful master teacher could not live for tens of thousands of years since the Master Teacher Academy was established. But upon seeing this old man, he realized it was likely an intention similar to those left by Confucius at the Saint Sealing Platform, not a witch soul. Although he didn't fully understand the specifics, this soul was upright and pure, without any trace of coldness, much better than a witch soul. Of course, there were pros and cons: its strength was certainly much weaker than a witch soul, and it wasn't a complete soul.

A witch soul preserved its complete consciousness, while this was merely a master teacher's fragment of intention, somewhat similar to the "ruthless individual" he possessed.

"Looking at his appearance and demeanor, he must be the first dean of the Master Teacher Academy, Master Mu Kai!" Unlike Zhang Xuan's analytical gaze, the numerous elders and master teachers below the stage all had their eyes shining brightly.

The founder of the Master Teacher Academy manifesting in spirit form would excite anyone! Although it was only a remnant soul, it still contained the consciousness of an ancestor.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* Soon after Ancestor Mu Kai appeared, the ethereal figures on the high platform flickered, and dozens more silhouettes quickly emerged.

Although they appeared somewhat faint, they exuded an immense pressure. As students and elders, memorizing the academy's history was a must. Every individual who became a dean possessed abilities far surpassing other master teachers and were revered idols to countless students. Suddenly seeing so many idols appear simultaneously, the entire training ground was on the verge of erupting.

"That must be the Seventh Dean, Dean Liu Changyuan, right? His Grand Benevolent Hand of Changyuan and Thousand-Leaf Spiraling Palm have always been my goal to learn..."

"That one must be Dean Mo Liuzhen, renowned as the most talented among all deans! His aura is indeed extraordinary; just by looking at his eyes, it's as if he could tear through space at any moment!"

"Dean Mo Liuzhen was powerful, but tragically, in his attempt to break through to become an 8-star master teacher, he entered the subterranean realm and never returned, which was a great loss to the Master Teacher Pavilion..."

"My idol is the seventy-sixth Dean, Dean Zhu Xuanqing. Although he never broke through the peak of 6-star to reach 7-star in his lifetime, he was proficient in twelve auxiliary occupations, and he meticulously documented each one, leaving invaluable wealth to the academy..." The numerous master teachers all had fervent looks in their eyes.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* Amidst the discussions, a total of one hundred and two figures appeared on the high platform.

"One hundred and two? Why isn't the previous dean's figure here?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but frown.