Chapter 918: Beat You Up, How About That?

Every generation of deans left behind their spiritual imprints. Even the former dean, who mysteriously disappeared and whose whereabouts remain unknown, should have had his imprints stored within the academy, right? How could there be none?

“The former dean... did not accumulate enough merit. He disappeared before he could enter the Dean’s Mausoleum, so he naturally left no spiritual imprint,” Zhao Bingxu transmitted, seeing Zhang Xuan’s confusion.

“Merit?” Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned.

“Every master teacher can accumulate merit based on the records of the Master Teacher Pavilion. However, the Dean’s Mausoleum can only be opened once a certain amount of merit has been attained!”

“The more beneficial deeds one performs for humanity, the greater their merit. Teaching and helping more students progress is merit; slaying members of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and eliminating threats is merit; and creating new cultivation or battle techniques, then imparting them to others to strengthen humanity, is also merit...”

Seeing his lack of understanding, Zhao Bingxu chuckled, “The dean’s act of subduing the numerous spirit and saint beasts of Cloudmist Ridge, thereby averting a major catastrophe, is in itself a tremendous merit. Forget about other contributions; this single deed is sufficient to open the Dean’s Mausoleum!”

Cloudmist Ridge had always posed a hidden threat to the Master Teacher Academy, one that over a hundred deans had failed to fully resolve. Yet, this individual not only defused it but also ensured no lingering dangers, accumulating immense merit. While slightly less than the founding patriarch’s contributions, his deeds are certainly worthy of eternal renown and will be remembered for generations.

“My merit is sufficient?” Zhang Xuan stood dumbfounded, his face a mask of bewilderment.

“Indeed!” Zhao Bingxu nodded with a wry smile.

Other deans had toiled diligently and selflessly, performing all kinds of beneficial deeds for humanity to accumulate merit, yet many managed to earn very little. In contrast, this individual before them was likely the only dean in history who hadn’t even known what merit was, yet had already accumulated more than enough. If the deans of previous generations were to learn of this, they might just cough up blood. The disparity between individuals was truly immense.

Unaware of Zhao Bingxu’s thoughts, Zhang Xuan continued, “Then, what exactly is the Dean’s Mausoleum...?”

“The Dean’s Mausoleum is a place that nurtures the spiritual imprints of deans, and their bodies are interred there after their passing. In essence, it is the resting place for all previous deans of the Master Teacher Academy.”

“So, it’s the deans’ graveyard...”

Zhang Xuan nodded. Judging from Zhao Bingxu’s tone, it seemed that even as the deans’ burial ground, it wasn’t accessible to every dean, still requiring a certain level of merit.

“This mausoleum must have some special significance...” Zhang Xuan looked over, curiosity etched on his face. If it were merely an ordinary graveyard, becoming a dean would suffice for entry. However, since there were additional requirements, it clearly wasn’t as simple as he had imagined.

He had barely finished his sentence when the spiritual imprints of the many deans nearby collectively turned to face him.

“Are you the current dean?” a dignified voice boomed. The speaker was Mu Kai, the Master Teacher who had founded the academy. His gaze held no disdain for Zhang Xuan’s youth; instead, it was gentle and refined, imbued with a hint of admiration.

“To be so young and yet receive the acknowledgment of so many students and elders, you must possess extraordinary qualities,” Mu Kai remarked. As the founder of a Master Teacher Academy, his discernment was naturally beyond compare to that of ordinary individuals. While others merely saw Zhang Xuan’s youth and deemed him unfit for heavy responsibilities, the founding patriarch discerned his immense potential. For someone so young to command the admiration of countless teachers and students, leading them to conduct the ancestor-invocation ceremony, it could hardly be a simple feat.

“Even with the formation sustaining us, our time here is limited. Use three sentences to introduce yourself, highlighting your strengths and capabilities. After those three sentences, we will evaluate whether we acknowledge you based on your statements.” Mu Kai continued, a slight smile in his eyes.

“Three sentences?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He had assumed it would be similar to the Conferred Teacher Hall, involving prostrations to gain acknowledgment. It seemed now that it wasn’t so simple. While he was allowed to speak, the task was, in fact, more challenging. This represented a trial from numerous ancestors, and he absolutely could not speak carelessly.

As he pondered his response, Zhao Bingxu’s telepathic message resounded. “Dean, you must consider carefully what to say. The more ancestor imprints acknowledge you, the greater authority you will wield as dean.”

“Authority?”

“Indeed. There are certain areas that even the dean cannot access or control without sufficient authority.”

“Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded, comprehending. The dean was merely a master teacher nominated by the many teachers and students to temporarily oversee all matters, not the owner of the academy. Thus, it was natural for there to be different levels of authority. The greater the authority, the stronger one’s control over the academy.

“Gaining the acknowledgment of twenty percent of the ancestors qualifies you to succeed as dean and grants you initial authority over the academy. Forty percent grants intermediate authority, sixty percent grants high-level authority, and exceeding eighty percent grants supreme authority. With supreme authority, you can activate all major formations within the academy, view the most secret books, and even freely enter and exit the Dean’s Mausoleum without requiring additional merit.”

“View the most secret books?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes sparkled. The primary reason he had agreed to become dean was to access the academy’s books. Judging by Zhao Bingxu’s words, with different levels of authority, there would certainly be some books he couldn’t access if he didn't attain the highest level. Given this, why not strive for supreme authority?

However, to achieve this, he would need to captivate the spiritual imprints of all the deans within three sentences and earn their acknowledgment. This was not as easy as it sounded. Although the founding patriarch, Mu Kai, had commended him highly for his youth, not all ancestors shared the same perspective. After all, in terms of age, cultivation, and master teacher rank, he didn’t appear particularly remarkable when compared to others; he seemed considerably lacking. To change their impressions within three sentences would be challenging!

“What percentage of acknowledgment did the previous dean receive?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“When the former dean assumed office, he was at the pinnacle of a 6-star master teacher, having just met the standard. He only received twenty-two percent acknowledgment, barely passing!” Zhao Bingxu transmitted. “It’s relatively easy for deans throughout history to obtain initial authority, but intermediate authority is quite challenging. Looking back, among over a hundred deans, no more than thirty have attained intermediate authority! Fewer than ten have achieved high-level authority, and it’s likely that only the founding patriarch himself ever acquired supreme authority!”

“Only one person?” Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment. It seemed more complex than he had anticipated. Indeed, it was incredibly difficult to gain the complete acknowledgment and heartfelt praise of over a hundred powerful individuals who had served as deans. Human perceptions are diverse; what might be perfect in one’s eyes could be utterly detestable in another’s. For instance, some master teachers excel in over a dozen auxiliary occupations, each mastered to a profound degree. Logically, they should command widespread respect and admiration. However, many also believe that master teachers should dedicate more effort to teaching and nurturing, and that excessive auxiliary occupations indicate less focus on education, making them unworthy of respect.

“Indeed! The fewer deans there are, the easier it is to gain acknowledgment. Now, with over a hundred deans having served, it becomes increasingly difficult to acquire higher authority!” Zhao Bingxu continued. It was relatively easy to gain the acknowledgment of one or two individuals simply by performing exceptionally well. However, inspiring simultaneous goodwill from over a hundred people was a far greater challenge.

Thus, the selection of those three sentences was paramount. What should he say? Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

Below the platform, the many master teachers, upon hearing Ancestor Mu Kai’s request, also realized the difficulty of the task. One by one, they looked up at the high platform, their eyes betraying anxiety.

“What do you think Master Teacher Zhang will say?” a student couldn’t help but ask his companion.

“Master Teacher Zhang is exceptionally talented; it’s truly difficult to guess what he’ll say. However, given his abilities, gaining the acknowledgment of numerous ancestors shouldn’t be too difficult!” His friend, a fervent admirer of Zhang Xuan, expressed immense confidence in the new dean.

“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. Dean Mo Yanqing, a truly brilliant figure in his time, reportedly only managed to secure acknowledgment from seventy-one percent of the spiritual imprints. While Master Teacher Zhang’s talent is comparable to his, it hasn't been fully showcased yet. If he had a few more decades, he might easily surpass that, but I fear it won’t be so simple now!” remarked a master teacher well-versed in the academy’s history.

“That’s true, it certainly won’t be easy. I heard that the previous dean didn’t achieve a high score in the ancestor-invocation segment, not even exceeding twenty-five percent,” another student added. The former dean’s ability to tame the Violet Sun Beast and successfully break through to the Seven-Star Master Teacher realm clearly demonstrated his talent and capability. Yet, such a formidable individual only received less than twenty-five percent acknowledgment, which underscored the immense difficulty of the task.

“Gaining acknowledgment involves many factors: strength, favorable impression, and luck are all indispensable. It’s incredibly difficult to showcase one’s full capability in just three sentences. It all depends on how Master Teacher Zhang handles this! If he speaks well, he could reap unexpected rewards; if not, he’ll likely just barely scrape by.” An elder, having overheard their conversation, shook his head. Suddenly, he pointed forward and exclaimed, “Quick, look! Master Teacher Zhang is about to speak!”

Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze towards the high platform and indeed saw Zhang Xuan raising his head, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the spiritual imprints of over a hundred master teacher ancestors before him! The telepathic conversation with Zhao Bingxu and the discussions among the master teachers appeared to take a long time, but in reality, only about ten breaths had passed. Seeing that the new dean had so swiftly decided what to say, everyone held their breath, their hearts filled with eager curiosity. Zhao Bingxu, too, stroked his beard and looked on. Having said all he could, he wished to witness once more how Master Teacher Zhang would create a miracle and impress everyone.

“My name is Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan smiled and began by introducing himself.

Upon hearing this, the spiritual imprints of the many deans simultaneously nodded. Though it used up one of his precious sentences, it conveyed respect for them and clearly stated his identity. His demeanor was composed and proper, utterly devoid of the arrogance one might expect from a young, accomplished individual. It also demonstrated immense confidence, with not a hint of anxiety. It appeared this young dean was indeed extraordinary!

Just as the spiritual imprints of the deans were still quite pleased with his initial statement, they saw the young man across from them scratch his head awkwardly, looking at them with an embarrassed expression.

“Um... Since all of you are past deans of the Master Teacher Academy, you must be broad-minded and magnanimous... So, I wanted to discuss something with you. Would it be alright if I were to give you all a beating?”

“A beating?” The many master teachers and elders, who had been straining their ears, eager to hear what he would say, all froze in astonishment.