Chapter 994: Zhang Xuan Wants to Communicate

As a top-tier 7-star master teacher, he had no particular issues with Zhang Xuan; on the contrary, he appreciated talent.

The reason he was displeased from the start was primarily due to You Xu, whose actions angered him, causing him to naturally transfer his frustration to the new headmaster. Additionally, Zhang Xuan was simply too young to be a headmaster, making it easy for him to become complacent, thus needing some tempering.

He had initially thought that a few stern words would help Zhang Xuan realize the vastness of the world and that there were always more skilled individuals. Instead, Zhang Xuan seemed unfazed, and it was *he* who ended up realizing the vastness of the world and the existence of superior individuals. Just thinking about it left him feeling disheartened.

"No wonder he became the headmaster, earning such high praise from Master Mu, who willingly called him Martial Uncle… He's truly extraordinary!"

He gave a wry smile and shook his head. He had always admired those with great accomplishments. This individual, Zhang Xuan, had single-handedly rescued dozens of 6-star master teachers, and, disregarding his status as headmaster, personally ventured into the underground lair to slay the Otherworldly Demons and repair the seal… Every single one of these deeds commanded respect!

"Headmaster Zhang, I was unaware of the full situation and apologize for my earlier offenses. Please forgive me!"

Knowing all this, Master Wu dropped his pretense, stepped forward, and showed genuine sincerity in his eyes. Master teachers valued their state of mind; a mistake was a mistake, and even as a top-tier 7-star master teacher, he had to admit it.

"Master Wu, you're too kind. We are all master teachers working for humanity, so it's natural to be cautious…" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Indeed, all for humanity!" Master Wu nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter. "Alright, since everyone is going, we'll meet punctually in Fire Source City one month from now!"

"Fire Source City?"

"Yes, according to You Xu's confession and our Master Teacher Pavilion's on-site investigation, the ancient ruin is located near Fire Source City," Master Wu explained.

"Fire Source City is on the border of Hongyuan Empire. If I'm not mistaken, it should be very close to the Sacred Seal Platform, right?" A map of Hongyuan Empire appeared in Zhang Xuan's mind as he spoke. Fire Source City was located at the very edge of Hongyuan Empire, only a few hundred kilometers from the Sacred Seal Platform. Because of this proximity, countless pilgrims would stay there, leading to exceptional economic prosperity.

"Yes, it's very close!" Master Wu replied, "The Sacred Seal Platform is where Master Kong achieved Sainthood. This ruin might be connected to it. However, the information we have is too scarce to make an accurate judgment."

"Understood!" Everyone nodded. When it came to Master Kong, everyone had to be cautious with their words; one could not make baseless conjectures without evidence.

"Speaking of the Sacred Seal Platform, I must mention something that happened recently, which most of you might not be aware of!" Explaining, Master Wu smiled and looked at the crowd: "On the Sacred Seal Platform, there was a message left by Master Kong. Three months ago, someone actually deciphered its true meaning, causing quite a stir! Honestly, I truly wish to meet this powerful individual who gained Master Kong's approval, to see their strength. If I had the chance, I'd even like to become their disciple and learn from them…"

As his admiration grew, Master Wu, mid-sentence, noticed Wu Ran nearby, whose face was flushed and looked like he was about to burst. He couldn't help but frown, "Headmaster Wu, what's wrong? If I recall correctly, you're the head of the Sacred Alliance, aren't you? You've been studying Master Kong's message for years without success, only for an outsider to decipher it… Don't you find that admirable?"

"Cough, cough!" Wu Ran's vision seemed to blur, and he could no longer hold back. "Master Wu, the powerful individual you mentioned, who deciphered Master Kong's message… is right here!"

"Here?" Master Wu was startled, his eyes wide. "Who?"

"It's… the headmaster you just described as having a big ego…" Wu Ran said with a wry smile.

"Headmaster Zhang?" Master Wu swayed, nearly spitting blood and fainting. "Are you kidding me? You, a Saint, actually found a mistake in Master Kong's message…"

"It seems… that was me!" Zhang Xuan also felt a bit awkward. What was this situation? He had just been scolding him like a grandson, and now he was clamoring to take him as a disciple… Ah, being too exceptional often led to these kinds of problems, which was quite vexing!

"Master Kong's message has been considered correct for tens of thousands of years, with everyone cultivating strictly according to it, yet you found a mistake and directly challenged it… This, this…" His lips trembled, and Master Wu was on the verge of losing his mind. He had originally felt that, as a top-tier 7-star master teacher, he had come to Hongyuan Academy to judge You Xu and, while he was at it, teach the headmaster a lesson as a warning… But to his surprise, he hadn't taught anyone a lesson; instead, he himself was so shocked he nearly fainted.

No one had dared to question Master Kong's words for tens of thousands of years, not even in their thoughts! This belief was deeply ingrained and unchangeable. This was precisely why hearing someone question it and find a mistake in the Sacred Seal Platform's message was incredibly shocking. It was akin to breaking centuries of fixed thinking and challenging Master Kong's authority…

He had assumed it would be an incredibly powerful expert, at least a Saint 3-dan or 4-dan super-expert… He never dreamed it would be this twenty-year-old youth whom he had just reprimanded! It could be said that the shock this person delivered today surpassed everything he had witnessed in his entire life… It was so overwhelming that he could barely process it, and he struggled to believe it.

"It's nothing; Master Kong was also human, and humans make mistakes…" Seeing how startled Master Wu was, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Who doesn't make mistakes? Even saints are no exception!

"You, you…" Upon hearing this, everyone's face simultaneously paled. Master Wu, with a sweep of his hand, sealed off the surroundings, fearing that someone else might overhear.

"Headmaster, Master Kong is the Teacher of Myriad Generations; one cannot speak lightly of him…" Seeing Zhang Xuan's unawareness, Elder Mi quickly transmitted a message to him.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan scratched his head, suddenly remembering that in this world, lower-ranked master teachers were not allowed to casually criticize higher-ranked ones. This was precisely why no higher-ranked master teachers had come to investigate his identity as Yang Xuan. As the foremost master teacher and the Teacher of Myriad Generations, Master Kong naturally could not be casually discussed, especially not by someone like Zhang Xuan, whose words lacked proper respect. If news of his remarks spread, he would undoubtedly face criticism from numerous master teachers. He could even be beaten to death on the spot.

People on the Master Teacher Continent were exposed to the Way of the Teacher from a young age and had developed a deep, innate reverence for "teachers." Zhang Xuan, however, still retained his previous life's mindset, so his words were naturally shocking and difficult for them to accept. It seemed he needed to be more careful with his words and actions from now on, otherwise, if someone seized upon his remarks, it would be impossible to explain himself.

"My apologies; my words just now were inappropriate. I hope you all won't take it to heart…" Thinking this, he quickly clasped his fist in a bow.

"What Headmaster Zhang just said? I didn't hear a thing…" Elder Mi reacted quickly, immediately smiling.

"Yes, we didn't hear it!" The others also nodded in unison. When it came to Master Kong, it was better not to have heard it at all. Given the circumstances, feigning ignorance was the best course of action. Firstly, it avoided trouble, and secondly, it wouldn't offend Headmaster Zhang.

"Headmaster Zhang, your two students, Wang Ying and Liu Yang, also need to take our Combat Master assessment. When would be a convenient time for them? The sooner they finish, the sooner we can depart." To ease the awkward atmosphere, Liao Song spoke.

"The Combat Master assessment can be tomorrow!" Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment. "Also… I'd like to arrange an exchange with your Combat Master Hall. Whenever it's convenient for you, I've just established a student organization at the academy called the Xuanxuan Society. I could bring them along for a visit to your place!" Cultivation wasn't about isolated practice. The Combat Master Hall possessed immense fighting power, and if he could bring the Xuanxuan Society members to witness it, it would greatly broaden their experience and significantly benefit their future strength development. He had been considering this for several days, and now that the other party had asked, he brought it up.

"Xuanxuan Society, exchange…" Recalling the scene he encountered upon first entering the academy two days prior, Liao Song's face paled, and his heart trembled. He now had a phobia of the words "Xuanxuan." An exchange was a good thing, but… if the tens of thousands of monsters from the Xuanxuan Society went there, wouldn't they just beat their Combat Master Hall members into existential doubt?

"What's wrong? Is it difficult?" Seeing his eyebrows twitching and his expression as if he had eaten something incredibly bitter, Zhang Xuan asked.

"It's not exactly difficult…" Gritting his teeth, Liao Song explained, "The Combat Master Hall branch is in Qingyuan Imperial City, which is about a month's journey from here. I arrived quickly because I was nearby when I received Zhuo Qingfeng's message… The ruin will open in a month. If we are fortunate enough to survive, an exchange afterwards wouldn't be too late…" Qingyuan Imperial City was quite far from here; even riding a Saint beast, it would take more than one or two days to reach.

"You're right! How about this: I'll take you for a quick look around later, and we can have an initial exchange. You can also give those fellows some pointers; their cultivation is quite weak, and they need to broaden their horizons and see some true experts!" Nodding, Zhang Xuan smiled. The Xuanxuan Society members had only attended lectures and hadn't had much practical combat experience. If they had Combat Master Hall members to spar with and engage in real combat, they should improve very quickly.

"Pointers? And… experts?" Liao Song's mouth twitched, and he nearly fainted. They might be considered experts in front of others, but compared to the Xuanxuan Society… what experts?! It wasn't like he hadn't seen them before; he'd been so disoriented upon entering that he couldn't tell north from south. Go and give *them* pointers? What a joke!

"Let's not… I don't think it's necessary…" Full of embarrassment, Liao Song waved his hand.

"It's just an exchange. Combat Master Liao, do you think our academy's members are too weak and not worth your guidance?" Zhang Xuan was filled with doubt. He was naturally unaware of Combat Master Liao's previous experiences, but seeing a combat-oriented Combat Master repeatedly decline a fight was very strange. Shouldn't people like them rush over eagerly when they hear about an exchange? What kind of attitude was this?

"No, it's not that…" Liao Song quickly waved his hand.

"Then that's settled. Everyone can spar and learn from each other; there's no harm in it! Perhaps we'll have to ask you to go easy on them and not beat them too badly…" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Alright!" Seeing Zhang Xuan's earnest and sincere attitude, which didn't seem like he was trying to humiliate them, Liao Song could only nod, his eyes showing a look of grim determination. He was right; more exchanges and combat would indeed help improve their combat masters' fighting capabilities! Since the other party sincerely requested it, an exchange wouldn't hurt.