Chapter 1246 Ji Ruochen

Boom!

As the voice ended, a special force immediately enveloped Zhang Xuan, and then a special token condensed in his palm.

The front bore the emblem of the Empire Alliance, while the back had the words “Specially Appointed” in golden, gleaming characters, exuding a dense majesty.

“Specially appointed elder? I’ve become an elder just like that…”

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

Yao Man had just said how difficult it was to become an elder, making him lose hope… and now, in the blink of an eye, he was granted this status?

Too easy!

Turning to look at Teacher Yao beside him, he saw her face flushed red, her delicate body trembling, on the verge of tears.

No wonder she looked like that.

Her teacher had spent who knows how much time without success, while this person, only a Seven-Star Master Teacher, hadn’t even been to the Empire Alliance and was already appointed as an elder…

Was this too fast?

“Thank you!”

Knowing that it must be because Wu Shi and the others had attributed all the merits to him, Zhang Xuan did not decline.

Besides appointing Zhang Xuan as an elder, it was also announced that Wu Shi would become the head of the Qingyuan Master Teacher Hall.

“Teacher Yao, Hall Master Wu, I’ll leave matters here to you. I have some things to attend to, so I won’t stay long.”

The will from headquarters quickly faded, and Zhang Xuan cupped his fists in farewell.

The trouble caused by Sun Qiang and the others had been resolved; staying here any longer was meaningless. The two of them were far more capable than him in handling the Master Teacher Hall and the empire’s affairs.

“Master Teacher Zhang, Chu Tianxing is dead, and the Qingyuan Empire is without a leader. Who do you think should be emperor?”

Seeing that he was about to leave, Wu Shi hurriedly asked.

An empire cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now that Chu Tianxing was dead, a successor must be established, or else it would be devoured by other empires sooner or later.

“Well… Chu Tianxing has a son named Chu Xiang, a good person with whom I have some acquaintance. He could be considered,” Zhang Xuan said after a moment’s thought.

Sun Qiang had previously informed him of Chu Xiang’s identity when explaining the rescue at the palace.

Although this young master was somewhat fond of women, he was actually not lacking in talent. If he became the emperor, he would probably be better than Chu Tianxing.

“Yes!”

Wu Shi quickly nodded.

“Mm.”

Saying no more, Zhang Xuan shook his body, leaped off the platform, and came to Sun Qiang and the others. He looked over and said, “Where is Liu Yang’s letter? Let me see it!”

After Chu Tianxing’s death, Liu Yang had disappeared, leaving only a letter. Song Xuan had spent many days searching without finding him, and even with Zhang Xuan causing such a commotion, he hadn’t shown up… He had probably already left Qingyuan City.

Why he left and when he departed, Sun Qiang didn’t know either; only a letter was left.

Now that the crisis was resolved, it was a good time to take a look.

“The letter said it was for the young master to open personally, so I didn’t dare open it,” Sun Qiang said, handing it over.

Taking it casually, Zhang Xuan looked at it.

Lines of handwriting immediately appeared before his eyes.

“Teacher, I’m sorry, I have to go! Killing Chu Tianxing and causing trouble is only one reason. The most important thing is that I don’t want to stay by your side and become a burden. You have already given too much for me…”

The handwriting was neat, with sharp strokes, carrying a resolute tone.

After finishing reading quickly, Zhang Xuan shook his head, feeling a sense of loss.

He understood why Liu Yang had left without saying goodbye.

As the first male disciple taken in, he was earlier than Zheng Yang, Lu Chong, Yuan Tao, and the others. Now, Zheng Yang had become a War Son, Lu Chong had gone to the Witch Soul Ancestral Land, Yuan Tao had returned to the Yuan family—all with boundless futures…

Even the three female disciples: one had gone to the Ice Plain Palace, one had entered the Poison Hall, and another had joined the Spirit Awakener Guild…

Only he had accomplished nothing, still following behind his teacher.

The pressure was immense, as one could imagine.

Simply consuming the teacher’s resources was one thing, but he was also easily captured by others as a hostage to threaten him…

The intense sense of oppression was becoming unbearable.

Perhaps… only by leaving the teacher could he avoid being taken hostage and prevent the teacher from being troubled…

After much deliberation, he left without any hesitation.

“Sigh… You are my student; how could you be a burden…”

Zhang Xuan sighed.

Although Liu Yang was not outstanding among the seven direct disciples, he was still someone Zhang Xuan had brought up step by step from the Tianxuan Kingdom.

He had long regarded him as a child; how could he think of him as a burden?

“Young master, what about Young Master Liu Yang?”

Sun Qiang had also finished reading the letter and couldn’t help asking.

“No need to search. With his abilities, if he wants to hide, he definitely won’t be found. We can only wait for him to come around on his own and contact me…”

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

This Liu Yang was his direct disciple, having studied for nearly a year. Not only had his cultivation improved greatly, but he was also no slouch in other aspects… If he really wanted to hide, only he himself could find him. Even other master teachers, even if they met him at Seven Stars, would definitely not recognize him!

“I neglected his psychological feelings…”

Zheng Yang becoming a War Son had been too great a shock to Liu Yang.

Among fellow disciples, others could already bring glory to the teacher, while he could only rely on him… The sense of loss in his heart was understandable.

Unfortunately, he was too busy and hadn’t noticed this; otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Training students isn’t just about cultivation and ability…”

Sighing again, Zhang Xuan’s heart was filled with loss.

For nearly a year, I had focused solely on cultivation, helping them improve their realms, but neglected their true inner feelings.

They were not only fellow disciples but also rivals, constantly competing and comparing with each other...

Seven people, six had already risen to prominence. As the last one, it was impossible not to feel immense pressure.

...

In the sky, countless miles away from Qingyuan City, a graceful figure sat cross-legged on the back of a beast, eyes tightly shut. A stream of pure true qi flowed along her meridians, emitting a peculiar muffled sound.

Crack!

After an unknown amount of time, as if breaking through some barrier, the girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Finally broke through..."

After this period of relentless cultivation, she had finally achieved another breakthrough. Though still some distance from the true Saint Domain, it was no longer an unattainable dream.

"Master Zhang, when my strength is not far from yours, I will come find you again..."

Clenching her silver teeth, the girl's gaze was resolute.

She deeply admired the genius master who had taken her as a maidservant, but she also knew that staying by his side would only lead to growing despair.

That being the case, she would cultivate diligently, striving to earn at least one more glance from him...

Riding the sacred beast for over ten days, she had thought a lot and understood a lot.

Leaving was not giving up, nor admitting defeat—it was merely for a better reunion... for the courage to speak with him as an equal when they met again.

Chirp!

Just as her mind wandered, a sharp beast cry rang in her ears. She felt the sacred beast beneath her tremble incessantly, as if it had encountered an existence it dared not offend, on the verge of falling from the sky.

Hurriedly looking up, she saw a pale cyan sacred beast slowly flying over from the horizon.

This sacred beast was over ten meters long, exceedingly beautiful. Its nine tails, far from being a burden, gave the impression of being able to manipulate space and soar through the heavens.

"This is... a Saint Domain ninth-layer sacred beast... the Nine-Tailed Celestial Phoenix?"

Her body stiffened; the girl could not believe it.

Though she had not stayed long in Qingyuan City, she had learned a fair amount of knowledge, especially descriptions of sacred beasts.

Based on what she knew, the creature before her should be the extremely rare Saint Domain ninth-layer sacred beast of the entire continent... the Nine-Tailed Celestial Phoenix!

For ordinary people, even a single glimpse was difficult—how could it appear here?

While still in shock, she saw a figure standing on the phoenix's back.

A light veil covered the face, obscuring features and age. However, the figure was tall and slender, with a curvaceous form that was in no way inferior to her own.

From appearance alone, one could tell she was an unparalleled beauty, one in a million.

Standing on the back of such a high-level sacred beast, this woman's strength was, needless to say, terrifying.

Not daring to hesitate, she quickly stood up, her demeanor respectful.

Such a formidable expert was not someone she could afford to offend.

Whoosh!

The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Phoenix stopped not far away.

"Are you Yu Fei'er?"

A faint, crisp voice rang out.

The woman on the Phoenix's back had eyes like stars, bright and dazzling.

"Yes!"

The girl quickly nodded.

She was indeed Yu Fei'er, who had just bid farewell to Zhang Xuan.

"My master wishes to take you as a disciple. Would you be willing?"

The woman smiled and nodded, her voice like an oriole, crisp and pleasant.

"This..."

Her body stiffened, Yu Fei'er could hardly believe it.

The other party rode a sacred beast of the ninth level of the Saint Domain, with unfathomable cultivation... How much more formidable would her master be?

"May I ask who your master is..."

She couldn't help asking.

"My master is Elder Ji Ruochen, a Nine-Star Master Teacher from the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion!" the woman said calmly.

"Nine-Star Master Teacher? Headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion... Elder?"

Breathing rapidly, Yu Fei'er felt her mind couldn't keep up: "I'm just an ordinary girl from a first-rank empire. I've never met Master Ji, nor heard of him. Why... would he want to take me as a student?"

Happiness came too suddenly; she could hardly believe it.

"I don't know either. The master instructs, and the student obeys!"

The woman shook her head, then looked over and continued: "Are you willing? If willing, come with me; if not, I'll go back and report!"

"Of course I'm willing!"

Yu Fei'er quickly nodded.

Being able to study under a Nine-Star Master Teacher, her cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds, perhaps even catching up to Teacher Zhang!

It would definitely be far better than fumbling on her own!

Such a good opportunity was what countless people dreamed of; it would be foolish to let it pass.

"Alright then... come with me!"

Seeing her agreement, the woman said no more. With a light grasp of her hand, Yu Fei'er felt her body involuntarily fly forward, landing on the back of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Phoenix in an instant.

Boom!

Before she could react, the Phoenix beneath her let out a roar and vanished from the spot, teleporting thousands of kilometers away.

"So fast..."

Feeling this speed, Yu Fei'er's face flushed. She looked again toward Qingyuan City and clenched her fists: "Teacher Zhang, wait for me. I will stand before you openly and let you make a choice for me..."