Chapter 371: Tight-Lipped

Silence!

Master Kong taking a disciple was a major event that shook the continent. Regardless of whether one was a master teacher or not, any cultivator receiving such an honor would be ecstatic beyond measure.

This fellow actually... directly refused, so decisively and firmly!

Can anyone tell me what on earth happened?

Heaven-recognized master teacher was shocking enough, but refusing Master Kong's request to take him as a student was enough to drive people mad.

All the master teachers in the Master Teacher Hall stood as if their mouths were sealed, staring at each other in bewilderment, their hearts frantic.

Esteemed one, you don't want to become Master Kong's student, but I do...

You could have left the spot to me, why refuse...

Hall Master Jiang, what exactly is going on?

After a long while, one master teacher couldn't help but look at Hall Master Jiang not far away, and the others also turned their gazes toward him.

I... I don't know either!

At this moment, Hall Master Jiang's heart was in turmoil.

He too had rushed over upon sensing the anomaly in the Master Teacher Hall; who could have expected to witness such a scene?

Refusing Master Kong...

Not just in the Tianwu Kingdom, but even in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms, it would scare a huge number of people to death.

Even a nine-star master teacher wouldn't do such a thing!

Don't know?

The master teacher hesitated for a moment: "Becoming a heaven-recognized master teacher means he hasn't yet received recognition from the guild, meaning he's not a formal master teacher, or... he's in the process of assessing for a higher level! And in the past few days, only two people have been taking the assessment: Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi! Just tell us where these two have gone, whether they're still in the royal city!"

A heaven-recognized master teacher only alarms the nearest Master Teacher Hall, not a wider area.

Since the Master Teacher Hall here has undergone a change, it must be a breakthrough by a master teacher in the Tianwu Royal City!

With a little thought, it was clear that it had to be one of the two, no doubt about it.

They...

Hall Master Jiang hesitated.

Speak up. Since he has become a heaven-recognized master teacher, he has passed the assessment. Even if his identity is revealed, it's not a violation..." Elder Zhu said.

Mm!" Hall Master Jiang nodded. "They are still in the royal city, but for the final assessment of the two-star master teacher, they have disguised their identities!"

Disguised?

The others were taken aback.

The matter of disguising one's identity to take on students during the two-star master teacher assessment was very secret. None of the master teachers present knew about it, and even Jiang Chen was hearing it for the first time.

It's like this!

Hall Master Jiang explained the final stage of the two-star master teacher assessment.

You mean... the famous President Liu Cheng of the royal city... is the same person as Master Zhang?

After hearing the explanation, everyone was stunned again, one by one feeling dizzy.

In the past two days, the most famous people were Zhang Xuan of the Master Teacher Hall and Liu Cheng, the president of the Physician Guild!

Everyone knew these two were super geniuses, worthy of envy, but never in their dreams did they expect... they were the same damn person!

No wonder...

Jiang Chen also stood frozen in place.

He had suspected it before, but didn't dare believe it. Only after hearing his father's confirmation did he understand!

No wonder he had such superb alchemy skills, able to make a two-star alchemist refine a fourth-grade pill!

During Zhang Xuan's assessment, although he knew he was no match, he still harbored a competitive spirit, thinking that as long as he followed the steps and worked hard, he would catch up one day...

Now he realized... the gap was too damn huge, incomparable.

Forget about catching up; he couldn't even see him!

Not only was the man brilliant in alchemy, but also in medicine, calligraphy and painting, beast taming... so many professions that others could never hope to match. How could he compete?

Since both of them are in the royal city, the heaven-recognized master teacher must be one of them. If we find and confirm, we'll know who it is!

Suppressing his shock, a master teacher said.

Right. Regardless, our guild has produced a heaven-recognized master teacher, who even almost became a sage's disciple. We must know who it is...

Another master teacher added.

With the scope narrowed down to two, the rest was simple. After all, the guild couldn't have produced such an awesome figure without even knowing who it was, right?

Everyone, don't rush. I'll send an apprentice to check now!

Hall Master Jiang turned and walked out, returning after a short while.

Liu Cheng and Sun Sheng were now well-known teachers at Tianwu Academy, so getting information was simple.

How is it?" Elder Zhu couldn't help but look over.

Mo Hongyi... seems to be ill, currently unconscious! As for Master Zhang, he is said to be in seclusion, seeing no one..." Hall Master Jiang said.

Then there's no need to think further; it must be Master Zhang...

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Since he was unconscious, he couldn't be the heaven-recognized master teacher, nor could he have refused Master Kong. That left only one possibility... the one causing such a commotion was none other than Zhang Xuan, who had created so many miracles since his arrival.

Since we know it's Master Zhang, should we report this to the headquarters?

A master teacher in the crowd said.

No!

Hall Master Jiang shook his head. "If it were just a heaven-recognized master teacher, reporting to headquarters would be fine. But... this Master Zhang just refused Master Kong. If this gets out, the entire headquarters will explode..."

Everyone was stunned.

Indeed.

Who was Master Kong? The foremost figure through the ages, the teacher of heaven and earth... For someone like that to want to take a disciple and be refused would surely cause great panic!

Moreover, Master Kong being refused in taking a disciple was not a glorious thing. If it were spread, provoking Master Kong's anger...

Even death would not be enough to atone for the crime.

This matter is beyond our control. It's best to keep our mouths shut..." After a while, Hall Master Jiang instructed.

Yes!

Everyone knew the gravity of the situation and dared not speak further, nodding in agreement.

Whether it was the heaven-recognized master teacher or Master Kong's refusal to take a disciple, both were beyond their comprehension. Faced with such matters, it was best to shut up, not speak, not know, not hear; otherwise, they might die without knowing how.

In that case, everyone here, swear an oath before Master Kong's statue!

Hall Master Jiang spoke again.

Yes!

Soon, the oath was completed. Everyone felt a special force invade their minds, sealing the memory of the event in one place; if they spoke of it, they would suffer punishment.

...

Zhang Xuan, who wanted to keep a low profile, didn't know that his affairs had already stirred up the entire Master Teacher Hall. At this moment, he pushed open the door of the small classroom and walked out.

Becoming a heaven-recognized master teacher had increased his mental state by a full 1.0 and condensed the Eye of Insight, but it had no effect on his cultivation.

He was still at the peak of the Master Teacher realm, with a strength of about 5,000 ding.

Teacher!

As soon as he came out, a girl knelt before him, sincerely convinced by her teacher.

It was Mu Xueqing.

At this moment, her entire aura was like a dragon, and she seemed completely reborn!

The accumulated medicinal power in her body had been fully activated, allowing her to break through the bottleneck of the Meridian Opening realm and reach the initial stage of the Tongxuan realm!

Her aura even hinted that she could break through to the middle stage at any time.

Overnight, she had been reborn and made such great progress; even she couldn't believe it.

Not bad!

Seeing her progress, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Having taken medicinal pills since childhood, the accumulated medicinal power had reached an astonishing level. It was only natural that she could break through so much at once.

Your cultivation has just advanced; consolidate it well. Tomorrow, I'll take you to a place!

Knowing that her trust in him had definitely exceeded 40, enough to end the master teacher assessment, Zhang Xuan instructed.

Yes!

Mu Xueqing nodded and stepped aside.

...

Jadeite Pavilion was the most famous money sink in the Tianwu Royal City.

A single day's expenditure there could probably bankrupt a small family from a second-class kingdom.

Even so, the place was always bustling with visitors and carriages.

Countless people dreamed of spending money there and becoming a regular.

Because it offered the strongest wine, the most beautiful girls, the best service, and the most enjoyable environment in the surrounding thirteen kingdoms!

Any cultivator, male or female, who came once would want to come again, indulging and lingering, unable to leave!

Before even entering, a thick spiritual energy rushed toward them, more than twice as dense as the outside. Cultivating in such an environment would definitely be more than twice as fast as outside.

Early in the morning, a carriage stopped, and the young driver quickly set down the mounting stone.

Young master, we've arrived!

Mm!

The curtain was lifted, and a young man stepped down.

The young man was richly dressed, with a face like jade, and his flickering gaze occasionally carried a hint of gloom. In places inadvertently exposed, there seemed to be some bruises, indicating he had been injured not long ago and had not yet fully recovered.

Young master, are we... really going to find Young Master Lin Lang? I've heard that whenever he opens his mouth, his price is not low!

The young driver looked hesitantly.

If not him, who else?

The young man's face was ashen. "Now the family has abandoned me, insisting on sending me to that Zhang Xuan to appease his anger! Only the Lin family can protect me! As long as Young Master Lin Lang speaks, even if he succeeds in his two-star master teacher assessment, what can he do? Does he dare offend the Formation Master Guild and the Xuan Yuan Kingdom?"

If Zhang Xuan were here, he would surely recognize that this was none other than the calligrapher Ji Mo, who had been stripped naked and hung from a tree by his subordinates!

After learning that the person he had offended was the genius Zhang Xuan, the Ji family no longer protected him. Even his own father, the head of the Ji family, was about to tie him up and send him to apologize.

Knowing that once sent, he would be in for a rough time, he had seized an opportunity to escape and seek refuge.

In the Tianwu Kingdom, no one could protect him except the Lin family; even the royal family couldn't do it!

The head of the Lin family was not only the president of the Formation Master Guild but also the father of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom's crown princess. With such status alone, even Hall Master Jiang Shu had to show respect, let alone a newly successful Zhang Xuan.

As for the Lin Lang he mentioned, he was known as the foremost young master of the Tianwu Kingdom!

He was the son of the Lin family head and the brother of the Xuan Yuan Kingdom's crown princess.

He was also a genius and the son of the head of one of the three great families in the royal city, which was how Ji Mo had the fortune to know him and interact with him a few times.

And this Jadeite Pavilion was personally opened by Lin Lang.