Chapter 408: Direct Disciple

Wasn't this the very bunch that had been swaggering arrogantly in the sky just moments ago?

That commander-like figure, who had stood atop the savage beast with his hand spread wide, breaking the heavens, dominating the universe, exuding unparalleled dominance—how had he ended up half-buried in the ground... like a sapling?

Especially the crown princess, the chief culprit, whose face was swollen like a pig's head; if not for her luxurious clothes, she would have been indistinguishable from a beggar.

Not only the three of them, but even that fierce savage beast seemed to have crashed so badly it couldn't tell north from south.

This, this...

Mo Hongyi's eyes were as wide as brass gongs.

What had happened? In the blink of an eye, those who had been so arrogant and invincible were reduced to this state?

In his confusion, he heard two more thuds of landing.

He hurriedly looked and saw the 'patients' who had been lying on the beast's back thrown off, flying through the air for a long time before hitting the ground.

They were Lin Ruotian and Lin Lang.

Already severely injured, they flew hundreds of meters and fell from a height of dozens of meters, shattering all their bones, their breath cut off, heading straight to the underworld.

Father, little brother...

Seeing this, the severely injured Lin Long, both anxious and furious, fainted on the spot.

She merely fainted, but Lin Ruotian died with his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

He had thought that with his daughter's arrival, she would surely display her might, slaying that Zhang Xuan or whoever, avenging their humiliation. He never dreamed that as soon as they arrived above the mansion, the savage beast would fall, nearly dying from the crash.

Then, still hoping for a comeback, they became flying men in the air... and then, there was no 'then.'

They came for revenge but died without even seeing their enemy...

Was there anyone in the world more pathetic than him?

Had he known this, he might as well not have waited for his daughter and died earlier, sparing himself these extra days of suffering...

The Lin family has finally hit a wall this time!

Indeed, Master Zhang not only has great talent but also a good teacher. Fighting them is just asking for death.

They didn't even investigate before charging in; they deserve their misfortune...

Seeing their miserable state, there was no sympathy, only a sense of justice served.

Everyone knew about Lu Chong's affair. The Lin family had always had a bad reputation, and now that they were down, everyone was piling on, like a wildfire spreading.

Was this the work of Master Zhang's teacher?

No, someone at the Wangtian Tower saw that it was a master teacher named... Xiao Su. Who exactly that is, I'm not sure.

Whoever it was, casually tossing around a Zunqi realm powerhouse—such strength is terrifying...

Indeed, from now on, this Zhang Mansion is forbidden ground. If any junior dares to break in, they'll be immediately expelled from the clan!

...

Murmurs of discussion filled the air.

Xiao Su? Could it be... Master Su made the move?

His face flushed, Mo Hongyi clenched his fists.

A four-star master teacher was indeed formidable. It seemed his decision was right; by taking these two as teachers, he would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

Creak!

He was getting excited, waiting for Master Su and the others to come out so he could go and pay respects as a disciple, when he heard the gate not far away open, and two figures walked out.

"Steward Sun, we'll take our leave then. When you see Master Zhang, please tell him we'll be waiting for him at the Universal Alliance!"

Master Su cupped his hands.

"Don't worry, it's nothing!" Sun Qiang waved his hand grandly.

"This..." Mo Hongyi was stunned.

Those were Master Su and Master Ling, four-star masters of the Universal Alliance. It was one thing that Master Yang didn't see them off, but why hadn't Master Zhang come out either?

He only sent a steward to see them off, and the most crucial thing was... this steward was far too casual!

Look at his expression, clearly perfunctory... and impatient!

What impatience? If he hadn't known Master Su and the other's identities before, that was one thing, but after they had just made such a earth-shattering move, he still had this attitude...

Was he crazy or sick?

"No... it's probably that this Master Yang's strength is unfathomable, so even his dog gets cocky, and the steward acts so arrogantly..."

Mo Hongyi wasn't stupid; he quickly understood and couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Even a four-star master was wary... just how powerful was this Master Yang?

...

Master Hall.

"You say... the teacher addressed Master Su as... 'Little Su'?"

Full of shock, looking at the Elder Zhu who had come to report, Hall Master Jiang couldn't believe it.

"Yes! Not only that, Master Su seemed to be very obedient to Master Yang's words..."

Elder Zhu said.

"Master Su is a dignified four-star master of the Universal Alliance, yet he was respectful to the teacher, and didn't even dare to resist being called 'Little Su'... Could it be that the teacher's strength has surpassed four stars?"

He had long known that the teacher's strength was unfathomable, but Hall Master Jiang had never dreamed it was this formidable.

A four-star master being respectful and calling himself a junior—how strong must he be?

"Only such a powerful master could teach a genius like Zhang Xuan."

After the shock, he couldn't help but sigh.

Master Zhang's talent was obvious to all; he himself certainly couldn't teach him, and only the teacher had that ability.

"By the way, Hall Master, Master Su and the others left Master Zhang's residence and took flying beasts back to the Universal Alliance."

Elder Zhu continued.

"Mm, Master Su and Master Ling are elders of the Universal Alliance's Master Hall; they certainly have many things to do and can't stay here long."

Hall Master Jiang nodded, hesitated for a moment: "Prepare yourselves; we'll go see Master Zhang and the teacher. I expect they won't stay in Tianwu Royal City much longer either."

He also knew something of Master Su and Master Ling's purpose. Now that they had turned and left without any delay, it meant things were mostly settled.

The master competition was three months away, and Master Zhang and the others would likely leave soon.

"Indeed!"

Elder Zhu nodded.

Master Zhang's great talent could no longer be confined to a small place like Tianwu Royal City; he had to go to more glorious places to spread his wings and soar.

...

Both Hall Master Jiang and Elder Zhu could see that Zhang Xuan was indeed considering the matter of leaving.

His current cultivation had reached the peak of Grandmaster, and without more Sovereign-level techniques, it was nearly impossible to break through.

In a place like the Tianwu Kingdom, such techniques were simply not to be found.

He could only go to a higher-level kingdom.

Restoring his original appearance, he returned to the reception hall.

At this moment, Zheng Yang and the others were still kneeling where they had been, having persisted for two days and two nights without a drop of water. Though their bodies trembled and they could barely hold on, their gazes had grown increasingly resolute, devoid of their former frivolity.

The two days and two nights of tempering, as expected, had honed their spirit and steeled their will.

Knowing that the purpose of their punishment had been achieved, Zhang Xuan nodded.

"All of you, rise!"

With a wave of his hand, he took a seat in the room.

Lu Chong, Zhao Ya, and the others also came forward. At this moment, all six students were gathered.

"I am leaving the Tianwu Kingdom for the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance. Those who do not wish to go will not be forced!"

Looking at the crowd, Zhang Xuan said calmly.

It was time for a decision again.

Students were not slaves. If they were willing to follow, he would take them; if not, it meant their缘分 had ended, and there was no need to force it.

"I am willing to follow Teacher!" Zhao Ya stepped forward.

"I am willing too!" Zheng Yang and the others quickly spoke up.

Without Teacher, they would not have their current strength. Of course, they wanted to follow behind Teacher, chasing his footsteps, going further and further.

"Lu Chong, what about you?"

The five students who had come from Tianxuan soon expressed their willingness to follow, never abandoning him. Only Lu Chong stood to one side, saying nothing.

"I said before, this life of mine belongs to Teacher. Naturally, I will follow wherever Teacher goes. But... before that, there are some matters I wish to handle!" Hesitating for a moment, Lu Chong said.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance is no less than several hundred thousand kilometers from here. The journey is long, and once I go, I don't know when I can return. I want to... before leaving, pay respects to my parents and relatives!"

Lu Chong said.

"Paying respects to relatives is only right!" Zhang Xuan agreed.

This journey would take who knows how long. Paying respects to deceased parents and relatives before leaving was only human.

"If there is a chance... I also want to ask Teacher to help retrieve the items left by my ancestors. My strength is still... slightly insufficient!" Lu Chong continued.

Zhang Xuan gave his consent.

What he referred to as the ancestral item should be the handwritten letter from Kong Shi.

This thing was of no use to him, but it had caused the destruction of Lu Chong's family and was left by his ancestors. It was only reasonable to obtain it before leaving.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Lu Chong's eyes were filled with gratitude.

"Since you all wish to follow me, let me also lay down some rules!"

Seeing that everyone wanted to follow, Zhang Xuan looked around, his expression serious.

"The relationship between teacher and student depends on fate. Ordinary students in the academy can leave if they don't want to attend class, and it doesn't matter if they change teachers. But... if you follow me, it's different."

An ordinary teacher-student relationship, though respectful, did not have much binding force.

For instance, the previous Teacher Bai of Lu Chong and the others had taught them for a long time, but changing him would not bring much guilt.

It was the same at the Hongtian Academy back then. Students who thought the teaching was poor often dropped courses or changed teachers.

"Teacher... could it be that you want to accept us as direct disciples?"

Realizing this, Zheng Yang's face flushed with excitement.

Zhao Ya and the others also clenched their fists.

Among students, the status of a direct disciple and a regular student was vastly different, not to be mentioned in the same breath.

A regular student could leave or change teachers; a direct disciple, if doing so, would be betraying the master, and even if killed, no one would dare say anything!

Becoming a direct disciple meant receiving the highest cultivation techniques and the most detailed guidance, and automatically advancing to 'senior brother' among regular students.

Likewise, they had to be loyal to the master, with no second thoughts.

Moreover, becoming a direct disciple was also the teacher's recognition of the student. Without recognition, it was impossible to accept them.

Zhao Ya and the others had previously considered themselves direct disciples, but since Teacher Zhang had never spoken of it, they had felt somewhat disappointed. Now hearing this, they were all ecstatic.

Becoming a direct disciple meant having a true identity.

They could also stand up for Teacher with a clear conscience.

"Indeed. To become my direct disciple, you must abide by several rules: Respect the teacher and revere the Way, obey the teacher's instructions, and never be disobedient."

"Teachings of the master may not be passed on without permission."

"Be magnanimous in conduct, and never bully the weak."

“Uphold integrity as the foundation, and never deceive superiors or delude subordinates."

"Unite with fellow disciples..."

"If you can abide by these rules, you may become my direct disciples. If you cannot, or violate them in the future, I, Zhang Xuan, will personally kill you, and I will not be lenient!"

Standing up with his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan's expression grew stricter with each rule he spoke. By the end, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze.

After these days of assessment, these students, though sometimes appearing reckless, had always deeply respected him in their hearts and dared not disobey in the slightest, meeting the standards for direct disciples.

But... since he was accepting them as direct disciples, rules had to be established.

"We are willing to enter Teacher Zhang's school, become direct disciples, follow the teacher's orders, be loyal without duplicity, and have no regrets unto death!"

Zhao Ya and the others did not hesitate for a moment, kneeling down simultaneously.

"Good!"

Zhang Xuan nodded: "From today, Zhao Ya is the senior sister, Wang Ying is the second senior sister, followed by Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, Yuan Tao, and Lu Chong. The six of you are fellow disciples; love and respect each other, and no internal strife is allowed!"

Although Wang Ying was the first to enter the school, her personality was too weak. Among the group, only Zhao Ya had a sense of propriety and the highest cultivation, making her suitable as the senior sister. Letting Zheng Yang and the others lead would likely cause no end of trouble.

"Yes!"

Everyone nodded.

The ceremony was complete; seniority was confirmed.

...

In the 1736th year of the Tianwu calendar.

Autumn.

Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, Wang Ying, Yuan Tao, and Lu Chong took Zhang Xuan as their master, becoming his direct disciples.