Chapter 895: Challenging the Dean

"Is this the Master Zhang Xuan you mentioned? He looks even younger!"

At the training ground, where many emperors were gathered, Chu Yi raised an eyebrow.

He had learned the news the previous night—the new dean was a twenty-year-old four-star master teacher. Despite being prepared, seeing it with his own eyes still made it hard to believe.

This Master Zhang appeared even younger than imagined.

Had the ten elders gone mad? To let such a green youth become dean?

"Wasn't he personally selected by Master Mu? Where is Master Mu?"

An emperor couldn't help asking.

Everyone looked around but found no trace of him.

"Master Mu had urgent business and seemed to have left last night..." said Yu Shenqing.

"Left last night?" Chu Yi sneered. "I suspect it's not urgent business, but rather an unwillingness to witness this farce!"

In his view, letting a mere twenty-year-old become dean of the Master Teacher Academy was an utter and complete farce.

"Brother Chu, don't jump to conclusions so soon. Once you truly interact with Master Zhang, you might have a different opinion..."

Seeing the man's strong objections, Yu Shenqing knew further explanation was futile and merely offered this remark.

"We'll see..."

Chu Yi flicked his sleeves.

A similar scene unfolded at the Master Teacher Hall. Several hall masters who had arrived, upon seeing the new dean so young, wore grim expressions.

Hearing the murmurs below, Zhang Xuan shook his head and stepped onto the platform.

Such doubts about him becoming dean were inevitable.

"Though Master Zhang is young, he possesses unparalleled talent and ability. After joint selection by Master Mu and us ten elders, he succeeds as the 104th dean of the Master Teacher Academy!"

Ignoring the crowd's chatter, Zhao Bingxu waved his hand and continued, "Now for the first item: the Q&A session. Does anyone have questions for Dean Zhang?"

"I do!"

As soon as the words fell, an old man stood up.

Wu Weitian, hall master of the Hongchi Empire Master Teacher Hall.

Wu Weitian was a peak six-star master teacher, holding high status and prestige among many empires. In the election for the ten elders years ago, he lost to Zhao Bingxu by a single vote; otherwise, the position of dean of the Academy of Artifact Refining would have been his.

"Master Wu, what is your question?"

Zhao Bingxu frowned.

Had it been anyone else, he could have rebuked them for rudeness, but before this man, even he lacked that authority.

"To become dean of the Master Teacher Academy, one must have impressive cultivation; otherwise, how can one command respect?"

Wu Weitian raised an eyebrow, releasing a powerful aura. "I am merely the hall master of the Hongchi Empire Master Teacher Hall, hardly comparable to the dean, yet I wish to challenge the dean's cultivation. I hope you will not begrudge your instruction!"

"Challenge cultivation?"

"This is a blatant slap in the face..."

"Indeed. The lad is only twenty. Even if he started cultivating in the womb, how high could his cultivation be? Hall Master Wu, without a word, challenges his cultivation—utterly不给面子!"

...

Hearing Master Wu's words, the entire crowd erupted in uproar.

For a master teacher, while teaching and nurturing talent were important, without sufficient strength to back it, one could not earn trust.

It was like a Mortal trying to instruct a Saint Domain expert—if one's cultivation wasn't even sufficient, no matter how eloquent the words, who would believe them?

To challenge cultivation right off the bat was a direct slap in the face, leaving no room for courtesy.

"Master Wu, Master Zhang is only at the early stage of the Silkworm Seal Realm—how can he compete with a peak Saint Domain First Layer expert like you..."

Unexpected such a direct challenge, Zhao Bingxu's face darkened, but before he could finish, he saw Master Zhang wave his hand and calmly look over.

"Hall Master Wu, is it? You wish to challenge my cultivation?"

"Indeed. I hope the dean will grant this request!" Wu Weitian sneered coldly.

He intended to put the other in a dilemma.

"I can accept a cultivation challenge, but I'd like to ask first: what is cultivation?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Cultivation is strength, combat ability!" Wu Weitian said.

"Very well. I am a beast tamer. If my beast pet fights, does that count as strength?" Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"A beast pet is tamed by the beast tamer—it is his ability. It counts..." Though unsure why the other asked this, Wu Weitian nodded.

Beast tamers always fought alongside their pets, much like warriors used weapons.

"Since you acknowledge that as my strength..."

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan waved his hand: "Zi, this fellow is yours..."

"Yes!"

With a loud shout, everyone saw a massive sacred beast descend from the sky, its thick claws swiping down.

"What?"

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a Divine Awareness Stage sacred beast, Wu Weitian was slapped into the ground before he could react, spitting blood profusely.

Even when the Purple Yang Beast was at peak Saint Domain First Layer, none of the ten elders could match it. Now that it had broken through to the Divine Awareness Stage, though Wu Weitian was no weakling, he was still far inferior.

"Alright, let me introduce everyone. This is my tamed beast pet!"

Seeing that Zi had slapped the fellow senseless, Zhang Xuan paid no further attention and glanced around calmly.

"Wasn't the Purple Yang Beast the former dean's pet? How did Master Zhang tame it?"

"It seems Senior Zi's strength has grown even greater..."

"A beast pet's strength represents the beast tamer. Since the Purple Yang Beast is Master Zhang's pet, it means he possesses combat power beyond peak Saint Domain First Layer!"

...

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent.

The reason beast tamers were formidable was precisely their pets. With such a powerful pet, who dared claim he lacked strength?

"Taming the Purple Yang Beast does show some ability, but mere strength makes one a brute. To be dean of the academy, one also needs an exceptional mental state. I wish to compete with the dean in mental state. I wonder if the dean will oblige!"

Another voice rang out from the audience.

Zhao Bingxu looked over.

The speaker was Liao Cong, hall master of the Yuanjiang Empire Master Teacher Hall.

This Hall Master Liao was slightly weaker than Wu Weitian in strength, but he was steady and especially skilled in mental state. It was said he had already reached the peak of six-star, at 20.9, and could break through to seven-star master teacher at any moment.

"Compete in mental state?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Indeed!" Hall Master Liao nodded.

With the Purple Yang Beast, a Divine Awareness Stage sacred beast, defeating him through force was nearly impossible. The only way was to use other means to embarrass him.

If successful, the so-called inauguration ceremony would become a joke.

"Alright, how shall we compete?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Simple. We each use Preaching with Heaven's Authority. Whoever can bewitch the other wins..." Hall Master Liao sneered.

"Bewitch?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Let's change the terms. I don't want to bully you..."

His Preaching with Heaven's Authority, combined with the Teacher's Heart, could bewitch even the hundred thousand spirit beasts of Cloud Mist Ridge into instant submission. What confidence did a mere six-star master teacher have?

"You..."

Hall Master Liao staggered, nearly fuming with rage.

I, a dignified peak six-star master teacher with a mental state of 20.9, challenge you, and you say you don't want to bully me?

Preposterous!

"What, afraid?"

Hall Master Liao gritted his teeth.

"Since you're so insistent, a match is fine. How about this: that Hall Master Wu is injured. First, save him..."

With a flicker in his eyes, Zhang Xuan's voice carried a special resonance.

"Yes..." Hall Master Liao paused, then hurried over, channeling true energy, and with a grab, pulled Hall Master Wu out of the ground. Just as he finished, he suddenly froze.

He had done as the other said—clearly, he had been bewitched.

"You..."

His face dark, he was about to speak when he heard the youth on the platform calmly look over: "You have some issues with your cultivation. Lately, have you been feeling a dry throat and a dull ache at the Huyang acupoint? Slap yourself twice—it can resolve it..."

"Slap himself?"

"Would Hall Master Liao be that foolish?"

"This is obviously intentional..."

...

Hearing this, the hundred thousand teachers and students were stunned. Just as they wondered what Hall Master Liao would do, they saw him hesitate, then, under the disbelieving gaze of the crowd, slap his own face hard.

Slap! Slap!

Two consecutive slaps, each harder than the last, and soon his mouth was full of blood.

"Now do a handstand and let your true energy flow downward." Ignoring the crowd's astonishment, Zhang Xuan continued.

Without hesitation, Hall Master Liao performed a handstand. After a few breaths, his face became swollen.

"What's going on?"

"Could it be... Preaching with Heaven's Authority?"

"Even with Preaching with Heaven's Authority, it's impossible to make a hall master slap himself and do handstands on command, right?"

"I don't know, but I do know that in this mental state competition, Hall Master Liao has clearly lost—and lost thoroughly."

...

Seeing Hall Master Liao, who moments ago had sworn to embarrass Zhang Xuan, now slapping himself and doing handstands, everyone was bewildered, unable to explain.

All were master teachers with the ability of Preaching with Heaven's Authority, but to make someone harm themselves and assume bizarre postures with a single sentence was utterly impossible.

This had transcended the limits of Preaching with Heaven's Authority!

"Unless... Master Zhang wasn't playing with him, but spoke without any error, leaving Hall Master Liao no room to refute, and his body involuntarily obeyed..."

A six-star master teacher couldn't help saying.

Although Preaching with Heaven's Authority could briefly control a master teacher's body, it required uttering the most correct words, in accord with the Dao.

The other had made Hall Master Liao do these things. Though the reason was unknown, there must be no mistake; otherwise, even if Master Zhang's mental state were higher than Hall Master Liao's, the latter could not have obeyed without any resistance.

Pfft!

After a moment, under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Hall Master Liao spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. Then he stood up, looked again at the platform, and quickly clasped his hands. His eyes no longer held any doubt, but were filled with deep admiration.

"Master Zhang, I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace, Liao Cong will never forget it..."