Chapter 898: The Shocking of the Master Teacher Academy (Part 2)

"Didn't they say they negotiated with the other side, and there would be no more beast tides? How could this happen?"

"So many spirit beasts and holy beasts surrounding us—we can't hold them off!"

"We're done for!"

"This is probably the biggest crisis since the founding of the Master Teacher Academy, even greater than the crisis encountered four thousand years ago when Dean Mo Liuzhen was in office..."

After a long while, the crowd finally spoke in hoarse voices.

With so many holy beasts and spirit beasts pouring out, even if the Master Teacher Academy ultimately prevailed, it would surely be a pyrrhic victory!

Of the hundred thousand students, no more than a third would survive.

If it came to that, it would definitely go down in history!

Having just sworn that no beast tide would occur again, this situation arose. Even if this new dean succeeded in his inauguration, he would have no deterrent power and would instead become a laughingstock for the whole world!

"From his performance just now, it's clear that this Master Zhang does have some skill, but faced with this, no one can turn the tide. We can only blame his bad luck!"

said an emperor.

"Indeed! No matter how he handles it, no matter how well he does, minimizing casualties... it's useless! Being besieged by so many spirit beasts during the inauguration ceremony, no matter what he does, he will become the most failed dean in the history of the Master Teacher Academy, without exception!"

Chu Yi also shook his head, looking at Zhang Xuan on the stage with sympathy.

Through what had just happened, he had developed some admiration for the young new dean, but unfortunately, fate played tricks. No matter how brilliant a genius, faced with so many holy beasts and spirit beasts, there was nothing he could do.

Just as he was sighing and wondering how the other party would solve this problem, he heard the surrounding noise suddenly stop, and everyone's breathing became rapid, as if something major had happened.

"What's wrong?" Frowning, he looked at Yu Shenqing not far away.

"See for yourself!" Pale-faced, the emperor of Hongyuan Empire did not answer but pointed upward.

"See what?"

Startled, Chu Yi quickly looked up. With just one glance, his pupils involuntarily contracted, his body stiffened, and his throat went dry: "Th-this... what is this?"

Not just him, all the teachers and students of the entire academy fell silent at once, as if they had seen a ghost.

Zhao Bingxu also looked up and saw that the many holy beasts and spirit beasts flying in the sky had, at some unknown time, changed formation. From afar, they had formed a line of large characters in the air, blotting out the sky and covering the sun, stretching for dozens of miles, majestic in scale!

The characters were vigorous and graceful, with strokes like silver hooks and iron paintings, like the ink treasures left by a calligraphy master, carrying a special charm.

"Congratulations to the master for becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy, with outstanding merits that will be remembered for eternity... Could it be that they... they are not here to cause trouble or oppose us, but to congratulate?"

Reading the words above, Chu Yi's voice was hollow, and he was completely stunned.

He had thought that with so many spirit beasts and holy beasts surrounding them, they would inevitably launch a fierce attack or take the opportunity to demand benefits... He never dreamed that instead of doing any of that, they had formed characters to offer congratulations.

What was going on?

Boom!

Before his doubts could subside, the three kings of Cloud Mist Ridge suddenly clasped their fists simultaneously, facing Zhang Xuan on the high platform, and bowed deeply: "Green Bamboo Earth Dragon, White Ear Beast, Iron Scale Beast congratulate the master on becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy. We have specially prepared one hundred and three thousand two hundred catties of Cloud Mist Flower Tea as a congratulatory gift!"

Whoosh!

As the words ended, thirty half-sage-level flying spirit beasts flew over, each clutching a huge box in their claws. They slowly placed them on the high platform and gently opened them.

Hum!

Instantly, the fragrance of tea filled the air. Clusters of mist rose from the boxes, colorful and dazzling, making the entire high platform seem dreamlike, like a fairyland.

"This is..."

Yu Shenqing's eyes bulged as if they would pop out, and his lips trembled: "Supreme-grade Cloud Mist Flower Tea?"

"Cloud Mist Flower Tea? The kind you gave us?"

Chu Yi couldn't help asking.

As the emperor of a neighboring empire, he had also enjoyed Cloud Mist Flower Tea, but in extremely small quantities. Even with his esteemed status, he had only drunk it a few times.

Even so, the taste and texture were unforgettable for a lifetime.

Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

"The kind I gave you?"

Yu Shenqing shook his head: "You're overthinking it. What I gave you was only the lowest ordinary grade. Compared to this, it's worse than garbage!"

"W-worse than garbage?"

Chu Yi and the other emperors' faces instantly turned ashen.

"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I deliberately gave you inferior tea, but this grade of Cloud Mist Flower Tea... even our imperial palace doesn't have it!"

Seeing their expressions, knowing they must have misunderstood, Yu Shenqing quickly explained.

"Doesn't have it?" The others were stunned.

The most powerful person in the Hongyuan Empire also lacked something?

"Such Cloud Mist Flower Tea comes from plants that have lived at least two hundred years, then refined with earthly vein spiritual liquid and roasted for a full three years before completion... The tea leaves in our imperial palace are no more than three years old, the worst kind..."

Yu Shenqing smiled bitterly.

Both were Cloud Mist Flower Tea, but what the other party brought out was truly tea; theirs was probably worse than grass roots.

"Such rare tea that even your imperial palace can't produce, these holy beasts actually... actually sent a hundred thousand catties as a congratulatory gift?"

Chu Yi and the other emperors exchanged glances, each feeling their throats tighten, unable to speak.

They knew the price of Cloud Mist Flower Tea. Even the most ordinary kind Yu Shenqing mentioned was priceless, hard to buy even for ten thousand gold!

Sending a hundred thousand catties as a gift...

This was far too generous!

Before their shock subsided, a hearty laugh rang out again, shaking the entire academy with intense echoes.

"Red Flame Lion, Ironback Bear, Tiger Head Beast also congratulate the master on becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy. We have specially prepared thirty boxes of spiritual and holy medicines as a congratulatory gift!"

Whoosh!

As the voice ended, ten Red Flame Lions, ten Ironback Bears, and ten Tiger Head Beasts walked side by side, each carrying a two-meter-square box on their backs. They placed them on the high platform and gently opened them, instantly releasing a fragrance of medicine that spread for ten miles.

"These are... Minghua Holy Medicine, Hongye Holy Medicine, Caiju Holy Medicine... So many holy medicines—even if you searched the entire Physician Academy, you couldn't find them!"

"Not just the Physician Academy. Besides holy medicines, there are also Qingye Huagen, Piaoxiang Ye, Muxu Lingcao... These spiritual medicines are each extremely rare. I suspect even the great medicine king of the Hongyuan Empire doesn't have them!"

"Look, isn't that Qianjin Hua? I spent a full ten years traveling through twenty first-class empires and couldn't buy a single plant. Here... there's half a box?"

"Linglong Shixin Cao? This herb, when made into wine, can make people intoxicated, even forget their beloved... Extremely rare. When I was young, to forget a relationship, I searched for three years and only found a three-month-old one. These are... hundreds of years old?"

...

Seeing the various herbs in the boxes, the many master teachers from the Alchemy Academy and Physician Academy were going crazy.

Each of these herbs was extremely valuable, hard to find even for ten thousand gold. The other party had brought out thirty boxes at once, each with sufficient age...

Just as a congratulatory gift...

Had they emptied the entire Cloud Mist Ridge?

"Iron Tooth Wolf, Green Nose Elephant, Red Fire Ape also congratulate the master on becoming the dean of the Master Teacher Academy. We have specially prepared thirty boxes of various ores as a congratulatory gift!"

Whoosh!

Before the shock of the thirty boxes of spiritual and holy medicines had fully settled, the last three kings stepped forward, their deep voices ringing out.

Rumble!

Ten Iron Tooth Wolves, ten Green Nose Elephants, and ten Red Fire Apes also came to the high platform, each opening the boxes on their backs.

Hum!

Spiritual energy surged, colors dazzling.

Various rare ores, treasures many had heard of but never seen, appeared before everyone's eyes.

"This should be... Qinghen Iron? It's said to be harder than profound iron. When forged into weapons, it naturally has a cyan pattern, extremely sharp, and blood doesn't stick... Countless people seek an ounce but can't get it. This box alone must weigh dozens of tons?"

"I see Blood Seal Ore. Smearing this on weapons can easily melt even the hardest steel into liquid... When I went to the Artificer Guild to buy it, my rank was too low, so I wasn't qualified... They gave Master Zhang a whole box?"

"Those are diamonds. With proper carving, they can become the most beautiful gems... Even if they're not as valuable as the others, they don't need to be sent by the boxful!"

"Could these be Snow Accumulation Stones? Naturally cold, wearing them can double the efficiency of cultivators with cold attributes..."

...

As soon as these ores appeared, all the master teachers from the Artificer Academy went crazy.

As artificers, they recognized all kinds of ores and knew their value. The thirty boxes before them, combined, were worth more than the entire Master Teacher Academy, or even the Hongyuan Empire's imperial treasury!

And now they were just a congratulatory gift for Master Zhang becoming dean!

"Zhu Chenqing, didn't you say they signed some unequal agreement, and our Master Teacher Academy paid a huge compensation to get the spirit beasts of Cloud Mist Mountain to withdraw?"

"Yeah, even if we turned the Master Teacher Academy upside down, we couldn't come up with these things!"

"And the key is... they brought them here!"

...

The many students who had stood up earlier all turned to look at Zhu Chenqing.

Earlier, this guy had said that to ensure the new master teacher's inauguration went smoothly, the academy had paid an unknown amount of compensation, humiliating the academy... That was why they had been indignant and followed him to question.

But the scene before them showed that the many holy beasts and spirit beasts of Cloud Mist Ridge not only didn't demand anything but came to give gifts—and such valuable ones!

Seeing this, even the stupidest person knew that the so-called treasure compensation and humiliation of the academy were definitely false...

"I, I... how should I know?"

Trembling, Zhu Chenqing was so frustrated he could cry.

Going to the enemy's lair to negotiate—anyone would think that the weak party would do that, and the negotiated terms would inevitably be humiliating and disgraceful...

Who could have imagined the negotiation would be so grand, so high-profile?

So maddening and crazy...

Damn it!

Was this really a negotiation, or a robbery?