Chapter 900: How About I Beat You Up?

Every generation of deans left behind their consciousness. Even if the previous old dean had gone missing and was still unaccounted for, things passed down to later generations should still be stored in the academy!

How could there be none?

"The old dean... didn't have enough merit and went missing before he could go to the [Dean's Mausoleum]. Naturally, he left no consciousness..."

Seeing his confusion, Zhao Bingxu transmitted his voice.

"Merit?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

"Every master teacher, according to the records of the Master Teacher Hall, can accumulate merit... and only when a certain amount is reached can the Dean's Mausoleum be opened!"

"The more beneficial deeds one does for the human race, the greater the merit! Teaching, enabling more students to progress, is merit; slaying alien creatures and eliminating hidden dangers is merit; creating new techniques and martial arts, passing them on to others, and strengthening the human race is also merit..."

Seeing that he didn't understand, Zhao Bingxu smiled: "The dean reclaimed the many spirit beasts and holy beasts of Cloud Mist Ridge, averting a great disaster. That alone is a great merit. Not to mention other things, this one item is enough to open the Dean's Mausoleum!"

Cloud Mist Ridge had always been a hidden danger for the Master Teacher Academy. Over a hundred deans had failed to completely resolve it. The one before him not only resolved it but left no lingering issues. His merit was immense, slightly less than the founding dean, but certainly enough to be remembered through the ages and leave a lasting legacy.

"My merit is enough?" Zhang Xuan was stunned, his face blank.

"Yes!" Zhao Bingxu nodded with a wry smile.

Other deans, to earn merit, worked tirelessly and diligently, doing all kinds of beneficial things for humanity, yet they could hardly accumulate much.

But the one before him was probably the only dean in history who didn't even know what merit was, yet had enough of it.

If the deans of past generations knew about this, they might just spit blood.

The gap between people was truly too vast.

Unaware of the other's thoughts, Zhang Xuan continued to ask: "Then what is the Dean's Mausoleum..."

"The Dean's Mausoleum is a place to nurture the consciousness of deans. After death, their bodies are also buried there. In other words, it is the resting place of all past deans of the Master Teacher Academy."

"So it's a dean's cemetery..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

From the other's tone, even the dean's cemetery was not accessible to every dean; merit was required.

"This cemetery must have something special..."

Zhang Xuan looked over with doubt.

If it were just an ordinary cemetery, anyone who became dean would be eligible to enter. But since there were requirements, it couldn't be as simple as imagined.

Before he could finish, he saw the many dean consciousnesses not far away all look over.

"Are you the current dean?" A dignified voice rang out.

The speaker was the academy's founding master teacher, Mu Kai.

His eyes did not show any contempt due to Zhang Xuan's youth; instead, they were gentle and cultured, with a hint of appreciation.

"To be so young and yet recognized by so many students and elders, you must have exceptional qualities."

The founder of a master teacher academy naturally had insight beyond ordinary people.

Others only saw Zhang Xuan's youth and inability to bear heavy responsibilities, but this founding ancestor saw his potential.

To be so young and able to earn the admiration of many teachers and students, initiating the ancestor-invoking ceremony—how could he be simple?

"Even with the array sustaining us, the time we can appear here is limited. Use three sentences to introduce yourself and showcase your strengths and abilities. After three sentences... we will judge whether to recognize you based on what you say."

Mu Kai spoke with a smile, continuing.

"Three sentences?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He had thought it would be like the Master Teacher Hall, requiring kneeling and receiving recognition, but now it seemed not so simple.

Being allowed to speak actually made it harder.

It represented a test from the many predecessors, and he absolutely could not speak carelessly.

Just as he was thinking about how to respond, he heard Zhao Bingxu's voice transmission.

"Dean, you must consider carefully how to speak. The more recognition you gain from the ancestors' consciousness, the greater the authority you will have after becoming dean."

"Authority?"

"Yes. Although some places cannot be entered or controlled even by the dean, sufficient authority is required."

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded, understanding.

The dean was merely a master teacher elected by the teachers and students to temporarily manage all affairs, not the master of the academy, so naturally there was such a thing as authority.

The greater the authority, the stronger the control over the academy.

"Gaining recognition from twenty percent of the ancestors qualifies you to succeed as dean and obtain the academy's initial authority. Forty percent gives intermediate authority. Sixty percent, high authority. Over eighty percent grants the highest authority, allowing you to mobilize all the academy's arrays, view the most secret books, and even enter the Dean's Mausoleum freely without merit."

"View the most secret books?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

The reason he agreed to become dean was to read books. From the other's tone, with authority restrictions, if he didn't reach a certain level, there would definitely be some books he couldn't see.

In that case, why not strive for the highest authority?

However, to achieve this, he had to attract all the dean consciousnesses within three sentences and make them acknowledge him.

This was not as easy as imagined.

Although the founding ancestor Mu Kai praised his youth, not all predecessors thought the same way.

After all, his age, cultivation, and master teacher rank were not outstanding and fell far short compared to others.

To change their minds within three sentences was difficult!

"How much recognition did the previous old dean get?" he couldn't help asking.

"When the old dean succeeded, he was at the peak of Six-Star Master Teacher, just meeting the standard, and only got twenty-two percent recognition, barely passing!"

Zhao Bingxu transmitted.

"Throughout history, obtaining initial authority was relatively easy for deans, intermediate was a bit harder. Looking at history, among over a hundred deans, no more than thirty obtained intermediate authority. Fewer than ten obtained high authority. As for the highest authority, perhaps only the founding ancestor himself achieved it!"

"Only one?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

It seemed more complicated than he thought.

To get all the strong deans who had served to fully recognize and sincerely praise him was indeed very difficult.

Hearts are like faces; what you see as perfect might be most detestable in another's eyes.

For example, some master teachers were proficient in a dozen auxiliary subjects, each reaching deep levels. Logically, they should earn much respect and admiration.

But many also believed that master teachers should focus more on teaching and educating; the more auxiliary subjects, the less effort spent on education, making them unworthy of respect.

"Yes! Gaining recognition becomes harder as the number of deans increases. Now, with over a hundred deans, obtaining higher authority is increasingly difficult!" Zhao Bingxu continued.

Getting one or two people to recognize you was relatively easy—just perform well enough. But getting over a hundred people to simultaneously have a favorable impression was hard.

So the choice of three sentences was crucial.

What should he say?

Zhang Xuan pondered.

...

The many master teachers below, upon hearing Mu Kai's ancestor's request, also realized the difficulty. They looked at the high platform with anxious eyes.

"What do you think Teacher Zhang will say?" a student couldn't help asking a friend beside him.

"Teacher Zhang is a great talent. It's hard to guess what he'll say, but with his ability, getting the ancestors' recognition shouldn't be a problem!" His friend was a fervent fan of Zhang Xuan, full of confidence in the new dean.

"It might not be that easy. The brilliant Dean Mo Yanqing of yesteryear reportedly only got seventy-one percent recognition. Although Teacher Zhang's talent is not inferior to his, it hasn't been fully revealed yet. Give him a few decades, and he might easily surpass him, but now, I'm afraid it won't be so easy!" said a master teacher well-versed in the academy's history.

"Indeed, it's definitely not easy. I heard that the previous old dean's performance in the ancestor-invoking ceremony was not high, not even exceeding twenty-five percent." Another student said.

The old dean's ability to tame the Purple Yang Beast and successfully break through to Seven-Star Master Teacher fully demonstrated his talent and capability.

Such a strong person only got less than twenty-five percent recognition, showing how difficult this matter was.

"To gain recognition involves many aspects: strength, affinity, and luck are all indispensable. Three sentences can hardly showcase a person's ability. It depends on how Teacher Zhang handles it! If he speaks well, he may gain unexpected rewards; if not, he'll probably just barely pass!"

An elder who heard their conversation shook his head and suddenly pointed forward: "Look, Teacher Zhang is about to speak!"

Everyone looked at the high platform and indeed saw Zhang Xuan raise his head, his eyes shining as he looked at the over a hundred ancestors' consciousnesses.

The voice transmission with Zhao Bingxu and the discussions among the master teachers seemed long but actually took only about ten breaths.

Seeing that the new dean had made his decision so quickly and was about to speak, everyone held their breath, unable to suppress their curiosity.

Zhao Bingxu also stroked his beard and looked over.

He had said all he needed to say. He wanted to see once again how this Teacher Zhang would create a miracle and impress everyone.

"My name is Zhang Xuan!"

Zhang Xuan smiled and first introduced himself.

Hearing this, the many dean consciousnesses nodded simultaneously.

Although it wasted one sentence, it showed respect for them and stated his identity—proper and moderate, without any arrogance of youthful success.

It also displayed immense confidence without any anxiety. It seemed this young dean was not simple!

Just as the many dean consciousnesses were quite satisfied with his first sentence, they saw the young man opposite scratch his head awkwardly, looking embarrassed.

"Well... since you are all past deans of the Master Teacher Academy, you should be broad-minded and magnanimous... Let me discuss something with you: how about I beat you up?"

"Beat us up?"

The many master teachers and elders, who had been straining their ears to hear what he would say, were all stunned.