Chapter 921: Zhang Xuan's Lofty Stature

Upon hearing the order, Purple Sun Beast shook its body and dove straight down, arriving at the outer edge of the square in front of the Alliance in the blink of an eye.

It was here that the grand competition had once been held, where he had competed against the geniuses of over twenty first-rank kingdoms to earn a spot in the Master Teacher Academy. Although only a few months had passed, recalling it now felt like a lifetime ago.

Back then, he was young and spirited, wielding his pen with boldness, his momentum soaring to the heavens, unmatched by anyone… Now, he was clearly much more composed.

"Teacher came from here?" Looking at the vast square before her, Luo Qiqi was full of curiosity.

In her eyes, her teacher was a figure of unparalleled talent, and even among the younger generation of sage clans, very few could rival him.

That such a person did not come from a great family but from a small place like this was truly hard to believe.

Though the square appeared spacious, compared to the sacred mountains and spiritual lands of true sage clans, it was far too inferior, not even on the same level.

Not to mention other things, the concentration of spiritual energy here was simply too poor, extremely thin. A month of accumulation at the Master Teacher Academy would probably surpass a year of cultivation here.

Knowing what she was thinking, Zhang Xuan smiled but did not reply.

Without the Library of Heaven's Path, he might have remained mediocre, growing old and dying in the Tianxuan Kingdom.

But… there was no 'if.' Their fates had changed, and they could only move forward step by step, unable to retreat.

Leaving Purple Sun Beast to wait in the air, Zhang Xuan and the others walked along the street toward the square.

At this moment, the square was packed with people. Countless cultivators stood in place, all gazing straight ahead, where a massive stone statue was being slowly erected.

"What's this?" Zhang Xuan was full of confusion.

This square, near the Alliance Lord's Mansion and the Master Teacher Hall of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, was usually very quiet. Why were so many people gathered here? And what was going on?

"Look, that's Teacher Zhang!"

"Indeed, he is elegant and distinguished, with extraordinary bearing!"

"Of course, Teacher Zhang is my idol. My greatest goal in life is to reach even one ten-thousandth of his level."

"Not just you; everyone here takes Teacher Zhang as their idol!"

"Yes! I heard Teacher Zhang went to the Master Teacher Academy. I wonder when he'll come back to give us another lesson…"

"Being able to attend his class is something countless people dream of. Don't even think about it—you didn't come last time, did you?"

"As if you came either… You weren't there either, were you?"

…

Before they even reached the square, they heard the crowd buzzing with discussion. Countless young people, both men and women, looked toward the center of the square, their eyes excited and full of admiration.

"Excuse me… Who is this 'Teacher Zhang' you're talking about?"

Hearing the crowd's chatter and keywords like 'Master Teacher Academy,' Luo Qiqi couldn't help but step forward, approach a young man, and ask.

"You don't even know Teacher Zhang? How can you be so ignorant…"

The young man was about to scold someone for not knowing Teacher Zhang's name, but when he saw Luo Qiqi's face, he stopped, blushed bright red, and became flustered: "You're asking? Teacher Zhang, his given name is 'Xuan,' the greatest master teacher in the history of our Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance…"

Luo Qiqi's beauty could captivate countless men anywhere. To still be able to speak upon seeing her showed that this young man had considerable composure.

"Xuan? The 'xuan' that means 'to hang'?"

Hearing that they were talking about him, Zhang Xuan's face was full of amusement. After the other confirmed it, he couldn't help but ask: "Zhang Xuan, he… when did he become your idol?"

He had been gone for months. Why were they talking about him?

And idol, greatest master teacher… What was going on?

"How dare you! To speak Teacher Zhang's name directly and utter such disrespectful words, who gave you the nerve?"

Just as he was about to continue asking to understand what was happening, a loud shout rang out.

Then they saw an arrogant young man approaching.

Around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in luxurious clothes, he exuded a strong aura as he walked, clearly of high status.

His appearance, coupled with his loud voice, drew the attention of many, who looked over. At first glance at Zhang Xuan, they were captivated by the four beauties beside him.

Yu Fei'er, Luo Qiqi, Hu Yaoyao, Dong Xin… each was a stunning beauty. Four appearing together with one young man would strike anyone as strange.

"Eighth Prince is always a flirt. Seeing so many beauties, he must want to show off in front of them!"

"He's asking for trouble. To dare speak Teacher Zhang's name directly… quite bold!"

"Teacher Zhang is the idol of countless young people in the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, especially this Eighth Prince, who has made him his lifelong goal… And he says 'the xuan that means to hang'… Hang your sister! He really can't talk; he deserves what's coming!"

"He's asking for death; no one else is to blame!"

Those who knew the situation all sneered, waiting to see the fun.

This young man was the eighth son of Alliance Lord Zhao of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, Zhao Feiwu's younger brother, only sixteen years old.

Though young, his reputation was not good.

He was lustful, arrogant, conceited, and behaved badly…

However, a few months ago, his behavior had changed. It was said that after being disciplined by his sister, he vowed to take Teacher Zhang as his role model, train hard, and strive to become a strong man like him… Because of his admiration, he hated it most when others spoke ill of him.

This guy directly asked if it was 'the xuan that means to hang'… That was simply disrespectful to Teacher Zhang. No wonder the prince was angry, especially with so many beauties around. It would be strange if he gave a good face.

"Wait… Don't you think this young man looks familiar?"

Some people were discussing, while others found it strange. The young man surrounded by the four beauties looked somewhat familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before.

"I also think he looks familiar, but I can't recall where…"

With that said, voices of agreement arose in the crowd, and many furrowed their brows.

"Disrespectful? How so? Can't the name 'Zhang Xuan' be spoken?" Zhang Xuan was amused and couldn't help shaking his head.

Calling his own name had become taboo, which made him laugh and cry.

"Of course not! Normally, your rudeness might be overlooked, but do you know what day it is today?" The young man narrowed his eyes.

"What day?" Zhang Xuan was even more puzzled.

Not only could he not say his own name, but the day also had significance.

"Today is the day Teacher Zhang's statue is erected! As a subject of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, not knowing this—how improper!"

Hearing that he didn't even know what day it was, the young man exploded with rage.

Others were also puzzled. Even if he didn't know the day, he could see the crowd in the square! Such a grand event of the Alliance, and he claimed not to know—was this deliberate contempt or dissatisfaction with the Alliance?

"Teacher Zhang's statue erected?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned, then looked toward the statue he had seen earlier.

He had only glanced at it before and hadn't paid attention. Now, looking closely, he saw the statue wearing a master teacher's robe, one hand behind its back, the other holding a brush, its gaze looking up to the heavens as if piercing through time and跨越 millennia, exuding an awe-inspiring浩然之气.

Beneath it was a phoenix, straddled, with wings spread, giving the impression that it could break through the air at any moment and soar through the nine heavens.

"That's me?"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched, the corners of his mouth twitched, and his face contorted: "It's… too damn ugly!"

The statue in the middle of the square was tall, finely carved, and made of rare materials. From any angle, it was quite good, clearly the work of a master sculptor…

But it had subtle differences from his appearance, especially in temperament. It was too majestic, too elegant and spirited, with soaring aura, making it seem less like him.

And the phoenix—when had he ever ridden such a thing? He had never tamed a spirit beast or sacred beast of that kind either?

He had tamed many savage beasts, spirit beasts, and sacred beasts, but the closest was the Green Eagle Beast, which only resembled an eagle, with nothing to do with a phoenix!

Sitting cross-legged on a phoenix's back, soaring into the sky, so majestic, so flashy—was that really him?

How could he find it so hard to believe?

If the other hadn't said it was him, he wouldn't have imagined it even after staring for a day.

When had he become so lofty and imposing?

Was this carved to the standard of Teacher Kong?

Otherwise, what was with that compassionate, benevolent look in the eyes… What the hell?

Not just him; Luo Qiqi and the others also had twitching eyelids when they saw the statue. Especially Hu Yaoyao—while others revered this Teacher Zhang, she had personally experienced his prowess.

A guy who would cheat people to death without blinking, and the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance had carved such a lofty statue of him. The key point was that the temperament and demeanor were far too different from the real person!

"As far as I know, this Teacher Zhang shouldn't be dead yet, so why erect a statue?"

Putting aside his frustration, Zhang Xuan said.

Erecting statues and building ancestral halls were things done after death. He was still alive and well—why do this?

"You dare curse Teacher Zhang?"

Hearing this, the young man trembled with anger: "Teacher Zhang gave a lecture that benefited millions in the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, and they all respectfully call him teacher… What's wrong with erecting a statue for him to worship at all times?"

"Lecture?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned, then recalled that after the grand competition of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, he had given a lesson, and at the end, he had taken out a brush, drawn a phoenix, sat on it, and flown away…

Could it be that the statue was carved from that scene?

If so, he had indeed ridden a phoenix, but at the time, it was just for show, to make an impression. He hadn't expected the Alliance to take it seriously and carve him like this, to be worshipped at all times…

Wasn't this too childish?

Zhang Xuan was full of conflict.

Telling these people that he wasn't so lofty would be like slapping their faces; not saying it made him feel somewhat ashamed.

Thinking about it, it was really hard to decide!