Chapter 954: Believe in Zhang Xuan

"Dean of the Master Teacher Academy?"

Boom!

Hearing that a human, and a dean at that, had infiltrated their ranks and was impersonating a clansman, Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King's faces darkened simultaneously. Their power exploded outward like hawks poised to strike, ready to erupt at any moment.

They had suspected his identity before; if he truly was a master teacher, there was no need for deliberation—he must be killed immediately.

"Yes, I am Dean Zhang. They are about to deal with me too. Now can you believe me? If you don't speak up about that matter, do you intend to take the secret to your grave?"

Ignoring the two who were ready to act at any moment, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Dean Lu Feng.

"That matter?"

Lu Feng was taken aback.

From the moment this fellow arrived, he had been saying he wanted to rescue them, but he hadn't mentioned anything about a matter!

"Let me introduce you!"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Zhang Xuan stopped pressing him and turned to face Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King, smiling. "This is the acting dean of the Master Teacher Academy, a half-step七星 master teacher, Lu Feng..."

"Acting dean?"

Exchanging glances, Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King frowned again.

"Indeed, I am Lu Feng. Kill me if you will; don't dream of getting anything out of me!" Lu Feng straightened his posture, chin raised, radiating righteousness.

"Why would the acting dean of the Master Teacher Academy come here?"

Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King found it strange.

"Kill you? Why would I kill you? I'm here to save you! Didn't I tell you? I really am your dean. Please believe me..."

Zhang Xuan's face was full of sincerity.

"Haha! Indeed, I can testify that he is your dean!"

"I can testify too. We suspected his identity earlier, and now it's confirmed..."

Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King exchanged glances, suddenly understanding, and burst into laughter.

They had heard of the master teachers' unyielding character. This clansman was probably impersonating their dean to gain trust and extract more secrets.

Dean of the academy? Bah!

Could a dean look like this? Have such pure killing qi?

What a joke!

A dean was far too precious; why would he come to the underground cavern and this place? Wasn't that just asking for death?

Most importantly, this Lu Feng was a dignified acting dean, so principled—how could he betray his own leader and deliberately reveal his identity to them?

Clearly, he was trying to sow discord between them.

Did they think such a petty trick could fool them? Too naive! They were kings; such a cheap ploy was laughable!

"See? They're testifying for me too..." Hearing their words, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and smiled.

Given the situation, no matter how he explained, the other party wouldn't believe him. So instead of explaining, he simply admitted it.

This way, it would only make them more suspicious and... let them fill in the gaps themselves.

And Lu Feng's sensitive identity, combined with this, would give them plenty to ponder.

For now, the effect seemed good.

"Hmph, you expect me to believe you? Dream on..." Unaware that he had been used to defuse the crisis, Lu Feng was still grinding his teeth in anger.

"Alas, I've revealed my identity, but you still won't believe me. Why are you so stubborn?"

With a wry smile, Zhang Xuan made a helpless gesture toward the two kings not far away.

"In my opinion, why bother trying to cozy up to him? Just tie him to a fire and roast him until his skin splits, then throw him into an ice cave. Repeat a few times, and he'll talk!"

Raising an eyebrow, Green Leaf King snorted.

"Yes, this kind of wretch deserves heavy torture. All that talk of backbone and integrity is fake in my eyes. Give him a few days of harsh treatment, and he'll obediently spill everything!"

Golden Leaf King nodded as well.

"Hmm, if it really comes to that, I'll use your methods..."

Waving his hand, Zhang Xuan's eyes flickered. "But for now, I have other means to use. You two should step out first..."

"Alright!"

Green Leaf King and Golden Leaf King nodded simultaneously and withdrew.

Creak!

The door closed, leaving only Zhang Xuan and the master teachers.

"Kill us or flay us if you will, but don't expect to extract any secrets from us!"

"That's right, we've lived long enough anyway. Death is no big deal!"

"Dream on if you think you can make us master teachers submit to you alien clansmen!"

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was about to interrogate them, the master teachers stiffened their necks, each displaying a lofty spirit.

A master teacher could die but never surrender!

This was the principle they held in their hearts, the dignity of their lives.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

There was nothing wrong with the master teachers acting this way, but he had truly come to save them!

After a moment's hesitation, he sighed. "I know none of you believe me, but if you stay here, there's only one outcome: death or torture worse than death. If you follow me, I'll take you away from here. As for whether I am Zhang Xuan, the dean of the Master Teacher Academy, we can discuss that in detail once we leave!"

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, so different from the ferocity of the alien clansmen, the master teachers exchanged glances, each filled with doubt.

"If I wanted to kill you, given your current state, who could stop me? If I wanted to interrogate you, I'm already the dean... What secrets could you possibly have that would be worth all this trouble?"

Seeing their resolve waver, Zhang Xuan continued.

"This..." The crowd fell silent. Even the hostile Lu Feng opened his mouth several times but made no sound.

What the other said was true. If he really wanted to kill them, he wouldn't need to waste so many words. If he wanted information, he would have interrogated them directly. Since he was doing neither, could it be that he truly intended to save them?

"If you don't believe me, you should at least recognize this!" Seeing their hesitation, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and flipped his wrist, revealing a token in his palm.

The Dean's Token!

"This is a perfect-grade Dean's Token. How is that possible..." Seeing the token, Lu Feng was stunned.

As the acting dean of the Master Teacher Academy, he knew the grades of Dean's Tokens well. A perfect-grade token meant it had been recognized by all teachers and students—something unprecedented in history. How could it be?

"What does a perfect-grade Dean's Token mean?"

The others didn't understand and looked at him.

After a pause, Lu Feng explained the situation.

"A Dean's Token recognized by all teachers and students of the Master Teacher Academy?"

"If he has that, it means he truly is the dean. Even the predecessors and all the teachers and students believe in him—why shouldn't we?"

"Could he have killed Dean Zhang Xuan and taken the token?"

"That's impossible. The Dean's Token is formed from the collective will of all teachers and students. If the dean is killed, the will would dissipate, and the killer would even suffer backlash."

...

After hearing the explanation, everyone turned to look at Zhang Xuan. Though still full of doubt, their resistance had lessened.

"Time is of the essence, and I can't explain further. If you trust me, don't resist, and I'll take you out of here!"

Seeing that their hostility had diminished, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief and continued, "We only have one chance. Only by surviving can we kill more alien clansmen and protect humanity. Dying a heroic death would not only be useless but would also provide nourishment for the alien clansmen. They might even use your blood as a catalyst to summon more of their kind!"

"This..." Hearing this, everyone's faces tightened.

He was right. They had heard the earlier conversation; the reason they weren't killed was to use them in a ritual to break the seal and summon stronger alien clansmen.

If they couldn't escape, that would be the outcome—not a martyrdom but a harm to more people.

"Tell us how to escape, and we'll follow your lead!"

An older master teacher spoke up.

"Even if you're deceiving us, it's better than staying here. Speak!"

The other master teachers nodded in agreement.

"Alright. What I need you to do is simple: don't resist, and I'll take you into a folded space." Zhang Xuan said.

He had already thought about how to escape. With this group of weak and wounded, sneaking past the alien clansmen unnoticed was impossible.

The only way was to put them into the Ant Queen's Hive and then find a way out himself.

"Alright!"

Hearing that they would be taken into a folded space, everyone looked puzzled but nodded.

It was indeed the best plan.

"Alright, come in!"

Flipping his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the Ant Queen's Hive and extended his spirit to envelop everyone.

Knowing the situation, everyone relaxed their minds without any resistance.

Whoosh!

With a soft hum, the thirty or forty master teachers in the room vanished, all entering the hive.

Putting the hive into his storage ring, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These master teachers, though stubborn, were all devoted to humanity and worthy of respect. He had to save them no matter what.

"Now, how do I get out?"

With everyone in the hive, the next step was figuring out how to escape himself.

Looking out the window, the two kings were indeed standing guard outside. Moreover, many formations had been set up around. If he went out and couldn't explain himself, he would likely be surrounded and attacked.

"I could still bluster and argue earlier, but now that everyone is gone, there's no way to explain. Once I go out, I'll probably be ambushed!"

Zhang Xuan rubbed his forehead.

With everyone missing, no matter how he explained, the other side wouldn't believe him. The only option was to escape—but how?

"The only way is to use the Soul of Sorcery again!"

Raising his eyebrows, Zhang Xuan made a decision.

To escape without being detected, he had to use the Soul of Sorcery.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. He sat cross-legged on the ground, moved his mind, and his soul left his body.

Then he stored his physical body in the storage ring, and his soul, carrying the ring, quietly moved toward the door.