With a mere glance, Zhang Xuan was filled with amazement.
This library was much larger than that of Tianxuan Kingdom's Book Collection Vault. Not only were there significantly more books, the knowledge contained within them was also spread over a wider range. Geography, savage beast pills, secret realms, artifacts... It felt as though everything that one could know was in here.
"So many books! I have to finish reading through them before tomorrow morning..."
Zhang Xuan sighed.
Previously, he had spent five entire days to finish duplicating all of the books in Tianxuan Kingdom's Book Collection Vault. Now, even with his new book duplicating method, it would take at least half a day of effort to finish copying the books in the 1-star library.
"Let's begin!"
Knowing that he was lacking on time, he started into a sprint.
With the increase of his Soul Depth and attainment of Zongshi realm cultivation, his endurance was much higher than before. Unlike before, he was able to collect books at a faster speed for a longer period of time before needing to rest.
Hualalala!
Rows after rows of books formed in his mind. Slowly, Zhang Xuan lost track of time.
...
...
Physician Bai Chan was on the brink of a mental breakdown.
He had found a residence near the Master Teacher Pavilion, but the price was terrifying. He had to devote almost all of the money he earned in his lifetime for it.
However, in comparison to his life, what did these material possessions count as?
"Young Master Zhang Xuan is at the Master Teacher Pavilion? Is he taking the master teacher examination?"
After finding a residence, he followed his supervisor, Sun Qiang, to the Master Teacher Pavilion.
"Un! The young master is the direct disciple of the old master. Naturally, there is no occupation more fitting for him than a master teacher..." Sun Qiang nodded. "Let's hurry. Perhaps, we might even see the young master amaze the crowd!"
"Amaze the crowd?"
Physician Bai Chan shook his head, "The master teacher examination isn't easy. Each of the five tests is harder than the previous. Your young master may be incredible, but he's still young. He may be able to pass the tests successfully, but it will be difficult for him to amaze the crowd, especially after Mo Hongyi had broken all of the previous records!"
"Mo Hongyi?" Sun Qiang glanced at Physician Bai Chan.
Yesterday, right after they arrived at Tianwu Kingdom, they had coincidentally bumped into this fellow. After which, he had busied himself the entire night looking for a suitable residence for the group. Thus, he hadn't caught wind of the reputation of this famous genius before.
"That's right. Mo Hongyi is the number one genius of our Tianwu Kingdom. When he took the master teacher examination, he broke all of the records, earning him the title of a 'Once in a Millennium Genius'!"
Reverence was reflected in Physician Bai Chan's eyes. "His Soul Depth even reached an unparalleled level of 6.0! Pavilion Master Jiang once said that it would be impossible for anyone capable of surpassing him to appear in a century."
"Soul Depth of 6.0? Once in a Millennium Genius?" Sun Qiang was astonished.
He didn't expect there to be such a genius in the kingdom..
The two chatted while they walked and soon, they arrived at the Master Teacher Pavilion. Just as they were about to enter, a guard walked over.
"Physician Bai..."
Upon seeing the duo, the guard's eyes lit up and he hurried over to them.
"Squadron Leader Yao, you're here as well!" Physician Bai Chan nodded.
The identity of the guard was Squadron Leader Yao whom they just met last night.
However, at this moment, Squadron Leader Yao didn't have the authoritative aura he had yesterday. His face was still swollen, but in his eyes, one could see the irrepressible shock.
Putong!
Kneeling to the floor, Squadron Leader Yao said, "Thank you, Physician Bai, for saving my life!"
"Saving your life?" Physician Bai Chan was bewildered. He couldn't understand what was going on. "Squadron Leader Yao, what's wrong?"
When did he save the other party?
"If not for your advice, I might have arrogantly and foolishly tried to seek vengeance on Zhang shi. It's thanks to your words that I avoided a crisis..."
Squadron Leader Yao said.
As the guard of the princess, he was able to witness the entire process of Zhang Xuan's master teacher examination and he nearly fainted from shock.
Zhang Xuan was half a teacher to the princess, Pavilion Master Jiang's senior, the direct disciple of a master teacher who was likely to be ranked above 3-star, an existence who was about to become a 2-star master teacher...
None of those identities was something a mere guard like him could offend.
If not for Physician Bai Chan's advice, he might have really tried to wreak havoc with the other party. Moreover, even if he were killed by the other party, probably no one would cry for him.
This was too frightening!
"Zhang shi?"
Bai Chan was confused, "You mean... Young Master Zhang Xuan?"
"That's right! Zhang shi is too incredible. Not only did he break all of Mo Hongyi's 1-star master teacher test records, he even broke all of the records of the 2-star examination as well. How could I be so blind to even think of wanting to exact vengeance on such a genius? I must be tired of living..."
"Breaking Mo Hongyi's records? What happened?" Physician Bai Chan was stunned.
"You don't know? Oh, you weren’t at the Master Teacher Pavilion so it's natural for you not to know of it. Today, I came under the orders to protect the princess..."
Squadron Leader Yao hurriedly recounted what he saw and heard.
"Trust Level of 85, a score of 130 at the Supporting Occupation Hall, defeating the puppet in the Puppet Hall with a single move... reaching Zongshi realm on the spot, passing the four tests of the 2-star master teacher examination, Pavilion Master Jiang's senior..."
After hearing the other party's story, Physician Bai Chan's eyes reddened, and his body trembled. He was on the verge of crying.
What kind of monster did he offend?
He had just said that it would be difficult for the other party to break Mo Hongyi's record... Not only did the other party did, he even did so with such gusto...
He had intended to immediately turn against the other party once he purged the lethal poison from his body. Given his connections, it should be easy to teach that fellow a lesson. But after hearing Squadron Leader Yao's words, he realized that his connections meant nothing compared to Zhang Xuan!
With his 2-star master teacher and Pavilion Master Jiang's senior statuses, even the emperor would have no choice but to obey his commands.
It was laughable that he even tried to take advantage of the other party's student...
He had truly tightened the noose on himself... He must be tired of living!
"Zhang shi... Where is he now?"
With a tearful face, Physician Bai Chan asked.
"The Master Teacher Pavilion had assigned him a mission that might require him to leave the capital for a period of time!" Squadron Leader Yao contemplated for a moment before clasping his fist. "In gratitude for your assistance, I will treat you to a meal some other time. I still have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"
After which, he turned around and left.
"I told you that young master would amaze everyone in the examination, see?" Sun Qiang lifted his head proudly.
"Yes, yes!"
Physician Bai Chan suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up, "Since Zhang shi has a mission to attend to, his students will be free. I should bring them to the residence and... serve them properly!"
After hearing Zhang Xuan's affairs, all thoughts of rebellion vanished from his mind. The tear in his relationship with the other party came from him trying to take advantage of his student, so he was considering of making use of this opportunity to mend the relationship.
"Ah, alright!"
Sun Qiang nodded and the duo walked into the Master Teacher Pavilion.
...
...
"Liu shi, Zhang shi told me to tell you all to find a place to rest first and take care of his students first. He might take some time for his 2-star master teacher examination!"
In the Master Teacher Pavilion, an apprentice walked up to Liu Ling.
"Thank you for relaying the message!"
After the apprentice left, Liu Ling turned to the crowd. "Since senior will still take some time, why don't we look for a lodging first!"
"Alright. But... where should we live at? We aren't too familiar with Tianwu Royal City and if we were to live in an area too remote, what if teacher is unable to find us after he returns?" Zhao Ya asked.
"This..."
Liu Ling frowned. "If nothing else works, we should just stay at the inn we stayed at yesterday..."
Before he could finish his words, a shout sounded behind them.
"Liu shi, young masters, and young mistresses, I have already prepared a residence for all of you. Please follow me..."
Turning around, they saw Physician Bai Chan, the person who had taken advantage of Zhao Ya and even acted haughtily in front of them the night before. Nonetheless, at this moment, he had assumed a subservient attitude of a servant, as though he was afraid he would incur their displeasure.
"..."
"..."
"What in the world is going on?"
Liu Ling and the others were stunned.
...
...
"What did you say?"
"Someone broke Mo Hongyi's records consecutively?"
"Pavilion Master Jiang's senior? His teacher is a master teacher ranked above 3-star?"
"Passed the 2-star master teacher examination?"
Like a hurricane, the events in the Master Teacher Pavilion swiftly blew onto the streets, and into the ears of the clan heads of the prestigious clans.
Master teachers were the foundation of a country.
And 2-star master teacher was an existence which stood at the zenith of Tianwu Kingdom.
Having passed the examination and broken all of Genius Mo Hongyi's record, it would be impossible to conceal the news even if the Master Teacher Pavilion wanted to.
"Such a formidable figure actually existed in our kingdom? Men, send an edict to bestow this Zhang shi the name of King Xuan. He will be permitted to enter the royal palace freely without requiring a summon..."
At the topmost throne in the royal palace, a middle-aged man declared after reading the report in his hands.
However, before he could finish his words, he shook his hands hastily. "Wait, these seem too crude. Send someone to stand guard at the Master Teacher Pavilion, and as soon as Zhang shi appears, inform me. I want to greet him personally!"
"Greet him personally? Your Majesty, this..."
The officials were taken aback by the emperor's words.
Regardless of the situation, he was the emperor of a Tier 1 Kingdom. To personally pay respects to a youngster who wasn't even twenty yet... Wasn't this making a big fuss out of nothing?
"Say no more, I have made up my mind!"
The middle-aged man harrumphed.
Even though this Zhang Xuan hadn't passed the 2-star master teacher examination yet, given his potential, it was only a matter of time before he reached 3-star or even higher.
Such a figure would be a strong existence who wielded the power to reign supreme no matter where he goes. Therefore, despite him being an emperor, he didn't dare to be impolite to him.
"Yes!"
The crowd could only nod in agreement.
...
...
"With such splendid results, he would surely pass the 2-star master teacher examination. Help me prepare a luxurious gift! Send it over to Zhang shi as soon as he appears..."
In a luxurious residence in the capital, a middle-aged man, too, caught wind of the news and quickly instructed.
Seconds later, he slammed on the table and added, "No, I will send the gift over myself!"
"Yes!"
The guard before him nodded.
"Right, have you found the young master yet?"
After issuing his instructions, the middle-aged man asked.
"Reporting to the old master, we had found the young master. Someone had stripped him naked and hung him on a tree outside the city..." The guard hesitated for a moment before clasping his fist and reporting on the matter.
"What? Someone dared to strip my son bare and hang him on a tree? Who is it? He is courting death..."
With a steeled face, the middle-aged man's face turned crimson and looked as though he was about to burst into flames.
For the son of the clan head of one of the Three Great Clans of the capital to be humiliated like that, the person was disregarding the prestige of their Ji Clan and challenging their authority!
"Young master didn't speak of it, so I don't know!"
Frightened by the clan head's sudden outburst, the guard bowed fearfully in haste.
"Bring him to me!"
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
"Yes!" The guard hurried out. Soon, a young man with a swollen red face walked in.
If Zhang Xuan was here, he would surely recognize the other party. He was the 1-star painter who had challenged him, Ji Mo gongzi.
However, the current Ji Mo was stripped of his carefree and dashing look. His body, covered with red swells, was only covered by a thin layer of clothes, draped over him. If he were to claim that he had just returned from begging for food on the streets, people would definitely believe him.
"Father, you have to exact revenge for me..."
Upon entering, tears immediately streamed down Ji Mo gongzi's face. Kneeling on the ground, he wailed sorrowfully.
"Rest assured! Whoever it was who dared to challenge the authority of our Ji Clan and humiliate my son, even if he is a god from the heavens, I will make sure to leave holes in him!" Upon seeing the state his son was in, the middle-aged man roared furiously. A frenzied and powerful aura gushed out from him.
"Thank you, father, for standing up for me!"
Hearing his father's words, Ji Mo gongzi's eyes reddened.
"Speak, who is the one who left you in such a state? I will send my men over to tear him apart now!"
Waving his hands grandly, the middle-aged man displayed the majestic disposition of the clan head of one of the Three Great Clans.
"It's those subordinates of mine. Oh, no, they aren't the mastermind. The mastermind is a fellow who had just passed the painter examination. I have no idea what he did, but he made my subordinates betray me and hang me on a tree. I want him dead..."
Ji Mo gongzi howled furiously.
"A painter? Hmph! A mere member of the Lower Nine Paths occupation dares to challenge our Ji Clan? I will find their guild leader right now and have him hand this fellow over!" A furious gleam shone in the middle-aged man's eyes as he exuded a domineering aura. "Has our Ji Clan has been keeping a low profile for too long that people are climbing over our heads? It's time to show them our might!"
"Indeed..." Hearing father's words, Ji Mo gongzi suddenly felt a gush of hot blood stream through his body. The excitement left his eyes red once more.
It had been long since the Ji Clan made a move in public and many people had already forgotten about its existence.
It was time to let them know that Ji Clan was still a huge existence in Tianwu Royal City. No matter how powerful the Painter Guild was, it was just an occupation of the Lower Nine Paths. What could they do to them?
"Right, what's the name of the person who did you in?"
The middle-aged man asked.
"Reporting to father, that person is called Zhang Xuan. Despite having just passed the painter examination, he dares to call himself a genius!" Ji Mo gongzi's eyes turned red. "Wait until I get my hands on him. I will show him what does suffering worse than death feels like..."
However, as he was howling ferociously, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. The room was too quiet. Turning around, he saw his father who was still shouting passionately a moment ago stare at him with widened eyes.
"Father, what's wrong..."
He was perplexed.
Before he could finish his words, a gigantic foot came flying at him. The middle-aged man roared.
"What's wrong your head! You profligate son, why don't you die outside..."
Peng!
Before Ji Mo gongzi could react, he was already sent flying.
"Men, tie this beast up. Present him to Zhang shi as an apology!"
The middle-aged man's lips quivered.
"Apology?"
The corners of Ji Mo gongzi's mouth twitched. His vision turned dark and unable to hold himself back, he cried.
Didn't you say that you would exact revenge for me? Didn't you say that you would show them the might of the Ji Clan?
What did kicking me and apologize mean?
Can anyone tell me... What in the world is going on?
...
...
After half a day and an entire night of effort, Zhang Xuan finally managed to duplicate all of the books in the 1-star library of the Master Teacher Pavilion into the Library of Heaven's Path.
Zhang Xuan was in a state of extreme fatigue.
He had expended his mental strength too vigorously. Despite his Soul Depth reaching 10.1, he still found himself on the brink of collapsing.
He had to rest on the spot for an hour before his fatigue alleviated.
Browsing through the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan frowned.
"To think that there isn’t any information on Empyrean Kong shi nor any Zongshi realm cultivation technique manuals..."
These were the two main purposes for Zhang Xuan’s visit to the library. Yet... he didn't accomplish a single one of them.
"It must be because 1-star master teachers didn't have the right to come into contact with a figure of Kong shi’s level yet. As for cultivation technique, 1-star master teachers mainly possesses Tongxuan realm cultivation. Half-Zongshi and Zongshi realm cultivation technique manuals are useless to them..."
After a short while of pondering, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Seemed like he was expecting too much.
1-star master teachers stood at the very bottom of the master teacher occupation so it was natural that many secrets were out of their reach. After all, Kong shi was known as the greatest teacher in the world, the leader of all master teachers. How could the background of such an incredible figure be placed casually in such a place for the browsing of others?
Even if there were such books, it would only record his general details. It was impossible for the matter regarding Innate Fetal Poison to be recorded in it.
"Forget it. Even if I don't have any Zongshi realm cultivation technique secret manuals, there are still quite a number of Tongxuan realm and Half-Zongshi realm cultivation technique secret manuals. I can modify them slightly and pass them to Zhao Ya and the others to cultivate."
While there were no Zongshi realm cultivation technique secret manuals, there were thousands of manuals on the other cultivation realm. As long as he was given sufficient time to arrange the information, he would surely be able to create a set of cultivation techniques suited for Zhao Ya and the others to cultivate.
After which, Zhang Xuan turned his focus onto the books on master teachers.
After a brief look, Zhang Xuan finally understood why master teachers were able to stand at the zenith of all occupations.
Seeing through flaws and weaknesses in one's cultivation technique weren't abilities that a master teacher was born with. It was developed through continuous hard work and study.
According to the books, there were several hundred thousand of methods to determine whether there was a problem in a person's cultivation technique. Similar to how a physician diagnosed his patients, there was a need for master teachers to know of all these to peer into what others couldn't see and solve the problem.
Due to the high difficulty level of the occupation, they were granted utmost respect.
"I should study them in the next ten days..."
While Zhang Xuan had assumed the status of a master teacher and solved many problems, he mainly relied on his Library of Heaven's Path to do so. In truth, he didn't know much about the techniques a master teacher used. Thus, it would be good to use the next ten days to learn more about master teacher as an occupation and augment his knowledge, so that he could be more fitting of his position as a 2-star master teacher.
After glancing through the books on master teachers, he proceeded to scan through the various other genres as well.
Even though there were many types of books in the Master Teacher Pavilion, they were mainly focused on the common occupations. There were very few books on the sidelined occupations such as poison master.
Seemed like the Master Teacher Pavilion wasn't omnipotent. Despite master teachers possessing the State of Insight, allowing them to learn and memorize things better than the average cultivator, it was impossible to them to be adept on every single occupation in the world.
"While there aren't many books on the other occupations, there are quite a few of them on blacksmiths here!"
His eyes fell on a pile of books.
They were books regarding equipment forging and they added up to several ten thousands.
Zhang Xuan could be said to be completely ignorant to the field of smithing.
There was a Blacksmith Guild in Tianxuan Kingdom, but he hadn't been there, so naturally, he hadn't read any books on it.
"All equipment can be divided into five levels, God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal. Each of these levels can be split further down to four tiers, low-tier, intermediate-tier, high-tier, and pinnacle..."
Casually flipping open the book, Zhang Xuan read through the introduction.
"Cultivators of the 9 dans of a Fighter would usually use only Mortal and Phantom equipment. On the other hand, only blacksmiths of 4-star and above are capable of forging spirit equipment..."
Zhang Xuan swiftly browsed through the book.
"I didn't know that there are so many levels for equipment..."
He had seen the puppet in the Master Teacher Pavilion, and he was perplexed over it as it was unlike any other equipment he had seen before. However, at this moment, he finally realized that it was a Spirit equipment.
Spirit equipment meant that the equipment possessed a soul.
For example, if there was a sword soul within a saber, it would be considered as a Spirit equipment.
The strength of this kind of equipment far surpasses that of any ordinary weapons.
However, due to their prohibitive value, there might not be more than a handful of them in the entire Tianwu Kingdom.
"This isn't just applicable for equipment. Even cultivation techniques and battle techniques have different levels as well!"
After browsing through the books on equipment, he was reminded of the book he just read about cultivation techniques.
Cultivation techniques were also divided into five levels, God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom and Mortal, and they were divided into four tiers as well, low-tier, intermediate-tier, high-tier, and pinnacle.
For example, the Hongtian Nine Dan Formula of the Hongtian Academy was only a low-tier Mortal cultivation technique.
Most of the cultivation techniques of the Tianxuan Kingdom royal family were only at intermediate-tier Mortal as well.
Due to the low level of these cultivation techniques, the speed of cultivation would be slow, and the purity of the zhenqi would be poor as well.
As Tianxuan Kingdom didn't possess higher level cultivation techniques, the differentiation between the tiers wasn't apparent. Only after reading through these books did Zhang Xuan gain enlightenment on this issue.
"I wonder what level the Heaven's Path Divine Art is at!"
Knowing that the cultivation techniques he had encountered in the past were lacking, Zhang Xuan suddenly thought about the Heaven's Path Divine Art which he was cultivating.
This Heaven's Path Divine Art was formed through the compilation of the correct cultivation method contained in innumerable books by the Library of Heaven's Path. Regardless of whether it was his cultivation speed or the quality of his zhenqi, it was far superior to that of any ordinary cultivation technique.
Even though Zhang Xuan wasn't too sure what level it was at, it was probably at minimum Saint level, or perhaps even God level!
It was because of this incredible cultivation technique that allowed him to cultivate the incomparably pure Heaven's Path zhenqi, allowing him to easily clear up blocked meridians.
"Alright, since I've already duplicated these books in the Library of Heaven's Path, I can slowly browse through them later on. It's getting late now, I should make my way to Tianwu Academy!"
Glancing outside, the night had already passed, and the sun had risen. Stretching his back, Zhang Xuan walked out with widened strides.
His priority now was to pass the final test of the 2-star master teacher examination. He could take his time to browse through those books later on.
"Zhang shi, the public recruitment exercise of Tianwu Academy is about to start. Let's hurry!"
The moment he stepped out of the library, he was approached by Mo Hongyi.
The Mo Hongyi at this moment looked like a completely different person. Around twenty-six to twenty-seven-year-old, his face was slightly ashen. There was a stark difference between his original cold but dashing face.
"Alright!"
Knowing that it would be hard to get into Tianwu Academy once he missed the public recruitment today, Zhang Xuan nodded.
After stepping out of the Master Teacher Pavilion, they walked along the streets for an hour before a majestic campus appeared before their eyes.
Built against the mountain and encompassed by a river, the academy was vast and grand! Countless students walked to and fro the gates, and the harmonious reciting could be heard. It had a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
In comparison to this academy, Hongtian Academy seemed no different from a countryside academy.
The duo stopped before the gates.
They had arrived at Tianwu Academy!