311-315

Chapter 311: Thirty Flaws

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

The air was still with silence.

The worst had really happened!

The first stage and the second stage of the Unerring Pavilion were just beside one another.

Under normal circumstances, before an examinee entered, Wu shi would inform them in advance on how they should trigger the first stage.

Even if he didn't inform, as long as one was a master teacher apprentice in the Tianwu Kingdom, one should know the rules. Thus, no mishaps had ever happened.

Yet, this fellow just had to be the exception!

Furthermore, despite knowing nothing at all, he simply barged in!

It was one thing for him to barge him, but for him to disregard the first stage and head for the second one straight... Wasn't his luck way too bad?

"Can't we enter now to save him?" Apothecary Hong Yun enquired anxiously.

"Once the Unerring Pavilion is activated, it will not stop until there is a conclusion..." Wu shi's face paled. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he added, "Unless... the pavilion master personally makes a trip down and uses the Pavilion Master Token to forcefully enter!"

"Alright! I will look for the pavilion master now. Let's hope he can last until then..." Vice Pavilion Master Guan nodded before turning around to leave.

Zhang Xuan was a genius who has broken all of the records of the previous tests. If he were to fall here because of their mistake, the entire branch would have to suffer the wrath of the headquarters.

"Surviving until the pavilion master arrives... Is that possible?"

Wu shi's face paled.

A Tongxuan realm would be destroyed in mere seconds before a Zongshi realm expert, how can he possibly last until the pavilion master arrives!

"At this point, we can only hope for the best..."

Knowing that there was no other way, Wu shi gazed at the door before him, praying from his heart for the young man's safety.

...

In the room of the fifth test, Zhang Xuan stared intently at the puppet before him.

Ling Xiaoxiao was right, the first four tests did not differ much from what Wu shi said, so he thought that the fifth test would be the same as well. Seeing that the others were preoccupied with talking, he had pushed the door open and walked in alone.

However, upon entry, he was immediately hit with the realization that something was amiss.

A puppet had pounced at him the moment he stepped inside. Despite that, Zhang Xuan immediately crushed it on the spot, crippling it completely.

Then, a second puppet came rushing over at him as well, and it was clearly much stronger than the first one. If not for Zhang Xuan's swiftness, he would have been injured by now."

"A Zongshi realm primary stage puppet? As expected of the final test, it is indeed much more challenging than the previous tests!"

As the strength of the puppet dawned upon him, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

In the third test, the two puppets who exchanged blows were only of Tongxuan realm cultivation whereas this fellow was at Zongshi realm primary stage. No wonder so many people were unable to pass the master teacher examination. They would surely be helpless before such a powerful enemy.

"However... this means nothing to me!"

A Zongshi realm puppet might be powerful, but it meant nothing to Zhang Xuan.

After reaching Half-Zongshi, his strength had increased to 1500 ding. In terms of strength, he was already above that of a Zongshi realm primary stage cultivator. Furthermore, when his overwhelming strength was coupled with unparalleled battle techniques like Heaven's Path Movement Art, Heaven's Path Fist Art, as well as the eyes of discernment to detect other's flaws, even a Zongshi realm advanced stage would find it difficult to get the better of him, needless to say, this puppet.

Hu!

As Zhang Xuan immersed in his thoughts, the puppet before him had already rushed up to him.

Focusing his attention on the puppet, he immediately spotted seven to eight flaws on it. With a ghost of a smile, he retreated a step backward, then using his finger as a sword, he aimed and stabbed at a specific point in the air.

Peng!

Although little power was invested in this move, the massive body of the puppet fell backward involuntarily as though it had suffered a heavy blow.

"Continue!"

Successfully striking the other party, Zhang Xuan leaped, dashed forward, and pummeled the puppet's flaws one blow after another without any hesitation.

Since this was called the Unerring Pavilion, this meant that one should strike at the weaknesses of the puppet. The more one struck the puppet's weaknesses, the higher one's results should be.

Previously, the first puppet had dashed over too suddenly and Zhang Xuan had sent it flying with a single slap before he could react. In comparison, this second puppet was significantly stronger, and it would serve as a good sparring partner.

Peng peng peng peng!

Fists, kicks, elbows, smashes... All kinds of attacks landed on the puppet's body, causing it to retreat continuously.

Ever since his transcension, Zhang Xuan had not let loose and fight before. At this moment, unleashing all his strength, he could feel the zhenqi in his body gushing through his entire body, and an unspeakable sensation of pleasure assaulted him.

Pipa! Pipa!

As the flow of pure zhenqi coursed faster and faster through his meridians, a few bottlenecks which he had struggled with in his usual training was suddenly broken through.

"I actually broke through the final hurdle of Zongshi realm?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He didn't expect that this series of offense would allow him to break through the hurdles that kept him away from Zongshi realm. This effectively left him on the verge of achieving a breakthrough to the Zongshi realm.

Advancing to the Zongshi realm meant going up a level of existence. There would be a visible qualitative change in one, be it one's longevity or stamina.

Despite the fact that Zhang Xuan could already sense himself nearing the attainment of the Zongshi realm previously, he knew that without several months of gruel training, it would be difficult for him to finally take the last step. Little did he know that this single battle would serve as the impetus for this breakthrough.

"This is a good opportunity. I should use this fellow to train for a bit longer first, I'm in no hurry to advance to the Zongshi realm anyway!"

Even though he was delighted at the unexpected gain, he wasn't in a hurry to achieve a breakthrough.

Once he breaks through to the Zongshi realm, beating up this fellow would be as easy as crushing an ant. There would be no meaning behind it.

Rather, in his current state, he could refine his battle abilities as well as the ability to exploit the enemy's flaws.

...

"Pavilion Master Hall, he's not here..."

"Conference Room, he's not here..."

"Where could the pavilion master be?"

Knowing that the genius was still trapped in the Unerring Pavilion, Vice Pavilion Master Guan rushed through the entire Master Teacher Pavilion without the slightest moment of rest. With the cultivation of a Zongshi realm pinnacle, his movement was as swift as a whirlwind.

Soon, he had looked through all the places where the pavilion master often visited, but there wasn't a single sign of him.

He knew that the pavilion master had gone into seclusion to cultivate, but he didn't think that... he wouldn't be at the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"The backyard!"

Having searched through almost everywhere in the Master Teacher Pavilion, all that was left was the backyard.

At the back of the Master Teacher Pavilion was a gigantic residence, and it was split into numerous courtyards. There were numerous master teachers who lived here, and the pavilion master was one of them.

Moving swiftly, it only took him the span of six to seven breaths to reach the pavilion master's courtyard. Just as he was about to enter, he heard the roar of a savage beast.

"Why is there a savage beast here?" Vice Pavilion Master Guan was shocked by the abrupt sound.

This is the Master Teacher Pavilion, not the Beast Hall. Where did the savage beast come from?

"Could the pavilion master be in danger?"

Overwhelmed by worry, the various formalities which included reporting his arrival deserted Vice Pavilion Master Guan as he barged in.

"Pavilion master..."

Yelling, he drove his cultivation, prepared to make a move. However, as his eyes fell on the scene in the courtyard, he was immediately stunned.

The pavilion master was in the courtyard, and a savage beast was present as well. But unlike what he thought, they weren't battling at all. Rather, the former was grilling meat to feed the latter.

A gigantic savage beast was currently eating delightfully, and its pleasure was explicitly shown on its face.

"Guan shi, to come over in such a hurry, did something happen?"

Seeing how the other party barged in without reporting, the pavilion master frowned.

"Pavilion master, something bad had happened! A genius was in the midst of the master teacher examination when he accidentally entered the Unerring Pavilion..."

Vice Pavilion Master Guan knew that it wasn't the time to be asking him about anything else, so he quickly summarized the situation.

"You mean to say that... he unwittingly triggered the puppet of the second stage?" Hearing those words, the pavilion master became anxious as well. "How foolish! Let's go!"

Knowing that there wasn't any time to be wasted, the pavilion master couldn't be bothered about the savage beast now. He swiftly dashed out of the courtyard.

The two Zongshi realm pinnacle experts possessed exceptional speed. Like a whirlwind, they arrived at the examination hall in the span of just ten breaths.

Expecting anxious faces upon entering the examination hall, what greeted them was eyes widened in shock instead. The crowd stared blankly ahead, as though they had lost their souls.

"What's going on?" The pavilion master asked in confusion.

Such an incredible genius has entered the Unerring Pavilion and triggered the second stage, shouldn't the crowd be anxiously anticipating his arrival to save him?

Why wasn't anybody worried at all? Why did it seem as though they had all turned dumb?

"Pavilion master... lo-look!"

Perplexed, Vice Pavilion Master Guan looked around when he suddenly saw something, and he pointed to something before him.

What he was pointing at was the door of the fifth test. A line of digits was shining glaringly.

"465... What is this?"

The pavilion master shuddered, and he nearly keeled over on the spot.

"This... this should be the score from the flaws he found..."

Vice Pavilion Master Guan swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"The score from finding flaws?"

The pavilion master's face darkened, and for a moment, he could feel blood welling up at the back of his throat.

Didn't you say that this fellow was in danger and that he was about to be killed?

Didn't you say that he was stuck in the Unerring Pavilion and that he needs to be saved?

What in the world is wrong with that score?

In the Unerring Pavilion, the first mistake found awards one with one point, the second mistake found awards one with two points, the third mistake found awards one with three points... so on and so forth.

If a genius was able to find six flaws and score 21 points, that would already be a groundbreaking feat, a record that would last for at least a century. Yet... 465?

The heck!

"465, which means to say... He has found thirty flaws of the puppet..."

Shuddering, the pavilion master's face twitched uncontrollably. At this moment, he felt that the world has gone mad.

The movements displayed by the puppet in the Unerring Pavilion were vetted by 4-star master teachers. In other words, their blows were no different from a 4-star master teacher suppressing his cultivation.

Even if the 4-star master teacher unintentionally overlooked some flaws, there should only be at most one or two, needless to mention, it wouldn't be easily detectable. Yet, this fellow...

Thirty mistakes, 465 points...

Was the puppet created by your family?

"Are you sure that... he triggered the second stage, not the first stage?"

The corner of the lips of the pavilion master twitched for a long while before he forced himself to calm down and ask.

A 1-star master teacher unintentionally barged into the second stage and found thirty flaws in the Zongshi realm puppet... Even a 2-star master teacher examinee wouldn't be capable of such a feat!

"If it was the first stage, the door should shine blue, and if it was the second stage, it should shine red... When the test was triggered, I personally verified that it shone red. There is no mistake about it!"

Vice Pavilion Master Guan was dumbfounded as well.

He had anxiously pulled the pavilion master here for him to save a genius from losing his life. In the end... the other party was actually having fun inside.

Moreover, hadn't it only been a while?

Yet, he had already found thirty flaws in the puppet?

Vice Pavilion Master Guan staggered.

Even if they were to gather all the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion in there, they wouldn't be able to find that many flaws!

After all, this was a puppet left behind by a 4-star master teacher. Unless one's eye of discernment was above that of the other party, it was impossible to find so many flaws!

Jiya!

Just as the two of them were in a frenzy, the door opened and a young man walked out.

Upon seeing him walk out, Wu shi immediately rushed up to him. "Zhang shi, are you... alright?"

The other party had already passed the five tests, so he could be officially be considered a master teacher now. Thus, he changed his address for the other party from Zhang laoshi to Zhang shi.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?"

Zhang Xuan stared at him with a confused expression. Then, his face slowly turned red and he said sheepishly, "However... I failed to control my strength and accidentally destroyed the puppet. It... should be capable of self-regeneration too, right?"

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Chapter 312: 2-star Master Teacher Examination

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Destroyed the puppet?"

A dark line appeared on Wu shi's head.

That was a Zongshi realm puppet! Yet, you, a 1-star master teacher examinee, not only found thirty flaws on it but even destroyed it...

If the 4-star master teacher who made the puppet were to learn of it, he would definitely spurt blood and faint on the spot.

This is way too much!

"Since you triggered the second stage, I thought that you would meet with danger. That's why I asked you if you are alright..." Holding back his dismal, Wu shi explained.

"Second stage? The Unerring Pavilion... has stages?" Zhang Xuan stared at him doubtfully.

He had started fighting with the puppets from the very first moment he entered, yet he didn't notice any stages inside!

Upon hearing his words and seeing his confused expression, all of the master teachers staggered. If not for their strong self-control, there would have been a blood rain in the room.

"You... only met with one puppet? You didn't see anything else?"

Jiang Chen couldn't resist asking.

"Puppet? Oh, I met with two. A puppet rushed at me as soon as I entered but I accidentally used too much force in my slap. It is currently lying over there, and I think that it is... destroyed as well! Could that be considered... as one of the stages?"

Zhang Xuan recalled.

The moment he entered the Unerring Pavilion, a puppet immediately rushed at him. Catching him off-guard, he reflexively slapped it with his full force. Little did he expect to cripple it with just a single blow.

Soon after, the second puppet appeared. As he was too engrossed in the battle, he had forgotten about this matter.

Could it be... the fellow who was destroyed in a single slap was considered as the first stage?

If that was the case, then wasn't the first stage too easy?

"Destroyed in a single slap?"

"That is the test that you have to undergo for your 1-star master teacher examination..."

...

Everyone was thrown into a frenzy. Jiang Chen could only see the vision before him darkening.

Back then, when he took the master teacher examination, he had to expend all his effort just to match this puppet, and he even nearly lost his life to it. Yet, this fellow... To send it flying unintentionally...

Must there be that much of a difference between our situations?

More importantly...

That was the test you were supposed to take! To think that you would continue on ignorantly despite having sent it flying, do you have to be so boastful?

"Forget it..."

Wu shi was also speechless.

Brother, are you here to take the master teacher examination, or are you here to wreak havoc?

It seemed that you had already destroyed nearly all of the puppets in our Master Teacher Pavilion...

"Since you have passed all the five tests, you can now be officially considered to be a master teacher. However, you still have to pass the Question Symposium before the emblem can be presented to you!"

Taking a few deep breaths, Wu shi forcefully suppressed his dismal and announced.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had originally thought that the master teacher examination would be difficult, but to think that it would be so easy.

Given that he was already a 1-star master teacher, he could finally enter the library of the Master Teacher Pavilion to browse through their books!

At the same time, he could look into the history of Kong shi to look for the way to dispel the Innate Fetal Poison in his body.

Just as he was about to inquire directions to the library, he saw Mo Hongyi approaching him with astonishing confidence and haughtiness.

"Wu shi and Elder Zhu, I want to take the 2-star master teacher examination. Please open up the examination grounds for me!"

Seeing this fellow breaking all of his records, Mo Hongyi could no longer hold himself back. He decided to go through with the examinations immediately.

Only upon becoming a 2-star master teacher would he be willing to let today's matter rest.

Otherwise, whenever others speak of him, they would also bring up this fellow who broke all of his records. In that case, how would he still have the face to go out and meet others?

As the number one genius of the kingdom, he couldn't accept the fact that he was beneath anyone!

"Take the 2-star master teacher examination?"

"Mo shi only become a master teacher a few years ago, right? He is taking the 2-star examination now?"

"As expected of a genius. His cultivation speed isn't something ordinary people like us can match up to..."

The crowd trembled.

It had been years since someone took the 2-star master teacher examination. To think that he would want to take the examination at this junction!

Even though they were taken aback by his timing, a number of people with a discerning eye easily saw through his intentions.

Mo Hongyi's intention was to pit himself against Zhang Xuan and prove to everyone that he was the true number one genius in the kingdom.

"Alright!"

Elder Zhu and Wu shi hesitated for a moment before nodding their heads.

The Master Teacher Pavilion encouraged competition. Only with competition would one be motivated to work harder to improve oneself. On top of that, Mo Hongyi taking the 2-star master teacher examination served as good news to the branch as well.

"I will make the preparations now. You should be able to take the test by today!"

Elder Zhu said. Just as he was about to head off to make preparations, a faint voice resounded.

"That... Since it is possible to take the 2-star master teacher examination today, and it is troublesome to prepare it on two separate occasions, why... don't I take it today as well?" Zhang Xuan peered over.

Since it was possible to take the 2-star master teacher examination today, Zhang Xuan decided not to waste his time and simply go through with it at one go.

Pu!

Upon hearing those words, everyone in the vicinity spurted blood. The bustling examination hall abruptly fell silent, and everyone stared at Zhang Xuan as though he was a monster.

Troublesome to prepare it on two occasions... Take it today as well...

The heck!

This is the 2-star master teacher examination! In the entire kingdom, there are only three 2-star master teachers... To take it for convenience sake...

You speak as though you are buying vegetables from a wet market.

You want to buy vegetables? I'll buy it for you then since it is convenient for me...

The hell!

Can you be any more ridiculous than that?

Mo Hongyi's body staggered.

After witnessing the other party trample over all of his records, he finally made up his mind to take the 2-star master teacher examination. Yet, the other party said that he wanted to take the examination 'as well'...

A strong stifling sensation rose in his chest and left him on the verge of puking blood.

Are you intentionally doing this to embarrass me?

Fine!

Since you are so adamant on going against me, don't blame me for getting nasty...

Harrumphing coldly, he gritted his teeth and glanced at Zhang Xuan, "Given the results of the past five tests, you do have the capability to take the 2-star master teacher examination... However, there are prerequisites for the examination. Have you fulfilled all those prerequisites?"

He hated to admit it, but it was clear that the fellow had the capability to become a 2-star master teacher.

But just possessing capability was insufficient.

There were conditions one had to meet to take the 2-star master teacher examination.

If one didn't meet these conditions, one wouldn't be eligible to take the examination.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan glanced over.

"Just like for the 1-star master teacher examination, there is a requirement on one's supporting occupation to become a 2-star master teacher. One must have at least 2 supporting occupations, and each of them must reach the 2-star tier!"

Mo Hongyi smiled confidently, "Despite my inability, I managed to become a 2-star apothecary, 2-star formation master, and 2-star blacksmith, so I meet the requirement! Do you meet this requirement?"

At which, he placed his hands behind his back and turned to Zhang Xuan. "Given that you're only a 1-star apothecary, I doubt that you are qualified to take the 2-star master teacher examination!"

"The supporting occupation has to reach the 2-star tier? And there must be two of them?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He didn't think that there would be such a rule.

Liu shi seemed to have mentioned something like this before, but he wasn't too clear on the matter, and Zhang Xuan wasn't too concerned about it at that time.

"That's right. If you don't have the supporting occupations, I will have to ask you to leave..."

Since he had already opened fire, there was no need for him to put on an amiable front. Harrumphing coldly, he was just about to continue speaking when the young man before him suddenly flicked his wrist after a brief moment of hesitation. An emblem promptly appeared in his palm.

"This is the emblem of a 2-star painter. I have already passed the 3-star examination, but they said that they don't have it with them at the moment and it would take ten days for it to arrive. Thus, they gave me a 2-star emblem to make do with it. To think that I would have a use for it!"

"2-star painter?"

"Will that do?"

The crowd spurted blood once more.

Mo Hongyi's face warped as well.

He just said that the other party was only a 1-star apothecary, and didn't have the qualifications to take the examination when the other party took out a 2-star emblem.

Did the slap have to be so quick and so hard?

"I need two supporting occupations, right? Here is another one..."

Flicking his wrist once more, another emblem appeared. It was the 2-star beast tamer emblem which he obtained at the Beast Hall back then.

The two 2-star emblems glimmered brightly in Zhang Xuan's eyes.

"He really has two 2-star supporting occupations?"

"2-star painter and 2-star beast tamer... Not to mention, his fearsome pill forging skills..."

"It will be tough for Mo shi from now on..."

...

Seeing that Zhang Xuan was able to produce the required emblems right after Mo Hongyi challenged him on his lack of supporting occupations, everyone's focus instantly shifted onto the number one genius.

They wanted to see what he had to say about this matter.

Sensing everyone's gaze on him, Mo Hongyi's face twisted. However, he had already come this far and it was impossible for him to back down now. Clenching his teeth, he pushed on.

"Even though you have sufficient supporting occupation, you need to reach the Zongshi realm before you can take the 2-star master teacher examination. Given your current strength, you aren't qualified yet!"

Just like how one needed to be at Tongxuan realm to take the 1-star master teacher examination, there was also a requirement for the 2-star master teacher examination as well.

If one failed to attain the Zongshi realm, he would be ineligible to take the 2-star examination.

Hearing those words, everyone immediately turned to Zhang Xuan.

Due to the purity of the Heaven's Path zhenqi, if Zhang Xuan does not propel his cultivation, no one would be able to tell his true strength.

However, the fact that he was able to defeat the Zongshi realm puppet in the Unerring Pavilion made everyone curious about his current strength.

"Zongshi realm... It's true that I have yet to reach that level. I am only at Half-Zongshi!"

Upon hearing of the cultivation requirement for the 2-star master teacher examination, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before displaying the full might of his cultivation.

Half-Zongshi!

"Even though Half-Zongshi is extremely close to Zongshi realm, it isn't Zongshi realm..."

"Indeed. From the looks of it, he probably won't be able to take the 2-star master teacher examination..."

"Still, to be able to find thirty errors on a Zongshi realm puppet and defeat it with the cultivation of a Half-Zongshi... His ability is indeed frightening!"

...

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan's cultivation was only at Half-Zongshi, the crowd shook their heads.

The criteria regarding supporting occupation and cultivation were fixed prerequisites that one had to meet to take the 2-star master teacher examination. If one failed to reach that level, they would be ineligible to take the examination. These were the hard rules determined by the headquarters that no one could change.

Half-Zongshi may seem as though it was just a step away from Zongshi realm, but there was a huge distance between the two. If one was lucky, one might be able to achieve a breakthrough within one or two years, but on the other hand, it was also possible for one to remain in this realm for their entire life.

Putting everything aside, if Liu shi and the others didn't meet with Yang shi, it was highly possible that they might have remained at Half-Zongshi for the rest of their lives.

The conditions for the 2-star master teacher examination were harsh. Just the fact that there were fifteen 1-star master teachers (including Mo Yu and Zhang Xuan) in the Tianwu Kingdom but only three 2-star master teachers showed how difficult it was to become a 2-star master teacher.

"You aren't eligible to take the examination since you aren't at Zongshi realm yet. I advise you to drop the idea!"

Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan's cultivation had yet to reach Zongshi realm, Mo Hongyi heaved a sigh of relief.

"That... Wait a moment!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head upon seeing the other party coming to a conclusion so swiftly. "Since the prerequisite for taking the 2-star examination is the attainment of the Zongshi realm, give me a moment!"

After which, he shut his eyes.

Wait a moment?

Mo Hongyi was stunned.

Wait for what?

Boom!

Before he could react, he suddenly felt the other party's aura growing exponentially stronger, as though a bird soaring into the heavens.

Opening his eyes once more, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly, "Alright, I've attained the Zongshi realm."

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Chapter 313: Meeting Senior

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric Pu!

Mo Hongyi staggered.

He had him wait a moment, and... and he just achieved a breakthrough like that!

The heck!

Could there be anything more ridiculous than this?

Understanding the various schools of techniques and gathering their knowledge to form one's own school, that is a Zongshi.

When people close their eyes and opened it, they were merely dozing off. Yet, after closing your eyes and opening them a few moments later, you claimed that you have reached Zongshi realm...

Screw it!

Did it have to be so ludicrous?

Did you have to be so arrogant?

In an instant, Mo Hongyi felt as though thousands of bolts of lightning had struck him, burning him all the way down to his core. At this moment, he even felt like dying.

"He has reached Zongshi realm?"

"It's true, the aura around him is clearly that of a Zongshi realm expert!"

"He achieved a breakthrough just like that? Isn't that too simple?"

...

The crowd looked as though someone had stuffed wool into their mouth and their eyes were widened to the point that their eyeballs threatened to fall to the ground.

They had seen people who strived hard and eventually reached Zongshi realm after gaining enlightenment.

They had heard of people who went into seclusion for innumerable years and eventually succeeded.

But... shutting one's eyes for a moment and achieving a breakthrough... This was their first time seeing and hearing of it.

It felt like a joke.

This was Zongshi realm, the first big hurdle of a Fighter's cultivation, the gates that shut innumerable people out their entire life...

To breakthrough just like that, am I going mad, or was there something wrong with the world?

"He has already achieved a breakthrough, but we're still unable to find our way..."

Those master teachers who had been stuck at Half-Zongshi for countless years felt a fiery stinging sensation on their cheeks. If they could, they would like to find a hole to hide in.

Even if humans were born unequal... You didn't have to make it so apparent!

Wasn't the difference too great?

On the other hand, Liu Ling's body swayed.

It was just yesterday night when he advised the other party to train diligently and accumulate experience, or else it would be impossible for him to achieve a breakthrough. Yet, the other party achieved a breakthrough right before everyone's eyes today, not to mention, he did it just by shutting his eyes for a moment.

Senior, could it be that you already had the capability to achieve a breakthrough yesterday, but you intentionally suppressed your cultivation to spare my dignity?

If that was the case, you might as well not spare my dignity. The blow from this is much worse, alright...

Everyone harbored their own thoughts toward this matter, but one thing they had in common was their shocked gazes.

The actions of this youngster had destroyed their understanding of cultivation.

"Now that I am a Zongshi, I should be eligible for the 2-star master teacher examination, right?"

Actually, Zhang Xuan could have achieved a breakthrough while he was at Unerring Pavilion, but he intentionally suppressed it so that he could train himself against the puppet. All he did just now was to channel his zhenqi for his cultivation to immediately rise to the level of Zongshi realm.

Upon reaching Zongshi realm, his disposition became more refined, and his zhenqi became denser and stronger. Without testing, it was impossible to gauge how powerful he was, but based on the energy flowing through his body, it was likely that his strength had increased by two-folds.

The previous 1500 ding of strength had probably already reached 3000 ding!

Such strength was comparable to a normal Zongshi realm advanced stage!

If he were to meet with the Zongshi realm puppet once more, he would be able to destroy it with a single punch, just like what he did with the first puppet.

"You have reached Zongshi realm, so you do fulfill the condition!"

Elder Zhu nodded blankly in response to Zhang Xuan's question.

The condition for taking the 2-star master teacher examination was to reach Zongshi realm. Since Zhang Xuan already reached that level, Mo Hongyi could no longer use it as a reason to stop him.

"So what if you have reached Zongshi realm? Your Soul Depth is only 5.1! As long as you don't reach 6.0, you aren't eligible!"

Mo Hongyi clenched his fists tightly.

Since he had already offended the other party, he might as well go all the way through!

"That... There is indeed a condition stating that one's Soul Depth has to reach at least 6.0 before one can take the 2-star master teacher examination!" Afraid that the other party didn't know of the matter, Elder Zhu explained.

"That's true, I remember Liu Ling telling me about it!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Back then, when he was still at Tianxuan Kingdom, Liu Ling and the others had raised the subject while they were talking about Soul Depth. They said that one's Soul Depth had to reach 3.0 to take the 1-star master teacher examination, 6.0 for the 2-star examination, 9.0 for the 3-star examination, so on and so forth.

Zhang Xuan's Soul Depth was only at 5.1, so he didn't have the right to take the examination.

"Even though I am incapable, my Soul Depth has reached 6.0, reaching the minimum requirement for the 2-star master teacher examination."

Finally triumphing over the other party on one aspect, Mo Hongyi heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, a Stone of Insight appeared in his hands. After a few moments, the number 6.0 appeared on it!

"His Soul Depth has really reached 6.0!"

"Fearsome! Soul Depth is the foundation of a master teacher, and if one's Soul Depth is unable to keep up, it is useless no matter how high one's cultivation is!"

"That's true. It seems like Zhang shi's miracles will stop here!"

"This is already a miracle in itself! Look at how old he is, he isn't even in his twenties yet... To possess a Soul Depth of 5.1 at his age, it is just a matter of time before he reaches 6.0!"

...

Upon confirming that Mo Hongyi's Soul Depth had reached 6.0, everyone burst into an uproar.

At the same time, they felt pity for Zhang Xuan.

He could take the tests for the supporting occupations beforehand, and he could achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation on the spot, but it was impossible for him to raise his Soul Depth all of the sudden!

There was no way around it.

"Alright, since you don't meet the prerequisite, you should wait by the side. I have an examination to take now!"

After displaying his Soul Depth, Mo Hongyi placed his hands behind his back while displaying a haughty expression and calmly added.

"It is indeed a point for concern that my Soul Depth has not reached 6.0, but... don't be in such a hurry, give me a moment..."

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said.

"Give you another moment?"

Hearing those words, Mo Hongyi staggered.

He was on the verge of going insane.

Is he for real?

Different to the case of one's cultivation, Soul Depth could only be raised slowly with time. I don't believe that a moment is sufficient for your Soul Depth to reach 6.0!

He glanced at the young man with unfriendly eyes, and this time, the young man didn't shut his eyes. Instead, he surveyed the surroundings, as though looking for someone.

Raising one's Soul Depth was an extremely difficult and lengthy process. It required one to put in hard work every day, year after year. It was impossible for Zhang Xuan to wait that long.

Since Elder Zhu was already going to prepare for the examination, it would be best for him to take it along with Mo Hongyi. Otherwise, he would have to make another trip here, and that would be troublesome.

Thus...

He thought of a way, the golden book!

This Book of Heaven's Path could easily raise one's Soul Depth, sparing one the trouble and time of doing so.

Initially, he intended to visit Tianwu Academy to accept a few students and induce their gratitude towards him. However, now that Zhao Ya and the others were here, he could simply call them over and find a way to form the golden page.

Just as he was surveying the area for Zhao Ya and the others, he suddenly froze. A familiar figure caught his eyes.

It was the master teacher he met in the mountains last night, Jiang Shu!

"He is also my student, and I have already won his gratitude and trust by helping him tame the Crimson Tiger. If I were to help him solve the hidden traumas in his body now, the golden page may just form!"

Such a thought flashed across Zhang Xuan's mind. With a slight smile, he walked up and beckoned, "Jiang Shu, come here for a moment!"

Initially, Elder Zhu, Mo Hongyi, and the others were filled with curiosity about what Zhang Xuan was up to after asking them to wait for a moment. However, when they heard his words, all of them staggered, and blood nearly spurted from their mouths.

Jiang Shu...

That is the pavilion master of our Master Teacher Pavilion!

As a 2-star pinnacle master teacher, everyone here has to address him respectfully as Jiang shi. Yet, you called him straight by his name!

Is there something wrong with you?

Not only was the crowd astonished, Pavilion Master Jiang was taken aback as well. He had no idea why the other party was calling for him.

Perplexed, he was just about to walk over when Jiang Chen stepped in front of him.

"Zhang Xuan, what are you up to? My father is a 2-star pinnacle master teacher, the pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, who are you to order him about?"

This Jiang Chen is the son of Pavilion Master Jiang.

"He is your father?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He didn't expect this situation at all.

However, thinking about it, everything made sense.

As a 2-star pinnacle master teacher and a Zongshi realm pinnacle cultivator, even the emperor of Tianwu Kingdom had to treat Pavilion Master Jiang with the utmost respect. It was no wonder why even though Mo Yu clearly detested Jiang Chen, she didn't dare to do anything about him. It was because Jiang Chen had a powerful background.

"That's right!" Jiang Chen tilted his head upward proudly.

As a 1-star master teacher, he possessed an esteem standing in Tianwu Kingdom. Furthermore, despite the fact that he wasn't much as compared to those who stand at the top echelon, because of his background, no one in the kingdom dared to disregard him.

Even the royal family held him in high regard.

He was extremely proud to have such a father.

Yet, this hateful fellow was actually commanding his father to come over. Naturally, he was displeased.

"You should go to the side first, I have something to talk to your father about!"

Although Zhang Xuan was surprised that Jiang Shu was the pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and Jiang Shu was Jiang Chen's son, he was quick to recover his composure.

The book compiled on Jiang Shu in the Library of Heaven's Path only stated that he was a 2-star master teacher, it didn't mention that he was the pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Even so, there were only three 2-star master teachers in the entire kingdom. He had already met with Elder Zhu and Vice Pavilion Master Guan, so naturally, Jiang Shu had to be the pavilion master.

Zhang Xuan thought that he was lucky for the student he casually accepted to be the pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion.

"You..."

Seeing the other party disregard him, Jiang Chen's face paled. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he was pulled to one side.

"Alright, you should step aside for now!"

Jiang Shu walked up to Zhang Xuan and faced him.

At this point, he was sure he had never met the young man before him.

Yet, the other party addressed him by his name. He couldn't help but feel slightly peculiar about the matter.

"May I know the reason why Zhang shi called me here?"

In spite of his slight displeasure towards Zhang Xuan's rudeness, he upheld his etiquette.

"Did you acknowledge a master teacher named Yang Xuan as your teacher yesterday?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"How did you know?"

Jiang Shu's body jolted.

He didn't tell anyone about the events that happened last night. Yet, the young man knew of the matter. This shocked him.

"Pavilion Master Jiang has acknowledged someone as his teacher?"

"To become Pavilion Master Jiang's teacher, doesn't that mean that the person's ability is above that of a 2-star pinnacle master teacher?"

"He is probably a 3-star master teacher..."

"When did such a formidable figure appear in Tianwu Kingdom?"

...

Hearing the pavilion master admit to it, a commotion immediately broke out among the crowd.

Pavilion Master Jiang was the most skilled master teacher in Tianwu Kingdom, yet he had acknowledged someone else as his teacher. How skilled must that Yang Xuan be for Pavilion Master Jiang to submit to him?

"It's teacher!"

"It's grand-teacher!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the eyes of Liu Ling, Zhao Ya, and the others glowed.

"You are..."

After recovering from his shock, Jiang Shu asked carefully.

Since he didn't tell anyone about this matter... then it was likely that the news got leaked by his teacher.

Could the person before him... be related to his teacher?

"I am Yang Xuan, Yang shi's, direct disciple. Following the customs, you should call me..."

"Senior!"

.

.

.

Chapter 314: Soul Depth of Zero?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"Father's senior?"

Jiang Chen spurted blood.

Are you for real? When did father acknowledge someone as his teacher?

Furthermore, you are his senior? If that's true, then what am I?

Your junior nephew?

Jiang Chen's face distorted in agitation. Frustration clawed at him as he teetered on the edge of losing his mind.

The others quickly turned their attention to the pavilion master, as though trying to spot any signs of him joking.

"You are Yang shi's direct disciple?"

Ignoring the gazes from the surroundings, Pavilion Master Jiang took a moment to let this information sink in before he came to a realization. "It is no wonder you are so formidable despite your age. So you are teacher's student..."

He would never believe it easily if someone were to appear and claimed that to be his senior. However, if the other party wasn't Yang shi's student, how could he have known that he had become Yang shi's student?

And how could he possess such astonishing capability?

To be able to cause such a huge commotion just by taking an examination, he would never believe that Zhang Xuan didn't have a formidable teacher behind him.

He just met Yang shi yesterday, and Zhang Xuan appeared today. Considering the coincidence in timing, he judged that it was unlikely for the matter to be a lie.

"Indeed. Teacher said that you have met with some trouble while cultivating and that had left traumas on you. He had entrusted me with a cultivation technique and said that as long as you cultivate accordingly, your traumas will be resolved. In fact, reaching Half-Zhizun will not be a problem at all!"

Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message to Pavilion Master Jiang.

"What?"

Pavilion Master Jiang's face flushed.

Yesterday, when Yang shi pointed out his problem, Jiang Shu thought that he would have to do several things for the other party before he would treat his affliction. He didn't expect the other party to send Zhang shi to relay the solution to him.

"Listen carefully!"

After seeing what affliction Jiang Shu was suffering from through the Library of Heaven's Path, he flipped through numerous books and finally found a solution to his problem. Since he wanted to obtain the gratitude of the other party to form the golden page, there was no reason for him to hesitate in telling him the solution.

Thus, he imparted the complete method without holding anything back.

Soon, he finished relaying the entire cultivation technique.

As a 2-star pinnacle master teacher, before Pavilion Master Jiang heard the entire cultivation technique, he could already tell that it would be effective on his affliction!

After hearing the complete formula, he trembled in excitement.

He could foresee that if he were to cultivate according to the other party's formula, not only would his trauma be treated, his cultivation would also progress swiftly. Reaching the level of his dreams was no longer an impossible feat!

Pavilion Jiang's knees caved in, and he kneeled onto the floor. Earnestly, he clasped his fist.

"Thank you, teacher, for the bestowment! Thank you senior for imparting this cultivation technique to me!"

The duo had been communicating through telepathy, so no one knew what the duo was talking about.

Just when they were perplexed over what was going on, Pavilion Master Jiang suddenly kneeled on the floor.

Everyone was shocked.

"Pavilion Master Jiang actually kneeled to this lad?"

"He isn't kneeling to this lad, but his teacher... Which means to say, Zhang shi is really his senior!"

"Who in the world is Yang shi? How strong is he?"

"Who knows? But to be able to get Jiang shi to willingly acknowledge him as his teacher, he must be at least 3-star, or perhaps even higher..."

...

The crowd clenched their fists tightly.

The highest ranking master teacher in Tianwu Kingdom was Pavilion Master Jiang at 2-star pinnacle. Yet, someone who he was willing to acknowledge as a teacher suddenly appeared. Anyone who heard of this would surely find the matter unbelievable.

"Father..."

Jiang Chen cried.

He thought that the fellow was just bragging and that his father would destroy him. Yet... it was real!

Furthermore, his father even kneeled in submission?

Heavens, you shouldn't play with me like that...

At the same time, Zhao Ya and the others flushed in agitation.

It was just awhile ago that they thought that since their teacher was able to send Physician Bai Chan running in fear and Princess Mo Yu to clasp her fist to him respectfully, it was just a matter of time before the pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion greets him, yet... Not only did the pavilion master greet him, he even kneeled down...

As expected of their teacher, he was indeed incredible!

Just when everyone was dying from shock, Zhang Xuan's eyes turned red with excitement.

As expected, diligence does not betray one. At the moment of Pavilion Master Jiang's kneeling, Zhang Xuan's mind jolted and the golden book appeared. Flipping it open, another golden page was in it.

Seemed like his previous conjecture was correct.

Only the earnest gratitude from a student could form the golden page.

"With this, I can finally raise my Soul Depth..." Zhang Xuan's lips curled up.

Boom!

His head jolted, and the golden page immediately burnt into ashes. Immediately, Zhang Xuan felt as though his head was filled with something. All of his doubts from before suddenly cleared up, and his flow of thoughts hastened as well.

"So this is the State of Insight..."

Many confusing issues that he was stuck with previously suddenly seemed clear and orderly to him. Without even checking, Zhang Xuan knew that his Soul Depth must have increased.

The greater one's Soul Depth, the easier it was for one to find and grasp the essence of something.

In the past, Zhang Xuan required the Library of Heaven's Path to look for flaws. However, along with the increase in his Soul Depth, he found himself being capable of finding flaws without using the Library of Heaven's Path, and he could even deduce the solution to them as well.

"My original intention was to use the page to assimilate the contents into my mind..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had recently collected a huge number of books in the Library of Heaven's Path, so he intended to use the golden page to assimilate their contents into his head.

Even though he ended using the golden page for his Soul Depth, it was of no consequence now that he knew of the method to form those golden pages, he could just find a way to form more of those.

Calming his mind, Zhang Xuan exhaled deeply. Then, he turned to Elder Zhu and smiled, "Alright, my Soul Depth is sufficient now!"

"Your Soul Depth is sufficient now? What do you mean?"

Mo Hongyi looked over.

Even though he wasn't present then, he had heard from the others that Zhang Xuan had tested his Soul Depth and it was at 5.1. Thus, he shouldn't be eligible for the 2-star master teacher examination. Yet, after speaking to Pavilion Master Jiang for a moment, he turned around and said that his Soul Depth had reached the requirement...

What do you mean? Surely you don't intend to say that... in this short period of time, your Soul Depth has exceeded 6.0?

If it was anyone else who said those words, Mo Hongyi would surely kill the other person on the spot. But... this fellow was different.

With a maximum score of 100, he was able to achieve a score of 130. Despite accidentally trespassing into the second stage, he was still able to find 30 flaws. Just by shutting his eyes for a moment, he was able to achieve a breakthrough to Zongshi realm...

He wasn't something that common sense was applicable to!

"You... mean to say that... your Soul Depth... has reached 6.0?" Elder Zhu's mouth twitched as he looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully.

"I'm not sure.... But I think it should be enough. We can look for a Stone of Insight to test it now!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

The golden page was capable of raising his Soul Depth, his previous experience had proved this. However, he couldn't confirm how much it would increase each time. After all, no one could guarantee that the previous increment of 5.0 wasn't an exception.

Thus, Zhang Xuan didn't dare to phrase it definitely.

When he said he wasn't sure, the crowd went speechless again.

You don't know?

Should be enough?

You don't even know your Soul Depth? You must be joking!

At my age, I had seen countless monsters and geniuses, but this is my first time seeing such a peculiar and frustrating one!

"I have one here, take it!"

Holding back his urge to vomit blood, Elder Zhu took out a Stone of Insight and offered it to him.

Grabbing hold of it, Zhang Xuan focused his mind to enter Heart of Tranquil Water.

Weng!

A light buzz.

"Quick, how much is it?"

"It can't be that it has really exceeded 6.0, has it?"

"Who knows? If it is anyone else, I will definitely think he is boasting. But this fellow..."

...

Everyone's eyes were gathered on Zhang Xuan. They wanted to know the result of the test.

Even Mo Hongyi's breathing hastened unknowingly.

Hu!

Zhang Xuan opened his palms expectantly and glanced downward. However, what he saw almost made him throw the Stone of Insight outward.

"This... What is going on?"

The glowing Stone of Insight had turned gray and lost its radiance. Moreover, there were no numbers on it.

No numbers?

Before he used the golden page, even his Soul Depth of 0.1 was reflected. Yet, nothing was shown on it now, not even a zero. What the heck was going on?

"Could it be..." Gedeng, Zhang Xuan's heart leaped a beat, and his mouth twitched.

Could it be that while the Soul Depth could increase his Soul Depth, it could cancel it out as well?

The 5.1 which he had painstakingly accumulated has been canceled out?

If that was the case, then it was really darned...

He had just boasted about the matter when this happened... Would he be beaten to death by everyone here?

"No numbers?"

"I thought that he would really reach 6.0. Seems like he's just bragging after all!"

"Indeed! How can it be possible for one to reach 6.0 from 5.1 in just an hour?"

...

Not only was Zhang Xuan stunned, the crowd was confused as well.

Didn't you just confidently declare that you had met the requirement for the 2-star examination? Why does your test... reflect nothing at all?

"You sure know how to act. To think that I really believed you..."

"Seems like we're just thinking too much into it. Soul Depth has to be slowly cultivated, how can it increase on one's whim?"

Voices sounded from the crowd.

The matter of Zhang Xuan reaching Zongshi realm could still be attributed to his solid foundation. However, Soul Depth was different. The previous test had clearly reflected 5.1, so how could it reach 6.0 all of a sudden? Just the very thought of it was ludicrous.

"Since there are no numbers, this also means that your Soul Depth hasn't reached 6.0 yet. As such, you aren't qualified to take the examination. Elder Zhu, there's no need to delay it any longer. Let's begin!"

Seeing that the other party's Soul Depth had not reached 6.0, Mo Hongyi heaved a sigh of relief, and slowly, he regained his confidence.

Continue acting!

Hmph, you screw it up this time, right!

Since your Soul Depth has not fulfilled the requirement, you aren't eligible to take the examination. You wish to catch up with me? Try harder!

"Un...".

Looking at Zhang Xuan's Stone of Insight and noticing the lack of numbers on it, Elder Zhu shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, Pavilion Master Jiang walked over with a grim expression.

"Hold on for a moment!"

"What's wrong?"

Elder Zhu was bewildered. It was the first time he had seen such an expression on the pavilion master's face. The crowd also turned their gazes over as well.

Pavilion Master Jiang didn't reply. Instead, he walked up to Zhang Xuan and picked up his Stone of Insight.

The moment his fingers came into contact with the Stone of Insight, kacha!

A crisp sound and the Stone of Insight was reduced to powder.

"This..."

Everyone froze.

Just like jade, the Stone of Insight was incomparably resilient. Pavilion Master Jiang didn't even exert any force on his fingers, so why would it break?

"As I expected..."

As though having verified something, Pavilion Master Jiang nodded his head, and a bright gleam flashed across his eyes.

"Pavilion master, what is going on?"

Elder Zhu asked. The crowd also looked at him anxiously.

"As long as one possesses the State of Insight, when grabbing the Stone of Insight while in the state of the Heart of Tranquil Water, numbers should appear on it. All of you had personally witnessed Zhang shi's Soul Depth reaching 5.1 so don't you all think that it's weird that there's no result at all this time?"

Pavilion Master Jiang asked.

The crowd nodded.

This was indeed the case. As long as one possessed the State of Insight, there should be numbers reflected on the Stone of Insight. How could it be completely blank?

"There are only two possibilities for the Stone of Insight to not display a result. Firstly, one doesn't possess the State of Insight. Secondly... one's Soul Depth has surpassed the range which the Stone of Insight could bear. Thus... it isn't that there isn't a result, but that... it is unable to show it!" Pavilion Master Jiang explained slowly.

"Surpassed the range which the Stone of Insight could bear?"

.

.

.

Chapter 315: Soul Depth 10.1!

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric

"The Stone of Insight that we use is known as the Inferior Stone of Insight, and it can only detect Soul Depth of 9.0 and below. That is to say, we can only check the Soul Depth of one below the level of a 3-star master teacher. Once it exceeds that level... the Stone of Insight will crumble."

Pavilion Master Jiang nodded as he pointed at the powder on the floor. "Otherwise, given how resilient the Stones of Insight are, how could it possibly shatter upon contact.

"Now that you speak of it, it does make sense!"

Everyone was stunned once more.

As a precious jade, the Stone of Insight was extremely tough. It would be difficult for even a sword to leave a mark on it. Yet, it crumbled upon contact. The situation was indeed bizarre.

"Pavilion master means to say that... Zhang shi's Soul Depth is possibly... above 9.0?"

Catching the gist of the other party's words, Elder Zhu said in a quivering tone.

What did 9.0 mean?

It was the standard of a 3-star master teacher! A fellow who wasn't even twenty yet had reached such a level?

Upon hearing those words, everyone immediately understood the underlying meaning behind this situation.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The heck! Just moments ago, you were tested to have achieved 5.1, and it would already be astounding for you to breakthrough to 6.0. Yet, judging from Pavilion Master Jiang's words, it wasn't capped at that level...

"It is simple to check whether the conjecture is true or not. I have an Intermediate Stone of Insight with me. We will know the answer once we put it to the test!"

With a grim expression, Pavilion Master Jiang flicked his wrist, and a jade stone appeared in his hand.

Unlike the Stone of Insight Elder Zhu just passed him, it assumed a more brilliant and eye-catching appearance. The lines on its surface were much more compact and those with low cultivation would find themselves suffering severe vertigo from a mere glance at it.

Intermediate Stone of Insight! Every single one of those was incomparably valuable.

In the entire Tianwu Kingdom Master Teacher Pavilion, there was only one of it.

"Senior Zhang, I will have to trouble you to give it a test!"

Pavilion Master Jiang handed the Stone of Insight over.

After the cultivation technique was relayed to him, he had already affirmed Zhang Xuan to be Yang shi's student. Thus, he began to call him senior.

The pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion was a figure which could even disregard the emperor of the kingdom. If it was anyone else, he would definitely be troubled to have to call a fellow who was younger than his son as senior.

However, after personally witnessing 'Yang shi's' fearsome abilities, coupled with the saying among master teachers that 'Capability, instead of age, is what that determines one's seniority', he did not feel as awkward addressing Zhang Xuan as senior after addressing him once.

"Un!"

Zhang Xuan took the Stone of Insight and grabbed it in his hand. After which, he started to enter the Heart of Tranquil Water once more.

Weng!

Hearing a light buzz, Zhang Xuan glanced downward.

A bright radiance shot out from the Intermediate Stone of Insight, illuminating the surroundings. Slowly, a line of digits floated into appearance.

Upon seeing the numbers on it, everyone was stunned.

For a moment, the entire Master Teacher Pavilion went silent.

Then, an uproar broke out.

"Te-te... 10.1?"

"His Soul Depth is... 10.1?"

They had thought that the other party was bragging, but to think that... it had reached 10.1!

At 3.0, one was eligible for the 1-star master teacher examination. At 6.0, one could take the 2-star examination. At 10.1... It was more than sufficient for one to take the 3-star examination!

"Wasn't it... 5.1 just now? Why..."

Mo Hongyi was on the verge of tears.

He felt as though the other party was here just to embarrass him.

Putting aside the fact the other party broke all of his records, more importantly, he refuted every single thing that he doubted. When he said that his supporting occupations didn't meet the requirement, the other party took out his emblems. When he said that the other party hasn't reached Zongshi realm yet, he achieved a breakthrough on the spot. And the worse part... when he said that his Soul Depth was insufficient, he showed him a Soul Depth that was sufficient for him to even take the 3-star master teacher examination.

Couldn't you play fairly?

If there was a burrow in the ground, he would definitely dive in immediately. He didn't even feel like living on anymore.

Lu Xun also felt a sweet sensation at his throat as he nearly spurted a mouthful of fresh blood.

When he reached Heart of Tranquil Water and his Soul Depth was tested to be 1.8, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for the entire night. He had thought that he was a genius and that he could wander around the vast world freely. However, when he saw Zhang shi's Soul Depth, he realized that... the little bit of Soul Depth he had meant nothing at all.

He turned to Mo Hongyi and shook his head in sympathy.

This number one genius had suffered so much blows that... it would be a huge blessing if he could recover this trauma at all.

Zhang laoshi, that's enough of you!

Even a powerful figure like Mo Hongyi had been reduced to such a state because of you.

Knowing that the gap between him and Zhang laoshi was irreconcilable, Lu Xun gave up on all thoughts of comparing with the latter.

"Reached 10.1?"

Zhang Xuan was also astonished for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Seemed like the golden page didn't cancel out his previously accumulated Soul Depth. Instead, it was as impressive as before, increasing his Soul Depth by 5.0 once more.

"..."

"..."

Originally, everyone was already despondent from this situation, but after seeing Zhang Xuan's look of realization, they spurted blood once more.

You didn't even know your own Soul Depth... Can you not be so dense?

"Zhang shi, it is hard to raise one's Soul Depth. This is..."

Suppressing his shock, Elder Zhu couldn't hold himself back any longer and asked.

Soul Depth assumed a similar concept as one's age. Even if one had a good method to cultivate it, one could only accumulate it bit by bit.

To increase it from 5.1 to 10.1 in an instant, wasn't this a little too fast?

Furthermore, to not even know the extent of the growth of his Soul Depth...

Could you be any more foolish?

Upon hearing Elder Zhu's question, everyone swiftly turned over to look, curious to know what had happened.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, a look of difficulty apparent on his face, before he sighed, "Never mind, I doubt all of you will give up if I don't account for it today. It is indeed true that I don't know how much my Soul Depth had increased by. That's because back then when I reached Heart of Tranquil Water, my teacher sealed my Soul Depth, and he sternly instructed me to only unseal it when my strength reaches a certain level... It must be because I had reached Zongshi realm and regained some of my Soul Depth that my Soul Depth experienced a sudden leap!"

Zhang Xuan couldn't possibly speak about the golden page and the Library of Heaven's Path, so he had conjured up an excuse beforehand and pushed the blame to that imaginary teacher.

"Sealed your Soul Depth? There is such a thing?"

"How strong must your Soul Depth be that it had to be sealed?"

A commotion broke out.

A sealed Soul Depth was unheard of. But if that wasn't the case, then there was really no other way to explain the sudden increase by 5.0 of Zhang Xuan's Soul Depth!

Shocked, they surveyed Zhang Xuan as though examining a freak.

How high must one's Soul Depth be to require sealing?

And what master teacher rank had his teacher achieved to be capable of such a feat?

Initially, they had thought that Zhang Xuan was harboring some incredible method to raise one's Soul Depth. However, after listening to his explanation, they realized that his Soul Depth was something that came with him since birth, and it was impossible for them to match up to him.

"Some people are indeed born with overwhelming Soul Depth. Rumor has it that Empyrean Kong shi possessed Innate Saint Soul Depth, which was comparable to that of a 9-star master teacher. From birth, he was already destined to be extraordinary. Eventually, he went on to climb to the peak of the world and achieved many great things!"

Pavilion Master Jiang said.

"Innate Saint Soul Depth? Comparable to a 9-star master teacher?"

Everyone was shocked.

Although they didn't know how much Soul Depth one needed to become a 9-star master teacher, going by the 3.0 per rank convention, a 9-star master teacher should possess a Soul Depth of 27.0 or above.

A Soul Depth of 27 from birth?

"Kong shi wasn't the only one. There was a genius in Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom Master Teacher Pavilion that reached Heart of Tranquil Water at seventeen. During his first test, his Soul Depth had already reached a frightening level of 9.3, which is sufficient for one to take the 3-star master teacher examination."

As the pavilion master, Jiang Shu was well-informed of a lot of secrets. "These talents may be rare, but they definitely exist! Even so, if one's Soul Depth is too high and one's cultivation is unable to catch up, it could possibly result in unwanted consequences. Perhaps it was due to this that your teacher chose to seal your Soul Depth."

With this, he turned to look at Zhang Xuan in envy.

It was no wonder why a formidable figure like Yang shi would take him in as his student. Possessing such Soul Depth from birth made him a rare genius destined to be a master teacher. As long as he doesn't die, he would definitely join the ranks of a 4-star master teacher.

"So that's the case..."

"That's true. Soul Depth is extremely hard to raise. One could only raise it by zero point something or one point something with decades of effort. If everyone were to start out the same as us, how could there possibly be 6-star, 7-star, or even higher ranked master teachers in the world?"

"Indeed. The world is big, and there are countless experts. Even though Tianwu Kingdom is the largest country among the thirteen surrounding states, we are only a countryside kingdom to the truly powerful countries."

...

...

After hearing Pavilion Master Jiang's explanation, everyone came to a realization.

The world was big and it was filled with countless experts. Many things that seemed illogical to them was simply because of ignorance from their lack of exposure.

Similarly, the thought of anyone possessing such high Soul Depth at birth had never crossed Zhang Xuan's mind. Therefore, when he heard Pavilion Master Jiang's words, he too was surprised.

However, since Pavilion Master Jiang had justified his case for him, he couldn't be bothered to refute his words. With that, he turned to Mo Hongyi once more.

"Occupation, cultivation, and Soul Depth, I have fulfilled all them. Mo shi, is there any more prerequisites to taking the 2-star master teacher examination? Why don't you list them all out at a single go, so that I can make preparations for them together?"

"There isn't anything else..."

Mo Hongyi felt a burning sensation on his face. His body trembled, and his face was as bitter as a bitter gourd.

He wanted to stop the other party from taking the examination so that he could amaze others, yet... not only did he not amaze anyone, he only made a fool out of himself.

"Since there isn't anything else, then... I should be able to take the 2-star master teacher examination, right?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Of course..."

Mo Hongyi suppressed his urge to spurt blood.

He already knew how monstrous this fellow was, so why did he still pit himself against him for nothing? Not only did he lose his reputation as the number one genius of Tianwu Kingdom, he even became an egotistic laughingstock...

"Since the criteria are met, let's start the examination now!"

Afraid that Mo Hongyi would commit suicide if Zhang Xuan were to continue asking, Elder Zhu hurriedly interjected.

"There are also five tests to the 2-star master teacher examination, and they consist of the same Supporting Occupation Pavilion, Puppet Hall, Cultivation Technique Ocean, and Unerring Pavilion, albeit with a higher level of difficulty. For example, in the Supporting Occupation Pavilion, an apothecary will have to guide the puppet to forge a grade-2 pill, and a painter will have to guide the puppet to create a fourth level painting!"

"These four tests are the same, and the only difference is the House of Trust!"

"The first test, House of Trust, tests the Trust Level of a master teacher's students. In the 1-star examination, the chosen students can be under one's tutelage for several years with no age limit. Thus, many people chose to circumvent the rules by bringing a student whom they've taught from young. Naturally, the student would be extremely close to them, making it easy for them to pass the test... However, the 2-star examination won't be that easy."

"For the 2-star examination, the examinee has to accept a student on the spot and within ten days, one has to establish a Trust Level of 40 with them."

Elder Zhu explained the rules of the tests of the 2-star master teacher examination.