"Y-you... are Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi?"
The young man shuddered as tears streamed down his face. He nearly fainted on the spot.
Even though he had spoken badly of Zhang Xuan, he also knew that someone who was so strongly recommended by Su shi and Ling shi was anything but ordinary. Most probably, this Zhang shi wasn't just an ordinary 2-star master teacher.
Just that... as a fellow 2-star master teacher, he couldn't help but feel jealous by the other party's candidacy. This was also why he found himself pouring out all of his grudges upon seeing a stranger. If it had been someone he was familiar with, he would definitely be unable to do the same.
In any case, he didn't know the person anyway. Thus, he began talking to vent his frustration but never in his dreams could he have imagined that... not only did he accurately find the person in question, he even called the other party a dolt to his face!
What the heck?!
Aren't you going to participate in the selection round? Shouldn't you be seated with Ruohuan gongzi, Fu Xiaochen, and the others? Why are you sitting here with us?
The young man only saw lightning flashing through his head, and at that moment, even suicidal thoughts were popping up in his head.
What the heck was this... He just wanted to grab a stranger to complain to, and he just had to pick this Zhang shi of all people... Wasn't his luck too poor?!
Just as he was worried that the other party might pick a bone with him, Zhang shi stepped away and walked to the front.
"He isn't blaming me for it?"
Seeing that the other party didn't say a word to him before leaving, the young man widened his mouth in disbelief.
Master teachers valued their reputation highly and being insulted as a dolt to his face was an immense humiliation. If the other party were to blow up the matter, he would have no choice but to just bear the consequences... But the other party simply walked away without saying a thing. This magnanimity was something that most master teachers weren't equipped with.
"I wonder... if he will be picked..."
Suppressing his frustration, the master teacher turned his gaze to the stage.
...
"He's Zhang Xuan?"
"He seems younger than what the rumors depict him out to be!"
"Indeed. He's not even twenty yet, and on top of that, he's only a 2-star master teacher. What rights does he have to participate in the selection round?"
"That might not necessarily be the case. Even though he's wearing the 2-star emblem, his capability might not necessarily be just that of a 2-star master teacher.
"You're right... Without true capability, Su shi and Ling shi wouldn't have recommended him with such determination. But even if he isn't just a 2-star master teacher, given his age, his capability should still be severely limited!"
...
Everyone stared at the young man who just walked up to the stage in incredulity.
They had long heard that Zhang shi was young... but only witnessing his appearance first-hand did the image really strike them.
Discernment ability and knowledge were important to a master teacher, but more important than that was knowledge far surpassing ordinary cultivators.
No matter how talented this young man was, given that he had a decade less than the others to study, how much knowledge could he possibly have accrued?
"Since everyone is present, I shall begin explaining the rules of the selection round!"
Seeing that Zhang Xuan was here, Pavilion Master Kang nodded his head. Surveying the crowd, he began explaining the details of the selection round. "There will be a total of five rounds, and they will be related to the various fundamentals a master teacher should possess! It'll be presented in the form of a competition, and the first place will earn six points, the second place will earn five points, so on and so forth.
"The two candidates who are ranked at the top in terms of points at the end of the five tests will be selected to represent Myriad Kingdom Alliance in the Master Teacher Tournament!"
At which, Pavilion Master Kang waved his hands and asked, "Is there anyone who has any doubts?"
"No!" everyone hurriedly replied.
Jun Ruohuan and the candidates also shook their heads.
"I've already designed the tests with the other elders, and they'll be targeted at one's Soul Depth, comprehension of cultivation technique, memory, knowledge impartation, and guidance respectively."
Seeing that no one had any doubts, Pavilion Master Kang traded glances with the elders in the front row and nodded his head. "We'll begin the first round now, the test of Soul Depth. Elder Wu, I'll be troubling you!"
"Pavilion master, there's no need to stand on ceremony. It is only right that I do this!"
An elder chuckled as he walked up to the stage. Flicking his wrist, an ancient zither appeared in his hands.
"To think that Elder Wu would be sent out for the very first round!" someone in the hall commented.
"Why? Is there something special about Elder Wu?" The person beside him asked doubtfully.
"Of course! Elder Wu is a 4-star pinnacle master teacher just like the pavilion master, but... he has a very unique supporting occupation. That occupation is extremely useful for tempering one's Soul Depth!" replied the first person.
"Oh? What kind of occupation could be useful in tempering one's Soul Depth?" asked the second person curiously.
The most fundamental aspect of a master teacher was their Soul Depth. The higher one's Soul Depth, the easier for them to comprehend the essence of a master teacher. What kind of supporting occupation did Elder Wu have to make him noteworthy even among the other 4-star pinnacle master teachers?
"Demonic tunist!" the first person replied.
"Demonic tunist? You mean that unique occupation that can muddle a person's consciousness with music?" The second person was taken aback.
"Un!" The first person nodded his head. "Even though demonic tunist is only an occupation of the Lower Nine Paths, they are capable of using music to bewitch one's heart, making it hard to guard against. Our Myriad Kingdom City doesn't have an Demonic Tunist Guild, so Elder Wu's occupation is rather rare here!"
"To actually send a demonic tunist up to test the candidates' Soul Depth, just the first round in itself is difficult!" the second person remarked.
In normal master teacher examination, a Stone of Insight would be used to test one's Soul Depth, and the one with the higher number would emerge victorious. The difficulty was clearly much higher now that a demonic tunist was involved.
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...
In the midst of the discussion of the duo below, Elder Wu had already placed his zither down on a table and turned his gaze to the candidates.
"The first round will test your Soul Depth! As a master teacher, not only should one's Soul Depth be high, more importantly, one must be capable of thinking and operating rationally when put in a distracting environment! Under the request of the pavilion master, I'm here to test your Soul Depth. Naturally, I'll give it my all, so you all should be mentally prepared."
After which, he flicked his wrist again and a few round-shaped metal plates appeared on the table.
"This is a blank formation plate that formation masters often use. Later, I'll play a Demonic Tune of Psychosis which muddles one's consciousness, and you all will have to inscribe on the formation plate under such a state. At the end of the tune, you will be judged on your progress in the inscription and the exquisiteness of your strokes!"
Elder Wu glanced at the candidates and said, "I'll just say it first, my Demonic Tune of Psychosis will only work on one person at a time. Who wants to go first?"
"What an insane test!"
"I've heard of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis in a book before. It can muddle one's mind, leaving one unable to think properly. If a normal cultivator were to fall for it, he'll be left in a state similar to heavy intoxication. Under the state where one can't even differentiate directions, how could one possibly inscribe anything at all..."
"Indeed! Even standing upright will be a challenge then, for one to inscribe exquisite strokes on a palm-sized formation plate..."
"More importantly, the formation plate used for the test is of grade-3. Not only will one have to be of clear mind to inscribe on it, the force used is also of absolute importance. Otherwise, there's a high chance that it might shatter!"
"This test isn't just on one's Soul Depth. It is also assessing one's ability to control their strength in a confused state... Difficult, this test is extremely difficult!"
...
After hearing the content of Elder Wu's test, many master teachers below breathed in a large mouthful of cold air.
There was a good reason for the fame of the demonic tunist despite being just a Lower Nine Paths occupation! Under the onslaught of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis, it would already be difficult for one to resist its effects and maintain composure. To inscribe on a blank formation plate on top of that...
The difficulty was immense!
Putting aside the candidates, even the 4-star elders seated at the front row would find it hard to do so.
"Demonic tunist? Inscribe?"
Contrary to everyone's shock, Zhang Xuan frowned.
In the books that he had flipped through, there were some records on demonic tunists, but they were extremely brief. As such, he wasn't too sure about the abilities they possessed.
He had always thought that demonic tunist were similar to painters, just that their area of specialization was music. But from the looks of it, it wasn't as simple as he thought.
After hearing Elder Wu's explanation, Ruohuan gongzi turned to look at his competitors, curious to see their reactions.
Fu Xiaochen had a calm expression, seemingly expecting that there would be such a test. Thus, he was currently conditioning himself in preparation for it.
The others were also driving their Soul Depth, preparing themselves for the test with a solemn expression. Only a young man had his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
It was the person who had kept them waiting for several days, Zhang Xuan.
"It is obvious that he has never heard of demonic tunists before!"
Seeing the other party's confused expression, Ruohuan gongzi knew that the other party had never heard of demonic tunists before. To think that he, despite being one of the Four Gentlemen and a 4-star primary master teacher, would end up competing with such a fellow...
Just the thought of it left him frustrated.
Chuckling softly, Ruohuan gongzi said, "You are Zhang shi, right? Even though you kept us waiting for quite a while, you still came from afar. As a guest... it's only right for us to allow you to go first!"
"Me?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "There's no need to stand on ceremonies. If you wish, feel free to go. I'll just take a look first!"
There was no occupation within the Nine Paths that was ordinary. Since Zhang Xuan had never come into contact with demonic tunists before, he hoped to see the situation first before deciding on his next course of action.
"Take a look first?"
Ruohuan gongzi sneered, "Do you think that since Elder Wu is currently energized and that the one to go first will suffer the heaviest impact?"
"Since this is a test of one's Soul Depth, one should brave forward! To be hesitant, it only shows that you are worried and fearful. With such a huge gap in your mental fortitude, how can you expect to achieve good results? You must be joking!"
Since this was a test of one's Soul Depth, going first and going last could make a difference in one's state of mind and thus results.
If one were to hesitate for fear that one would suffer the brunt of the blow from going first, it could only go to show that there was a huge flaw in one's mental fortitude.
And the moment there was a flaw in one's mental fortitude, one would succumb easily to the Demonic Tune of Psychosis.
Ruohuan gongzi was intentionally saying those words so as to affect Zhang Xuan's confidence and state of mind.
Since they were competitors, he had no intentions of going easy on the others.
"Since you are fearful, allow me to go first then!"
After striking at Zhang shi's confidence, Ruohuan gongzi chuckled softly and walked up to the table, preparing to pick up the blank formation plate.
"Ruohuan gongzi, why don't you allow me to go first instead?"
An impassive voice sounded. Then, Fu Xiaochen walked up to the table as well.
He was already done conditioning his mental state. His expression was peaceful, and at this moment, it seemed as though nothing in the world could shake him.
"You wish to compete with me?" Ruohuan gongzi's eyebrows shot up.
"Compete? You're overthinking it. Given Elder Wu's strength, it doesn't matter whether one goes first or last. The effect of the Demonic Tune of Psychosis will surely be the same... The nifty tricks you use on others won't work on me," Fu Xiaochen replied impassively.