Knowing that the other party would only use a ton of twisted logic against him even if he were to argue over the matter of seniority, Lu Feng flung his sleeves furiously and changed the topic. "We are not here to listen to the lecture. Zhang Xuan has hoodwinked the students and staff of our Apothecary School, so we are here to see what kind of underhanded means he used to lure them here…"
"If you are here for the lecture, just say so! Stop coming up with such pathetic excuses. But no matter what you say today, you will have to pay the entrance fee to enter! Otherwise, with a shout, I believe that there are many students here who will be more than willing to see the valiant figure of the stand-in principal refusing to pay the entrance fee to a lecture!" Sun Qiang said as he stretched his back lazily.
"You…" Lu Feng's nails sank deep into his flesh.
If the fellow really started shouting then, the reputation which he had built up painstakingly over the years would really dissipate into nothing.
Just the shame of it could easily kill him.
"School Head, let's just get in first…" Knowing that the school head had already lost his cool, Vice School Head Zhou stepped forward and passed five high-tier spirit stones over. "Here!"
"That's more like it!" Sun Qiang's eyes lit up.
The members of the Xuanxuan Faction weren't charged for the lectures, and there weren't too many outsiders attending the lecture eithers—the several dozen thousand students and teachers from the Apothecary School had all chosen to join the Xuanxuan Faction.
It wasn't easy for him to find someone to profit from, so naturally, he wanted to take a bit more from them.
In any case, the Apothecary School had already fallen out with the young master, so there was no longer any need to keep up a front before them.
Besides, the esteemed head of the Apothecary School probably couldn't abandon his dignity and squabble with the 'uncle' of the guest elders of the academy.
Well, even if he did, that would be great too. He could make full use of this opportunity to return the favor in the young master's stead.
After all, he had seen for himself how arrogant the other party was earlier in the morning.
"Humph!"
Seeing Vice School Head Zhou pay the spirit stones, Lu Feng harrumphed coldly and walked in, paying no heed to the excited Sun Qiang.
The living quarters of the freshmen was considerably large. Even though it was housing tens of thousands of people, it wasn't cramped at all.
Lu Feng had barely taken a few steps through the entrance when he suddenly caught sight of a figure who made him stop in his tracks, and his eyes narrowed in astonishment.
"Apothecary Lu, why are you here?"
At the back of the crowd, an old man was currently looking ahead of him with eyes gleaming in excitement. Upon hearing someone call him, the old man turned around. He was no other than one of the most esteemed elders in the Apothecary School, Apothecary Lu Yi!
Apothecary Lu Yi was barely younger than You Xu, aged in his nine hundreds. He was one of the oldest elder in the Apothecary School, and over the years, he had contributed greatly to it in all aspects.
Stuck at a bottleneck, he had been spending the last thirty years of his life secluded in his residence to study. He had rarely appeared in public, such that even many of the seniors were unaware of his existence. Even in the annual grand Apothecary Impartation Symposium, which he had initiated, one the most prestigious events in the Apothecary School, he had been absent… Why was he suddenly here?
"Shhh, don't speak. Just listen… Marvelous, this is indeed marvelous! To think that even such simple logic can be incorporated into pill forging as well, unbelievable…"
Waving his hands impatiently, Apothecary Lu Yi ignored School Head Lu and turned his attention back to the stage.
"Apothecary Lu…"
Dark lines streaked across the furious Lu Feng's face. He stepped forward to call out to Lu Yi once more, but at that instant, Vice School Head Wei suddenly tugged at his robe and said, "School head, look at Apothecary Lu's clothes…"
"His clothes?" Lu Feng hurriedly turned his glance over, and what he saw left his mouth twitching endlessly.
As an elder of the Apothecary School, naturally, he was still dressed in the master teacher robe. However, two huge words were weaved on his chest—Xuanxuan Faction! Clearly, even he had joined the student faction as well!
"It's not only Apothecary Lu… School head, take a look around us," Vice School Head Wei said as he gestured to the surroundings.
Lu Feng hurriedly looked around, and he immediately saw a few familiar figures amid the crowd.
"Apothecary Bai? Wasn't he exploring the world? The last time I invited him to conduct a lecture, his face grew so dark that it seemed as if I was forcing him to commit suicide. Why would he… be wearing the robe of the Xuanxuan Faction?"
"Apothecary Ren… his Clearflame Pill Forging Technique is currently the most popular class in the Apothecary School, and he is one of the teachers who has contributed immensely to the growth of the school as well. He's even on the list of the most respected teachers in the academy… He joined the Xuanxuan Faction as well?"
"That is Apothecary Qiu! I even studied from him at one point…"
…
With every figure he saw, School Head Lu's face turned a shade darker. By the time he was done, he felt as if the string of sanity in his head was going to snap.
There were a few esteemed retired old teachers in the Apothecary School whom even he didn't have the authority to mobilize, and yet, here they were, having joined the Xuanxuan Faction voluntarily…
To think the influence of a mere student faction would be greater than a stand-in principal like him…
More importantly, every single of them was completely enraptured by the lecture, pricking up their ears for fear that they might miss a single word…
What was this insanity before him? Had the world gone mad?
Just as Lu Feng thought that he might really go mad at that very instant, Vice School Head Wei suddenly nudged him and pointed forward. "School Head, isn't that… Lu Hui?"
Once again, Lu Feng felt as if his sanity was pushed a step closer to the edge of a cliff.
Amidst the crowd, he saw a young man looking at the stage excitedly, as if he was going to meet his idol.
Who else could it be other than his direct disciple who had reported Zhang Xuan's presence in the Apothecary School earlier to him, Lu Hui?
When they left for the Apothecary Pavilion, they had left Lu Hui to take care of the library. When did the other party sneak here… and what was with the Xuanxuan Faction uniform he was wearing?
They had only parted a few moments ago!
Did he really betray them in such a short period of time?
"Lu Hui!" Lu Feng bellowed furiously.
Hearing that voice, Lu Hui noticed that his teacher was there too. He hurriedly squeezed through the crowd to head toward his teacher and bowed deeply. "Teacher, I… I saw that there were many students of our school heading here to listen to the lecture, so I couldn't help but tag along as well. Listening to Zhang shi's lecture, I thought that it was amazing, so I joined the Xuanxuan Faction as well…"
Fearing that his teacher would blame him, he hurriedly tried to explain himself.
"Wonderful… Wonderful!"
Lu Feng's face grew so red that it seemed as if blood was going to ooze from his skin. "Are you going to withdraw from my tutelage too?"
"This… I will be truly grateful if teacher can grant me that!" Lu Hui bowed deeply.
"Grant your head!" Clenching his jaws tightly, Lu Feng really felt like strangling the young man before him at that very instant.
It was just a moment ago that the other party had been reporting Zhang Xuan's activities to him, but ten minutes later, the other party suddenly turned on him…
Are you really my direct disciple?
Unable to take it any longer, Lu Feng turned his gaze to the young man on the stage. "Humph, let me see what kind of sorcery that fellow used to make all of you so utterly enamored by him…"
At this moment, the young man on the stage had already completed his lecture, and he was in the midst of answering questions.
"Zhang shi, when I forge the Refining Yang Pill, the pill often turns yellow upon formation. May I know if there is any solution to that?" asked one of the apothecaries amid the crowd.
"In order to bring out the true essence of the Refining Yang Pill, the apothecary forging the pill must be rich in yang energy as well. Even though there's no problem in your cultivation, a trauma that you suffered when you were younger has resulted in a lingering surge of cold energy within your body, leading to physical frailty. As such, you lack the vitality to forge such a pill. Even if you are able to form the pill, it is unlikely for the pill to harness much medicinal energy."
At this point, the young man on the stage glanced at the apothecary in the crowd and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the Refining Yang Pills you forge aren't very effective, are they?"
The apothecary hurriedly nodded. "That's right!"
The other party's analysis was spot-on.
"Since you have joined the Xuanxuan Faction, you are one of us, and I can't possibly give up on our own members. Alright, I will give you this grade-6 Searing Yang Pill then. With this, you should be able to expel the cold energy in your body easily. Once you do so, you won't face any problems forging the Refining Yang Pill anymore. On top of that, you should be able to make the breakthrough to Chrysalis realm as well!"
Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, and a pill flew toward the apothecary.
Seeing that pill, Vice School Head Wei's lips twitched. "That pill is mine…"
He recognized the pill. It was the one he had forged and stored at the Pill Chamber to be sold…
"Yes!"
However, no one paid any heed to Vice School Head Wei's exclamation. The apothecary caught the pill and consumed it immediately.
Gugugugu!
Not too long later, spiritual energy gushed into him, and with a deafening roar, his aura suddenly surged furiously, soaring into the clouds.
Chrysalis realm, reached!
"Thank you, Zhang shi!"
Not expecting that he would be able to achieve a breakthrough on top of resolving an existing trauma he was suffering from, the apothecary immediately kneeled onto the floor and kowtowed out of gratitude.
"Zhang shi, I…"
The next moment, a few more people raised their hands and asked their questions.
It was as if the young man had a pair of eyes that could peer through the essence of the world. He could easily tell what kind of constitution everyone had, and he could analyze the root of their problems and answer their questions easily. When he encountered those who seemed to be on the brink of a breakthrough, he would also bestow them with a grade-6 pill without any hesitation.
The sound of breakthroughs sounded endlessly beneath the stage.
Looking at that sight, Lu Feng and the vice school heads couldn't help but feel their hearts ache.
Those grade-6 pills that the young man was giving out freely had been forged painstakingly by them. They had invested a huge amount of time, effort, and money for them, and each of them was worth a fortune. Yet, this fellow was giving them out so casually like that…
The more Lu Feng thought about it, the more furious he felt. But he knew that if he were to rush forward to demand those pills be returned to him, he would surely be kicked out by the students and teachers in the crowd, and his reputation would be shattered as well.
"Let's return!" Gritting his teeth, School Head Lu turned around and left.
Not only did the other party steal away his students and teachers, the other party even made use of his pills to win their hearts and loyalty… How could he possibly keep his calm before this?
If he were to watch on, he might just die of anger!
But if he were to report this to the Master Teacher Pavilion, it would just make him appear petty in comparison.
After all, the main purpose of pills wasn't to serve as decoration within a chamber but to benefit humanity.
Not to mention, he was the head of the Apothecary School, and the pills were being distributed to benefit the students of the Apothecary School.
The other party might be making use of his pills to win the hearts of the populace, but even he had to admit that the other party had distributed them in an ideal manner. Each of those pills were given to the person who needed it the most, thus maximizing their worth.
"Return?" the vice school heads asked blankly.
Aren't we going to cause some trouble and coax the students to come back with us?
We are going to leave like that, without doing anything?
"What else do you think we can do? Do you really think it's possible for us to coax the students back with us given the current state of affairs?" School Head Lu spat through gritted teeth.
"This…" The vice school heads took a look at the crowd around them and subconsciously shook their heads.
Judging from the delighted faces among the crowd, they wouldn't even be able to coax the teachers to leave with them, let alone the students.
"What do we do now?"
Considering that the teachers and students were all there, the Apothecary School was nothing more than an empty shell at this point…
"What do we do? We shall hold an Elder Conference!" Lu Feng said resolutely.
The other party had already captured the hearts of several ten thousand students. Even he didn't dare to provoke him at the moment, so the only thing they could do at the moment was to hold an Elder Conference when they returned to decide on a countermeasure.
Otherwise, if both teachers and students began acting out of their places, what would become of the Master Teacher Academy?
"Yes!" Vice School Head Wei nodded.
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If this problem wasn't resolved, the Master Teacher Academy could be in for great trouble…
What was this? To think that the Master Teacher Academy would face such a serious problem over a single You Xu. If he could, he would really have wanted to chop that fellow into pieces.
"Let's return!"
Having come to a decision, the five of them turned around and left.
After leaving the Xuanxuan Faction, they returned back to the Apothecary School. However, watching the previously bustling school become devoid of any life, they couldn't help but feel like crying.
When had the Apothecary School been in such a pathetic state before?
After a moment of silence, Vice School Head Zhou asked, "School Head, why don't you… apologize to Zhang shi? Otherwise, this might really just be the end of our Apothecary School!"
"Apologize to him? Dream on!"
Lu Feng clenched his teeth furiously. "Wait here for a moment, I'll gather the Ten Great Master Teachers right now for an urgent meeting… No, I should call Mu shi over too. If I don't make that lawbreaking fellow pay for this, I will abandon my surname Lu!"
…
In the tallest tower in the Master Teacher Academy, there was an exquisite room.
In that room was a long oval table with thirteen seats, and at this very moment, ten of them were filled up.
"School Head Lu, why did you gather us so urgently?" School Head Mo asked.
"Could it be that… you've found clues about Senior Byzantium Helios's whereabouts?"
"That is great news! I have been combing every possible location, but I couldn't find any leads at all…"
The other school heads chirped in.
It had only been five to six hours since Zhang Xuan had stepped into the Apothecary School and all of the students and teachers had joined the Xuanxuan Faction. As it had happened too fast, the other school heads hadn't heard of the news yet.
"It's not regarding Senior Byzantium Helios but the survival of our Master Teacher Academy. Please wait for a moment, I will speak after Mu shi arrives!" Lu Feng waved his hands.
"The survival of our Master Teacher Academy?"
"Could it be that you have found the Otherworldly Demons who captured Senior Byzantium Helios?"
"If that's the case, a huge battle will be inevitable…"
…
Seeing the grim expression on Lu Feng's face and hearing how he had even invited Mu shi to the meeting, the school heads glanced at one another with grave expressions.
On top of enlightening the masses, the Master Teacher Pavilion also shouldered the responsibility of protecting humanity as well.
Since the Otherworldly Demons had gone to the extent of kidnapping Senior Byzantium Helios several days ago, there was no doubt that they were up to something. The moment that they appeared, the Master Teacher Academy would have to devote every single one of its members to stopping them.
Jiya!
In that moment, the door suddenly opened and Mu shi walked in.
"Paying respects to Mu shi!"
Those in the room hurriedly stood up and clasped their fists.
Mu shi was a 7-star master teacher from the headquarters, and he was tasked with the responsibility of electing the next principal of the Master Teacher Academy and facilitating the handover of power. Thus, he could be considered the superior of the school heads, and none of them dared show him any disrespect.
After gesturing for the group to settle down, Mu Yuan asked with a frown, "Lu Feng, why did you summon me so urgently? Did something happen?"
"Since everyone is gathered here, I shall begin!"
Lu Feng nodded. "In the current batch of freshman, there is a student named Zhang Xuan. I believe that everyone here should have heard of him!"
"Naturally!"
With the exception of Mu Yuan, who frowned upon hearing the name, the other school heads nodded.
Ever since arriving in the academy, the only time that he had headed out was when he sensed Byzantium Helios Beast's aura. Other than that, he spent nearly all of his time cultivating in his residence. As a result, he hadn't heard of the affairs regarding Zhang Xuan before.
"Mu shi, this Zhang Xuan is…" School Head Mo swiftly explained the matter to the other party.
Mu shi's eyes lit up upon hearing the introduction. "A master teacher who has comprehended the Eye of Insight? Such a genius has appeared in the Master Teacher Academy?"
Clearing the records of the Blacksmith School and Physician School and defeating You Xu in a Life-and-Death Physician Duel meant nothing to him. After all, those were merely supporting occupations.
To Mu shi, what he thought that was the most important was one's aptitude as a master teacher itself.
A master teacher who had comprehended the Eye of Insight would eventually become an incredible force in the Master Teacher Continent as long as they didn't fall.
Not even a single talent of such caliber would appear in the Sage Clans once in a millennium.
Seeing the excited gleam in Mu shi's eyes, Lu Feng hurriedly interjected. "Mu shi, please allow me to continue first before you make your judgement… I acknowledge the fact that Zhang Xuan is indeed an incredible talent, and his appearance would be a blessing to the Master Teacher Academy if he were to use his power for good. However, if he were to use his power for evil instead, he could easily destroy the Master Teacher Academy and the millenniums of history behind it!"
"Use his power for evil?" Mu shi frowned for a moment before nodding.
The Eye of Insight allowed one to see past falsehood and peer into the essence of things. If he were to use it as a tool to guide others down the right path, he would definitely become a valuable aid to humanity… but if he were to use it for evil, that could potentially end in a catastrophe.
Even though such matters weren't recorded in the annals, there had indeed been cases where talented master teachers had betrayed humanity.
Seven thousand years ago, a genius of humble background had succeeded in clearing the 7-star master teacher examination before thirty, causing a huge uproar at that moment. Just when everyone had thought that he would become a pillar of humanity… the Master Teacher Pavilion made a misjudgment on a matter and wronged him. Out of rage, that genius hunted down the 37 master teachers who were involved in the matter and slaughtered them.
The shock wave of that battle reduced an entire capital extending over a radius of three thousand li into dust, and over a hundred million people had lost their lives. The resulting destruction was not beneath that of an invasion from an army of ten thousand Otherworldly Demons.
Due to the severe aftermath, the Master Teacher Pavilion couldn't cover for him either. Thus, they issued a 'Master Teacher Pursuit Decree', dispatching high-ranked master teachers to hunt him down.
Knowing that a pursuit decree had been released, that genius had fled to the borders and lured over nine thousand 6-star master teachers and above into a trap laid by the Otherworldly Demons at Fubo Ridge.
That was truly a gruesome battle. Even though they had succeeded in killing that genius eventually, the Master Teacher Pavilion had also suffered heavy damage in return. Three 8-star master teachers, 134 7-star master teachers, and 7612 6-star master teachers died in the clash.
Eventually, the others named it the 'Calamity of Fubo'!
That could be said to be one of the greatest blows the Master Teacher Pavilion had suffered ever since Kong shi unified the Master Teacher Continent.
It had taken a long time for the Master Teacher Pavilion to recover from the aftermath of the matter.
Due to that matter, the Master Teacher Pavilion had also altered their recruitment rules as well. On top of considering talent, character and morals were also important aspects to be assessed as well.
If one had a poor character and was immoral, the more resources the Master Teacher Pavilion devoted into grooming one, the greater the danger humanity would be in.
The number of master teachers who had possessed the Eye of Insight was few, even considering the long history of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Each of them were top-notch talents, figures who had rattled the Master Teacher Continent in their era. If they were to use their power for justice, humanity could be brought to greater heights. However, if they were to turn to evil, the destruction they could potentially cause was far greater than the Calamity of Fubo.
"Could it be that the Zhang Xuan you all spoke of has poor character and is immoral?" Mu shi asked doubtfully.
If that was the case, they would really have to tread carefully. Otherwise, they would be bringing a great calamity upon the Master Teacher Continent.
"How is that possible!"
Hearing those words, School Head Mo exclaimed with indignation. "In order to allow more students to enroll at the Master Teacher Academy and bolster the forces of humanity, Zhang shi gave away the forty thousand points he had accumulated to others without asking for anything in return. How could a person with such magnanimity possibly turn to evil?"
"School Head Mo, I have to ask of you not to be fooled by appearances. His doings are a clear attempt to rally the freshmen to his side so that he could establish his Xuanxuan Faction!" Lu Feng waved his hands.
"Xuanxuan Faction?" Mu shi asked doubtfully.
"The Xuanxuan Faction is the student faction established by Zhang Xuan. Student factions serve as a tool of cohesion to promote camaraderie among master teachers, allowing them to work together toward improving themselves. As such, the academy has imposed no restrictions toward them. However… it hasn't been long since that fellow enrolled in the academy, but he is already going around trying to win the hearts of the students to gather accomplices for his misdeeds in the academy. It is clear that he has malicious intentions at heart!" Lu Feng said.
"School Head Lu, as a master teacher, you should watch your words!" School Head Mo's face darkened.
What do you mean gather accomplices for his misdeeds?
Just because a group of students have gathered together means that they are up to no good?
"Based on my sources, it appears that Zhang shi was unaware of the formation of the Xuanxuan Faction. It was under the oppression of the seniors that led to the freshmen banding together, and as the most outstanding student among the freshmen, they nominated Zhang shi to be their leader…" Wei Ranxue's complexion looked awful as well.
Given the influence that master teachers wielded, it was imperative that they had to be particularly careful with what they spoke, especially when there was no concrete evidence. Otherwise, an innocent man could possibly be convicted as a result of that.
"Watch my words? I am already watching my words very carefully! Since it has come to this, I shall not hide it anymore then. I will tell you all what happened today, and you can evaluate it for yourselves and see whether I have framed him or not!" Harrumphing coldly, Lu Feng swiftly told the group what he had gone through that day.
"You are saying that… all of the teachers and students of the Apothecary School have joined the Xuanxuan Faction, and even the old elders are no exception to that?"
"So… the Apothecary School is currently nothing more than an empty shell?"
The room abruptly turned silent. The ten school heads along with Mu shi were dumbfounded.
Why did it feel as if they were listening to an unbelievable story instead?
"Indeed! What is most important to a master teacher is their lineage. To make so many people withdraw from the tutelage simultaneously just to join a student faction, there is no doubt that fellow resorted to some underhanded means!"
Lu Feng's face warped in savagery. "If we don't deal with him soon, he could do the same to the other schools as well. Before long, all of the teachers and students in the Master Teacher Academy might soon be his students. If that were to happen, the academy would become nothing more than his plaything!"
Everyone fell silent.
Even School Head Mo, School Head Zhao, and the others were shocked beyond words.
Honestly, they thought that what Zhang shi had done so far, breaking the records of their schools and destroying their buildings, were already extremely fearsome. Who could have thought that… he could even abduct all of the teachers and students from the Apothecary School with just a lecture?
That was way too terrifying!
Wouldn't everyone in the school become his student or grandstudent if he were to conduct a few more lectures?
After a moment of silence, Mu shi asked grimly, "Have you heard his lecture?"
"Zhang Xuan allows the members of his Xuanxuan Faction to listen to his lecture for free, but for outsiders, they would have to pay an extremely steep entrance fee to enter. I, Zhou Qing, and the other vice school heads of the Apothecary School had to pay a high-tier spirit stone each just to enter!"
Lu Feng harrumphed coldly. "Naturally, we heard his lecture as well, but his standards can only be said to be subpar. Putting aside the fact that it's complete nonsense, most of what he said was just propaganda to beguile the others into following him!"
"Subpar?" Mu shi frowned.
"That's right. Also, didn't I mention that he resorted to despicable means to steal the grade-6 pills from our Pill Chamber? In order to win their support, he gave away the pills to students who were on the verge of a breakthrough just to create a false impression of magnanimity before his followers."
Lu Feng recounted his version of events of what he had seen in the Xuanxuan Faction.
"Giving away those pills to those who require them can be considered a merit, but… if he intended to use it to win the support of others, that would paint a completely different picture of the matter!" Mu shi nodded gravely.
The Master Teacher Academy was a ground to groom students to become pillars of support for humanity, so it was surely a joyful event to see the students growing swiftly. However, if Zhang Xuan had intended to use those stolen pills as a means to rally others to support him, that could only mean that he lacked righteousness.
"He must be up to no good!" Lu Feng added. "Otherwise, how can a man make so many students and teachers be so loyal to him over the course of just a few hours?"
Mu shi shook his head. "Every cultivator is unique. They have their own expertise and understanding of the world, so the lessons they need are different as well. This is the reason Kong shi proposed the concept of teaching to the individual. To win the acknowledgement of all of the teachers and students through a single lecture and convince them to join the Xuanxuan Faction is indeed not quite possible."
No matter how formidable a master teacher may be, it was impossible for him to win over everyone.
After all, humans were unlike money, they were incapable of making everyone love them.
Yet… that Zhang shi actually managed to do it. It couldn't help but introduce doubts that he might have resorted to some other underhanded means instead.
"Since this matter has happened in your Apothecary School, how do you intend to deal with it?" Mu shi turned to Lu Feng and asked.
"My intentions are simple. I wish for the ten schools to come to a consensus to evict Zhang Xuan out of the Master Teacher Academy, prohibiting him from taking even a single step into its premises!"
Lu Feng coldly sneered, "After which, he shall be stripped of his master teacher license, banned from taking any master teacher examinations for life!"