Chapter 1184: Pavilion Master Gou Admits Defeat
While a teacher should enlighten others without discrimination, Pavilion Master Gou had truly crossed Zhang Xuan's bottom line. For his own selfishness, he had chosen to disregard the truth and selfishly sided with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. The stronger a person like that was, the greater a threat to humanity they were.
Thus, how could he possibly impart Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Art to the other party?
Zhang Xuan was a kind and generous person, but that did not mean that he was undiscerning and naive.
He had a clear gauge of who he should accept as his student and who he should never accept as his student.
"Pardon me, I was getting ahead of myself..." Pavilion Master Gou's face sank in disappointment.
It was just a moment ago that he had forced the other party into crashing their Master Teacher Pavilion, so why would the other party be willing to impart his battle technique to him now?
He should be glad that the other party had not killed him on the spot!
"I have lost..." Pavilion Master Gou closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head. A moment later, he opened his eyes and announced, "Zhang shi has successfully cleared the first phase of the pavilion crashing!"
The first phase was to defeat all of the master teachers of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and given that Zhang Xuan had managed to get all ten thousand master teachers to submit to him and defeat the strongest Pavilion Master Gou, he had already cleared it.
"Hold it for a moment. I haven't fought with Vice Pavilion Master Tian yet, and I don't think it's right that we skip straight past him!" Zhang Xuan interjected.
"Even I am not a match for you, let alone Tian Qing. Thus, there's no longer any meaning in you fighting him," Pavilion Master Gou said.
However, Zhang Xuan did not seem to be convinced by that explanation. He was just about to argue when Tian Qing clasped his fist and said, "I am not an opponent for you either. I admit my defeat!"
A hint of disappointment surfaced in Zhang Xuan's eyes.
To be honest, he was still seething with rage with Vice Pavilion Master Tian. If only the other party had agreed to have a duel with him, he would surely have pummeled the other party deep into the ground, never to see the light of the day again!
But since Vice Pavilion Master Tian had admitted his defeat, there was no excuse he could use anymore.
After all, the act of pavilion crashing was bound by rules, and the entire process was supervised by the headquarters. It would not be good for him to intentionally kill another master teacher here.
"The Master Teacher Tower is over there. Follow me."
The Master Teacher Tower housed the wills of the strongest master teacher of each generation. Some of them had reached the level of 8-star low-tier, and there were those who had achieved accomplishments even higher than that. Naturally, it would not be an easy feat to overcome them.
As such, the first phase of pavilion crashing was actually considered a mere warm up.
The true test lay ahead.
This was the challenge that had halted the footsteps of countless geniuses in history.
Following behind Pavilion Master Gou, it did not take long for Zhang Xuan to see a seven-story tower looming over him.
Knowing that a great trial lay ahead, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and gathered his concentration before making his way in.
As soon as Zhang Xuan's silhouette disappeared amid the darkness of the tower, a master teacher could not help but ask apprehensively, "Will Zhang shi... succeed?"
"It'll be very difficult. While our Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion isn't ranked at the forefront of the Eight Conferred Empires, it has still produced four 8-star master teachers in history. Of them, He shi even managed to reach 8-star high-tier in his lifetime. With the extensive knowledge he possesses and the incredible power he wields, the will he has left behind in the Master Teacher Tower won't be that easy to overcome," another master teacher within the crowd replied.
The first master teacher nodded in agreement. "Indeed. 8-star master teachers are existences that are considered near the peak of the Master Teacher Continent. Be it their knowledge, state of mind, or comprehension of cultivation, it would be difficult for ordinary master teachers to match them."
"Jeez, I hope that Zhang shi will be able to clear the examination. If he succeeds, as his students, we will be able to share his glory as well!"
"I am also fervently praying for his success. It has been a long time since anyone has crashed a pavilion. If he succeeds, think about the fame that it will bring us! In the future, I'll be able to brag to my friends that my teacher is a successful pavilion crasher!"
The two master teachers spoke with looks of anticipation on their faces.
Pu!
Hearing the words of the duo, the severely wounded Pavilion Master Gou suddenly felt his injuries acting up once more, and fresh blood spurted wildly from his mouth. It took quite a while before he managed to calm himself down once more.
Master teachers of other Master Teacher Pavilions would lay down their lives to guard the honor and pride of their pavilion, so why were his master teachers wishing for Zhang Xuan's victory instead?
Do you even realize that this is your Master Teacher Pavilion too? Once he succeeds in crashing the pavilion, you will be humiliated, too! Glory your head!
Noticing the look on Pavilion Master Gou's face, Wu shi could immediately tell what the other party was thinking about, and he shook his head. "Those who conduct themselves morally will find help coming their way, while those who lack principles will find themselves isolated from the others. Pavilion Master Gou, regardless of whether Principal Zhang is able to clear the Master Teacher Tower or not, you have already lost the hearts of your men. Even if the headquarters do not pursue this matter, it is likely that no master teacher within the Master Teacher Pavilion will willingly follow your orders anymore."
While Vice Pavilion Master Tian's act of framing Zhang Xuan had been carried out discreetly, considering how the matter had blown up to such a degree, there was no way the truth could be hidden any further.
A person who stood bravely against an entire Master Teacher Pavilion in order to redress his grievances, as compared to a pavilion master who chose to overlook the evil of others just to save his own skin and retire peacefully... it was apparent with a single look whom the crowd would choose to side with.
Due to this matter, Pavilion Master Gou would be despised by all master teachers in the world, never to make a comeback.
"I..." Realizing the same, Pavilion Master Gou's face turned ashen in despair.
In truth, he had also realized that his days of glory were over from the moment the other party declared that he would crash the Master Teacher Pavilion.
But... he had not expected that those master teachers whom he had fought alongside with previously would abandon him so utterly either.
His eyes colored with desolation, Pavilion Master Gou gazed into the sky with a complicated look. "Have I... really done wrong?"
The initial hopes and dreams in bettering the world when he first became the regional pavilion master had eroded over the long five hundred years. Unknowingly, his priority had shifted into desperately protecting the authority and prestige that he held instead. Perhaps karma had truly come around to bite him.
With a suffocating sensation within his chest, he turned to Wu shi and asked, "What is the background of Zhang shi?"
"He's the most diligent and talented individual I have ever seen in the world," Wu shi replied with a brilliant gleam in his eyes.
A person who insisted on reading and bettering himself no matter what kind of circumstances he was in... Just Zhang Xuan's attitude toward studying was one that he should really strive to learn from.
Perhaps, it was due to how studious Zhang Xuan was that he was able to achieve what he had at such a young age, possessing strength far beyond his.
...
Zhang Xuan slowly advanced after entering the huge doors of the Master Teacher Tower.
Having challenged the Master Teacher Tower once back at Xuanyuan Kingdom, he knew the rules concerning it.
The wills of the outstanding predecessors of the Master Teacher Pavilion were deposited here, and every single one of them wielded superior strength. It was nigh impossible to defeat them in a normal duel, and due to that, the test would tend to concern the fundamental abilities of master teachers instead, such as lecturing, discerning flaws, offering pointers on battle techniques, and so on.
As such, what was tested in this second phase was not one's strength but how accomplished a master teacher one was.
Hu!
After proceeding for some time, an illusory figure suddenly appeared before Zhang Xuan. He was the guardian of the very first test, an 8-star low-tier master teacher who had risen from the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion 13,000 years ago, Zhao Zhen.
Seeing that the person who was crashing the pavilion was only a twenty-year-old, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen frowned. "To crash a Master Teacher Pavilion at such a young age, what kind of grievances have you suffered?"
"The incumbent pavilion master has sided with evildoers to sully my reputation just to preserve a clean record and protect his own position..." Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and began explaining the matter.
"There's actually such a matter? The Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion really is getting worse generation after generation! It is high time to do some internal reorganization!" Zhao Zhen harrumphed furiously before turning his sights back to Zhang Xuan once more.
"I know that you have suffered greatly from this matter, but as one of the guardians of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, I cannot let you pass me so easily. Otherwise, if everyone attempted to crash the Master Teacher Pavilion whenever something happened, the authority of the Master Teacher Pavilion will be undermined. I hope that you can understand that."
"I understand." Zhang Xuan nodded.
Seeing how earnest the young man was, Zhao Zhen nodded in approval.
"My test will be on discerning flaws in my battle technique. I will execute a battle technique, and as long as you can find a single flaw in it, you will have cleared my test."
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan's face brightened up. "Alright!"
On the other hand, seeing that the young man had loosened up instead after hearing the content of his test, as if it was already a done deal, Zhao Zhen frowned. "Don't think that it will be easy to find a flaw in my battle technique. I won't be going easy on you just because of your plight. I will be using my most prided battle technique, one that I have refined again and again in my lifetime in order to perfect it. While I cannot say that it's flawless, most 7-star pinnacle master teachers would need numerous months before they could find a single flaw!"
"I understand. Pardon me, but I am in a hurry, so can we get it over and done with quickly?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"You..." Displeased, Master Teacher Zhao Zhen flung his sleeves furiously.
As an 8-star low-tier master teacher, a test from him could not possibly be as easy as it sounded. Yet, that young man was taking him lightly, even saying that he wanted to get it over and done with as if everything was already in his grasp. Was he really that confident in clearing his test, or was he just another conceited fool?
"The battle technique that I will be using is known as the Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands. It's a technique that I came up with while observing the falling leaves being raked up by the autumn wind, only to be entangled in a spider's web. I'll first execute it once for you."
Master Teacher Zhao Zhen raised his hands and drew out fine zhenqi threads from the tips of his fingers. With elegant movements, he skillfully weaved it into a spider's web that entrapped everything within it. If someone was within the spider's web's area, they would surely find themself getting helplessly entangled if they tried to escape from the area.
"I have never executed this battle technique before anyone, so you need not try to find any shortcuts around this test. Also, do not even think that you will be able to pull the wool over my eyes; it won't work. My technique consists of ten moves, and each of them is stronger than the last. The one that I have just executed is only the first move, Entwining Threads of Golden Silk. After I am done executing all ten moves, I will give you four hours to contemplate over the matter. If you are able to find a single flaw in my technique, you pass. Otherwise, I will have to regretfully inform you that your pavilion crashing has come to an end," Master Teacher Zhao Zhen said as he executed the technique.
Typically speaking, he would grant those crashing the pavilion two days to analyze the intricacies in his battle techniques. However, the young man before him had spoken arrogantly, so he had chosen to narrow the timeframe to four hours instead so as to hammer down the other party's arrogance.
When the other party finally came to realize his own arrogance upon failing to come up with anything after four hours, he would loosen the time restriction.
Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "There's no need to execute all ten moves or wait four hours; I can list your flaws now."
It was only in the spur of the moment from Pavilion Master Gou's humiliation that he had chosen to engage in pavilion crashing. His priority was still to be promoted to 7-star master teacher and find ways to earn more concentrated high-tier spirit stones to raise his cultivation. He did not have any time to waste here.
"You will list my flaws now?" Zhao Zhen was taken aback.
He had only used a single move, but the young man was ready to list his flaws? What utter nonsense!
"Your Autumn Breeze Intertwining Silk Hands does not look bad on the surface, wielding strength that would easily put it in the forefront of Saint intermediate-tier battle techniques. Upon mastering the technique, the zhenqi threads can be skillfully utilized in many ways to restrict an opponent's movements, making it an extremely difficult technique to deal with. However, it's unfortunate that it is riddled with quite a number of flaws. I did a rough count earlier, and it seems like there is a total of 37 flaws!" Zhang Xuan said.
"37 flaws?" Zhao Zhen's face darkened in rage.
I have only used the first move of my battle technique, and it's already questionable in itself whether you are able to find a single flaw from it or not. Yet, you are telling me that you have already found 37?
In an instant, the last traces of goodwill that Zhao Zhen felt toward the young man before him vanished.
"Indeed." Oblivious to Zhao Zhen's thoughts regarding him, Zhang Xuan thought that the other party was just skeptical about there being so many flaws in his technique, so he swiftly explained, "The creation of a battle technique must involve trial through practical battles as well to test its effectiveness and might. Considering that you have never imparted the battle technique to anyone else or tested it out in battle, I must say that it's already impressive that there are only 37 flaws in your battle technique."
"You!" Hearing those words, Zhao Zhen nearly exploded on the spot. With a livid face, he uttered coldly, "Since that's the case, why don't you tell me where the 37 flaws are? If you can't, don't blame me for getting nasty with you!"