"Senior?"It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Elder Qu, and his body wobbled unstably on the spot.
What the heck was going on?
Yang s.h.i.+ was not only the strongest cultivator in the entire Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, he was also considered the most senior of them all as well. Despite being the deputy pavilion master, even Ren Qingyuan would still have to address Yang s.h.i.+ as his Senior Uncle.
One thing that Yang s.h.i.+ was known for was how forbidding he could become when it came to rules and formalities, so Elder Qu had thought that the other party would fly into a rage and teach Zhang Xuan a lesson once he heard of this matter.
But Yang s.h.i.+ simply walked straight up to Zhang Xuan, bowed to him, and addressed him as "Senior"!
If Zhang Xuan is your senior, doesn"t that make me… his junior?
Not only him, Ren Qingyuan nearly keeled over after hearing those words.
Having students as the head of the Combat Master Hall, chief of the Glacier Plain Court, master of the Poison Hall, leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild? Fine, I can accept that. His true ident.i.ty being the head of the Zhang Clan? Alright, there might really be such a coincidence in the world… But to having Yang s.h.i.+ address him as his senior? What the heck?
When did the most senior member of the Master Teacher Pavilion become your junior?
Going down this road, doesn"t this mean that all of the master teachers on the Master Teacher Continent are actually your juniors?
A mouthful of blood welled up at the back of Ren Qingyuan"s throat, ready to spurt forth at any moment. He felt so stifled within that he might just explode from the inside.
Having served as the deputy pavilion master for several centuries, he had seen all kinds of geniuses and experts, but this was the first time that he had seen someone like that.
To be honest, he had intended for the Master Teacher Pavilion to be the first one to get to Zhang Xuan so that he could force the young man to spit out his secret to advancing his cultivation so swiftly. As for whether the young man should be punished or not, that was just a secondary concern of inconsequential importance. However, in the end… not only did he suffer trauma after trauma, the other party even became his Senior Uncle in the blink of an eye.
To have a twenty-year-old lad as his Senior Uncle… something felt very off!
Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng traded gazes too, and they could not help but gulp in shock.
They had thought that the greatest shocks were already over, but from the look of it, what they had encountered previously was nothing at all. To actually be Yang s.h.i.+"s senior, that was truly insanity!
If that was the case, would that not put them a generation more senior than Yang s.h.i.+?
Paying no heed to the astounded crowd, Zhang Xuan shot a glance at the plump man following behind Yang s.h.i.+, and after confirming that the latter was still fine, he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Young Master, I thought that I would never see you again…" Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Sun Qiang immediately rushed forward, and tears and snot dribbled down his face.
It might just have been a single day, but not once in his life had he ever felt so frightened and helpless before.
When he heard Yang s.h.i.+ say that the Old Master did not truly exist, he had realized that he had been living in a web of lies all along. All of the confidence that he had built up collapsed in an instant, and his mind had nearly broken down.
He had no idea how he arrived in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, but he had found himself surrounded by many 9-star master teachers. Their words wielded some compelling power, forcing him to cultivate according to his words, and eventually, his cultivation had ended up going berserk. He had thought that he would really meet his end then, but who could have thought that Yang s.h.i.+ would return at that moment?
This time, Yang s.h.i.+ was much more amiable than before. Without the severity in his voice, the other party told him warmly that he had made a mistake and that his Young Master was actually his senior.
In that instant, Sun Qiang felt as if he had been pulled out from the abyss of despair and placed on cloud nine. All those twists had happened one another so quickly that he almost felt as if it was all a dream.
If not for the fact that they were in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, he would have really thought the Yang s.h.i.+ whom he had met there was a fake.
Seeing that the fellow had grown slightly plumper compared to when they last met, Zhang Xuan waved off Sun Qiang"s agitation and instructed, "Make sure to cultivate properly in the future, got it?"
"Yes!" Sun Qiang hurriedly nodded.
Turning to his students, Zhang Xuan said, "Zheng Yang, I"ll be leaving Sun Qiang in your hands. If he doesn"t listen to your instructions, you are free to use the torture tools in the Combat Master Hall to force him to submit. Make sure to train him well!"
"Yes, Teacher!" Zheng Yang clasped his fist. After which, he turned his gaze to Sun Qiang and chuckled softly. "Uncle Sun, this way please!"
Hearing that he would have to cultivate, Sun Qiang"s agitation swiftly waned, and it did not take long for him to become completely spiritless.
After dealing with Sun Qiang, Zhang Xuan turned to Yang s.h.i.+ and said, "I have troubled you, Junior!"
"There"s no need to stand on ceremony! It"s my pleasure to be able to do something for you," Yang s.h.i.+ replied.
Seeing how the number one expert in the world was so courteous to Zhang Xuan, the Xingmeng Sword Saints remained in their stunned state.
"You"re too polite!"
Given that he was a Celestial Master Teacher, Zhang Xuan was not too surprised by the incredibly respectful att.i.tude that Yang s.h.i.+ was treating him with. However, he shot a glance toward the latter to gesture for him to be low profile.
The sharp Yang s.h.i.+ swiftly understood the gesture, and his face reddened a little. After which, he turned his gaze to Zhao Ya and nodded in amazement. "Incredible! Senior, your means are indeed formidable. It hasn"t been long since I left, but Zhao Ya has already fully recovered, and her cultivation has even advanced a notch…"
He had checked on Zhao Ya"s personally, and he knew that all of her meridians had ruptured. Even with his abilities, he would have had no way of treating her at all. Yet, this senior of his had only taken two hours to completely heal her. As expected of a Celestial Master Teacher, his means were indeed unfathomable!
Zhang Xuan was silent for a moment before recalling that he had not resolved the problem concerning the Pavilion Master Seal yet. He turned back to Ren Qingyuan and said, "Pavilion Master Ren, it"s not that I don"t want to return the Pavilion Master Seal to you, but…"
"I was the one who asked my senior to take possession of the Pavilion Master Seal," Yang s.h.i.+ abruptly interjected. "Ren Qingyuan, you issued an arrest warrant without careful investigation, placing the Master Teacher Pavilion"s impartiality and capability under question. With what you have done, if you continue holding onto the Pavilion Master Seal, you"ll only diminish the Master Teacher Pavilion"s authority and honor!"
"I… I understand…" Knowing that he was at fault for this matter as well, Ren Qingyuan could only shake his head. He beckoned the elders behind him and said, "Let"s go!"
After mobilizing such a huge group of 9-star master teachers simultaneously, who would have thought that the matter would end in such a manner?
"Hold it right there!"
The master teachers barely managed to move a few steps before the crowd from the Combat Master Hall abruptly surrounded all of them.
Ren Qingyuan turned to Zheng Yang and asked with a livid expression, "Progeny of Combat, what do you mean by this?"
"You did manage to resolve your issues, but my teacher"s matter isn"t over yet! You pinned such a grievous crime on my teacher, ordered his arrest, and even attempted to take his life. If we hadn"t come in time, you would have already killed him in cold blood! After sullying my teacher"s reputation, trampling on his dignity, and trying to a.s.sa.s.sinate him… don"t you think that it"s too convenient for you to leave just like that?" Zheng Yang glanced at the master teachers coldly as the spear in his hand trembled with a buzz.
"Just because my teacher is compa.s.sionate enough to forgive the Master Teacher Pavilion doesn"t mean that the rest of us are magnanimous enough to allow that. If you don"t give us a good explanation today, don"t dream about taking a single step out of here!" Wei Ruyan stepped forward as her poison aura billowed around her.
The Master Teacher Pavilion might have chosen to drop the arrest warrant on Zhang Xuan after he came to a peaceful agreement with the three powers, but that did not change the fact that the Master Teacher Pavilion had incompetently framed their teacher of crimes that he did not commit, sullying his innocence. There was no way that they could allow them to get away that easily!
Otherwise, their teacher"s reputation would forever be stained by this incident!
Since they had gathered together to bring their teacher justice, they should go all the way. Otherwise, what if others attempted it again in the future?
Huala!
After those two spoke up, Zhao Ya, w.a.n.g Ying, Lu Chong, and the others also walked over to encircle the master teachers. Powerful auras burst forth from them, sending a clear message to the Master Teacher Pavilion that they would not be allowed to leave until they gave a satisfactory answer.
"This…" Ren Qingyuan"s face twitched upon seeing this side.
When had the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters fallen so far as to be cornered in such a manner?
"Just what do you want?" a 9-star master teacher bellowed furiously.
"Nothing much, we just want you to apologize, and the apology must reach every single Master Teacher Pavilion on the continent. Also, throw in ten million or so pinnacle spirit stones, and we"ll let this matter go!" Yuan Tao said.