As a newly-promoted empire, the Xuanyuan Empire did not stand out among the many empires. However, it was one of the few empires that were extremely successful at attracting talents all over the world, allowing it to develop at an incredible pace.In just half a year, it had already become one of the more outstanding Tier-2 Empires, well beyond the league of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.
At this very moment, Empress Mo Yu was seated on her royal throne, a.s.sessing the crowd beneath her regally.
"Don"t you all have a lot of opinions usually? Why aren"t any of you speaking today?"
One of the officials stepped forward and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, we can"t afford to interfere recklessly in this matter! If we help Zhang s.h.i.+, that would be equivalent to opposing the Master Teacher Pavilion! That could very well revert our newly-promoted empire back into a mere kingdom!"
"I disagree with Minister Chen"s viewpoint. Were it not for Zhang s.h.i.+, our Xuanyuan Kingdom never would have been successfully promoted into an empire. If we remain silent while our benefactor is being insulted by others, how will our people view us?" said another official as he stepped forward.
"I am of the same opinion as Censor Li"s opinion. If it had been another master teacher, we might still have been able to turn a blind eye to the matter, but it"s Zhang s.h.i.+ that we are talking about over here! Back then, he went to great lengths in order to develop our Xuanyuan Kingdom into an empire, so we can"t simply leave him in the lurch now that he"s in need of help! That would chill the hearts of our people!"
"Given our strength, what can we possibly do for Zhang s.h.i.+? Do you think that our Xuanyuan Empire has the power to oppose a decision made by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters? We"ll only be destroyed!"
"Even if we can"t do anything much, I don"t want others to view our Xuanyuan Empire as an ungrateful country that forgets its benefactors…"
"Even if you wish to repay the debt, you can"t just drag our entire Xuanyuan Empire into the flames like that!
…
"Enough!"
Looking at the chaos below, Empress Mo Yu abruptly rose to her feet and bellowed, "Zhang s.h.i.+ must be saved; this is my decision. Censor Li, I want you to start a pet.i.tion using my name and rally everyone in the empire who is indebted to Zhang s.h.i.+! So what if the other party is the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters? If they have made a mistake, we ought to speak up against them!"
"Yes…" Hearing that the empress had already made her decision, the arguing officials lowered their heads subserviently, not daring to argue anymore.
"Your Majesty!"
Just as Censor Li was about to begin drafting a pet.i.tion, a fully-armored general rushed into the palace and anxiously reported, "I have just received news that Zhang s.h.i.+… Zhang s.h.i.+ has managed to resolve the crisis and is fine!"
"You said that Zhang s.h.i.+ is fine?"
Mo Yu hurriedly took the letter that the other party was pa.s.sing over and opened it. Slowly, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Zhang s.h.i.+ is actually… the head of one of the Premier Sage Clans, the Zhang Clan?
"And Zhao Ya is the court chief of the Glacier Plain Court, wielding strength that even Pavilion Master Ren had trouble dealing with? That la.s.s, w.a.n.g Ying, has become the leader of the Spirit Awakener Guild? Zheng Yang is the new Progeny of Combat of the Combat Master Hall, and that fatty, Yuan Tao, had actually become the head of the Yuan Clan… Even Lu Chong has grown into a master soul oracle, capable of standing his ground against 9-star master teachers!"
Mo Yu could not help but wonder in her heart, If I had relinquished my royalty and followed him back then… would I have already become a top-notch expert of the continent, too?
Back then, Zhao Ya, w.a.n.g Ying, Zheng Yang, and the others had been far weaker than her, not even coming close to being a match for her. Yet, in the short span of a single year, they had become figures whom she could only look up to.
She had known all along that it was only a matter of time before someone of Zhang s.h.i.+"s caliber rose to the top, but who could have thought that even his students would become experts standing at the zenith of the continent as well?
It"s a pity, but it seems like I have already missed my opportunity to do so… Mo Yu lowered her head with a hint of sorrow in the depths of her eyes.
She had viewed being the empress of the Xuanyuan Empire as a great honor, but it was becoming apparent that even this honor might not come close to being a humble student behind Zhang Xuan.
Mo Yu shook her head and muttered, "It looks the Master Teacher Continent will be Zhang s.h.i.+"s in the future."
…
White clouds drifted amid the mountain range.
By a mountain stream, a young lady was seated atop a small boulder with a worried look in her eyes.
Yu Fei-er.
Shortly after leaving Qingyuan City, Yu Fei-er stumbled by 9-star Master Teacher Ji Ruochen and became her student.
"Junior, our teacher told me to bring this letter to you!"
A young man suddenly flew over from the distance and placed an envelope in her hand.
Yu Fei-er anxiously tore it open, and upon swiftly browsing through it, her body stiffened in shock.
"If he"s the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, doesn"t that mean that…"
"Indeed, Junior! Zhang Xuan is indeed a person of great talent. Not only does he possess extraordinary abilities, all of his students are outstanding. Even our teacher is filled with respect and praise for him!" the young man exclaimed in agitation. "It won"t be long before his name is known throughout the entire continent!"
"Y-yes, you"re right…" Yu Fei-er replied with a dazed look on her face, seemingly contemplating something deeply.
…
In the Jiang Clan, a middle-aged man turned around with a flabbergasted look on his face after hearing an elder"s report.
"You said that Zhang Xuan singlehandedly fended off the pursuers from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, and in the blink of an eye, he became the head of the Zhang Clan. Furthermore, his students are also powerhouses of the continent, possessing great power, too?"
"That"s right, clan head!"
"Prepare some gifts and send them over to the Zhang Clan to congratulate them for finding their son… Wait, they are intending to head to the Luo Clan to ask for the little princess" hand in marriage, right? Deliver the presents straight to the Luo Clan and relay my blessings to them… No, that won"t do either." The middle-aged man waved his hand grandly. "I shall make a trip personally!"
…
In the Mu Clan, Mu Yuan had been kneeling outside the manor, not moving in the slightest.
In order to be accepted back into his clan, he had been kneeling on the spot for ten days straight, but not a single person had bothered to pay him any heed.
Even when he tried to beg with the butler, the latter had simply disregarded him.
He had never faced such treatment back when he was still a genius from the Mu Clan.
However, he could not complain about it. He knew that he was the one who had done wrong back then. As long as the Mu Clan was willing to take him back, putting aside ten days, he would wait for as long as he needed.
Enduring the fatigue in his body, Mu Yuan gritted his teeth tightly.
Jiya!
Just as he was about to reach his limit, the ma.s.sive doors of the Mu Clan suddenly creaked open, and the head of the Mu Clan rushed out.
"Quick, get up…"
The clan head quickly walked over to Mu Yuan to support him up before feeding him a recovery pill.
As soon as he swallowed the pill, Mu Yuan immediately felt incredible energy coursing through his body. In an instant, the fatigue that he had acc.u.mulated over the past few days vanished without a trace.
"This is… a grade-9 pill?" Mu Yuan jolted in alarm.
Even when he was still a genius of the Mu Clan, he had not been qualified to consume such pills. Yet, after his heinous deeds, the head of the Mu Clan had still fed such a pill to him.
"Mu Yuan, I have looked through your experiences over those years, and I noticed that you were under Zhang s.h.i.+"s care for some time… Alright, I"ll allow you to return to the Mu Clan and grant you a suitable position within the clan! Zhang s.h.i.+ will be heading to the Luo Clan to ask for the little princess" hand in marriage, so I want you to head over in representation of our Mu Clan and present him with our congratulatory gifts!" the clan head said with a smile.
"Zhang s.h.i.+? Which Zhang s.h.i.+?" Mu Yuan was a little overwhelmed by the situation.
"Who else could I be referring to other than Zhang Xuan? You probably haven"t heard yet. He"s actually the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, as well as its clan head!" the clan head replied.
"Z-Zhang s.h.i.+ has become the head of the Zhang Clan, and he"s actually the young prodigy at that?" Mu Yuan was stunned.
All of a sudden, he understood the reason behind the clan head"s abrupt change in att.i.tude. It turned out that the turning point of the matter was his link with Zhang s.h.i.+!
It was Zhang s.h.i.+ who had changed the course of his destiny.
…
The same scene was playing out among most powers in the top echelons of the Master Teacher Continent.
On that day, there was a name that was imprinted in the minds of those all across the Master Teacher Continent.
Everyone had come to know of the master teacher named Zhang Xuan.
Some were delighted to learn of the matter, some despaired after hearing about it, and some were simply nonchalant, but without a doubt, his name would continue to resound on the Master Teacher Continent for many years to come!