Chapter 1025: A Master Must Not Be Deceived!

As a six-star peak artificer, hearing this, combined with Sun Jin's previous actions, if he still couldn't figure out what was going on, he might as well kill himself on the spot.

He guessed in his heart, but his face still showed disbelief. President Zhong looked again at Sun Jin not far away.

This man had once been his favorite elder, even someone he thought could inherit his legacy and become president... How could he have done such a thing?

But the facts were right before his eyes. The other party, a dignified dean of the Master Academy, would never defame himself and rush over publicly, making such a big fuss, if he hadn't investigated thoroughly and knew the truth.

"What exactly is going on?"

Gritting his teeth, he glared coldly, wishing he could skin the man before him.

If his guess was true, not only would this Sun Jin disgrace himself, but the entire Huoyuan City Artificer Guild would become a negative example for the headquarters. Even he himself would be blamed by future generations, unable to hold his head up for life, and cursed for ten thousand years!

"I..." His mouth twitching, Sun Jin quickly defended himself: "President, I didn't do it. I really don't know!"

"You don't know?"

President Zhong's gaze was like lightning: "You should know the consequences of lying to a master! If you tell the truth now, you might still beg for leniency. Once it's fully uncovered, don't say I, even if Master Zhang kills you on the spot, I won't utter a single 'no'!"

A master must not be deceived!

Lying to a master, once discovered, would increase the penalty. Not only could the person be executed on the spot, but even blood-related descendants would be implicated, barred from taking examinations for any of the top nine professions!

This was not a rule set by the Master Hall, but a vow made collectively by many professions out of respect for teachers.

If one could deceive a 'master,' it was like deceiving one's own parents. Such a person had lost their inner principles and would eventually become a menace!

"I..."

His face turning pale, Sun Jin trembled uncontrollably.

He naturally knew this rule, but deep down, he still harbored some hope that over time, the other party wouldn't be able to find out.

"What, speechless?"

The disappointment in President Zhong's eyes grew deeper.

In fact, from the moment the other hesitated, he had already guessed. If he truly hadn't done it, he would have argued vigorously, not looked so conflicted.

His current appearance was enough to explain the problem.

"Don't harbor the侥幸心理 that the Master Hall might not find out over time... If they couldn't even figure out such a thing, they wouldn't be called the Master Hall!"

Hall Master Feng Yihui on the side had also guessed the situation, his expression grim.

For such a thing to happen within his jurisdiction without his notice, only to be discovered by Dean Zhang who had been here only two or three days, was also a serious dereliction of duty on his part.

His thoughts guessed, Sun Jin stiffened, unsure how to respond.

Indeed, as long as they were willing to investigate, there was nothing the Master Hall couldn't find out.

Even if time passed, the families of the thirty-plus apprentices would still be there. As long as they searched carefully, they would surely find clues.

If one apprentice failed the exam due to poor talent, that was one thing. But so many, not a single one passing—even a fool could see the problem.

Previously, apprentices had low status and high turnover, so no one paid attention. But now with a focused investigation, it was impossible to cover up.

Moreover...

His pupils contracted. His other hand quietly moved toward the storage ring on his right middle finger, internal energy surging to destroy it. But before he could act, a flash of sword light whistled past.

Crack!

His right middle finger was severed, and the ring fell to the ground.

"If I'm not mistaken, the technique he taught Song Zhen should be in that ring!"

Having cut off his move, Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Yes!"

President Zhong reached out and grabbed the storage ring from the ground.

Energy surged out, erasing the soul imprint on it. After looking at it for a moment, a book suddenly appeared before him.

He gently opened it, and his face instantly turned livid. He seemed about to explode, gritting his teeth as he handed it to Song Zhen nearby.

"Is this the technique you practiced?"

Coming closer, Song Zhen glanced at it and couldn't help nodding: "Yes, this is it. He taught us this back then..."

"What else do you have to say?"

Holding the book, President Zhong looked at him again, his gaze as cold as ice.

"I..." Sun Jin could no longer hold back. His knees went weak, and he knelt down.

If before he could still cover up and delay time, now that this book had been found in his storage ring, no amount of words would matter!

"I was momentarily possessed by greed... I thought that with so many ores here, if I could find them, I could earn more and live better even if I stopped being an artificer..."

"For you to live a better life, you harmed so many innocent cultivators... You are unworthy to be a refiner, let alone teach disciples!"

Shaking his head, President Zhong clenched his teeth.

Although a refiner is not a master teacher, there is still a tradition of inheritance. This man before him, under the guise of training apprentices, was actually doing things that benefited himself and harmed others, seriously violating the meaning of being a 'teacher.'

"Dean Zhang, Hall Master Feng, I failed to discipline my subordinates, and I myself was blind and misjudged him, leading to such a disaster... I am willing to resign as president of the Refiner Guild, find the families of these thirty apprentices, and spend my life compensating them..."

With a flick of his finger, he sealed Sun Jin's cultivation, and President Zhong looked over.

As the guild president, this man had done such things under his nose for twenty years without him noticing—that itself was a serious dereliction of duty. Apart from Song Zhen, the other apprentices, though dead, must have families. He was willing to spend his life making amends.

"This matter is not your fault, but you bear great responsibility!"

Zhang Xuan said, hands behind his back.

Although the blame did not lie with him, as Sun Jin's direct superior, he had failed to notice his subordinate's character, granting him elder status and greater convenience, allowing him to act recklessly and harm so many people—that itself was undeniable.

If the other party were not an elder of the guild and a six-star refiner... how could he have had the power to cover up the deaths of dozens of apprentices without arousing suspicion?

"I know. Unfortunately, now, no matter what I do, I cannot make amends..."

Looking at Song Zhen, President Zhong was filled with disappointment.

Not to mention the deceased, even the man before him—no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer change the outcome.

The other party's cultivation technique clashed with refining. Even a peak six-star grandmaster refiner could not change that and set fate on the right track.

"It's not impossible to change..."

Seeing the president's attitude, Zhang Xuan understood what he was thinking, shook his head, and extended his hand: "Give me that book to look at!"

"Yes!"

Nodding, he handed over the cultivation technique taken from Sun Jin's storage ring.

Zhang Xuan took it, flipped through it casually, and lowered his head in thought.

After a moment, he took out paper and brush, wrote swiftly, and in no time produced a new set of instructions, which he handed to Song Zhen nearby: "Cultivate according to this set of instructions!"

By now, Song Zhen had finally understood what was going on. Looking at Sun Jin again, he no longer had respect but instead showed intense hatred.

Becoming his apprentice, he had held great hope and persisted for a full twenty years, only to end up with nothing!

Taking the book, Song Zhen looked bewildered.

Although he was grateful to Dean Zhang before him, his lifelong goal had been deemed impossible, and he no longer knew what to do.

"I said I would make you a true refiner, and I mean what I say!"

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly: "After cultivating this technique, you can take the exam for five-star refiner today, or even... six-star!"

"Exam for five-star? Six-star?"

Song Zhen was stunned, startled, and could not believe it.

"That's right!"

Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile.

Song Zhen quickly opened the book. The ink was not yet completely dry, and a faint scent of ink came, along with characters that seemed ready to leap off the page, refreshing the mind.

Soon, after reading the book once, Song Zhen's body went stiff, unable to believe it.

Without a master's guidance, he had reached the ninth level of Mortal Transformation around the age of thirty—his talent in cultivation was unquestionable. Even with just a simple glance at the book's content, he knew how formidable this technique was!

As the other party said, it not only resolved the crux of his cultivation but also allowed his cultivation to advance further, reaching a higher realm!

"Begin!"

Seeing him dazed, Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, he quickly sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating according to the content of the manual.

Seeing him cultivate, Zhang Xuan turned to the old man nearby: "President Zhong, I may need to trouble you again. Help him find three sixth-grade pills: Bone-Opening Body-Tempering Pill, Reverse Meridian-Transforming Pill..."

The other party had cultivated that technique for a full twenty years. Even if he redesigned the manual to reverse his meridians and change his true qi, making him able to refine smoothly would not be easy.

He would also need some pills as aids.

Changing the meridians and forcibly converting true qi that was opposite to earthfire into something similar—no one else could do it. Only he, with the Heavenly Dao technique, a manual with no detours, as a foundation, could smoothly deduce it.

"Such pills are hard to find elsewhere, but not rare in Fire Source City... Wait a moment!"

President Zhong hurriedly left.

In Fire Source City, earthfire was abundant, and the professions of refining and alchemy were most popular. Combined with the abundance of various rare herbs, pills not found elsewhere could be found here, so it would not take much time.

Before long, he returned, bringing all three pills Zhang Xuan had mentioned.

He handed the pills to Song Zhen, telling him to take them while cultivating. Half an hour later, suddenly a roar came from within his body, and his aura surged instantly. After a period of cultivation, not only had he changed the nature of his true qi, but he had also broken through the shackles, reaching the Half-Saint level!