Chapter 9: The Bet

There were many rumors about that useless teacher. Even before they arrived at the academy, they had heard so much that their ears were calloused.

They said he was ignorant and incompetent, misleading his students!

They said he didn't understand cultivation, didn't know martial arts...

In short, all kinds of slander!

Any student should stay far away from him and never get involved with that guy, or else going berserk would be the least of their worries—they might even die at his hands!

When the two brothers came to the academy to seek a teacher, they had heard similar rumors and had been cautious all along. They never dreamed that the aloof, arrogant master before them was the legendary useless teacher.

"Teacher, since you're so formidable, why..."

Zheng Yang couldn't help but ask.

Though they hadn't known him long, the teacher before them was unfathomably deep, every move exuding grace. How could he be useless?

"The world is full of jealousy toward the talented. It's nothing!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes tilted upward at a forty-five-degree angle, a faint hint of regret and sorrow in his gaze, as if lamenting the world's lack of understanding.

His face was full of expression, but in his heart, he was cursing nonstop.

If not for the Heaven's Path Library, with his predecessor's sorry state, not getting a negative score would have been a blessing. Zero points... was already pretty high, okay!

"I am willing to clear your name, Teacher!"

Seeing the teacher's expression of "sorrow" and "the world not knowing him," Zheng Yang felt a stir in his heart and couldn't help speaking up.

"Alright, your teacher's reputation doesn't matter. Just cultivate well in the future, and I'll be satisfied. Take your identity token and go get your bedding. Be on time for class tomorrow, and don't be late!"

Having put on his act and thoroughly won the student's admiration, Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Yes!"

Zheng Yang pulled Mo Xiao beside him, and the two walked out.

"Four students!"

As the two left, a flash of excitement passed through Zhang Xuan's eyes.

The naive girl Wang Ying, the student won through a bet Liu Yang, the arrogant young lady Zhao Ya, and the spear prodigy Zheng Yang.

He had thought today would be like before, with no students recruited and ending in failure. Unexpectedly, he already had four!

"I'm out of identity tokens. Even if more students come, I can't take them as disciples. While I still have time, I'll go get a few more."

After marveling at having taken four students, Zhang Xuan realized he had no more identity tokens on him.

These were issued uniformly by the academy. Because of his terrible reputation, the teacher in charge had only given him four, thinking he couldn't possibly use them all. If he didn't go get more, even if new students came, he couldn't accept them as disciples!

The token contained the teacher's information. Once a student dripped blood on it to bind it, it meant they acknowledged that teacher. If they wanted to withdraw, the teacher only needed to drip blood on it to erase the student's information.

He stood up and walked out of the classroom.

Outside, the sun was bright, and waves of heat stealthily seeped through the tree shade, making one's head slightly sweat.

On the academy streets, new and old students walked among them, each with excitement on their faces.

New students were happy to enter a new environment and take a teacher, while old students, thinking about the new students they could mess with, were all smiles.

After walking along the street for a while, a spacious building appeared before him. On the plaque in the middle were three big characters: "Logistics Office!"

The tokens representing teacher identity were obtained here.

"Oh, if it isn't our 'star teacher'? Not busy recruiting students in your classroom, what are you doing here? Oh, let me guess—you haven't used a single identity token and came to return them, right?"

As soon as he walked in, a sarcastic voice rang out.

Zhang Xuan looked up and saw a fleshy figure come into view.

This guy weighed at least three or four hundred jin. From a distance, his width and height were almost the same, like a giant meatball.

"Qian Biao!" A name surfaced from his memory.

This Qian Biao was a teacher in charge of logistics, known for being harsh and fond of taking kickbacks. As the lowest-ranked teacher, Zhang Xuan's salary was always meager, and the supplies he could claim were limited, so he hadn't given Qian Biao much in bribes.

Because of this, he had offended the man, who would mock and ridicule him at every opportunity, embarrassing him.

It was also Qian Biao's doing that he had only been given four identity tokens, claiming he wouldn't use them all.

"I've used up all my identity tokens and want to get a few more," Zhang Xuan said indifferently, too lazy to argue.

"Used them up?" Qian Biao was stunned, then burst into laughter: "Haha, everyone come and see! Our last-place teacher here is actually pretending, saying he's used up all his identity tokens! Haha, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard..."

"I remember you gave him four identity tokens back then. Used them up? Him? What a joke!"

"Teacher Sun Yan, who's second to last, is said to have only one student so far. This guy got an unprecedented zero on his teaching assessment. How could he get students? What's he putting on airs for?"

"Just kick him out. After today, he'll be fired anyway..."

...

Several teachers from the logistics office, hearing Qian Biao's shout, all came over, looking at Zhang Xuan with contempt.

A last-place teacher with a zero on his teaching assessment—what was he pretending for?

Students would flee at the sound of his name, let alone acknowledge him as a teacher... What a joke!

"Oh? You say I'm putting on airs? Then how about a bet?" Zhang Xuan wasn't angry and smiled faintly.

"A bet? Fine, since you want to lose, I'll oblige. But I'm afraid you're too poor to stake anything!" Qian Biao hadn't expected this guy he always looked down on to challenge his authority and propose a bet. He sneered coldly.

"Whether I'm poor or not is none of your concern. Since I'm betting with you, of course I'll stake something I can afford!" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Something you can afford? With your assets, what you can offer is just scrap metal and crap. You think I'd bet with you? I can't afford the shame!" Qian Biao said with utter disdain.

Zhang Xuan was the lowest-ranked teacher in the academy, last place. Not only did he fail to recruit students, but he also got no bonuses. If there was any teacher who was the poorest, it was definitely him.

He was barely scraping by in daily life, let alone having cultivation resources!

"Heh!" Unfazed by the insults, Zhang Xuan chuckled and continued, "What I'm betting isn't treasure or items, but... face! If you lose, let me slap you three times in the face. If I lose, you can slap me three times. Dare you?"

"Slaps in the face?"

Not expecting the bet to be about this, Qian Biao was momentarily taken aback and hesitated.

Being slapped in the face, and by the last-place teacher in the whole academy—if he really lost, he wouldn't be able to live it down; he'd die of shame.

"What, scared?" Zhang Xuan looked at him with a smile.

"Qian Biao, what are you afraid of? Don't you know this guy's level?"

"He got a zero on his teaching assessment—how could he get students? That's a pipe dream!"

"He's just bluffing. If he could get students, I'd have hundreds! The students this year can't be that blind, can they?"

...

The other logistics teachers all sneered.

None of them believed Zhang Xuan could get students.

It was as hard as a pig climbing a tree.

"Fine, I agree!" Hearing the others, Qian Biao felt it made sense and nodded.

"You guys are cheering so loudly—want to bet with me too? Same terms?"

Seeing the man agree, Zhang Xuan looked at the other three teachers in the logistics office.

These three had mocked him fiercely just now. Since he was betting with one, he didn't mind betting with a few more.

"What, your face itching and you want us to slap it a few more times? Fine, I'm game!" one teacher said boldly.

"I'm in too!"

"Who's afraid of who? Getting a zero and still trying to act tough in front of us brothers—you're asking for it!"

All three nodded and agreed with a laugh.

In their view, betting with them, Zhang Xuan was sure to lose. Today, they just had to wait to slap his face!