Chapter 1523: Yang Xuan Becomes a Junior Fellow Apprentice

"This..."

Stunned for a moment, Zhang Xuan then nodded.

Along the way, he had seen many master teachers. Some, regardless of rank, were humble and courteous, amiable and kind, upholding the tradition of the teacher's path without ever forgetting it; others were self-willed and arrogant, acting on their status, no different from other powers and noble families.

The original intention behind the establishment of the Master Teacher Pavilion was good, but over time, it inevitably degenerated.

Power and being above others can indeed corrupt one's nature, and master teachers are no exception.

"Take this time, for instance. The Master Teacher Pavilion issued a pursuit order. I checked your records—you have merits and are an unparalleled genius. Under normal circumstances, the Master Teacher Pavilion should have taken the initiative to mediate... But you were able to resolve the lightning tribulation, with exceptional talent. Without a teacher, you are a huge prize. Capturing you is a minor matter; more people want to obtain from you the secret method for breakthroughs and the means to deal with lightning tribulation..."

Master Teacher Yang shook his head, sighing: "The headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion is now divided into several factions, each hoarding its own knowledge and trying to surpass the others. It is no longer the true academic exchange it once was. If one faction obtains the method from you, it will surely surpass and suppress the others... When Confucius established the master teachers, he wanted them to strengthen humanity, but human nature... Alas!"

"Human nature... indeed, it is hard to say!"

Zhang Xuan sighed.

In the early days of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it upheld the ideals of justice for all and education without discrimination. But over tens of thousands of years, with humanity stable, many had been blinded by power and forgotten their original intentions.

The true pinnacle master teachers sometimes had lower character than those one-star master teachers he had met before.

At least they had not yet been tainted by power and strength.

"Yes, the Saint Domain only grants a lifespan of a thousand years. For tens of thousands of years, no one has been able to break through. After reaching the peak, many lose their motivation. In such a situation, they naturally want to enjoy better treatment... Enough, let's not talk about this!"

With a face full of disappointment, Master Teacher Yang did not dwell on the issue.

These matters had become deeply ingrained, not something one or two people could resolve.

"This is a drawback accumulated over tens of thousands of years of the Master Teacher Pavilion's heritage... However, even if master teachers become frivolous, when it comes to dealing with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, they are still duty-bound and no one shirks responsibility! Therefore, in the eyes of successive acting hall masters, these are minor ailments, insignificant. As long as the original intention remains unchanged, it does not harm the greater good. Over time, it has led to the current situation!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even if power corrupts people, as long as there is no change in the stance toward the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, it shows that master teachers are still glorious and have not truly drifted with the tide, forgetting themselves.

"After Confucius lost contact, the Great Sages have been at the peak, and no one could break through further, making it impossible to convince everyone. Your appearance is different—a Heaven's Acknowledged Master Teacher... You will surely lead us on a different path and restore humanity's glory!"

After his lament, Master Teacher Yang looked over with great excitement.

The successive acting hall masters lacked sufficient virtue and authority to control the overall situation. The moment this person appeared, everything was completely different.

"Great Sage?"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Indeed. Above the ninth level of the Saint Domain, there is the Great Sage level. However, this realm is not nine levels but four! Breaking through the Great Sage leads to the Ancient Sage—the realm reached by Qiu Wu, Bu Shang, and others. Since Confucius left, no one has achieved it for tens of thousands of years!"

Master Teacher Yang nodded.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan's heart shook.

He had thought that 'Ancient Sage' was just a respectful title for ancient sages, but it turned out to be a major realm.

"What realm did Confucius reach?"

Unable to contain himself, Zhang Xuan looked over with great curiosity.

Since his servants and disciples were at the Ancient Sage level, what realm did this foremost figure of humanity, the founder of the master teacher profession, actually attain? And what kind of strength did he possess?

"Confucius has reached a realm beyond the comprehension of gods and demons... not something we juniors can fathom!"

Raising his eyes to look into the distant unknown, Master Teacher Yang's face was full of longing.

Confucius was invincible from birth. No one knew how strong he was or how profound his cultivation. Even if someone knew, it was not something they, as juniors, could inquire about.

"Having said so much, you should now understand something about the current Master Teacher Pavilion. Not revealing your identity as a Heaven's Acknowledged Master Teacher requires another identity to stand firm and avoid suspicion. Otherwise, in just one year, successfully challenging the pavilion twice and causing such a commotion... I fear it will be hard to settle peacefully!"

Master Teacher Yang looked over again.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

What the other said was true. A high master teacher rank only indicated strong strength, high mental cultivation, and certain contributions to education, but did personal character necessarily follow?

Does the director of an education bureau necessarily have better personal character than an ordinary teacher?

Not necessarily!

It is just good opportunities and high talent, unrelated to personal character.

In fact, powerful master teachers, high above in the clouds, detached from ordinary people, might even be more indifferent.

Therefore, even at the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion, although the 'teacher' path was still upheld, it was not as peaceful as imagined.

"I naturally dare not take you as my disciple... However, I can accept disciples on behalf of my late teacher. That is, I can announce to the outside world that you are my senior fellow apprentice. In this way, even if outsiders question it, with my late teacher deceased and me stepping forward, they can say nothing! Of course, this is just a title. Even my late teacher would not be qualified to take you as a disciple..."

Master Teacher Yang expressed his idea.

"Senior fellow apprentice?" His face twitching, Zhang Xuan scratched his head: "This... doesn't seem quite right... Junior fellow apprentice!"

"A Heaven's Acknowledged Master Teacher holds a revered status, on par with Confucius. If it weren't for fear of causing too much shock, I would want to take you as my teacher... Calling you senior fellow apprentice is already an overstep!"

Master Teacher Yang hurriedly said.

His status as the First Supreme Elder was very high, with few equals in the world, but compared to a Heaven's Acknowledged Master Teacher, it was still far inferior.

Calling the other senior fellow apprentice and pretending to be a junior was already a breach of propriety, filled with trepidation.

Pausing for a moment, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to reluctantly nod: "Very well, Junior Fellow Apprentice Yang Xuan!"

"Senior Fellow Apprentice Zhang..."

Master Teacher Yang breathed a sigh of relief, his heart full of joy.

He had originally pursued the other to take him as a student, but ended up becoming a junior fellow apprentice... Nevertheless, for him, it was still full of excitement.

With the appearance of a Heaven's Acknowledged Master Teacher, the chaotic Master Teacher Pavilion would surely be completely unified, humanity would grow stronger, and dealing with crises would become much easier.

"By the way, Junior Fellow Apprentice, I heard that you once helped someone rebuild their meridians. Is that true?"

Having confirmed the relationship and devised a plan, Zhang Xuan no longer dwelled on these issues but looked over with great curiosity.

The guild leader earlier had said that this person had once replaced meridians. Since they had met, it was a good opportunity to inquire in detail.

"Indeed, there is such a thing!" Master Teacher Yang nodded.