Chapter 196: The Qualification to Assess a Master Teacher

Rubbing his temples, Zhang Xuan let out a sigh of relief.

After two consecutive days of busy work, the problems of all those who had paid earlier had been resolved, and he finally had some free time.

Most of these people were unable to break through, and some were suffering from terminal illnesses. Combining the flaws revealed by the Library of Heaven's Path with the knowledge stored in the kingdom's library, he had basically solved everything to everyone's satisfaction.

"The teacher assessment is the day after tomorrow. I wonder how those little brats are progressing..."

Stretching lazily, he quietly slipped out of the mansion.

He had been busy here for the past two days and hadn't had time to return to the academy. If Zhao Ya and the others hadn't met his requirements by the day after tomorrow's teacher assessment, winning would certainly be troublesome.

As for Lu Xun and Wang Chao, who had been waiting at the door all along, he couldn't be bothered with them and didn't summon them. After waiting an entire day, the two realized that offending this master teacher had made becoming his apprentice a mere dream, so they had to return dejectedly.

Finding a secluded spot, he removed his disguise, reverted to his Zhang Xuan appearance, and strode toward the academy.

"Master Zhang!"

Just as he reached the academy gate, he heard a familiar call. Turning his head, he saw Huang Yu and Bai Xun walking over quickly.

"We were just about to go to the academy to find you. Since you're here, it saves us the trouble."

Arriving before him, Huang Yu spoke with a smile.

"Looking for me?" Zhang Xuan looked at her with confusion.

Hadn't these two already finished their painting and calligraphy assessment? They had also sent the money for the paintings. What did they want now?

If they wanted to buy another painting, he wouldn't mind painting one more to earn some extra cash.

"We might have something to trouble you with..." Huang Yu said somewhat apologetically.

"What is it? If I can do it, I'll help as much as possible!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Huang Yu had helped him before, so it was hard to refuse. However, he didn't commit too firmly; if something truly impossible came up, he could still change his mind.

"Master Zhang, you know about how we went to Master Lu Chen's house to ask for the Ink Pavilion Painting!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had known about this for a long time. It seemed they had sought that painting to give as a gift. As a result, after he produced a fifth-level painting, the two no longer wanted that painting, which made him feel a bit awkward and sorry toward Master Lu Chen.

"We sought the Ink Pavilion Painting actually to offer birthday congratulations... The paintings you gave us would be perfect as birthday gifts, but..." Huang Yu hesitated at this point. "I'm afraid that when Elder Tian sees the paintings, he might want to meet the painter, which would still cause trouble... So, we'd like to invite you to join us at the birthday banquet!"

"Birthday congratulations? Attend a birthday banquet?" Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.

Huang Yu had mentioned before that they wanted to give the Ink Pavilion Painting to someone; it turned out to be for a birthday celebration.

"I'm not really interested in attending birthday banquets. I'll pass!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

No matter whose birthday it was, it had nothing to do with him, and he couldn't be bothered to go and flatter others.

"Master Zhang, please go. This Elder Tian is a very good person. Even Emperor Shen Zhui will be attending in person..." Seeing him shake his head, Bai Xun spoke anxiously.

"Emperor Shen Zhui is also going?"

Zhang Xuan was surprised.

He had thought this so-called birthday banquet was just for some high-ranking official. If Emperor Shen Zhui was attending in person, it couldn't be that simple.

"Yes, not only the emperor, but our teacher will also be there. To tell you the truth, it wasn't us who invited you to the birthday banquet, but... my teacher, Master Teacher Liu Ling!" Huang Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Liu Ling is your teacher?" Zhang Xuan's eyes widened in surprise. "Does he know about me?"

As an assistant apprentice, it was easy to imagine Huang Yu having a master teacher. But... his current identity was Zhang Xuan, not 'Teacher Yang.' How did this Master Liu know who he was?

And he specifically sent someone to invite him?

Could it be... his identity had been exposed?

Zhang Xuan immediately became wary.

If it were truly exposed, not to mention that impersonating a master teacher was a serious crime, but how could a young man under twenty know so many things and possess such sharp insight?

He must have relied on some powerful treasure!

An innocent man may possess a jewel and thus incur guilt. This alone could make countless people envious and lead to utter ruin.

"Not only Master Liu, but also Master Zhuang and Master Zheng know. Especially yesterday, when I told them you could paint a fifth-level painting, they were so excited they almost jumped up!" Bai Xun interjected.

Thinking back to yesterday's events, he still found it unbelievable.

His teacher had learned that he and Huang Yu knew Master Zhang and deliberately called them over to inquire. When he heard that this Teacher Zhang, not much older than themselves, could produce a fifth-level painting, they were all so excited their faces turned red, as if they were ill. Then they gave them a strict order: they must bring him to the birthday banquet today.

"Master Zhang, this is a great opportunity. I've never seen my teacher so interested in anyone. If he takes a liking to you, becoming an assistant apprentice is just around the corner!" Huang Yu's eyes showed deep envy. "Moreover, you have an auxiliary profession. With an assistant identity, you can even directly assess for master teacher!"

As a teacher, the greatest wish was to become a master teacher. Now that a master teacher appreciated him, this was the perfect chance.

"Auxiliary profession? Directly assess for master teacher? What do you mean?" Zhang Xuan looked puzzled.

"You don't know the requirements for assessing a master teacher?" Huang Yu looked at him strangely.

The Tianxuan Kingdom had no master teachers, and the assessment requirements were not recorded in books. Moreover, Zhang Xuan had only recently crossed over, so how could he know these things?

"A master teacher can not only guide cultivation but also other professions. Therefore, besides having a wealth of knowledge, the most important thing is to possess certain auxiliary professions..."

Seeing that he truly didn't understand, Huang Yu explained: "In simple terms, mastering one auxiliary profession qualifies you to assess for a one-star master teacher; mastering two qualifies you for a two-star master teacher, and so on! Of course, the requirements for auxiliary professions also increase gradually. The higher the level, the higher the requirements. For assessing a one-star master teacher, the profession of painter and calligrapher is completely sufficient!"

"That is to say, as long as you have the painter and calligrapher profession and the identity of a master teacher's assistant, you can obtain the qualification to assess for a one-star master teacher! Although I don't know if you'll pass, at least you can participate in the assessment. As for me... even though I'm an assistant apprentice, I'm not qualified!"

Saying this, Huang Yu smiled bitterly.

This was why master teachers were so rare and difficult to assess.

Among the many upper, middle, and lower professions, each required immense effort to learn. From the fact that Master Lu Chen had studied all his life and could only paint fourth-level paintings, one could see the difficulty.

Some people, lacking auxiliary professions, remained apprentices their whole lives without qualifying for assessment. But this person before her was different: not only was he good at teaching and strong in strength, but he had also reached the level of a painting grandmaster. Once he became an assistant apprentice, he could easily assess for master teacher.

His starting point was far higher than hers.

She really couldn't understand how he managed it, being not much older than her.

"So that's the principle..."

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan finally understood.

No wonder master teachers could guide any profession; this was the root cause.

To successfully assess, one first needed auxiliary professions. The higher the level, the more auxiliary professions required... Because of this, the higher the level of a master teacher, the more powerful and rarer they were, and the more terrifying their knowledge.

No wonder Huang Yu, as a master teacher's apprentice, still worked hard to learn painting and calligraphy and respected Master Lu Chen so much. It seemed she wanted to use painting and calligraphy as an auxiliary profession to gain the qualification to assess for master teacher.

"Since I have the profession of one-star alchemist, doesn't that mean that as long as I obtain an apprentice identity, I'll be qualified to assess for master teacher?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

After these days of disguise, he knew how formidable the identity of a master teacher was.

With this identity, not only would he be respected wherever he went, but basically no one would dare to cause trouble.

In the past, with the Library of Heaven's Path, he might not have cared whether he had a master teacher identity, but now it was different.

The black energy hidden in his body indicated that someone was scheming to kill him. Once he had a master teacher identity and the protection of the Teacher Guild, even if the other party wanted to act, they would have to think twice.

Moreover, the sky is vast for birds to fly. With such a powerful Library of Heaven's Path, he couldn't be trapped in the Tianxuan Kingdom forever!

When traveling outside, strength was one thing, but identity was another.

With a master teacher identity as support, many things would become more convenient and easier.

Just like becoming a true alchemist allowed entry into the alchemist guild's exclusive library and purchasing pills at a discount; without this identity, it was nearly impossible.

"It seems I need to assess for master teacher as soon as possible!"

Zhang Xuan made up his mind.

With the heaven-defying artifact that was the Library of Heaven's Path, it would be a loss not to become a master teacher.

As long as he threw a punch, he could see the opponent's flaws. Just based on this, any so-called master teacher or strong person was... nothing but trash before him.

No matter how strong, could they be stronger than the heavens?

Under the heavens, nothing can hide. Even the heavens are incomplete, so how could humans be without flaws?

With flaws, books could be formed, and knowledge could be gained!

Only by becoming a true master teacher could he use this skill without restraint and advance triumphantly!

Otherwise, with his current identity, it would be nearly impossible to gather enough books to create a Heavenly Path Divine Art, let alone progress quickly.

"Become an apprentice to one of them?"

To become a master teacher, one first had to become an assistant apprentice, and to become an apprentice, one had to apprentice under a true master teacher who would act as a guide.

Apprentice himself to Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, or Zheng Fei?

How unreliable did that sound?

Over the past two days, the three had often visited the mansion, occasionally hinting at wanting to apprentice under him. Feeling that the identity of Yang Xuan would soon disappear, he had never agreed.

However, judging by their demeanor, they wouldn't give up anytime soon.

If Zhang Xuan's identity truly apprenticed under one of the three,

And they in turn apprenticed under 'Yang Xuan,'

Then the joke would be huge.

That is to say... as Zhang Xuan, he would be a disciple's disciple; as Yang Xuan, he would be a master's master!

He would be his own grandmaster, his own grand-disciple...

And crucially, the two sides couldn't meet, or the truth would come out...

Damn it!

What kind of mess was this!

Just thinking about it was utterly frustrating.