Chapter 210: Taking a Teacher (Part 1)

"The Poison Hall is actually the Poison Masters' Guild!"

"Poison Masters' Guild?" Zhang Xuan blinked.

Since it was a guild, it should be like the Alchemists' Guild, Artifact Forgers' Guild, or Teachers' Guild—why call it the Poison Hall?

It sounded rather eerie.

"Do you think that since it's a guild, it should be open and aboveboard, so why call it such a strange name as Poison Hall?" Seeing his confusion, Liu Ling explained, "This has to do with the special status of poison masters."

"Poison masters, skilled in using poison, are hard to guard against. They are classified as a lowly profession and looked down upon. Because they were too terrifying, they were once jointly expelled by countless strong experts across the continent. At that time, the guild was wiped out, and countless poison masters died in that catastrophe."

"Later, although the legacy was preserved, fearing a repeat of the past, they dared not appear in public view again. They secretly established the Poison Hall, hiding among famous mountains and great rivers, biding their time. Because of this, although this profession exists within the kingdom, it is very rare. If there is any place with many books on poison, it must be this place. However, even I don't know its exact location."

Liu Ling shook his head.

"Uh..."

Zhang Xuan smiled wryly.

After all that talk, it was as good as nothing.

What I need now are books on poison. If I can't find the Poison Hall, what's the use of all this talk?

"Poison is extremely dangerous. To concoct more potent drugs, poison masters often test poisons on themselves, and many do not live long. Unless there is a compelling reason, few people dabble in it. Teacher Zhang, why are you asking about such books?"

All three were puzzled.

Poison can be used to kill across levels. Only those with deep-seated grudges that they cannot avenge in a lifetime would choose it. Few are willing to set foot in this profession.

Even if they don't test poisons, being around toxic substances all day means they enter the body with every breath. Many poison masters do not live long. Because of this, their personalities are generally somewhat eccentric.

It could be said that this profession is something countless people talk about with fear and are unwilling to touch. This Teacher Zhang, instead of becoming a mentor apprentice, asks about this, making the three of them unable to help but find it strange.

"Just curious, asking casually." Zhang Xuan smiled.

He certainly couldn't reveal that he was poisoned; otherwise, when asked why the poison hadn't erupted and why his true qi was so pure, the Library of Heaven's Path would be exposed.

This was his greatest secret, which he would never tell anyone.

Seeing that he was unwilling to say, Liu Ling did not press further. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Actually, I really don't know the exact location of the Poison Hall, but I've heard that in the Red Lotus Mountain Range in the far northwest of the Tianwu First-Class Kingdom, there seems to be a branch of the Poison Hall. Most poison masters in the kingdom come from there. Of course, this is just a legend; I'm not sure if it's true."

"Tianwu First-Class Kingdom?" Zhang Xuan nodded. A book on geography from the library appeared in his mind.

Having a one-star mentor qualifies a kingdom as a second-class kingdom.

Tianxuan Kingdom has no mentor, so it is one of the unranked kingdoms.

Tianwu Kingdom is the most powerful among the surrounding kingdoms, having reached the first-class level, one level higher than Liu Ling's Beiwu Kingdom. It is said that the royal city has a two-star mentor stationed there.

This kingdom is not far from Tianxuan Kingdom; in fact, they are neighbors, with the Red Lotus Mountain Range as their border.

"Besides the Poison Hall, the Mentor Hall also has books on various professions, including many on poison. Although it cannot compare to the former, it is far more extensive than the book collections of some kingdoms. If you just want to learn about this profession, you can go to the Mentor Hall to read. Of course, to enter the Mentor Hall, you must first pass the assessment and become a mentor."

Zhuang Xian on the side said with a smile, apparently still not giving up on the idea of having this young man become his apprentice.

"Mentor Hall?"

"Well, although mentors are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Teachers' Guild, because of their noble status, the guild can't really control them. So, to assess mentors and give them a standardized order while protecting their rights, the Mentor Hall was specially established."

Zhuang Xian explained, "The Mentor Hall, like other guilds, only opens its treasures and secret manuals to mentors. Its library covers countless professions, and the books on poison you mentioned will certainly be plentiful."

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

It seemed that if he couldn't find the Poison Hall, becoming a mentor and entering the Mentor Hall might also solve his current problem.

"Alright, please give more thought to our proposal. With your talent, as long as you study hard, becoming a mentor is just around the corner. It's best not to dwell on other things."

After chatting a bit more, seeing that the young man was indeed not very interested in becoming their apprentice, Liu Ling said another word before taking his leave along with the other two.

They knew that for a genius teacher like Zhang Xuan, they shouldn't push too hard. Taking it step by step might lead him to come around in a couple of days; pressing him might backfire.

After the three mentors left, several students gathered around, looking at Teacher Zhang with admiration.

Look at that—other teachers, upon hearing that a mentor wants to take them as an apprentice, would be so excited they wouldn't know their own names. But our Teacher Zhang simply refused...

That's just too awesome!

"Don't give me that look. I haven't settled accounts with you about what happened earlier!"

Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

These little brats had actually called the three mentors perverts and peeping toms. Luckily, it was just ink splashing, and they didn't take it seriously; otherwise, even he couldn't protect them.

After scolding them for a while and giving them some specific guidance, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had to admit, although these kids were a bit mischievous and unreliable, they were very serious about their cultivation and didn't slack off at all.

Except for Yuan Tao, all the disciples had reached the second level of martial artist, the Dantian realm.

He had thought Zheng Yang would make the most progress, but he never dreamed it would be Wang Ying, who seemed so delicate.

In just a few days without seeing her, she had not only broken through to the second level but also advanced rapidly to the peak of the mid-stage Dantian realm, just one step away from the late stage!

Such progress could only be described as astonishing.

It seemed that although this girl appeared a bit dazed and blushed easily when speaking, she was actually exceptionally determined inside. When she made up her mind, even Zhao Ya might not match her.

As for the others, they also had their merits.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Having been taught the cultivation techniques and martial skills organized by the library, if they still didn't make much progress, that would be truly embarrassing.

Through the library, Zhang Xuan also noticed something odd: his five disciples seemed to be secretly practicing a combined formation. After examining it, he found the formation was harmless and actually increased their combined combat power.

As long as they weren't causing trouble, he couldn't be bothered to interfere.

Cultivating students is not like planting flowers or raising beasts. What he imparts are ideas and cultivation methods. Otherwise, if everything is restricted, they will lose their versatility and become no different from puppets.

It's like the exam-oriented education in his previous life, which stifled the creativity of many children, turning them into high-scoring but low-ability freaks.

Zhang Xuan left after class and sometimes didn't even come to the classroom. It wasn't that he was irresponsible, but he was afraid of imposing too many restrictions on these kids, preventing them from walking the true path of the strong.

Teaching without restricting—that is the true way of a teacher.

"To assess for mentor, I must become an apprentice... but I don't want to take Liu Ling and the others as my teacher..."

After instructing everyone, Zhang Xuan fell into a dilemma again.

Apprentice, mentor; mentor, apprentice—it was like an endless loop, giving him a headache.

"Wait, I don't have to be their apprentice; I can be my own!"

After agonizing for who knows how long, Zhang Xuan suddenly froze as an idea popped into his mind.

Didn't he have not only the identity of Zhang Xuan but also that of 'Teacher Yang'?

In everyone's eyes, Teacher Yang was also a mentor. If he became his own apprentice, would he be qualified to assess for mentor? Even if he couldn't, having Liu Ling and the others recommend him should be easy.

If 'Teacher Yang' spoke, who would dare not comply?

"Let's do it this way!"

Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan left the academy and headed toward his residence.

To become 'Teacher Yang's' apprentice, of course, 'Teacher Yang' had to say so.

...

After leaving the academy, Liu Ling and the others couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking about how they had failed to take on an apprentice.

Not to mention an unranked kingdom like Tianxuan, even in Beiwu Kingdom or Hanwu Kingdom, if they expressed a desire to take on an apprentice, countless star teachers would flock to their doors, vying for the opportunity.

But this guy, even after they clearly stated their intention, still refused... They really didn't know what was going on in his head.

"At such a young age, to have mastered calligraphy, painting, alchemy, and tea ceremony to such a high level—it's normal for such a super genius to have some pride!"

Thinking of the young man's many impressive feats, Liu Ling couldn't help but say.

"Yes! No need to rush. Tomorrow is his teacher evaluation match with Lu Xun. He might want to win that first before joining us, which would be more aboveboard." Zhuang Xian thought of something and speculated.

"That's possible..."

Both nodded.

His refusal might not be because he didn't want to, but because he had this matter to consider.

Otherwise, even if he didn't want to be their student, wouldn't he want to assess for mentor?

That is the pursuit of every teacher, just as every cultivator wants to become a top expert—it's impossible to refuse.

"We must come to watch tomorrow's match. But before that... shouldn't we attend to our own matters first?"

Liu Ling suddenly said.

"You mean... taking Teacher Yang as our teacher?"

Zhuang Xian's eyes also lit up.

A person can have more than one teacher in a lifetime, and the same goes for mentors. When encountering someone of a higher level, they can certainly take them as a teacher to learn.

"Right. Teacher Yang casually helped Shen Hong and Zheng Fei break through. His insight and methods are far superior to ours. If we can take him as our teacher, we might break through our bottlenecks, gain the qualifications to assess for two-star mentor, and even... succeed in one go!"

The more Liu Ling spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

Having a good teacher greatly aids future development.

Through the previous incidents, Teacher Yang had already demonstrated extraordinary abilities. If they could take him as their teacher, they might advance by leaps and bounds, going further and further...

Reaching a level they had dreamed of but never dared to hope for.