Chapter 392: Someone from Headquarters

"This is the bell of the Master Hall, the emergency assembly bell for all masters. Something big must have happened!"

Zhao Ya's expression tightened.

The bell of the Master Hall was not rung casually. Such urgency clearly indicated trouble.

"Let's go check it out first. If the teacher is in the royal city, he will definitely head there too..."

Frowning slightly, Zhao Ya instructed.

The bell of the Master Hall summoned the masters. If that Teacher Liu was really Teacher Zhang, upon hearing this sound, he would certainly go there as well.

"Yes!" Zheng Yang and the others nodded.

The group headed toward the Master Hall together.

...

"Is that the emergency assembly bell? Who rang it?"

Hall Master Jiang, still standing outside the Lin residence, savoring Zhang Xuan's lecture, was also startled by the sound.

Not just anyone was qualified to ring the bell of the Master Hall. In the entire Tianwu Kingdom, only the hall master and the remaining two two-star masters had that ability. Now all three of them were here—what was going on?

"Something must have happened. Let's go back quickly!"

Elder Zhu's expression turned serious.

"Yes!"

Hall Master Jiang nodded, not daring to hesitate. He led the group of masters and hurried toward the Master Hall.

"Emergency assembly of masters. Let's go check it out too!"

Mo Tianxue and the others hastily followed.

The Master Hall was the foundation of a kingdom's stability. Without them in charge, not only would the kingdom's rank drop, but it could easily be annexed by other kingdoms.

At this moment, the bell resounded through the royal city, drawing the attention of countless people.

Even Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi were startled.

"The Master Hall is summoning us. Let's go!"

Mo Hongyi's expression turned solemn.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Teacher..."

Lu Chong caught up.

"Find Mu Xueqing and the others and bring them along!" Understanding his intention, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Originally, they had planned to take the assessment tomorrow. Now that Mo Hongyi had recovered, they were heading over. If nothing major happened, they could finish the exam and officially become two-star masters.

...

Hall Master Jiang and the others did not dare delay. Before long, they arrived at the Master Hall. Before entering the main hall, an apprentice came to greet them.

"Hall Master, Elder Zhu..."

"What happened?" Frowning, Jiang Shu looked over.

"Someone from headquarters came... Seeing no masters around, they had me ring the bell!" the apprentice explained.

"Headquarters?" Hall Master Jiang's heart skipped a beat. "Take me there quickly!"

Pushing open the door, he entered the main hall and indeed saw two elderly men seated in the room.

"Are you Jiang Shu?"

Before he could speak, one of the elders looked over, stroking his beard. "I am Su Fan, and this is Ling Yuheng, from the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance Master Guild."

"Su Fan? Ling Yuheng?"

Hall Master Jiang was stunned at first, then his whole body trembled, frozen in place, his eyes filled with disbelief. "The four-star masters of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance... Master Su and Master Ling?"

Although he had never been to the Alliance, the names of Master Su and Master Ling resounded across the four seas. Almost every master knew of them. Could it be... these two?

Why... had they come in person?

"Hehe! It is indeed us."

The two smiled simultaneously and nodded lightly.

Without excessive words or actions, they exuded a sense of peace and tranquility, without the pressure that fame often brought.

"Four-star..."

Elder Zhu and the others, hearing the conversation, also turned pale, nearly fainting from fright.

These were legendary figures, each possessing the ability to turn stone into gold and the power to destroy heaven and earth.

They had thought such beings were far beyond their reach, yet here they were, speaking amiably with everyone.

Earlier, they had wondered who had rung the emergency assembly bell. It turned out to be them. As four-star masters, they indeed had the qualifications and ability.

"No need to be nervous. We came this time for Zhang Xuan," Master Su said with a smile, seeing the stiffness of the group.

His voice was like a spring breeze turning into rain, sounding in everyone's ears. Their stiff bodies involuntarily relaxed, and their tension dissipated.

Heavenly Bestowed Speech.

"So strong..."

Feeling the change in their bodies, everyone looked on with admiration.

A single sentence could eliminate their tension; surely the same sentence could strip them of their ability to resist.

A four-star master... truly terrifying!

"Zhang Xuan?"

Recovering from his shock, Hall Master Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Xuan had broken countless records in the Master Hall. Although he had not deliberately notified anyone, as headquarters, they surely had ways to learn about the assessment results. Such astonishing achievements were bound to attract attention.

"Is this Master Zhang here? Which one is he?" Master Su looked around.

"Reporting to Master Su, Zhang Xuan is currently undergoing the trust assessment for two-star master and is not here..."

Hall Master Jiang quickly replied.

"Not here? Then bring me the record crystal from that day's assessment. We want to see the actual situation!" Master Su nodded nonchalantly.

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, Hall Master Jiang gave an order. A master immediately went out and soon returned with the record crystal from the assessment hall.

Master Su and Master Ling exchanged a glance, waved their hands over it, and the assessment scenes emerged.

Trust Room, Supplementary Hall, Puppet Hall, Technique Sea, Errorless Hall...

The young man passed each stage. At first, Master Su and the other were somewhat hesitant, but the more they watched, the more serious their expressions became, until finally, like everyone else, they turned to astonishment.

"This..."

Soon, they finished viewing the content. The two looked at each other, each seeing incredulity in the other's eyes.

Teaching students for a few days, trust reaching 85; at the start of the test, mental state scale 5.1, later reaching 10.1; Supplementary Hall 130 points; Technique Sea, a hundred bells ringing simultaneously, a single shout, minds submitting; Errorless Hall thirty defects; casually breaking through to Zongshi...

Even with their own eyes, these achievements felt like a dream, hard to believe.

Where did this guy come from? How could he achieve such incredible results?

"Reporting to Master Su and Master Ling, I, Jiang Shu, can vouch with my reputation as a master that Master Zhang did not even know the questions in advance. These are all on-site records, without any alteration!"

Seeing their disbelief, Jiang Shu explained.

"Yes, we can tell whether it has been altered or not..."

Master Su nodded.

As four-star masters, they could tell at a glance whether the man before them was lying and whether the record crystal had been tampered with.

That was precisely why they found it so震撼.

The Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance gathered super geniuses from countless kingdoms, yet it seemed none had achieved anything so逆天.

Of course, if not for this reason, they would not have rushed from the Alliance upon receiving the news to this remote corner.

"Tell us about this Master Zhang's background!"

Handing back the record crystal, Master Su asked.

"Yes. This Master Zhang is from Tianxuan Kingdom..."

After a moment's thought, Hall Master Jiang replied.

To become a master, one needed not only high talent but also to undergo investigation by the Master Hall. Zhang Xuan's identity and background were not hard to trace, and he had quickly obtained the most detailed information.

"...He is now a three-star calligrapher and painter, a beyond-three-star alchemist and physician—though without badges, his abilities are at that level, though his cultivation still lags—a two-star beast tamer... In terms of cultivation, he has reached the peak of Zongshi and comprehended the Half-Mind state of weapons..."

Jiang Shu introduced in detail.

With each profession introduced, the expressions of Master Su and Master Ling across from him grew more凝. As the introductions piled up, they became somewhat numb.

At the same time, they were filled with curiosity. How could someone from a remote corner master so many professions and possess such strong talent for being a master?

Thinking this, they could not help but ask.

"At first, I was also curious. Later, I learned that it was because of Master Zhang's teacher, who is very formidable," Jiang Shu explained. "It is highly likely that he is a four-star master like the two of you, or even higher."

"Oh?"

Their expressions turned serious simultaneously. "What is the name of this teacher?"

"Yang Xuan."

"Yang Xuan?" Master Su and Master Ling exchanged glances, each puzzled.

They knew many four-star and even five-star masters, but they had never heard this name.

"This Master Yang is also my teacher now..." Seeing their disbelief, Jiang Shu immediately recounted how he had met Master Yang and become his disciple.

"A single instruction allowed you to tame the Red Body Tiger and identified the flaws in your cultivation?"

Master Su's eyes widened.

He could also identify the cultivation issues in Jiang Shu's body, and taming the Red Body Tiger with guidance was barely possible... but to do it so quickly and efficiently was almost impossible.

This Master Yang did it so effortlessly, reportedly without even dismounting from his flying beast. His insight was simply too sharp!

"Yes!" Jiang Shu nodded.

He truly admired Master Yang.

After practicing the revised technique, not only had his old hidden injuries healed in recent days, but his cultivation also felt vaguely on the verge of突破桎梏.

Even a fool would know this was Master Yang's doing. With such casual guidance producing such effects, it was no wonder that Zhang Xuan, as his direct disciple receiving daily熏陶, was so逆天.

"Is this Master Yang still in the royal city? Could you take us to pay our respects?"

After the shock, Master Su could not help asking.

Although he had never heard the name Yang Xuan, someone who could cultivate a student like Zhang Xuan and casually cause such a change in Jiang Shu was likely at least as high a master as themselves, if not higher. Meeting him and exchanging ideas would surely benefit both sides greatly.

"The teacher is in the royal city, but... he is not often at his residence. If the two of you wish to meet him, please allow me to report in advance and then give a reply!" Jiang Shu said hastily.

Although the teacher was in the royal city, he was elusive, often not at his residence. Moreover, without the teacher's permission, he dared not bring others there, even if they were two four-star masters.

"Yes! We'll trouble Hall Master Jiang then..."

Master Su nodded and was about to continue speaking when Elder Zhu, who had stepped out, hurried back.

"Master Su, Master Ling, Hall Master, Zhang Xuan and Mo Hongyi have arrived. They are at the assessment site and seem to want to end the master assessment early..."

"End the master assessment early?"

Hall Master Jiang was startled. "Has it only been a few days? Have they already achieved a trust level of forty with their disguised identities?"