Chapter 398: Ancestral Masters Rejected, Bells of Mourning Toll

Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations, Hall of Masters, Council Chamber.

"I'm sure everyone knows about this matter. I hope you will all do your utmost and not tarnish our reputation!"

An old man sat in the central seat, his brow stern, and swept his hand grandly.

Kang Gantang, the head of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations' Hall of Masters, a peak four-star master.

"Rest assured, Master Kang. We will do our utmost to find suitable candidates and not tarnish the reputation of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations!"

"Elder Su and Elder Ling heard that a genius emerged from the Xuanhuang Kingdom and rushed over a few days ago!"

"Elder Bai and Elder Lu heard that a genius in the Chiyuan Kingdom passed the examination and also went there eight days ago!"

...

Many old men in the hall responded one after another.

These old men all wore the distinctive robes of masters, with badges on their chests indicating their rank—at least two-star, with some as high as three or four stars, gleaming and dazzling.

"Good. Prepare in advance and handle it well. In the past, our Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations always came in last. This time, we must show them that our geniuses are no less!"

The headmaster snorted and nodded.

"Mm..."

Everyone acknowledged and were about to continue speaking when a bell suddenly rang out.

It carried a mournful tone, as if some great calamity had occurred.

Dong dong dong dong!

Then countless bells rang in succession.

"What's going on?" Master Kang stood up abruptly.

"That direction is... the Hall of Sealed Masters!"

Looking at the direction of the sound, a master's face changed as he cried out.

"Let's go see!"

Master Kang and the others could no longer restrain themselves. They rushed out and arrived at the Hall of Sealed Masters. Pushing open the door, they saw countless ancestral master tablets trembling incessantly, as if encountering something deeply sorrowful, wailing continuously. Strange auras swirled around them, rumbling like thunder and howling without end.

"This is... the ancestral masters rejected, the bells tolling in mourning?"

His face changed, and Master Kang's body swayed, nearly falling.

"Ancestral masters rejected? What does that mean?"

Seeing him so distraught, a master couldn't help asking.

"To successfully pass the master examination requires the recognition of the ancestors. Many take this as an honor!" Master Kang explained.

Everyone nodded.

This was common knowledge among masters. The lower the level of the examination, the more ancestors recognized you, the greater your future achievements, and the more pride you felt.

"As masters, we all know that teachers can choose students, and students can also choose teachers!"

Clenching his fist, Master Kang continued, still seeming unable to believe it: "The ancestors can recognize the younger generation, but they can also... be rejected!"

"Rejected? Recognition by the ancestors is not only an honor but also grants special auras to elevate one's state of mind. Who would reject that?"

Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide.

Recognition by the ancestors represented supreme honor, and more importantly, it helped elevate one's state of mind. Someone rejected it? What did that mean?

"Yes, someone would reject it! By accepting the bestowed aura, you imprint the ancestor's will and form a half-teacher bond with them. As you all know, accepting such a bond incurs karmic debt that must be repaid to be complete. Some super geniuses, unwilling to accept such a bond, directly reject it!"

Master Kang said.

"This..." Everyone was dumbfounded.

These people were still dreaming every day of being recognized by the ancestors, yet someone actually rejected it... How was that even possible?

"The ancestral tablets, though only remnants of thought, contain the spirit of their lifetimes. When rejected by a descendant, they naturally wail incessantly! This is exactly the situation: the ancestral masters rejected, the bells tolling in mourning! I've only read about this in books, never thought... it would be real!"

Master Kang's face turned pale: "The most crucial point is... so many tablets wailing simultaneously indicates... these ancestors all recognized the same person at the same time, and were... rejected!"

"So many ancestors recognizing at the same time?"

"This... how is that possible?"

Everyone was terrified, nearly fainting on the spot.

In the past few hundred years of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations, the most famous genius, Jiang Zijie, had only gained recognition from seven ancestors. Who was this? To gain recognition from all the ancestors at once, and most importantly... to reject them?

Did I hear that wrong?

All the masters of the Hall of Masters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations trembled, their faces frantic.

"Investigate thoroughly! It must be within our Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations; otherwise, this couldn't happen! A genius who can make all the sages bow in recognition—if we can invite him, it would cause a sensation..."

Master Kang's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to continue giving orders, the ground suddenly shook.

Hualala!

The statue of Master Kong in front also trembled violently, wailing incessantly.

"Master Kong wailing? Could it be... Master Kong was also rejected?"

Everyone stood frozen, like wooden chickens.

Master Kang's mouth fell open, and the rest of his words could not come out.

...

"Um... we really don't need to do anything?"

Seeing Master Jiang and the others turn and leave, ignoring the ancestral tablets and Master Kong's statue that had been knocked over, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but find it strange.

This was the statue of the Teacher Under Heaven, and the tablets of countless ancestors... How could they...

"Masters see through the essence of things, valuing intent over form. Our reverence for Master Kong and the ancestors lies in our hearts, not in these tablets. Otherwise, knocking over tablets would be a great disrespect, and how could any disciple willingly wait? Rest assured, the Hall of Masters has specialized craftsmen for repairs. It shouldn't take long to restore the Hall of Sealed Masters to its former state!"

Master Jiang explained.

"Valuing intent over form?" Zhang Xuan nodded.

That made sense.

The masters he knew—Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, Jiang Shu, and others—didn't put on airs of being masters. Instead, they were like ordinary people, admitting when they were right and refuting when they were wrong.

Acting according to intent, doing things as the heart dictates.

Knowing that they understood his accidental breaking of Master Kong's statue was unintentional, he finally relaxed.

They walked forward and soon arrived at the council chamber.

"Let me introduce you now. These two are four-star masters from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Nations: Master Su and Master Ling!" Once everyone was seated, Master Jiang introduced them.

"Four-star masters?"

Zhang Xuan and Mo Hong were startled, both taken aback.

Earlier, they had thought these two were one-star masters from other kingdoms. They never expected them to be four-star...

Zhang Xuan, in particular, felt his face turn green.

He had actually scolded them earlier.

"Both of you are exceptionally talented. Becoming four-star masters is only a matter of time, so there's no need to be constrained!" Master Su smiled and looked over: "Master Zhang, I have an impertinent request. Would it be convenient?"

"Please speak, Master Su!"

Knowing the other was a four-star master, Zhang Xuan did not dare to act presumptuously and respectfully cupped his hands.

A four-star master was not only vastly knowledgeable but also highly cultivated in martial arts!

To become a three-star master, one needed at least the strength of a Sovereign. Four-star... probably required cultivation above the Sovereign level.

"I heard that Master Yang is in the royal city. Could Master Ling and I have the honor of meeting him?" Master Su said.

"Meeting... Master Yang?" Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched, and he nearly fainted.

There was no Master Yang... The teacher behind him was himself!

Two four-star masters wanted to meet him. What to do?

It had taken immense effort to fool Jiang Shu, but these were four-star masters. Fooling them would not be so simple!

Even if he used his disguise ability, they might see through it.

"What? Is it inconvenient?" Master Su looked at him.

"It's not that, but my teacher... is always elusive. Even I don't know where he is..."

Zhang Xuan quickly explained: "How about this: once my teacher appears, I will inform you."

"Mm! Then we'll trouble you, Master Zhang!" Master Su smiled.

Though they were four-star masters, neither showed any arrogance; instead, they were amiable.

It was said that the more accomplished a master, the more they were like this; otherwise, they could not easily gain students' recognition and impart knowledge effectively.

"Alright, now that your examination is over, I won't beat around the bush. Master Ling and I came here for two reasons. First, because Master Zhang's examination results were so astonishing, we wanted to see for ourselves. Second, there is another matter where we might need your help."

Seeing him agree, Master Su did not dwell on the topic and stroked his beard as he spoke.

"Master Su, just give your orders. If the Hall of Masters of the Tianwu Kingdom can do it, we will spare no effort!" Master Jiang quickly said.

Not to mention that the other was his superior; even if not, a four-star master had the authority to command them.