Chapter 74: Academic Affairs Fabricating Evidence?

"This..."

Hearing the three men's shouts, Elder Mo and Huang Yu exchanged a glance, then both looked at Zhang Xuan.

If what they said was true, the Teacher's Guild would indeed have to re-investigate!

Once the investigation was complete and the facts confirmed, it was highly likely that this Teacher Zhang would have his teaching qualification revoked!

"I underestimated these people; they're also good at using the rules to make their case!"

Unexpected that even after repeated blows, they would still counterattack. Zhang Xuan frowned.

It seemed that in any world, a false accusation could cut deep.

To be honest, the mess left by his predecessor was indeed troublesome.

If the academy didn't take it seriously, he could teach without incident. But once they did and reported it to the Teacher's Guild, he risked losing his teaching qualification.

Being expelled wouldn't be much better than Cao Xiong's fate!

So, no matter what, he couldn't let them succeed!

But scoring zero on the teacher assessment and causing students to go berserk—these were facts left by his predecessor, impossible to change even if he wanted to...

In other words, the mess left by his predecessor was his biggest flaw. Even if he could later teach students brilliantly with the Library of Heaven's Path, it would still be hard to become a renowned teacher and earn people's trust.

He had to find a way to resolve this!

Rubbing his brow, Zhang Xuan felt helpless.

His transmigration was involuntary; he couldn't choose the timing. Besides, if his predecessor hadn't been so terrible, he wouldn't have come here!

Should he just let them report to the Teacher's Guild and have his teaching qualification revoked?

Absolutely not!

"Hmm? Wasn't the problem that I couldn't explain my sudden surge in strength? I can use this..."

Just as he was at a loss, a flash of inspiration struck, and a brilliant idea emerged. He looked at Shang Chen and Shang Bin again, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Since you leave me no way out, then forgive me..."

...

"Zhang Xuan, aren't you still smug? Let's see if you can keep being smug after you go to the Teacher's Guild..." Seeing Elder Mo and Huang Yu hesitate, Shang Bin was elated and laughed heartily.

But before his laughter ended, he saw Zhang Xuan with his hands behind his back, looking over with a hesitant expression, his eyes full of conflict.

As if he had something to say but was deliberating whether to say it or not.

"What? Want to beg for mercy?" Seeing him like this, Shang Bin felt indescribably pleased. "Too bad... it's too late!"

"Beg for mercy?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You're overthinking it. I'm just considering... whether to speak up?"

"Ah!"

With that, he sighed, his voice tinged with worry and pain, as well as conflict and discomfort.

In short, it made anyone who heard it feel that he was burdened with secrets, a man of sorrow and experience.

"Speak up? About what?"

Not knowing what he was up to, Shang Bin frowned.

"Very well, since it's come to this..."

Without answering his question, Zhang Xuan couldn't help shaking his head, putting on a compassionate air. After a moment of hesitation: "I originally thought that as colleagues and teachers, for the sake of the academy's reputation, even if someone had done something excessive, we should prioritize the bigger picture. But now it seems..."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes looking upward as if in great pain.

"Uh? What do you mean?"

Seeing him sighing and shaking his head, drawing everyone's attention, Shang Bin and Shang Chen exchanged glances, unsure what trick he was playing.

What was he pretending for?

He was about to be expelled any moment; pretending was useless now!

"I think he's just spouting nonsense to divert attention! Don't be fooled by him!" Shang Bin caught on and snorted.

Scoring zero on the teacher assessment and causing a student to go berserk—these were facts known to everyone in the academy, stains that couldn't be washed away no matter what. Even if he had a silver tongue, what use was it?

These things couldn't be denied!

Even if he denied them, there were records to check. Let's see how he talked his way out of it.

"Master Zhang, is there something difficult to say? Elder Mo and I are both here; you can speak freely!" Huang Yu looked over.

"Good!" Zhang Xuan cast an appreciative glance at him and nodded inwardly.

He had been putting on this act all along, waiting for that very question. Now that it was asked, he could continue smoothly.

"Actually, I didn't want to bring this up..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head, putting on a pained expression. He strode to a measuring stone pillar in the center of the hall, clenched his fist, and struck it squarely.

Hum!

Light flickered, and a number appeared on it!

Fifty-five ding!

He had again used only half his strength, but after re-cultivating the first three levels of the technique, his internal energy was purer. His strength, originally only forty-nine ding, had increased somewhat.

"Fifty-five ding?"

"Peak of the Aperture Opening realm?"

"He has peak Aperture Opening strength, so... why did the assessment say he was only at the True Energy realm?"

...

Although they had heard from Young Prince Bai that Zhang Xuan was even stronger than him, and were mentally prepared, seeing him deliver such a powerful punch still left them in disbelief! They gasped, jaws nearly hitting the floor.

A martial artist at the sixth level, Aperture Opening realm, gained one ding of strength for each aperture opened. Many people spent their entire lives opening only thirty or forty apertures; even at the peak, their strength was far from this much!

A casual punch with this power meant... he had already reached the peak of the Aperture Opening realm?

But... he had been tested just before the break and was only at the peak of the third level, True Energy realm. In one break, he had advanced several levels...

That was impossible!

Even the most talented genius in the kingdom hadn't been reported to progress this fast!

Everyone looked at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm sure you're all wondering how I tested at True Energy realm before the break but have become Aperture Opening realm in such a short time!"

Taking in everyone's reactions, Zhang Xuan spoke slowly: "Actually... my cultivation didn't advance by leaps and bounds over the break! I've been cultivating step by step, just like everyone else! Before the break, although I didn't have fifty-five ding, I wasn't far off!"

"You had that much before the break? That can't be right. At the time, the teacher assessment tested cultivation..."

Patriarch Wang Hong couldn't help saying, but then stopped mid-sentence as something struck him. He couldn't help but pause: "The teacher assessment at Hongtian Academy is conducted by the Academic Affairs Office in a closed environment, and the results are also announced by the Academic Affairs Office... No one else knows! That is to say... the conclusion that you were only at True Energy realm before the break was given by the Academic Affairs Office, not the actual situation..."

Hearing this, everyone else understood.

Whether it was the zero on the teacher assessment or his strength being only at True Energy realm, both were results officially reported by the Academic Affairs Office. No one else had been present during the actual assessment.

In other words... the Academic Affairs Office might have fabricated the evidence!