Chapter 894: The Dean Is Him?

"These few are not weak!"

Though he knew they were enemies, he did not act rashly. Ruohuan Gongzi carefully observed their cultivation levels.

All eight were at least Void Step masters of the eighth Mortal Transformation layer, and they bore the scent of iron and blood, clearly seasoned warriors.

If his guess was correct, they were likely from the military.

"Song Chao, you and the others go to headquarters and prepare. I'll find a way to bring them over!"

Having given his instructions, Ruohuan Gongzi said.

"Alright!" Song Chao nodded and led the others away.

Watching them leave, Ruohuan Gongzi finally let out a breath, then walked forward with a smile.

"Friends, I heard you're looking for Zhang Xuan, Master Zhang?"

"Yes, do you know where he is?"

The group, who had been worrying, brightened at these words and turned to look at him.

"Of course I do. He and I are best friends... How about this: I'll take you to him!" Ruohuan Gongzi smiled, his expression sincere, appearing very warm and friendly.

"Great..."

Having been anxious about not finding him, the men who had come to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson were so excited they nearly jumped.

As expected of the Master Teacher Academy—the master teachers here were so warm and friendly!

No wonder it was a sacred place everyone yearned for; even this attitude toward strangers was admirable.

"Then we'll trouble this young brother..."

A young man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.

"No need to be polite. I'm a master teacher; helping those in need is my duty!" Ruohuan Gongzi said with a simple, honest smile, leading the way.

Soon they arrived at the headquarters of the Xuanxuan Society. By then, nearly ten thousand students had gathered in the vast square.

"Why so many people? Where is Zhang Xuan?"

Seeing so many master teachers, the group felt their scalps tingle.

"Oh, Zhang Xuan is a new student, so naturally he lives here! You know, there are quite a lot of new students this year. This kind of scene is normal. Don't worry, everyone here is a master teacher; they know their limits and won't do anything reckless!"

Ruohuan Gongzi smiled and walked into the crowd.

Though cautious, the men following him relaxed when they remembered this was the Master Teacher Academy.

Soon they reached the center of the crowd.

"Alright, it's these people who want to teach the president a lesson!"

Suddenly stopping, Ruohuan Gongzi announced loudly: "Beat them to death, and ask who sent them!"

"Yes!"

"How dare you cause trouble for the president? You're asking for death!"

...

Before the men could react, a torrent of attacks rained down on them.

Fists, feet, iron rods, bricks, flowerpots, stool legs... even slippers!

Crackle!

Before they could even see what Zhang Xuan looked like, they were beaten dizzy, unable to tell north from south...

Their eyes moist, they all cried...

Who the hell said master teachers were warm and friendly...

Who the hell said the Master Teacher Academy was safe and wouldn't act recklessly...

What had they done to deserve this? Beaten like this before they could even speak?

Ten minutes later.

The eight military men at the Void Step layer lay flat on the ground, twitching uncontrollably as if electrocuted.

Though the Xuanxuan Society's new students were mostly at the Spirit Convergence layer, far weaker than Void Step, their numbers were overwhelming—over ten thousand attacking at once. Even the strongest couldn't withstand so many.

Now, all had blackened eyes and not a single unscathed spot on their bodies.

Seeing that continuing the beating might kill them, Ruohuan Gongzi finally called a halt, stepped forward, and questioned them carefully.

After another ten-plus minutes, unable to endure further, they confessed.

"It was Liu Quan and Shen Jun of the Four Great Clans who sent us. They said if we gave Zhang Xuan a good thrashing, they'd give us ten top-grade spirit stones..."

The scar-faced leader said.

They had only known Shen Jun through the military, not as servants, so they had no reason to keep his secret.

"Where are this Shen Jun and Liu Quan?" Ruohuan Gongzi asked.

"They've already come to the academy and agreed to meet us at the lakeside pavilion..."

The young man quickly replied.

"Mm." Ruohuan Gongzi nodded and waved his hand: "Let's go have a look!"

The Xuanxuan Society members swarmed toward the lake at the academy's center.

...

In the pavilion, Shen Jun and Liu Quan stood with their hands behind their backs, gazing at the sparkling lake under the gentle breeze, both in high spirits.

"They should have found Zhang Xuan and taught him a lesson by now, right?" Shen Jun said.

At the princess's birthday banquet, that fellow had made him lose face; not teaching him a lesson would be hard to swallow.

"Young Master Shen, after all this time, don't you trust me?" Liu Quan laughed. "This time I found unfamiliar faces from the military. Even if they beat him up, no one will know who did it!"

"Good! It doesn't matter if that fellow knows, as long as Fei'er doesn't find out..." Shen Jun waved dismissively.

"Mm." Liu Quan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, they saw two master teachers approaching: "Excuse me, are you Young Master Shen Jun and Young Master Liu Quan?"

"Yes, that's us!"

Frowning at the unfamiliar questioners, they were about to respond when their heads were suddenly covered by two specially made burlap sacks.

Then...

Crackle!

A fierce pain struck them, as if ten thousand people were attacking them, trampling them like a mighty army.

...

After an unknown time, the two slowly regained consciousness.

They found not a single intact spot on their bodies—bones broken, faces swollen, teeth missing. Even their own fathers wouldn't recognize them.

They had just arrived at the academy, done nothing... and yet they were beaten? And so badly?

The worst part was... they didn't even know who had done it...

Could someone tell them what had happened?

"It must be that Zhang Xuan..."

After a long while, the two ground their teeth.

Even fools could guess.

They had come to teach Zhang Xuan a lesson, but ended up beaten. To say that fellow had nothing to do with it was unbelievable!

"Young Master Shen, what should we do?" Liu Quan couldn't help asking.

"What else can we do? First, return to the mansion and report to the clan head. We must teach that brat a harsh lesson and make him know that the Four Great Clans are not to be trifled with..."

Shen Jun roared.

In their current state, they certainly couldn't attend the new dean's inauguration ceremony.

Since that was the case, they would go back and report to their fathers, letting this Zhang Xuan know that if he wanted to strike the Four Great Clans, he'd better see if his fists were hard enough...

...

The vast, spacious training ground was packed with people, numbering over a hundred thousand.

The new dean's inauguration ceremony was to be held here. Emperors from surrounding empires, heads of master teacher halls, and peak experts from various factions had already taken their seats, ready to attend this grand event.

"It's about to start!"

"The new dean should be either Elder Zhao or Elder Lu. Though both are strong, they're still far behind the old dean!"

"Indeed, it's a pity the old dean disappeared and hasn't returned. No one knows if he's alive or dead. According to information leaked by the academy, it's likely he's dead!"

"This new dean just took office and already compromised with Cloud Mist Ridge. When he appears later, we'll question him together!"

"Yes, I won't accept bowing to spirit beasts... I want to know what conditions he agreed to!"

...

The crowd buzzed with discussion, all eyes fixed on the central high platform, eager to see who the new dean was.

Whoosh!

Amid the chatter, several elders flew up.

"Everyone, quiet!" The speaker was Zhao Bingxu.

Everyone was startled.

Since he appeared, could it be... the new dean was Lu Feng?

Though puzzled, they all stopped talking.

"The old dean disappeared two years ago, leaving the Master Teacher Academy in disarray. Though no major mistakes occurred, it violated our ancestral teachings. Three days ago, led by Master Mu, the ten elders selected a new dean!"

Looking around, Zhao Bingxu's voice rang out clearly, carrying far enough for all to hear.

"Today is the new dean's inauguration ceremony. I hope he can lead our academy further and restore its glory! Now, for the first part of the ceremony, let us welcome the dean to the stage!"

As his words ended, a figure slowly ascended the platform from below.

Seeing this figure, everyone was stunned, especially the students of the Star Academy, who widened their eyes in disbelief.

"What is the president doing up there?"

"Could it be that because of his conflict with Elder Lu, he's going to cause trouble?"

"Dismantling the Alchemist Guild, causing a ruckus at the Physician Academy, emptying the Alchemist Academy... that was one thing, just small troubles within the academy. But now, with so many watching..."

"Oh no, someone call the president down..."

The Xuanxuan Society members were so frightened they nearly fainted.

They had long known the president was always causing trouble, but today was the new dean's inauguration ceremony, with countless visiting master teachers and emperors watching... If you went up to cause trouble, weren't you asking for death?

Once word reached the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, the charges would be unbearable!

"Teacher... what is he doing?"

"Teacher..."

Not only the Xuanxuan Society members, but Luo Qiqi, Wang Ying, and others were also dumbfounded.

Zhang Xuan had never told them about becoming dean, so they didn't know. Like everyone else, they thought their teacher was going up to cause trouble...

While everyone was bewildered, Zhao Bingxu's voice rang out again.

"Let me introduce everyone: this is our new dean of the Master Teacher Academy... Zhang Xuan, Master Zhang!"

"The new dean?"

"The president became the dean?"

"This... how is that possible?"

The entire training ground fell into dead silence, then erupted in uproar. All teachers and students stared wide-eyed, feeling like they were going mad.

Zhao Bingxu, Mi Zhu, Zhong Dingchun, Jiang Qingqin, Wei Ranxue...

Any of these people would have been acceptable, and they had been prepared for it...

But this guy...

Who the hell can tell me what happened?