Library of Heaven’s Path

Every single generation of principal had left behind a sliver of their will in the Master Teacher Academy. Even if the principal of the previous generation had gone missing abruptly, considering that this was part of the heritage of the Master Teacher Academy, he should have entrusted a sliver of his will with the Master Teacher Academy as well.

Why wasn’t the old principal anywhere to be seen then?

Noticing Zhang Xuan’s doubts, Zhao Bingxu explained to him through zhenqi telepathy, ”The old principal… He went missing before he could accrue sufficient contributions to enter the Mausoleum of Principals, so he couldn’t leave his will behind…”

”Contribution?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed by the term.

”The Master Teacher Pavilion has a record of each master teacher’s accomplishments, and these accomplishments are then quantified in the form of ’contributions’. Each generation of principal has to achieve a certain level of contributions before they are given the permission to enter the Mausoleum of Principals!

”Basically, anything that is beneficial to mankind can be considered a contribution. Imparting knowledge so as to allow more cultivators to grow stronger is a contribution; killing Otherworldly Demons and ridding mankind of the underlying threat is a contribution; creating new cultivation techniques and battle techniques and spreading them far and wide so that mankind can reach greater heights is a contribution as well,” Zhao Bingxu clarified with a smile.

”Principal Zhang, your act of taming the spirit beasts and saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge has spared mankind from a possible disaster in the future, and the Master Teacher Pavilion considers it a huge contribution as well. Just that in itself should qualify you to enter the Mausoleum of Principals!”

The Cloudmist Ridge had always been a huge threat to the Master Teacher Academy, and despite going through over a hundred principals, the problem had still continued to persist. Facing such a problem, not only did Principal Zhang manage to resolve the problem once and for all, he even effectively turned the forces of the Cloudmist Ridge into the forces of the Master Teacher Academy. With such an accomplishment, even if his contribution was still beneath that of the founder of the Master Teacher Academy, it was definitely sufficient to go down in history for countless years to come.

”I have made sufficient contributions?” Zhang Xuan was stunned by the abrupt news.

”Of course!” Zhao Bingxu nodded with an indescribable expression.

Other principals had to toil laboriously day after day, doing whatever they could do that was beneficial to mankind in order to accrue sufficient contributions to enter the Mausoleum of Principals.

The current principal was probably the only one in the many generations of principals to achieve sufficient contributions despite not knowing what it was.

If the previous principals were to learn about this matter, would they spurt a mouthful of blood and start cursing furiously?

Sometimes, it was the difference between fellow men that was the most frustrating.

Oblivious to School Head Zhao’s thoughts, Zhang Xuan continued asking, ”What is the Mausoleum of Principals?”

”The Mausoleum of Principals is where the wills of the principals are nurtured, as well as where their bodies are kept after their deaths. Thus, it can be said to be the resting place of the previous principals of the Master Teacher Academy.”

”So, it is like a tomb for the principals.” Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Judging from School Head Zhao’s words, it seemed like not every principal was qualified to be buried in there. Only those who had made sufficient contributions were allowed to rest there after their deaths.

Most likely, there is something special about the tomb… Zhang Xuan thought doubtfully.

If it was just an ordinary tomb, there was no need to restrict even the principals themselves from entering. Since there was such a strict restriction imposed on it, there was probably more to it than meets the eye.

Just as Zhang Xuan was contemplating this matter, the wills of the principals suddenly turned their eyes over to him.

”You are the principal of this generation?” An authoritative voice echoed through the air.

The one who had spoken was the founder of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Mu Kai.

Mu Kai had a very gentle and elegant air around him, and his eyes carried no hint of underestimation or disdain for Zhang Xuan just because of the latter’s young age. On the contrary, he nodded in commendation, expressing his approval for Zhang Xuan instead.

”For one of your age to receive the recognition of so many students and elders, it seems like you are a person of exceptional capability.”

Naturally, the eye of discernment of the man who had founded the Master Teacher Academy was anything but ordinary.

When others only noticed Zhang Xuan’s young age and inexperience, the founder of the Master Teacher Academy saw his potential.

For a person of his age to be chosen as the principal of the Master Teacher Academy, that could only mean that he possessed certain capabilities that surpassed all other competitors.

”Even under the protection of the formation, the time that we can remain existent here is limited. Use three sentences to introduce yourself, your strengths, and capabilities. We will use it as a gauge to determine whether you are worthy of our approval or not!” Mu Kai said with a smile.

”Three sentences?” Not expecting to be given such a challenge, Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had thought that he would be kneeling to beseech the preceding principals for their acknowledgement, similar to how it was in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. However, from the looks it, it didn’t seem to be that simple.

He was given an opportunity to speak, but this only served to heighten the difficulty of the test.

This opportunity could also be considered a test from the preceding principals, so he would have to proceed with caution.

Just as Zhang Xuan was musing over his words, Zhao Bingxu suddenly sent a telepathic message to him. ”Principal Zhang, you must think it through carefully! The number of acknowledgements you receive from the principals will determine the degree of authority you will wield in the academy!”

”Degree of authority?”

”Un. There are certain places in the Master Teacher Academy that even the principal won’t be able to enter without possessing a certain degree of authority in the academy.”

”I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

In essence, the principal was not the true master of the Master Teacher Academy but a master teacher nominated by the Ten Great Master Teachers to manage the affairs of the Master Teacher Academy temporarily. Naturally, the principal wasn’t given free rein over everything in the academy.

The greater degree of authority one commanded, the greater one’s control over the academy would be.

”As long as you receive twenty percent of the predecessors’ recognition, you will be deemed qualified to take over as the next principal of the Master Teacher Academy and receive the Elementary Jurisdiction. If you receive forty percent, you will be granted the Intermediate Jurisdiction. Sixty percent, you will be granted Advanced Jurisdiction, and eighty percent, Supreme Jurisdiction. If you receive Supreme Jurisdiction over the Master Teacher Academy, you will gain total control over all of the major formations, access the most confidential books in the academy, and even gain free access to the Mausoleum of Principals without needing the required contribution.”

Access the most confidential books in the academy? Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

The main reason he had agreed to be the principal in the first place was due to the principal’s privilege in accessing the books in the academy. However, judging from Zhao Bingxu’s words, it seemed that he would still be unable to access some books if he didn’t obtain the Supreme Jurisdiction.

If that was the case, he would just have to obtain the Supreme Jurisdiction.

But in order to achieve that, he would need to find the right words to convince over eighty percent of the preceding principals to recognize him within three sentences, and that was easier said than done.

While the founder of the Master Teacher Academy, Mu Kai, might have a positive view of him, not all of the principals shared the same opinion.

After all, there was simply nothing praiseworthy about Zhang Xuan’s age, cultivation, and master teacher rank.

To change their minds of him within just three sentences—difficult!

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask Zhao Bingxu, ”What percentage of recognition did the old principal receive?”

”The old principal was only a 6-star pinnacle master teacher when he took over as the principal, barely meeting the mark, so he only received 22% of the preceding principals’ recognition,” Zhao Bingxu replied.

”Most of the preceding principals received the Elementary Jurisdiction in this formality. Out of the 103 preceding principals, less than thirty has received the Intermediate Jurisdiction, less than ten for the Advanced Jurisdiction, and only one for the Supreme Jurisdiction, which was the founder, Mu shi himself!”

”Only one for the Supreme Jurisdiction?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

It seemed like the test was far harder than he had thought.

Each of the preceding principals were top-notch experts in their era; receiving their earnest recognition and commendation was truly no easy task.

Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one views to be perfect might be worth nothing in the eyes of others.

There were master teachers in this world who specialized in more than a dozen supporting occupations, achieving an incredible mastery in each of them. Logically speaking, a person that capable should receive the respect and admiration of others.

However, there were also those who thought that a master teacher should focus their efforts on teaching others. The fact that a master teacher had achieved such deep mastery in every field only meant that they weren’t devoted in their primary responsibility, so they weren’t worthy of respect.

”Indeed! In this formality, the fewer preceding principals there are, the easier it is to receive a substantial percentage of their recognition. With more than a hundred preceding principals here, it will be extremely difficult to gain a sufficient proportion of their support to obtain higher degrees of authority!” Zhao Bingxu said.

Receiving the recognition of just one or two principals was relatively simpler with an outstanding performance and sufficient luck. However, to win the goodwill of over a hundred people at once, that was nigh impossible.

Thus, the three sentences he would speak were of grave importance.

What words could help him convince all of them?

Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

…

The master teachers beneath the stage also swiftly came to realize the difficulty behind Founder Mu Kai’s request as well, and anxiety emerged in their eyes.

One of the students turned to his good friend beside him and asked, ”What do you think Zhang shi will say?”

”Zhang shi is a man of great talent; it is beyond my means to fathom what he could possibly say. However, given his capability, I believe it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to win the recognition of most predecessors!” The good friend happened to be a diehard fan of Zhang Xuan, so he possessed unwavering confidence in the latter.

One of the master teachers who had a deep understanding of the history of the academy said, ”I’m afraid that it won’t be that easy. Even the unbelievably talented Principal Mo Yanqing back then only managed to obtain a 71% recognition from the preceding principals. I believe that Principal Zhang’s talent is nowhere beneath Principal Mo’s, but his talent has yet to manifest itself fully yet. If Principal Zhang was given a few dozen more years, I have no doubt that he would be able to surpass the results of the preceding principals easily. However, in his current state… I fear that it won’t be that easy!”

”Indeed, it is unlikely for Zhang shi to do too well in this. I heard that our old principal didn’t do well in this formality either, achieving a recognition of only 22%,” another student added.

Considering how the old principal had managed to tame the Byzantium Helios Beast and had been on the verge of a breakthrough to becoming a 7-star master teacher, there was little that had to be said about his talent and capability.

Yet, such an expert only received 22% of the preceding principal’s recognition. This went to show how difficult this formality was.

”Whether one would be able to receive the recognition of the preceding principals depended highly on one’s capability, character affinity, and luck. It will be difficult to display the full extent of one’s capability with just three sentences, but if Zhang shi pulls it off well, he might manage to achieve something unexpected. Otherwise, it will probably just be a close pass!” An elder shook his head upon hearing their conversation, when he suddenly pointed forward and said, ”Look, Zhang shi is about to begin speaking!”

The crowd hurriedly turned their gazes to the stage and saw Zhang Xuan raising his gaze to face the wills of the 102 preceding principals!

It might seem as if the conversation with Zhao Bingxu and the conversation among the master teachers below the stage had occurred over a long period of time, but all in all, only ten breaths had passed.

Seeing that the succeeding principal had prepared himself in such a short period of time, they couldn’t help but wait with bated breaths to hear what he had to say.

Zhao Bingxu also turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan as he stroked his beard.

He had already said all that had to be said. All that was left was to see how Zhang shi would create yet another miracle and overturn everyone’s view once more.

”My name is Zhang Xuan!” With a soft chuckle, Zhang Xuan first introduced himself.

Hearing those words, the wills of the preceding principals nodded in agreement.

It might seem as if he had wasted a sentence, but this was a display of his respect toward them and toward himself as well. It was polite and respectful, devoid of the usual arrogance that a complacent young man in his position would have.

On top of that, his composed disposition also highlighted the absolute confidence he had in himself. It seemed like the young principal was truly not simple!

Just as the wills of the preceding principals were still nodding in approval at Zhang Xuan’s first sentence, the latter suddenly scratched his head awkwardly and asked with his face reddened in embarrassment, ”That… As preceding principals of the Master Teacher Academy, I believe you are benevolent and magnanimous… Since that’s the case, won’t you allow me to pummel you?”

”He wants to pummel them?”

Everyone in the crowd, who had pricked up their ears to listen intently to what that was being said, couldn’t help but fall into a state of disbelief.