"The Poison Temple is actually the Poison Master Guild!"
"Poison Master Guild?" Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes.
Since it was a guild, it should be similar to the Apothecary Guild, Blacksmith Guild, and Teacher Guild. Why would it be called the Poison Temple?
It sounded eerie.
"Are you thinking that since it is a guild, it should be open and aboveboard? Why would it be called the Poison Temple?" Seeing through the other party's doubts, Liu Ling explained. "This is also related to the unique identity of poison masters."
"Poison masters specialize in the use of poison, making it impossible for one to guard against them. As such, they are regarded as a Lower Nine Paths occupation, and due to their fearsome prowess, they were banished by countless experts of the continent. Back then, the guild was destroyed, and countless poison masters died in the calamity. "
"Even though their heritage was passed down, they didn't dare to appear before the eyes of the world out of fear of repeating the same mistake. Thus, they secretly established the Poison Temple and hid in the mountains and rivers, biding their time. This is precisely the reason why even though this occupation exists in the kingdom, it is extremely rare. If one were to name a place with the most books on poison, it would definitely be this place. Just that, even I am unable to find its exact location. "
Liu Ling shook his head.
"Ah..."
Zhang Xuan smiled bitterly.
It seems like I have wasted my words.
What I am looking for now is books on poison. If I can't find the Poison Temple, what's the point of talking so much?
"Poison is an incomparably dangerous thing. In order to concoct more potent poison, poison masters often use their own bodies to test the poison. As such, most of them don't have long lifespans. Why would Miss Zhang want to know about such books? "
The trio was perplexed.
Poison allows one to kill those beyond their cultivation realm. Unless there is a deep grudge between them that they are unable to exact vengeance for their entire life, only then would they choose to do so.
Even if they don't test their poison, they would be exposed to poison all the time. Most poison masters don't have long lifespans, and as such, their personalities are a little weird.
It could be said that this occupation is something that countless people are unwilling to come into contact with. Yet, this Miss Zhang chose to ask about it instead of being an apprentice master teacher. The trio couldn't help but feel perplexed.
"I was just curious, so I asked casually." Zhang Xuan smiled.
There was no way he could reveal the matter of him being poisoned. Otherwise, why didn't the poison act up and why was his zhenqi so pure? If he continued asking about it, the Library of Heaven's Path would be exposed.
It was his biggest secret, and he would never tell anyone.
Seeing that he was unwilling to speak, Liu Ling decided not to probe any further. After pondering for a moment, he continued: "Actually, I do not know the exact location of the Poison Temple. However, I heard that there is a branch of the Poison Temple in the Red Lotus Mountain Range in the northwest of Tianwu Kingdom. Most of the poison masters in the kingdom originate from there. Of course, this is just a rumor.
"A first-tier Tianwu Kingdom?" Zhang Xuan nodded. A geography book appeared in his mind.
If a country had a 1-star great teacher, it would be judged as a second-grade kingdom.
Tianxuan Kingdom doesn't have any master teachers, and it can only be considered as one of the unranked kingdoms.
On the other hand, Tianwu Kingdom was the strongest of the surrounding kingdoms. It had already reached the first-tier, a tier higher than Beiwu Kingdom, where Liu Ling came from. It was said that there was a 2-star great teacher in the capital.
This kingdom wasn't too far away from Tianxuan Kingdom. In fact, they could even be considered as close neighbors. This was because the boundary between them was the Red Lotus Mountain Range.
"Other than the Poison Temple, Mingshi Tang also has many books on various occupations. There are quite a few books on poison as well. Even though it can't be compared to the former, it is still much better than the book collection of some kingdoms. If you wish to understand the occupation, you can head to Mingshi Tang to browse through it. Of course, to enter Mingshi Tang, you have to pass the master teacher examination first. "
Zhuang Xian said with a smile. It seemed like he hadn't given up on the idea of having the young man before him acknowledge him as his teacher.
"Mingshi Tang?"
"Un. Even though master teachers are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Teacher Guild, due to their esteemed standing, the guild is powerless to interfere. Thus, in order to maintain order and ensure their rights, the guild established Mingshi Tang."
Zhuang Xian explained. "The Master Teacher Pavilion is similar to other guilds. The treasures and secret manuals within are only accessible to master teachers. The Master Teacher Pavilion's book collection vault encompasses countless occupations, so there should be quite a few books regarding poison."
"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
It seemed like if he couldn't find the Poison Temple, becoming a master teacher and entering Mingshi Tang might solve his current problem.
"Alright, you should reconsider the intentions of the three of us. Given your talent, as long as you study hard, it is only a matter of time before you become a master teacher. You shouldn't think too much about other things."
The few of them chatted for a moment longer. Seeing that the young man wasn't too interested in becoming their apprentice, Liu Ling spoke once more before bidding farewell to the other two.
They knew that for a talented teacher like Zhang Xuan, it was best not to push him too hard. Perhaps, he might come around after a few days. If they kept pressing him, it might just backfire.
After the three master teachers left, the students crowded around Miss Zhang. Their gazes were filled with admiration.
Look, if other teachers were to hear that a master teacher wanted to take them in as their apprentice, they would be so excited that they would forget their surnames. Yet, our Miss Zhang rejected them directly...
This was way too ferocious!
"Don't look at me like that. I haven't settled the score with you for the previous matter!"
Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
This bunch of brats actually dared to say that the three master teachers were perverted and peeping. It was fortunate that it was just ink splashing, so they didn't pursue the matter. Otherwise, even he wouldn't be able to protect himself.
After reprimanding the few of them and giving them some pointers, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
It must be said that even though these fellows were stubborn and unreliable, they were extremely serious in their cultivation. They didn't slack off in the slightest.
Other than Yuan Tao, all of his disciples had actually reached Fighter 2-dan Dantian realm.
Zhang Xuan thought that the one who improved the most would be Zheng Yang. Never in his dreams did he expect that it would be the weak-looking Wang Ying.
In just a few days, not only did she break through Fighter 2-dan, she advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching Dantian realm intermediate stage pinnacle. She was just a step away from advanced stage!
This rate of improvement could only be described as astonishing.
Even though this lass seemed a little silly on the surface and would blush whenever she spoke, her heart was actually exceptionally firm. Even Zhao Ya might not be able to match up to her in terms of decisiveness.
As for the others, their progress was also remarkable.
Thinking about it, it made sense. After imparting them the cultivation technique manuals and battle techniques compiled by the library, it would be embarrassing if they still didn't improve by leaps and bounds.
Through the library, Zhang Xuan also noticed something strange. His five disciples seemed to be secretly practicing a joint offensive formation. Taking a look at it, this formation didn't seem to be harmful at all. On the contrary, it would increase the fighting prowess of the few of them.
As long as they weren't fooling around, he couldn't be bothered to pursue the matter.
Nurturing students wasn't like planting flowers or rearing savage beasts. What he imparted to them was their train of thought and cultivation techniques. Otherwise, if they were to be restricted in everything, they would lose their versatility and become no different from puppets.
It was just like the exam-oriented education in his previous life. It stifled the creativity of many children, turning them into monsters with high scores but low ability.
Zhang Xuan would leave after his lecture. Sometimes, he would even skip classes. It wasn't that he was being irresponsible, but he was afraid that he would impose too many restrictions on these fellows, making it difficult for them to walk down the path of true experts.
Yet, he didn't place any restrictions on them. This was the true way of a teacher.
"If I want to take the master teacher examination, I have to become an apprentice... But I don't want to acknowledge Liu Ling and the others as my teacher..."
After guiding them, Zhang Xuan fell into a dilemma once more.
Apprentice, master teacher, master teacher, apprentice. This was like an endless cycle, giving him a headache.
"Right, I don't need to be their apprentice. I can be my own!"
After struggling for an unknown period of time, a thought suddenly appeared in Zhang Xuan's mind.
Not only did he have the identity of Zhang Xuan, he was also 'Yang shi'.
In the hearts of everyone, Yang shi was a master teacher as well. If he were to become his apprentice, wouldn't he be qualified to take the master teacher examination as well? Even if he was unable to take the examination, it should be easy for him to get Liu Ling and the others to recommend him.
Would he dare to disobey 'Yang shi'?
"Let's do it then!"
Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan left the academy and headed back to his residence.
If he wanted to become 'Yang shi's' apprentice, he had to wait for 'Yang shi' to say the word.
......
After leaving the academy, Liu Ling and the others couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought of their failure in accepting a student.
Putting aside a lowly country like Tianxuan Kingdom, even in Beiwu Kingdom and Hanwu Kingdom, as long as they had the intention to accept apprentices, countless star teachers would rush to their doors and vie for the position.
Yet, this fellow actually rejected them even after stating his intentions clearly... It was truly a wonder what was going through his mind.
"To be able to master painting, apothecary, and the Way of Tea at such a young age, it is normal for a genius like him to be arrogant!"
Recalling the incredible feats the other party had done, Liu Ling couldn't help but comment.
"Indeed! There's no need to be anxious. Tomorrow is the Teacher Evaluation between him and Lu Xun. Perhaps, he intends to achieve victory in a single go so as to come under our tutelage. "Zhuang Xian thought of something and guessed.
"That's possible..."
The duo nodded their heads simultaneously.
The reason why he rejected the offer might not be because he didn't want to. Rather, he might have considered this matter.
Otherwise, even if he didn't want to become their student, would he be willing to take the master teacher examination?
This was the goal of every single teacher, just like how cultivators yearned to become top-notch experts. It was impossible for them to reject such an offer.
"We must come over to watch the competition tomorrow. However, before that... shouldn't we attend to our own matters first?"
Liu Ling suddenly said.
"You mean... to acknowledge Yang shi as our teacher?"
Zhuang Xian's eyes lit up.
It was impossible for a person to only have a single teacher in their lifetime. This was the same for master teachers as well. If they met a higher ranked master teacher, they could acknowledge him as their teacher.
"Indeed. Yang shi was able to help Shen Hong and Zheng Fei achieve breakthroughs so easily. Regardless of whether it is in terms of discernment or means, he is far superior to us. If we could acknowledge him as our teacher, we might be able to break through our bottlenecks and become qualified to take the 2-star master teacher examination. In fact... we might even succeed in a single go!"
The more Liu Ling spoke, the brighter his eyes became.
Having a good teacher would be of great help to one's future development.
After the previous few incidents, Yang shi had already displayed extraordinary capabilities. If they could acknowledge him as their teacher, they might be able to advance by leaps and bounds...
They might be able to reach a level that they had always dreamed of but never dared to dream of.
(I'm tired from yesterday's outburst and haven't been able to find my state of mind today. Apologies for updating late!)
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