The sixth level was even more spacious, and the walls were filled with all kinds of formations.
The might of a battle between Nascent Saint experts was unimaginable, and it could easily lead to a calamity. However, with the reinforcement of the formations, the situation was different. Those who entered the sixth level would be able to fight without holding back, and they would be able to exert their full strength.
Walking up to the sixth level, they thought that there would be a puppet lying on the floor, either severely injured or shattered, just like in the previous five levels. However, such a sight didn't appear.
A puppet was seated majestically not too far away. Its aura felt as sharp as a sword, and it emanated a bone-chilling aura.
"Isn't the sixth level a Nascent Saint primary stage puppet? Why... doesn't it seem like it? "
"Indeed, it seems to have grown stronger!"
"Isn't a puppet's strength fixed and can't cultivate? How did it grow stronger? "
...
Upon seeing the puppet, everyone's eyebrows shot up.
With their eye of discernment, they could easily tell that the puppet's strength had already surpassed the bottleneck of Nascent Saint primary stage, reaching Nascent Saint intermediate stage!
But... wasn't the sixth level a primary stage all along? When did the puppet's cultivation increase?
Puppets were machines, the work of nature. Even if they possessed spirit, they were nothing more than a bunch of tools... It was impossible for them to cultivate. How could they possibly grow stronger if they couldn't cultivate?
"Could it be that... that fellow killed Principal Zhang?"
Someone among the crowd remarked, and everyone's body froze.
Principal Zhang had cleared the previous few levels with ease, and the puppets had been defeated easily as well. This time, the puppet's strength had suddenly increased, and Principal Zhang had disappeared without a trace. Could it be that he had been killed before he could react?
If that was the case, they would be the sinners of history.
"Where is the person who challenged the sixth level a day ago?"
Unable to hold it in any longer, Zhao Bingxu whipped out the Elder Token in his hand and asked anxiously.
"The person who challenged the sixth level? You must be talking about Zhang Shi, right? I have already acknowledged him as my teacher and become his puppet. May I know the reason why you are looking for my teacher? "
The puppet hurriedly stood up and asked with a smile.
"Acknowledge him as your teacher..."
"Acknowledge him as your teacher?"
Zhao Bingxu, Elder Mi, and the others nearly fainted on the spot.
Principal Zhang could have humans acknowledge him as their master, and he could have beasts and Saint-tier artifacts acknowledge him as their master, and that was something that they could tolerate. After all, there were precedents, but to have a puppet acknowledge him as its master? What the heck?
Even though this thing could speak the human language and possessed sentience, it was still a machine after all. The memories and knowledge it possessed were all infused into it. Acknowledging a teacher... what was there to learn?
"Indeed. Initially, I was just about to stop my teacher and challenge him to a duel when he suddenly realized that I had made a mistake in my forging, so he decided to help me correct it... With just a simple correction, he was able to raise my fighting prowess by an entire realm. Given how formidable he is, it's only right for me to acknowledge him as my teacher!"
Noticing the bewilderment in the crowd, the puppet quickly explained.
"A mistake during the refining process?"
The corner of the Celestial Designer Academy's mouth twitched. "When … did the academy head become proficient in the Celestial Designer Arts?"
There had been many master teachers who had challenged the Master Teacher Pavilion in the past, but none of them had been able to see any problems with it. Yet, as soon as Principal Zhang arrived, not only did he point it out, he even corrected it for him. In terms of understanding of the Master Teacher Pavilion, the other party was even stronger than him!
This … Is there any profession in this world that the president doesn't know?
"En, Zhang Shi is my teacher. He went to the seventh floor a day ago. If you want to find him, then go up …"
The puppet nodded.
"Let's go!"
Knowing that the other party had already acknowledged Zhang Xuan as his teacher, there was no need for him to stand in their way anymore. Thus, the crowd began making their way toward the record left behind by Principal Mo Liuzhen, the seventh floor.
The puppets on the seventh floor possessed the strength of Nascent Saint advanced stage cultivators. They couldn't help but wonder what kind of danger Zhang Shi would face.
"I've seen the notes left behind by Principal Mo Liuzhen, and it states that the situation he faced when he challenged the seventh floor was extremely dangerous. It was fortunate that he managed to achieve a breakthrough in the nick of time, thus allowing him to emerge victorious."
Walking up the mountain, Zhao Bingxu explained with a grim look on his face.
Principal Mo Liuzhen had left behind a note that recorded what he had encountered when he challenged the Mountain of Records back then.
The reason why he was able to reach the seventh floor despite only being at Chrysalis realm primary stage wasn't purely due to his strength but also due to luck. Had he not achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation, he could have very well been severely injured or even killed.
As one climbed higher and higher up the Mountain of Records, the strength of the puppets would grow stronger and stronger as well. As such, it was easy for one to end up in an unpredictable situation.
Could this be the reason why Principal Mo Liuzhen hadn't returned after an entire day in the Mountain of Records?
"I'm truly impressed by Principal Zhang's strength, but his Chrysalis realm cultivation is still a little too low. To challenge a Nascent Saint advanced stage expert three realms above him, the chances of him winning are simply too slim!"
"Indeed. I have seen quite a few combat masters over the years, but to challenge a Nascent Saint advanced stage expert three realms above him and achieve victory, I have never seen one before!"
"If even combat masters are unable to do so, how could Principal Zhang possibly do it?"
Thinking about how fearsome the puppets on the seventh floor were, the crowd couldn't help but worry.
Combat masters were also a type of master teacher, but in truth, there was a huge difference between them. More like an army, they were meant to protect mankind and uphold the authority of the Mingshi Tang.
For this reason, combat masters emphasized fighting prowess. They weren't meant to cultivate supporting occupations, educate others, or groom students. Instead, they were meant to be assessed based on their fighting prowess.
In terms of education, the other occupations weren't worth mentioning at all. However, in terms of fighting prowess, there was no one who could match up to them.
Even they found it difficult to defeat opponents three realms above them, let alone ordinary master teachers.
Worried, the crowd finally arrived at the seventh floor.
The seventh floor was much more spacious. Pushing open the door and walking in, they found that it was much more deserted than the previous few floors.
There were many defensive formations set up all around, but there wasn't a single person in sight. This left the crowd bewildered.
There were no puppets, and there were no signs of battle either. Could it be that Principal Zhang didn't fight here?
"Something's amiss. Look, what's that? "Noticing something, Elder Mi pointed to a corner not too far away.
The crowd quickly turned their gazes over, and what they saw was a pile of broken components on the floor.
The head of the Celestial Designer School walked up to the pile of broken components, and his lips twitched uncontrollably. "It's a puppet … It has been torn apart!"
The puppets in the Mountain of Records were constructed from tens of thousands of components, making them incredibly complex. Yet, the one before them had clearly been forcefully torn apart and reverted back to its original state.
"Could this be the puppet guarding the trial?" Elder Mi's eyes widened in astonishment.
It was already difficult to defeat a puppet, but to tear it apart to such an extent … Just how powerful was the culprit?
"That should be the case …" Shaking his head, the head of the Celestial Designer School shook his head bitterly.
Even though he had never been to this level before, he could tell that the materials used to forge the puppet were extremely profound. With just a look, he could tell that the puppet was no ordinary puppet. Combined together, its prowess was bound to exceed that of a Nascent Saint.
For such a formidable puppet to be reduced to such a state, no one would believe that the culprit was not their principal.
Everyone thought that it would be difficult for him to achieve victory, but who would have thought that he would actually tear apart the other party's puppet?
Principal Zhang, you sure are vicious!
The puppet was only responsible for guarding the trial. How in the world did it offend you for you to tear it apart like that?
Even with the blueprint, it would take a 6-star celestial designer several days to restore the ten thousand components to its original state. More importantly, this was only the body. The spirit and battle instincts within it would be even more troublesome, so they would have to seek the help of the Martial Arts School.
In other words, it would take at least half a month for the two academies to reactivate the trial.
However, there was no one who had yet to reach Half-Saint who would be able to clear the trial, so there was no need to rush.
"Principal Zhang has been going easy on the previous few floors, but it seems like … he's really going all out on this floor!" Wei Ranxue said.
In the previous floors, Principal Zhang had only glanced at the puppets or shouted at them. His goal was to force the puppets back so that they wouldn't be able to attack. He didn't use his full strength at all.
For him to see the components lying all over the floor as soon as he entered, it was clear that he had made a move.
Even with their Nascent Saint advanced stage cultivation, it would be difficult for them to defeat such a puppet. Yet, their principal, who was only a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan primary stage cultivator, was actually able to tear the puppet apart …
"Back then, even Principal Mo Liuzhen barely won. Yet, not only did Principal Zhang win, he even tore the puppet apart. Just how powerful is he? How in the world did he cultivate? "
Everyone's lips twitched as they fell silent.
It seemed like Principal Zhang's strength wasn't as simple as it seemed. Not only was he able to challenge opponents three cultivation realms higher than him, he had even surpassed the standards of a combat master.
Fearsome!
All along, they had thought that Principal Zhang had placed all of his focus on his supporting occupations, which was why his supporting occupations were so formidable. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like he hadn't put much effort into his supporting occupations. His true focus was still on his cultivation!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to wield such powerful fighting prowess.
No one would gain something without putting in effort! For him to be so formidable, he must have gone through an unimaginable amount of hardship.
Putting everything aside, just his perseverance was worthy of respect.
After circling around the room, Zhao Bingxu realized that there wasn't any trace of Zhang Xuan, and he couldn't help but frown. "Since Principal Zhang is fine on this floor, it seems like he has gone to the eighth floor. This is bad …"
"Indeed. He should have entered the eighth floor …" Elder Mi's complexion also turned slightly livid.
"What's wrong? Is there something amiss on the eighth floor? " Elder Wei Ranxue didn't know much about the Mountain of Records, so seeing the unnatural expressions on the duo's faces, she couldn't help but frown.
"We are worried that Principal Zhang might be in danger on the eighth floor!" Zhao Bingxu replied.
"I thought that it would be something bad, but there's no need to worry. We also thought that it would be difficult for Principal Zhang to clear the seventh floor, but the fact that he was able to reduce the puppet to such a state shows that his strength has far exceeded our expectations. Given his strength, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to clear the eighth floor, right? "
Wei Ranxue replied with a smile.
As soon as they entered the Mountain of Records, they had been worried about the matter. However, with Principal Zhang's strength, they had been able to convince them that their worries were unfounded.
They had already cleared seven floors consecutively, and they had witnessed the miracles that Principal Zhang had created step by step. Was there anything that they couldn't believe?
Even if someone were to tell her that Principal Zhang had fought his way to the eighth floor, she would still be able to accept it.
"It's not as simple as you think. The puppet on the eighth floor is a little unique, and it's a little different from the previous ones …"
Seeing that Wei Ranxue still had great confidence in Principal Zhang, Zhao Bingxu shook his head helplessly.
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