Library of Heaven’s Path

Seeing how the sickly young lady who could only afford to live from day to day, never daring to imagine what would come in the future, had already grown to become a powerhouse of the Master Teacher Continent, capable of inducing fear even in the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Zhang Xuan’s eyes reddened in agitation as he nodded with a heartened smile. He reached out his hand and lightly patted the young lady’s head.

“Not bad. You have finally grown up!” Zhang Xuan said as he gazed deeply at the young lady before him in reminiscence.

The first time that he met the young lady, she had still been lying unconscious on a bed. Just so that her sickly body could last a little longer, her father had cast aside his morals and committed many atrocities. In the end, despite knowing that it was a sure-death journey, he had unrelentingly hiked up the Cloudmist Ridge, which was filled with saint beasts far stronger than him, and in the end, he never did find his way down.

After entering the Poison Hall, she had many capable poison masters working tirelessly to help her awaken her unique constitution. In a matter of months, her disposition and strength had undergone massive changes. From a weak young lady who wielded not even the strength to snap the neck of a chicken, she had become someone who commanded deference even from 9-star master teachers.

If Wei Changfeng was looking down from above, he would surely be gladdened to see how she was doing!

Geji! Geji!

While Zhang Xuan was stroking the young lady’s head as his thoughts wandered into the past, Shen Jue, Lin Jianghai, and He Guangyu were looking at the shocking sight with absolute fright.

That person whose head was being fondled was their founder! Possessing the Innate Poison Body, she commanded absolute authority in the Poison Hall. Anyone who dared stand against her in the Poison Hall would swiftly be reduced to ash. It was with such overwhelming strength that she had been able to gain full control over the fractious Poison Hall within just a few months.

Even as a Guardian and Eminences of the Poison Hall, they still had to tread carefully around her, fearing that a single mistake would bring her wrath upon them. Yet, that fellow actually reached out to fondle her hair, as if doting on a young child.

“Is our hall master… not angry?”

They cowered backward in fright, fearing that the hall master would fly into a rage and implicate them as well. But contrary to their expectations, there was not the slightest hint of rage in her eyes. Instead, they could see agitation and longing in her eyes, similar to that of a reunion with close kin.

As they came to realize what was going on, the trio thought, It seems like Zhang shi isn’t just our hall master’s teacher; he’s her benefactor as well. We must relay these words to the others when we return—cross the hall master rather than cross Zhang shi!

If they offended the hall master, perhaps they might still be able to defuse the situation by apologizing. However, if they offend Zhang shi and the hall master learned of it… it was very likely that the hall master would kill them without bothering to listen to their explanation!

“The head of the Poison Hall… is Zhang Xuan’s student?”

“So, the reason she spared Gong shi back then was out of consideration for him?”

“The fact that a student that he raised was able to become the head of the Poison Hall means that he is a formidable poison master as well! It’s no wonder he was able to wreak havoc in the Zhang Clan, Sanctum of Sages, and the Glacier Plain Court despite his low cultivation realm! The Way of Poison is unorthodox and depraved; those who practice it can’t possibly be of honorable character!”

“With deadly poison in their possession, the Master Teacher Continent will remain threatened as long as they live. We have to deal with them promptly! Otherwise, if they ever decide to use their strength for evil, it would end in a bloodbath for the Master Teacher Continent!”

Watching the sight in front of them, an uproar broke out amid the 9-star master teachers.

The head of the Poison Hall had made a domineering entrance, and her every movement and gesture further created her image of invincibility. Yet, as soon as she arrived before Zhang shi, she immediately kneeled down and allowed the latter to fondle her head as he pleased, as if she was just a little girl before him.

While they were shocked by the matter, it had also made them further their resolve. Without a doubt, Zhang Xuan would be an even more frightening force if he matured. If they could not control him now, the world would be a mess in the future!

“We must try to pull them over to our side, and if that doesn’t work out… we’ll have no choice but to destroy them!” Ren Qingyuan told the 9-star master teachers telepathically with a grim look on his face.

Prodigies were indeed the greatest treasure of mankind, but only obedient prodigies were useful prodigies. Those who refused to bow down to command and simply did as they pleased would eventually culminate into a calamity!

Over the past tens of thousands of years, countless geniuses had risen in the Master Teacher Continent, and there was no lack of cases where they had turned into demons due to the occurrence of an event in some point of their life. As such, the Master Teacher Pavilion had come to take only two stances when it came to them—the geniuses could either choose to submit to the Master Teacher Pavilion’s authority and come under its command or choose death!

To protect mankind from the threats surrounding it for many years, the Master Teacher Pavilion could not afford to be all good and virtuous. Ideals and morals were only for the privileged. When the fate of mankind was on the line, they would have no choice but to compromise their morals for the sake of the greater good.

Elder Qu and the others nodded in agreement to what Ren Qingyuan said.

After issuing his instructions, Ren Qingyuan glanced at the teacher-student pair beneath and began speaking in an amiable voice.

“Zhang Xuan, the fact that you have chosen the path as a master teacher means that you feel a belonging to the Master Teacher Pavilion. As long as you surrender and face the consequences of your actions, I’ll ensure your safety. Perhaps, you might still have an opportunity to become a master teacher once more in the future. However, if you continue struggling, not only will you be cornering yourself, even your student could very well lose her life because of you!

“The Poison Hall and the Innate Poison Body are admittedly powerful, but you should know that the Master Teacher Pavilion didn’t remain as the top power of the Master Teacher Continent with just those petty means that we have shown you!”

“Pavilion Master Ren!” Hearing that Ren Qingyuan was going to ensure his safety, Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin immediately turned their heads over anxiously.

But before they could say anything else, Ren Qingyuan had already interjected. “I know what you want to say, but the Master Teacher Pavilion has its own considerations in making this judgement. As long as he agrees to our conditions, I’ll give you all a satisfactory answer!”

“Alright then. We’ll put our trust in you.”

Since Ren Qingyuan had already said so much, even though the two of them were still a little indignant at letting Zhang Xuan off the hook so easily, they still reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“How about it? I’ll give you ten minutes to consider the matter!” Ren Qingyuan said.

“Face the consequences of my actions?” Zhang Xuan directed a deep gaze at Ren Qingyuan as he repeated the words that the latter had said earlier. “What kind of consequences will there be for my actions?”

“While you did cause a huge uproar, given that no lives were lost, I believe that there’s still some ground for reconciliation. Since I have already made this guarantee on your behalf, the other powers also won’t go too overboard with their demands,” Ren Qingyuan replied.

“I trust your words, Pavilion Master Ren, but what I am curious about is how the Master Teacher Pavilion intends to deal with me,” Zhang Xuan replied.

If the Master Teacher Pavilion guaranteed his safety, the Zhang Clan, Glacier Plain Court, and the Sanctum of Sages certainly would not dare to go too far against him. No good would come from snubbing the most powerful organization in the world, after all, and they still had their future to consider.

At most, the Master Teacher Pavilion would just compensate them by helping rebuild their infrastructure, formations, and giving them some treasures. That should placate those three powers considerably.

The key to this matter still lay in the Master Teacher Pavilion.

In the past, the Master Teacher Pavilion did not hold him in high regard, thinking that he was just an ordinary prodigy whose death would be inconsequential to the Master Teacher Continent. However, now that it had been shown that even the head of the Poison Hall was his student… Without a doubt, he had already become a dangerous figure in their eyes. As the ones governing the Master Teacher Continent, the Master Teacher Pavilion would not wish to see the rise of individuals beyond their control.

So, while Ren Qingyuan had spoken of allowing him to become a master teacher once more, in truth, his goal was simply to bring him under control so as to prevent the situation from running amok.

“You are a person of great talent, and I believe that you will eventually become a pillar of support for mankind. You can trust the Master Teacher Pavilion to do everything we can to ensure your safety for this matter. In fact, we are willing to offer you the best resources that we have so that you can raise your strength swiftly. However, you’ll have to imprint your soul on the Pavilion Master Seal!”

Ren Qingyuan flicked his hand, and a token appeared in his grasp.

It was roughly the same size as the Sanctum Head Token, but it had a peculiarly ethereal presence, almost as if it would vanish at any moment.

Even when using the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was unable to discern what tier of artifact it was.

“This is an artifact that Kong shi left behind after founding the Master Teacher Pavilion, and it serves as the insignia of authority for the deputy pavilion masters. Only a true pavilion master is able to tap into its true strength, but as a deputy pavilion master, I’m still able to wield a tenth of its might. With just that, it already grants me power that makes me unmatched against any men beneath Ancient Sage!” Ren Qingyuan said as he gently stroked the Pavilion Master Seal and infused his zhenqi into it.

The next instant, a heavy pressure suddenly crushed down on the crowd, trembling their souls.