Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The difference of a sub-grade in a formation could easily mean a difference in might by twofold, and the difficulty in finding its core would increase exponentially.

Everyone thought that Zhang shi was already formidable to stop a grade-3 primary formation with a single kick, but upon seeing this sight, they finally realized...

Grade-2, grade-3, grade-4, these numbers meant nothing to him!

As long as he was around, even the most formidable formations would be destroyed with a single kick.

Lu Chong's mouth twitched violently, and he shook his head vigorously, as though trying to wake himself up from a dream.

His father had once told him that this formation was unimaginably formidable. His ancestors had reinforced it again and again over the countless generations, and profound wisdom was harnessed within it... But from the looks of it now, wisdom my head! Before his teacher, all of this meant nothing at all.

Since the formation had stopped, the crowd immediately walked toward the rock residences.

It was clear that there was a long history to those few simple rock residences. Even though there were descendants who came from time to time to fix it, it was still severely damaged by wear and tear.

"Go on!"

Zhang Xuan stopped before the rock residences.

This was an object that Lu Chong's ancestor had left for him. Zhang Xuan's role was only to accompany him; since there was no more danger now, it didn't matter whether he tagged behind Lu Chong or not.

"Yes, teacher!"

Lu Chong nodded and walked in with reddened eyes.

Back then, when his parents and kin were killed, he didn't have the time to collect their bones before escaping. Thus, he created several tablets for them yesterday to place alongside the ancestors. In a way, this was fulfilling the final regret he had regarding his clan.

"Things rarely go the way we want. Let's go!"

Understanding the other party's emotions, Zhang Xuan sighed.

"Teacher!"

Lu Chong stepped forward and proffered a letter to Zhang Xuan.

It was a simple, ancient bamboo scroll, and its worn-out exterior betrayed its age. Even so, it seemed to be crafted using some kind of unique method, making it extremely resilient.

Knowing that this was the letter which Kong shi's personal handwriting was on, Zhang Xuan took it and opened it.

Honestly speaking, Zhang Xuan also felt curious toward the world's teacher, Kong shi. Even though he wouldn't stoop down to taking his student's possession for his own, it shouldn't be much of a problem for him to peer into the contents.

Unrolling the scroll, an ancient aura immediately unfurled from within.

The handwriting for the former half was simple, it wasn't particularly astounding. But, even though the latter half only consisted on several words, the imposing aura it exuded felt as though a massive mountain was weighing on one.

The content was simple, and it was indeed an ordinary letter. Most probably, Lu Chong's ancestor sent the letter, and in an attempt to return the favor, Sage Min requested for his teacher to write a few words before sending it back.

Looking at the personal handwriting of Kong shi, Zhang Xuan felt a grand aura gushing into his head. All of a sudden, he reached the state of Heart of Tranquil Water, and fell into a trance.

Soul Tempering of a Mentor's Calligraphy!

Rumors had it that there were some formidable master teachers who were able to harness their spirit and their understanding of the universe into their calligraphy, and looking at it frequently was helpful in raising one's Soul Depth. This was also known as Soul Tempering of a Mentor's Calligraphy.

However, this kind of tempering required a harmonization in spirit. Unless one was in a teacher-student relationship or a blood-related kin of the calligrapher, the chances of this phenomenon occurring were nearly zero. Out of ten thousand people, it might not even activate once.

Zhang Xuan and Kong shi weren't in a teacher-student relationship, and they weren't blood-related either. Yet, for it to be activated instantly, Zhang Xuan's luck was truly astounding.

Boom!

Holding the letter, Zhang Xuan felt his Will of Mind stabilizing, and his Soul Depth slowly rose.

It was as though he had fallen into some unique state, and he stood in a daze.

...

"Your Highness, it seems like they have obtained the letter!"

Behind a giant boulder above the col, Liang Qingming clasped his fist and reported.

After deciding to take the letter for themselves, Ding Mu, Lin Long, and the others had immediately rushed over.

The one they were going to strike down was a talented 2-star master teacher, and if they were found out, they would be in danger. However, as long as they succeeded, the returns would be immense.

"As the student of a suspected 4-star master teacher, Zhang Xuan would surely have many life-preserving means on him. Thus, we've got to kill him in a single shot! We mustn't give him any opportunity to strike back. Otherwise, once he sends a rescue signal or activates one of his trump cards, it would be difficult for us to kill him anymore!"

Ding Mu instructed with a grim expression. "But of course, our priority is to obtain that letter."

Since Yang shi was willing to let Zhang Xuan venture out alone, he must have entrusted several life-saving tools to him. Thus, they had to strike swift and deadly.

"Your Highness, don't worry!" Liang Qingming nodded.

"Go!"

Ding Mu nodded gravely.

If he chose to simply steal the letter, there was a high chance he would be exposed. By then, if Yang shi decided to stand up for his student, the entire Xuanyuan Kingdom might be destroyed.

On the other hand, if he were to kill Zhang Xuan, he could create a facade of him being killed by savage beasts. By the time Yang shi truly tracked them down, he would have already found a backing in the Fleeting Cloud Sect through the letter, and there would be nothing for him to worry about.

The Master Teacher Pavilions might be under the same headquarters, but there was still rivalry among the various powers.

Using an analogy, it was just like the feudal system. Although the governors were all under the royal court, there were still some rivalry and feuds among the various territories.

Regarding the rivalry among the Master Teacher Pavilions, as long as they didn't commit immoral acts, the headquarters wouldn't interfere.

Competition induced advancement, and only with a suitable amount of competition would humans reach greater heights. As such, the Master Teacher Pavilion pushed for such rivalries as well.

"Yes!"

Hearing his order, Liang Qingming drove the zhenqi in his body, and with a flick of his wrist, a sharp sword appeared in his hands.

Huala!

In a flash, he leaped out from the boulder, and as swift as a flash of lightning, his sword headed straight toward Zhang Xuan.

Pushing the might of a Zhizun realm advanced stage expert to the brim, in the blink of an eye, he covered the distance of several hundred meters between them.

The formation had been stopped, and there was no other defensive mechanism in the col. As such, there was nothing to stop Liang Qingming's charge.

Zhang Xuan was currently in a trance from the Soul Tempering of a Mentor's Calligraphy, so he didn't notice the other party approaching.

Even more so, Mo Yu, Lu Chong, and the others didn't think that someone would assault them in such a remote area.

Upon seeing the brilliant gleam of the sword and hearing a sonic boom, everyone's eyes narrowed, and their faces immediately warped in shock upon seeing Liang Qingming.

"Teacher!"

"Zhang Xuan!"

"Young master!"

Loud bellows reverberated in the col, and everyone's body trembled in astonishment.

"Teacher, careful!"

At the current moment, the one standing the closest to Zhang Xuan was Lu Chong. Upon seeing the brilliant gleam from the sword, he could tell that the other party would surely die if the sword were to strike him, and the thought of it sent him into a panic.

To avenge him, his teacher confronted the Lin Clan alone without a word of complaint. To raise his cultivation, his teacher was willing to pay a huge price, yet didn't expect anything in return...

Imparting battle techniques and explaining cultivation techniques!

Lecturing the basic principles a human should have, and deciphering the essence of cultivation!

All of these, he did on his initiative, even going far beyond what that was expected of him!

Without his teacher, he would remain an average cultivator for his entire life, doomed to never be able to exact vengeance.

Without his teacher, it was just a matter of time before the Lin Clan found him and silenced him.

It was teacher who brought him out of his sinkhole and gave him the dignity to face his dead kin...

This was the man who he respected and admired.

He couldn't allow anything to happen to him!

"If you were to cultivate on like that, you won't even reach Pixue realm in ten years. At this rate, you will be dead before you can... exact your vengeance!"

"You don't have to bother how I know of it! Your vengeance is both a motivation as well as a hindrance to your cultivation. You are suppressing your worries too deep within, and it has suppressed your cultivation, making it difficult for you to achieve a breakthrough. I know that the reason why you refuse to speak is because you're afraid that you might accidentally speak of your enemy's name and make them aware of your existence."

"Don't worry, as long as you believe in me, I promise you that you will be able to exact your vengeance within ten days!"

"It's your choice to choose whether you want to believe me or not! However... you'll only get this one chance!"

"Pardon me, but I happen to know the assassin you speak of. He's my student, and I... am his teacher!"

...

Boom!

His encounters with Zhang laoshi flowed through his head, and his words resounded in his mind. All of a sudden, his entire body moved on its own accord. In the blink of an eye, he had already leaped several meters away, standing right before Zhang Xuan.

Puhe!

Liang Qingming's sword also happened to reach at this very instant. It stabbed into his chest, and the zhenqi of a Zhizun realm expert gushed into the other party's body through the sword, frenziedly wrecking his physical functions.

"AH!"

Sensing the other party's sword qi ravaging through his body, threatening to tear his entire body apart at any moment, Lu Chong bellowed furiously. His hands stretched forward and grabbed the other party's sword firmly.

"You..."

Not expecting his sure-kill technique to be blocked by this fellow, Liang Qingming's face darkened. He was just about to pull out his sword and strike Zhang Xuan, but he realized that the other party was holding onto his sword firmly as though a sword stuck in a boulder. No matter how hard he tugged on it, it refused to move at all.

"Let go..."

He couldn't have imagined that a Zongshi realm fellow would have blocked his attack. Liang Qingming was furious and anxious. Roaring furiously, he drove his zhenqi into the other party's body, intending to kill him before striking down Zhang Xuan.

"I wont allow you to hurt him because..."

Lu Chong felt his life force slowly dissipating under the furious surge from the other party's zhenqi, but he didn't regret his actions at all. Instead, he stared at Liang Qingming with unwavering determination.

"... he's my teacher!"

Author's Notes:

The fourth arc, [He is my Teacher], has to an end. The next arc, [Invincible], will unfold from next chapter onward. In 'He is my Teacher', I hoped to highlight the mutual respect and deep relationship between a teacher and his students, and fortunately, it went as I planned.

Due to my personal reasons, family issues, and my work, there are some parts that I'm not too satisfied, but overall, I think I still brought out the main idea that I wished to express. Because I am a teacher myself as well, I can relate much more to this. Being a teacher shouldn't be only about constantly giving, and being a student shouldn't only be about constantly accepting as well. The relationship should be built on mutual respect, trust, and consideration, and only through such can the relationship run deep.

As for Lu Chong, as shown by the name of the arc, is destined to become the final sacrifice for the climax. But of course, there's no need to worry. This book won't be one on tragedies; as those who have followed my previous book, Endless Dantian, would know, I don't like tragedies and I don't intend to write them.

Translator Notes:

I know I haven't really marked the chapters by arcs, and QI doesn't have the function yet. But for those who are interested,

Chapter 1 - 80 [The Teacher on the Verge of Expulsion]

Chapter 81 - 238 [Freshmen Tournament]

Chapter 239 - 315 [I Am a Master Teacher]

Chapter 316 - 411 [He Is My Teacher]