Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan was the 104th principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, so naturally, the 103rd was the previous principal, as well as the first master of the Byzantium Helios Beast.

In other words, the old principal who he had heard so much about!

According to what he knew, the old principal had never been to the Mausoleum of Principals before he went missing, so how could his tombstone be here?

Perplexed, Zhang Xuan headed forward to take a closer look.

His tomb was constructed out of ordinary bluestone, typical of the normal tombs erected for cultivators, showing no hint of the prestigious standing that a principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy should have.

Taking a look around it, Zhang Xuan soon found something amiss about it. He placed his hands lightly on a certain portion of the tomb and a mechanism whirred into action. Following which, an old voice sounded.

It was a mechanical recording, similar to what Wu Yangzi had left in the underground chamber.

"I am the 103rd principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Yinqiu. I knew that it would be difficult for me to return alive back to the Master Teacher Academy from my expedition, so I selfishly entered the Mausoleum of Principals without telling anyone and built my own tomb, storing my personal clothes within so that at least I would have a resting place after my death."

(The Zhang is of a different character as Zhang Xuan.)

The voice contained in the mechanical recording sounded nonchalant, but Zhang Xuan could hear a deep helplessness in it.

It was easy to charge to one's death in a moment of hot-bloodedness but difficult to march to a despairing situation nonchalantly.

How wretched was it for a man to prepare for his own death in advance despite knowing that the path he was headed on to lead to certain doom?

During his time in the Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan had learned a lot about the old principal from the mouths of others. All along, Zhang Xuan had thought that the old principal had fallen into a desolate situation due to his failure to accurately assess the risk of the ancient domain, but from the looks of it now, it seemed like he'd been mistaken.

To enter the Mausoleum of Principals in advance and erect a tomb for himself, the old principal must have known that there was a good chance he would lose his life in the expedition and prepared for his passing.

The voice continued. "Being unable to leave behind my will to guard the academy is truly the greatest regret of my life! It is not that I am unwilling to do so, but the mission I have to undertake is far more important than that. I can't allow my soul to suffer the slightest defect for that will compromise the success of my mission."

The artifact to sever souls allowed a cultivator to sever his soul safely, but that would require a very long duration of nourishment.

Otherwise, one would suffer considerable damage to one's soul.

Only someone like Zhang Xuan, who cultivated the Heaven's Path Soul Art and possessed a soul far larger than the ordinary, could do so easily. Otherwise, not even a 7-star master teacher could do so.

Sighing deeply, the voice carried on. "The fact that you are here means that you have become the principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. Perhaps, we might even be old acquaintances. I hope that you can treat Byzantium Helios Beast kindly. Tell him that I have died honorably for the welfare of mankind, and I have no regrets in doing so, so do not grieve for me. Also, be wary of the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge."

From the old principal's point of view, there were only that few candidates in the Master Teacher Academy who were eligible to take over his position after his passing, and this message served to pass on his will to his successor.

The old principal probably couldn't have imagined that his successor would have already resolved the two worries that he harbored in advance.

Despite knowing that it was impossible for the mechanical voice to respond, Zhang Xuan still asked in a whisper, "What were you intending to do?"

It was clear that the old principal knew that his undertaking would cost him his life, going to the extent of even erecting a tomb for himself in advance. To march on despite knowing that the path ahead led to the edge of a cliff Just what was he intending to achieve?

Was there something more to the expedition to the ancient domain?

"What you probably know about me is that I have gone on a normal expedition to explore an ancient domain, but the truth isn't just so. I have found that the ancient domain harnesses secrets regarding Kong shi when he was younger, and it seems like even the poison masters were involved in the matter as well. The information I have at hand is too limited, and the only way I can uncover more is to head there myself. Furthermore, anything concerning the World's Teacher is not to be spoken of lightly, and there were certain compelling reasons as well, so I could only keep the news to myself."

Zhang Xuan was taken aback as his body stiffened in astonishment. Secrets regarding Kong shi when he was younger? Poison masters were related in the matter as well? Could it be the Innate Fetal Poison?

Based on what he knew, Kong shi had also suffered from the Innate Fetal Poison when he was younger, just like him, and only by successfully becoming a 9-star master teacher before thirty would one stand a chance of avoiding certain death.

This was also the reason Kong shi had cultivated desperately when he was younger, not daring to stop in the least.

A matter that concerned the secrets regarding Kong shi's youth and the poison masters. After hearing such information in the old principal's message, how could Zhang Xuan possibly remain calm?

"If you truly wish to learn more about this matter, pay a visit to the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall. A word of warning, the location of the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall is well-guarded, especially against master teachers. Even after devoting years to looking for it, I was still unable to accurately pinpoint its location. However, based on my deductions, it seems to be in the vicinity of Jingyuan City. You should find a detailed map of the ancient domain that I seek to explore there. It is truly a pity that time is not on my side, not allowing me to prepare thoroughly before heading there."

Detailed map? Zhang Xuan was bewildered for a moment before coming to a realization.

It was apparent that the ancient domain that the old principal hoped to explore was an extremely dangerous place.

If he had been able to obtain the detailed map of the location, his chances of survival would have been significantly higher. However, it seemed like something major had cropped up in the midst of his preparation, prompting him to swiftly organize an expedition to the ancient domain despite the risks.

It seemed like the old principal wished that his successor would be able to make ample preparations before deciding on whether to undertake the mission or not, so that his successor wouldn't have to follow in his footsteps.

"Alright, I can only tell this much to you. As for what to do, that will be up to you." The voice gradually faded into the tranquility of the forest, as if it had never appeared in the first place.

"Thank you." Even though the voice had only been a mechanical recording, Zhang Xuan still bowed deeply to the tombstone of the old principal.

It was not out of gratitude toward the other party for giving him a hint regarding the Innate Fetal Poison, but out of respect for the other party's willingness to charge forward bravely for mankind despite knowing that it would lead to his demise.

Knowing that the mission he was going to undertake was important, he even passed on the opportunity to leave behind his will in the academy so as to not compromise his mission!

Such an attitude was reminiscent of the master teachers who had charged forth valiantly to fend off the spirit beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge back then. For their justice and faith, they had willingly put down even their own lives.

Perhaps it was due to the sacrifice of these noble men that master teachers had been able to become the most prestigious and respected occupation in the Master Teacher Continent.

In face of the survival of the entire mankind, how could one back down in fear of harm?

Shaking his head with a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and scanned the tomb once more. After confirming that there was no other mechanism or the sort, Zhang Xuan proceeded forward.

Along both sides of the road were the tombs of the generations of principals, and inscribed on their tombstones were their deeds and experiences they had gone through. Taking a glance at each of them, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh deeply.

As noble and powerful as these men were, most of them didn't live to the end of their lifespan. Instead, most of them had died in battle against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.

Take the man who was renowned to possess the greatest talent of all principals of Hongyuan, Mo Liuzhen, for example, he had entered the Subterranean Gallery at one point of his life, only to never return.

Aren't the Otherworldly Demons very rare in the world? Why would so many generations of principals die in their hands? Zhang Xuan contemplated silently.

It had been a year since he had started journeying from Tianxuan Kingdom, and so far, he had only met a single living hybrid Otherworldly Demon, twenty Otherworldly Demon puppets, and the fragmented Vicious.

Hadn't the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe been completely driven out of the Master Teacher Continent many years ago?

But if that was the case, why would so many principals die at their hand?

After glancing at another ten tombstones and receiving no explanation to his question, Zhang Xuan knew that it would be impossible for him to make sense out of this matter for the time being, so he decided to pay no heed to it. Forget it, I should obtain the Lightning Resonance Stone first. If I really have to face the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe in the future as well, I should first raise my cultivation so that I can stand my ground against them.

Founder Mu Kai was the first principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, so his tomb was located at the deepest region of the Mausoleum of Principals. After around ten minutes of walking, Zhang Xuan finally arrived before it.

Compared to the others, Founder Mu Kai's tomb seemed rather plain. After kowtowing respectfully several times, he took out the special token he had obtained from Mu shi's puppet and flicked it toward the other party's tomb.

Kacha!

As the token flew above the tomb, a loud buzz sounded as a certain formation was triggered, and a storage ring abruptly leaped out from the ground.

Zhang Xuan beckoned with his finger, and the storage ring flew into his hand. He swiftly immersed his consciousness inside to take a look.

There are so many treasures in here! There were many valuable ores and artifacts within the storage ring, and the Lightning Resonance Stone was within as well.

These were probably the items that Founder Mu Kai had accumulated over his life.

He had buried them in his tomb as a heritage to the later generations in the hope that it could help them in times of need. This reflected the care and concern he had for the Master Teacher Academy and mankind at large, unable to put down his worries even after his death.

"Thank you," Zhang Xuan whispered as he bowed respectfully to the tomb once more.

Pocketing the token and the storage ring, Zhang Xuan turned around and began making his way out.

Having obtained the Lightning Resonance Stone, it was about time for him to cultivate to Nascent Saint.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the entrance of the Mausoleum of Principals, where the Mausoleum Tablet was located.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Xuan took out the Copper Bell.

At this moment, the Copper Bell was still nourishing his soul. Its effects weren't significant at the moment, but with sufficient time, he would be able to sever a portion of his soul safely.

Forget it, I should just use the Soul Severing Method instead Knowing that it would take a considerable amount of time in this manner before he was able to successfully sever his soul, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sat on the floor.

With a thought, he drew his soul out from his glabella.

His soul was massive, around ten meters in height. Executing the Soul Severing Method, which he had learned from Mo Hunsheng, it didn't take long before an identical soul appeared beside him.

"The Soul Severing Method indeed does inflict considerable harm to one's soul"

After severing his soul, Zhang Xuan's main soul had diminished slightly in size, and he couldn't help but feel extreme fatigue plaguing his existence. Sighing deeply, he shook his head.

Even though he had only severed a portion less than a tenth the size of his original soul, the aftereffects were still difficult for him to bear.

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out of the fragmented soul of the Bluehorn Dragon Beast, which he had obtained from Vicious on the Cloudmist Ridge, and began absorbing it to nourish his soul.

The reason Zhang Xuan had chosen to us the Soul Severing Method instead of waiting was because he knew that he could heal the damage sustained by his soul through such a method.

The consciousness of the fragmented soul of the Bluehorn Dragon Beast had been wiped away by Vicious, so he could absorb it without fearing a backlash.

While Zhang Xuan was absorbing the fragmented soul to heal his damaged soul, his severed soul dived into the Copper Bell on its own accord.

If there was no medium to house its severed soul, it would gradually be depleted under the effects of the Five Declines and eventually dissipate entirely.

The Copper Bell served as such a medium, and the same had been done by the preceding principals as well.

Once I fuse entirely with the Copper Bell, I will just have to enter into the Mausoleum Tablet, Zhang Xuan's severed soul thought.

Soon, as Zhang Xuan's severed soul fused entirely with the Copper Bell, he heaved a sigh of relief and gradually flew up before entering the Mausoleum Tablet.

Weng!

As soon as the Copper Bell came into contact with the Mausoleum Tablet, Zhang Xuan's severed soul immediately felt a powerful suction force drawing him in, causing him to disappear on the spot. The next moment, he was already floating within a sealed room.

Rather than calling it a room, perhaps a cavern would be more exact. Zhang Xuan's severed soul suddenly felt a familiar aura in his surroundings that left him with an overwhelming feeling of goosebumps.

This Isn't this the killing intent of the Otherworldly Demons?

The severed soul narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he froze on the spot.