812 Seniority

Chapter 812: Seniority

Translator: StarveClericEditor: Millman97

"What?"

"Did he just say that School Head Lu is a busybody?"

"He's going to challenge the Apothecary School?"

Watching the spectacle on the stage, the crowd below felt as if they were going bonkers.

Ever since the disappearance of the old principal, most of the affairs in the academy had been taken care of by School Head Lu Feng. He might not be the official principal, but the power he wielded was as good as one.

Furthermore, he was also the de facto leader of the Ten Great Master Teachers, and School Head Mo and the others usually heeded his words for most affairs, granting him immense influence as well… Yet, a freshman dared to say that he was a busybody and asked him to move aside. That was truly brazen!

"Why is Zhang shi so reckless?" School Head Wei, School Head Zhao, and the others nearly fainted after hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

They were thinking that with School Head Lu's intervention, the matter could be resolved swiftly. However, they didn't think that Zhang shi would take such a forceful stand on this matter.

School Head Lu was an austere man, and he regarded discipline and order very highly. Insulting him in public was an immense humiliation to him; there was no doubt that he would fly into a rage over this matter.

And just as they had expected, School Head Lu's face darkened, and a steely glint could be seen in his narrowed eyes. With a voice reminiscent of the ominous rumbling of thunder, he bellowed, "What did you say?"

"Are you deaf? But even if you are deaf, surely your eyes should be able to see, right? It's in my capacity as a 6-star physician that I have challenged You Xu in a Life-and-Death Physician Duel. In this matter, there is no distinction between teacher or student, so we can only be considered peers… So, don't bother using those principles to your convenience to pressure me!

"Also, we haven't even determined the winner of our duel yet, but you barged in and interfered in our battle willfully, terminating it forcefully… To talk to me about rules, why don't you try to practice what you preach?" Zhang Xuan sneered coldly, with a fearless gaze.

While it was indeed a taboo for a student to challenge a teacher's authority, Zhang Xuan had challenged You Xu to a Life-and-Death Physician Duel as a fellow 6-star physician, so until the moment the duel ended, his position would not be that of a student but a 6-star physician.

Even if Lu Feng was a 6-star master teacher, he could only be considered a peer in the course of the duel.

And as a fellow peer, what right did Lu Feng have to interfere in a fight between him and You Xu?

"You…" Lu Feng pointed his finger at Zhang Xuan with a livid face before flinging his sleeves backward furiously. "Sharp-tongued, aren't you? But regardless of what you say, I won't allow any harm to come to You Xu today. I will personally report this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion to have them annul this matter with the Physician Guild!"

"You intend to protect him?" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed menacingly.

For a moment, he was a little perplexed by why Lu Feng would go to such an extent to protect You Xu, but after a moment of contemplation, it suddenly struck him.

Back then, when he and Wei Changfeng were attempting to purchase the Ten-leafed Flower, the master teacher who went to purchase a medicinal herb from You Xu seemed to have gone as Lu Feng's representative.

The price was low, and the exchange was completed swiftly without any trouble. Considering this, the relationship between the both of them must be fairly good.

But that was to be expected. As an apothecary and a herbologist in the Master Teacher Academy, the two of them had probably worked together on multiple occasions over the years, and this gradually built camaraderie between them. Otherwise, Lu Feng wouldn't have gone to the extent of offending the Physician Guild to intervene in the Life-and-Death Physician Duel.

"That's right!" Lu Feng declared grandly. "Vice School Head You, let's leave. I would like to see who in the Master Teacher Academy dares to stop me!"

"Yes!" Seeing that School Head Lu was firmly standing up for him, You Xu heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly followed behind him.

He had already lost the Life-and-Death Physician Duel, so if he were to remain here, the only thing awaiting him was misfortune. At the current moment, the best thing he could do was to leave this area as soon as possible.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up as he harrumphed coldly. "Leave? I haven't given him the permission to leave yet, who dares take him away?"

Glancing coldly at You Xu, he commanded authoritatively, "After disregarding your honor and morals, what rights do you have to remain as a master teacher? Kneel down!"

"Kneel down?" You Xu was stunned to hear Zhang Xuan's abrupt words. Just as he was about to sneer in response, he abruptly felt an inexplicable power striking his acupoints, and excruciating pain assaulted him.

Putong!

Before he could say anything more, his knees caved in and fell to the ground.

Having planted his Heaven's Path zhenqi within You Xu's body, it took nothing more than a thought for Zhang Xuan to subdue the other party.

"You…" Lu Feng's countenance turned hostile.

Right after he said that he would bring You Xu back, Zhang Xuan made You Xu kneel onto the ground.

That was a direct slap to his face, a resounding one at that.

When did his standing as the head of the Apothecary School become so worthless?

"Zhang Xuan, are you sure you want to go against me?" Lu Feng glared at Zhang Xuan with a disquieting gaze.

"Go against you?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You aren't worthy of that! To tell you the truth, I didn't give a single shit about you before you appeared!"

Possessing the Library of Heaven's Path, there was nothing beneath the heavens that could stand against him. A mere head of the Apothecary School wasn't even worthy of his notice; if the other party hadn't come here to cause a ruckus, why would he have bothered wasting his effort going against him?

"You…" Hearing those words, Lu Feng nearly rushed forward in a frenzy to tear Zhang Xuan apart.

"Enough, I don't wish to waste any more words on you. Until the Life-and-Death Physician Duel ends, no one will be taking him away. Putting aside the fact that you are only a stand-in principal, even if the official principal of the academy was here today, the only thing he would be taking away from here is You Xu's corpse!" Zhang Xuan declared authoritatively.

With his Heaven's Path zhenqi planted deep in the other party's body, the difference between You Xu's life and death hinged on a single thought of his. No matter who it was, they wouldn't be taking You Xu away from here alive today!

"You dare!" Lu Feng roared furiously

"What do I have to fear?" With a wry smile, Zhang Xuan turned to You Xu and ordered, "He thinks that I don't dare do anything. Why don't you try spurting a mouthful of blood to prove him wrong?"

The next moment, an inexplicable power suddenly rampaged within the kneeling You Xu's innards, and unable to hold himself back, 'uweh!', fresh blood gushed from his mouth, dyeing the entire area crimson.

"You…" Lu Feng nearly lost his sanity on the spot.

That was a blatant provocation toward him!

"Why? You still want to try me? You Xu, continue until he submits!" Zhang Xuan ordered with his hands behind his back.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

At Zhang Xuan's command, You Xu began spurting blood endlessly. In just a few moments, his face had already turned ghastly pale, and it felt as if he might pass away at any moment.

"Stop it!" Seeing that his old friend would die if he were to continue spewing blood, School Head Lu Feng yelled furiously, but he realized that he was completely helpless to stop Zhang Xuan.

The poison which Zhang Xuan had planted into You Xu in the Life-and-Death Physician Duel was simply far too potent. Otherwise, the latter wouldn't have been forced to obey his commands either, kneeling and spewing blood on command.

"Stop!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.

Only after that word was uttered did You Xu finally stop throwing up blood. His body fell feebly to the ground, and he gasped frantically for air. For a moment there, he could almost feel death's embrace.

Ever since becoming a master teacher a thousand years ago, he had never suffered such humiliation before.

Seeing that You Xu had finally stopped throwing up blood, Lu Feng immediately rushed forward to feed him a general antidote.

You Xu swallowed the antidote and drove his zhenqi to allow the antidote to permeate through his body. A moment later, however, he shook his head.

As a grade-6 pill, the antidote was potent. However, it was completely ineffective against the poison he was plagued with.

The poison which the other party had planted in him had already reached even the most hidden corners of his body, where his zhenqi was incapable of reaching. There was no medicine that could save him anymore.

"Damn it!"

Lu Feng stood up and turned to Zhang Xuan once more. His teeth were gritted so tightly together that it felt as if they would chip off from the sheer pressure between them. "Very well, I acknowledge your capability! However, allow me to offer you a warning. You might have won the Life-and-Death Physician Duel, but You Xu is a 6-star pinnacle physician under the protection of the academy. With your current standing, you have no right to determine his life and death!"

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan frowned.

As rude as the other party's words were, he knew that the other party was right.

If You Xu was an ordinary physician, Zhang Xuan would have killed him without any hesitation. He had the right to do so after winning the Life-and-Death Physician Duel.

However, it was a pity that You Xu wasn't an ordinary physician… he was also a 6-star pinnacle master teacher as well.

Every single master teacher was a pillar of society, a precious asset of the Master Teacher Pavilion. A huge amount of time, effort, and resources had to be devoted to groom every single 6-star pinnacle master teacher, and the death of any single one of them was a huge loss to society. As a result, unless they were to commit some grievous crime that harmed the interest of humanity, even master teachers of the same rank didn't have the right to put them to death.

The only way that a 6-star pinnacle master teacher could be killed was under the decree of a 7-star master teacher or above, or a ruling from the Tribunal of Master Teachers.

This was precisely the reason Zhang Xuan had used his Impartation of Heaven's Will to beguile You Xu into committing suicide instead.

If You Xu had really killed himself, he could pass it off as the other party committing suicide out of shame. There would be no one to testify against him, so he couldn't be charged for it. However, after falling for it once, it would be difficult for him to beguile You Xu into it once again.

"I can spare him, but I will be taking him with me!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

If he had succeeded in making You Xu commit suicide, that would have been the end of things. However, since things had reached this point, he decided to take him to Wei Ruyan for her to end him instead.

Firstly, he would be able to gain some time to find a way to circumvent the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and secondly, Wei Ruyan would be able to personally exact vengeance on the man who had killed her father.

"You want to take him with you? You are in the Master Teacher Academy, and you wish to take one of our vice school heads away with you? Don't you think you are being a little too naive?" Lu Feng sneered coldly.

"Are you intending to not abide by the rules of the Life-and-Death Physician Duel?" Zhang Xuan frowned coldly.

"The rules must be abided, but at the end of the duel, you are still a student of the academy. As the stand-in principal of the academy and the leader of the Ten Great Master Teachers, I believe that I am more than qualified to stop a student!" Lu Feng replied with a grand wave of his hands.

While he had infringed on the rules by interfering in the Life-and-Death Physician Duel previously, as the duel had come to an end, the other party's position had reverted back to that of a student. As the stand-in principal of the academy, he possessed the authority to stop or even teach a student of the academy a lesson.

There was no one who could refute that.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan's complexion turned extremely awful.

Lu Feng was right. No matter how he put it, he was still a student of the academy. There was a natural hierarchy between teacher and student, and there was nothing he could do if the other party was intent on stopping him.

As long as he was in the academy, he had to respect the rules of it.

He could use poison to threaten You Xu, but if You Xu were to really die, that would be equivalent to a 4-star master teacher killing a 6-star master teacher—in other words, insubordination. Just by this in itself, he would be subjected to an investigation by the Master Teacher Pavilion.

That would make things troublesome for him.

As expected of a stand-in principal of the academy, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, he was indeed a master at playing by the rules.

"Leave Vice School Head You here and neutralize the poison he is suffering from. For your victory in the Life-and-Death Physician Duel, I will compensate him in your stead. At the same time, I will make an exception and overlook this matter, treating it as if nothing has happened. Otherwise, I believe that you should also know that I have the power to teach a student of the academy a lesson. Even if you bring up your grievances to the Master Teacher Pavilion, there is no one who will side with you!" Lu Feng threatened.

"You are really determined to make things difficult for me, aren't you?" Seeing that Lu Feng was determined to stand in his way, Zhang Xuan's gaze turned frosty.

There was indeed nothing scarier than a shameless master teacher!

As the saying goes, 'There is nothing to fear from a hoodlum, what is truly fearsome is a cultured hoodlum'!

"Make things difficult for you? Why would you say such words? I am merely teaching a junior a lesson. If you believe that you are above me in seniority, you are more than free to do so as well!" Lu Feng roared in laughter.

There was an inherent power in seniority.

You are a student; I am a teacher. With just my standing, I can easily force you to lower your head to me!

Trapped in a deadlock, Zhang Xuan racked his brain furiously for a way out, but there was nothing that he could use to turn the tables. Just as he thought that it was the end, he suddenly heard the exclamation of an old man beneath the stage.

"Elder Zheng, Elder Wang, and Elder Liu, you are here! Wait a moment, don't go up now…"

With a gust of wind, several figures leaped onto the stage.

Following which, a voice with suppressed composure, reminiscent of the calm before a storm, spoke. "School Head Lu, we are the three guest elders that the Martial Arts School invited recently. May I ask if with our standing… can we be considered your peers?"