Xie Feng and Lü Yan arrived at the inner courtyard, where ten elderly men dressed in various styles were already standing. Most of them had graying temples and long beards, and at first glance, they looked every bit the grandmasters.
They were the Literary Dao masters that Lü Yan had invited from all over the Dao Realm, most of them at the Literary Venerable Realm! Each one of them was elegant and refined, old yet cultured, and one could tell from their demeanor that they were quite extraordinary.
"Masters, this is Xie Feng, the dean of the Pill Maple Academy and the student you will be teaching!" Lü Yan pointed to Xie Feng and introduced him solemnly.
The crowd stopped talking and looked over, their expressions varying.
Lü Yan had previously told them that they would only be teaching one student, Xie Feng, the dean of the Pill Maple Academy and the number one on the Heavenly Pride Ranking!
only...
In their eyes, Xie Feng's Martial Dao were excellent, Literary Dao... only reached the Late Literary Spirit Realm, which was indeed beyond the average person, but...
Ten masters, teaching one?
That's incredibly impressive!
"To invite ten of our renowned masters to teach one person... isn't that a bit too arrogant?" one of them frowned and said in a low voice.
"He's a distinguished guest of Jade Qilin Workshop. He's so young; his father must be very powerful, right?" another person muttered to himself.
"Just a spoiled rich kid. I've seen plenty of these kinds. Most of them are unruly and insolent!" one man pretended to stroke his beard, but actually whispered to himself.
Xie Feng: "..."
No... do they really think they can't hear?
How could he not hear a bunch of old Bis talking right under his nose?!
You guys are really loud!
Scholars are arrogant, they look down on each other, and even teachers encounter bad students. He understands all of this!
Xie Feng, with one hand behind his back and a slight smile playing on his lips, said, "Everyone, you may now introduce yourselves!"
The ten people looked at each other, somewhat stunned.
This guy...
Isn't that incredibly rude?!
They are highly respected masters in the Dao Realm! Wherever they go, everyone they meet treats them with utmost respect. Even Lü Yan, the owner of Jade Qilin Workshop, the number one workshop in the world, has to call them "Masters"!
This young man is so arrogant! Even the headmaster of the academy shouldn't be so conceited!
Did they offend Xie Feng? No, they didn't!
He really is a spoiled rich kid!
Several people looked displeased. One of them, a white-bearded grandmaster, said, "We know that Dean Xie is a peerless genius ranked first on the Heavenly Ranking, and that he caused a sensation throughout the world in the battle between Flame Island and Asura Island, but... you invited us here to teach Literary Dao. As our students, shouldn't you be more humble in your tone?!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Feng raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Let me ask you a question: What is a teacher?"
The crowd said, "A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts!"
"That's right!"
"Those who impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts are teachers!"
"Then I would like to ask, what teachings, what knowledge, what questions have you all given me? If you want to earn respect, you must demonstrate sufficient strength!"
"..."
The master fell silent!
But his face was very dark... incredibly dark...
He thought he would be treated with the same courtesy as usual, but to his surprise, this person from the Pill Maple Academy didn't indulge him at all!
No matter how famous you are, no matter what kind of master you are, if you only talk the talk but don't walk the walk, you don't deserve respect!
The others were also stunned.
They didn't speak, but all looked at Lü Yan. Lü Yan slowly turned his head, blinked, and looked towards the gate.
Don't look at me, don't look at me, I can't control him...
She muttered to herself.
Xie Feng said in a deep voice, "My surname is Xie, and my given name is Feng. Everyone, it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Do you want me to say it a third time?"
His speech was harsh, and these masters, accustomed to sweet talk, found it hard to accept. But since they were already there, they might as well listen; they couldn't just leave, after all... Lü Yan had paid them quite a bit...
A white-bearded master said, "No need for formalities, my surname is Gao!"
An elderly man with willow-leaf eyes said, "My surname is Han."
The others also announced their names in turn. During their conversation, Lü Yan called for a servant to bring over tables and chairs. The ten people were all holding their breath and were unwilling to sit down. Xie Feng smiled, sat down casually, and even crossed his legs.
The ten grandmasters were furious.
"The lecture can begin now. Who would like to go first? Let me hear your ability to impart knowledge and teach!"
Xie Feng sat at an angle, his fingers supporting his chin, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
It's not that he doesn't respect his teacher, but if he wants to earn his respect, he has to demonstrate sufficient strength to match it!
He still trusted Lü Yan; these old men, having lived for so many years, couldn't possibly lack real skills.
Grandmaster Zhang said, "I'll come!"
He walked to the center of the crowd, put his hands behind his back, and with a deep gaze, said, "If the dean wants to learn about Literary Dao, he must first systematically and formally understand what Literary Dao are!"
"In this world, not only Dao Qi (the energy of the Dao) but also Literary Qi) is everywhere in the air. Literary Qi can be absorbed and transformed into the Power of the Literary Dao (the power of literature and the Dao). By utilizing the Power of the Literary Dao, one can form Cultivation Method and skills to fight."
" The Literary Dao is the law of heaven and earth, the order of nature, and the spirit of the soul. Everyone has the Literary Dao, but the initial 'Way' is a public Literary Dao, which is easy to overlap with others. Only by cultivating one's own 'Way' to the point of great success can one stand out and be called a master."
"The significance of studying Literary Dao lies in using their Power of the Literary Dao to fight, in building spiritual civilization, and in inheriting ancient and modern culture. As the literary tradition continues, the Literary Dao will endure forever..."
Grandmaster Zhang spoke eloquently, his head slightly tilted back, his eyes half-closed, clearly absorbed in his words.
"No need to say anything!"
Xie Feng stood up, his face expressionless, but his eyes were sharp and cold!
"I'm not asking you to teach such basic doctrines!"
He was getting impatient.
Grandmaster Gao and the others exchanged bewildered glances. At that moment, they truly understood the saying, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger!" Although Xie Feng was not a king, his unpredictable and volatile nature at this moment was unsettling!
Xie Feng pointed at the crowd and said, "Do you have any real skills? How about sparring with me?"
Everyone was stunned.
Who the hell is teaching whom?!
The agreement was that they would come to teach, but we've been repeatedly mistreated, and now we're being provoked!
"Dean Xie, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. As the old saying goes, 'Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher.' Your attitude doesn't seem like that of someone who respects teachers and sincerely seeks knowledge!"
An elderly man with a short beard, surnamed Ye, suppressed his anger and asked angrily.
Xie Feng calmly said, "Then let's have a fight!"
Grandmaster Ye frowned slightly and said, "Have you thought this through? We are all Grandmasters with extensive combat experience, while you seem to... have no combat experience!"
Xie Feng's eyes darkened slightly. He suddenly raised his hand, his mind racing, and white energy currents swirled around him in all directions!
Literary Qi!