Chapter 309
Chapter 309: Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: GaiaNove
“How is it happening so quickly?”
“It hasn’t even been half an incense stick’s time since he entered, right? And he has started on the lecture… and already finished it?”
“What in the world did he lecture about?”
Upon hearing the chime, everyone in the crowd trembled.
After the Cultivation Technique Ocean passes a secret manual to the examinee, the examinee is given an incense stick’s time to browse through it before having to conduct the lecture.
It had only been a total of half an incense stick’s time since the very first examination began, but the Whilom Sage Bell has already chimed. Does he… not need to read the secret manual before beginning to teach?
Furthermore… to complete the lecture so quickly?
It is only after one finishes his lecture will the Whilom Sage Bell express its recognition or lack of through its chimes.
If it were anyone else, even if he were to earn the recognition of the Whilom Sage Bell, it would take at least three to four incenses’ time before it chimed. There was even a case where an examinee lectured for half a day before it chimed!
For it to start chiming after just half an incense stick’s time…
Putting aside whether they had ever seen this, they have never even heard of such an occurrence!
“Given how short his lecture is, his content must be lacking. I think a single chime must be the limit!” The elder behind Ling Xiaoxiao shook his head in pity.
Haste makes waste, this saying applies to everything in life.
Even if he is capable and can understand the technique swiftly… But to start lecturing right after glancing through the book is just too rash. In such a hurry, it is likely that he has missed out some parts. After all, no matter how simple a technique appears to be, it is the crystallization of our predecessors’ wisdom. The slightest mistake can lead result in a cultivation going amok and cause irreversible damage.
In this world, it wasn’t rare for a cultivator’s cultivation to go berserk. Most of the time, it was due to their erroneous understanding of a technique that resulted in a divergence in their cultivation.
It was one thing for Zhang Xuan to be unable to comprehend the technique completely, and it was another for his lecture to be short. It was highly likely that he missed out many important points given how brief his lecture was.
Most master teacher examinees would treat this test as a written examination. They would spew all of the knowledge they knew of and pray that one of the words that they spoke would turn out to be correct.
For the lecture to end so swiftly meant that the lecture was lacking in content. Even if the Whilom Sage Bell chimed, it was unlikely to chime more than once.
“Indeed. It seems that he’s still too young and impatient…” Apothecary Hong Yun nodded.
Zhang Xuan laoshi could be considered his benefactor, and naturally, he hoped that the other party would fare well. He hadn’t expected him to be so reckless. With this, it was likely that he wouldn’t obtain any stellar result.
“Even though it is a pity, he should at least learn from this incident. When he finally takes the 2-star master teacher examination, he probably won’t be so reckless anymore…” The elder nodded. He was still lamenting when the ground trembled once more, and a resounding chime sounded once again.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
It was three consecutive chimes. The ground could be seen trembling.
“Four chimes? Outstanding? Is his result on part with Mo Hongyi Mo shi?”
The elder and Apothecary Hong Yun glanced at each other, and they nearly vomited blood.
They had just said that the other party was too reckless and that his results would surely be poor, yet in the next moment, the bell chimed another three times… They felt a stinging pain on their faces as if someone had set them alight.
“Four chimes… that should be the limit, right?”
After four chimes, the entire hall fell silent and only then did the elder heave a sigh of relief. Looking at the door with a meaningful gaze, he was just about to continue speaking when another deafening chime assaulted his ears.
Dang!
The bell sounded once more.
“Five chimes, Flawless Comprehension… It’s a new record!”
Everyone became dumbfounded.
Since the establishment of the kingdom’s Master Teacher Pavilion several thousand years ago, the best result achieved that was ever achieved was Mo Hongyi’s four chimes… Yet, in just half an incense stick’s time, this Zhang Xuan induced five chimes from the Whilom Sage Bell… At this moment, he had become the new record holder!
“Genius! He is truly a genius! He is able to understand the technique right after picking the secret manual, allowing the bell to chime five times. Flawless Comprehension… I’m impressed, I’m…”
But before the elder could finish his words, the ground shook once more.
It was yet another chime.
“…”
The heck!
Are you done yet?
The elder was on the verge of tears.
Every single time he thought that the other party had reached his limits, the bell would chime… You must be doing it on purpose!
In other people’s cases, the bell would chime in a consecutive fashion only after they finished their lectures. There weren’t such long intervals between any chimes. Yet, why is it that when it came to you, the bell chimed so irregularly? Are you trying to scare us out of our wits?
“Six chimes, Perfection…”
At this instant, everyone’s face turned pale, and as if they were stone statues, they stood unmoving for a very long time.
…
“Vice Pavilion Master Guan, where is the pavilion master? Send someone to get him now!”
In a room located in the depths of the Master Teacher Pavilion, an elder rushed in with big strides.
“The pavilion master returned last night and is currently cultivating in seclusion. He gave the instruction that no one is to interrupt him if it isn’t anything pressing!”
Vice Pavilion Master Guan Zequan glanced at the elder doubtfully. “Elder Zhu, what in the world could have happened for you to become so flustered? Come, tell me about it. If it is something important, I’ll look for the pavilion master right now!”
“Cultivating in seclusion?”
Elder Zhu frowned. Then after hesitating for a moment, he started speaking, “It’s someone taking the 1-star examination!”
“Taking the 1-star examination?”
Vice Pavilion Master Guan chuckled before shaking his head, “Isn’t Wu Quan there? He should be more than capable of conducting the examination, there is no need to trouble the pavilion master over such a small matter. Don’t you know that the pavilion master sustained internal injuries and has to rest?”
“I know that it isn’t worth alarming the pavilion master over a 1-star master teacher examination, but… if you know what results the examinee has actually achieved and the ruckus it is causing, you won’t be saying such words!” Elder Zhu shook his head.
“Oh? Did it manage to create a commotion? Can he be a genius of Mo Hongyi’s caliber?”
Vice Pavilion Master Guan was taken aback.
“Mo Hongyi?” Elder Zhu shook his head. “I went to take a look only after hearing the Whilom Sage Bell, so I don’t know his result for the first three tests. All I know is that when I arrived, the Whilom Sage Bell was chiming ceaselessly…”
“Chiming ceaselessly? Do you mean to say that it chimed more than four times?” Vice Pavilion Master Guan’s eyebrows shot up.
“More than that…” Elder Zhu smiled bitterly.
“If it is more than four chimes, does it mean that… his result has reached five chimes? That is Flawless Comprehension! It means that there is zero mistake in his lecture…”
Pavilion Master Guan could no longer maintain his composure by this point. With a grim face, he stood up, “Infused within the Whilom Sage Bell is the knowledge of a 4-star master teacher. If he achieved five chimes, that means that the person’s lecture has gained their absolute acknowledgment… Are you sure that the person taking the test is undergoing the 1-star master teacher examination?”
“The one taking the test is undergoing the 1-star master teacher examination!” Elder Zhu nodded. “Furthermore… The chimes didn’t just stop at five!”
It wasn’t that Elder Zhu was reluctant to speak or that he was trying to keep the other party hanging, but that even until now, he was still unable to accept what he had just seen.
“Didn’t just stop at five…”
Vice Pavilion Master Guan’s hands shook in agitation, and through his quivering lips, spoke, “Can it be… six chimes? Six chimes represent Perfection, and it means that the person’s understanding of the technique is no different from that of a 4-star master teacher…”
Before he could finish his words, Elder Zhu exclaimed in a frenzied voice, “It’s seven chimes!”
Putong!
Vice Pavilion Master Guan’s knee caved in and he fell back onto his seat. At this point, his face had turned completely pale.
“Seven chimes, Approval of the Sages? How… How is this possible?”
Most people knew that six chimes represented Perfection, but very few knew that there was another level above it.
In such a situation, it means that the examinee has gained the approval of the Whilom Sage Bell!
In other words, he has gained the approval of a 4-star master teacher, and that he can be considered as an equal in terms of his understanding of the technique.
A fellow taking the 1-star master teacher examination has gained approval from the spiritual will left behind by the 4-star master teacher, such that it regarded him worthy as a peer?
Guan Zequan felt the blood draining from his face, and at this moment, his mind had gone into a turmoil.
After innumerable years as the vice pavilion master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, he had seen plenty of geniuses.
However, he has never even heard of such a monster!
“Seven chimes… Shouldn’t we invite the pavilion master?”
Elder Zhu wasn’t surprised by Vice Pavilion Master Guan’s reaction. Anyone who heard of this news would probably act in the manner he did.
“This… Of course, we should! However, I want to take a look personally to first ascertain the matter…”
Suppressing his shock, Vice Pavilion Master Guan exhaled deeply and flung his sleeves.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Elder Zhu nodded his head, and just as they walked out from the room…
Dang!
A resounding chime echoed throughout the entire Master Teacher Pavilion.
Previously, the chime resounded only within the examination hall, but this chime seemed to have caused the entire Tianwu Royal City to rattle for a moment.
The tremor was extremely violent and it felt as if the Whilom Sage Bell was trying to break free from the shackles of the Master Teacher Pavilion and open a path to heaven.
Under the powerful tremors, both Vice Pavilion Master Guan and Elder Zhu fell to the ground simultaneously. Their faces had turned pale and they spoke in disbelief…
“Is this… Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells… Admiration of the Sages?”
“This… What in the world is going on?”
…
“Admiration of the Sages? What does that mean? Why haven’t I heard of it?”
All of the bells chimed at once, and the deafening sound seemed as if it would rip apart the air. Ling Xiaoxiao turned to the elder behind her and yelled.
She had heard of one chime, two chimes, three chimes… all the way to six chimes, but she had never heard of seven chimes!
Not to mention, Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells… At this moment, she felt a splitting headache. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
“[Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells, Admiration of the Sages] means that… even if a 4-star master teacher were present, he would listen to the lecture obediently and quietly… In other words, Zhang Xuan’s explanation of the technique has already exceeded the level of a 4-star, reaching the level of a 5-star master teacher, or even higher…”
The elder trembled.
“What? Exceeded the level of a 4-star master teacher?”
Ling Xiaoxiao’s face paled.
That ignorant fellow’s understanding of cultivation and battle techniques surpasses that of a 4-star…
How is that possible?
Her body shuddered slightly, and she felt as if she was about to go insane.
“That’s right. However…”
At this point, the elder hesitated for a moment. Doubt could be seen within his fearful eyes.
“However what?” Apothecary Hong Yun has been standing beside the duo, and he had heard their conversation. Perplexed by the elder’s words, Apothecary Hong Yun asked.
“However… Under normal circumstances, the Harmonious Chiming of the Hundred Bells should at least last for a tea’s time as a celebration. However, why would it only chime for just a short moment before coming to an abrupt end?”
(10-15 minutes)
“A tea’s time?”
“That’s right!” The elder nodded. “Seems like we will only know the answer after the master teachers come out!”
…
In the room where the Cultivation Technique Ocean test was conducted.
Every single 1-star master teacher who was here as an examiner was in a trance.
The explanation of Undulating Water Ripple Palm by the young man before them was too thorough. If they were to cultivate according to the way he explained, it wouldn’t take long before all of them master the skill.
Truly, it was at the level where everyone becomes an expert.
Dang dang dang dang!
Everyone was listening to his lesson attentively as if they were in a trance when the bells by the side, upon hearing such profound theories, chimed excitedly, and their resounding peals penetrated straight into the heavens.
“Shut up, are you done yet? When you chimed for the first time, the second time, and the third time, I did not make a fuss. And you have now climbed over my head, chiming together in such disorder. I’m not yet done with my lecture, why the heck are you chiming!”
With his eyebrows knitted into a frown, Zhang Xuan bellowed.
Wu!
The chiming of the many large bells silenced abruptly.