Chapter 303: Taking Office at the National Teacher’s Mansion
A few days later.
“Brother Sang, over here!”
At the entrance of Tianlang City, rows of Tianlang Wei stood guard on both sides.
Cao Nizha warmly greeted a slightly disheveled man dressed in coarse linen with a bit of stubble, leading him through the gate.
“See? Little brother of mine still has some face in Tianlang City.”
As they walked, Cao Nizha looked at the Tianlang Wei soldiers on either side, saying smugly, “With me around, no one dares to stop Brother Sang.”
Behind him walked Sang Zhe, ah, at this moment, he should be referred to as the mountain-dwelling little sword immortal “Sang Ce,” who was curiously observing the structure of Tianlang City.
Tianlang City was unlike any other place Sang Zhe had seen.
The ancient and majestic city walls had a heavy, profound sense of history. Almost every building was filled with traces of time, as if they had existed for endless ages.
The residents of Tianlang City were also not quite as Sang Zhe had encountered outside. Here, the distinction between immortals and mortals seemed less pronounced; men, women, and children moved orderly, with rarely a scene of chaos or uproar.
The pace of life was slow and leisurely, yet there was an inexplicable sense of stagnation in the air.
What intrigued Sang Zhe the most was that every local resident he encountered on the way revealed disdainful and scornful expressions upon seeing this outsider.
“Is the xenophobia in Tianlang City really that severe?”
“Well… please excuse me, Brother Sang.” Cao Nizha chuckled awkwardly, “These days, anyone living in Tianlang City is a proper citizen of the Holy Kingdom, with ancestors who have survived here for generations.”
“For them, Tianlang City is a noble divine country, and the residents sheltered by the Holy Emperor naturally see themselves as superior to outsiders.”
Sang Zhe clicked his tongue, not saying much.
But internally, he was silently taking in all the sights before him, quietly gathering everything related to the Holy Kingdom.
——
——
A few hours later, at the National Teacher’s Mansion.
“Ahem, Mr. Sang Ce…?”
Zhuang You, with graying hair and reading glasses, scrutinized the document handed to him by Sang Zhe, glancing at him intermittently with a hint of skepticism.
“According to this resume, Mr. Sang Ce is a sword cultivator who has been living in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs. He often spars with the sword master of Sword Flower Palace with his Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivation and recently achieved mastery in swordsmanship, stepping into the Great Ascension Stage?”
Sang Zhe nodded obediently.
To fit his persona, he had even asked Gu Yingmian to write a letter of introduction for him, to avoid raising suspicion by suddenly appearing as a newly promoted Great Ascension expert.
“I have always had a good relationship with Sword Flower Palace, engaging in sword sparring and quietly residing around the Yaochi Tienshan in the north. It’s likely that the folks in the Holy Kingdom haven’t heard of me.”
“Then,” Zhuang You removed his reading glasses and asked slowly, “what brings Mr. Sang Ce to apply for a teaching position in the Holy Kingdom?”
“My greatest aspiration in life is to progress further in swordsmanship,” Sang Zhe began weaving an elaborate tale smoothly. “Having finally stepped into the Great Ascension Stage, with my wish fulfilled, I’ve come down from the mountains to explore.”
“I’ve heard the Holy Kingdom is filled with talented individuals, brimming with experts. I’ve long looked forward to it. Coincidentally, I heard that the Holy Kingdom is recruiting lecturers of the Great Ascension Stage, so I thought I’d take a chance.”
Zhuang You scrutinized him once more.
Seemingly unable to find any faults, he pondered for a moment before putting down Sang Zhe’s resume.
“Mr. Sang Ce, your resume is quite perfect and aligns well with what our National Teacher’s Mansion needs.”
“However, individuals at the Great Ascension Stage are rare in the entire cultivation world. If we want to keep you in the National Teacher’s Mansion, it’s not solely up to me.”
“Therefore, I will report this matter to the court and let His Majesty decide.”
His Majesty? Sang Zhe’s heart skipped a beat.
The legendary Empress of the Holy Kingdom.
Huo Ningxue?
“Thank you.” Sang Zhe bowed slowly.
“You may wait in the National Teacher’s Mansion; I will return shortly.”
Before leaving, Zhuang You instructed Cao Nizha to give Sang Zhe a tour around the mansion. Cao Nizha naturally agreed with enthusiasm.
Once Zhuang You left, Cao Nizha excitedly said, “See, Brother Sang? I told you it would be fine.”
“Don’t celebrate too early.” Sang Zhe replied with a resigned look, “We still haven’t passed the Empress’s test.”
“If Elder Zhuang can’t find any issues, Her Majesty surely won’t make things difficult.”
Cao Nizha could hardly contain his excitement, wanting to drag Sang Zhe to show him his classmates: “Come on, let me introduce you to our good brothers and sisters!”
“Um, isn’t that inappropriate? I haven’t officially been appointed yet, meeting with the students of the National Teacher’s Mansion in private…”
“Oh, no need for so many rules!”
Cao Nizha didn’t wait for Sang Zhe to finish and pulled him all the way to a secluded, elegant small courtyard, with a plaque reading “Tian No. 1.”
As they stepped into the courtyard’s main hall, Sang Zhe vaguely heard many noisy yet familiar sounds.
… The game sound effects from “Original Immortal.”
“Ahem! Brothers!”
Cao Nizha cleared his throat upon entering the classroom: “This is the Sang Ce I mentioned to you before!”
“Sang Ce is about to become our acting teacher, let’s welcome him with applause!”
Amidst the warm applause, Sang Zhe felt a bit shy as he glanced at the students below.
I must say.
This group was undeniably the cream of the crop in the Holy Kingdom. One glance made it clear they were genetically superior.
The students were mostly between sixteen to twenty years old, and whether male or female, their youthful faces still retained a hint of innocence, combined with vibrant energy. Their cultivation talent was astonishing; even the youngest and lowest-ranked student had already reached the peak of the Transformation Stage.
The peak of the Transformation Stage would be enough to serve as an Elder back at the Water Moon Sect.
Among the crowd, Sang Zhe even spotted a familiar face—Xiang Zimo, the young master of the National Teacher’s Mansion.
Xiang Zimo had largely recovered and didn’t resemble the beaten-up state Sang Zhe remembered.
As one of the two people present who knew his secret identity, Xiang Zimo didn’t expose him but, like the others, looked at Sang Zhe with excited anticipation.
Realizing it was time for him to say something in front of everyone, Sang Zhe cleared his throat.
“Um… first, I’m not officially in position yet, so strictly speaking, I’m not yet your teacher.”
“Secondly, I’m just a mountain-dwelling solitary cultivator who enjoys playing with swords and gaming.”
“Since I’m not officially meeting you as a teacher today, let’s just consider this making friends.”
Saying that, Sang Zhe took out his Communication Device: “So… does anyone need a hand with clearing dungeons in ‘Original Immortal’?”
One sentence.
It seemed to ignite the emotions of the entire room.
“I want to!”
“Teacher! Take me first! I’m begging you!”
“Dad! Real Dad! I’ll definitely min-max my pulls, please get me a Yula!”
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