The Master Teacher Pavilion of Azure City was not merely a building; it was a testament to the hierarchy of the soul. Floating islands of white jade hovered in a synchronized orbit, held aloft by ancient gravitational arrays. Each island represented a different rank of mastery, with the central "Hall of Truth" serving as the crucible for the 1-Star Master Teacher Exam.
As Lin Fan stepped onto the bridge of light leading to the central hall, the three Divine Halos behind him pulsed with a rhythmic, golden radiance. Unlike the flickering, translucent halos of the other candidates, Lin Fan's rings of light were solid and opaque, looking more like carved gold than ethereal energy.
"Look at those halos..." a candidate from a prestigious capital academy whispered. "They're so stable. Who is he? I don't recognize his robes."
"Celestial Path Academy?" another scoffed, reading the embroidery on Lin Fan's sleeve. "That's a dying school from the borderlands. Probably just a fluke of constitution. Halos don't mean anything if you can't pass the Teaching Demonstration."
Lin Fan ignored the chatter. He led Mu Tie, Ling'er, and Lu Bao into the heart of the pavilion.
The Assembly of Giants
The interior of the Hall of Truth was a massive amphitheater. At the center sat three examiners, their faces etched with the sternness of a thousand years of tradition.
In the middle sat Grandmaster Mo, a 4-Star Master Teacher whose presence alone made the Qi in the room feel heavy. To his left was a 3-Star Master Physician, and to his right was a 3-Star Array Grandmaster.
"Lin Fan of the Celestial Path Academy," Grandmaster Mo spoke, his voice vibrating through the very bones of everyone present. "We have received the report from General Han. He claims you possess a 'Profound Archive' and that you defeated a Stage 8 General while only being at Stage 3. He also claims your students possess rare bloodlines that were previously misidentified as 'trash'."
The Grandmaster's eyes narrowed, glowing with a faint silver light as he scanned Lin Fan.
"The Empire does not build its future on 'miracles' or 'flukes'," Mo continued. "We build it on verifiable, repeatable methodology. Today, you will prove that your success was not a matter of luck."
"I am ready, Grandmaster," Lin Fan said, bowing with the perfect etiquette of a scholar.
"The exam consists of three trials," the Physician examiner added. "First: The Knowledge Inquiry. Second: The Professional Synthesis. Third, and most important: The Heart-to-Heart Guidance. You will teach a student chosen by us, not your own, and show an immediate breakthrough."
Trial 1: The Knowledge Inquiry
The first trial was a rapid-fire interrogation. Ten 2-Star Master Teachers stepped forward, each holding a different scroll.
"In the 'Thirty-Six Paths of the Sword', what is the fatal contradiction in the eighteenth move, 'The Fallen Petal'?" one asked.
[Divine Library: Searching... Analysis Complete.]
"The Fallen Petal requires the user to shift their weight to the heel," Lin Fan answered instantly. "However, the Qi flow in that move is directed toward the toes. This creates a 0.5-second lag in reaction time. To fix it, one must invert the breathing pattern from 'Solar' to 'Lunar'."
The examiner's eyes widened. He looked at his scroll. "Correct."
"In the refinement of a 'Dragon-Tiger Pill', why does the mixture explode if Blue-Spirit Grass is added at the boiling point?" the Physician asked.
"Because Blue-Spirit Grass is an alkali-based herb," Lin Fan replied without a second's thought. "At the boiling point, the Dragon-Tiger essence is acidic. The resulting neutralization reaction releases high-pressure gas. One must add 'Cooling-Dew' first to buffer the pH."
For thirty minutes, the questions rained down. History, geography, alchemy, blacksmithing, music, and even the obscure 'Way of the Tea'. Lin Fan answered every single one within a breath's time.
[Divine Library: Scanning Examiners' Scrolls... All answers confirmed. No errors.]
By the end of the trial, the hall was silent. Even Grandmaster Mo looked impressed. "Knowledge is the foundation, but a Master Teacher is more than a walking encyclopedia. Trial Two: The Professional Synthesis."
Trial 2: The Professional Synthesis
"A Master Teacher must master multiple professions to guide a student through diverse challenges," the Array Master said. "Lin Fan, you have registered as an Apothecary, a Beast Tamer, and an Array Master. We have prepared a challenge that requires all three."
In the center of the hall, a cage was brought out. Inside was a Rank-3 Shadow-Leopard, but the beast was in agony. Its fur was falling out, and it was lashed to a broken Rank-3 Array Plate that was leaking erratic sparks of electricity.
"This beast has been poisoned by a 'Corrosive Array'," the examiner explained. "The poison is fueled by the array, and the array is fueled by the beast's own pain. You must heal the beast, tame it, and fix the array simultaneously. You have fifteen minutes."
The crowd gasped. This was a "Loop-Chain Crisis." If you tried to heal the beast, the array would spike and kill it. If you tried to fix the array, the poison would kill the beast during the delay.
Lin Fan walked toward the cage. He didn't look worried.
"Mu Tie, bring me a bowl of pure water. Lu Bao, stand behind the cage and provide a steady flow of Qi. Ling'er, keep the temperature in the room at exactly twenty degrees."
His students moved with the precision of a clockwork machine.
Lin Fan reached into the cage. He ignored the leopard's growls.
[Divine Library: Scanning Loop-Chain Crisis...]
[Solution: Use 'Deadly Poison Qi' to neutralize the array's energy, while simultaneously using 'Alchemy Synthesis' on the water to create a liquid antidote.]
Lin Fan dipped his fingers into the water and flicked it at the beast. At the same time, his other hand touched the Array Plate.
Sizzle!
Purple smoke erupted from the leopard's skin. The electricity from the array was suddenly "sucked" into Lin Fan's arm—not to harm him, but to be converted into the heat needed to activate the medicinal water.
"Tame," Lin Fan whispered, his voice vibrating with a frequency that mimicked the leopard's soul-resonance.
In exactly three minutes, the leopard stopped growling. It let out a purr, its fur beginning to regrow instantly. The Array Plate beneath it hummed softly, transformed from a broken trap into a Rank-3 Gathering Array that accelerated the beast's healing.
The examiners stood up in unison.
"Simultaneous execution..." the Physician whispered. "He didn't do them one by one. He used the array to power the alchemy and the alchemy to soothe the beast. This is... 'Triple Resonance'."
Trial 3: The Heart-to-Heart Guidance
Grandmaster Mo's expression was now grave. "Lin Fan, you have shown technical brilliance. But now we come to the soul of a teacher. A Master Teacher's greatest weapon is the 'Teacher's Halo' and the ability to inspire a breakthrough."
Mo clapped his hands. A young girl, about twelve years old, was led into the hall. She looked timid, her eyes red from crying.
"This is Siyu," Mo said. "She is the daughter of a prominent clan in Azure City. She has been stuck at the 2nd Stage of Body Tempering for three years. Every teacher in this pavilion has tried to help her. They have used the best pills and the most advanced techniques. Nothing has worked. The Pavilion's diagnosis is 'Stagnant Meridian Syndrome'—an incurable condition."
Siyu looked at the ground, her shoulders shaking. "I'm... I'm just a waste," she whispered.
Lin Fan walked up to her and knelt so he was at her eye level. He didn't use a harsh tone. He smiled.
"Siyu," Lin Fan said softly. "Look at me."
She looked up, startled by the kindness in his voice.
[Divine Library: Scanning Student Siyu...]
[Result: No 'Stagnant Meridian Syndrome' detected.]
[Actual Condition: 'Hidden Spirit-Root'. Her body is trying to cultivate Spirit-Qi (Stage 13+) instead of Martial-Qi (Stage 1-12). Because she is being forced to do martial arts, her body is rejecting the energy.]
Lin Fan's heart flared with anger. These fools! They were trying to force a bird to swim and called it 'broken' when it couldn't!
"Grandmaster Mo," Lin Fan said, his voice cold. "Your diagnosis is not just wrong; it is a crime. Siyu is not stagnant. She is a Natural Spirit-Seeker. She shouldn't be punching stones; she should be communicating with the elements."
The hall erupted in laughter. "Spirit-Seeker? That's a legend from the Rank-7 Domains! We don't have those in Rank-4 territories!"
"Silence!" Grandmaster Mo roared. He looked at Lin Fan. "If you are wrong, you will be stripped of your license and banned forever. If you are right... teach her."
Lin Fan turned back to Siyu. "Siyu, close your eyes. Forget the punches. Forget the kicks. I want you to imagine the air around you is full of tiny, dancing butterflies made of light. Don't grab them. Just ask them to sit on your hand."
He placed his hand on her head, activating his Divine Halos.
[Teacher's Skill: 'Enlightened Path'.]
A golden light enveloped Siyu. Lin Fan began to chant the 'Celestial Breath' mantra he had synthesized from 10 karab (10 billion) ancient texts in the city library.
Siyu's breathing slowed. The air in the Hall of Truth began to swirl. Suddenly, the torches in the hall flickered and turned blue. The water in the decorative fountains began to rise and dance in the air.
WHOOSH!
A massive pillar of pure, white light erupted from Siyu's body. It shot through the roof of the pavilion and into the sky, visible for miles across Azure City.
[Cultivation Level Up: Martial Stage 3... 4... 5!]
[Spirit Path Unlock: Initiate Level!]
Siyu opened her eyes. She reached out her hand, and a ball of pure water from the fountain floated into her palm, spinning gently. She wasn't just a cultivator; she was a Mage-Warrior.
"I... I can feel the world," she whispered, a radiant smile breaking across her face. "Teacher... thank you!"
Grandmaster Mo fell back into his chair, his face ghostly white. "Spirit-Qi... she awakened Spirit-Qi in a Rank-4 city. This... this is impossible."
The Coronation of the 1-Star Master Teacher
The silence in the hall was absolute. Then, one by one, the teachers in the audience began to stand up and bow. Not a casual bow, but the deep, ninety-degree bow reserved for a superior.
Grandmaster Mo stood up and walked down the stairs. He held a golden medallion in his hands—the 1-Star Master Teacher Badge, but this one was different. It was inlaid with a purple gem.
"In the history of the Azure Empire," Mo said, his voice hushed, "we have only ever awarded the 'Gold-Purple Badge' twice. It is reserved for those whose teaching transcends the laws of the land."
He pinned the badge onto Lin Fan's green robes.
"Master Lin Fan," Mo said, bowing his head. "From this day forth, you are a 1-Star Master Teacher of the Empire. Your academy, the Celestial Path Academy, is hereby promoted to a Rank-3 National Institution."