All those scholars looked at Zhang Ji with a strange look. With these simple words, they could understand this man's philosophy: teaching by talent. While this idea sounds beautiful, they immediately rejected it. Many of them believed in the teacher's supremacy; it was the same for their teachers, and they, in turn, passed this legacy down.
After the Academy Era, students now had more power since they could choose their teachers. But many scholars still hold the old school value of honoring teachers and putting them above everything. Zhang Ji's ideology, which is not entirely new, placed too much emphasis and power on students, since their choice of teachers would be based on their talents.
