Chapter 208: Ink

Hongtian Academy was now in an uproar.

The freshman competition was about to begin.

After half a month of study, the ten thousand new students were about to have their results tested.

“Who do you think will take first place in this competition?”

“I think it’s still that guy who was first before. He was already a second-level martial artist when he enrolled, and he must be even stronger now.”

“The freshman competition isn’t all about strength. Besides, just because he was strong before enrollment doesn’t mean he’s strong now. I heard that several new students under Teacher Lu who participated in the teacher evaluation have also broken through to the second level of martial artist, and they’ve received his true teachings. It’s hard to say whether he can beat them!”

“He seems to be one of Teacher Lu’s students too. Looks like even if the first place isn’t him, it will still come from Teacher Lu’s class.”

“Of course. At least three hundred of the top five hundred in the entrance exam ended up under Teacher Lu. Even if they wanted second place, they’d need an opponent!”

“Teacher Zhang Xuan and Teacher Lu also have the teacher evaluation. Who do you think will win?”

“Win? Are you crazy? That goes without saying? What qualifications does Teacher Zhang Xuan have to compete with Teacher Lu? Even if the Academic Affairs Office deliberately made things difficult for him and made his teaching qualification incorrect, he hasn’t achieved much in over a year of teaching, has he!”

“Well… that’s true!”

“So there you have it. To tell you the truth, I heard that this guy wanted to become famous and deliberately provoked Teacher Lu. He drove his students to qi deviation, and yet he still has the nerve to propose a teacher evaluation… I really don’t know how thick his skin is!”

……

"That's not what I heard. I heard that this Teacher Zhang Xuan is a man of noble character, having long reached the Cave Mansion realm, and has been keeping it quiet to save the academy's face!"

"I've heard that too. That student who went berserk—it's said he did it on purpose, to help him break through the natural blockage of his meridians."

"That guy is called Zhao Yanfeng. I've met him a few times. Teacher Zhang not only removed his natural barrier but also directly helped him break through. Now he's a second-level martial artist. Out of gratitude, he wanted to re-enter Teacher Zhang's tutelage, which angered Teacher Lu and led to the teacher evaluation."

"Is that so? Really?"

"Of course it's true. This news came from a close friend of mine—absolutely certain."

……

Voices of discussion were everywhere. Some said Zhang Xuan was overestimating himself, others said he was forced into the battle and had no choice.

The matter from the Academic Affairs Office, after Yao Han's deliberate spreading, finally erupted completely. Almost everyone in the academy knew about it.

However, most students chose not to believe it.

After all, Lu Xun's reputation in the academy was too great. Although Zhang Xuan had cleared the false accusation of scoring zero in the teacher qualification exam, it was still difficult for him to establish a lofty image in the hearts of so many students in such a short time.

Zhang Xuan paid no attention to all this.

Anyway, tomorrow's teacher evaluation would reveal everything. Instead of worrying about it here, it was better to help a few students improve their strength quickly.

Soon he arrived at his own classroom.

"Teacher Zhang!"

Zhao Ya and the others were all there, each full of energy, revealing not weak auras.

"Not bad!"

Seeing their state, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Indeed, his efforts had not been in vain.

Whether Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, or Yuan Tao, the strength of all five had undergone a qualitative leap, as if they had become different people compared to half a month ago.

Not only that, but even the auditing students—Wang Tao, Wang Yan, Zhao Yanfeng, and others—had also made considerable progress.

Although he had not lectured much, every word he spoke went straight to the core of cultivation. Listening to his lectures, their understanding of cultivation deepened, and progress became only natural.

"What's that?"

After a word of praise, just as he was about to give individual instruction to help them advance further, Zhang Xuan's eyes suddenly fell on a corner of the classroom.

Several basins were placed to one side, their contents pitch black, unknown what they were.

He clearly remembered that these things had not been in the classroom before.

"Teacher Zhang, it's ink." Wang Ying blushed and said softly.

"Ink?" Zhang Xuan was baffled. "What are these things doing in the classroom?"

He taught cultivation, not cultural subjects; there was no need for ink painting or calligraphy practice. What were these things for?

"Well..."

At his question, all the students looked embarrassed, none of them speaking.

"What's the matter? Is there something to it? Yuan Tao, you speak!"

Seeing their strange attitudes, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"I..."

Unexpectedly called upon by Teacher Zhang, Yuan Tao's face twisted like a bitter gourd. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "It's like this: after Miss Zhao Ya's Pure Yin Constitution awakened, she became even more beautiful. Many students want to court her..."

"Court her?"

Only then did Zhang Xuan notice that after her Pure Yin Constitution awakened, Zhao Ya had indeed been reborn. Both her appearance and temperament had undergone earth-shaking changes. She was no longer the domineering young lady she once was, but a full-fledged beauty.

Her looks even surpassed Shen Biru's by a margin, so it was no wonder other students admired her and came secretly.

"Someone came to find her... but what's the ink for?" Zhang Xuan grew even more puzzled.

Even if Zhao Ya had become prettier and other boys came to harass her, they could be driven away. I believed that within the academy, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

Besides, these students had greatly increased in strength. If anyone dared to cause trouble, they would have been beaten away long ago.

Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and Yuan Tao—these three were clearly not easy to deal with. If someone tried to poach right under their noses, would they calmly reason with them?

"Well... we've basically driven away the students, but..." Yuan Tao scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "But in the past two days, three lecherous old men have been lurking around every day. Judging by their movements and actions, we definitely can't beat them, so we prepared some ink to splash on them! I've heard that ink is especially effective against lewdness. Since they're old and have no sense of propriety, once they're stained with it, they'll surely be too embarrassed to stay..."

"Lecherous old men?" Zhang Xuan was completely baffled. "Are you sure they're not academy teachers?"

"No, I know almost all the academy teachers, and these are definitely not among them. Just look at their lecherous appearance—they're up to no good!" This time it was Zheng Yang who spoke. "I've seen them hiding on the side these past two days, pointing at Zhao Ya and Wang Ying, nodding and smiling from time to time. They're clearly not good people."

"Pointing at Zhao Ya and the others? When did such shameless fellows come to the academy?"

Seeing the students speak with such conviction, not seeming to lie, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Old men pointing at sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girls... indeed, that was quite lecherous.

"How about this!"

After listening to them for a while longer, he also felt that these old men harbored ill intentions. Zhang Xuan nodded. "Be careful. Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, don't go out alone these days. If you encounter those three old men again, you can splash them with ink!"

Since they were old men, they must have some status. It was already shameful for them to openly stalk and peep at young girls. If they were splashed with ink, they would probably feel embarrassed and leave on their own.

Of course, he would spend most of his time at the academy these days. If those fellows dared to come again, he wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.

"Long live Teacher Zhang!"

"I told you Teacher Zhang is wise and understanding, and wouldn't blame us..."

Hearing his approval, the students cheered in unison.

"Alright, enough nonsense. Yuan Tao, come here first. Let me see how your cultivation has progressed recently."

Tomorrow was the teacher evaluation, so today he had to have a unified understanding of the students. At the same time, giving individual guidance might help them improve a bit more.

Even if the improvement was small, it might increase their chances of winning in battle.

Entering the small classroom and closing the door, Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Perform a martial technique."

"Yes!" Yuan Tao nodded and threw a punch. The wind howled, and the momentum was astonishing.

Although his cultivation hadn't improved much and he was still at the mid-stage of Breath Gathering, the first stage of the Martial Artist realm, his strength was formidable. As his fist shot out, a sonic boom filled the air.

"This strength..."

Zhang Xuan was amazed.

Being able to produce a sonic boom with a punch indicated that his strength and defense had reached a high level. With such a punch, it was hard to say whether even a cultivator at the third stage, True Energy, could withstand it, let alone someone of the same level.

"As expected of the Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline. Even if only ten percent is activated, it's still terrifying!"

No wonder special physiques were so renowned—they were truly extraordinary.

Yuan Tao's cultivation was still the weakest among the five students, but his attack power and defense were absolutely formidable.

"Your cultivation is still too poor. When you gather spiritual energy during cultivation, you focus too much on absorption without matching it to your own condition. I'll now teach you a mantra. Memorize it. If you practice it well, even breaking through to the late stage of Breath Gathering today won't be difficult."

After watching for a while, Zhang Xuan said.

As the other punched, a new book had formed in his mind. After reading its contents, he already knew his problems and flaws.

"Yes!" Yuan Tao quickly nodded and focused on memorizing. Before long, he had learned the mantra by heart.

"Alright, call Zhao Ya over."

After instructing Yuan Tao, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Before long, Zhao Ya walked over.

It had to be said, the Pure Yin Physique was truly terrifying. Once activated, it immediately exuded an astonishing aura, giving one the feeling of a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world.

Zhao Ya had always been beautiful, but now she was even more stunning. Every move she made carried an innate grace.

"With this appearance and temperament, if she meets a male classmate, a single smile from her might make him voluntarily concede."

Heaven was indeed unfair. With Zhao Ya looking like this, if her opponent in a match was a boy, he might not even dare to strike.

"Throw a punch for me to see."

"Yes!" Zhao Ya nodded, clenched her delicate fist, and threw a punch.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The room was filled with the sound of wind.

"Your strength..."

A book formed in his mind. Zhang Xuan opened it and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

This... how was it possible?

"What are you doing?"

"How dare you!"

Crash! Boom!

Just as he was about to speak, a loud crash came from the classroom outside, followed by furious roars mixed with angry shouts.

"What's going on?"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan stopped talking and walked out.