Chapter 221: Coiling Dragon Hand

Silence fell all around.

Everyone felt their pupils contract and their faces turn pale.

Wasn't Teacher Zhang a well-known good-for-nothing?

Wasn't it said that his cultivation was poor and his teaching terrible?

Peak of the Tongxuan Realm... on the verge of breaking through to Half-Step Grandmaster at any moment—with such strength, he could swagger through the entire Tianxuan Kingdom!

This is called poor cultivation? Are you messing with me?

“It seems... the previous rumors were true; he was just keeping a low profile and didn't want to show off...”

“Only with such strength could he teach students like Zhao Ya and Zheng Yang!”

“Peak of the Tongxuan Realm—even the dean doesn't have that kind of strength. A powerhouse like him is only a low-level teacher? The academy must be blind!”

“It's all because Elder Shangchen and the others deliberately suppressed him. Shameless! Someone like him must be fired!”

...

When Zhang Xuan revealed his cultivation, everyone, whether on stage or off, went crazy.

They had thought he was only in the Piqiao Realm, never dreaming that he was at the peak of the Tongxuan Realm, the highest combat power in the Tianxuan Kingdom!

Lu Xun opposite him stiffened all over, his face turning pale.

He had always considered himself a genius, second to none, but never imagined that the person he had been trying to provoke had reached the peak of the Tongxuan Realm before the age of twenty!

Was he even human?

Was he really going to fight one-on-one with such a powerhouse?

Was he out of his mind?

Whether in teaching or cultivation, before the other had even made a move, he was already defeated—and so thoroughly!

“Students bring honor to their teacher, and the teacher is the students' support. Teacher and students complement each other—this is the true teacher-student relationship!”

“This is the realm we hope and strive for. Master Yang is truly remarkable, indeed having a keen eye for talent.”

Seeing this, the three great masters all stood up, their faces flushed with excitement.

Students need good teachers, and teachers need good students.

Does being a good teacher or good student only refer to talent and cultivation?

No, it is a kind of trust, a kind of understanding, and a kind of responsibility.

The students before them would give everything for Teacher Zhang, and Teacher Zhang was their support, able to steady the center and stand firm against any storm.

This is the true teacher-student relationship, the highest realm of teaching.

“Yes!”

Seeing that their teacher no longer dissuaded them and had become their strongest support, Zhao Ya and the others turned around excitedly, once again facing Lu Xun.

“Teacher Lu... make your move!”

“If you want a contest, I, Lu Xun, won't take advantage of you. Let's go to the Teacher Battle Platform!”

Knowing that the contest was inevitable, Lu Xun did not avoid it, clasping his hands behind his back.

There was a special venue for student-teacher contests, called the Teacher Battle Platform, where teachers could suppress their cultivation to match the student's level for combat.

The battle between Zheng Yang and Zhou Tian had taken place there.

“The Teacher Battle Platform? No need. We'll fight right here, and you don't need to suppress your cultivation!”

Yuan Tao smiled and stepped forward.

When he had fought Kong Jie earlier, he had seemed like an ordinary, despicable guy, but now, as he stepped forward, he instantly transformed into a different person. Although his cultivation was still at the late stage of the Juxi Realm, his aura had undergone a earth-shattering change, as if a dragon soaring into the nine heavens.

“Brothers, I'm going first!”

With a roar, Yuan Tao charged at Lu Xun, using no techniques at all—just a wild rush and a fierce ram.

“Could it be... his cultivation was also faked?”

“Impossible! Half a month ago, when he took the assessment, he barely reached the first level of the Martial Artist realm, the early Juxi Realm. Reaching the late stage in such a short time is already terrifying! How could it be a disguise?”

“Even if it's not a disguise, he's definitely not just at the late Juxi Realm. We were all fooled by his despicable demeanor before. To be honest, even if Kong Jie was careless, do you think an ordinary Juxi Realm cultivator could punch him off the contest platform?”

“This...”

Seeing Yuan Tao charge forward first, his aura so drastically changed, showing no fear of Lu Xun, who was in the Piqiao Realm, everyone was in an uproar.

His earlier fight with Kong Jie had led everyone to believe he had no real strength and was just a shameless scoundrel, but now they realized that was far from the truth!

Lu Xun was a Piqiao Realm expert, enough to intimidate even Dingli Realm cultivators, yet Yuan Tao charged straight at him—how could he be simple?

“Hmph!”

Seeing that this guy was the first to rush up, Lu Xun's face darkened, and he flipped his palm to strike down.

To avoid killing anyone, he used only one-tenth of his strength. Even so, with his peak Piqiao Realm power, it was enough to split rocks and shatter a tree trunk as thick as a bowl.

However, such a powerful force landed on the fatty with a “smack,” but instead of stopping him, it only stirred up his bloodlust. He rammed into Lu Xun, his shoulder slamming directly into his chest.

It was neither the “Mountain Collapse” nor the “Lazy Man Leaning on a Tree”—just an ordinary collision, like a wild beast's charge.

Bang!

With a sound like a drumbeat, Lu Xun's face flushed, and he involuntarily stepped back two paces.

"What?"

His pupils contracted.

Others only knew that his true qi cultivation had reached the Acupoint Opening realm, immensely powerful, but they did not know he was even more skilled in physical cultivation.

Obsessed with it, he had once asked his father, Master Lu Chen, to copy all the physical cultivation secrets from the kingdom's library and bring them home.

From this alone, it was clear that his physical cultivation was by no means ordinary. That was why, during the collision just now, he could have dodged but chose not to move.

He had thought it was just a kid with some brute strength; he never dreamed it would be so terrifying.

With just a single collision, despite his own robust physique, he still felt his face flush red and nearly spat blood.

If he were hit like this a few more times, there would be no need to continue the fight!

"A single collision made Teacher Lu retreat?"

"This guy is too terrifying!"

The audience were all cultivators. Although they didn't know the exact force of Yuan Tao's collision, they could see that Teacher Lu's expression had changed, and they were all shocked, jaws dropping to the ground.

Making a peak Acupoint Opening realm expert retreat—how much strength did that require?

An ordinary Cauldron Force realm expert would probably be directly crushed to death!

Kong Jie, who had been knocked unconscious by Yuan Tao's punch, just woke up to see this scene. His face turned pale with fright, and he fainted again, inwardly grateful that the other hadn't used this move on him; otherwise, it wouldn't have been just a simple faint—he would likely be half paralyzed.

"I underestimated you..."

Retreating two steps, steadying his breath, still feeling pain in his chest, Lu Xun narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at the fat youth before him, no longer showing any trace of contempt.

From that single collision, he knew that this guy was stronger than him in both strength and physical defense.

In other words, relying solely on his physical body, killing a Cauldron Force realm expert would be no difficulty at all!

Where did Zhang Xuan find such a freak?

"Heh, there's plenty more you've underestimated!"

Having succeeded with one strike, Yuan Tao chuckled lightly, then shook his body and charged forward again.

"Hmph!"

Seeing him repeat the same trick, Lu Xun no longer overconfident. He gently traced a circle with his palm, and his true qi formed a ring in front of him. When it met the force, Yuan Tao, who was charging, immediately seemed like a fish caught in a whirlpool, staggering as if drunk, circling twice and rushing past him without even touching a hair.

"Coiling Dragon Hand! That's Coiling Dragon Hand..."

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

"What is Coiling Dragon Hand?" someone asked in confusion.

"It's a lost martial technique. It's said that when mastered, it can form a circle of true qi outside the body, blocking all attacks! I thought it was just a legend, but... Teacher Lu actually used it?"

The one in the know had disbelief in his eyes.

"Block all attacks? This... technique is too overpowered!" the previous person gasped.

In battle, being able to block attacks from the outside already puts one in an invincible position.

Terrifying!

The crowd, who had been shocked by Yuan Tao's strength, now turned to look at Lu Xun with solemn expressions.

A worthy reputation leaves no idle boast. This Lu Xun had made such a name for himself at Hongtian Academy, and indeed he lived up to it.

"Indeed!" the knowledgeable person also nodded.

"Blocking all attacks—doesn't that mean no one can break through?" someone in the crowd couldn't help asking.

"Every martial technique has a way to be countered. Although Coiling Dragon Hand is formidable, it hasn't reached the point of invincibility. I've heard that if you concentrate your strength on a single point and exceed the user's power, you can easily break it! That is, if Teacher Lu can now exert 45 cauldrons of strength, to break this move, you must use over 45 cauldrons of force concentrated on one spot."

The knowledgeable person paused, then looked up at Zhao Ya and the others: "Teacher Zhang can certainly break it, but... his students probably can't. Unless someone has comprehended the true intent of a weapon, they could also break it directly, but how could that be possible..."

At this point, he couldn't help shaking his head.

Weapon true intent is something every cultivator dreams of achieving. Countless people strive for it their entire lives without success. The entire Tianxuan Kingdom has hardly heard of it; how could a few students achieve it?

"Exactly!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. That was right. These students were only around Martial Warrior second level. No matter how strong they were, how could they surpass a peak Acupoint Opening realm expert in strength? And how could they comprehend weapon true intent?

It seemed the so-called challenge was just a joke. Once Teacher Lu Xun unleashed Coiling Dragon Hand, his defense was invincible, and he was unbeatable.

"Yuan Tao, you can't hog all the glory. Watch me!"

Just as everyone was convinced, a long cry rang out. Zheng Yang strode forward. Without any obvious movement, the long spear in his hand leaped up like a dragon and thrust straight forward.

It was only one move, but it was upright and grand, pointing directly to the Dao, leaving no room to block or dodge!

Woo woo woo!

The spear moved so fast that the air seemed unable to bear the burden, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

As the spear thrust out, Zheng Yang's aura grew denser and denser. Although he was only at the Martial Warrior second level Dantian realm, he gave the impression of being one with the spear—the man was the spear, and the spear was the man.

Bang!

The spear struck Lu Xun's true qi circle, producing a violent sonic boom.

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp!

Lu Xun's face turned pale, and he retreated a full four steps, his complexion ashen.

Coiling Dragon Hand, broken!

"Spear intent? Is that spear intent?"

Wang Chao suddenly stood up.