Chapter 1352: Guiding Chen Leyao

No matter how precious a treasure is, it cannot compare to the improvement of one's own cultivation. If I could break through to the Domain Realm right now, not to mention selling these Ice Spirit Liquids, even giving them away would be a tremendous gain.

"Good!"

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan was about to ask the other party to punch him and offer some pointers when he heard a quiet voice.

"Brother Zhang!"

He looked up and saw a young man standing before him, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

"Zhang Zhuo?"

He frowned.

It was none other than Zhang Zhuo, Zhang Yunfeng's cousin who had rescued him after the entrance exam, and ranked 31st in the Elite Class.

"Yesterday, I mentioned getting a chance to experience your remarkable skills, Brother Zhang. Now that Teacher Fei has allowed free interaction, it's a perfect opportunity. I hope you'll not hesitate to guide me!" Zhang Zhuo clasped his fists, his attitude respectful. He didn't show any arrogance despite being from the Zhang clan.

"Free interaction?"

Zhang Xuan looked up and only then realized that while he was talking with Chen Leyao, Teacher Fei had already finished the introduction and allowed all the students to interact freely and get to know each other. As geniuses of the Saint Son Hall, there were many ways to interact, and sparring was one of the most common methods.

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

The opponent wanting to spar was actually not a big deal; even if he was a genius ranked 31st, defeating him wouldn't be much of a problem for Zhang Xuan. However... after continuously performing "One Sword Rending the Sea" twice, his internal *zhenqi* was completely depleted. Although he had recovered some in the past half-day, it was still far from enough to fight against an expert of this caliber.

"What? Brother Zhang is afraid?" Zhang Zhuo's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone playful.

With so many new students watching yesterday, if members of the Zhang clan kept challenging him, it would damage his reputation. Now that the Elite Class students were all present, it was a good opportunity to curb his arrogance and make him understand that the Zhang clan, a colossal family, was not to be easily offended by just anyone!

"It's just a spar, what's there to be afraid of? I'm just worried about striking too hard and crippling you... which might harm the friendship between classmates!"

Although his *zhenqi* was completely exhausted, he had many methods at his disposal, and defeating someone at the early stage of the Domain Realm was still quite simple. At worst, he could release his clone... but that fellow was too fierce and difficult to control. If he crippled this person, it would be a bit awkward.

"You..." Zhang Zhuo's face darkened, and he gestured with his hand. "Since you dare, then let's begin!" With that, he was the first to leap into the center of the hall.

"Very well!" Seeing the other party's insistence, Zhang Xuan could only nod. He stood up, and just as he was about to enter the arena, he saw Chen Leyao blocking his path.

"Teacher Zhang, your *zhenqi* must be completely depleted, right?" The girl transmitted her voice.

"You can tell?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

He hadn't told her his *zhenqi* was depleted, nor had he shown any signs of it, yet she could tell, which surprised him.

"When you were speaking just now, all your acupoints were open, constantly absorbing spiritual energy to condense *zhenqi*. Anyone can see that your internal *zhenqi* is lacking!" Chen Leyao explained. "How can you fight in this state? How about this, I'll help you decline. Even if he's from the Zhang clan, surely he'll give me some face if I personally say it..."

For cultivators, *zhenqi* is fundamental. Although their spiritual essence plays a significant role at their current cultivation level, attacking without *zhenqi* is like a tiger without claws; no matter how formidable their strength, it would be useless.

"Directly refusing such a challenge might lead to ridicule!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. If it were anyone else, admitting defeat wouldn't be a big deal, but he was facing the Zhang clan... He was already looking for an opportunity to give them a good beating, so declining now would be such a waste!

"But in your current condition, you definitely can't fight!" Chen Leyao was somewhat anxious. It wasn't that she had any special feelings for the young man in front of her, but he was the Young Palace Master's teacher, and since he was with her, nothing could possibly go wrong. Otherwise, if the Young Palace Master blamed her, she wouldn't be able to bear it.

"This..." Frowning, Zhang Xuan knew that in his current situation, he could only rely on other methods. He was considering whether to make an excuse to change clothes when an idea suddenly struck him. "How about... you fight for me!"

"Me?" Chen Leyao was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head. "I passed the assessment and entered the Elite Class because of a secret technique I used. In reality, my own strength isn't particularly high. If I were to fight him... I wouldn't stand a chance!"

She was only at the peak of the Leaving Aperture realm, considered an expert in the eyes of others, but she was still far behind the Zhang clan genius before her. In a real battle, she would undoubtedly lose.

"Who says you don't stand a chance?" Zhang Xuan smiled and said no more. Instead, he looked up at Zhang Zhuo in the center of the hall. "Brother Zhang wants to spar with me, and I shouldn't refuse. However, I'm currently at a crucial point in my cultivation and it's not convenient for me to fight... How about this: let Chen Leyao fight in my stead, and I'll give pointers from the side. If Brother Zhang can defeat her... I'll count it as my loss, no problem!"

"Crucial point?" Zhang Zhuo snorted. He could tell this was clearly an excuse. Yesterday, he broke through to the Leaving Aperture realm in front of so many people; could he possibly break through again today? Even boasting should have its limits!

But he wanted to decline? It wouldn't be that easy! He had specifically inquired about the incidents involving Zhang Qian and Zhang Yunfeng yesterday, and the root cause was this Chen Leyao. Since she wanted to step forward, teaching her a lesson wouldn't be a big deal. He knew the girl's strength was far inferior; if he really wanted to fight, he could easily defeat her in less than three moves.

"Fairy Leyao, are you going to stand up for him?" Thinking this, he snorted and looked at the girl.

"I..." Chen Leyao's eyebrow twitched. She only wanted to prevent Teacher Zhang from getting hurt and never expected to be dragged into a fight as a stand-in. However, the conversation between the two was quite loud, drawing everyone's attention, so she couldn't decline now even if she wanted to.

"Indeed, if you wish to spar with Teacher Zhang, you'll have to get past me first!" She gritted her teeth and said.

"Very well, then allow me to experience the Ice Palace's remarkable skills!" Zhang Zhuo snorted, his figure flickered, and he rushed forward. His five fingers, like a large bowl, gently flipped and pressed down.

This move was not a martial technique and seemed quite simple, but the moment his palm inverted, it locked down the surrounding space, making escape difficult and forcing one to resist with full force.

Chen Leyao's pupils contracted. Her strength was not much different from Zhang Qian's before his breakthrough, and she wasn't even a match for Zhang Yunfeng, let alone the more highly cultivated Zhang Zhuo. The moment the opponent's palm descended, she immediately felt half of her internal *zhenqi* solidify, making it impossible to counterattack.

"Move half a step to the left, join your fingers to form a sword, and thrust to the right!" Unsure how to counter, she heard a faint voice in her ear. It was Teacher Zhang.

"It can only be this way..." Knowing there was no better option, she slid her foot and pointed her palm forward.

*Clack!* As she moved, Zhang Zhuo's inverted palm seemed to strike empty space, emitting a crisp sound. At the same moment, her fingertip precisely pierced a flaw in his attack, forcing him to defend.

"It must be a coincidence!" Zhang Zhuo hastily retracted his palm and took a step back.

"Left hand, 'Sword Roaming the Sea'; right hand, 'Dragon Soaring Across the Land'!" Zhang Xuan's voice continued.

Originally, she thought she couldn't win, but seeing how one move, guided by Zhang Xuan's words, forced Zhang Zhuo back, Chen Leyao's confidence instantly soared. Without hesitation, she separated her hands, unleashing a sword technique and a palm technique, both whistling forward. Her strength wasn't particularly great, falling far short of Zhang Zhuo's, but by simultaneously executing both moves, she instantly cut off his offensive routes, leaving him with only passive defense.

Zhang Zhuo knew he couldn't attack; even if he tried, he would be injured, so he retreated again.

"Kui Star Footwork, 'Three Yangs Chasing Water'!" Zhang Xuan continued.

Without any further doubt, Chen Leyao's feet shifted, executing the Kui Star Footwork. Her fingers repeatedly pointed out, as if drawing a triangle in the air, her *zhenqi* chasing the three Yang meridians within her opponent's body. This move didn't seem profound, but with precise timing, it was as if she knew his martial technique in advance, directly locking onto his qi and blood, interrupting his *zhenqi* circulation. Zhang Zhuo was so stifled he almost vomited blood.

"Peculiar..." he muttered again, his body leapt backward.

"What is Zhang Zhuo doing?"

"Chen Leyao's moves are so simple, aren't they? Why doesn't he block them, instead of just retreating?"

"Simple? How can you tell they're simple? Look at the direction of her finger strikes: if Zhang Zhuo counters, he'll be directly hit in the Chi Sea acupoint; if he attacks forward, he'll be kicked in the Ziyang acupoint by her foot; if he moves left, his shoulder will be struck at the Huaihai acupoint; if he tries to escape right, he'll face an even more intense attack. Every single move he makes is restricted. If it were me, I'd retreat too..."

"This..."

The battle drew the attention of everyone in the room. At first, they were dismissive, but then their faces showed surprise, some finding it hard to believe. They were all descendants of powerful families and influential forces, familiar with each other's backgrounds. Under normal circumstances, Chen Leyao's strength wouldn't allow her to withstand even three moves, yet now she had forced Zhang Zhuo to retreat for three consecutive moves without being able to retaliate... Were Zhang Xuan's casual pointers really that miraculous?

"Interesting!" Zhang Xu, leaning against a table on one side, watched the scene in the arena, a slight smile playing on his lips. Initially, he wasn't very interested in a spar of this level, but when this scene unfolded, he couldn't help but take a closer look. To defeat a stronger opponent, one needs impeccable timing in combat and a clear understanding of the opponent's moves... For Zhang Xuan to achieve this by merely giving pointers, without personally stepping into the fight, even Zhang Xu found it unbelievable.

*Thump, thump, thump, thump!* Amidst the bewildered gazes of the onlookers, the two exchanged more than ten moves. Zhang Zhuo couldn't even block a single one, continuously retreating until his back hit the room's wall.

"Damn it..." His face was livid. More than ten moves, and he hadn't even managed a single counterattack, leaving him on the verge of exploding with rage. "Since it's come to this, don't blame me for not being gentle with women!" Knowing he could retreat no further, Zhang Zhuo's eyes narrowed, and a fierce power immediately surged within him.