Chapter 1540: Make Me Your Student (Part 2)

“You’ve… finished learning?” Master Yang asked, looking over anxiously, as if afraid he’d misheard.

You took the jade token, didn’t do anything with it, didn’t even channel any true energy into it, and then said, “I’ve finished learning.” What did that even mean?

Besides, this move, the Severed Sun Finger, was profound and difficult to comprehend. Even for Master Yang, who was encountering it for the first time, it took nearly half an hour to read through and understand. To claim mastery moments after receiving it, before he had even finished speaking, was it true or false?

“Since it’s your martial art, you can suppress your cultivation and use the same move to spar with me. Then we’ll know!”

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

“Alright!”

Seeing the young man so confident, seemingly unafraid of his identity or strength, Master Yang nodded.

The young man was right; the best way to test someone’s mastery of a martial art was through a spar!

Only by being able to execute it flawlessly in combat could one truly claim mastery.

*Boom!*

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s confidence, Master Yang took a deep breath. The next moment, his cultivation immediately dropped, becoming identical to Zhang Xuan’s, at the initial stage of the Void-Realm!

“I’ll begin…”

He raised his index and middle fingers, and a force slowly rotated at their tips, forming a massive vortex in the blink of an eye.

Within the vortex, power roared incessantly, as if it could tear space apart.

“Hm!”

Zhang Xuan acknowledged him, making no other movement, simply pointing a finger forward.

His fingertip had neither a vortex nor true energy, and his movement was as slow as an old ox plowing a field.

Master Yang had initially intended to point out that the move was incorrect, but the moment he saw the finger approach, his pupils involuntarily constricted. Unable to speak, he met it with the storm of power from his own finger.

*Boom!*

Their fingertips collided. In the blink of an eye, the vortex dissipated without a trace. The next moment, Master Yang felt as if he had been struck by an immense force, involuntarily retreating seven or eight steps. His internal power layers were unsealed one by one until he recovered to the peak of the Void-Realm before he finally stopped.

“You…”

Suppressing the surging blood and qi within him, Master Yang’s face was filled with shock.

The finger technique Zhang Xuan had just used initially didn’t seem much like the Severed Sun Finger, but the moment it was executed, Master Yang realized it was a complete transformation of the original. Most critically, despite changing the attack method and the path of true energy circulation, its power hadn’t weakened; instead, it had nearly doubled!

Furthermore, with a single point, it enveloped the opponent’s entire body, even severing the true energy within them!

Such power, even if trained to its peak using the original cultivation method, could not achieve this.

“You’re not hurt, are you…?”

Zhang Xuan looked a little embarrassed.

“No!”

Master Yang shook his head, no longer able to restrain himself: “You modified this finger technique… and even mastered it?”

Through the spar, he understood that Zhang Xuan had not only mastered it but had also modified it. How… how was this possible?

In just a few minutes, Zhang Xuan had not only learned the technique after reading it but also modified it… Even seeing it with his own eyes, Master Yang felt like he was dreaming!

Could there truly be such a formidable expert in this world?

“The purpose of martial arts is to better utilize true energy and allow the practitioner to unleash their greatest power, not to kill! The Severed Sun Finger, with its ability to sever the ‘yang,’ is too overbearing and goes against the harmony of nature. So, I took the liberty of modifying it. Its goal is now to interrupt the opponent’s true energy circulation, which neither kills them nor makes them feel outmatched…”

Zhang Xuan explained.

This Severed Sun Finger was indeed powerful and a deadly move against enemies, but its consumption of true energy, essence, qi, and spirit was simply too great. If one failed to hit the opponent with a single strike, they might be left vulnerable.

By incorporating various finger techniques, this flaw was fully compensated.

“Interrupting an opponent’s true energy certainly results in less killing, but… if you face the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, sparing their lives might lead to them killing you. Often, a single moment of indecision can bring endless disaster!”

Master Yang looked at him.

While killing moves and fatal techniques might go against the harmony of nature, it also depended on who they were used against.

One naturally couldn’t use them against fellow master teachers, but when battling members of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, holding back even slightly could give the opponent an opening, potentially leading to one’s own passive situation or even death.

Such incidents were commonplace.

Years ago, when he and his teacher first entered the underground lair, a moment of mercy prevented them from delivering a fatal blow. As a result, his teacher was attacked and nearly perished.

He had regretted that incident for a long time, and it served as a bitter lesson. While sparring with friends, one could show mercy, but against enemies, one must use any means necessary; otherwise, the consequences would be endless.

“Indeed, one cannot show mercy when fighting the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Then the move you just used lacked lethal power…”

Master Yang was puzzled.

Knowing this situation, why would Zhang Xuan still modify the move in such a way?

“Oh, when I sparred with you just now, I only used thirty percent of my power. That’s why it seemed so controlled. If I used my full strength, its power would be quite impressive!”

Understanding Master Yang’s meaning, Zhang Xuan smiled.

“Thirty percent?”

Master Yang’s body swayed, and he felt his mind on the verge of exploding. “You said… you only used thirty percent of your power?”

Thirty percent of his power had forced Master Yang, who was at the same cultivation level, to retreat seven or eight steps continuously, and only stopped when his cultivation returned to the Void-Realm peak…

Was he sure he wasn’t joking?

“Yes, and this is what it looks like with full power…”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan gently flipped his palm, and his finger once again pointed forward.

This time, the movement was even slower than before, but in that instant, Master Yang felt as if the entire world was collapsing. Even with his Void-Realm peak power, a sense of despair surged through him; there was no way to dodge.

*Crack! Crack!*

Daring not to hesitate, he swiftly unlocked his cultivation, returning to the initial stage of the Universe-Spatial Realm, Saint 9-dan, in the blink of an eye. Only then did he feel the pressure lessen considerably.

He flipped his finger and met the attack.

The opponent’s power surged like a tide, as if it would shatter the meridians within him and crush his spirit, leaving him utterly without the strength to resist.

He retreated more than a dozen steps again, his blood and qi boiling, gasping for breath, his face ashen, filled with disbelief.

He was one of the strongest experts of his time. Even when suppressing his cultivation, those who could defeat him at the same level were few. Yet, this person, after only a few minutes of learning his move, was able to push him back even when he was a major realm higher…

How terrifying was that!

Could there truly be such an exceptional individual in this world, who could learn a technique instantly, master it immediately, and even improve upon it on their own?

“The power’s not bad, right!”

Seeing Master Yang stop, Zhang Xuan smiled.

“It is…”

Forcing himself to calm the shock in his heart, Master Yang exhaled and looked at Zhang Xuan with shining eyes. “Since you don’t have a teacher… would you be willing to truly take me as your master?”

The fact that Zhang Xuan had impersonated his student indicated a desire to join his tutelage. Previously, Master Yang had been indifferent, but witnessing such talent with his own eyes, his heart was now filled with eagerness, and he could no longer hold back.

If he truly took on such a student, his own reputation would become even more glorious in the future, reaching unprecedented heights.