Chapter 22: Zhao Ya's Cause of Illness

Although Liu Yang had received guidance from Zhang Xuan, he didn't believe the latter possessed real skill; he thought it was just luck. After all, merely swapping the sides for a punch routine wasn't much of a technique. Consequently, deep down, he still looked down on this teacher and didn't care much for him.

"Teacher!" Liu Yang said. Entering the room, he cupped his fist at Zhang Xuan, his tone lacking much respect.

"I've seen the martial arts you practice!" Seemingly unfazed by Liu Yang's disrespect, Zhang Xuan continued, "It's quite impressive that you've mastered the Lesser Accomplishment of the Flying Flower Fist and the Greater Accomplishment of the Inch Dragon Fist at such a young age!"

"What? You... how did you know I practiced... the Inch Dragon Fist?" Hearing this, Liu Yang, who had been completely unconcerned moments before, nearly fainted from shock.

By all accounts, his cultivation level was too low; he should have focused on cultivation techniques, and if he practiced martial arts, it should have been common ones like the Flying Flower Fist, not the Inch Dragon Fist! The Inch Dragon Fist, a Mortal-tier Low-Grade martial art, was far more powerful than the Flying Flower Fist! To increase his strength, he had secretly practiced this fist technique without his family's knowledge! Since achieving Lesser Accomplishment, he had never demonstrated it in front of anyone. The technique he had shown Zhang Xuan earlier was only the Flying Flower Fist. Yet, Zhang Xuan had instantly declared that he practiced the Inch Dragon Fist, and that he had even reached Greater Accomplishment... How could he have known?

"There are traces of the Inch Dragon Fist in your Flying Flower Fist!" Zhang Xuan, of course, couldn't reveal it was due to the library, so he lied without batting an eyelid.

"That can be seen..." Liu Yang found it hard to believe. These two fist techniques had absolutely no connection. He had performed them before Teacher Cao Xiong, who hadn't noticed anything. Yet, this academy's worst teacher had seen through it at a glance. Was it real or fake?

As he pondered his doubts, he heard the teacher's voice speak again. "Although the Inch Dragon Fist you practice has reached the Greater Accomplishment realm and its power is not weak, don't you feel a dull ache in your armpit and an itch in your *Jianjing* acupoint every time you practice?"

"This, this..." Liu Yang stumbled back several steps, his eyes wide with terror as if he had seen a ghost. It wasn't that what the other party said was wrong; it was too accurate! It was as if Zhang Xuan had personally witnessed him practicing.

"You... how did you know?" Liu Yang asked, his face pale.

"It's simple, you've been practicing incorrectly!" Zhang Xuan said. "If you continue, I can guarantee that within three years, your entire arm will suffer from muscle necrosis, beyond saving even by immortals! Actually, you don't even need three years. Don't you already feel stiffness when you sleep at night, often accompanied by spasms?"

"I..." Liu Yang trembled. He indeed experienced these symptoms, but he had simply assumed he was overtraining and hadn't paid it any mind. He never dreamed it was because he was practicing the Inch Dragon Fist incorrectly!

"The Inch Dragon Fist, with its emphasis on 'inch power,' requires the body to be like a dragon," Zhang Xuan explained. "If you had reached the Fighter 4-dan Skin-Bone Realm, with true qi nourishing your muscles, practicing this martial art would have no ill effects. But you are currently only at the Gathering Breath Realm, and your body is too weak! Forcibly practicing this martial art will only injure your body, and over time, the injuries will worsen! This is also why, even though you're not left-handed, your left hand is stronger than your right: your right hand has suffered significant damage from practicing the Inch Dragon Fist. If you don't stop now, you will become permanently crippled!"

"Teacher, save me..." At that moment, all of Liu Yang's earlier arrogance vanished, and his knees buckled as he fell to the ground.

If he had felt proud just moments ago, he now understood completely: this teacher before him was undoubtedly a master, a master among masters! Everything Zhang Xuan said perfectly matched his condition. He hadn't paid much attention before it was pointed out, but now that it was, he immediately realized everything was correct! Before such an exalted master, what right did he have to be proud? It was ridiculous that he had previously thought taking Zhang Xuan as his teacher would be a disadvantage... Only now did he realize how incredibly fortunate he was!

Before formally becoming Cao Xiong's student, he had also met several famous teachers at the academy and demonstrated his skills, but none of them had detected that he practiced the Inch Dragon Fist, let alone the injury to his right arm!

"First, stop practicing the Inch Dragon Fist and focus on improving your cultivation. I will find a way to help you resolve the old injuries!" Zhang Xuan said. "Alright, now go call Zhao Ya over!"

"Yes, Teacher!" Liu Yang nodded hurriedly, not daring to say another word, and quickly walked out.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and Yuan Tao all turn to look at him.

"Did you drop the class?" Yuan Tao eagerly asked.

"Drop it? Why would I drop it?" Liu Yang waved his hand, speaking with righteous indignation and not a hint of a blush. "A teacher for a day is a father for life! I, Liu Yang, would never drop a class. What kind of person do you take me for? Am I that fickle? I really don't understand what you people are thinking, constantly wanting to drop things. Have you no shame?"

Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and Yuan Tao were speechless. Shameless, utterly shameless! Even more so than them! Just moments ago, he was vehemently declaring he would drop out, yet in the blink of an eye, he had become like this. How thick could his skin be?

...

"This teacher... might actually have some skill!" Zhao Ya muttered to herself as she pushed the door open, observing the stark difference in the two students' attitudes before and after entering.

In truth, Uncle Yao Han's words hadn't entirely swayed her, but the fact that Zhang Xuan had instantly identified her "symptom" gave her hope. After all, that particular condition was too embarrassing to speak of, and she couldn't let too many people know about it.

"Have a seat!" Upon entering the room, she saw Teacher Zhang sitting upright in his spot.

"Teacher, you said... you could help me with my condition..." Zhao Ya's pretty face flushed.

"Mm-hmm!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Your condition is quite simple..."

In truth, Zhao Ya's problem was not difficult to resolve. It wasn't that she had contracted some grave illness; rather, she possessed the Pure Yin Body, a physique that countless women only dreamed of. Her body's yin energy was incredibly potent. If guided correctly, her cultivation would undoubtedly yield double the results with half the effort, progressing by leaps and bounds!

Unfortunately, no one in White Jade City had discovered this, and they had even chosen a Yin-attributed cultivation technique for her! While this technique was indeed an excellent secret manual for other women, for Zhao Ya, with her Pure Yin Body, it was simply adding fuel to the fire.

The accumulated yin qi in her body continued to increase. While it wasn't noticeable in her youth, as her body matured and her feminine characteristics became more prominent, it became increasingly difficult to suppress. If not treated promptly, allowing it to continue could lead to her losing control and an insatiable desire. It was precisely because of this that she experienced that awkward sensation.

"This..." Zhao Ya was stunned.

She didn't know she possessed a Pure Yin Body, and even her father was unaware! However, it was true that she practiced a Pure Yin cultivation technique! Could it really be because of this?

"Although the White Jade Maiden Technique is powerful, it's not suitable for you," Zhang Xuan explained. "To completely resolve this issue, you'll need to switch to a different cultivation technique!"

"You... how did you know I practiced the White Jade Maiden Technique?" Zhao Ya was startled.

This cultivation technique was a heritage of White Jade City; almost no one outside the Bai Clan knew about it. Even Yao Han, the chief steward at her door, wasn't fully aware. Yet, this teacher before her had instantly named it. Zhao Ya was filled with disbelief.

"If I can discern your condition, it's natural that I can also discern the cultivation technique you practice!" Zhang Xuan said, glancing at a forty-five-degree angle, maintaining an air of profound mystery.

"Switching cultivation techniques will solve it? Then... what kind of technique should I practice?" Suppressing the shock in her heart, Zhao Ya couldn't help but ask.

"You should cultivate a technique that can unearth your true physique, not one that accumulates yin energy!" Zhang Xuan said. "How about this, tomorrow I'll go to the academy's library and search for a suitable one for you!"

"Thank you, Teacher!" Zhao Ya quickly nodded. Although the problem wasn't solved today, she now knew its root cause, and an uncontrollable surge of excitement filled her heart.

"Mm-hmm!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Go call Zheng Yang over now!"

While Zhang Xuan was giving individual guidance to his students inside the room, a tall young man strode outside the classroom.

"Old Liu, is what you said true?" the tall young man asked the elder behind him as they walked.

"Reporting to Young Master, it is absolutely true," Old Liu said, nodding repeatedly. "Miss... she really acknowledged this Teacher Zhang Xuan as her master!"

If Zhang Xuan had been there, he would surely have recognized Old Liu as the person who tried to help Wang Ying withdraw from class yesterday. Old Liu addressed the young man as "Young Master," indicating that this youth was likely Wang Ying's elder brother, Wang Tao, a renowned genius of Hongtian Academy and a student of an elder!

"Zhang Xuan? What right does this fellow, who scored zero on the teacher qualification exam, have to teach my sister? Despicable!" Wang Tao roared furiously as he advanced. "If I don't give him a good beating today and make him understand the price of deceiving my sister, then I'm not Wang Tao!"