Chapter 226: I Lost

The teachers’ exclusive seats were at the front.

Wang Chao sat among them, back ramrod straight, with an arrogant expression, like a long spear poised to pierce the sky.

“It seems Zhang Xuan has given up completely. Others always start with their strongest contenders to boost confidence for those who follow, but he, on the other hand, sent out such a worthless participant right from the start. What is this if not surrender?”

Elder Hong Hao, stroking his beard, was beaming with excitement. After Zhang Xuan exposed the fakes at his Hongtian Pavilion, business had been dismal, almost leading to its closure. He had long wished he could flay Zhang Xuan alive. If he hadn't been afraid that the academy would discover his interference, further ruining his business, he would have certainly acted already.

“A youngster at the late stage of Fighter 1 confronting a Fighter 3... there’s absolutely no comparison!” Wang Chao raised his head, speaking with the heroic air of someone commanding the world: “What’s more, Kong Jie has practiced Iron Palm since childhood. His attack power is incredibly strong; he’s a frenzied attacking type. The opponent will fall off the platform and be defeated on the spot!”

“The late stage of Qi Gathering realm probably has about 90 kg of strength, while the early stage of True Qi realm has 300 kg. That’s more than three times the difference; they’re not on the same level at all. Let alone ten breaths, I doubt they can last three breaths!” Elder Hong Hao chuckled.

“Exactly. If Kong Jie had attacked from the start, that guy would have been defeated in one punch!” Wang Chao nodded. “It seems the first match holds no suspense!”

“Indeed. Forget the first match, I think all five matches will have no suspense. Teacher Lu will definitely win this time, completely ruining Zhang Xuan’s reputation.” Elder Hong Hao scoffed. Having ruined his business, he had long wanted to see Zhang Xuan utterly disgraced. He had specifically sought out Lu Xun before; if he hadn’t fanned the flames, today’s teacher assessment wouldn’t have taken place. As long as Zhang Xuan failed, he had many ways to make him regret everything he had done at Hongtian Pavilion.

Unaware of Hong Hao’s thoughts, Wang Chao simply nodded in acknowledgment. He still had great confidence in Kong Jie. He had helped Lu Xun with his arrangements all night yesterday and knew how terrifyingly strong these five young freshmen truly were. A bunch of guys whose highest attainment was the Dantian realm wanted to win? Wasn’t that just a dream?

Feeling pleased, he looked towards the combat platform directly ahead, watching two freshmen walk towards each other.

“Senior Kong, I beg you, please be merciful...”

The next moment, Yuan Tao’s pleading voice rang out. Hearing this, both Wang Chao and Hong Hao almost spat out their drinks and fainted from laughter. Yuan Tao’s voice was not loud, but as masters with sharp senses, they heard everything clearly.

“He’s scared before even making a move! What’s the point of competing then?!”

“Subduing the enemy without fighting... Teacher Lu’s students are truly impressive...” Elder Hong Hao’s eyes lit up. “See that? The highest level of teaching isn’t about how formidable your students are in combat, but rather, when they appear, the opponent’s students are terrified into submission... This is true strength! This is a true star teacher! You, a low-level teacher, are still worlds away!”

“It looks like this guy will voluntarily concede... huh?” Hearing their conversation, Wang Chao also nodded. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt as if someone had grabbed his throat, his voice caught, almost choking him.

“What’s wrong?”

Preoccupied with his own triumph, Elder Hong Hao hadn’t been watching the platform. Now, hearing Wang Chao’s strange voice, he quickly looked up, and almost spat out a mouthful of old blood at the sight. They saw Yuan Tao, whom they had deemed sure to lose, standing on the combat platform, patting his clothes, looking like an invincible hero. Meanwhile, the powerfully attacking Kong Jie was, at some unknown point, lying below the platform, eyes rolled back, already unconscious.

“What... what happened?” In a match, if one party falls off the platform, it means they lose. Wasn’t everything fine a moment ago? How, in the blink of an eye, was this True Qi realm newcomer, who was planning to show off his might and display his prowess, beaten until his eyes rolled back? The match did indeed end in less than three breaths, but... how could this be the outcome? Elder Hong Hao felt like he was going crazy.

“That idiot...” With a stunned expression, Wang Chao roared, wishing he could beat Kong Jie to death. Your attack power is so strong, your strength is so formidable, why waste words with him? Couldn’t you have just attacked directly? Now look, you didn’t even get to display your Iron Palm before you were beaten beyond recognition...

“You... you ambushed him, that’s cheating!” Zhu Hong roared from the opposite side. Is this how one competes? One moment he was saying he’d concede, the next he threw a punch. Wasn’t that far too un-master-like? However, recalling how he was beaten up when he went to deliver the message, his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. It seemed... none of Teacher Zhang’s students... had any master-like demeanor...

“Ambush? The match had already started; anyone can attack. How can that be called an ambush? If he wanted to make a move on me, I wouldn’t mind!” Too lazy to bother with the opponent’s fuss, Yuan Tao flicked his sleeve, exuding the aura of a master, his eyes full of disdain: “Blame himself; he couldn’t even withstand one punch. He’s too weak!”

“Too weak?”

“Even the strongest would be unable to defend against such an ambush...”

“To speak so brazenly about an ambush... how can one be so shameless?” Hearing his self-righteous words, the corners of the mouths of all the spectators twitched. When others ambush, even if they win, they feel guilty. But this guy, on the other hand, was so self-righteous, acting as if he could conquer anything... What the hell! Where’s your shame?

With his hands behind his back, Yuan Tao asked the referee, “Teacher, does this count as my win?”

The teacher looked around, seeing that Kong Jie had been punched in the head and wouldn’t likely wake up anytime soon. He reluctantly nodded, “Well... a win!” He had refereed the freshman competition for many years, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. If one were to call it an ambush, the match had already started; it was Kong Jie’s own inattention, so he couldn’t blame anyone else for his defeat. But if not an ambush, it was clearly not a normal fight...

“Hmph!” Seeing his first student, who was supposed to have a guaranteed victory, get knocked off the platform as soon as he entered, Lu Xun was almost infuriated to death. He had spent three million to buy pills to boost cultivation, and stayed up all night, consuming countless amounts of true qi to help them break through to the True Qi realm... And all for naught? At least throw a punch or two! If your true strength isn’t as good as the opponent’s, I’d accept that, but to be sent flying without even landing half a move... Lu Xun clutched his chest, his vision blurring. If not for his good self-control, he might have convulsed already.

“Teacher Lu, we lost the first match. What do we do?” Zhu Hong couldn’t help but ask.

Suppressing his heartache, Lu Xun waved his hand. “Mo Xiao, you’re up.”

“Yes!” Mo Xiao nodded, and holding his long spear, walked forward.

“Zheng Yang, you go!” Seeing who the opponent sent out, Zhang Xuan called to Zheng Yang. Zheng Yang nodded, also holding a long spear, and stepped onto the platform. The two friends stood facing each other once more.

Ignoring Zheng Yang, who was about to fight, Zhang Xuan glanced at Yuan Tao who was walking back and nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t that he condoned ambushing, but Yuan Tao was only at the late stage of the Qi Gathering realm, while his opponent was in the True Qi realm, a difference of more than a full major cultivation level. Even if your defense is strong and your attack power isn’t weak, you still need to land a hit on the opponent. If you can’t hit them, it’s all useless. Yuan Tao clearly knew his own shortcomings—his speed couldn’t match the opponent’s—so he intentionally feigned weakness before ambushing. Honestly, if someone lost that way, they couldn’t blame anyone else.

“It’s Mo Xiao! He’s definitely going to win this time!” Having finally suppressed the irritation in his heart, Wang Chao’s eyes lit up when he saw Mo Xiao step onto the platform.

“This is...” Elder Hong Hao, seeing how certain Wang Chao was, looked at him curiously.

“Mo Xiao excels in spear arts, and he was once my student!” Wang Chao nodded. “Not only has his strength reached the True Qi realm, but his understanding of spear arts is also formidable. Most importantly, I taught him three forms of the Wang Clan Spear Art: the third, seventh, and eighteenth!”

“Sudden cold gleam, lingering sunset glow, birds returning to the forest?” Elder Hong Hao’s eyes lit up, still somewhat disbelieving. “Although these three forms aren’t the strongest in the Wang Clan Spear Art, they integrate offense and defense, possessing infinite power. You actually taught him such precious spear techniques?” The Wang Clan Spear Art was the highest secret spear technique in Tianxuan Kingdom. Anyone who studied spear arts yearned to learn it, but Wang Chong and Wang Chao, father and son, never taught it to outsiders. Precisely because of this, this set of spear techniques became increasingly valuable, driving countless people crazy with desire. Ordinarily, learning just one form would make one almost invincible at the same level. Yet he taught three forms in one go, and all of them so powerful?

“Indeed, so Mo Xiao is bound to win!” The confidence on Wang Chao’s face not only fully returned but even intensified, as if the previous defeat no longer affected him at all. It was no wonder. Kong Jie wasn’t his student; he only knew he was strong but wasn’t clear about his personality and other traits. Mo Xiao was different. He had studied under him, possessing a resilient and unyielding character. It would be impossible for Zheng Yang to ambush him. Furthermore, having received his personal instruction, his spear skills were profound, making it difficult for him to lose! Most crucially, Zheng Yang had once wanted to become his student. Wang Chao had seen Zheng Yang’s movements before; his spear art was soft, lacking a direct, forward momentum, and thus he had been rejected. Such a person, in merely half a month or so, no matter how much he improved, couldn’t have become significantly stronger. He was no match for Mo Xiao. It’s said that staff skills take a month, sabre skills a year, but spear skills a lifetime. If spear skills could progress significantly in such a short time, his Wang family wouldn’t be known as the foremost spear arts family in Tianxuan Kingdom. Lu Xun clearly knew this as well, which was why he sent Mo Xiao up, hoping he could secure a clean victory and turn the tide.

On the combat platform, Zheng Yang held his long spear upright, instantly becoming one with it. “Mo Xiao, we meet again!”

“Indeed, we meet again!” Mo Xiao nodded, raising his long spear. The two childhood friends unexpectedly met again on a combat platform, and in such a situation.

Knowing his friend might find it difficult to attack, Zheng Yang spoke first. “Let’s begin!”

“Don’t rush; let me warm up!” Mo Xiao shook his head and took a few steps back. His true qi surged within him, and he flawlessly demonstrated the three spear forms he had learned from Wang Chao. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Spear energy radiated in all directions like a hurricane, making people’s hair stand on end.

“What’s this guy doing? Directly demonstrating three spear forms, isn’t that just telling the opponent he knows the Wang Clan Spear Art? Once they’re prepared, how will he fight?” Seeing Mo Xiao not directly attack but instead perform spear forms as a warm-up, Elder Hong Hao’s face was full of doubt. When fighting someone, it’s best if they don’t know your techniques. Revealing your trump cards before the fight even begins, isn’t that just asking to be prepared against?

“Heh heh, don’t worry!” Wang Chao chuckled, his face full of pride and confidence. “The Wang Clan Spear Art is unbreakable. Its forms have circulated for years, and many have imitated them, but who has truly managed to break them? Mo Xiao is doing exactly right by intentionally letting the opponent see them, creating psychological pressure, and then striking decisively to further the renown of my Wang Clan Spear Art!”

“That... is true!” Elder Hong Hao nodded. The Wang Clan Spear Art had indeed been circulated for a long time. Unfortunately, without the corresponding true qi circulation methods, no matter how perfectly it was imitated, it was useless. Most importantly... it couldn’t be truly broken. If it truly could be broken, Wang Chong wouldn’t have such great renown.

On the combat platform, Mo Xiao had finished his warm-up, perfectly demonstrating the three Wang Clan Spear forms. “Alright, I guess he’s about to demonstrate the Wang Clan Spear Art properly!” Wang Chao smiled again, just about to utter a few words of praise as he eagerly anticipated seeing Zheng Yang utterly defeated, when he saw Mo Xiao’s long spear fall to the ground with a clang, and Mo Xiao himself sighed.

“That one spear move of yours... even if I reached the True Qi realm, I wouldn’t be able to break it. I concede!”

“What?” Wang Chao swayed. They hadn’t even fought yet! What the hell was he conceding for? Even if someone was going to lose, it should be the opponent conceding, shouldn’t it? Damn it, what in the world was happening?

Across the way, Lu Xun also stumbled, almost bursting into tears.