Chapter 232: Panlong Hand

A hush fell over the surroundings. Everyone's pupils constricted, and their faces turned pale.

Wasn't Teacher Zhang known as a good-for-nothing? Didn't they say his cultivation was weak and his teaching was terrible?

Peak Tongxuan Realm... on the verge of breaking through to Half-Step Grandmaster. With such strength, he could walk unimpeded across the entire Tianxuan Kingdom!

And they call this 'poor cultivation'? Are they joking?

"It seems... the previous rumors were true. He was just being low-key and didn't want to show off his abilities."

"Perhaps only someone with this kind of strength could teach students like Zhao Ya and Zheng Yang!"

"Peak Tongxuan Realm? Even the Dean doesn't possess such power! To have such a formidable expert as merely a low-level teacher – the academy must be blind!"

"It must have been Elder Shang Chen and the others deliberately suppressing him. How shameless! Such people must be expelled!"

When Zhang Xuan revealed his cultivation, everyone, both on and off the stage, went wild. They had all assumed he was merely at the Aperture Realm. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine he was at the Peak Tongxuan Realm, the highest combat power in the Tianxuan Kingdom!

Opposite him, Lu Xun stiffened completely, his face turning ashen. He had always prided himself on being a genius, unsurpassed by anyone. He never imagined that the very person he had been trying to provoke had reached the Peak Tongxuan Realm before turning twenty!

Was he even human? And he was about to challenge such a powerful expert to a duel? Had he lost his mind? In both teaching and cultivation, his opponent had won before even making a move, and the defeat was absolute!

"Students bring glory to their teachers, and teachers serve as the students' backing. When teachers and students complement each other, that is the true essence of the teacher-student relationship!"

"This is the ideal state we aspire to. Master Yang is truly impressive; he clearly has a discerning eye for talent."

Witnessing this scene, the three renowned masters all stood up, their faces flushed with excitement. Students need good teachers, and teachers need good students. Do 'good teachers' and 'good students' merely refer to talent and cultivation?

No, it's about trust, tacit understanding, and responsibility. The students before them were willing to give everything for Teacher Zhang, and Teacher Zhang, in turn, was their unwavering support, able to steady them and keep them standing firm against any storm. This was the true teacher-student relationship, the highest realm of teaching.

"Yes!"

Seeing that their teacher was no longer trying to dissuade them and had become their strongest backing, Zhao Ya and the others excitedly turned around, looking once more at Lu Xun.

"Teacher Lu... make your move!"

"If you wish to compete, I, Lu Xun, will not take advantage of you. Let's go to the Teacher Battle Platform!"

Knowing the competition was inevitable, Lu Xun didn't try to avoid it. He clasped his hands behind his back. There was a designated venue for student-teacher competitions, known as the Teacher Battle Platform. In this arena, teachers could suppress their cultivation to match that of their students for a fair fight. Zheng Yang and Zhou Tian's battle had taken place there previously.

"The Teacher Battle Platform? No need. Let's fight right here. You don't need to suppress your cultivation either!"

Yuan Tao smiled, stepping forward. When he fought Kong Jie earlier, he had appeared to be just an ordinary, somewhat disreputable fellow. But now, as he stepped forward, he transformed completely. Although his cultivation remained at the late stage of the Gathering Breath Realm, his aura underwent a dramatic change, like a flood dragon soaring through the nine heavens.

"Brothers, I'm going first!"

With a roar, Yuan Tao charged straight at Lu Xun, using no special moves, just a wild, powerful charge and a forceful collision.

"Could it be... his cultivation was also a disguise?"

"That's impossible! Just over half a month ago, when he took the assessment, he had barely reached the early stage of the Martial Artist First Layer, Gathering Breath Realm. Reaching the late stage in such a short time is already incredible! How could he have been disguising his strength?"

"Even if it wasn't a disguise, he's definitely not just at the late stage of the Gathering Breath Realm. We were all fooled by his unassuming demeanor before. Honestly, even if Kong Jie was careless, do you think an ordinary Gathering Breath Realm practitioner could punch him off the stage?"

"This..."

Seeing Yuan Tao charge forward first, with such a drastic change in his demeanor, and showing no fear whatsoever toward Lu Xun, who was at the Aperture Realm, everyone was in an uproar. His previous fight with Kong Jie had led everyone to believe he had little actual strength and was just a shameless scoundrel. Only now did they realize that was not the case at all! That was an Aperture Realm expert! Even those at the Dingli Realm would be timid facing him, yet Yuan Tao charged directly. How could he be simple?

"Hmph!"

Seeing this person charge first, Lu Xun's face darkened. He flipped his palm and struck downward. To prevent any fatalities, he used only ten percent of his strength. Even so, with his Peak Aperture Realm power, it was enough to shatter stone tablets and destroy tree trunks as thick as a bowl.

However, despite such formidable power, it landed on the fatty with a 'thud!' Instead of stopping him in the slightest, it merely ignited his fighting spirit. He charged forward with his entire body, his shoulder slamming directly into Lu Xun's chest. It wasn't a sophisticated move like 'Mountain Collapse' or 'Lazy Man Leaning on Tree'; it was just a plain, brute force collision, like that of a wild beast. With a sound like a beating drum, Lu Xun's face flushed, and he involuntarily took two steps back.

"What?!" His pupils constricted.

Others only knew that his true qi cultivation had reached the Aperture Realm, making him incredibly powerful. They didn't know that he was even more proficient in body cultivation. Due to his obsession, he had once asked his father, Master Lu Chen, to copy all the body cultivation secrets from the kingdom's library and bring them home. This alone showed that his body cultivation was far from simple. It was precisely because of this that he had remained still during the previous collision, even though he could have easily dodged it. He had thought it was just a young man with some brute strength. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would be so terrifying. Despite his robust physique, that single collision still left his face flushed, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. If he were to be hit like that a few more times, he likely wouldn't need to continue fighting at all!

"Teacher Lu was pushed back by a single collision?!"

"This guy is terrifying!"

The audience below the stage were all cultivators. Although they didn't know the exact force of Yuan Tao's impact, they could see that Teacher Lu's expression had changed. Their jaws dropped in shock. How much strength must it take to make a Peak Aperture Realm expert retreat? An ordinary Dingli Realm expert would probably be instantly killed by such a blow!

Kong Jie, who had been knocked unconscious by Yuan Tao's punch, had just regained consciousness when he witnessed this scene. His face turned pale with fright, and he fainted once more. At the same time, he secretly thanked his lucky stars that his opponent hadn't used that move on him; otherwise, it wouldn't have been a simple unconsciousness but possibly permanent paralysis.

"I underestimated you..."

After retreating two steps and steadying his breathing, still feeling a dull ache in his chest, Lu Xun narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at the fatty before him, no longer showing any trace of contempt. With that single collision, he knew that the man before him was no weaker than himself in terms of both strength and physical defense; in fact, he was likely stronger. In other words, by relying solely on his physical body, he could effortlessly kill a Dingli Realm expert!

When did Zhang Xuan find such a monstrous talent?

"Heh heh, there's a lot more you've underestimated!"

Having landed a successful blow, Yuan Tao chuckled softly, then swayed his body and charged forward again with his full weight.

"Hmph!"

Seeing him try the same trick again, Lu Xun no longer underestimated him. He lightly waved his palm, and a circle of true qi appeared before him. The moment Yuan Tao's force met it, the charging fatty immediately spun like a fish caught in a whirlpool, reeling as if drunk. He swayed in two circles and rushed past Lu Xun without even touching a single hair.

"Coiling Dragon Hand! It's the Coiling Dragon Hand..." Someone in the crowd gasped.

"What is the Coiling Dragon Hand?" someone asked, bewildered.

"It's a lost martial art! It's said that when mastered, it allows one to form a circle of true qi around their body, blocking all attacks! I thought it was just a legend, but I never imagined... Teacher Lu could actually perform it?" The eyes of the knowledgeable person were filled with disbelief.

"Block all attacks? This... this martial art is too incredible!" The previous speaker gasped in astonishment.

In a fight, being able to block all attacks puts one in an invincible position. Terrifying!

The crowd, who had initially been shocked by Yuan Tao's strength, now looked at Lu Xun again, their gazes solemn. A great reputation is never unfounded. Lu Xun's significant renown at Hongtian Academy was indeed well-deserved.

"Indeed!" The knowledgeable person nodded.

"If it blocks all attacks, then surely no one can break it, right?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask.

"Every martial art has a way to be countered. While the Coiling Dragon Hand is formidable, it's not invincible. I've heard that if you concentrate your power at a single point and exceed the wielder's strength, you can easily break through it! In other words, if Teacher Lu can currently exert 45 cauldrons of strength, then to break this move, you'd need to focus over 45 cauldrons of strength on a single point of attack." At this point, the knowledgeable person 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 Weapons, they could also break through it directly, but how could that be possible..." He shook his head involuntarily.

The True Intent of Weapons is something cultivators dream of achieving, yet countless individuals dedicate their entire lives to it without success. It's almost unheard of throughout the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, so how could a few students possibly achieve it?

"Indeed!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. They were right; these students only had the strength of approximately Martial Artist Second Layer. No matter how strong they were, how could they possibly surpass a Peak Aperture Realm expert in terms of power? And how could they comprehend the True Intent of Weapons? It seemed the so-called challenge was nothing but a joke. With Teacher Lu Xun's Coiling Dragon Hand displayed, his defense was invincible, making him unassailable.

"Yuan Tao, you can't hog all the limelight! Watch this!"

Just as everyone settled on this conclusion, a long cry echoed, and Zheng Yang strode out. Without much fanfare, the long spear in his hand leapt like a flood dragon, thrusting straight forward. It was only a single move, yet it was dignified and grand, directly pointing to the Great Dao, making it impossible to resist or dodge!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The spear was so fast that the very air seemed unable to bear the pressure, as if it could shatter at any moment. As the spear thrust out, Zheng Yang's entire aura intensified. Despite only being at the Martial Artist Second Layer, Dantian Realm, he gave off a feeling of man and spear becoming one – the man was the spear, and the spear was the man.

The long spear struck Lu Xun's true qi circle, unleashing a violent sonic boom. Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Lu Xun's face turned pale. He retreated a full four steps, his face as white as a sheet of paper.

The Coiling Dragon Hand was broken!

"Spear Intent? Is that Spear Intent?!"

Wang Chao abruptly stood up.