Chapter 235: Beating Lu Xun (Part 2)

He was sent flying backward over ten meters, landing heavily on the ground. The powerful impact created a large crater. Yuan Tao, who was still clinging to him from behind, absorbed nearly eighty percent of the impact. Even so, he didn't let go, maintaining a firm lock.

"What kind of fighting style is this?"

"Is he crazy? He'll die doing this..."

"No, his defense is extremely strong. Even Teacher Lu Xun, with all his power, would need a lot of time to break through it. And clearly, Zhao Ya and the others aren't going to give him that time."

Everyone's mouths twitched, seeing Yuan Tao cling on so tightly, seemingly indifferent to life or death.

"It's just a competition, does he need to fight so desperately?"

"In this situation, if Lu Xun were to lose control, Yuan Tao could actually be beaten to death!"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

While everyone was still reeling in shock, Lu Xun wasn't idle. His elbows relentlessly hammered Yuan Tao's chest, each blow carrying his full power, causing Yuan Tao's face to grow paler and paler. Although he possessed the Dragon Rhino bloodline, he had only activated one-tenth of it. While defending against cultivators at the Peak Force realm wasn't a major issue, he was somewhat outmatched when facing Lu Xun, a Peak Aperture Opening realm expert with unparalleled physical strength and power.

"Quickly, now!"

Enduring the intense pain, Yuan Tao gritted his teeth and roared.

*Whoosh!*

Before his voice had even faded, a long spear had already ripped through the air. Zheng Yang had missed earlier, but now, with everything on the line, he unleashed the full extent of his Heaven's Path Spear Art. The spear, amplified by his spear intent, shot forward like a meteor, aiming directly at Lu Xun.

"Damn it!"

His pupils constricted once more, and Lu Xun abruptly retreated. Even so, a line of blood still emerged from his chest where the spear had left a wound.

"Stop right there!"

Immediately after, a figure flashed, and Zhao Ya reappeared before him. With a flip of her palm, she struck out as if the sky itself was falling, and the earth was collapsing. It was the martial art Skyfall, enveloping all directions with a might that shook the very ground.

Among Zhang Xuan's five students, it was not Wang Ying but Zhao Ya who possessed the best innate conditions. Her father was the City Lord of White Jade City, a regional overlord whose status was second only to Emperor Shen Zhui. All kinds of martial arts and resources were at her disposal, and Skyfall was one of White Jade City's strongest offensive techniques. Previously, her cultivation had been too low to practice it. However, with her Pure Yin Physique now activated and her cultivation reaching the Peak Force realm—making her significantly stronger than ordinary teachers—she was naturally able to cultivate and unleash this formidable technique. As expected of White Jade City's renowned ultimate attack, even before it landed, the chilling cold energy froze everything around them.

"Hmph!"

With his hands still restrained and unable to defend, Lu Xun showed no panic. His vital energy surged, and he suddenly spun half a circle on the spot, positioning Yuan Tao in front of him, effectively using him as a human shield. If Zhao Ya continued her attack, Skyfall would inevitably strike her companion.

"Teacher Lu Xun... he's completely abandoned all dignity!"

"Indeed, fighting against his own students, and he's actually using one as a human shield! How shameless!"

"In fact, this incident clearly shows that these students have indeed put significant pressure on him, otherwise he would never have acted so shamelessly, disregarding his reputation."

"Teacher Lu Xun, who ranks first or second among the academy elders with his Peak Aperture Opening realm strength, is actually being pushed to such an extent by five new students who have only been learning for half a month! It's terrifying!"

"It will be difficult for Zhao Ya and the others to win now. With Yuan Tao as a human shield, they're hesitant to attack, fearing to harm him. And if Yuan Tao were to let go, Teacher Lu Xun's speed and movement techniques would make it impossible for them to catch him."

Some sharp-eyed observers immediately grasped the predicament. Previously, Teacher Lu had been mindful of his status and couldn't employ all his techniques. But now, pushed to the brink, he directly used Yuan Tao as a human shield. This left the students in a dilemma—they couldn't attack, yet they couldn't refrain from attacking either—and they were once again at a disadvantage.

"Look quickly, Zhao Ya hasn't stopped her attack..."

Just when everyone thought the situation was hopeless, Zhao Ya's Skyfall, without the slightest hesitation, landed directly on Yuan Tao. It was like striking straw or leather; there wasn't much sound. It seemed Zhao Ya had withdrawn her power at the last moment, and only her bare palm made contact with Yuan Tao.

"It seems she withdrew her strength; otherwise, Yuan Tao, being attacked from both sides, definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand it!"

Someone remarked, but before his words even faded, an exclamation rang out.

"No, look at Teacher Lu Xun!"

Everyone quickly looked towards Teacher Lu. Upon seeing him, their pupils all constricted in shock. They saw Teacher Lu, still held by Yuan Tao, involuntarily tremble under Zhao Ya's palm strike, his face turning pale. It was clear that the attack, which had seemingly landed on Yuan Tao, had actually struck Lu Xun.

"It's a variation of Skyfall—Skyfall Impact!"

City Lord Zhao Feng suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Skyfall Impact can injure from a distance," he muttered, "but it's incredibly complex to cultivate. It doesn't just demand enduring all sorts of pain; more importantly, to master it from scratch, one needs to perform nearly a hundred thousand strikes... Xiao Ya, with her activated physique, actually managed to master it in just four days! What kind of suffering did she... endure these past few days?"

Injuring from a distance is extremely difficult to master; even with immense talent, it requires ceaseless exploration and practice, day in and day out. By the most conservative estimates, this move requires a hundred thousand repetitions to achieve any level of success. One hundred thousand repetitions in just four days? What exactly had his daughter gone through? And what had made her persevere? After all, repeating such monotonous movements in such a short time—even he, in his youth, had almost failed to endure it, let alone a girl of only sixteen or seventeen.

"Victory!"

Yao Han, standing nearby, his eyes reddening, spoke. He had witnessed the young lady's hardships these past few days and knew exactly what she had endured. In the past, she hadn't been diligent in her cultivation, even being somewhat half-hearted. Otherwise, in the esteemed City Lord's Manor, with its wealth of profound martial arts, cultivation techniques, and expert guidance, she wouldn't have been stuck at Martial Artist 1st Layer at sixteen or seventeen years old, even if her unique physique made progress difficult. He had thought the young lady wouldn't be able to persevere in cultivating such a high-difficulty martial art as Skyfall. He never dreamed that she not only persevered but also far exceeded all expectations.

"Victory?" City Lord Zhao Feng turned his gaze.

"Yes, she desires victory for Teacher Zhang, because these children... they refuse to lose!"

"Refuse to lose?"

These simple words made City Lord Zhao Feng look at the five students again, his expression growing increasingly solemn. As a City Lord and a seasoned cultivator, he understood the immense difficulty of cultivation. He naturally grasped the kind of suffering these five teenagers, who had only just started cultivating a mere half-month ago, must have endured to fight an esteemed star teacher to a standstill, even forcing him to abandon all dignity.

"What magic does this Teacher Zhang possess that he can cause such a transformation in Xiao Ya, and make these students so united and trusting of each other?"

Looking again at Teacher Zhang not far away, City Lord Zhao Feng's eyes were filled with profound respect. He knew his own daughter very well; such a profound transformation in just half a month was clearly attributable to Teacher Zhang's influence. Furthermore, what these students called a formation, though crude, was executed with incredible coordination. For instance, Zhao Ya's Skyfall Impact hadn't yet reached its peak mastery. If Yuan Tao had resisted, it might not have injured Lu Xun but harmed Yuan Tao himself instead. To face such a powerful attack without any defense—how much trust did that require?

The stunned onlookers were silent. Lu Xun, hidden behind Yuan Tao, had turned green in the face and was completely frantic. He had thought these youngsters only had one trick up their sleeves. He never dreamed they possessed so many abilities, and what's more, they were utterly reckless with their lives, caring for nothing but defeating him.

Forcibly enduring the icy chill throughout his body, Lu Xun retreated once more. Before he had even taken two steps back, a figure flashed before his eyes: another girl had appeared.

It was Wang Ying!

Wang Ying, at this moment, had shed the shyness she displayed when fighting Du Lei. Instead, she exuded determination and an unyielding spirit. She launched a kick. With Wang Ying in front and Zhao Ya behind, Lu Xun could no longer dodge. His vital energy surged, and all his muscles tensed. Kicked squarely in the chest, Lu Xun felt a powerful force strike him. His chest tightened, and he was sent flying backward once more. The power of that kick exceeded imagination. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he wouldn't have dared to believe that such a seemingly delicate girl could unleash such formidable offensive power. No wonder Du Lei had been sent flying by a kick and almost died; the leg technique this girl cultivated was indeed unparalleled throughout history, truly astonishing.

*Thud!*

Falling to the ground once more, Lu Xun's chest felt constricted. Having been struck several times in quick succession, even with his invincible defense and immense strength, he was beginning to struggle. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face ashen. He had thought they were just a few students he could easily handle; he never dreamed they would push him to such a miserable state.

"Let go of me!"

Realizing he had been continuously attacked for so long, unable to even defend himself, simply because Yuan Tao clung to him, Lu Xun's eyes narrowed. With a roar, his vital energy gathered at the top of his head, and he violently rammed Yuan Tao. As their heads collided, Yuan Tao felt his head spin, and blood spurted from his forehead. His defense was formidable, but it could only withstand attacks from the Peak Force realm. The opponent's concentrated vital energy, combined with a physical body no weaker than his own, inflicted a significant injury with just one blow.

"You want to break free from me? Dream on! I'll never let go, not even in death!"

His head swimming and his face covered in blood, Yuan Tao became even more tenacious. With a roar, the strength in his arms didn't loosen in the slightest; instead, it became even firmer, like a vice, making it difficult for Lu Xun to breathe.

"Damn it, aren't you afraid to die?" Lu Xun seethed. "If I keep ramming you like this, you'll die..."

Seeing Yuan Tao still refuse to let go, Lu Xun was exasperated. With his formidable attacking power, even if Yuan Tao's defense wasn't weak, if he truly continued ramming him, he could definitely beat him to death... Was this guy truly not afraid of death?

Stunned, and contemplating whether to ram Yuan Tao to death, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound like wind cutting through skin, followed by a violent surge of energy piercing straight towards him. A long spear stopped right before his throat. Zheng Yang had been waiting all along. Seeing Lu Xun's concentration waver, his Heaven's Path Spear Art, combined with his spear intent, brought the weapon right before Lu Xun in the blink of an eye, ready to pierce his throat at any moment. The spear was poised like an arrow, ready to strike at any moment. Zheng Yang stood tall and straight, his eyes sharp as lightning.

"Teacher Lu... you've lost!"