Chapter 236: Still Not Calling Me Uncle

“I lost? Not yet!” Seeing the long spear before him, Lu Xun felt a surge of intense humiliation. With a roar and gritted teeth, he lunged forward.

“Huh?” Zheng Yang was momentarily stunned, not expecting Lu Xun to charge directly at his spear tip. Instinctively, he flinched his arm back.

This retraction cost Zheng Yang the initiative. Lu Xun planted his foot, sprang up, and employed the Nine Palace Illusion Steps. He seemed to transform into a phantom, appearing before Zheng Yang in an instant and crashing into him with his entire body. He was currently held tightly by Yuan Tao, his hands locked, leaving him only this move.

*Bang! Poof!* Zheng Yang had no defense, having expected Lu Xun to yield, especially with the spear already at his neck. He was struck in the chest, his face flushed, and he spurted blood, simultaneously sent flying backward.

“How shameless...” “How can a prestigious star teacher of the academy act like this?” “Outrageous...” Seeing Lu Xun refuse to concede, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar.

“Unforgivable!” Seeing that he had already lost but still resisted, even injuring Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya’s pretty face flushed with anger. Her figure flickered, and she appeared before him. With a flip of her delicate hand, a long sword materialized in her palm.

She had studied swordsmanship since childhood and was skilled with a sword. She hadn't used it during the group attack, but now, seeing her once-revered Teacher Lu commit such a shameless act, she could no longer hold back. The long sword soared through the air, as ethereal as a painting. It was the Sunset Sword Art, evoking a surging river and a blazing sunset!

“Hmph!” With his hands still restrained, Lu Xun snorted coldly. His body lunged, and he kicked at the sword's blade.

His reaction was instantaneous and perfect in every aspect. Unfortunately, he had underestimated Yuan Tao, who was holding him from behind. Zheng Yang’s injury had ignited Yuan Tao’s fighting spirit, and he let out a roar.

“Get down here!” Yuan Tao’s chubby body seemed to transform into a heavy stone. Just as Lu Xun had lunged up, he was pulled ceaselessly downward.

With this downward pull, not only could he not kick the long sword, but he would also lose his balance and potentially be impaled through the chest.

“Ah!” The sudden turn of events evidently caught Lu Xun off guard. His pupils constricted; it was too late to dodge. Just as a life-threatening injury was imminent, a figure abruptly appeared between them, flicking a finger lightly.

With a ringing sound, the long sword in Zhao Ya’s hand became impossible to hold. It flew straight out and embedded itself diagonally in the ground not far away.

“Teacher!” Having her long sword knocked away, Zhao Ya was about to flare up. But upon recognizing the person, she immediately clasped her fists in respect. It was Zhang Xuan.

He saw that both sides were furious, and if he didn't intervene, something serious was bound to happen today. After disarming Zhao Ya, he went to Zheng Yang and infused a stream of *zhenqi* into him. Finding that the injury was not severe and would heal quickly with some elixirs and cultivation, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to Yuan Tao: “You can let go now!”

“Yes!” Yuan Tao finally released his locked grip and sat down on the ground. Although he had only held onto Lu Xun motionlessly for a long time, he was actually the most exhausted, worked the hardest, and sustained the most severe injuries among the five. If not for his activated Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline providing invincible defense, he would have likely succumbed to the intense attacks and fainted long ago.

“Teacher…” After a brief moment to recover, the five students, dragging their weary bodies, came forward. Though they were out of strength, their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Before the battle, they hadn't expected to win, but the outcome was surprisingly good. To have beaten a prestigious star teacher so badly filled them with pride, regardless. They had thought they were avenging their teacher and showcasing what they had learned over the past half-month, expecting a few words of praise. Instead, they saw Teacher Zhang’s face, grim and terrifying, with anger swirling in his eyes.

“Teacher…” Seeing him like this, Zheng Yang and the others were full of questions.

“Do you think I should praise you?” Zhang Xuan looked at them, his gaze like a gathering storm.

“We…” The five students scratched their heads.

“I thought that by deliberately keeping it from me, you’d be practicing some powerful combined attack formation. Come on, all of you, tell me, what kind of rubbish was that?” Zhang Xuan roared, his face showing deep disappointment and frustration.

“This formation isn’t good?” “This is considered one of Tianxuan Kingdom’s top combined attack formations, isn’t it?” Hearing the reason for his anger, everyone was stunned.

This combined attack formation was already considered top-tier even in Tianxuan Kingdom. After all, using it, one Martial Artist Fifth-realm and four Second-realm cultivators had defeated a Peak Aperture Opening realm expert—an absolutely heaven-defying feat. Yet, he was still not satisfied? And called it “rubbish”?

Lu Xun, who had just managed to relax on the side, felt his chest tighten. He nearly couldn’t control his injuries and almost spurted blood. Is he kidding? This combined attack formation nearly made him lose his life, and he’s still not satisfied?

“What? Disagree? Very well, I’ll start from the first move. When Yuan Tao charged Teacher Lu, if Zheng Yang had attacked from this position, using the spear technique I taught you to block, the power would have doubled compared to a direct assault. Liu Yang, if you had thrown your punch here, crouching three inches, it would have created a perfect blind spot for evasion, making it impossible for him to dodge. And Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, were you asleep? If you had stood in those two positions respectively, do you think he could have escaped?”

Ignoring everyone’s astonishment, Zhang Xuan flicked his sleeve and casually drew the combined attack formation on the ground, pointing out several spots. Lu Xun had initially been puzzled, but upon seeing the points he indicated, his face suddenly changed, instantly turning ashen.

The other party was right. If those individuals had taken the positions he described and attacked simultaneously, even he wouldn’t have been able to dodge; he would have been hit by at least three moves simultaneously. These youngsters made him spit blood with just one move; three consecutive moves would have been unbearable even at his peak.

Ignoring his trembling, Zhang Xuan continued to speak, his finger pointing again.

“For the second move, when Yuan Tao embraced Teacher Lu, that was the best opportunity. If Liu Yang had attacked here, Wang Ying had acted three breaths later, and Zhao Ya hadn’t hesitated, sealing his escape route on the seventh breath, would any of you have been injured? Not a single one of you would have been hurt, and he would have conceded!”

The more Zhang Xuan spoke, the angrier he became. These youngsters were truly reckless. He had thought they had learned some powerful combined attack formation, which would have put his mind at ease. But instead, it was full of flaws. What kind of nonsense was this? Was this even a combined attack formation?

If only these guys had asked for his guidance beforehand, not a single one of them would have been injured today. Moreover, they could have beaten Lu Xun like a dead dog. Instead, he still had the energy to resist and adamantly refused to concede! And several of them ended up injured and in such a sorry state!

“This… this…” Hearing his explanation, Lu Xun felt a chill run through him. Others might find it hard to grasp the implications of his pointers, but as the one directly engaged in battle with these students, he understood the terrifying nature of Zhang Xuan’s casual remarks.

If those individuals had truly done as he said, the result would have been exactly as he described: no one would have been injured, and he himself would have been beaten to a pulp. Could it be that this Zhang Xuan also understood formations? Battles change in an instant, so rapidly, yet he could see the flaws in their combined attack formation at a glance and propose optimal adjustments… Was this real? How did he do it?

Lu Xun’s lips were dry, and his body trembled. He had initially thought the students’ coordination in the fight against him was excellent. He never imagined there were so many flaws, so many problems.

And once these issues were addressed, even with his Aperture Opening realm cultivation, he wouldn’t be able to resist! A truly powerful combined attack formation wasn’t merely one plus one equals two; it equaled three, or even four.

Yuan Tao, adept at defense, was the sturdiest shield. Zheng Yang’s long spear attack was the sharpest arrow. Zhao Ya commanded from the center, employing a myriad of techniques. Wang Ying’s movement technique was profound, allowing her to weave back and forth. Liu Yang’s fist power was invincible, striking with broad, open movements…

According to their previous combined attack formation, the five of them could only exert a power level of seven or eight at most. But if they followed Teacher Zhang’s guidance, they could absolutely unleash a power of ten, even twenty! Such power might not even be resistible by someone at the early Spirit Convergence realm, let alone him, a Peak Aperture Opening realm cultivator! Terrifying!

“Amazing! Though just a few short sentences, they fully captured the essence of formations. Could this Master Alchemist Zhang also possess extensive knowledge of formations?” Liu Ling, having witnessed all of Zhang Xuan’s pointers, was filled with disbelief.

Both Formation Masters and Alchemists were among the most prominent professions in the Upper Nine Streams, each profound and mysterious. Becoming a recognized alchemist at his age was already remarkable; did he also understand formations?

“Have you understood everything I’ve said?” Ignoring the stunned silence around him, Zhang Xuan finished reprimanding the five students and looked around.

“Yes!” The five bowed their heads, their faces flushed with shame. This combined attack formation was brought by Zhao Ya, hailing from White Jade City’s top tier. They had thought it flawless and incredibly powerful, never dreaming it had so many weaknesses.

However, with Teacher Zhang’s guidance and their recent practical battle, they now understood it deeply. If they were to employ it again, they would do so with much greater ease.

“Good, then!” Having lectured them, Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and slowly began to walk away. “Since you’ve learned it, go back and fight him again! Didn’t Teacher Lu refuse to concede? Beat him until he does!”

“Huh?” “Fight him again?” The five students swayed simultaneously, nearly spitting blood. They thought they were ruthless enough, but they never imagined Teacher Zhang was even more so…

“You…” Lu Xun felt his vision go black.

*Damn it*, you came over, stopped them, gave pointers on the formation, and after all that, it wasn’t because you thought they were doing poorly, but because you wanted to play me to death…

He stood up, just about to speak, when a hurried voice came from afar. “Master Zhang, please spare this lad just this once, for my sake!”

Turning his head, he saw Master Lu Chen striding toward them.

“Father…” Seeing his father, who was usually detached from worldly affairs, come forward to speak on his behalf at this moment, Lu Xun’s fists tightened, and his face flushed. He had left home wanting to prove to his father that he could make a new life for himself without his help. He never dreamed that his father would witness him in such a pathetic state.

“You scoundrel, kneel down!” Master Lu Chen’s face showed deep disappointment. With a wave of his hand, he pointed at Zhang Xuan: “Now, call him Uncle!”