Chapter 27: The Maddened Members of the Wang Family

“Alright, that concludes today’s class. Please go back and digest the material we covered. If anything is unclear, you can come ask me individually!” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

“Yes!” the five students replied and exited.

Although the class wasn't long, and someone had tried to disrupt it, they had benefited immensely. It was foreseeable that with continued study and comprehension, their cultivation would surely advance significantly!

Each of the five was filled with excitement. As soon as they stepped out of the room, Wang Tao grabbed his sister, Wang Ying.

“Come, let’s go back to the family!”

“Go back to the family? Brother, why do we need to go back…” Wang Ying was startled.

“Hmph, you didn’t listen to me and actually recognized the academy’s worst teacher as your master. I’ve already told Father about this, and he wants to talk to you personally!” Wang Tao snorted.

The first time he entered the classroom, he was thrown out, and the second time he returned empty-handed. Seeing his sister’s resolve, he knew he couldn’t persuade her. So, he had directly sent Old Liu back to inform the family, intending for his father to dissuade her.

His sister had a simple personality, but she was very obedient to her father’s words.

“Father…” Wang Ying’s face changed with fright.

Their father was Wang Hong, the current patriarch of the Wang family! He was always serious and stern; even as his children, they felt intimidated whenever they saw him.

“Teacher Zhang Xuan isn’t what you say he is; his lectures are very good…” Wang Ying wanted to refute.

“Hmph, tell those words to Father and see if he believes you!” Wang Tao waved his hand, stopped talking, and led his sister out of the academy.

Hongtian Academy and the Wang family were both located in Tianxuan City, not too far apart. In a short time, the siblings walked back to their family estate. Wang Tao brought Wang Ying to their father’s study.

“Enter!” Patriarch Wang Hong’s stern voice rang out.

“Yes!” Wang Ying’s delicate body trembled with fright. Gritting her teeth, she followed closely behind her brother into the room.

Inside the study, Patriarch Wang Hong sat in the center. On either side sat several powerful elders of the clan, and a young man stood to one side. Wang Ying recognized the young man; he was Wang Yan, the Second Elder’s grandson. She and Wang Yan had both attended Hongtian Academy at the same time. Wang Yan had apprenticed under the most renowned Lu Xun, while she had apprenticed under Zhang Xuan, the academy’s least reputable teacher…

“Father!” Seeing the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the study, Wang Ying barely dared to breathe.

“Kneel!” Patriarch Wang Hong’s face darkened. For martial artists, an enlightening master is crucial for cultivation. Before she entered the academy, he had repeatedly instructed her to apprentice under Lu Xun. Yet, this girl… out of all people, why did she have to apprentice under the person ranked last in the entire academy? When he had just heard the news, he had almost died of anger.

*Thud!*

Wang Ying trembled and knelt down.

“Do you know your mistake?” Wang Hong snorted coldly.

“I…”

“Hmph, while choosing a master is a personal freedom, I didn’t want to say anything, but don’t you know Teacher Zhang Xuan’s caliber? He ranked last in the teacher qualification assessment and can even cause people to suffer qi deviation during cultivation. What right does such a person have to be your teacher?” Patriarch Wang Hong’s face was grim. “It’s one thing to be ignorant and go astray, but why are you disobedient? I heard your brother told you to withdraw from his class, and you actually refused? What exactly are you trying to do?”

Patriarch Wang Hong’s voice grew louder and louder, making the entire study reverberate with a low hum.

“I…” Facing her father’s scolding, Wang Ying’s pretty face first flushed pink. A moment later, she gritted her teeth and said, “Father, Teacher Zhang Xuan isn’t as bad as you say. He’s actually a truly talented teacher; he just keeps a low profile. I want to attend his classes, and I won’t withdraw!”

After just one class, she had already benefited greatly. Wang Ying knew that being under Zhang Xuan’s tutelage was a great opportunity for her, and she would definitely regret it for life if she lost this chance.

“A talented teacher? Haha, a genius who scored zero on the teacher qualification assessment?”

“Wang Ying, you should listen to your patriarch’s advice. Don’t be misled by this Zhang Xuan!”

“You should learn from Wang Yan. Even though he only had one class today, his strength has already increased by forty percent! Teacher Lu Xun’s teaching is definitely among the best in the entire academy!”

Hearing the girl’s words, the other elders simultaneously shook their heads and chuckled. Zhang Xuan’s reputation was well-known throughout Tianxuan City. To say he was a talented teacher… what a joke!

“You…” Patriarch Wang Hong was also furious to hear his daughter speak this way. “No matter what you say, you must withdraw from his class today! Otherwise, don’t even think about entering this house again!”

“I refuse!” Although Wang Ying appeared delicate, she had a stubborn streak. She stood up directly and said, “You haven’t even attended Teacher Zhang Xuan’s classes, so how can you say his teaching is bad? Why should I withdraw?”

“Although we haven’t attended his classes, his reputation precedes him. Can the teacher qualification assessment be faked?” an elder said.

“Miss Wang Ying, don’t be stubborn. Many students have already judged the quality of his teaching. Are you the only smart one?” another elder added.

“ I don’t know if the teacher qualification assessment is true or false, but I do know that he cured my legs and guided my cultivation. I can easily increase my strength by more than one hundred percent!” Wang Ying stated.

“Cured your legs? What a joke!”

“Master Yuanyu couldn’t even cure your legs, and you’re saying someone who scored zero on the teacher assessment cured them?”

“Miss Wang Ying, even if you want to lie, at least tell us something plausible…”

The family members were generally aware of Wang Ying’s leg injury. Hearing this, several elders simultaneously snorted in disbelief.

“If you don’t believe me, then watch!”

Seeing that the elders didn’t believe her, Wang Ying didn’t waste any more words. She took two steps to the force-measuring stone pillar directly in front of the study and kicked it.

*Bang!*

The stone pillar shook, and a line of numbers appeared.

205!

“What?”

Upon seeing this, Patriarch Wang Hong’s pupils involuntarily contracted. The elders who had just been scolding her also froze in place, their lips trembling. Wang Ying’s leg injury was something these elders had specifically studied; it was deemed incurable, and she couldn’t exert force. Being able to walk normally was already considered good! Kicking out 205 kilograms? This… How was this possible?

After kicking the stone pillar, Wang Ying didn’t stop. Instead, she spun around and struck it with an aerial punch.

*Buzz!*

The stone pillar displayed a number.

120!

A punch of 120 kilograms!

“You… you’re only at the initial stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. When you left yesterday, weren’t you only able to hit 53 kilograms? How can you hit… 120 kilograms?” Patriarch Wang Hong suddenly stood up, his voice trembling with excitement.

The first level of martial arts, the Qi Gathering Realm, involves gathering inner breath and sensing spiritual energy, allowing one to introspect and precisely control the flow and direction of spiritual energy within the body. At the initial stage, one typically has 50 kilograms of strength; at the middle stage, 70 kilograms; at the late stage, 90 kilograms; and at the peak, 110 kilograms. This refers to the strength a cultivator can lift. A punch force that decreases or increases within this range is considered normal. Normally, an increase of twenty or thirty percent in strength is considered excellent. Even a famous teacher like Lu Xun can only help students improve by forty percent! She hadn’t broken through her cultivation level and was still at the initial stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, yet she could unleash 120 kilograms of force. Her strength had more than doubled, comparable to a peak-stage expert. This was simply too astonishing!

“I progressed exactly because of Teacher Zhang Xuan’s guidance!” After demonstrating, Wang Ying stopped, perfectly calm.

“He guided you just once, and you made such significant progress? And… he even cured your legs?” Patriarch Wang Hong found it hard to believe. He took a few steps to his daughter’s side and, with just one glance, immediately knew that her legs were indeed truly healed! The academy’s worst teacher not only cured an injury that even Master Yuanyu couldn’t heal but also, with a single guidance, caused such a massive increase in her strength. Was this real or fake?

“Can you tell us about the content of his class today? How did he teach?” After a moment of astonishment, Patriarch Wang Hong couldn’t help but ask.

“Okay, Teacher Zhang taught about cultivation techniques today, but it was too profound. I can only remember less than a tenth of it. I’ll tell you what I recall…” Wang Ying hesitated for a moment, then recounted what she still remembered.

“Gathering Breath and Nurturing Qi… A mere Qi Gathering Realm actually involves such profound theories?”

“This… This is truly remarkable! If I had heard such a lecture back then, I wouldn’t be stagnant at this stage, unable to progress!”

“It’s simply a master’s theory; it completely enlightened me…”

Wang Ying had only recited a few sentences when she saw the patriarch and all the elders in the room, utterly dumbfounded, as if enchanted and on the verge of madness. Those who could become patriarchs and elders of a family had high cultivation levels, reaching at least the sixth stage of martial arts, the Aperture Opening Realm. Having cultivated for many years, they had a deeper understanding of cultivation and knew more! Wang Ying’s seemingly innocent recitation, though she didn’t fully comprehend it, sounded like divine music to their ears. Countless previously unsolved mysteries from their own cultivation instantly unraveled, bringing sudden clarity.

“This… this is practically a master… No, these are profound principles that even a master couldn’t explain!” Patriarch Wang Hong’s eyes gleamed, and his breathing quickened with excitement.

“Father, Father?” Seeing her father’s almost frenzied state, Wang Ying couldn’t help but call out.

“Ah? Ying’er, you absolutely must not withdraw from Teacher Zhang’s class! You must study diligently with him…” Snapping out of his dazed state, Patriarch Wang Hong looked at her with a serious expression.

“But, Father just said…” Wang Ying was somewhat unused to her usually rigid father changing his mind so quickly.

“Father just didn’t realize how amazing your Teacher Zhang is! Oh, right…” At this point, Patriarch Wang Hong’s eyes shone with excitement and anticipation. “Ying’er, ask your Teacher Zhang… if he’s still accepting students? Let Wang Yan and Tao’er also study with him… Or, I could even become his student myself…”

“Patriarch, as the head of the Wang family, how can you become a student of a low-ranking academy teacher? If word gets out, how will our Wang family maintain its reputation in Tianxuan City?” Patriarch Wang Hong’s words were cut off by an elder who, with righteous indignation, scolded him. After scolding the patriarch, this elder immediately turned to Wang Ying with a fawning smile: “Look, I’m just an ordinary elder, I don’t represent the Wang family’s face. If absolutely necessary, I can even resign from my elder position. Could you please help me ask if I can apprentice under your Teacher Zhang?”

“…” Wang Tao, Wang Ying, Wang Yan.

“…” Patriarch Wang Hong.