Chapter 342: Three Sentences

In the classroom.

Mu Xueqing stared intently ahead, her eyes unblinking. She had expected Teacher Liu to say something when she was allowed in, but he merely stood to the side, continuing to instruct other students.

“When you cultivate, do you feel a blockage as your True Qi flows through your chest?” Teacher Liu approached a young man and asked calmly.

“Yes!” The young man, full of surprise, still nodded.

“The cultivation technique you first practiced was the Heaven Martial Basic Art, which isn't inherently problematic. However, when you attempted to break through to the True Qi Realm, you targeted the wrong meridian, leading to partial paralysis. Is that correct?”

“Yes…” The young man clenched his fist and nodded. It was true, though it had happened two years ago, and his teacher had already helped resolve it.

“Later, you switched to the Four-Stream True Martial Art. While this technique is slightly more gentle than the former and did alleviate your paralysis, it was merely a temporary fix, actually worsening your hidden underlying issues!” Teacher Liu looked at him calmly: “Listen to me, switch to the East Fire Art now!”

“The East Fire Art?” Mu Xueqing’s mouth twitched. It was a notoriously violent cultivation technique at Heaven Martial Academy. Normal cultivators practiced it with extreme caution, fearing any mistake. For someone with existing issues, practicing this would be akin to seeking death.

“I…” The young man also seemed to realize something was wrong, his expression hesitant.

“Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong!” Teacher Liu waved his hand dismissively.

“Alright!” Gritting his teeth, the young man nodded.

The East Fire Art wasn't a rare technique; copies were available in the classroom. He had seen it before, so he retrieved a copy, quickly flipped through it, and began to cultivate. As True Qi circulated within him, the young man’s face flushed then paled, as if enduring uncontrollable pain. Just as Mu Xueqing thought he surely couldn't bear it and would suffer a cultivation deviation, his aura suddenly shifted.

Boom!

A burst of True Qi sounded, and the young man’s aura shot skyward.

“He… he broke through?” Her lips trembling, Mu Xueqing’s delicate body quivered. The other students also stared, their eyes wide as gongs, in disbelief. As classmates who spent every day together, they knew the young man’s situation very well. He had been stuck at his current realm for over half a year without any progress. His previous teacher had tried many methods, and even she had asked her father to buy a precious pill… but nothing had worked. According to the previous teacher, he could only rely on his own willpower and make gradual progress, needing at least two years to improve… yet, this Teacher Liu simply had him switch a cultivation technique, and he broke through immediately…

Could it be this exaggerated?

“It's not a blockage of strength, but a problem with your True Qi…” Ignoring everyone’s shock, Teacher Liu, as if having done something trivial, looked towards the next student not far away.

About ten minutes later, that student’s aura shifted, their strength rapidly increased, and with a “Boom!”, they broke through their limitations and successfully advanced.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In less than two hours, almost all the students in the room had made significant progress in their cultivation. This Teacher Liu, standing before them, was like an immortal who could turn stone into gold, casually offering a few pointers to correctly identify and resolve problems in cultivation.

Her face pale, Mu Xueqing’s entire body felt stiff as wood. This scene was truly astonishing. Anyone with a weak heart might go mad on the spot. Her father was a two-star alchemist with a high status, and she had often met many celebrity teachers, and even master teachers! Yet, even master teachers weren't this formidable, casually guiding students to all break through… This was beyond imagination.

“How can he be so powerful? He might… already rival Master Zhang…” Swallowing hard, the girl’s attitude completely changed. Before, hearing about this teacher physically punishing students, she had been angry, even annoyed. Now, seeing him casually guide everyone to break through, she understood that he was definitely an extraordinarily capable teacher. He was even on par with her idol, Master Teacher Zhang Xuan.

Where did the academy recruit such a prodigy? Glancing at the other students, Mu Xueqing trembled again. The students’ gazes towards Teacher Liu had also changed, now filled with admiration and conviction. It seemed that even if she spoke up again, asking them to oppose him, they likely wouldn't listen anymore. In less than two hours that morning, he had gained more trust from everyone than she commanded… Even witnessing it firsthand, it felt like she was going crazy.

“You’re next!” Ignoring Mu Xueqing, who was shocked to the point of wanting to scream, Zhang Xuan looked at a young man not far from him. This was the last student in the class, Lu Chong, a Warrior Fifth Realm, Initial Strength realm practitioner. Seeing the teacher approach, the young man remained silent, simply cupping his fists and standing quietly.

“Teacher Liu, Lu Chong doesn’t like to talk…” Meng Tao quickly came forward.

“Hmm! I heard that his cultivation and family background are quite ordinary, and he was admitted exceptionally after kneeling outside the academy for seven days and seven nights?” Remembering the description in the academy’s records, Zhang Xuan said. Most students in this class had strong backgrounds, but this Lu Chong’s origins and family background were unclear, written very vaguely. The only record was that he had knelt outside for seven days and seven nights to become a disciple.

“Yes!” Meng Tao nodded.

“To kneel for so long just to become a disciple shows a certain resolve, but cultivation cannot rely solely on resolve!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. This student was definitely the most enduring in the entire class. Unfortunately, after two years of training, he had only progressed from the Initial Skin and Bone Realm to the Initial Strength Realm, advancing only one major level.

“The cultivation technique you are currently practicing is the Frigid Martial Art, isn't it?” He remarked, then continued to look at Lu Chong.

The young man nodded, still silent.

“Teacher Liu, please don't mind. He's always like this. We've been together for two years, and I’ve heard him speak no more than three sentences in total…” Seeing that the young man still didn't speak, Meng Tao felt a bit awkward and added again.

“Oh? No more than three sentences in two years?” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly: “I can make him speak more than three sentences right now!”

Meng Tao was startled, and everyone else was filled with disbelief. Even Mu Xueqing, standing to the side, couldn't help but shake her head. This Lu Chong was no different from a mute. Even to her, a famous beauty at Heaven Martial Academy, he had never uttered a word. When the previous teacher taught, he would just do what was asked, not a single word would come out. If they didn't know he could speak, they would have thought he was a mute. He couldn't speak three sentences in two years, and now he was going to make him speak more? How was that possible!

“Don't believe it?” Sensing their doubt, Zhang Xuan looked at the young man before him: “You don’t believe it either?”

Lu Chong remained silent.

“Alright then…” Undaunted, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, his hands clasped behind his back: “With your current cultivation method, you won't be able to break through to the Aperture Realm in ten years. You probably won't be able to… get your revenge in this lifetime!”

“Revenge?” Everyone was stunned. How did the conversation suddenly shift to revenge? In the two years they had known Lu Chong, they had never heard of him having an enemy! While they were wondering, they saw the perpetually silent, mute-like young man’s face turn pale, his body trembling slightly: “H-how does Teacher know I want revenge?”

“You don't need to know how I know! Hatred suppressed in your heart can be a driving force, but it can also be an obstacle. Right now, you're suppressing your feelings too much, which will only shackle your cultivation and make breakthroughs difficult! I know you don't speak because you're afraid you might blurt out your enemy’s name and suffer retaliation.” Zhang Xuan’s expression was calm: “Don't worry, as long as you trust me, I guarantee you can get your revenge within ten days!”

“Ten days?” Lu Chong’s eyes were full of disbelief: “My enemy… is a Transcendent Realm expert…” He was only at the Initial Strength Realm, while his enemy was at the Transcendent Realm. Two major realms apart, it was simply impossible to overcome. Forget ten days, it wouldn't be possible even in three or five more years!

“You can believe it or not; the choice is yours! However… you only get one chance!” Zhang Xuan said.

“I…” Lu Chong’s face was filled with conflict. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth, his knees buckled, and with a *thud!*, he knelt on the ground. “Please, Teacher Liu, teach me…”

“That’s three sentences…” Hearing their conversation, everyone went crazy.

***

Near the Master Teacher Pavilion, a spacious residence.

“Master Liu, when will Teacher return after finishing his two-star master teacher examination?” Zhao Ya couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know either. I inquired at the Master Teacher Pavilion this morning, and they said he had already left for a trial in the Royal City. It will probably take at least ten days!” Recalling the Master Teacher Pavilion’s reply, Liu Ling said.

“That long…” Zhao Ya’s delicate brows furrowed into a knot.

“Ten-plus days isn't too long or too short, depending on how you look at it. How about this, I’ll take you to see Heaven Martial Royal City, it’ll be good exposure for you!” Seeing Zhao Ya and the others looking glum, Liu Ling smiled.

“Exposure? Great! Where are we going?” Yuan Tao’s eyes lit up. Heaven Martial Royal City far surpassed any city in the Tianxuan Kingdom. He had long wanted to explore, so he couldn't hold back his excitement upon hearing this.

“How about this, I’ll take you to Heaven Martial Academy first. It’s the highest educational institution among the surrounding thirteen kingdoms, a sacred place for cultivation. Master teachers from the Master Teacher Pavilion also regularly go there to teach. It might benefit your cultivation to see it!” Liu Ling thought for a moment and said.

“Master teachers teach there?”

“The highest institution?”

“Anyway, Master Zhang won’t be back for more than ten days, so there’s no harm in going to see it!” Hearing about Heaven Martial Academy, master teachers teaching, and a sacred cultivation ground, everyone’s hearts stirred.

“What’s more, I heard that Heaven Martial Academy has an excellent academic atmosphere. If you want to attend a particular teacher’s class, you can just walk right in without prior registration. Go listen, learning from various masters will definitely be beneficial!” Liu Ling smiled.

“Great!” Hearing that they could just walk in and attend any class, everyone nodded excitedly.

Without further delay, Zhao Ya and the others set off towards Heaven Martial Academy.