Chapter 356: Lu Chong's Great Revenge (Part 1)

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. He picked up a long saber again and lightly swung it. Just like with the sword, a pristine white saber glow formed, emanating an imposing aura. It also carved a deep fissure into the ground.

“As expected of moves that integrate advanced martial arts, they are far more powerful than the previous Heaven’s Path Divine Fist and Heaven’s Path Spear Art!” Feeling the might of the sword qi and saber qi, Zhang Xuan nodded.

After consolidating for a while and becoming thoroughly familiar with them, he finally sighed in relief and smiled slightly. “If I simplify this set of sword arts and saber arts and teach them to Zhao Ya and Mu Xueqing, they should be able to easily defeat anyone they fight!”

Although he didn’t know who Zhao Ya’s opponent was, since her disadvantage lay in her martial arts, as long as she learned this sword art, no matter how strong her opponent was, they certainly wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Zhang Xuan didn’t believe there was any martial art in Tianwu Kingdom that could surpass what he had created.

As for Mu Xueqing, she hadn’t said anything, but she might have also been injured in a conflict with someone else. Teaching her this set of saber arts would be more than enough for self-defense, making it difficult for any opponent to resist.

Mu Xueqing returned to her residence. Recalling the events of the day, it still felt like a dream. Even after personally witnessing Teacher Liu’s various methods, she still found it hard to believe. Casual guidance leading to breakthroughs for all her classmates, effortlessly resolving the pill toxins in her body, and vowing to give Lu Chong the strength to defeat a Tongxuan realm expert within ten days… Even some accomplished master teachers couldn’t compare to this.

Walking into the living room, she stretched lazily, about to go back and rest, when she saw her father approach with an excited expression.

“Qing’er, you’re back! That’s wonderful!”

“What’s wrong, Father?” Her father, Master Alchemist Mu, was always composed. Why was he looking like this now?

“You’re saved!” Master Alchemist Mu’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Saved?” Mu Xueqing was confused. She wasn’t dying, nor was she sick. What did “saved” mean?

“You’ve been taking pills for years during your cultivation. Although you progressed quickly, due to your constitution and cultivation technique, a lot of pill toxins accumulated in your body, affecting your future progress! I only discovered this last year… it was already too late.”

Master Alchemist Mu looked at her apologetically. “To help you eliminate this hidden danger, I specifically went to the Physicians’ Guild and had your condition meticulously recorded. The result… even the people at the Physicians’ Guild had no solutions! Guild Leader Mu Hong was powerless, even marking it as a ‘difficult and complicated illness’…”

“I originally thought your condition would be very difficult to cure, but who would have thought… today, a formidable physician emerged and perfectly resolved all the problems on the ‘Wall of Difficulties’ in one go! That means… the pill toxins in your body can be cured…”

Master Alchemist Mu’s eyes shone. He had realized his daughter had pill toxins too late and had always felt guilty, searching everywhere for a cure. Now knowing that the Physicians’ Guild’s new guild leader could easily solve it, his excitement was uncontrollable.

“Pill toxins?” Mu Xueqing blinked, about to say that the pill toxins in her body had already been completely resolved, when she heard her father’s words continue.

“You have no idea what a genius this new guild leader is! He directly cleared the Physicians’ Guild’s ‘Wall of Difficulties,’ successively solving nineteen difficult and complicated illnesses, providing perfect prescriptions for each. The last one even made it hard for four-star and five-star physicians to determine the outcome…”

While exclaiming, Master Alchemist Mu shook his head. Even hearing it firsthand, he found it incredible. If it weren’t for his friends at the Physicians’ Guild swearing it was true, he would have doubted the news.

“Oh, right, I heard… this new guild leader is a teacher at your school. Can you help me inquire about him tomorrow? I want to prepare beforehand, pay him a proper visit, and ask for a treatment method for you…”

After expressing his awe, Master Alchemist Mu looked at her.

“The academy has such a formidable teacher? What’s his name? How have I never heard of him?” Mu Xueqing looked at him with doubt. She had also heard of the Physicians’ Guild’s ‘Wall of Difficulties’. Solving nineteen ailments perfectly in one go was truly defying the heavens! The stir it created probably wasn’t any less than that caused by Master Teacher Zhang Xuan. She basically knew all the teachers at the academy, and had gauged their abilities. When did such a powerful one appear? If there were one, he should have been famous long ago!

“He seems to be…” Master Alchemist Mu hesitated. “Named Liu…”

“Named Liu?” Mu Xueqing’s heart skipped a beat. Remembering something, she stared intently, her face flushing slightly with nervousness. “He… he wouldn’t happen to be Liu Cheng, would he?” Teacher Liu’s name had been introduced the moment he entered the classroom, and she remembered it clearly.

“That’s right, Liu Cheng. It seems he was just recruited by Tianwu Academy…” Recalling what his friend told him, Master Alchemist Mu nodded.

“Liu Cheng…” Her beautiful eyes widened instantly, like lanterns. Mu Xueqing looked as if she had seen a ghost. This teacher of hers was actually a physician? And he had resolved nineteen difficult illnesses in one go, becoming the Guild Leader of the Physicians’ Guild? Although she had guessed a little in her heart just now, hearing her father confirm it, she still found it hard to believe.

“You know this teacher? That’s wonderful! I’ll go visit him tomorrow and ask him to help you resolve the pill toxins in your body…” Unaware of his daughter’s shock, Master Alchemist Mu continued excitedly.

“There’s no need to visit him… He’s already helped me resolve the pill toxins in my body…” After a moment, finally digesting the news, Mu Xueqing shook her head with a bitter smile.

“Helped you resolve it?” Master Alchemist Mu looked at her.

“Yes…” Mu Xueqing nodded.

“He… why would he help you?” Master Alchemist Mu was skeptical. With Teacher Liu’s status, how could he help his daughter resolve pill toxins for free?

“Because…” Hearing her father’s question, Mu Xueqing slightly raised her pretty face, and a hint of pride showed in her eyes. “He… is my teacher!”

“Your teacher?” Master Alchemist Mu froze in place, completely dumbfounded.

A similar scene unfolded before Meng Tao and others. All of Teacher Liu’s students were in an uproar overnight.

Waking up, Zhang Xuan felt mentally clear. He had finished refining the Heaven’s Path Sword Art and Saber Art last night, and then modified them overnight.

Although the martial arts compiled from the library were powerful, without the Heaven’s Path True Qi to sustain them, they would not only be difficult to unleash at their strongest potential but could also cause harm to the body. It was like a baby trying to wield a sledgehammer; without enough strength, the power would actually be diminished. Slight modifications, tailored to the individual, would make them even sharper.

Stepping out of the small room in the classroom and into the main area, he immediately saw Lu Chong, who had been cultivating the Poison Body yesterday, finally making it through the first round of torment, sitting on a stool, panting heavily.

“Teacher!” Seeing him emerge, Lu Chong quickly cupped his fists.

“Mm!” Zhang Xuan nodded, not particularly surprised that he had endured it, as it was completely within his expectations. He smiled and looked at Lu Chong. “How do you feel?”

“I…” Lu Chong hesitated. “I still feel like I’m at the initial stage of the Aperture Acupoint realm. My cultivation hasn’t really increased…” When the toxicity diminished, he had observed it. Just like last night, he was still at the initial stage of the Aperture Acupoint realm, with no increase in strength whatsoever. If it weren’t for his trust in the teacher before him, he would have suspected that he had endured the pain of last night in vain.

Remembering that pain, his heart couldn’t help but tremble. It was like being in hell. Several times, he felt he couldn’t hold on, and if it weren’t for the hatred in his heart sustaining him, he definitely wouldn’t have made it through.

“There’s a strength-testing pillar over there. You can try it!” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

“Yes!” Nodding, Lu Chong took a few steps to the pillar, clenched his fist, and slammed it forward fiercely. The pillar trembled, and a line of text slowly appeared.

“Forty-four tripods? Peak of Aperture Acupoint realm… This, how is this possible?” Reading the text clearly, Lu Chong’s body swayed, his eyes wide. He hadn’t felt any increase in strength, so how did it suddenly reach over forty tripods? This was too terrifying! A normal Aperture Acupoint realm expert gains one tripod of strength for each acupoint opened. Forty-four tripods would mean opening forty acupoints (the peak of the Tripod Force realm has four tripods of strength). But… he had only opened one acupoint, and that was just last night. How could he possess such immense strength?

“What you increased is your physical strength!” Zhang Xuan nodded with satisfaction.

Lu Chong cultivated the Poison Body, so what increased was only his physical strength, not his cultivation. When physical strength reaches a certain level, it can also rival those with true qi. Some powerful poison masters, even without using true qi, can tear apart Grandmasters.

Yesterday, using the Poison Body cultivation method, Zhang Xuan had used potent toxins to temper Lu Chong’s body. In just one night, his strength had dramatically increased from five tripods to forty-four tripods!

“I…” Seeing the numbers on the stone monument and feeling the explosive power in his muscles, Lu Chong’s eyes reddened. When Teacher Liu had said he would help him get revenge within ten days, he had been somewhat skeptical. Only now did he realize it was true! In just half a day and one night, his strength had risen from the initial stage of the Tripod Force realm to forty-four tripods, comparable to the peak of the Aperture Acupoint realm. This ability was simply unheard of; even experiencing it firsthand, he felt like he was dreaming.

“Thank you, Teacher!” At this moment, he was finally completely convinced by the young Teacher Liu before him, without the slightest doubt remaining.

“Now, you can tell me about your situation, can’t you?” Zhang Xuan said.

“I…” Lu Chong’s fist clenched.

“Remember, you are my student, Liu Cheng. Even if your enemy is His Majesty the King of Tianwu Kingdom, as long as he is in the wrong…”

With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xuan exuded an undeniable confidence. “Your teacher will still help you punch a hole through him!”

“Teacher…” His fist clenched tighter, and Lu Chong’s tears could no longer be held back, gushing from his eyes. If anyone else had said that, he would have found it ridiculous and thought they were boasting. But for some reason, when Teacher Liu said it, he dared not have the slightest doubt.

Since his parents and family were killed, that feeling of having someone to rely on had long vanished. Unexpectedly, he felt it again from Teacher Liu. The teacher before him, though seemingly young, was like a towering mountain, making his drifting heart settle down, no longer feeling lonely.

“Speak!” Zhang Xuan looked at him.

“Yes…” Lu Chong no longer concealed anything and began to recount his experiences.