Chapter 58: He Did It How?

When his opponent mentioned the gold note moments ago, he was startled but still maintained some pretense. Now, however, he was genuinely terrified, feeling a chill shoot down from his forehead as if to freeze him solid.

It wasn't unusual for someone to call out his name; after all, he was a repeat offender and wanted by the authorities. It was possible he had been recognized by someone who paid close attention.

But... his Bewitching Sound Art was a secret even his closest associates didn't know about, and he had never dared to tell anyone. How could this person know it so clearly?

This was a secret manual he had painstakingly acquired during a rare opportunity, a secret he had kept hidden deep in his heart, confident that no one else in the world knew of it. The opponent's sudden mention of it sent a shock so profound that it nearly scared him to death.

There were many types of secret manuals, including those for physical cultivation, martial arts techniques, and cultivation methods. However, these were relatively easy to find. Within the kingdom, the most valuable were undoubtedly the secret arts concerning the spirit.

The Bewitching Sound Art was a very low-level mental secret art, but even so, it was a potent mental attack. Once deployed, even a powerful individual caught off guard would be affected. He once used this technique, "speaking with eloquent words," to talk his way out of a bind when captured by a Martial Artist Stage Seven expert, thus saving his life.

His earlier plea for mercy had been a deliberate ploy to disarm his opponent.

He had never imagined that his opponent would not only remain unaffected but also appear omniscient, seemingly knowing everything about him. Standing before this person, he felt completely exposed, stripped of all pretense, with nowhere to hide. How could he not feel utterly flustered?

What was once fear had now escalated to terror.

"Don't concern yourself with how I know. Not only do I know all this, but I'm also fully aware of your vital cultivation points and other details! I can spare your life, but from today forward, if I discover you continue to deceive people and commit evil deeds, you can just wait for death!"

Without another word, Zhang Xuan delivered a kick to the man.

*Crack!*

With a sound like an egg cracking, the swindler Yang Mo felt a tremor in his dantian as the power he had cultivated for years dissipated like flowing water.

Without his strength, he would likely no longer dare to swindle anyone, even if he wanted to.

"My cultivation..."

Yang Mo was filled with hatred at the loss of his power, but he dared not utter a single word.

His opponent was too terrifying, not a person, but a monster.

With his dantian shattered and cultivation crippled by this "monster," how could he possibly resist?

"Now get out of here!"

Having secured what he needed and dealt with the swindler, Zhang Xuan strode back towards the academy.

He was just a swindler; there was no need to kill him.

By the time he returned to his residence, it was nearly one in the morning.

Yet, Zhang Xuan felt no trace of sleepiness.

Too many events had unfolded that night, one after another. If it weren't for the Heaven's Path Library, his powerful secret weapon, he truly wouldn't have known how to handle them.

"I reviewed more than ten Martial Artist Stage Six cultivation techniques at Master Lu Chen's place. Let's see if I can organize them first!"

Previously, he had only focused on cultivating the Heaven's Path Golden Body and hadn't meticulously studied the Martial Artist Stage Six techniques. Now, with time on his hands, he could delve into them in detail.

Soon, the correct cultivation methods from the dozen or so secret manuals were extracted. However, a single glance was enough to give Zhang Xuan a headache.

"These simply don't connect anywhere... Cultivating this way would undoubtedly lead to qi deviation and self-destruction!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head in resignation.

Even with over a dozen secret manuals, there were still too many flaws. Extracting only the correct sections wouldn't form a cohesive cultivation method; instead, it would be even more flawed and utterly impossible to practice.

"Never mind. I'll just find a way to read more books first!"

Knowing the methods were unusable, Zhang Xuan wasn't anxious. He re-cultivated the first three levels of techniques, which the library had already organized, ensuring they perfectly integrated with his internal cultivation before slowly drifting off to sleep.

***

Unknown to Zhang Xuan, while he was out shopping, Elder Shang Chen's courtyard back at the academy was on the verge of an explosion.

"Grandpa, you must do something for me!"

Shang Bin was sobbing uncontrollably, his wails shaking the very foundations of the courtyard.

As the direct grandson of a respected elder, Shang Bin had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, blessed with good talent and constantly showered with respect. Yet today, he had experienced more setbacks than he had in his entire life; it was a miracle he hadn't gone mad on the spot.

He had gone to stir up trouble, only to be ambushed by a madman who beat him to a pulp. Later that evening, while having dinner, he witnessed his goddess enjoying a meal, drinks, and lively conversation with that very same guy. His attempt to frame him had failed, leading to utter humiliation. But the crucial point was...

"Grandpa, didn't you say this Sky Blasting Lion was very obedient? I told it to teach that useless Zhang Xuan a lesson, but not only did it refuse to move, it even beat me up instead..."

The more he thought about it, the angrier Shang Bin became, feeling a surge of tears welling up inside him.

This Sky Blasting Lion, which ate and drank from their family's provisions, not only disobeyed him at a crucial moment but even helped an outsider beat him up. The mere thought of it was enough to drive him mad.

"It's usually very obedient..." Elder Shang Chen said, feeling a touch awkward as he looked at the Sky Blasting Lion with a bewildered expression.

He was merely an ordinary beast tamer, not of a particularly high rank. Even when he managed to subdue savage beasts, it was through mutual understanding, not by treating them as servants.

As such, the Sky Blasting Lion largely had a mind of its own, acting on its impulses without needing to gauge Elder Shang Chen's mood or anticipate his thoughts.

Yet... regardless, they shared a contractual bond. He had instructed it to protect his grandson, so why did it... instead heed someone else's words and brutally attack Shang Bin?

"Roar!"

Seeing them look at it, the Sky Blasting Lion proudly held its head high, an expression of utter indifference on its face.

Seeing its attitude, Shang Bin felt his heart take another ten thousand points of damage.

When it saw Zhang Xuan, it was licking his hand with a look of reverence, like a subservient lapdog. Now, however, it was as arrogant as a king... *Damn it*, who exactly is your master, him or my grandfather?

"Ahem, I'll have a serious talk with the Sky Blasting Lion later!" Seeing his beast's blatant refusal to cooperate, Elder Shang Chen's face flushed, and he waved a dismissive hand.

"Grandpa, this time, you absolutely must teach Zhang Xuan a lesson for me! It would be best to revoke his teaching qualification and expel him from the academy!"

Knowing that his grandfather and the Sky Blasting Lion had more of an equal relationship, making it impossible to truly "teach" the beast a lesson, Shang Bin dropped the subject, gritting his teeth.

That zero-scoring waste from the teacher qualification exam had caused him such immense humiliation, left him bruised and battered, and nearly killed him. Such hatred could not be washed away, even by the waters of all the rivers!

"Don't worry, I'll handle this! However, this Zhang Xuan somehow got incredibly lucky and recruited five students. Without a proper excuse, even I would find it very difficult to expel a registered teacher!" Elder Shang Chen explained.

Zhang Xuan was a teacher registered with the Continental Teacher's Guild, holding a formal teaching position. Even as an academy elder and head of the education department, he had no authority to expel Zhang Xuan unless the young man committed a grave error.

He shook his head, a puzzled expression in his eyes.

Everyone had assumed that a man who scored zero on the teacher qualification exam would never manage to recruit a single student. No one, not even in their wildest dreams, had imagined that he would not only recruit students but five of them, including some who ranked in the top hundred in the entrance assessment!

Had he not witnessed the compiled results from the education department, he would have found it utterly inconceivable.

In fact... even after seeing the compiled results from the education department, he still found it hard to believe.

How in the world... did this fellow manage it?

It completely defied common sense, didn't it?