Chapter 7: You Have Been Dumped

"What did you do?"

Zhang Xuan was speechless, seeing the other party's furious expression.

This misunderstanding seemed a bit too big!

However, anyone else would surely think the same: he hadn't instructed her cultivation, yet the young lady was willing, and her face turned red when she spoke. More importantly, the recording crystal was crushed, clearly destroying evidence...

All signs pointed to something highly unusual.

In an instant, Zhang Xuan was labeled a pervert, a lecher, or a shameless teacher.

"Uncle Yao, what are you thinking? If you keep this up, I'll never speak to you again!"

Seeing the enraged Yao Han and hearing his words, Zhao Ya's pretty face turned ugly, almost to the point of madness, as she clearly understood what was happening.

She was a young girl; how could her reputation survive such baseless accusations?

"Young lady..."

Interrupted by Zhao Ya, Yao Han had no choice but to rein in his fury.

"Alright, come with me to get bedding. Don't delay my class tomorrow!" Zhao Ya scoffed, then turned and walked out of the room.

She couldn't reveal her illness; once it was mentioned, she would inevitably be questioned. How could she possibly say it in such a situation?

Therefore, in this situation, she could only claim she was willingly acknowledging Zhang Xuan as her teacher, with no other excuses.

"Hmph!"

Seeing the young lady turn and leave the room, Yao Han cast a cold glance at Zhang Xuan, his eyes flickering with an unreadable thought, then waved his hand and walked out.

At that moment, he felt like killing the young man. If this hadn't been the academy and if the young lady hadn't intervened, he would probably have acted already.

"Who did I provoke...?"

Zhang Xuan felt a wave of helplessness seeing the other's cold gaze.

He just took in a student; was it really necessary to react like this...?

It made him seem like a villain, but the crucial point was... he hadn't done anything!

"Never mind. There's still a lot of time today; I'll see if I can take on a few more students! The more students I have, the more resources I'll get!"

Teachers at Hongtian Academy were divided into many ranks, and they were evaluated annually based on their students' performance. Taking on many students, seeing significant progress, and achieving good results in various competitions were all factors for a teacher's promotion.

Once a teacher's rank increased, the resources they received, and the resources their students received, would multiply.

This was truly a mutual advancement for both teacher and students.

He currently had only three students, barely enough to keep his teaching position. In terms of qualifications, he was still ranked last in the entire academy!

To improve, he had to continue taking on students.

***

"Zheng Yang, don't be disappointed! So what if Teacher Wang Chao didn't take you? It's not worth getting so upset!"

On an academy road, two young men were walking, one comforting the other behind him.

"Mo Xiao, you were accepted, so of course you're talking easily. Try it if you weren't chosen!" Zheng Yang raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased with his friend's consolation.

"Cough, cough, don't say that. Actually, other teachers are fine too; there's no need to exclusively choose Teacher Wang Chao!"

Mo Xiao, the first young man, scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

"No need to choose him? That's easy for you to say. We've been practicing spear arts together since childhood, and we've long considered the spear a part of our bodies, unable to let it go. Teacher Wang Chao is the best at teaching spear arts in Hongtian Academy. You got in, but I didn't. How can I not be discouraged?"

Zheng Yang said huffily.

"This..." Mo Xiao was questioned and didn't know how to respond.

At Hongtian Academy, different teachers naturally specialized in different areas of instruction. Some were skilled at teaching fist techniques, others at broadsword techniques... Teacher Wang Chao was famously adept at teaching spear arts, even ranking among the top teachers in the entire academy.

Both of them had taken the assessment at the same time, hoping to be accepted, but one succeeded while the other failed. No wonder the one who failed was so downcast.

"Hey, there's a classroom over here. Why don't we go in and take a look!"

Just as he was wondering how to ease the awkwardness, Mo Xiao suddenly spotted a classroom not far away and pointed towards it.

"I'm not going..." Zheng Yang shook his head.

"Come on, let's go in and see. What if this teacher is also good at teaching spear arts?" Mo Xiao coaxed, "It's not like looking will hurt anything!"

"Alright!" Though a bit unwilling, Zheng Yang still followed Mo Xiao into the room.

Inside the room, Zhang Xuan was wondering whether to go out and find students when he saw two young men enter.

"Hello, teacher!" Mo Xiao bowed.

"Hmm!" Zhang Xuan lifted an eyelid. "Do you wish to become my disciples?"

"It's my brother here; he's very skilled, especially with the spear. Few among the younger generation can surpass him. We hope he can receive the teacher's guidance!" Mo Xiao hurriedly said.

"Mo Xiao..." Zheng Yang tugged at his good friend's sleeve.

"What is it?" Mo Xiao asked, puzzled.

"Look at the environment here..."

Zheng Yang frowned.

The classroom was very narrow, seemingly only able to accommodate a dozen or so people; it was clearly a small classroom.

The size of a classroom sometimes indicated a teacher's strength. The classrooms of the top-ranked teachers in the academy were as large as squares, capable of holding hundreds of students practicing simultaneously. This classroom, however, was tiny, suggesting the teacher's skill level was probably very ordinary.

"It is a bit small..." Mo Xiao also noticed the size of the room and his heart sank.

He had intended to help his friend relieve his frustration, but now they had come directly to such a small place. If the teacher's skill level was low, not only would the frustration not be resolved, but it might even worsen.

"Demonstrate your spear arts, then!"

Seemingly oblivious to their whispered conversation, Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Since we're already here, let's make the best of it. There's no harm in letting this teacher give some pointers. If his skill isn't good enough, we just won't apprentice with him!" Seeing Zheng Yang still hesitant, Mo Xiao said.

"Hmm!" Zheng Yang nodded.

Unless it was a highly popular teacher, whom many students flocked to, students could also evaluate ordinary teachers before deciding to apprentice.

Having thought this through, Zheng Yang didn't hesitate much. He took the long spear from his back and screwed its sections together.

*Whir!*

With the spear in hand, Zheng Yang's demeanor instantly changed, like a sword drawn from its sheath, exuding a sharp, imposing aura.

*Swish, swish, swish, swish!*

As the spear thrust out, the air exploded with sound, and the entire room seemed to be torn apart, with violent winds howling all around.

A true expert's move is unmistakable; while Zheng Yang's strength wasn't exceptionally strong, his spear arts were indeed formidable.

*Whoosh!*

The spear tip trembled, then struck a nearby stone pillar with a soft clang, displaying a series of numbers.

"110!"

It was over one hundred kilograms!

In terms of raw destructive power, even a peak cultivator of the Breath Convergence Realm, Stage One, might not be able to withstand it!

"Teacher, please give me your guidance!"

Putting his spear away, Zheng Yang stood, breathing evenly and with a steady heart, looking at him with a calm expression.

To be honest, seeing the size of the classroom, he didn't have high hopes for the teacher before him, assuming his skill level was mediocre.

Sure enough, the teacher's eyes were half-closed, lost in thought. Only when he heard Zheng Yang's question did he slowly open his eyes and look over, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Have you been hurt emotionally? In other words... have you been dumped?"