Chapter 83: Arrogant Zhu Hong

"Teacher Zhang will be alright, won't he?"Inside the classroom, worry was etched on the faces of Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and others.

Teacher Cao Xiong had applied for a "Heart Inquisition" to deal with Teacher Zhang. Although the matter hadn't become widely known, as students, they had still heard some rumors.

"Don't worry," Zheng Yang said. "We've all attended Teacher Zhang's classes, and we're incredibly impressed. Liu Yang must have been convinced a long time ago. There's no way there'll be any problems!"

He was actually one of the five students who was initially most unconvinced by Teacher Zhang. However, after two lessons together, he was now completely won over. Even if Wang Chao wanted to take him on as a student now, he would outright refuse.

If he himself felt this way, Liu Yang must be in the same boat.

With this level of trust, how could it possibly fail?

Bang!As they were speaking, the iron door of the room was kicked open from the outside, and then a proud young man strode in.

"Where is your esteemed 'Teacher' Zhang Xuan? Tell him to come out!"

With his hands behind his back, the young man lifted his eyelids. When he mentioned "Teacher Zhang Xuan," he deliberately emphasized the title, his expression showing not a hint of respect, but rather a sneer.

"Who are you? You're not welcome here, please leave!" Zheng Yang's face darkened when he saw the person speak of Teacher Zhang without any respect and kick the door open.

"Zheng Yang, don't be reckless, he's... Zhu Hong, ranked fourth in the entrance examination!"Recognizing the young man, Yuan Tao's chubby body shook as he pulled Zheng Yang aside and lowered his voice.

"Zhu Hong?"Not only Zheng Yang, but even Zhao Ya and the others couldn't help but look grim.

They had all heard of this name before. His strength had already reached the peak of the Meridian Convergence realm, ready to break through at any time, making him extremely powerful. Being ranked fourth in the entrance examination showed that his strength and talent were far beyond what they could compare to.

"It's good you recognize me; you have some insight. This is a challenge issued by our Teacher Lu Xun. He intends to challenge him to a Teacher's Assessment during the freshman competition in half a month. Who here will accept it for him?"

Seeing that everyone recognized him, the young man's lips curled into a smirk. He acted as if no one else mattered, completely arrogant.

This was precisely Zhu Hong, who had come from Lu Xun's class.

He had long heard of Zhang Xuan, just the worst teacher who scored zero in the teacher qualification assessment. As a favored student of Lu Xun and a prodigy, he naturally looked down on Zhang Xuan.

"Teacher's Assessment? Teacher Lu Xun?"Everyone's expressions changed.

Although the Teacher's Assessment primarily involved students, it was a comparison of teachers' instructional abilities, concerning their reputation. Such assessments were rarely held. How could Lu Xun—the most famous teacher in the academy, with countless skilled students—challenge Teacher Zhang?

"That's right. Zhang Xuan was playing dirty behind Teacher Lu's back, which displeased him. He intends to teach him a lesson. I've left the challenge letter; you can give it to him later. If he's too afraid to accept, he should admit defeat early and apologize to Teacher Lu in his classroom. Otherwise, he'll just make a fool of himself!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Hong casually tossed the challenge letter onto the table and turned to leave.

"Wait!"Before he could even exit the door, Zheng Yang blocked his path. "You kicked open our classroom door and spoke of Teacher Zhang without any respect. You must apologize now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

As students, it was their duty to uphold their teacher's dignity. This person showed no respect whatsoever, just threw down the challenge letter and tried to leave. How could they let him get away with it so casually?

"You want me to apologize? Let's see if you have the ability!"With a cold laugh, Zhu Hong looked at him disdainfully and delivered a kick.

Zheng Yang was skilled with the spear, but his hand-to-hand combat was average. Coupled with the fact that his strength was far inferior to the opponent's, he was kicked in the chest before he could even react, sent flying backward, and landed heavily on the ground.

"How dare you!"Zhao Ya's face also turned ugly with anger. She let out a sharp cry and charged forward.

Both she and Zhu Hong were at the peak of the Meridian Convergence realm. However, her combat strength was slightly inferior to his. After a few consecutive moves, she was also hit in the shoulder and forced to retreat repeatedly.

Immediately afterward, Wang Ying and Yuan Tao also rushed over. Since even Zhao Ya, the strongest among them, was no match, how could they possibly stop him?

Before long, all four of them sustained some injuries, their faces filled with rage, yet they were helpless.

Although they had learned many profound theories from Zhang Xuan, their cultivation time was too short. They were simply no match for this person, who ranked fourth in the entrance examination.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"After defeating everyone, Zhu Hong flicked his sleeve. "This is just a small punishment! If you dare challenge our Teacher Lu, you should expect this outcome... Go tell 'Teacher' Zhang Xuan that if he's afraid to accept, he should admit his mistake quickly, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what?"Just as he was about to finish his sentence, a faint voice drifted in from outside the room.

Zhang Xuan, accompanied by Liu Yang, walked in.

"Otherwise..."Regardless of whether the Zhang Xuan standing before him was a good-for-nothing, he was still a teacher, possessing the dignity of his profession. Seeing Zhang Xuan look his way, though Zhang Xuan showed no anger, Zhu Hong still shrank his neck, gritting his teeth as he sneered, "Otherwise... just wait to lose the Teacher's Assessment!"

"Whether I win or lose is not for you to decide! Go back and tell Lu Xun that I accept the challenge!"Zhang Xuan flicked his sleeve.

He was actually a bit annoyed. He had just managed to coax Huang Yu and Bai Xun away, planning to return and continue teaching, only to hear this fellow's shouting before he even entered the room.

Lu Xun, challenging him... With hundreds of students under him, and only Wang Yan wanting to audit his class, it shouldn't warrant such a hostile reaction, right?

Furthermore, even if he was sending a student to deliver a challenge, he should have picked someone more reliable. This guy, despite his youth, was incredibly brazen... If not for his position, Zhang Xuan would have already slapped him dead!

How could he still be allowed to swagger around here?

"That's for the best. I'll take my leave!" Zhu Hong prepared to depart.

"Don't go!" Zheng Yang struggled forward, looking over anxiously. "Teacher Zhang, he spoke disrespectfully, broke our door, and even physically hurt us. If we let him leave like this, who won't come bully us in the future...?"

"What? Was the beating I gave you just now not enough? Hmph! You're weak, yet you talk so big, you utterly clueless fool!"

Tilting his head back, Zhu Hong coldly swept his gaze over Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and the others with disdain. He sneered, "In this pathetic place of yours, with just a few students like you, whether you have a door or not doesn't matter. Do you actually think someone would come to sneak into your classes? Stop dreaming! Also, if you want to stop me, you'll need the skill. I'll stand right here today. If any of you can hold me back, go ahead and try!"

After saying this, he paused, then clasped his hands and looked at Zhang Xuan. "Teacher Zhang, as a teacher yourself, you wouldn't stoop so low as to attack a mere student like me, would you?"

Teachers had their dignity and status. If a teacher truly attacked a student, it would be humiliating and earn them scorn. This was like the saying, "soldiers fight soldiers, generals fight generals." Even if a general defeated a mere soldier, it wouldn't bring him any glory.

He calculated that Zhang Xuan wouldn't make a move, and none of the remaining students could defeat him, so he showed no fear.

"Teacher Zhang..."Seeing his arrogance, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others' faces turned pale with anger. They clenched their fists, wishing they could rush forward immediately.

However, they also knew that they were indeed no match for Zhu Hong. They had already been thoroughly defeated earlier, and attacking again would only make them look even more pathetic.

"Do you want to teach him a lesson?"Ignoring the self-important young man, Zhang Xuan looked at them.

"Yes!"The few of them nodded simultaneously.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan casually waved his hand, his face serious. "No matter what, he's still Teacher Lu's student, and it wouldn't be good to beat him to death! So, how about this: Yuan Tao, you have the lowest strength and also the best sense of proportion. Go over there and turn him into a pig's head, and make him pay for the door while you're at it. Don't be too harsh! Also, during the fight, be fair, be just, and stop when you've made your point! Let's not completely ruin the atmosphere!"