Chapter 948: Pre-battle Lecture

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

To become stronger, one must experience life-and-death situations. Without facing the great fear that comes with such experiences, it's difficult for one's mental state to advance. Although he hadn't cultivated for long, his current strength was earned through countless life-and-death struggles and dangers. No one achieves strength overnight or gains something without effort.

Grandmasters themselves possess formidable combat power, and battle masters are naturally even more terrifying. To achieve such strength, one must put in several times the effort of an ordinary person. For example, it took him two months to advance from the early-stage Half-Saint to the peak, just to break through to a higher level of Yuan Embryo. If he had been cultivating ordinary Heaven's Path cultivation techniques, he would probably be a Saint realm expert by now. This is the cost of hard work and dedication!

"Do you know how the Combat Master Hall conducts its assessments? Have the three deans heard any news?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"The specific rules aren't clear yet, but usually, it involves competitions among the academies, and the top one hundred ranked individuals are naturally admitted!" said Wu Tianqiong. Although the selection rules vary each time, there's only one requirement for a battle master: raw strength! Regardless of the method, as long as they can defeat an opponent of the same cultivation level without using any artifacts or spirit beasts, they are considered successful.

"A martial arts competition?" Zhang Xuan nodded. This was indeed the most intuitive and direct selection method, and it also ensured fairness. Its only drawback, as Shen Pingchao had mentioned, was the involvement of life and death. In such situations, when participants unleash their full power, control becomes difficult, and the casualty rate is bound to increase significantly.

"Yes, that's right! Since the Combat Master Hall hasn't arrived yet, why don't we have the students from the four academies who are participating in the selection meet and demonstrate their skills to each other? It would be good for them to prepare in advance so they're not flustered during the actual competition!" Wu Tianqiong said, smiling as he thought of something.

"Excellent! Let them demonstrate first! It will also give them an understanding of each other's strengths. Grandmasters must communicate more to make progress; being complacent only leads to narrow-mindedness!" Shen Pingchao and Wu Ran nodded simultaneously.

"Alright!" With three of the four academies agreeing, Zhang Xuan found it difficult to refuse. Besides, he also wanted to see the strength of the other students to prepare his own.

Hearing his agreement, the deans gave an instruction. Soon, hundreds of students emerged from the flying ship, covering every cultivation level from Harmonious Spirit realm to Chrysalis Seal realm. Similar to Hongyuan Academy, each academy had selected twenty students for each of the five grades, totaling one hundred students per academy. The three academies' three hundred young talents walked forward in unison, exuding a distinct aura. Zhang Xuan's Eye of Insight pulsed as he scanned the students. Every one of them had well-defined muscles and abundant zhenqi, clearly being among the elites of their respective cultivation levels.

"Elder Mi, please call out our students as well!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

Elder Mi acknowledged the command, and before long, the hundred students selected from Hongyuan Academy also emerged. This was his first time seeing these students. Comparing them to those from the other three academies, he couldn't help but shake his head. Although their cultivation levels and ages were similar, their aura and the density of their zhenqi seemed noticeably weaker than the others. If it came down to actual combat, very few of them would likely pass the selection.

No wonder the Ten Elders could forget about such a grand event, even needing the Golden Origin Cauldron to remind them. It seemed the Combat Master selection was indeed not a big deal for Hongyuan Academy; on the contrary, it was quite embarrassing, something no one wanted to remember. Over time, it was simply forgotten.

"I am Wei Chang, a first-year student from Cloud Mist Academy!" As the four hundred participating students took their seats in front of the martial arts stage, a student from Cloud Mist Academy leaped onto the platform. With a shake of his arms, a powerful aura surged forth, and many of his acupoints whistled like blowing flutes. Though only at the Harmonious Spirit realm, he exuded a feeling of being able to pierce the heavens.

"So strong!" "Indeed, with such strength, probably few second-year students could surpass him?" "If I faced him, I definitely wouldn't be a match..." "He's incredible! Cloud Mist Academy, ranked first, truly lives up to its reputation!" Witnessing Wei Chang's display of power, the first-year students below the stage looked solemn. Although they were all at the Harmonious Spirit realm, his strength was clearly far superior to theirs. Not to mention first-year new students, even second-year students would likely be no match. With just one move, he had intimidated them.

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. While there was nothing technically wrong with the opponent's display, it could easily put psychological pressure on his own students. It seemed they were trying to regain face after suffering a loss at his hands earlier by using their students.

"I am a first-year student from Luoqing Academy..." "I am a first-year student from Azure Bamboo Academy..." Soon, students from the three academies leaped onto the high platform one after another. Although these students were only at the Harmonious Spirit realm, their combat power was exceptionally strong. Several even possessed special bloodlines, doubling their combat power upon activation. They were no weaker than Wang Ying and others during their Harmonious Spirit realm period.

In contrast, his own students were far inferior. Not only was their combat power weak, but their comprehension of martial arts was also significantly lacking. In a real fight, winning would be secondary; they might even suffer serious injuries. Among the twenty first-year students selected, only one or two had decent strength; the rest were simply incomparable.

It was no wonder. These individuals had been selected at least three months ago, and along the way, they had been personally guided by 7-star grandmasters. It would have been difficult for their combat power not to improve. On his side, however, they had just returned from the Xuanyuan Empire, and he was seeing these students for the first time. He hadn't even given them any guidance, so how could they compare? Even if Zhao Bingxu, Elder Mi, and others had personally tutored them, their insights and knowledge were limited and couldn't compare to the guidance of a 7-star grandmaster.

"How... how can they fight?" He rubbed his temples. Without even making a move, just the comparison had shattered his students' confidence. In an actual competition, they surely wouldn't last many moves.

Following this, the second, third, fourth, and fifth-year students demonstrated their skills, and Hongyuan Academy's performance became even less satisfactory. Cloud Mist Academy was the strongest; almost all twenty of their students could fight across cultivation levels, making them simply incomparable to his own students.

"If only Xue Zhenyang, Long Cangyue, and the others hadn't broken through..." These few had received his specific guidance, and their combat power had greatly increased, especially after the incidents involving Wu Xu and Lu Cheng. If they were to compete, the fifth-year group might still be able to secure a few spots... Unfortunately, they had already broken through to the Half-Saint realm, losing their eligibility. Although he had specifically taught classes at the Xuanxuan Club, those students had only just entered the academy this year, starting from too low a level. Few had reached the Harmonious Spirit realm, and compared to senior students who had been in the academy for several years, they still lagged significantly. Most of them hadn't even passed the initial selection.

"Dean Zhang, your students... don't look very promising!" After watching the demonstrations, Wu Ran frowned. As a 7-star grandmaster with extraordinary vision, he could naturally see that Hongyuan Academy's students were noticeably weaker compared to those from their three academies. In such a state, it would be extremely difficult for them to secure any rankings.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at Wu Tianqiong and the others. "Since the people from the Combat Master Hall haven't arrived yet, can I use this interval to teach these students some combat techniques?"

"Teach a class? Now?" Wu Tianqiong and the others were momentarily stunned by his words. Although last-minute preparations could have some effect, according to news, the people from the Combat Master Hall would arrive within an hour. Teaching a class now probably wouldn't be very useful, would it?

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Seeing the students' current condition, if no changes were made, not to mention selecting only a hundred, even if two or three hundred were chosen, very few would be able to pass. The only immediate solution was to quickly explain some combat techniques to them and help them grasp the concepts as soon as possible.

"Dean Zhang, there's no harm in guiding your own academy's students, but the selection is about to begin. If they start learning new things now, I fear it might destabilize their mindset, leading not to improvement but rather a regression in their strength!" Wu Ran hesitated for a moment before advising him. Students selected from such a large group must be cultivation geniuses who already possess their own combat systems. If they try to change their methods now and fail, it could result in a confusing, unproductive mess, leading to a decrease in strength rather than progress.

"I know, but let's try it anyway!" Understanding their good intentions, Zhang Xuan smiled. He then instructed Elder Mi to gather the hundred selected students and set up a sound-insulating barrier around them before looking over.

"Are there any among you who do not wish to become combat masters?" Zhang Xuan scanned the group.

"No!" Everyone shook their heads simultaneously. Since they had passed the initial selection, they must have already made up their minds.

"You all want to be combat masters, which means you all hope to continuously improve your combat power." Seeing that no one was unwilling, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked at them. "Very well then, I will now explain techniques for rapidly improving your martial arts and your comprehension of combat! I hope you will all study diligently!"

It was certainly too late to try and deepen their cultivation now. The only way to improve their combat power was to enhance their understanding of martial arts and their adaptability in battle.

"Yes!" Hearing that the dean himself would personally instruct them, most of the students' eyes lit up. The confidence they had lost upon seeing the strength of students from other academies now rekindled. They still remembered the sensation caused by the lecture he gave during his inauguration ceremony. At that time, it was delivered to the entire student body and faculty, without specific targeting, yet the effect was so profound... What kind of effect would a targeted explanation have now? Just thinking about it was exciting.

"The purpose of martial arts is to better unleash the zhenqi within your body and make your power purer. Therefore, to make your martial arts stronger, you must first possess a pure heart, a mindset of forging ahead bravely, and an unwillingness to admit defeat..." Seeing their eager gazes and knowing they were all ready, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. His calm voice immediately resonated.