Chapter 985: Zhang Teacher's Students (Part 1)

"You’re not getting through that easily!"

Seeing his spear light flash like lightning, the three combat masters guarding the dragon’s tail simultaneously grunted. Each retrieved their weapon, and their three streams of true energy merged, forming a battle array. The enormous dragon tail suddenly lashed out, instantly draining the spiritual energy within tens of kilometers around and making the air feel tight.

"Hmph!"

Already familiar with their moves, Zheng Yang raised his eyebrows, stomped his foot on the ground, sinking more than three inches deep. He stood as firm as a mountain, then forcefully flicked his long spear upward.

With a loud impact!

The spear collided with the dragon tail, and the resulting shockwaves rippled outwards, circle after circle, like a stone dropped into a lake creating layers of ripples. The force made the hair of everyone below stand on end.

"Get out of my way!" Zheng Yang roared, his eyes wide and glaring, as his spear continued its relentless forward thrust.

Boom!

An incredibly immense force immediately lifted the dragon’s tail, impaling it firmly in mid-air.

One strike, three masters shaken; one spear-thrust, the great dragon lifted!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

With the great dragon impaled, the three combat masters simultaneously spat out mouthfuls of blood and uniformly took a step back. Their eyes, filled with astonishment, once again focused on the young man opposite them.

They had heard that even Master Zhuo was no match for Zheng Yang and that Zheng Yang dared to accept the Dragon Gate Array challenge, so they had guessed he might be a formidable opponent. But they never in their wildest dreams imagined that he would attack with such brute force, meeting strength with strength, and forcefully lift the dragon tail and bring it crashing down!

The most crucial thing was… that was only the first move! All three of them were already injured. How were they supposed to fight after this?

"The Dragon Gate Array is personally monitored by the Combat Master Hall headquarters; cheating is impossible. Although he has disrupted the dragon's tail, he still needs to defeat us to pass…" one combat master roared.

So what if he downed the great dragon? They had only sustained minor injuries. If the three centurions joined forces, they might still be able to hold him back.

"Alright!" Another one nodded, just about to speak, when they saw that the weakest of the three, a combat master of the same level as Zheng Yang, had already been run through the shoulder by a spear and lay on the ground.

"That fast?" Their pupils contracted; they were startled. In the time it took the two of them to speak, one had already been incapacitated. If they spoke a few more words, wouldn't there be no one left?

"Hmph!" As expected of combat masters, seasoned in battle. Though shocked, they showed no panic. They roared in unison and attacked together.

Their coordination was flawless. One attacked, one defended. Two people, four hands. If Zheng Yang mishandled their combined assault, he would undoubtedly face an unimaginable attack.

Zheng Yang showed no tension at all. Instead, his long spear continued to rise, flicking forward.

A sudden rush of air!

Before the spear even reached them, it furiously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, as if it were transforming into a living dragon. The spear tip struck the weapon of the defending combat master. A series of metallic clangs ensued. The combat master felt his hand go numb, and blood spurted from the web between his thumb and forefinger.

The opponent's power was not only concentrated but also circulated rapidly, seemingly boundless. Although his defense was strong, it still couldn't hold.

After knocking away the opponent's weapon, Zheng Yang did not press his attack. Not that he didn't want to, but the attacking combat master was already upon him.

"Be gone!" Without dodging, Zheng Yang's forward-thrusting spear suddenly changed direction and swept horizontally. It struck the combat master squarely in the waist. The latter had no time to react and was sent flying. Blood gushed from him as he flew through the air, off the high platform.

After sending him flying, Zheng Yang flicked his spear tip again, and it landed on the throat of the defending combat master.

"We... we've lost!"

Feeling the icy killing intent from the spear tip, the combat master's face turned ashen. The three of them had been guarding the dragon's tail. The opponent first pierced the weakest one, incapacitating him. Then, by attacking the second to draw attention, changing a thrust into a sweep... in just one move, he broke their combined attack and severely injured two of them. Now, even if they wanted to resist, they couldn't.

"They lost just like that?"

"This Zheng Yang only used three moves?"

"Yes... defeating the dragon's tail in three moves... it's terrifying!"

"Although it was just three moves, did you see how he changed from a thrust to a sweep without any pause? If true energy flows like that within the body, it would cause violent internal clashes. How strong must his body be to withstand that without any problems?"

"That's a forced change of move, which usually leads to internal injuries. Not only did he have no problems, but he also had full strength. This shows that not only is his body robust, but his meridians are also incredibly resilient, and his true energy is exceptionally pure... All three are indispensable!"

"Hmm, if it were me, let alone facing an opponent, even if I were cultivating alone in an empty space, I could get severely injured..."

Seeing this scene, everyone's faces turned pale with shock. Zheng Yang's move just now looked simple, but it actually demanded an astonishing level of physical strength, true energy, meridian resilience, and reaction speed... none of which could be lacking. If even one aspect had been flawed, it was highly likely that he wouldn't have won, but rather would have been severely injured and defeated on the spot.

To be able to grasp the timing so perfectly, to defeat three people and break the dragon tail with the least expenditure and in the shortest time, this Zheng Yang not only possessed immense strength but also an unbelievable understanding of combat.

"They lost fair and square..." Liao Song's body stiffened. He had previously thought that Zheng Yang had little hope of breaking through the Dragon Gate Array. Only now did he realize that this young man, only sixteen or seventeen years old, might truly be capable of accomplishing a feat that no one in the Combat Master Hall had managed in three hundred years. These three were his subordinates; he knew a lot about their combat ability and coordination. And with the Dragon Gate Array, they couldn't even withstand three moves. Zheng Yang's terrifying power meant that, even if three combat masters of their caliber were to combine, they would likely struggle to contend with him.

Phew!

While those below were stunned, Zheng Yang on the platform let out a breath. He glanced forward and strode towards the dragon's back. To others, his victory seemed simple, but only he knew the true difficulty. If his teacher's explanations hadn't long been ingrained in his bones, it would have been impossible to defeat his opponents so quickly. Even so, he still felt a slight tightness in his chest and a tearing pain in his meridians. The violent attack just now had caused him some minor injuries, but they were not serious. As he walked, he treated himself using the methods his teacher had taught him. After a dozen steps, his chest felt much better, and his strength had fully recovered. Although he practiced only a simplified version of the Heaven's Path cultivation method, it still possessed some of its special effects, enabling him to recover from injuries and exhaustion more effectively and quickly than other true energy.

"Let's continue!" His strength restored, Zheng Yang smiled faintly. His long spear once again thrust forward, charging directly towards the three individuals on the dragon's back.

The three on the dragon's back, the weakest of whom had reached the peak of the Chrysalis Realm, and two of whom were Half-Saint experts, meant the difficulty was more than double that of the previous challenge.

This time, he chose to attack first. With a flash of his feet, he appeared before the three like lightning. His spear flicked, thrusting straight forward.

"Senior Sister, did you teach him your movement technique?" Seeing his speed, Liu Yang, who was standing to one side, couldn't help but look over.

"Mm!" Wang Ying nodded. Although the teacher had only taught the movement technique to her, there was frequent exchange between the senior sister and junior brother. He had taught her some spear intent, and she had generously taught him her movement technique. Unfortunately, Zheng Yang's talent in movement techniques was not as good as hers. Even so, after cultivation, his movement technique had become extremely fast—fast enough to make these people unable to react.

On the platform, Zheng Yang's spear technique flickered, blocking the attacks of two of the combat masters. Another combat master attacked from behind. At this moment, he couldn't pull his spear back. In a desperate situation, he hammered a fist backward. His fist collided with the opponent's weapon. The latter's face paled, and he staggered back seven or eight steps.

"You taught him your fist technique too?" Seeing this, Wang Ying smiled faintly.

"Yes!" Liu Yang nodded. He had also taught Zheng Yang the fist techniques he had learned. This meant that Zheng Yang was now proficient in fist techniques, movement techniques, leg techniques, and spear techniques, with no weaknesses remaining.

"These three will likely find it very difficult to defeat Zheng Yang..." Wang Ying's lips curved upward. Having personally cultivated the martial arts taught by their teacher, they knew very well how powerful they were. Others could learn just one move and roam the world, undefeated among their peers. Zheng Yang, at this moment, had mastered all these techniques, and his understanding of martial arts was profound. Even if the three on the platform were all higher leveled than him, and even included Half-Saint experts, it certainly wouldn't be easy for them to win.

As the two below expressed their admiration, on the platform, Zheng Yang's spear movements whistled, his fist techniques were fierce, and his movement technique was like a phantom, making him hard to discern. The three combat masters fighting him found more and more sweat trickling down their foreheads, and the pressure on them steadily mounted.

"No! If this continues, we're sure to lose..." one of the combat masters couldn't help but roar. They all had higher cultivation levels and suppressed their strength, yet their vision and insight were superior to even ordinary Half-Saints. Now, they were using all their techniques, yet, even with three of them working together, they couldn't gain an inch. Moreover, a slight misstep would see them pierced by a spear. The intense pressure was almost overwhelming. This young man before them, despite his young age, his physical body, true energy, eyesight, and understanding of martial arts were only stronger, not weaker, than theirs; he had no discernible flaws.

"Let's use our ultimate moves!" Another combat master roared, and his weapon whistled out fiercely. His potent true energy formed a massive curtain in the air, like an overturning tidal wave, engulfing Zheng Yang. Seeing his comrade unleash his full power, another was unwilling to fall behind. His weapon, held in his palm, thrust out rapidly. In an instant, the world seemed to change color. The weapon's radiance shone with dazzling blue light, as if piercing a hole in the sky, flying straight towards Zheng Yang.

"And me!" The third combat master brought his massive hammer crashing down. Above the high platform, a gigantic lid seemed to appear, covering the surroundings and making it impossible to hear or see anything.

With the three of them joining forces, presenting attack, defense, and confinement, Zheng Yang immediately fell into an unprecedented crisis.

"Oh no, they're unleashing the maximum power they can deploy at their respective levels. Zheng Yang might not be able to hold on much longer..." Elder Mi and the others' faces turned pale. If it were them, they might not even last a single move. For this young man, only sixteen or seventeen, to have lasted this long was already incredibly difficult... But could he continue in this dangerous situation?

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.