Chapter 8: I Am That Waste

"Huh?"

Zheng Yang was stunned, his face instantly turning bright red and ugly.

"I did have a crush on a girl, and then... I was humiliated in public, but what does that have to do with you, teacher?"

He had once had a crush on a girl and excitedly went to confess his feelings, only to be mercilessly mocked and struck down, suffering great humiliation. This matter was a secret to him, unknown even to Mo Xiao. How did this teacher know?

"Really? Zheng Yang, why didn't you tell me you were humiliated? Who was it?" Mo Xiao couldn't help but be startled when he heard the admission, and quickly asked.

"Let's talk about this later!" Zheng Yang shook his head, clearly not wanting to discuss it here. He looked up at the teacher before him: "Teacher, this is my private matter. Though I don't know how you found out, it has nothing to do with you instructing me in spear techniques, right?"

"Nothing to do with it?" Zhang Xuan shook his head: "It has a great deal to do with it."

"It does?" Zheng Yang was full of doubt.

He had just been heartbroken; what did that have to do with asking for guidance?

"Your spear technique is fierce and decisive, reflecting your personality—you charge forward in everything without considering a retreat. Normally, that's a good thing; a martial artist should be like that, without hesitation!" Zhang Xuan's expression was calm: "But unfortunately, after this romantic experience, you've become somewhat fearful—afraid of rejection, afraid of failure, afraid of humiliation! Your spear technique now carries some hesitation, some doubt! As a result, its power has greatly diminished!"

"You... you saw all this from my spear technique? That I was once heartbroken? That this is my personality?"

Zheng Yang was startled.

It wasn't that the teacher was wrong; it was that he was too accurate, almost perfectly so.

His personality was brave and decisive; he used to fear nothing. It was precisely because of that romantic experience that he now shrank back and hesitated in everything.

Just by looking at his spear technique, he could see all this, even the heartbreak—what kind of insight was that?

How could the academy have such an amazing teacher?

He felt like he was going crazy.

Previously, he had gone to seek instruction from Wang Chao, known as the number one spear professor, and had demonstrated his ultimate move. After watching, Wang Chao only said his technique lacked the essentials, but couldn't explain why. This person, with just one look, said he had been heartbroken and that his emotional setback was causing his spear technique to stagnate. Could this teacher's insight be... even greater than Wang Chao's?

"There's nothing strange about it!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, his face full of the demeanor of a master: "Spear technique reflects the state of mind. If the mind is unclear, the martial arts performed will naturally be gloomy. Your spear technique, though fluid, seems entangled by something—can't cut it off, can't sort it out. With just one look, I knew it must be romantic feelings."

"This..."

This time, not only Zheng Yang was floored, but Mo Xiao on the side also opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

Damn, really?

From spear technique, he could see romantic entanglement, 'can't cut it off, can't sort it out'... Was this really human eyesight?

Mo Xiao and Zheng Yang exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Teacher, can you take a look at me?"

After the shock, Mo Xiao suddenly stepped forward, his face full of eagerness. Without waiting for Zhang Xuan's consent, he shook his spear and unleashed his techniques.

Also using a spear, his moves were clearly smoother and more powerful than Zheng Yang's.

In terms of spear technique alone, he was indeed superior, no wonder Teacher Wang Chao had chosen him over Zheng Yang.

Whoosh!

With a whistling wind, Mo Xiao stopped and stood, spear retracted.

When the spear moved, it was like a raging demon, power scattering, gods and ghosts keeping their distance; when the spear was sheathed, he was still as a virgin, quiet as a sculpture.

Every move, every gesture, had its own grace.

Though his strength wasn't too great—still at the first level of martial artist—his spear technique was already quite formidable.

"You have a bad stomach. If I'm not mistaken, you've been having diarrhea today."

Zhang Xuan looked over with a calm gaze.

"Ah?" Mo Xiao also shuddered: "Teacher, you could tell from my spear technique that I have diarrhea?"

Just as the teacher said, his stomach was indeed not good. He had started having diarrhea yesterday, and today it was worse, even leaving him somewhat dehydrated.

But it didn't affect him much; with the spear in hand, he had performed at his best, and even Teacher Wang Chao had praised him without comment. Yet this person, with one remark, hit the nail on the head...

Was this for real?

From spear technique, he could see heartbreak and diarrhea—what kind of eyesight was this?

"Do you want me to instruct you? If you do, then become my disciple."

Ignoring the two's shock, Zhang Xuan looked over with a calm expression.

He had spoken out about their conditions in one breath, shocking them nearly to madness, but to him, it seemed like nothing.

And indeed it was so. As soon as the two practiced martial arts, books about them automatically appeared in the Heavenly Dao Library. The so-called heartbreak and diarrhea were their current flaws, all recorded there. Zhang Xuan only needed to glance and recite verbatim—naturally, it was no difficulty.

"Disciple Zheng Yang is willing to take you as my teacher!"

Zheng Yang didn't hesitate for a moment and directly knelt down.

He was now completely convinced by Zhang Xuan.

With a teacher of such insight, how could his guidance be simple?

"Mm." Seeing that he had knelt down without even being instructed, just by having a flaw pointed out, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He took out a jade token representing identity and tossed it over: "Verify your identity."

"Yes!" Zheng Yang didn't hesitate at all and immediately performed blood recognition.

Soon, the formalities were completed.

"Since you are now my student, I'll give you a piece of advice. If you want to win respect in love, you must first have sufficient strength. Without strength, how can the other person think highly of you? So what you need to do now is not be dejected or sad, but open your mind and train hard, so that she knows how foolish it was to reject you! You must prove it with strength..." Saying this, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a very pretentious book from his previous life, and smiled slightly: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't bully a youth for being poor!"

"Don't bully a youth for being poor?"

Hearing these words, Zheng Yang felt as if his chest was set ablaze. His whole body trembled with excitement, his face flushed red.

As a native of another world, how could he have heard such words!

Instantly, his fighting spirit seemed to be ignited.

The dejected spirit from his heartbreak became as dazzling as a diamond.

"Try your spear technique again."

Seeing him cast off his mental burden, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Okay!"

Zheng Yang didn't waste words. With the spear in hand, his aura changed instantly, completely different from before.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spear tip swept across, aura rolling, powerful force spreading through the spear body, shaking the entire room with rumbling.

Bang!

After finishing the technique, he struck horizontally, the spear tip thrusting straight into a stone pillar.

With a huge roar, a line of figures appeared on it.

235!

It was actually 235 kilograms!

Earlier, with all his strength, he had only managed 110. With just one sentence of guidance, his power had more than doubled!

"Thank you, teacher!"

Seeing this number, Zheng Yang had no more doubts. He knelt directly, now completely convinced and without any reservations toward the teacher above.

"Amazing!"

Staring at the number on the stone pillar nearby, Mo Xiao on the side also couldn't help but flush and tremble all over.

He was happy for his good brother finding a good teacher, but also felt a bit disappointed.

Previously, Wang Chao had also given him guidance, only increasing his power by about thirty percent!

But this teacher had directly increased it by over a hundred percent!

If he had known this unknown teacher was so amazing, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to find Wang Chao; he would have come directly to take him as his teacher!

Thinking of this, he felt some regret.

At the same time, he was also puzzled—how could such an amazing spear teacher be unknown?

He couldn't help but look up: "Teacher, you've accepted Zheng Yang as a student, but we still don't know your name..."

Hearing his question, Zheng Yang also looked over involuntarily.

He was already completely in awe of this teacher, but he didn't even know his name yet!

"My name is Zhang Xuan," Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Zhang Xuan? That name sounds familiar..."

Hearing the name, Mo Xiao paused, then recalled something. His pupils contracted, and his lips trembled involuntarily: "I seem to remember... a waste teacher who scored zero in the teacher assessment, also named Zhang Xuan. He seems to have the same name as you..."

"Mm, I am that waste."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Ah..."

Zheng Yang and Mo Xiao stood frozen on the spot.