Chapter 149 Zhang Xuan's Decision

"Life Recovery Pills?"

"Three of them?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and the others immediately began to breathe rapidly.

Life Recovery Pills were unique to Hongtian Academy, unavailable even at the Alchemist Guild. They could help martial artists absorb spiritual energy faster, allowing them to progress quickly.

"Teacher Zhang has done so much for us without expecting anything in return. As his students, we should do something for him too!" Zheng Yang said with firm determination.

Since childhood, he had cultivated alone, struggling hard. He had thought that at the academy, teachers would only guide him through confusion and solve problems... but Teacher Zhang gave him more warmth and difference.

He created cultivation techniques tailored for him, pointed out flaws in his training, and even risked going to the Pill Debate to help them improve their strength...

All of this inspired and moved him from the bottom of his heart.

"Teacher Zhang might not care about these resources, but... all the other teachers are receiving them, and he alone is not. It involves his dignity. As his students, we must fight for it no matter what!" Zhao Ya clenched her silver teeth.

Teacher Zhang could casually give away the Cold Sun Mother Herb worth a hundred thousand gold. Although Life Recovery Pills were good, he surely wouldn't care about them... but this was no longer about resources; it was about face.

If all the other teachers in the academy had them and he alone didn't, how could he hold his head high?

Since he was not in the academy, then... Teacher, we, your students, will fight for your face!

We will protect your dignity!

Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, and the others all had firm gazes, without any hesitation or wavering.

"Alright, let's challenge the Student Battle Platform!"

Nodding in agreement, Zheng Yang took the long spear from his back, assembled it section by section, and flicked his wrist. The spear emitted a sobbing sound, as if ready to leap at any moment.

"You chose this. Don't regret it!"

Zhou Tian flashed a cold smile and waved his hand: "Come out, all of you. Someone wants to challenge you. It's time to show them what you've got. If you defeat them, I'll give each of you a dose of Life Recovery Powder!"

Clatter!

With the shout, a group of people walked over. They were all new students this year, a full forty to fifty of them.

"I have a total of forty-seven students. No matter how many of you come up, if you can defeat all of them, you win!" Zhou Tian sneered.

"Forty-seven..."

Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and the others twitched their mouths.

Clearly, they hadn't expected that this new teacher, who had only stayed on this year, could have so many students.

"Let's fight. We can't lose face!"

The Student Battle Platform had its rules. They could choose a one-on-one continuous battle or fight multiple opponents at once. As long as they defeated all of the teacher's students, they would win.

Since they had made their choice, there was no need to hesitate.

With a leap, Zheng Yang jumped onto the platform first.

"Whoosh!" One of Zhou Tian's students also jumped up.

The battle began immediately.

...

"Zhou Tian?"

Walking quickly, Zhang Xuan frowned after listening to Yuan Tao's explanation.

He had never offended this teacher, neither in his previous life nor after reincarnation. Why was he deliberately targeting him?

Although the academy was calmer than the outside world, it was still a world of its own, with all kinds of open and covert struggles. But as a teacher in the Student Affairs Office, he had no conflict of interest with Zhang Xuan. In such ambiguous situations where distribution was optional, many teachers wouldn't choose to burn bridges.

Moreover, he had just brought down the Teaching Director. Not many students knew about it, but as a teacher, Zhou Tian must have heard the news. Yet he still deliberately caused trouble. Wasn't he asking for a beating?

"I heard... he was once a student of Elder Shang Chen. His retention at the academy was also arranged by the latter..." Yuan Tao had heard this from somewhere.

"I see!"

That explained everything.

He had caused Elder Shang Chen to lose his position as Teaching Director and even face punishment from the Teachers' Guild. As his student, Zhou Tian naturally wanted to stand up for his teacher.

"But my face... isn't so easy to slap!"

Knowing the reason, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

If you want to slap my face, that's fine... but let's see if your hand is hard enough!

...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several heavy punches to the back, Zheng Yang's mouth tasted sweet, and his hand holding the spear seemed unable to bend.

With the progress over the past few days, his cultivation had increased significantly. Zhou Tian's students were no match for him, but he couldn't withstand their numbers!

This was the fifth one, and he was already struggling.

If it were a simple one-on-one continuous battle, he wouldn't be so exhausted. But the opponent seemed to have planned it. Those he fought against kept moving around, never engaging head-on, with the sole purpose of draining his stamina.

"Hold on, I must hold on!"

Zheng Yang gritted his teeth, used his last ounce of strength, and with a flick of his spear, defeated the fifth student.

"Haha, can't hold on anymore?"

With a loud laugh, the sixth student jumped up and kicked him in the chest. Zheng Yang stumbled back seven or eight steps. If not for his willpower, he would have fallen off the platform.

"If you can't hold on, stop pretending. How dare you challenge Teacher Zhou's dignity? Get lost!"

The sixth student sneered, raised a long staff, and swung it at him.

Judging by the speed, if it hit, he would be severely injured.

"Block it..."

With a ferocious expression, Zheng Yang tried to raise his spear to block, but found himself a step too slow.

Knowing he would take the hit and with no other choice, he closed his eyes.

He expected to spit blood and fall off the Student Battle Platform, but after waiting for a long time, nothing happened. He quickly opened his eyes and saw a figure standing in front of him—not tall, but firm and trustworthy.

The long staff that the sixth student had swung wildly was caught between two of his fingers, no matter how hard the student tried, he couldn't pull it free.

"Teacher Zhang..."

He recognized it at a glance.

The figure before him was indeed Teacher Zhang Xuan.

Wasn't he not in the academy? How did he come...

The one who caught the staff was indeed Zhang Xuan. He had just arrived following Yuan Tao and saw this scene, so he immediately jumped up.

There were still about ten days until the bet with Teacher Lu Xun. These little fellows must not get injured, otherwise, there would be no need to fight!

Zhou Tian, hating Zhang Xuan for bringing down Shang Chen and knowing he was no match, deliberately provoked Zheng Yang and the others with words, probably with this intention.

If Zheng Yang and the others were injured, Zhang Xuan would surely lose the Teacher Evaluation.

Therefore, seeing that time was short, he jumped up directly.

"Zhang Xuan, what do you mean? Your students challenged the Student Battle Platform. What, as a teacher, you want to attack my students?"

Seeing him rush over, Zhou Tian showed no surprise, his eyes flickering.

"Attack your students? You're overthinking!"

With a flick of his finger, the opponent's long staff broke into several pieces. Zhang Xuan clapped his hands and raised his eyelids.

"Then what do you mean by jumping onto the Student Battle Platform? Do you want to back out? But it seems too late. Your students have already agreed to the challenge and have injured five of mine. Today's match will continue whether you want it or not. You have no choice! Unless..."

At this point, Zhou Tian sneered coldly: "Unless you admit defeat yourself and acknowledge that your students are inferior to mine!"

"We can't admit defeat!"

"Even if we give it our all, we will win..."

Hearing the blatant mockery, Zheng Yang and the others clenched their fists, their faces flushed.

If they admitted defeat today, they would never be able to hold their heads high in the academy again.

"Admit defeat?" Zhang Xuan shook his head: "Are you awake?"

"Hmph, in that case, let's continue. Please step down, Teacher Zhang!" Zhou Tian flicked his sleeve: "This is a battle between students. For a teacher to interfere is somewhat bullying the weak, don't you think?"

"Don't rush!" Zhang Xuan smiled slightly: "I won't admit defeat, but I didn't say we'd continue the Student Battle Platform match either!"

"Not continue? The Student Battle Platform match has already started; there's no stopping it now. It's too late for regrets." Zhou Tian snorted.

"My students' decision is mine. Since they challenged the Student Battle Platform, I naturally have no regrets!" Zhang Xuan looked over: "But... I think this little Student Battle Platform challenge is too boring. How about we go straight to a 'Teacher Battle Platform'? I wonder if you dare to accept?"

"What? Challenge the Teacher Battle Platform? Has this guy lost his mind?"

"Is there something wrong with his brain?"

"The Teacher Battle Platform is for students to challenge teachers. I've seen his students just now; they can barely win on the Student Battle Platform, and they want to challenge a teacher? Isn't that a dream?"

...

Other teachers and students in the Student Affairs Office were all stunned, frozen in place upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

On the Student Battle Platform, if students are dissatisfied with a teacher, they challenge all his students to force him to admit fault. On the Teacher Battle Platform, students directly challenge the teacher. If they win, admitting fault is secondary; the teacher suffers great humiliation in both dignity and face.

Of course, students are much lower in level than teachers, so victory is unlikely. For fairness, in a Teacher Battle Platform match, the teacher must suppress their cultivation to match the students.

Even so, it's not truly fair.

As a teacher, their vision and mastery of combat far surpass students. Even at the same level, the latter cannot win.

Not only were the onlookers stunned, but even Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and the others staggered, almost fainting.

They thought challenging the Student Battle Platform was already reckless and overestimating their abilities, but Teacher Zhang was even more impressive—opening with the Teacher Battle Platform...

You... must be joking.

This Teacher Zhou Tian, although not high in cultivation among the teachers—only at the initial stage of the Fourth Layer of Martial Artist, Skin and Bone Realm—was still a real teacher, not someone they, mere First Layer, Breath Gathering Realm nobodies, could defeat.

"Teacher Battle Platform? You want these students to challenge me?" Zhou Tian looked as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"What? Scared?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Haha, you're asking for death!" Zhou Tian laughed loudly: "Fine, I accept. If you win, I'll give you ten Life Recovery Pills directly. But if you lose... heh, I won't ask for anything from you; just kneel before me!"