Chapter 174: Confident A Yun

His aura surged violently, several times stronger than before, having already broken through the peak of the Tongxuan realm.

"Half-step... Grandmaster?"

Zhuang Xian's mouth gaped open.

The eighth realm of martial arts, the Grandmaster realm, meant founding a school and becoming a master of one's domain. Though only a hair's breadth away from the seventh realm's peak, it was as difficult to cross as a butterfly breaking from its cocoon or a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

This was the first major hurdle among the nine martial realms, trapping countless brilliant talents.

Half-step Grandmaster was the buffer between them; to reach higher, one must first attain this state.

The old ancestor of the Tianxuan Kingdom had suppressed the entire kingdom for years, yet he was only at this level.

Zhuang Xian himself was a master teacher. He had expended no end of effort to break through this realm but failed. How... after being beaten over the head with a black stick, did he break through?

This... was too ridiculous, wasn't it?

Liu Ling and Zheng Fei, standing to the side, exchanged glances, their heads full of question marks.

They had both examined Zhuang Xian's condition and thought of many methods. They never imagined that after being beaten randomly, he would succeed...

Could it be any more absurd?

Was being beaten savagely also a method of breakthrough? If so, should they also find a group to ambush them to break through to Grandmaster?

Feeling strange inside, they all looked at the man sipping tea, hoping to read something from his face. But unfortunately, his expression was as usual, as if he had done nothing, calm as water... though his eyes were still red, his spirit still listless, and his eye bags still sagging.

If not for the miracle he had just created, they would have suspected he had been out carousing last night.

"Teacher... Yang, what exactly is going on?" Seeing him silent, Zhuang Xian could no longer hold back.

His address changed from Yang Xuan back to Teacher Yang.

"Not cursing my uncle anymore?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyelid.

"I..." Teacher Zhuang's face flushed bright red, sweat pouring like rain.

The man was clearly helping him break through, yet he failed to grasp the goodwill and even insulted him publicly... This was a textbook example of returning kindness with enmity.

Filled with embarrassment, Zhuang Xian could only lower his head: "Please forgive my ignorance..."

"Alright, I don't blame you." Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "When you performed your martial technique just now, it was steady and balanced, neither brilliant nor flawed. It shows you studied diligently from childhood and had an excellent teacher."

"Teacher Yang is right. My father was a one-star master teacher." Zhuang Xian nodded.

"A solid foundation and abundant strength are good, but they are also shortcomings. Because your father was a master teacher, you knew from childhood that his guidance was always correct, so you developed a subconscious fear of overstepping, forming a habit of being overly conventional. Martial arts cultivation goes against the heavens; it is not about sticking to rules and conventions. Cultivating this way may be fast at first, but when you reach the peak of the Tongxuan realm and try to break through, it becomes a shackle."

Zhang Xuan looked up, as if lecturing a student: "Grandmaster, as the name implies, means founding a school. Without your own thoughts and insights, if you merely learn from predecessors, how can you succeed? Half-step Grandmaster, though not a true Grandmaster, still carries this flavor."

"With years of cultivation and accumulation, the true qi and strength in your body have long been enough to break the shackles and reach half-step Grandmaster. But unfortunately, you hesitated and lacked confidence. If I'm not mistaken, your father never reached this realm in his lifetime, and may even have encountered some mishap while trying to break through!"

"You... you..."

Zhuang Xian staggered back.

The other party was absolutely right.

Though his father was a one-star master teacher, he never reached half-step Grandmaster before his death. Moreover, he suffered qi deviation from the failed breakthrough, lost all his cultivation, and died of depression within a year.

Because of this, Zhuang Xian always had a shadow in his heart, unable to go all out every time he attempted a breakthrough.

But this was a secret in his heart, never spoken aloud... How did the other party know?

Was it just from watching his martial technique?

"This fear prevents your breakthrough; no pill or technique can help." Zhang Xuan stood up and walked slowly to the center of the hall. "You asked me for guidance. I knew that to succeed, you first had to overcome your fear; otherwise, everything would be in vain."

"But this fear has been buried in your heart for years. How difficult to overcome? The only way is through anger, using this special emotion to offset inner panic. So I had someone cover your head and ambush you. Not knowing the reason, you would naturally think I was insulting you and hate me bitterly. Thus, the fear disappeared. With years of accumulation and the anger in your heart, breaking through was only to be expected."

With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan stood quietly in the center of the hall, his silhouette lengthened by the sunlight streaming in, like a towering giant.

"This..."

Zhuang Xian stood still, pondering the other's words. Each time he thought about them, he couldn't help but be shocked.

This theory sounded simple, but in reality, from observing a set of martial techniques, he had deduced the problem and prescribed the right remedy, predicting the outcome without any flaw. The complexity was no less than breaking through to Grandmaster.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.

"Teacher Yang's great kindness, Zhuang Xian will never forget."

After his shock, Zhuang Xian bowed down.

This time, it was from the heart, without any reluctance.

"Not suspecting I'm a fake anymore?" Zhang Xuan said with a half-smile.

"Uh..." Zhuang Xian rubbed his hands.

It seemed the other party had long known he was suspicious but simply couldn't be bothered to respond.

Realizing this, he felt a surge of respect.

Seeing through without exposing, and still helping him break through—this was true master teacher demeanor, the bearing of a master...

Seeing their friend's problem easily resolved, Liu Ling and Zheng Fei, even if slow, now knew that this young-looking man was a genuine master teacher.

If not a master teacher, how could he have such deep insights into cultivation and immediately spot a problem they couldn't solve, helping Zhuang Xian break through? Even if the breakthrough... seemed a bit unorthodox...

But orthodox or not, the successful breakthrough proved that this man's skill far exceeded theirs.

No longer feeling contempt, they exchanged glances, and Zheng Fei stood up: "Teacher Yang, I also have a cultivation problem that has troubled me for a long time..."

...

Outside the mansion.

"They say three master teachers have come to visit this Teacher Yang. Could he really be a two-star level as rumored?"

Seeing Emperor Shen Zhui and the three teachers enter the courtyard, the crowd outside couldn't help but discuss.

No one knew exactly what level this Teacher Yang was, but the fact that three one-star master teachers visited him suggested he was no ordinary person—at least two-star level.

"I don't know either. A few days ago, I visited Ling Tianyu, who has great admiration for Teacher Yang. His wife's illness, which we all saw, is now completely cured."

"I also visited Du Moxuan. His chronic ailment of many years is not only cured, but his cultivation has also reached the Tongxuan realm, as rumored."

"This Teacher Yang's methods are truly profound and admirable..."

...

They whispered among themselves, sighing in admiration.

"Actually, if everyone is curious, we could ask them." Suddenly, someone pointed ahead.

Following the direction, they saw the three master teachers' guards standing quietly not far away, with A Yun as their leader, holding a long sword and exuding a chilling aura.

When the master teachers and Emperor Shen Zhui entered the courtyard, they, as guards, were not qualified to enter and had to wait outside.

"Right, they are the three teachers' guards; they should know best..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

If anyone knew this Yang Xuan best, it would be the three master teachers. And who knew them best? Surely these guards.

If they asked them, they could surely get some useful information.

"Brother Yun..."

A middle-aged man stepped forward and cupped his fists.

Apparently, he knew A Yun.

As a top one-star master teacher, Liu Ling was famous in several kingdoms. As his guard, A Yun was also quite prestigious, with many people trying to curry favor.

"So it's Brother Liao."

A Yun recognized him. He was a lone martial artist from the Tianxuan Kingdom named Liao Yongjin, who had visited Teacher Liu five years ago to seek guidance on cultivation.

"Just call me by my name; 'Brother Liao' is too much honor." Seeing himself recognized, Liao Yongjin was delighted. After exchanging pleasantries, he voiced his doubt: "The three teachers specially visited... Have they already confirmed Teacher Yang's true identity?"

"Visit?"

A Yun sneered. "Call it a visit, but it's more like exposing his true face."

"Brother Yun, what do you mean?"

Liao Yongjin was startled and couldn't help asking.

"Simple. The three teachers don't think this Yang Xuan is a master teacher; on the contrary, they suspect he's a fake impersonator. So they came specially to see and plan to expose him publicly."

As Liu Ling's guard, he had been following him these days and had overheard many conversations among the three teachers.

Although the teachers were shocked by the cases of Ling Tianyu's wife and Du Moxuan, they were more inclined to believe that this Yang Xuan was a fake, just putting on a show.

Otherwise, how could he easily solve problems they couldn't, and in such incomprehensible ways?

It was a visit in name, but an investigation in reality.

"Teacher Yang... might be a fraud?"

At A Yun's words, the crowd erupted in uproar.

If true, this would be a huge scandal.

They had been waiting in line painstakingly, only to visit a fraud...

"Don't worry. The teachers have been inside for a while now. It shouldn't be long before they prove it."

Waving his hand, A Yun spoke with an air of arrogance.

If he weren't a fraud, how could he have such a stupid butler who said such stupid things?

Creak!

As his words fell, the tightly shut door slowly opened, and several figures walked out.

"Brother Sun, please stay. Today has been truly rewarding. We know Teacher Yang doesn't care about these things, but these are tokens of our appreciation. Please pass them on."

Teacher Liu stood at the door, chatting with a smile to Sun Qiang, while constantly pressing things into his hands.

"Gah?"

A Yun's body stiffened.