Chapter 1855: Mo Xiao Wants a Sparring Match

Standing before him was none other than his childhood friend, Mo Xiao!

Back then, the two had come to Hongtian Academy together with great determination, both hoping to enroll under Teacher Wang Chao and become his students. In the end, the latter succeeded, while he, due to poor performance, failed the exam and was taken in by Zhang Xuan as a student.

Over a year had passed, and neither could have imagined the situation today.

The one who succeeded remained in the Tianxuan Kingdom, unknown throughout the continent; while the one who failed had become an ancient sage and the head of the War Master Hall, with few in the world who could surpass him.

The twists of fate were truly lamentable.

"You are..."

Seeing the other call out his name with such familiarity, Mo Xiao frowned.

As an ancient sage, he did not wish to be recognized. Unless one's cultivation reached the same level, they could not discern his true appearance. Thus, even as a childhood friend, he did not recognize him.

"I... Zheng Yang!"

The aura around him dissipated, revealing his original appearance.

"Yangzi?"

His body trembled, and Mo Xiao's eyes reddened.

They had played together since they were naked babies, training with spears side by side. It had been over a year since they last met, and he thought they might never cross paths again, yet here they were, reunited so soon.

"Didn't you leave with... Teacher Zhang? How..."

After the initial excitement, confusion set in.

His friend's teacher, Zhang Xuan, had reportedly passed the master teacher exam and was immensely impressive. As for what happened afterward, the Tianxuan Kingdom was too isolated for him to know much.

"I had some free time and came back to see you and some other friends."

Zheng Yang smiled without elaborating.

Honestly, he dared not explain. How could he tell him that he was now the head of the War Master Hall and an ancient sage?

Did he even know what the War Master Hall was? Did he understand ancient sages?

It would be pointless to say anything.

"Great! You've been with Teacher Zhang for so long; by now, you should have reached the eighth-level Martial Ancestor realm, right? It's been ages since we sparred. I've learned some impressive spear techniques recently, and my cultivation has reached the peak of the seventh-level Tongxuan realm, on the verge of a breakthrough! Let me see how much you've improved this year!"

With a flick of his wrist, Mo Xiao drew his long spear from his back into his palm, his battle intent soaring like a rainbow.

They had sparred since childhood, and after over a year without a match, he was itching for a fight. Seeing his friend now, he could no longer hold back.

"Martial Ancestor realm? Tongxuan realm peak? Spear techniques?"

Zheng Yang found it both amusing and exasperating: "Better forget it..."

Though young, the gap between these two realms was so vast that he could barely recall them.

"What? Afraid I'll hurt you? Don't worry, I have good control over my strength. If you can't parry, I'll stop immediately. There won't be any problem..."

Mo Xiao laughed heartily, twirling his spear.

"This..." Zheng Yang was embarrassed.

An ancient sage and head of the War Master Hall, sparring with a Tongxuan realm martial artist... How could that work?

"What? Looking down on your brother? Or afraid you'll lose and lose face?" Seeing his hesitation, Mo Xiao frowned.

"Of course not..."

Since the other had put it that way, Zheng Yang could no longer refuse. He shook his head helplessly, flicked his wrist, and produced the lowest-grade spear he had: "Where do we spar?"

"You have a spatial ring now? Not bad. Teacher Zhang must treat you well..."

Seeing the spear appear in his palm, Mo Xiao's eyes filled with envy. He nodded and pointed casually: "The teacher is about to give a lecture here. Let's go over there; there's a sparring platform..."

"He hasn't even seen a spatial ring..."

Seeing his old friend like this, Zheng Yang smiled bitterly and nodded: "Let's go."

With that, they walked together toward the platform not far away.

"Let's watch too!"

Since the lecture hadn't started yet, Zhang Xuan and the others had nothing to do and followed along.

The girl from earlier, seeing that these frauds knew her senior brother, hesitated for a moment before also following.

The two leaped onto the platform, each holding a long spear, instantly drawing the attention of countless people. Those who had been preparing to attend the lecture turned around in unison.

Seeing so many eyes on him, Zheng Yang once again concealed his aura and appearance, making himself unrecognizable.

"Mo Xiao is the academy's most famous spear genius. With his cultivation, even the teachers and elders are no match. Where did this guy come from to challenge him?"

"No idea. Just wait and watch him get beaten."

"That's true..."

Everyone wore amused expressions.

Over the past year, under Teacher Lu Xun's guidance, Mo Xiao had advanced by leaps and bounds. Both his cultivation and understanding of spear techniques were nearing the Martial Ancestor realm. At this level, few in the entire Hongtian Academy could defeat him, let alone this unknown youth.

Seeing Mo Xiao challenge someone before his lecture, Lu Xun smiled wryly and looked around: "Alright, since they want to spar, I'll use their match to teach you all about the application and techniques of spearplay in actual combat."

"Great!"

"We love hearing Teacher Lu's practical combat techniques!"

"This is the best way to improve combat strength. This trip wasn't wasted..."

Hearing that Teacher Lu Xun would lecture on the application of spear techniques, the crowd below erupted in excitement, all turning their gazes toward the platform.

"Haha, come on!"

Seeing such a stir and even the teacher watching, Mo Xiao's battle intent blazed like a rainbow. With a flick of his spear, it let out a whistling sound as he thrust it straight at Zheng Yang.

Whirr, whirr, whirr!

The spear moved so fast it cut through the air with a sharp sound.

"Mo Xiao's move is excellent. One thrust without pause. Spear techniques emphasize smoothness, no hesitation. Once a decision is made, it must be swift and overwhelming, giving an unstoppable feeling... Mo Xiao's move would be hard for even an ordinary Martial Ancestor to block. The youth opposite him is probably in for trouble..."

Lu Xun nodded approvingly, his voice clear and resonant.

Zheng Yang was full of conflict.

The spear's speed was far too slow, no different from a snail's pace, and its power was too weak. Blocking it casually would easily hurt his friend, putting him in a difficult spot.

Not blocking was bad, but blocking was also not ideal... It was so uncomfortable to watch!

"As I said, his opponent is already panicking, not knowing what to do!"

Seeing Zheng Yang standing motionless, Lu Xun nodded with satisfaction: "The spear techniques I teach emphasize momentum; that's how they gain power. To temper Mo Xiao, I once took him to a waterfall to resist the torrent for three months, and that's how he achieved today's results. No need to watch—his opponent will surrender soon, surr—surr—surr—"

Before he could finish, his lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

His constricted pupils revealed this scene: Mo Xiao's spear thrust toward Zheng Yang's eye, and then...

It shattered piece by piece.