Chapter 224: Still Not Calling Him Uncle!

"I lost? Not yet!"

Seeing the spear before him, Lu Xun felt a surge of intense humiliation. With a roar, he gritted his teeth and charged forward.

"Huh?"

Not expecting him to charge straight at the spear tip, Zheng Yang was startled and involuntarily pulled back his arm.

This retreat lost him the initiative. Lu Xun stamped his foot, sprang up, and executed Phantom Nine-Step, turning into a blur. In the blink of an eye, he was before Zheng Yang, throwing himself into a body slam.

Now that Yuan Tao had him locked in a bear hug, both arms pinned, this was his only move.

Bang! Pfft!

Not expecting him to shamelessly resist even with the spear at his neck, Zheng Yang was caught off guard. The impact struck his chest; his face flushed, and he spat blood as he flew backward.

"So shameless..."

"How can a star teacher of the academy act like this?"

"Despicable..."

Seeing Lu Xun refuse to admit defeat, the crowd erupted in uproar.

"Unforgivable!"

Seeing that he had already lost yet still resisted, even injuring Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya's pretty face flushed with anger. With a flicker, she appeared before him. Her jade hand turned over, and a longsword materialized in her palm.

She had studied swordsmanship since childhood and was skilled with the blade. She hadn't drawn it during the group fight, but now, seeing her once-admired Teacher Lu act so shamelessly, she could no longer hold back.

Hum!

The longsword arced through the air, ethereal as a painting.

Martial technique [Sunset Sword Art]: The great river surges, the setting sun blazes!

"Heh!"

With his hands bound, Lu Xun snorted, leaped up, and kicked at the sword blade.

This counter was perfectly timed in every respect, but he underestimated Yuan Tao, who still held him from behind.

Zheng Yang's injury stirred Yuan Tao's bloodlust. With a roar,

"Get down!"

His bulky body turned as heavy as stone, dragging Lu Xun downward as he tried to rise.

This descent meant his kick would miss the sword, and losing balance, he risked being run through the chest.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard by the sudden change, Lu Xun's pupils contracted. He had no time to dodge.

Whoosh!

Just as a fatal blow seemed imminent, a figure appeared between them, flicking a finger.

Hum!

With a ringing sound, Zhao Ya could no longer hold her sword; it flew straight out and stuck obliquely into the ground nearby.

"Teacher!"

Zhao Ya was about to rage at having her sword flicked away, but recognizing the figure, she immediately clasped her fists.

It was Zhang Xuan.

He saw that both sides were furious; if he didn't intervene, something serious would happen today.

After disarming Zhao Ya, he went to Zheng Yang and channeled a stream of true energy into him. Finding the injury minor—recoverable with pills and cultivation—he sighed in relief and turned to Yuan Tao: "You can let go now."

"Yes!"

Yuan Tao unlocked his hands and slumped to the ground.

Though he had only held Lu Xun motionless, he had worked the hardest and suffered the most among the five.

Without the indestructible defense from his awakened Dragon Rhinoceros bloodline, he would have collapsed from the blows.

"Teacher..."

After a moment to recover, the five dragged their weary bodies over.

Though exhausted, their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Before the fight, they hadn't expected to win, but the outcome was surprisingly good. They had beaten a star teacher badly, and they felt proud.

Expecting praise for avenging their teacher and showcasing their half-month of training, they instead saw Zhang Xuan's face dark with fury, anger swirling in his eyes.

"Teacher..."

Seeing his expression, Zheng Yang and the others were puzzled.

"Think I should praise you?"

Zhang Xuan's gaze was like a gathering storm.

"We..."

The five scratched their heads.

"I thought you were secretly practicing some powerful formation. Come on, tell me—what is this crap?" Zhang Xuan roared, his face full of disappointment.

"This formation isn't good?"

"It's one of the best combined attack formations in Tianxuan Kingdom, isn't it?"

Hearing the reason for his anger, everyone was stunned.

This formation ranked among the top in Tianxuan Kingdom. With it, a Martial Artist 5-dan and four 2-dan had defeated a peak Acupoint Opening realm expert—a remarkable feat.

And he was still dissatisfied?

Calling it "crap"?

Lu Xun, who had just relaxed, felt a tightness in his chest and nearly spat blood from his injuries.

Was this a joke?

This formation had nearly killed him, and he still wasn't satisfied?

"What? Not convinced? Fine, I'll start from the first move. Yuan Tao charged at Teacher Lu. At that moment, if Zheng Yang had struck from this position, using the spear technique I taught you to block, the power would have doubled compared to a direct attack. Liu Yang, if you had punched here, crouching three inches lower, it would have exploited a gap in his dodge—he couldn't have avoided it. And Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, were you asleep? If you had stood at those two positions, do you think he could have escaped?"

Ignoring their shock, Zhang Xuan flicked his sleeve, drew the formation on the ground, and pointed out several spots.

Lu Xun was puzzled at first, but seeing the points, his face turned pale.

What Zhang Xuan said was right. If those five had stood as he indicated and attacked simultaneously, even he couldn't have dodged; he would have been hit by at least three moves.

These kids had made him spit blood with one move; three moves in succession would have overwhelmed him even at full strength.

Ignoring his trembling, Zhang Xuan continued, pointing again.

"Second move: Yuan Tao held Teacher Lu—that was the best opportunity. If Liu Yang had attacked here, Wang Ying struck three breaths later, and Zhao Ya, without hesitation, sealed his retreat at the seventh breath, would any of you have been injured? Not a single one, and he would have conceded!"

The more he spoke, the angrier Zhang Xuan became.

These kids were too reckless.

He had thought they learned a powerful formation, but it was full of holes.

What kind of crap was that?

Was that even a formation?

If they had asked him for a few pointers beforehand, no one would have been hurt, and they could have beaten Lu Xun like a dead dog.

Instead, he still had the strength to resist and refuse to admit defeat!

And several of them were injured and disheveled!

"This... this..."

Hearing his explanation, Lu Xun felt a chill.

Others might not grasp the significance, but as the one who fought them, he knew how terrifying Zhang Xuan's casual remarks were.

If they had followed his advice, the result would have been exactly as he said: no injuries among them, and he would have been beaten to a pulp.

Did this Zhang Xuan also understand formations?

In the heat of battle, with such speed, he spotted the flaws in their formation and made optimal adjustments... Was that real?

How did he do it?

His lips dry, Lu Xun trembled.

He had thought their coordination was good, but now he saw so many flaws and problems.

Once those problems were fixed, even his peak Acupoint Opening cultivation couldn't withstand it!

A powerful formation wasn't one plus one equals two, but three, or four.

Yuan Tao excelled in defense, the sturdiest shield; Zheng Yang's spear was the sharpest arrow; Zhao Ya commanded from the center with varied tactics; Wang Ying's footwork was subtle, weaving through; Liu Yang's fists were unstoppable, bold and unrestrained...

With the original formation, the five could only exert a power of seven or eight. But following Zhang Xuan's guidance, they could unleash ten or even twenty!

Such power might even overwhelm a Tongxuan realm initial stage expert, let alone a peak Acupoint Opening one like him!

Terrifying!

"Brilliant! Though just a few words, they capture the essence of the formation. Could this Master Zhang also be deeply versed in formations?"

Liu Ling watched Zhang Xuan's guidance in disbelief.

Formation masters and alchemists were among the highest of the nine noble professions, each profound and mysterious. Becoming a formal alchemist at his age was impressive enough, but formations too?

"Do you all understand what I said?"

Ignoring the stunned silence around him, Zhang Xuan finished scolding the five students and looked around.

"Yes!"

The five lowered their heads, faces full of shame.

This formation, brought by Zhao Ya, was considered the best in White Jade City. They thought it flawless and powerful, never imagining so many flaws.

But after Zhang Xuan's guidance and the actual fight, they understood it deeply and could execute it much more smoothly.

"Good!"

Having finished his lecture, Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and walked back slowly: "Since you've learned it, go fight again. Teacher Lu won't admit defeat? Beat him until he does!"

"Huh?"

"Fight again?"

The five students nearly fainted.

They thought he was ruthless enough, but Teacher Zhang was even more ruthless...

"You..."

Lu Xun's vision went dark.

Damn it, you came over, stopped them, and critiqued the formation—all that, and it wasn't because you thought they did badly, but because you wanted to toy with me...

He stood up to speak, but a hurried voice came from afar.

"Please, Master Zhang, spare this boy for my sake!"

Turning, he saw Master Lu Chen striding over.

"Father..."

Seeing his usually aloof father speak up for him, Lu Xun clenched his fists, his face reddening.

He had run away from home to prove to his father that he could make it on his own, never expecting to be seen in such a sorry state.

"You wretch, kneel!"

Master Lu Chen, face full of disappointment, waved his hand toward Zhang Xuan: "Still not calling him Uncle!"