Chapter 308: The Sea of Techniques

The puppets in the Puppet Hall were specially crafted by master artifact refiners, infused with spiritual nature. The two puppets practiced similar techniques at the same level, making it impossible for either to win in battle.

Normally, guidance from a master teacher would only allow one to win by a narrow margin.

But this guy, he had one puppet smash the other's head off... How did he do it?

Teacher Wu, Mo Hongyi, and the others quickly stepped to the door and looked inside. Their pupils contracted, and they nearly fainted on the spot.

They saw two evenly matched puppets, one lying on the ground with its head rolling far away.

They had thought that for one to have its head knocked off, there must have been a fierce battle, at least some damage. But after looking, they realized that wasn't the case at all.

The red-robed puppet stood in place, sleeves fluttering, completely unharmed, not even a scratch.

Without any damage, it smashed the other's head off...

Damn!

How did he do it?

In a normal battle, one must be far stronger than the opponent.

With just a little guidance, he made one puppet far stronger, overwhelmingly crushing the other?

It felt like a dream.

"You said you've been practicing for half a day... How many moves did the red puppet take to defeat the blue one?" Mo Hongyi couldn't help asking.

This was what he cared about most.

Hearing this, the others pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a word.

"How many moves? The red puppet was so strong, it only threw one punch, and that was it. If it used more moves, the blue one would have been turned into meat paste..." Zhang Xuan said helplessly.

How many moves? It couldn't even block one. If it took more, it would be even worse.

"One move..."

Mo Hongyi, Jiang Chen, and the others saw darkness before their eyes and swayed.

They thought seventeen or twenty-five moves were impressive and extraordinary, but this guy used only one move...

With one move, he made two evenly matched puppets not only defeat each other but also knock off a head... Was he even human?

Most importantly... What did that look of disdain mean?

Others took many moves to end the battle, but you crippled one in a single move...

"This... May I ask, how did you make the red puppet defeat the blue one in one move?"

Teacher Wu couldn't help asking.

Any master teacher who had undergone the Puppet Hall assessment knew that the two were almost identical. In a normal battle, even a defeat in ten moves would be legendary and envied by many.

That was why he couldn't understand how this guy had accomplished such a difficult feat.

Princess Mo Yu also looked over with curiosity. During her assessment a few days ago, she had taken twenty-two moves to succeed. She also wanted to know what method Teacher Zhang had used.

Hearing the question, Zhang Xuan was startled, then said matter-of-factly: "It's simple! The red puppet has strength, the blue puppet has speed. In a real fight, they are evenly matched. But it's easy once you find the blue puppet's weakness. No matter how fast it is, it has to stop! Predict its position the moment it stops, have the red puppet attack, and one punch knocks its head off..."

"Predict?"

"Determine the position?"

Everyone trembled.

It sounded simple, but it was extremely difficult.

Everyone knew that with the strength of ten thousand cauldrons, even a grandmaster could be killed in one move. But knowing it didn't mean anything if you couldn't achieve it.

Similarly, this battle method sounded simple, but during combat, the timing was within a tenth or hundredth of a breath. A slight error would make it impossible, and it might even create an opening for the opponent to counterattack.

Predicting the opponent's position and having the red puppet punch its head off in one blow...

Not only did he need to know the battle thoroughly, but he also had to be clear about the opponent's strength, physical condition, fist speed, and movement speed...

He remembered all this after one look and made the corresponding moves...

Damn!

Bro, are you a three-star master teacher disguised as a one-star, messing with us?

On the side, Ling Xiaoxiao's delicate body trembled as if about to fall apart, nearly convulsing on the spot.

A day ago, she thought he was an ignorant apprentice who knew nothing. Now she realized he was a hidden monster.

He didn't know anything when asked, but aced every test... You freak... Where did you come from?

She felt a tightness in her chest; if not for holding back, she would have spat blood.

"This... Do I need to pay for it?"

After explaining, seeing everyone silent, Zhang Xuan pointed at the puppet lying on the ground.

"The Master Teacher Hall has a self-repair function. After a few days of rest, the puppet will automatically recover."

Snapping out of shock, Teacher Wu nodded.

"That's good..." Zhang Xuan sighed in relief. "Then... does this count as passing?"

"Pass!" Teacher Wu said with a wry smile.

The others rolled their eyes.

You defeated it with one move of guidance. If you don't pass, who will?

"The next level is the Sea of Techniques!"

Suppressing his frustration, Teacher Wu continued explaining the next assessment. "The Sea of Techniques contains countless cultivation techniques. To pass, you need to randomly select one and teach it. During the lecture, not only will many master teachers judge, but most importantly, there is the Sage Bell!"

"The Sage Bell is a spiritual treasure that imprints the sages' understanding and mastery of techniques. If the explanation fails to satisfy it, the bell won't ring, and you won't pass. The more rings, the more accurate the explanation."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright, go in. Fellow master teachers, follow me. As for the others, please stay outside!"

Teacher Wu looked around and said.

The fourth level, the Sea of Techniques assessment, required master teachers to be present; outsiders were not allowed.

"Yes!" Everyone responded.

Zhang Xuan pushed open the door and entered the room.

The Sea of Techniques was somewhat similar to a regular lecture hall, mainly testing a master teacher's teaching ability.

No matter how good a master teacher was, if they couldn't teach, they could only serve individuals and weren't good teachers.

A truly good teacher should have students everywhere, each as capable as a dragon.

Teaching one or two outstanding students alone wasn't impressive.

Looking up, Zhang Xuan saw two rows of large bells hanging on both sides of the room, each over a person tall, engraved with special patterns, giving a profound feeling.

In the middle were desks and chairs, neatly arranged like a classroom.

A dozen master teachers filed in and sat down.

Now they were the students, and there was only one teacher: Zhang Xuan.

Once everyone was seated, the door closed, and the room fell silent.

Whoosh!

The lectern shook, and a book slowly appeared.

"This manual is randomly selected from the library. You have the time it takes to burn a stick of incense to read it, then explain it. The Sage Bells will automatically analyze the correctness of your explanation, and we will also judge. The combined opinions will determine whether you pass."

Seeing the book appear, Teacher Wu said.

The Sage Bells were left by four-star master teachers, containing their understanding of techniques and martial skills, including strengths and weaknesses. If the explanation matched, the bell would ring; if there were errors, it wouldn't.

It sounded complicated, but it was similar to the earlier Supplementary Hall.

In the Supplementary Hall, scores increased or decreased; here, correct explanations rang the bell, incorrect ones didn't.

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan reached for the book and picked it up.

"Multi-Wave Water Palm?" His eyes fell on the cover.

It was a martial technique.

"Multi-Wave Water Palm? His luck doesn't seem good. This is one of the most difficult techniques in the Master Teacher Hall assessment!"

"Yes, hard to practice means hard to teach. In the thousands of years since the kingdom's Master Teacher Hall was established, eight examinees drew this book. Seven failed, and only one managed to explain the basics and barely pass!"

"I guess even if he passes this level, his score won't be as good as before..."

...

Seeing the name on the book, the master teachers below shook their heads, showing regret.

Although the Sea of Techniques assessment randomly selected techniques, it also depended on luck.

With good luck, choosing a simple or previously seen technique made teaching easier. Choosing a difficult one that one couldn't even practice made teaching impossible.

Clearly, Zhang Xuan's luck wasn't good; he was the latter.

This Multi-Wave Water Palm was, if not the hardest, then close to it in the entire Master Teacher Hall.

Countless martial artists couldn't practice it, let alone understand and teach it in the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Ignoring the murmurs, Zhang Xuan opened the manual, looked at it for a while, and nodded.

This manual seemed profound, but it didn't go beyond the Tongxuan realm.

Having practiced the Heavenly Way Spear Technique, Heavenly Way Movement Technique, and Fist Technique, he had some understanding of martial skills. As long as it didn't exceed his strength, he could identify the creator's intent and determine the practice method with a single glance.

So, despite what others said, after tempering with the Library of Heaven's Path, his insight had become extremely sharp. Often, even without the library, he could see the problems in techniques and get straight to the essence.

It was like being accustomed to real banknotes; even if you've never seen a counterfeit, you can tell by touch.

The Heavenly Way Divine Art and various Heavenly Way martial skills were like standing on the straightest path of cultivation, having reached the other shore. Looking back at the winding paths, it was easy to find the problems.

"Then I'll begin teaching..." After finishing the manual in a few dozen breaths, he casually placed it on the table and began.

"Teacher Zhang, you don't need to rush. You have a full stick of incense to study carefully..." Seeing him start after just one look, Teacher Wu couldn't help saying.

"No need!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Such a simple technique; studying it longer would be a waste.

Looking around, too lazy to dawdle, he began directly: "Multi-Wave Water Palm, as the name suggests, is a water-element palm technique. Many people practice it based on this, trying various methods. But... this approach is wrong!"

"Wrong?" Everyone was startled.

Zhang Xuan continued: "In fact, the so-called 'multi-wave water' refers to the attack being like water ripples and waves, endless and continuous after practice! It has nothing to do with the water element..."

He casually explained the problems he saw and the practice method.

"This..."

"So that's how it is! I never thought of that..."

"I see! It really enlightens me!"

...

Hearing his explanation, everyone felt a jolt, their faces turning pale with excitement.

Those present were all master teachers, so they could tell whether the explanation was correct. They had all thought this palm technique was water-element, never expecting it wasn't.

Analyzed from another perspective, the previously difficult manual became like a naked beauty, with no secrets left.

"There really is a gap..."

After listening, Princess Mo Yu looked at the young man on the stage with a complex expression.

She had happened to see this Multi-Wave Water Palm before and understood it like everyone else, never considering this method.

After hearing his explanation, she felt that her understanding of techniques over the years had been too one-sided.

"Impressive..."

Mo Hongyi clenched his fists.

Though unwilling to admit it, he felt the explanation was completely correct.

"This man is probably my great rival..." Squinting, Mo Hongyi felt a strong fighting spirit rise within him.

He was a super genius with no rival, and now someone appeared who was on par with him, even slightly better, igniting his competitive drive.

"I think I should also take the two-star master teacher assessment!"

He exhaled and snorted.

In fact, based on his cultivation, he could have taken the two-star assessment long ago, but he wanted to accumulate more and break all records. Now that Zhang Xuan was performing so outstandingly, if he didn't speed up, he might be overtaken.

...

The master teachers each had their own thoughts, full of admiration for the young man on stage. Those waiting outside were anxious to know the result.

"I wonder how he'll do in this level!"

Ling Xiaoxiao stared at the door to the fourth level, wishing she could drill through it.

"The result in the Sea of Techniques depends on the Sage Bell's rings. One ring means barely passing, two rings passable, three rings good, four rings excellent, five rings complete understanding without error, and six rings perfect!"

Her Grandmaster-level guard said, "Currently, the best result among master teachers is still Mo Hongyi, who rang it four times, earning widespread attention. For Zhang Xuan to make a name for himself, he must exceed four rings!"

"Four rings? That's not easy. Reading and understanding a technique in the time it takes to burn a stick of incense is too hard."

"I heard that when Mo Hongyi took the assessment, he was lucky enough to draw a technique he had seen before, which allowed him to explain it so thoroughly. This guy might not be so fortunate."

Hearing their conversation, the surrounding people shook their heads.

Everyone wanted good results in the assessment, but good results weren't that common.

He did well in one or two levels, but they didn't believe he could surprise them in this one.

"Dong!"

As they were discussing, the ground suddenly shook, and a loud sound rang out.

The Sage Bell had rung!

"How many rings?"

Everyone held their breath and looked forward in unison.