Chapter 176: Battle Against the Instructor

Perhaps half a month ago, many of the proud and arrogant students present would have felt that, given the same level of cultivation, they would not fall much behind these instructors. Yet, after half a month of lectures, they had to admit that Longxiang Academy’s status as the supreme sanctuary of cultivation across the entire continent was no mere coincidence. There was simply far too much for them to learn here...

Naturally, there were also those who took pleasure in others' misfortunes. Qi Yuxuan and his lacklings, for instance, were already overjoyed in their hearts, as if they could already picture Lin Xiaobao being beaten into a pulp and driven out of the academy.

"Instructor Zhuo, please calm your anger! Lin Xiaobao had no intention of offending your majesty. It's just that ever since the term began, no one knew where he had gone, which is why he is unaware of your rules. Isn't the Dean searching for him precisely because of this?" At this moment, a student stood up to offer an explanation.

Lin Xiaobao? He is Lin Xiaobao? Ah, right! Wasn't he summoned away by Instructor Zhuo right at the start of the term? Then he vanished without a trace for a whole month, and now the moment they meet, they end up in a fierce dispute. Just what had transpired between the two of them?

Lin Xiaobao? That Lin Xiaobao who was admitted without undergoing any testing?

All eyes immediately focused on Lin Xiaobao, as everyone silently guessed what could possibly have happened to him over the past month. Although cultivators possessed formidable cultivation bases, they were still human and had not yet reached the realm of divine detachment. Especially these gifted young cultivators, who were all youths at heart—how could any of them resist a burning desire for gossip?

"Who is this kid? I don't seem to know him." As Lin Xiaobao looked at the person standing up to speak for him, he inwardly wondered about the other's identity.

Had Zhuo Zhengyang known Lin Xiaobao's identity from the very beginning, matters might not have escalated to this point. After all, he could sense that Dean Kuang seemed to look upon Lin Xiaobao with particular favor. But once his stubborn temper was provoked, he threw all such considerations to the winds. "The rest of you, stop talking nonsense!"

Pausing for a moment, Zhuo Zhengyang felt that engaging in a direct brawl with a student beneath him would look unseemly if word got out, so he quickly came up with an excuse. "Let us all head to the Martial Arts Hall. I was just about to use practical combat to teach you all how to seize the combat rhythm when fighting opponents of the same rank."

"Then I shall accept your instruction and witness the instructor's brilliant moves!" Having been inexplicably struck by Zhuo Zhengyang, his thigh still aching faintly, Lin Xiaobao was harboring a belly full of unreleased anger. Moreover, he also wanted to see just how formidable his combat prowess had become now that he stood at the peak of the ninth stage of the Spirit Realm.

Hearing that a good show was about to unfold, the surrounding students grew excited and immediately rushed toward the Martial Arts Hall.

"To think that you blockhead have already advanced to the seventh stage of the Spirit Realm!" Walking along, Lin Xiaobao changed the subject as he looked at the rather gloomy expressions of the three.

Wang Dasha, whose nerves were thick as rope, was immediately distracted by the compliment. Rubbing the back of his head, he forgot about the oppressive atmosphere and quietly revealed to Lin Xiaobao the reason behind his soaring cultivation.

Lin Xiaobao looked at Wang Dasha with some surprise. He had never expected this fellow to devise such a method to push himself forward; why hadn't he thought of it? If he had thought of it earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up in such a fierce clash with Zhuo Zhengyang.

In truth, when Zhuo Zhengyang stated that he would use only the strength of the peak ninth stage of the Spirit Realm to fight him, Lin Xiaobao's primary motive was to test his own capabilities through combat. It wasn't as though he held any deep-seated hatred for Zhuo Zhengyang; after all, their minor conflict didn't amount to actual enmity.

Stepping into the martial arts hall, Lin Xiaobao's expression shifted slightly. His Myriad-Colored Revolving Sword had already made a prominent appearance within the Spirit Realm passage. If he wished to avoid exposing his identity in the future, he could not use the Myriad-Colored Revolving Sword during his duel with Zhuo Zhengyang today. Without it, his overall strength would be severely compromised.

"Step up here!" Seeing that Lin Xiaobao had entered the arena, Zhuo Zhengyang shouted with a hint of provocation. Matters had progressed to this stage; even if he now knew Lin Xiaobao's identity, Zhuo Zhengyang had no choice but to suppress him with overwhelming force, or he would utterly lose his authority before the students in the future.

With Zhuo Zhengyang's fiery temperament, anger came quickly and went just as quickly. By the time he walked from the martial arts department to the combat hall, much of his inner rage had dissipated, allowing him to consider the situation more thoroughly. Regardless, he still needed to teach Lin Xiaobao a lesson—both to establish his own prestige and to smooth away Lin Xiaobao's prickly edges. He believed that even if the Dean learned of this, he would not place too much blame on him.

Named directly by Zhuo Zhengyang, the fighting spirit surged within Lin Xiaobao. With a light tap of his feet, his body flew up onto the stage.

"As an instructor, I shall make one concession: you may use your weapon, while I will fight bare-handed!" With his anger subsided, Zhuo Zhengyang's words befitted his status as an instructor.

However, Lin Xiaobao's next remark instantly plunged his newly recovered composure back into an abyss of rage.

Lin Xiaobao was certainly not going to refuse such a condition. At present, the only sword technique he could readily display was the Dragon-Slaying Sword Art; without a weapon, his combat power would plummet. Yet, considering the trial of the Dao-Seeking Tower, the Myriad-Colored Revolving Sword could not be revealed in public. Cupping his fists toward the crowd below, Lin Xiaobao called out, "I wonder which fellow student might be willing to lend me a longsword!"

Borrowing a sword right before battle? This was the ultimate expression of not taking one's opponent seriously. As a cultivator, if one was accustomed to using a sword, one would naturally carry it personally at all times. Lin Xiaobao's request for a sword suggested supreme confidence in his own swordsmanship, yet instead of using his own spiritual weapon, he borrowed someone else's. Wasn't this an undisguised slap to Zhuo Zhengyang's face?

At this moment, the students felt that mere words were no longer enough to describe Lin Xiaobao; a single word, "audacious," captured him far more accurately.

Yet, despite this audacity, not a single person felt any genuine aversion deep down; instead, they felt only a wave of admiration. Such a sentiment perhaps stemmed from the fact that, in any world and to some degree, teachers and students were bound to stand on opposing sides.

"I'll lend you mine!" Ding Mengqiu was someone who loved chaos and feared no trouble. With a sharp cry and a flick of her wrist, an azure shadow shot out from the storage bracelet on her wrist, flying in a straight line toward Lin Xiaobao.

With a sweeping motion of his large hand, Lin Xiaobao caught the azure shadow. As spiritual energy poured into it, a brilliant green light erupted, and a sword hum resembling a dragon's roar echoed throughout the vast martial arts hall.

"A fine sword!" Lin Xiaobao praised sincerely. Examining the bluish-green magical sword in his hand, which possessed the quality of a low-grade precious artifact, he felt a surge of satisfaction. Though it fell somewhat short of his Myriad-Colored Revolving Sword, managing to borrow an artifact of this caliber right before a fight was already exceptional.

Even Kuang Lizhen had once praised Gu Yixiang's innate talent for formations; as the most beloved disciple of Gu Yixiang, Ding Mengqiu's personal magical sword naturally could not be ordinary.

"Be careful! If you damage my Azure Shadow Sword, you'll have to compensate me with a new one!" Ding Mengqiu shouted loudly. She had no fear that Lin Xiaobao couldn't afford it; while many present might be unaware of Lin Xiaobao's relationship with Chen Zhong, Ding Mengqiu knew it crystal clear.