Chapter 801: Xu Changqing's Shock
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"You..." Hearing those words and seeing the other party's disdainful gaze, Xu Changqing's face turned livid in fury.
Even though the Martial Arts School was ranked sixth in the academy, standing behind the Physician School, it was still a huge power in Hongyuan City. On top of that, within the Ten Great Master Teachers, in terms of one-to-one combat, even if he wasn't ranked first, he was at least in the top three!
Yet, the other party didn't recognize him and even asked him for money?
And that wasn't the worst yet! The other party actually said that he was broke?
Broke your head!
How could someone dare to come to the Martial Arts School without even knowing who the school head is? Where did this freak come from?
Reining his anger back in, Xu Changqing said, "I am just here to take a look, not to listen to the lecture!"
As the head of the Martial Arts School, he must maintain a bearing worthy of such. He couldn't possibly fight with the other party over a mere insult.
"Take a look?" The plump man assessed him doubtfully.
Xu Changqing nodded as he stroked his beard, bringing out the disposition of an enlightened expert.
He had already made it so obvious. The other party couldn't possibly not recognize him after this.
"Alright then!"
The plump man seemed to have realized something, and he put the basket on the floor and said, "You may enter!"
"Thank you." Seeing that the other party had finally realized his true identity, Xu Changqing nodded in satisfaction and raised his leg to walk through the door. However, before he could step into the courtyard, he suddenly heard the quiet mutterings of the plump man.
"What the heck, why is he putting up such a front? If he has no money, he should just say so! Taking a look... he sure has some cheek to say such shameless words. Who doesn't know that he's going in to learn? Is there anyone more brazen than him? To think that a person like him could become a master teacher as well... The standard sure has dropped!"
The plump man's disdain for Xu Changqing couldn't be any more obvious from his words and tone.
"You..." Xu Changqing staggered, and he nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.
He was the head of the Martial Arts School, one of the Ten Great Master Teachers! To be told that he was shameless to his face... Burning fury welled up within him, and he felt as if he was going to go insane.
He had never met anyone as infuriating as the plump man before.
Didn't you see the disposition of an expert that I displayed up just now? Shouldn't my identity be obvious after that?
"Fine! I'll pay!" Knowing that he would only be angered to death for arguing with such a fellow, and it would only drag down his reputation if he were to really squabble with him, Xu Changqing gritted his teeth and threw a spirit stone into the basket.
The spirit stone that just fell into the basket had a brilliant glow, and the overwhelming concentration of spiritual energy in it induced a disturbance in the spiritual energy in the surroundings.
"A high-tier spirit stone?" The plump man's eyes lit up.
He had thought that the other party was just another broke geezer trying to sneak into the lecture, but who could have known that he would whip out a high-tier spirit stone in the next instant... In the end, not only was that fellow not broke, he was even a wealthy man!
"I can go in now, right?" Xu Changqing harrumphed in displeasure.
"Wait, let me get your change. A high-tier spirit stone is worth around 10,000 middle-tier spirit stones, and the cost of the lesson is 200 middle-tier spirit stones. So, I'll return... 9,800 middle-tier spirit stones to you!" the plump man said as his hands fumbled through the basket to take out spirit stones to return the change to the other party.
"There's no need for it!" Xu Changqing waved his hands haughtily.
A high-tier spirit stone might be an invaluable treasure in the eyes of others, but as one of the Ten Great Master Teachers, a Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle expert, it was nothing much to him.
"Great! It just so happens that I don't have the money to give the change to you too!" the plump man said with glowing eyes.
"..." Once again, Xu Changqing felt a stifled feeling in his chest.
What the heck was this...
How could a man be so shameless!
Why did Xue Zhenyang bring such a fellow here? Wasn't this a clear disgrace to the Martial Arts School?
The more he thought about it, the more furious Xu Changqing felt. Suppressing his urge to slap the plump man to death, he entered the backyard. However, before he could get far, the plump man behind him shouted, "Look, the slightly aged student ahead has generously given us a tip of 9,800 middle-tier spirit stones. You should all learn from his example!"
Xu Changqing's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably, and he nearly lost his sanity in that very instant.
Tip?
Learn from my example?
He was only intending to sneak here to see what was going on and teach Xue Zhenyang a harsh lesson. But somehow, he ended up becoming yet another student coming here to listen to the lecture, and he even paid an additional tip for it...
The heck!
He wouldn't be able to cleanse his reputation now even if he were to jump into the Hongyuan Lake!
And as he had expected, the next moment, the students in the area turned their gazes to him.
"It's School Head Xu..."
"Not only did School Head Xu come, he even paid the school fee and gave such a huge tip to them?"
"Impressive! It looks like he acknowledges the formidable prowess of Zheng laoshi, Liu laoshi, and Wang laoshi as well!"
"Indeed..."
...
Seeing that even their school head had attended the lecture and paid a generous tip for it, a huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd.
Two of the students of the Martial Arts School rushed up to him and invited him to the front. "School head, you are here as well! The front seats are better, so why don't you come over here?"
Xu Changqing's body swayed weakly, and his vision darkened.
Front seats are better...
I am here to cause trouble, not to listen to the lecture!
"Indeed, school head. Our faction leader is currently waiting for you there, so why don't we head there together?" another student added.
"Faction leader? Fine, let's see what in the world is he up to!"
Xu Changqing felt so stifled that he could vomit blood.
However, it would only be more embarrassing if he were to remain there as a spectacle for the other students. Thus, he decided to find his wretched disciple and teach him a lesson instead.
Squeezing through the crowd, they soon arrived at the front row before the podium.
"Teacher, you are here!" Upon seeing Xu Changqing, Xue Zhenyang immediately bowed respectfully.
"Just what in the world are you up to?" On the other hand, as soon as Xu Changqing caught sight of Xue Zhenyang, all of the fury that had been bubbling within him came bursting forth.
Instead of answering his teacher's question, Xue Zhenyang pointed to the podium and said, "Teacher, calm down. Try listening to the lecture first..."
"Listen to the lecture?" As angry as Xu Changqing was, seeing at the entranced looks of the students in the area, he still decided to suppress his rage and turned his attention to the stage.
The one who was currently lecturing was a young lady only sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a beautiful face which was on par with even the school belles such as Hu Yaoyao and Dong Xin.
"... In essence, leg arts can be defined as the movement of one's legs and feet. As we know, walking and running can also be considered leg and foot movements as well. If we can regard these casual movements as a means to cultivate our leg arts as well, we will surely be able to further refine our mastery of leg arts..."
"Most of leg arts that we cultivate is focused on technique. Take for example the Whirlwind Kick, Hanyang Kick, and Raging Adamantium Kick... There are simply far too many leg arts that I can list that can be classified under this category. However, this is a gross misinterpretation of the essence of leg arts. The core function of a leg is to move, so naturally, in order to bring out the true strength of a leg art, we should not focus merely on the technique of the kick but..."
The young lady spoke clearly and fluently, showing no hint of nervousness or her usual shyness at all.
Xu Changqing initially thought nothing of it, but the more he listened, the more shocked he became. Eventually, his face started to twitch in agitation.
One could recognize a true expert the moment they made a move.
As the head of the Martial Arts School, as well as a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, he possessed deep insight into the comprehension of battle techniques. Even though the other party only spoke about the basics of leg arts, her words precisely hit the nail on the head, guiding him directly to the core of leg arts.
In fact, her understanding on some aspects was even deeper than his!
It could be said that even if Xu Changqing were to take her place, he would be unable to do as well as her!
Is this... really just the foundation of leg arts? There are actually so many variations to the basics of leg art? After hearing for a moment longer, Xu Changqing couldn't help but frown.
Unconventional had become the new convention of martial arts. It was important to make one's battle techniques complex or unorthodox in order to catch one's opponent's off guard.
On the other hand, the young lady was speaking of the orthodox martial arts, leaving out all of the unorthodox variations and maneuvers that most cultivators would incorporate into their movements.
But for some reason, despite the simplicity of the moves she was explaining, it felt as if that was the best way to draw out the maximum prowess out of a leg art.
"... However, one issue with any leg art is the difficulty to put one's full strength into a kick. Thus, I will be imparting a basic leg art to you that will allow you to gather the full strength of your body into your legs, allowing you to display the full might of your cultivation toward your opponent..." the young lady on the podium explained.
"Most martial arts require one leg to support the body and another one to strike the opponent. Naturally, this results in one's strength being divided between the two legs, thus reducing the strength of one's kick significantly. However, if one could put exert one's full prowess into a kick..." As the notion struck Xu Changqing, his eyes lit up in excitement
He immediately pricked up his ears and listened intently. A moment later, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Indeed! If one were to execute a leg art in such a manner, that would solve the issue perfectly! This enhances the might and the speed of the kick, making it far deadlier than before!
"As simple as the technique is, it embodies the essence of leg arts. This is a perfect demonstration of how all battle techniques are built upon foundations..."
Musing over the content of the young lady's words, Xu Changqing's heart leaped in excitement.
While the content lectured by the other party might not be as profound as his, it was a perfect interpretation of the basics of leg arts. Even he would benefit greatly if he were to cultivate according to what the other party had said. At the same time, it also gave him a deep insight into the way to further his mastery of battle techniques.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xue Zhenyang asked with a slight smile, seeing his teacher's expression.
When he invited Zheng laoshi, Senior Aunt Wang, and Senior Uncle Liu over, he knew that his teacher would surely be enraged at his actions. Nevertheless, he still chose to do so because he had deep trust in their capabilities.
And he was right. In just a short moment, his teacher was also entranced by the lecture.
Honestly speaking, even though the three of them weren't master teachers, their understanding of battle techniques far exceeded any master teacher he had met before. If they were to cultivate according to the methods they had proposed, they would be able to build an impeccable foundation for their battle techniques, and that would in turn allow them to advance their mastery of battle techniques swiftly.
It was as if they were parting aside the clouds and showing them a whole new world above for them to reach for. How could anyone possibly not be taken in by that?
"Impressive!" Xu Changqing nodded. "I never expected that there would be a person who could have such a thorough and deep interpretation of the basics of battle techniques... To be able to listen to such a lecture for just two hundred middle-tier spirit stones, this is definitely a huge bargain!"
To master teachers like them, middle-tier spirit stones weren't anything much. Most seniors in the academy would have hundreds in their storage rings.
It was more than worthwhile to pay this small sum to listen to such an exciting lesson.
Through this lecture, many students would gain a refreshing insight into battle techniques, and the rise of the Martial Arts School wouldn't be too far away!
"Indeed!" Xue Zhenyang nodded in agreement.
If he wasn't deeply impressed by Zheng Yang's understanding of spearmanship, how could he, a top genius of the Master Teacher Academy, possibly be willing to take a person who was several decades younger than him as his teacher?
At that moment, Xu Changqing suddenly asked, "Zhenyang, what is the background of the young lady on the podium?"
"I'm not too sure about the details either. I happened to meet them while I was walking through the streets of Hongyuan City yesterday... Why? Is Teacher interested in taking her in as your direct disciple?" Xue Zhenyang asked.
"Taking her in as my direct disciple?" Xu Changqing sighed deeply and shook his head. "With her deep understanding of battle techniques, how am I qualified to be her teacher? What I intend to do is to invite her to become the Martial Art School's...
"... guest elder!"