Chapter 324: The Dumbfounded Students
Chapter 324: The Dumbfounded Students
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric
Everyone knew that her cultivation speed was amazing, and that she was a genius.
However, none of them knew that it was because of her clan. Furthermore, due to the excessive number of pills she had consumed in the past few years, pill poison had accumulated in her body, making it extremely difficult for her to raise her cultivation.
Otherwise, she could have long applied for graduation upon reaching Pixue realm. She wouldn't have to remain in the academy all this while.
Not a single teacher had noticed her condition, not even the previous teacher who she was fond of. Yet, this person was able to point out her condition accurately despite having just met her. This was way too fearsome!
Could it be that... he wasn't an aggressive teacher, but someone who possessed true capability?
Mu Xueqing's body trembled.
If that wasn't the case, how was he able to tell that seven acupoints had been sealed with her turbid zhenqi and that it would be hard for her to reach Tongxuan realm with just a single gaze?
Meng Tao also didn't expect this teacher to know so much either. Even though he had been with Senior Mu daily for several years, he didn't know of this matter either. Frozen on the spot, he wanted to speak up for his senior, but couldn't find the words to say.
"In the previous academy tournament, Senior Mu was ranked number ten. She is one of the most talented geniuses in the academy, and everyone agrees on it. Why... are you saying that she isn't a genius?"
A female student couldn't accept Zhang Xuan's judgement.
"Being a genius isn't about how far one can progress in a limited period of time, but how far one is able to go! It is incredible that she has reached Pixue realm at her age, but due to pill poison accumulating in her body and the fact that she has cultivated a mindset of reliance on them, her future growth is limited!"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Since he was taking over the class, he was given basic information on the students. Matching it with the students, he could tell that this lady with appearance that could match Wang Ying’s was the strongest student in the class, Mu Xueqing.
Knowing her name, it wasn't too difficult to look into her background.
Mu Xueqing's father was a famous 2-star apothecary. What others deemed as incomparably valuable pills wasn’t anything much to her.
While it provided her an edge over the other students, it also created a fatal flaw for her future cultivation.
Even though Zhang Xuan didn't use the Library of Heaven's Path, given his Soul Depth of 10.1 and his expertise as an apothecary, he was able to discern and deduce Mu Xueqing's condition with a glance.
After all, he used his own strength to take the 2-star master teacher examination. If he couldn't even see this much, it would have been impossible for him to pass the first four tests.
This Mu Xueqing's cultivation was not bad, but she was too reliant on pills. This was detrimental to her future growth.
All medicine possessed poison, and the same applied for pills as well. Of course, that was assuming that the pills didn't reach the level of an Inscribed Pill.
Be it Formation, Satiation, or Perfection... considerable amount of impurities still remained in those pills. Without pure zhenqi to wash away these impurities, it was very easy for the pill poison to accumulate and block one's acupoints, slowing down the progress of one's cultivation.
This was precisely the reason why many people choose not to consume pills unless they were unable to achieve a breakthrough with their own strength.
It was just like with an illness. If one could tide through it easily, very few people would choose to resort to medicine even if they knew that medicine would help them recover faster.
Her current cultivation speed was outstanding. Furthermore, with a 2-star apothecary of a father guiding her along, her foundation was strong as well. However, as time passed, she would slowly lose out to her peers.
In fact, it was a huge question whether she could even reach Tongxuan realm or not.
The pill poison was one problem, but the mindset she formed which made her reliant on pills was another one. As she achieved breakthroughs in her cultivation relying on medicine, she had already lost confidence in herself.
"She isn't a genius. In fact, you are in a much better position than her!"
Zhang Xuan turned to the female student who had just spoken up for Mu Xueqing and said, "Even though your cultivation is only at Pigu realm primary stage, you have trained your physical body well, and your State of Mind is steady as well. If I'm not wrong, there's a beast tamer in your family who used the blood essence of a savage beast to help you raise your cultivation."
"Such a method is similar to consuming medicine to raise one cultivation, but as the blood essence of savage beasts is more compatible with the human body, not only will it not hinder your cultivation, it will even make your muscles more compact, thus raising your strength!"
"If I'm not wrong, you should be capable of battling against Pigu realm intermediate stage opponents!"
"I..."
The female student nearly leaped in shock.
Her father was a 1-star beast tamer, and before she reached Pigu realm, she had consumed the blood essence of a savage beast. This made her physical body significantly stronger than an ordinary cultivator’s, thus granting her the strength to fight against those with cultivation exceeding hers.
She had only told this matter to a few good friends, so it was impossible for the academy to know of it. Yet, this teacher was able to point it out with a single glance...
This was way too scary!
"However... while the blood essence of a savage beast is not bad, there's a saying that 'the weak must be slowly nourished'. There won't be severe side effects if a male were to consume it, but for you... the body of a female is already weak, and while triggering your physical functions through the blood essence might grant you significant strength in the short run, as time goes by, all kinds of invisible side effects will start appearing."
"It is just as if a severely ill patient consumed a thousand-year-old ginseng, not only will his illness not be treated, it might even claim his life!"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
The female student's skin was slightly red, and her blood was boiling forcefully. Her condition showed signs of the beast tamer secret arts. Even though it wasn't written in the information provided by the academy, it wasn't too difficult for Zhang Xuan to deduce this much.
"You as well!"
After speaking on the two ladies’ circumstances, Zhang Xuan's gaze landed on Meng Tao. "You have a reserved personality, and there is a shroud of scholarly aura around you. Also, I can see several calluses between your thumb and your middle finger, and I don't think that there's any battle technique that would result in that. Furthermore, there is a slight patch of darkness at the corner of your shirt. If I'm not wrong, you should be fond of painting, and you often imitate the drawings of experts!"
"However, it is a pity that you aren't looking deep enough, resulting in your failure to capture the essence and spirit of whatever you see. If you are to continue painting like that, it is unlikely that you will ever create a Spiritual Canvas or Infused Intentions level painting."
"As for you, you must be interested in tea ceremony! I can catch a slight aroma of tea from you and it smells refreshing as well. However, you have been spending more time on the Way of Tea than your cultivation, causing the latter to stagnate and become unstable... if I'm not wrong, you haven't achieved a breakthrough in a year's time. Furthermore, your will in cultivation is lacking. You often ignore your teacher's instructions and spend your time thinking about other matters. You are the typical example of a person who gets easily distracted by toys..."
With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan pointed out the conditions of four students straightforwardly, and there was no mistake in his words at all. Everyone was shocked and dumbfounded; the entire room fell silent.
What in the world was going on?
They had just decided to intentionally ask him questions on their other occupations so as to embarrass him, but... before they could say anything, he had deduced their occupations and spoke about them casually!
Could it be that this teacher... was skilled in all occupations?
If that wasn't the case, how could he deduce so easily based on an ink mark on the corner of his shirt and the scent on the other’s body that Meng Tao liked painting and the other male student was interested in tea ceremony?
This... was way too scary!
"Alright, show me your battle techniques!"
Seeing that he had managed to amaze everyone, Zhang Xuan turned to the remaining students and said.
The situation with the first four was more apparent, and he was well-versed in their occupations as well. Thus, he was able to speak of them easily.
On the other hand, he couldn't do the same for the remaining students.
Tianwu Academy was completely different from that countryside Hongtian Academy. Other than cultivating, most students would take on an occupation that they liked as well.
Even though most of them wouldn't even reach the level of an apprentice, it could serve as a hobby and a way to train their State of Mind.
It was just like Liu shi and the others learning the Way of Tea from Elder Tian.
Their understanding of tea ceremony hadn't reached the level of an apprentice, but this didn't hinder their interest in it at all.
These fellows were the same as well. Even though they had learned a little of their supporting occupation, they were still a considerable distance away from reaching the level of an apprentice.
"Yes!"
Amazed by the teacher before them, the others immediately executed their battle technique, not daring to hesitate at all.
In an instant, the howling of the wind roared in the entire classroom.
A moment later, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
He had to say that the students in Tianwu Academy were at a much higher caliber than those in Hongtian Academy. Regardless of whether it was their battle techniques, cultivation techniques, or their understanding toward their supporting occupation, it wasn't something that Zhu Hong, Mo Xiao, and the others could compare to.
"The battle technique [White Canary in the Clear Skies] you practiced has swift and powerful movements, but you aren't able to catch up with their pace. Furthermore, your zhenqi is too lacking to train in this technique. If you were to meet with a slightly stronger opponent, without even moving, if he were to attack your armpit, you would immediately fall in defeat!"
"The reason why there is such a situation is because you aren't serious about your training. If I'm not wrong, your supporting occupation should be a blacksmith! A blacksmith needs to refine all kinds of ores and metals, and this requires great strength. Wielding the hammer for extended periods of time caused the strength of your right arm to far surpass your left, resulting in imbalance. A bird has a pair of wings, and if one wing is stronger than the other, it would be weird if a problem didn't occur!"
"You must be interested in appraising. However, it is a pity that appraising is a money-burning occupation. Judging from how tattered your uniform is, you must have worn it for more than half a year already. Which is to say... your family isn't too well off. Despite not possessing the money, why are you learning appraisal? Without coming into contact with true treasures, will you be able to identify a treasure if you see one?"
"As for you, you are dedicated to your cultivation training, and as such, you didn't pick any supporting occupation. This isn't anything much, but did you realize that even though you are diligent in your training, you didn't improve much? This isn't because you aren't working hard enough or are lacking in talent. It is because you are cultivating wrongly! It should have been a wide and open cultivation technique, but you cultivated it as though a close and confined technique..."
...
Walking among the students, every single seemingly casual word of Zhang Xuan would cause a student to pale and sweat profusely.
This Liu laoshi was able to tell the problems in their cultivation and supporting occupations through their battle technique, and his words were spot-on!
His discerning ability was truly at a frightening level.
It was almost... terrifying!
Their supporting occupations were at a very low mastery, barely coming into contact with the basics, but they spanned over seven to eight occupations. Furthermore, Zhang Xuan spoke the same words as those said by their supporting occupation teachers. This wasn't a feat that a normal cultivation teacher should be capable of.
In fact... they felt that even a master teacher might not be as discerning as him!
"T-this..."
Mu Xueqing was completely dumbfounded.
It was just a moment ago that she confidently said that as long as they asked him some questions on their occupations, this new teacher would definitely back down. Yet...
Before they could say anything, the other party had already stripped them bare, pointing out to them all their flaws.
Aren't you a teacher who dealt with students through violence?
Aren't you just a normal teacher, one who hasn't even reached the level of a star teacher?
Why do you seem to know everything?
Why do you seem to be adept in everything?
This...
What kind of monster did the academy send them?!