Zuo Yang would naturally consider Liu Wuxie's reasoning if he could justify himself. If he failed, punishment would follow. After all, mentors received generous salaries in the Azure Flame Dao Hall, and those salaries naturally came with responsibilities.

"Elder Zuo Yang, I made these arrangements. It has nothing to do with Assistant Liu," Ye Linghan said, stepping forward. Through the past few days of interaction, she had sensed Liu Wuxie's aloof nature, and making him lower his head would be even harder than killing him.

Moreover, Liu Wuxie had done nothing wrong from the very beginning, so why should he explain himself? Were they going to deny everything he had done just because Nangong Shan and the others said a few words?

Nangong Shan's assistant stepped out to mock. "Mentor Ye, I know that you've been desperate to recruit students throughout the years, but there's no need for you to lower yourself in this manner. This person might've helped you recruit students, but look at them. They're cripples and garbage. These students have severely pulled the standards of the Azure Flame Dao Hall down."

A burst of laughter rang out from the crowd. Shi Wa only had one arm left, so others could naturally call him a cripple. As for Xiao Qian, Diao Jiuzhi, and the others, their cultivation was so low that others called them trash.

"This garbage should get lost from the Azure Flame Dao Hall," Nangong Shan's students echoed behind him.

Mockery rippled along the shore. Though the students from the other classes said nothing, the ridicule on their faces was obvious.

Shi Wa clenched his fist for being called a cripple, and his eyes turned bloodshot, like a wolf ready to pounce at any moment.

"Elder Zuo, if my teaching methods work, will the upper echelons interfere with my class?" Liu Wuxie asked. He had no choice but to step forward now, as Ye Linghan was too inexperienced. These people were shrewd, like those who had lived for decades, while she was no more than a blank sheet of paper to them. That was why she had no way to withstand their pressure.

"The Azure Flame Dao Hall generally won't interfere with the mentor's lessons, but your teaching method has never appeared before. If you can prove the benefits of your method, the upper echelons naturally won't pursue the matter," Zuo Yang replied. He remained fair and did not deliberately make things difficult for Liu Wuxie.

Every mentor had their own specialties, so they naturally could not teach using the same methodology. If Liu Wuxie could prove that his method worked, the Dao Hall's upper echelons naturally would not pursue the matter.

"Nangong Shan, didn't you claim that my students are cripples?" Liu Wuxie asked, turning to look at Shi Wa, "What if one of my students can defeat any student from your class in a match?" He had noticed Shi Wa's blood and energy surging, and if he failed to guide him now, serious problems might arise.

Among all the students, Liu Wuxie valued Shi Wa the most, not Xiao Qian or Xiang Rulong.

"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted around them when they heard Liu Wuxie's words.

Everyone found Liu Wuxie's statement amusing. He actually said that a cripple would defeat any student from Nangong Shan's class?!

Ye Linghan staggered and nearly fell. That was no different from playing with fire. Although Shi Wa had received a cultivation technique, he was only a mortal and had yet to step into the first-level Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Xiang Rulong and the others exchanged looks, unable to understand why Liu Wuxie would say such words. That was no different from sending Shi Wa to his death.

Shi Wa's combat strength could only rival the first-level Heavenly Immortal Realm at best, while Nangong Shan's students were practically all in the High Immortal Realm. How could they even fight? This was no different from smashing an egg against a rock.

Just the suppression from the High Immortal Realm could pin Shi Wa in place, so how was he supposed to fight?

Shi Wa was also stunned. He was furious, but he knew he had no chance against a student at the High Immortal Realm.

"Liu Wuxie, you said it yourself. If my student loses, not only will I acknowledge your teaching method, but I'll also address you as Mentor Liu in the future whenever I see you," Nangong Shan replied, accepting Liu Wuxie's challenge without hesitation.

If Nangong Shan had to call Liu Wuxie "Mentor Liu" in the future, he would also have to bow to him and show him proper respect as a mentor.

No one felt optimistic about Liu Wuxie. He could've still had a chance if he had sent Xiang Rulong or Zhang Dashan.

With some time remaining before the monthly assessment, they could treat this as an early warm-up.

"Very well, but I'll decide on the rules," Liu Wuxie replied with a faint smile.

"Speak. What rules?" In everyone's eyes, the outcome would not change, no matter what rules Liu Wuxie set. Nangong Shan's student would crush Shi Wa regardless.

"Best out of three, and we'll decide the outcome of each round with one move," Liu Wuxie said without adding many restrictions.

"Very well," Nangong Shan agreed without the slightest hesitation.

To them, one round would be enough to kill Shi Wa. There was no need for the other two rounds.

Liu Wuxie walked over to Shi Wa and patted his shoulder. He asked, "Are you confident?"

"Yes," Shi Wa replied, squeezing out those words. He knew he could not embarrass Liu Wuxie at this moment.

"Louder!" Liu Wuxie yelled back at him.

"I AM!" Shi Wa yelled, his voice producing a soundwave that even suppressed the waves' rumbling for a moment.

"Remember this. When enemies meet, only the brave one will emerge victorious," Liu Wuxie said. He did not teach Shi Wa anything else.

"Wuxie, this is no different from sending Shi Wa to his death!" Ye Linghan hurried over to stop Liu Wuxie.

"If you're afraid of him dying, you can loan your golden dagger to him," Liu Wuxie replied.

Shi Wa had no suitable weapon, and he could not wield heavy weapons with only one arm. Thus, a dagger naturally suited him best.

Ye Linghan took out her golden dagger and handed it to Shi Wa. She said, "You must survive!"

She had only one simple request, and as long as Shi Wa survived, that would count as success.

"Liu Wuxie, you haven't mentioned anything about the punishment if you lose," Nangong Shan said with a sinister smile.

"If I lose, I'll admit that there's a problem with my teaching method, and I'll give up on my position as an assistant mentor immediately," Liu Wuxie declared. He naturally knew exactly what they wanted to hear.

"Yan Hu, go on!" Nangong Shan said, pointing to a burly student two heads taller than Shi Wa, brimming with explosive power.

In Nangong Shan's class, Yan Hu ranked in the top ten in combat strength. He also stood at the ninth-level High Immortal Realm, and each step he took left a deep footprint in the ground.

The surrounding students immediately formed a battle circle.

"Go on," Liu Wuxie said, signaling Shi Wa to enter the field.

Xiao Qian could only watch anxiously, clutching the corner of her clothes as tears blurred her eyes.

"Liu Wuxie, can Shi Wa win?" Ye Linghan asked nervously. She did not think Shi Wa had any chance of winning.

"He can," Liu Wuxie replied firmly.

When Shi Wa and Yan Hu approached each other, Yan Hu practically looked down at him because of his height.

"I'll turn you into meat paste with one punch," Yan Hu said. He naturally would not have acted so arrogantly if he faced other students, but Shi Wa had no background. He came from a poor family, which meant no one would stand up for him even if he died here.

Tightening his grip on the golden dagger, Shi Wa adjusted his breathing and crouched down, ready to lunge out at any moment. He firmly kept Liu Wuxie's words in his mind.

Yan Hu moved and threw a punch toward Shi Wa's face. If that punch landed, Shi Wa's head would surely explode.

Everyone on Liu Wuxie's side watched nervously. Though they were not familiar with Shi Wa, his tenacity during the earlier training had moved every single one of them.

The punch howled through the air as Nangong Shan's students had already begun cheering, urging Yan Hu to torment Shi Wa.

The powerful wind from the punch made it difficult for Shi Wa to open his eyes, and the fist arrived in the blink of an eye, leaving him no time to think. Just when the punch was about to land on Shi Wa, the situation suddenly changed.

Shi Wa charged forward, thrusting the golden dagger in his hand toward Yan Hu's thigh. He knew he could not retreat because once he did, the fight would become a one-sided slaughter.

Seeing Shi Wa charge instead of retreat, Liu Wuxie sighed in relief.

"You're courting death!" Yan Hu roared. He had expected Shi Wa to retreat and protect his head, but who would have thought Shi Wa would choose such a reckless fighting style? The latter was determined to stab him even if it meant dying.

Shi Wa's movement was simple. When he charged forward, he exposed his back to Yan Hu.

Yan Hu's fist suddenly descended from the sky, aimed straight at Shi Wa's back. No one knew how many battles Shi Wa had experienced over the years, but the densely packed scars across his body spoke for themselves.

Shi Wa had fought demonic beasts and other people for food every day, constantly placing himself in danger. When it came to facing danger, no one could surpass Shi Wa.

Just as Yan Hu's fist descended, Shi Wa made an incredible move. He shifted his body sideways, allowing Yan Hu's punch to land on his left shoulder instead. Had the full force of the blow landed on his back, it would have severely damaged his internal organs. He would have been seriously injured on the spot and might not have survived.

Shi Wa had sacrificed his left shoulder, adopting a tactic of biting flesh off his enemy even if he had to injure himself in the process.

As Yan Hu's punch connected, the sound of bones cracking rang out. Shi Wa dropped to the ground immediately, but in that very instant, he struck back, plunging his dagger into Yan Hu's calf.

"ARGH!" Yan Hu screamed in pain. He clearly had not expected Shi Wa to fight this way, risking heavy injury just to stab him once.

Shi Wa's fighting style resembled that of a wild, primal wolf, with murderous intent radiating from every part of his body.

Yan Hu cried out in pain and wanted to attack again.

"That's enough. The first round ends here," Liu Wuxie announced.

Both sides had agreed to a best-of-three, with one move deciding each round. The first round had already ended in Yan Hu's victory.

The other mentors raised no objections. Since it was a contest between students, both sides were expected to stop once the outcome was clear.

When Yan Hu retreated, blood dripped down his calf.

Ye Linghan's golden dagger was extremely sharp, and even a light stab had injured his bone.

Shi Wa struggled back to his feet, with blood dyeing half his body red.

"Big Brother!" Xiao Qian hurried over, sobbing.

As he approached Shi Wa, Liu Wuxie handed him a pill and asked, "Can you still hold on?"

"I can," Shi Wa said with great difficulty as he swallowed the pill.

Ye Linghan immediately treated Shi Wa's injuries. Liu Wuxie also injected a strand of wood-attribute energy into his body, repairing his bones at a visible speed.

However, when the other mentors saw this, they looked shocked.