“Good afternoon, students!”

  Sun Mo walked up the rostrum, greeting the students while being preoccupied with other thoughts. Could it be that all geniuses had some quirks in their personality?

  Xuanyuan Po was a combat addict that only wanted to fight. Gu Xiuxun was a masochist. Jin Mujie loved to collect bones. Li Ziqi, eh……the little sunny egg loved to study and learn everything other than cultivation. This was essentially a quirk as well.

  To the vast majority of people, studying and learning was agony. But Li Ziqi found the process of learning various knowledge to be a type of enjoyment. As long as she had time, she would bury her nose in a book.

  Sun Mo heard Lu Zhiruo saying before that Li Ziqi had already started her own experiments of drawing spirit gathering runes on potted plants. Li Ziqi didn’t have Divine Sight and wasn’t able to observe the spirit qi flow in the leaves. Hence, if she wanted to create a spirit gathering potted plant, the difficulty level was much higher compared to Sun Mo.

  After hearing Sun Mo’s greetings, some of the students who always came for his classes immediately stood and bowed respectfully as they returned the greeting. “Good afternoon, Teacher Sun!”

  The voices of these students were extremely loud, giving Yi Jiamin and Zhang Qianlin a bad scare.

  “F***!”

  Yi Jiamin cursed. It was like he sat on pins and needles. After that, deep jealousy surfaced in his heart. He didn’t expect Sun Mo’s prestige to already be so high.

  “This……this……”

  Zhang Qianlin was dumbfounded. Usually, students would only stand up and greet the teacher if the person teaching the class was a great teacher. This was the way for students to show their respect and gratitude because the great teacher was imparting knowledge to them. But if he didn’t remember wrongly, Sun Mo had just joined for two months, right?

  Fang Yan sat in the first row and couldn’t see the situation at the back. When he heard the greetings, he turned his head for a look as he was badly shocked as well. More than half of the students actually stood up?

  This indicated that Sun Mo had a very high status in their hearts and they respected him a lot. This extremely handsome-looking teacher seemed to be worthy of a little of his trust.

  “Sigh, how good would it be if he had slightly more muscles?”

  Fang Yan felt a little regretful.

  After the students finished their greetings, they sat down. But Fang Yan actually stood up instead.

  At that instant, the students seemed to have seen the peak of Mount. Tai. Even the entire sky seemed to be blocked. Nothing could be done as the pressure Fang Yan gave others was simply this powerful.

  Fang Yan’s legs stood slightly apart. Placing his hands behind his back and looking straight at Sun Mo, he shouted in a clear voice, “Teacher Sun, good afternoon!”

  Huala- Huala

  There seemed to be a gust of wind blowing through the classroom, causing the windows to rattle.

  The students were stunned. (Do you need to shout so loudly? Our eardrums almost broke because of you.)

  “Alright, please be seated.” Sun Mo waved his left hand. “I’ve said many times before that there’s no need to be overly polite. Just act like how you guys did in the past.” “Aiya, so Fang Yan is such a crafty individual. Why didn’t I ever think of using such a method to get Teacher Sun to notice me?”

  “You are thinking too much. Given Fang Yan’s fame, Teacher Sun’s heart would surely be stirred due to his love for talent. He would definitely take the initiative to use his Ancient Dragon Capturing Hands to give Fang Yan a massage.”

  “Che, your words make it sound as though Teacher Sun has no moral character. Speaking of fame, could it be that ‘God Hands’ would lose out to the fame of the ‘#1 ranker of the battle hall’?”

  The students mumbled.

  Fang Yan’s ears pricked up, and he heard the discussion behind him. He was slightly startled before regaining his senses. So, the other students thought he was using a minor trick to gain Sun Mo’s attention.

  “Hehe!”

  Fang Yan laughed and no longer paid attention to them. His heart was as large as his body, so he didn’t care for minor details and was extremely magnanimous. He wouldn’t be angry because of all these vilifications. “Today, I’ll be speaking about spirit gathering runes!”

  Sun Mo started the class.

  “As expected, it is still this!” “You lost, quickly pay up!”

  “Could it be that Teacher Sun doesn’t know how to draw other types of spirit runes?”

  As Sun Mo’s fame grew, many people knew that he only spoke about the spirit gathering rune during his spirit rune classes. They even had gambling matches to bet on when Sun Mo would start explaining another type of spirit rune.

  Only a few students who had talent in the study of spirit runes understood Sun Mo’s attainments in this field. Those simplified spirit runes weren’t something ordinary spirit rune masters could draw.

  Naturally, these students all exclaimed in admiration and took the same action, without prior consultation with each other, to keep this a secret.

  They were thinking this ‘Why should I tell others this secret? If I told you guys, wouldn’t your horizons be upgraded? How would I maintain my superiority then?’

  Also, if news of Sun Mo’s high attainments in the study of spirit runes spread out, other students would surely crowd over. At that time, they would have to come earlier to reserve a seat for themselves. Wouldn’t that be equal to finding trouble for themselves?

  “It’s happening indeed!”

  Yi Jiamin sat straight and widened his eyes, preparing to pick on Sun Mo’s mistakes.

  Sun Mo pasted the spirit rune paper onto the blackboard. He then took up the spirit rune brush and began to dip it in ink. His posture was extremely at ease and confident, showing no signs of nervousness at all.

  II

  Yi Jiamin and Zhang Qianlin were speechless. So casual? Wasn’t Sun Mo afraid that he might fail?

  One must know that for a thing like spirit runes, as long as one runic line was irregular, it might cause the entire spirit rune to fail. However, Sun Mo was acting so casual like he was about to peel an apple.

  “Hmph, merely acting to show off to the crowd!”

  Yi Jiamin coldly snorted. (Do you think that you are great teacher He Yuanjin? I want to see how you would handle the crowd once you failed.)

  “So confident?!”

  Fang Yan was astonished.

  Five minutes later, a rumbling sound echoed as the spirit qi in the classroom stirred up ferociously, flooding toward the rostrum. After that, a spirit tornado manifested on the spirit rune paper.

  Yi Jiamin was shocked. He rubbed his eyes. Where was the failure? Why would there be a spirit tornado?

  Once this phenomenon appeared, it meant that the spirit rune drawn by Sun Mo was at least in the fifth-grade. If this was sold on the market, it would easily fetch 500 taels of silver.

  Zhang Qianlin was stunned. He

  looked. D……damn, so quick?

  The astonishment on Fang Yan’s face didn’t fade, and it turned into one of shock. His eyes were wide open and his body leaned forward as he stared at the spirit rune paper. Did Sun Mo use a superior spirit rune tool to draw this?

  “Hehe!”

  Those students who often attended Sun Mo’s lessons glanced to the left and right to admire the newbies’ expressions. As expected, they were all flabbergasted.

  After that, their gazes landed onto the two teachers.

  “Everyone, sit back down. This is very normal!”

  The students at the back were more mischievous, and one of them shouted out.

  Although Teacher Sun only spoke about the spirit gathering rune in his classes, everyone had no choice but to admit that his drawing speed was quick and elegant.

  In this case, he was definitely number one in the Central Province.

  “Hehe, you’ve lost. Teacher Sun used 6 minutes today!”

  “Sigh, Teacher Sun didn’t try at all!”

  The two students mumbled to each other, and their words entered the ears of Zhang Qianlin and Yi Jiamin, causing them to feel as though they were stung by a scorpion. They almost leaped in agitation.

  “What? From what they were saying, Sun Mo could draw even faster than this?”

  Zhang Qianlin felt a little dumbfounded as he focused on the study of spirit rune. Because of his high intelligence, his capabilities in this field was very impressive.

  If he went all-out, he would be able to finish one spirit gathering rune within 15 minutes. But wanting him to reach the grade of Sun Mo’s current drawing? It was impossible.

  When one drew fast, it would mean that the accuracy of the runic lines would be lower, and the success rate would also plunge. It was already not bad if no mistakes were made, so who would care about the grade of the spirit runes if it was a contest of speed?

  A sense of defeat began to spread through Zhang Qianlin’s heart. He had always felt proud of his talent in the field of spirit runes. But now, he felt utterly crushed by Sun Mo. “Damn!”

  Zhang Qianlin cursed, regretting his decision to come to this lesson. However, after that, he focused and looked at the spirit gathering rune at the blackboard.

  Because a spirit gathering rune was too simple, Zhang Qianlin didn’t pay close attention to it earlier. Now that he was concentrating, he immediately felt something was amiss.

  “Eh, the direction of the runic lines seems a little different?”

  as

  After all, Zhang Qianlin was a genius. He soon discovered something strange.

  “A coincidence, it must be a coincidence!”

  Yi Jiamin shook his head. But after that, a bitter smile appeared on his face as he recalled Sun Mo’s spirit gathering potted

  plant.

  Lu Changhe ignored the distractions and was fully focused on studying this spirit rune. His gaze was filled with obsession as he tried to swiftly imprint this rune in his memory. His hand involuntarily moved in the air while he attempted to draw the runic lines in the same manner.

  Sun Mo was very satisfied when he looked at Lu Changhe. This was a good seedling. Moreover, he came to all the classes. Back then when facing Zhou Cang, he also stood out bravely.

  Sun Mo then cast another glance at the #1 ranker of the battle hall and involuntarily shook his head. (It’s better for you to focus on cultivation. The study of spirit runes isn’t something someone like you can play with.)

  “Alright, I will talk about the main points that you have to take note when drawing the spirit gathering rune.”

  Just as Sun Mo’s voice faded, Yi Jiamin interrupted him.

  “Teacher Sun, your drawing techniques truly make one gasp in admiration. However, can you draw another type of spirit rune to allow us to broaden our horizons?”

  Yi Jiamin smiled and put on a face as though he was sincerely earnest to learn.

  This time around, he clearly came to make trouble. Since he wasn’t able to find any flaws from the spirit gathering rune, he could only find another angle to attack.

  “Nope!”

  Sun Mo felt no good will toward this fellow at all. Hence, he directly rejected the request.

  “Mn?”

  Yi Jiamin was stunned. After that, his expression turned dark. This was under the view of the public, even if there were a conflict between teachers, they would usually hide it. But Sun Mo was very good, he didn’t give him any face at all.

  “Sorry, my personality is just so direct. I don’t like to beat around the bush.”

  Sun Mo smiled and showed his teeth.

  “Pu!”

  Lu Changhe smiled. Teacher Sun was so toxic. (Your personality is indeed extremely direct, so direct and sharp to the point where it can pierce through Yi Jiamin.)

  “Teacher Sun, don’t tell me you only know how to draw the spirit gathering rune?”

  Yi Jiamin mocked Sun Mo. He didn’t plan to do it, but since Sun Mo was adamant about not giving him face, he didn’t want to be polite either. If he didn’t make Sun Mo lose face and Zhang Qianlin went back to report this, his standing in vice-headmaster Zhang’s eyes would surely fall.

  “Whether I know it or not, it has nothing to do with you.”

  Sun Mo frowned.

  “Teacher Sun, you are always drawing the same spirit rune every day for your classes By doing this, you are wasting the valuable time of students. Besides, what’s the meaning of you drawing such a basic spirit rune?”

  “You won’t understand even if I say it.” Sun Mo’s lips curled.

  “You are arrogant!”

  Yi Jiamin was about to explode from anger. “My major is in the study of spirit runes. How would I not understand?”

  “Teacher, stop talking. Why don’t you go up the stage and draw a spirit gathering rune? You can speak again after your rune won against Teacher Sun’s.”

  A student tried to stir things up so they could all watch a good show.

  “Get up the stage!”

  “Teacher, don’t be a coward!”

  “You can do it!”

  The students banded together and shouted, causing You Jiamin to feel even more rueful and angry. However, he also felt very helpless because he knew his own standards very well. He would surely not be able to win against Sun Mo when it came to drawing the spirit gathering rune.

  “Why do I suddenly feel that I’ve become the antagonist?”

  Sun Mo felt a little unbearable in his heart, but his hand motions didn’t stop. He took the spirit rune brush and moved it toward Yi Jiamin. “Come, I will give you the brush. Why don’t you draw it?”


  Chapter 187 Can You Understand It? If You Can’t, Just Shut the Hell Up!

  Yi Jiamin’s face instantly turned red, looking like a boiled crab. He stared at the spirit rune brush in Sun Mo’s hands, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and rage.

  He really wanted to grab the brush and display his brilliance, drawing a perfect spirit gathering rune to smack Sun Mo’s face ruthlessly.

  However, it could only be an extravagant hope because he wouldn’t be able to win.

  At this moment, Yi Jiamin was filled with regrets. Why didn’t he work a little harder through these years? If he had worked a little harder then, he might not have to suffer such humiliation now.

  All in all, it was because his strength was not sufficient.

  “Teacher Sun, all of us are colleagues. There’s no need for you to be so overbearing, right?”

  Zhang Qianlin interjected, wanting to help Yi Jiamin out of his predicament. This was because they were from the same camp and were familiar with each other.

  “Oh? You want to draw in his stead?”

  Sun Mo revealed an enlightened expression and passed the brush to Zhang Qianlin. “F***!”

  Zhang Qianlin’s expression stiffened as he cursed in his heart. (When did I ever say that I wanted to help him to draw?) However, he was more quick-witted than Yi Jiamin.

  “This is ultimately Teacher Sun’s class, it isn’t too good for me to overwhelm the host.”

  His words meant that he was very impressive. If he really drew it, Sun Mo would lose face. Hence, it was better to forget it.

  “Hehe!”

  Sun Mo laughed softly and activated his Divine Sight.

  Zhang Qianlin, 25 years old. Fifth level of the Blood-Ignition Realm, Zhang Hanfu’s son.

  Occupation: 1-star great teacher, he currently possesses four great teacher halos and has extremely high talent in the study of spirit runes.

  Strength: 25, above average!

  Intellect: 26, a matured mind and well-developed brains. He’s an outstanding talent that has received higher education.

  Agility: 28, his speed is extremely fast. Endurance: 23, slightly inferior.

  Will: 23, complacent easily, ruled by emotions. He has never suffered a setback before; he needs a period of observation!

  Potential value: High!

  Note: All in all, a relatively outstanding teacher.

  Looking at the good stats of the handsome and elegant Zhang Qianlin, Sun Mo really wanted to know if this young man was the son of that ugly-looking man with a potato-figure, Zhang Hanfu?

  For a male like Zhang Qianlin, if he was a student, he would be those that had a wealthy background, a campus king that excelled in both morals and studies. Teachers would regard him highly, and girls would be very fond of him. He would receive love letters every day until his hands go soft.

  If he was working, everything would also be going his way. He would receive good will from superiors and be deeply loved by colleagues. His EQ wouldn’t be low.

  What should he do? Sun Mo suddenly felt a little jealous!

  Sun Mo was the most dissatisfied with a ‘winner at life’ like this. “May I be so bold to ask if your neighbor is surnamed Wang?”*

  “Nope!” Zhang Qianlin then changed the topic. “Teacher Sun, please continue with your lesson. The students are all waiting for your fascinating performance!”

  “Alright!”

  Since Zhang Qianlin was showing that he was willing to appear weak, it wasn’t too good for Sun Mo to keep pushing either. If not, if this incident was to circulate out, others might say that he was too brazen and had completely no regard for his colleagues.

  “Cough!”

  Sun Mo cleared his throat and swept his gaze across the classroom. After that, his eyes landed on Yi Jiamin. “Since Teacher Yi wants to admire my other spirit rune drawing techniques, I will have to comply and show off my incompetence then.”

  “What? Teacher Sun knows how to draw other types of spirit runes?”.

  “We’ve profited by being here today!”

  “Haha, you lost. Quickly pay up!”

  The spirits of the students stirred as they all stared at Sun Mo. The one who lost money earlier called out in excitement.

  Sun Mo stood on the rostrum and sank into contemplation.

  Which should he draw?

  The black tortoise spirit rune? No, that wouldn’t do. After entering the Darkness Continent, Zhang Hanfu’s people would surely move against him. At that time, the defensive-type Black Tortoise Spirit Rune could be used as a trump card. He mustn’t expose it now.

  In that case, only the lightning protection spirit rune was left. This rune was something he designed himself. No one in the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces knew of it. Hence, he could draw it out with no worries.

  Seeing Sun Mo standing there unmoving, Yi Jiamin felt that he had guessed right. Sun Mo was definitely not proficient with other spirit runes. Hence, he couldn’t help but add another shot.

  “Teacher Sun, go ahead and draw it. Everyone is waiting!”

  Sun Mo turned and looked at Yi Jiamin. After that, he faced the blackboard and pasted another spirit rune paper on it as he drew the first stroke.

  The entire classroom instantly fell silent. Everyone had their eyes wide open as they watched each stroke made by Sun Mo.

  Gradually, frowns began to crease on the faces of all the spectators.

  Those students who would come for Sun Mo’s lessons were those who at least knew a little about the study of spirit runes. Even if they were not able to draw it, they had memorized the different types of spirit runes.

  Memorizing 500 sets of spirit runes was considered the basics; memorizing 1,000 meant that one was qualified. As the saying went, ‘reading books 100 times will cause you to gain some insights.’ The same logic applied to spirit runes. If you couldn’t even memorize them and didn’t know about them, how could you succeed in drawing one?

  But now, all the students had stupefied looks on their faces. They basically had no idea what Sun Mo was drawing!

  “Do you guys know it?”

  “The spirit rune lines are so complicated. This must be the phoenix nirvana, right?”

  “What are you bullshitting about? If the lines for the phoenix nirvana rune are drawn in this manner, I will eat shit!”

  The students started quarreling. After that, they turned their gazes onto Yi Jiamin and Zhang Qianlin. These two teachers should know about it.

  “Teacher, what’s the spirit rune Teacher Sun is drawing?”

  A student drummed up his courage and asked. He was simply too curious.

  “Quiet, don’t disturb Teacher Sun.”

  Zhang Qianlin berated but the volume of his voice wasn’t soft. Other than wanting to frighten Sun Mo and make him fail, he wanted to avoid embarrassment too because he also had no idea which spirit rune this was.

  “Could it be that I’ve burned too much midnight oil to study before, and I’ve already entered andropause in advance despite only being 25?”

  Zhang Qianlin racked his brains as various spirit runes flashed past his mind one by one. However, none of them matched the one Sun Mo was drawing. After that, a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.

  “No, it can’t possibly be. How old is Sun Mo now? How is it possible for him to create his own spirit rune?”

  Zhang Qianlin had a self-mocking smile on his face. He must really be retarded. Why would such a thought appear in his mind? Even spirit rune ancestors would at most be able to modify spirit runes. Wanting to create a unique spirit rune was simply too difficult. “Damn!”

  Yi Jiamin was depressed. He thought for a while before deciding to give up. After that, he started to curse silently, hoping Sun Mo to fail.

  As the spirit rune gradually neared completion, the entire classroom fell into silence again. The students didn’t know what spirit rune this was, but they were all convinced by its beauty and no one was willing to avert their gazes even for one second.

  The runic lines, the arrangement, the entire structure…… Goodness gracious, there was an indescribable feeling about it. In any case, it was a joy to be able to look at it.

  In the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces, it was still a semi-feudal society, and the production capability was severely lacking. This was why they couldn’t understand the beauty of modern design.

  The lighting protection spirit rune was designed by the system. Each arrangement of its runic lines was set in such a way that even the person with the most serious OCD symptoms would feel comfortable looking at it.

  RUMBLE!

  As Sun Mo retracted the brush, the spirit qi in the classroom surged over and formed a spirit qi tornado that was channeled into the spirit rune paper.

  This scene not only represented that the spirit rune was completed, it also meant that the grade of the spirit rune was very high, at least at the fifth-grade or higher.

  Yi Jiamin glanced at the door of the classroom, and he suddenly felt like running away. (Sigh, have my brains gone rusty? Why did I come to Sun Mo’s spirit rune class to make trouble?)

  The spirit qi tornado vanished, but the students still remained silent. This was because they discovered that the composition of this spirit rune was completely different from the spirit runes they had learned before.

  “Beautiful!”

  Fang Yan shouted in fascination as he slammed his palm onto his desk.

  Bang!

  His voice was extremely loud and almost scared the souls of the other students away.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Fang Yan +30. Prestige connection unlocked: Neutral (30/100).

  Perfect!

  Perfect!

  Perfect!

  Lu Changhe mumbled to himself. His body leaned forward to the point where he almost left his seat. He wanted nothing more than to press himself to the spirit rune paper and admire it meticulously at a closer range.

  “It’s truly beautiful!”

  “What a bizarre feeling, but it feels very comfortable to watch it!”

  “I don’t know why, but after looking at this spirit rune, I suddenly felt my thoughts clearing up like I could put down all burdens in my heart. I feel that there would be no regrets even if I were to die.”

  The students were all commenting.

  “Teacher Sun, what spirit rune is this?”

  Fang Yan was curious.

  Swish!

  The students directly stared at Sun Mo, waiting for him to answer.

  “Teacher Yi, why don’t you introduce this rune to the class?”

  Sun Mo interjected.

  When the gazes of the students turned to Yi Jiamin, the latter wanted nothing more than to burrow himself into the desk before him. How embarrassing.

  He really wanted to ask Sun Mo what the hell he was drawing. But the manifestation of the spirit qi tornado indicated that the spirit rune was a success.

  “Hehe, you can’t understand?” Sun Mo continued to ask.

  Yi Jiamin fell silent.

  “Since you can’t understand, just shut the hell up in the future when you attend my lesson.”

  Sun Mo actually still had some remarks he wanted to make, but he decided to spare Yi Jiamin considering that the lesson was still going on.

  Yi Jiamin no longer had the face to stay here. He immediately stood up and walked out of the classroom.

  Zhang Qianlin was waiting for Sun Mo to reveal the answer. Yet, Sun Mo actually put away the spirit rune and began to speak about the spirit gathering rune once more. This almost caused Zhang Qianlin to be angered to death.

  (Is the spirit gathering rune your wife? Why do you have to talk about it every day?)

  “Teacher, could this be a spirit rune you created yourself?”

  Lu Changhe guessed. The originally noisy classroom fell silent once more as everyone turned their gazes toward Sun Mo.

  “Hehe, what?”

  Sun Mo lifted his index finger and placed it on his lips. “I can’t say.”

  “Teacher, are you the devil? Stop whetting our appetites and reveal the answer!”.

  The students rapped their desks and called out, urging Sun Mo. Yet, the atmosphere of the class was really harmonious. The new spirit rune also proved that Teacher Sun knew how to draw other spirit runes.

  “Eccentric!”

  The students could only guess this with regard to Sun Mo’s personality.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Lu Changhe +30. Friendly (240/1,000).

  Zhang Qianlin scratched his ears in anxiousness. He wanted nothing more than to place his palms on Sun Mo’s doggy head and apply force, making him reveal the answer. He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t do so. Because, once he asked, wouldn’t that reveal that he didn’t know the answer?

  (Ai, let’s wait for the class to end first then!)

  And next, the flow of time felt so slow. When the class-ending bell rang, Zhang Qianlin felt as though the dawn had arrived.

  “The class finally ended!”

  Zhang Qianlin’s buttocks lifted slightly from his seat. He started to think about what he should say so Sun Mo wouldn’t be able to reject answering his question.

  “Eh, I will speak a little more today.”

  Actually, Sun Mo didn’t really have much to say, but he did this purely to disgust Zhang Qianlin. (Didn’t you want to come and listen to my lesson? Since that’s the case, I will let you listen more to it then.)

  “Dragging out a lesson, do you still have a conscience or not?”.

  When Sun Mo finally announced the end of the lesson, even before Zhang Qianlin could walk over, a bunch of students already crowded around Sun Mo and began asking questions.

  Sun Mo’s popularity was actually so high to the extent where it was a little scary. There was no need for him to ask personally. Hence, Zhang Qianlin slowed his steps down and pricked his ears, trying to hear Sun Mo’s answer.

  “Teacher Sun, what is that spirit rune exactly?”

  Fang Yan was like a pagoda standing before Sun Mo. His eyes that were like copper bells were filled with thirst and curiosity, as well as a little agitation.

  Lu Changhe subconsciously glanced at Fang Yan’s buttocks. (If you have a tail, you would really look like a german sheepdog waiting for food!)

  [1]: Asking if someone’s neighbor is surnamed Wang is China’s meme. The joke goes roughly like this – Neighbour Wang is a man that would come over to bang your wife whenever you are not around.

  Chapter 188 Determined to Continue Learning about Spirit Runes, My

  Determination Won’t Waver Even If I Have to Spend 100 Years

  Zhang Qianlin gathered all his focus, deeply afraid to miss out on a single word.

  “I shall keep it a secret temporarily!”

  Sun Mo laughed.

  “Teacher, please don’t be like this!”

  “We are your loyal fans. Can you really bear to treat us like this?”

  “Teacher, why don’t you tell me secretly? I guarantee that I won’t tell others.”

  The students grumbled incessantly, but their expressions were relaxed. After attending so many days of Sun Mo’s lessons, they knew that Sun Mo had a very good temper, and they always felt like friends interacting with him. He was different from other teachers who would always exude an imposing aura.

  “Hehe.”

  Sun Mo lifted his index finger and shook it. “I can’t say.”

  “Damn!”

  Zhang Qianlin’s lips twitched. He felt an impulse to rush over and pry Sun Mo’s mouth open.

  “How about this, those who can find out the source of this spirit rune will earn one month worth of massages from me!”

  When Sun Mo said this, everyone was stunned.

  “Is it true?”

  The eyes of the students immediately gleamed. Quite a few left impatiently, rushing to the library to check for information. If not, if they were too late, those relevant books might be borrowed away by others.

  “Yes!”

  Sun Mo precisely wanted this effect. Learning could sometimes be an extremely dry and boring task. If there was no encouragement, students would lack motivation.

  “Everyone, listen to me. We must keep this a secret and not reveal the existence of the reward. If not, there would be many others wanting to snatch this chance from us.”

  A male student suggested.

  “That’s for sure. Unless our brains rusted, we wouldn’t say anything.” The students were all incomparably agitated. Sun Mo only needed to press casually and he would be able to make a student break through. If they could enjoy a month’s worth of massage, how great of an improvement would that be? Che, they didn’t dare to imagine it. “Fang Yan, why are you learning spirit runes?”

  Sun Mo glanced at the pagoda-like male student.

  “Because I like it.”

  Fang Yan’s reply was concise and comprehensive. His tone was filled with a headstrong feeling.

  “If there isn’t an extremely deep meaning behind it, let me advise you to give up. You have no future in the field of spirit runes.”

  ra

  Sun Mo persuaded. He truly didn’t wish to see such a rare genius wasting his talent. Upon hearing this, Fang Yan’s expression changed. He felt some anger. “How would you know if I have no talent?”

  That was right. Everyone was stunned. Sun Mo had God Hands, but even so, he wouldn’t be able to ‘feel’ one’s amount of talent, right?

  Moreover, Sun Mo didn’t even touch Fang Yan.

  “Do you think I was drawing an ordinary spirit gathering rune? When I looked at your uncaring expression that was filled with disdain, I could tell that you don’t get it!”

  Sun Mo shook his head.

  Even without using his Divine Sight, Sun Mo could roughly tell that the one with true talent in this field was someone like Lu Changhe.

  “Ha? Are there uncommon types of spirit gathering runes?”

  Fang Yan grew joyful.

  When Lu Changhe heard this, he couldn’t control himself anymore. Teacher Sun was a teacher he idolized, so he couldn’t stand for anyone doubting him.

  “Student Fang Yan, the spirit gathering rune that’s drawn earlier by Teacher Sun was a simplified version.”

  “Simplified version?” Fang Yan blinked. He was instantly shocked. “What do you mean?”

  Zhang Qianlin who was at the side was badly terrified upon hearing this. His judgment was right. Sun Mo did have some capabilities.

  “Simply speaking, the spirit gathering rune drawn by Teacher Sun has 12 fewer runic lines compared to the ordinary ones.”

  Lu Changhe explained.

  “Impossible!”

  Fang Yan called out. He had a look of ‘you better stop lying to me, I’m someone who understands spirit runes’ on his face. “If over ten runic lines were missing, how could the spirit rune still be functioning?”

  “Others might not be able to do so, but Teacher Sun can.”

  Lu Changhe smiled. (How can someone so mediocre like you be able to see Teacher Sun’s talent?)

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Lu Changhe +30. Friendly (270/1,000). Fang Yan retracted his earlier feeling of contempt. He glanced at Lu Changhe and asked, “Can you show me the spirit gathering rune in your hand?”

  There was a convention in Sun Mo’s spirit rune class that he would occasionally give his spirit gathering runes to random students that were seriously listening to the class. Lu Changhe was very hardworking, and Sun Mo also had the intention to guide him. Hence, whenever Sun Mo drew a new spirit rune, he would give it to Lu Changhe.

  “Sorry, that’s my treasure.”

  Lu Changhe rejected.

  Gurgle!

  Zhang Qianlin stared at the spirit rune paper in Lu Changhe’s hands as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

  “Student Fang Yan, let me tell you another thing. Teacher Sun not only can simplify a spirit gathering rune, up until now, he has given a total of 25 spirit rune classes and has drawn seven sets of simplified spirit gathering runes.” Lu Changhe exposed. “Impossible!”

  Even before Fang Yan said anything, Zhang Qianlin already cried out.

  (If you tell me you got an inspiration and improved the spirit gathering rune one time, I can believe it. But how is it possible for you to improve it so many times?)

  One must know that these basic spirit runes were the most-used runes in the cultivation world. Hence, they were also the most-researched runes. They were considered perfect runes that were almost impossible to be improved any further.

  “I have five simplified versions in my house and when Teacher Sun was drawing them, everyone had seen it personally. This is no lie.”

  Lu Changhe replied.

  Zhang Qianlin was speechless. That was right, it was impossible for Sun Mo to lie about this, or he would be the embarrassed party in the end.

  But……but improving the spirit gathering rune for seven or eight times? Wasn’t this too incredible?

  Zhang Qianlin had a conflicted look on his face. He had always been the self-proclaimed genius in the study of spirit runes. But now, he suffered a heavy impact.

  Actually, Zhang Qianlin was thinking too much. Sun Mo did simplify the spirit gathering rune, but there wasn’t much significance to this as the spirit gathering effect was weaker.

  Besides, Sun Mo had felt bored drawing the same simplified spirit gathering rune every day. Hence, in order to alleviate his boredom, he kept trying to find new methods to simplify the spirit gathering runes. This was for the sake of drawing the simplified spirit gathering runes on potted plants. After all, different plants had different-sized leaves, and the ‘veins’ of each leaf were different. Hence, when Sun Mo was drawing spirit gathering runes on plants, he didn’t pursue ‘the best spirit gathering effect’ but rather ‘the degree of perfection’.

  Wa

  PS

  As long as the potted plant could be activated, it was fine even if the spirit gathering effect was slightly weaker. After all, all the leaves were gathering spirit qi through day and night. Since the density of spirit qi would be maintained at a higher level, the cost-performance ratio would be much better compared to a single spirit gathering rune.

  In truth, upon being developed up until now, the spirit gathering rune was done with the concept of using the simplest picture for the maximum effect. Even though Sun Mo’s spirit rune drawing technique was near to the ancestor-grade, it was impossible for him to modify it even simpler while having a greater effect.

  “Fang Yan, if you put all your energy onto cultivation, you would absolutely reach a height the vast majority of people wouldn’t be able to reach.”

  Sun Mo persuaded.

  “I apologize, Teacher Sun. I know you are saying this for the sake of my future, but I’m really fond of spirit runes. I won’t give up even if I die.”

  Fang Yan gave a slight bow. After speaking, he turned and left.

  In any case, great teacher He Yuanjin regarded him very highly and was also willing to guide him. Her standard in this was much higher than Teacher Sun. As for whether he could get a massage by God Hands or not, Fang Yan didn’t really care about that.

  “I, Fang Yan, am determined to continue to learn spirit runes. Even if I had to spend 100 years, my determination wouldn’t waver!”

  Fang Yan encouraged himself. (I definitely have to achieve extraordinary accomplishments in this field and shut all of you who doubt me up.)

  Sun Mo shook his head, each to his own. It wasn’t too appropriate for him to continue saying anything.

  Sun Mo left. Lu Changhe was preparing to leave too, but after he took a few steps, he was surrounded by a group of students.

  “Is what you are saying real?”

  All the students were still in shock. There were still a few people staring at the spirit rune paper in Lu Changhe’s hands as they implored in a low voice, “Student, can you allow us to see it?”

  “Don’t even dream about it!”

  Lu Changhe rejected it directly. That was his treasure, what if they damaged the paper?

  “Student, I’m a 1-star great teacher named Zhang Qianlin, a teacher of this school. Can you allow me to admire the spirit gathering rune in your hand?”

  Zhang Qianlin was also very fond of the study of spirit runes. Although he knew Sun Mo was an enemy, he wasn’t able to endure his curiosity. Hence, he smiled and asked Lu Changhe.

  Upon hearing the title ‘1-star great teacher’, the surrounding students immediately shut their mouths. Their expression also grew much more respectful and they even bowed at Zhang Qianlin.

  Zhang Qianlin smiled. He placed his hands behind his back and he inclined his chin slightly, revealing a smile that was filled with restraint as well as self-confidence.

  “Sorry!”

  After Lu Changhe spoke, he bent slightly and drilled his way through the crowd. After that, he picked up speed and ran away.

  “Ah?”

  The students were all stunned. (Lu Changhe, you are so bold. You don’t even want to give face to a 1-star great teacher?)

  Zhang Qianlin’s smile froze on his face. After that, his expression sank. (I, a 1-star great teacher, have already spoken, yet I was rejected?)

  (What’s the name of this despicable student? I’m going to do a check later and expel him.)

  (Being disrespectful to teachers means that he deserves to be punished!)

  Zhang Qianlin walked out of the classroom. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he felt. He then sank his fist into the wall of the corridor. After that, he began to feel a little jealous of Sun Mo.

  Lu Changhe had refused to let him see the rune. This meant that in Lu Changhe’s heart, Sun Mo’s weightage was even heavier compared to a 1-star great teacher.

  “Damn, he actually looks down on me so much?”

  Zhang Qianlin felt very depressed and wanted to quickly finish Sun Mo off.

  —–

  “Hmph, you guys basically don’t understand how outstanding Teacher Sun is!”

  Lu Changhe’s lips twitched. From his perspective, If Zhang Qianlin, who was a teacher, actually failed to see the secret behind this spirit gathering rune, this meant that he wasn’t qualified to view it.

  (As expected. Only I know how to admire Teacher Sun’s talent. I wonder if Teacher Sun will accept me if I request to take him as my master?)

  After classes ended, Gu Xiuxun carried a novel and walked toward her office. Because she was bored, she flipped through the novel.

  “What the hell? Why is the main lead a monkey?” Gu Xiuxun was astonished after flipping a few pages. She then rapidly flipped through over ten pages and discovered that the main lead was really a monkey that was named something like ‘Sun Wukong’.

  This book was something she had confiscated from a male student during her lesson. That little fellow had sneakily glanced at her a few times while frequently turning his attention back to reading the novel. This behavior was simply too brazen.

  Actually, Gu Xiuxun knew that when young men reached a certain age, lust would manifest in their hearts and they would be fond of pretty girls. It was very normal for him to sneak a few glances at her chest, thighs, and legs. But to actually read a novel in her class? She had no way to endure this.

  (Isn’t your behavior saying that my class holds no attraction for you?)

  “(Journey to the West)?’”

  After seeing the name of this novel, Gu Xiuxun felt a little curious. She turned to the first page and began to seriously read. (Che, the writing style is so simple. This must be written by a kid from elementary school, right?)

  She sneered and read rapidly. But three pages later, her reading speed involuntarily slowed. In fact, she even turned back to the first page and read through it again carefully.

  This monkey seemed quite interesting.

  Chapter 189 Journey to the West Wildly Popular, Blooming Writing Style! (52, #31930 HIS)

  “Teacher Gu? Teacher Gu?”

  A male teacher called out, “You just entered the wrong office!”

  “Ah?”

  Gu Xiuxun turned her head and discovered that she had entered the office next door instead. However, she absolutely mustn’t admit to it. “Oh, I’m looking for Teacher Li because I’ve something I want to ask him.”

  Gu Xiuxun casually weaved an excuse. She would speak a few sentences with Teacher Li and return. After that, she casually placed her lesson plans on a desk and continued reading (Journey to the West).

  Heading to the Fangcun Mountain to learn magical arts, mastering the seventy-two transformations!

  Getting a treasure from the Sea Dragon Palace, a golden cudgel dominating the heavens!

  What a legendary journey!

  Seeing Monkey Sun barging into the underworld, forcefully changing the contents of the book of life and death, Gu Xiuxun simply loved such tyrannical freedom. Only true men would break rules so blatantly.

  “Teacher Gu, do you want to have a taste of my new tea leaves?”

  The ugly male teacher, who was speaking to her earlier, took up a satchel of tea leaves and waved it before Gu Xiuxun. A fawning smile appeared on his face. He even exuded the smell of a lackey that could be smelled from far away.

  “Oh!”

  Gu Xiuxun was currently immersed in the story of the (Journey to the West). She basically didn’t hear what the male teacher was saying and simply agreed.

  He grew agitated. (Could it be that my sincerity has moved Gu Xiuxun? Is my spring about to arrive?)

  Before this, whenever he spoke to Gu Xiuxun, she would always reject him no matter how he tried to show his good will. But now, did she just say ok to drink the tea that he brewed?

  “I’ll go and brew the tea now!”

  He chose the best tea leaves, and after boiling the water, he left it to cool down for ten minutes. The water mustn’t be too hot or cold. This current temperature was the best result after he experimented with it over 100 times.

  “Sigh, what a pity that I don’t have mountain spring water. If I use it to brew the tea, Teacher Gu might really fall in love with my skill in the art of tea.”

  He meticulously brewed the tea with a solemn expression. His attitude was as though he was about to make a pilgrimage to a holy place.

  “Very good. There’s no mistake in my steps up until now. Haha, Teacher Gu would surely be stunned by my dazzling skill today, right? I have not wasted my time and effort in assiduously practicing every day. My skill can finally be put to good use now.”

  He really wanted to turn his head to admire Gu Xiuxun’s expression. He wanted to see if she was intoxicated by his skill. However, he didn’t do so because he might lose a few style points.

  “I have to focus and stop thinking about random thoughts!”

  He warned himself, discarding his distracting thoughts to continue to brew the tea.

  15 minutes later, the fragrance of tea leaves permeated the office.

  “Teacher He, your tea isn’t bad!”

  Zhao Lei, who was at the side, sniffed the air and involuntarily praised. He was a tea-lover.

  “Hehe!”

  Ugly smiled complacently. (That’s only natural. These tea leaves cost me three months worth of my salary. It’s too vulgar to give her a gift, and she might also not accept it. So, sampling tea together is the best. We can also improve our relationship through this.)

  (In any case, what should we name our child as? Should our child each carry a character from me and her name? I think the word ‘Xun’ is pretty nice.)

  “Teacher Gu, drink!”

  He pushed the teacup to Gu Xiuxun. This teacup was something specially chosen by him, and it should be able to display his aesthetic sense.

  For this, he had even prepared a few sentences to display his inner character and talent.

  “Hmph, when chasing a woman, one must consider all aspects and not miss out on any detail.”

  He smiled. His face inclined slightly toward the window as he pulled his chin back slightly. This was the most suitable angle for him to look at Gu Xiuxun from a height.

  He had practiced this movement for a few months.

  Sadly, the timing wasn’t right. No rays of sunlight had streamed in, or the effect would have been even more wondrous.

  “Perfect.”

  He felt that his performance was flawless.

  “Oh, thank you, Teacher He!”

  Gu Xiuxun took the cup and placed it on the desk. Her eyes had never left the book from the start until the end.

  “Eh!”

  Ugly was stunned. If Gu Xiuxun kept reading the book, how should he open the conversation? “Wait a minute, I mustn’t be anxious in chasing girls, or it would show that I have no patience.”

  He went back to his seat and waited quietly. But a few minutes later, he realized that Gu Xiuxun didn’t even glance at that cup of tea.

  “Teacher Gu, the tea is about to turn cold!”

  Ugly chortled and spoke in a soft and gentle voice, “You should drink it while it’s hot. It’s good for your stomach.”

  “Right!”

  Gu Xiuxun responded but she still didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on her book; she was unwilling to miss even a single word.

  Sun Wukong had proclaimed himself to be the ‘great sage equal to heavens’ and led an army of demons to clash with 100,000 celestial troops. He fought against all the celestial generals and wasn’t inferior to them. In the end, he wreaked havoc through the heavens. He was simply too cool!

  Even though Gu Xiuxun was a woman, she could feel hot blood coursing through her veins as she read.

  “Teacher Gu? Teacher Gu?”

  Ugly called out lightly.

  “Ah?”

  Gu Xiuxun felt a little unhappy now. (Why do you keep interrupting me? Can you stop?) “Teacher Gu, the tea is about to be cold and it would weaken the taste. Why don’t I change a cup of tea for you?”

  The teacher smiled.

  “Oh? Thank you, but there’s no need. I won’t be drinking it.”

  Gu Xiuxun glanced at the teacup that had a pattern of drizzling rain and bamboo on it. (Che, what aesthetic sense is this? It’s too mainstream, can’t you have your own unique taste?)

  (Also, is this cup his?) (Was I in a dazed state from reading the novel earlier? Why would I take his offered cup?)

  “Teacher Gu, drinking tea is good for the body!”

  Ugly’s heart sank, but he still maintained a smile.

  “I apologize, I still have work to do and I’m very busy!”

  Gu Xiuxun smiled at him. After that, she took her lesson plans up from the desk and left. Actually, she didn’t feel like talking to him; it was a waste of time.

  The next plot was extremely exciting. Sun Wukong was about to duel with the Buddha Lord! Gu Xiuxun was truly burning with impatience, and she quickly flipped the book open again.

  IIII

  Zhao Lei involuntarily shook his head after seeing this scene. Sigh, a simp would always get nothing in the end.

  Ugly felt disappointed. (Did I do something wrong? No, this should be Teacher Gu’s test for me. I must not give up.)

  An hour later, a female teacher carried over ten books as she entered the office. She then threw the books onto a desk, venting her frustrations.

  “Recently, the students are growing increasingly brazen. All of them are reading novels in class.”

  The female teacher was very unhappy.

  “Hehe, they were reading (Journey to the West), correct?”

  “That’s for sure. Recently, this novel has become extremely popular. I could confiscate three or four books per class!”

  “There are even students saying that they want to quit school. They want to head to the southern seas and look for Fangcun Mountain to learn the seventy-two transformations.”

  Because of Journey to the West, the teachers had a discussion.

  Gu Xiuxun’s ears moved.

  “Actually, I feel that this book was written very well. I’ll give it 9 points.”

  Zhao Lei praised.

  “The writing style is very straightforward, there’s no sense of beauty!”

  Gu Xiuxun involuntarily added. Honestly speaking, such a good story being written in such an elementary style felt like a waste.

  “Teacher Gu, if the writing style isn’t simple enough, many people would not be able to understand it. This is a novel and not a book of classical teachings after all!”

  Zhao Lei had his own opinion. For such a novel, it was written for the sake of ordinary people being able to enjoy it. What was the point of literariness?

  “That’s true!”

  Gu Xiuxun nodded. She gingerly touched the book’s cover. She was really fond of this monkey.

  That female teacher who had been blowing her top no longer spoke. She took up a book and was reading in a daze. The writing style was simple, but it easily filled her mind with scenes from the novel. The book could cause readers to instantly immerse themselves inside the wondrous and magical world of gods and demons.

  Gu Xiuxun looked at the pen name and was stunned after that. (What the hell is ‘Gandalf’? I’ve only heard of ‘White Tofu’ before!)

  “Do any of you have the second part of this book?”

  Gu Xiuxun asked.

  Ugly pricked his ears. (Should I go and buy it now?)

  “It isn’t out yet!”

  “Oh, has this author written any other books then?” Gu Xiuxun wanted to find other books written by this author.

  “Nope.”

  Zhao Lei shrugged. He went to look for it after he had finished reading Journey to the West. After that, he discovered that this author was a newbie.

  “Oh!”

  Gu Xiuxun was very disappointed. She then began re-reading the book.

  “I wonder when the second part will be out?”

  After Zhao Lei spoke, many teachers nodded. They had read this book a few days ago. Hence, all of them felt an itch in their hearts during these few days. It felt as though they were lacking something.

  (What novel is this that it can cause so many people to be mesmerized? I can also write one!)

  When Ugly saw Gu Xiuxun become a fan of this author, he felt extremely unhappy in his heart. He instantly decided that he would begin to write his own novel once school ended today. (Since you like novels, I shall use my talent to subdue you.)

  “Oh, do you guys know that Sun Mo has become the department head of the logistics department?”

  Zhao Lei exposed.

  “It’s vice-department head.”

  Ugly had always pursued accuracy in the news. At the same time, as a man, he didn’t want to let Sun Mo be in the limelight before An Xinhui.

  “The department head was transferred away. Doesn’t that mean that Sun Mo would have the sole authority?”

  Zhao Lei was a 1-star great teacher and was also a veteran. He naturally understood Ugly’s thoughts.

  “Sun Mo is so young, did he have any management experience?”.

  “Maybe Headmaster An has no one she can use? In addition, Sun Mo’s performance during this time is considered extremely good. Maybe, she’s trying everything in a desperate situation.”

  “Teaching and management are two different things. Would Sun Mo’s God Hands allow him to resolve the problem of management?”

  Speaking of the school, the mood of the teachers became gloomy.

  Everyone was aware of the current situation of the Central Province Academy. Some teachers who were capable but did not have deep relationships with the school had already resigned.

  The remaining teachers were either not that capable and were afraid to walk out of their comfort zone, or they had been here for many years and truly loved the school due to the old headmaster’s kindness. They naturally wouldn’t leave at such a time.

  No matter what the situation was, seeing that the Central Province Academy had no improvements, everyone was anxious.

  “Zhou Yuanzhi stopped his donation. I wonder if Headmaster An would be able to pay out our salaries next month?”

  Ugly grew worried. Two months later, it was said that a famed courtesan named Lady Dujiu would be coming to Jinling, and he was preparing to go over for a look. If he couldn’t get his salary in time, he could only choose to give up then.

  After all, such famed courtesans were simply too famous. Hence, the entry threshold was set very high. It was said that the ticket to enter the Moonseek Building had already been pushed up to 5,000 taels for one.

  Even so, it was truly hard to get a ticket.

  “Everyone, don’t worry. Maybe, Sun Mo is the ‘Gandalf’ that wrote (Journey to the West). This novel is so popular; it must have brought the author a huge amount of profit. At that time, after he passed the money made from sales to Headmaster An, the problem of everyone’s salaries would be solved.”

  Zhao Lei teased.

  Everyone smiled in response, but they were still worried in their hearts.

  “Teacher Zhao, you must not make a joke about such matters. Let alone the fact that it’s impossible for Sun Mo to write a story, even if he did, his story wouldn’t be able to generate sales of more than 100 taels of silver!”

  Ugly sighed. (Where’s my Lady Dujiu? If I lose this chance, I don’t know when it will be before I can see you again.) (What? You say that if I’m clearly in love with Gu Xiuxun, why should I meet with Lady Dujiu? I practice the concept of universal love, okay?!) ……

  When these teachers were chatting idly, Gandalf, which was also Sun Mo, was paid a visit by Zheng Qingfang.