The night before the first day of the examination, the moon was bright and stars were scarce. The spring wind was refreshing.

  Knock! Knock!

  Sun Mo knocked on a room door with a decorative carved pattern.

  “Ziqi, have you fallen asleep?”

  A few seconds later, a creaking sound rang out as the door was pushed open.

  “Teacher!”

  Li Ziqi was clad in pyjamas. She lowered her head in greeting.

  “Hehe!”

  Sun Mo laughed.

  “Ah?”

  Li Ziqi subconsciously touched her face. (Could it be that when I was drawing spirit runes, some ink splattered on my face?)

  “If you are not tired, how about going for a stroll with me?”

  Sun Mo suggested.

  “Mn!”

  Li Ziqi naturally wanted nothing more to do so. She hurriedly closed the door and changed her clothes before following Sun Mo like a little puppy.

  Sun Mo didn’t leave the hotel to tour the streets for the night scenery. Instead, he went to the rooftop.

  “Come, sit here at my side!”

  Sun Mo stepped on the tiles as he gazed up at the moon.

  This was a cloudless night, the starry sky was truly so clear!

  “Mn!”

  Li Ziqi sat beside Sun Mo. She hesitated a little before moving a little closer.

  If it wasn’t because of their identities, she really felt like leaning against Sun Mo’s shoulder.

  “Your expression today made me recall the first time I met you.”

  Sun Mo smiled and looked as though he was recalling the taste of fine wine. “That should be the most memorable moment of my lifetime.”

  “Ah?”

  Li Ziqi was shocked. (It can’t be… That night was just an ordinary night, right?)

  Her teacher was someone that had comprehended the Battlegod Catalog, crushed the trials in the Battlegod Canyon, reigned supreme in the Dragon Subduing Great Hall, killed a Dark Starlord, subdued an ancient dragon, and obtained the divine-level Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture. Wouldn’t any of those moments be more memorable?

  These were all legendary feats. Not only did they affect him alone, but they actually influenced the momentum of the entire Nine Provinces.

  But after hearing Sun Mo saying this, the little sunny egg felt a burst of happiness in her heart. Because to her, that night was also the happiest and most memorable moment in her lifetime.

  “Actually, I like the current you very much.”

  Sun Mo turned his head and looked at the little sunny egg. “You are pure, adorable, kind, sunshine-like, and capable of expressing your emotions well. You are like the garden plot being shone upon by the sun, leading to the blooming of a hundred flowers.”

  Li Ziqi’s heart thumped wildly, while her face became extremely red. In fact, the blush even extended to her fair neck.

  (Aiya! What’s Teacher talking about? Am I really so good?)

  “Ever since I accepted a few more personal students, you’ve changed. You worked hard to maintain the prestige of the position of an ‘eldest martial sister’. I know that you want to lead by example and are worried that your junior martial siblings might lose face for me. But actually, there’s no need to do this.”

  Sun Mo sighed. “The young should have their impulsive moments. In my heart, making mistakes isn’t scary. What’s scary is that one would become an old-fashioned and inflexible pedant.”

  Li Ziqi’s smile faded and her expression paled.

  (Did I do something wrong?)

  “What are they talking about? I can’t hear clearly!”

  Below the wall, Lu Zhiruo and a few others were currently eavesdropping. “Should we shift forward a little?”

  “Don’t or we will be discovered!”

  Qin Yaoguang rejected. After that, she repeated Sun Mo’s words for everyone.

  “Everyone, it is not good to do this.”

  Jiang Leng leaned against the wall with his hands crossed over his chest, trying to persuade them. However, no one listened to him.

  “Ziqi, just return to be the you in the past. What is youth? Youths are like the morning dew, the rising sun, the surging sharpness.”

  Sun Mo stretched out his hands and patted the little sunny egg’s head. “Youths are permitted to make mistakes. Once, twice, or even three, four times, it doesn’t matter. The more mistakes you make now, the fewer detours you will have to take in the future.

  “Remember, the older someone is, the less they can afford to make mistakes because the price to redeem themselves would be too great.”

  Bzz!

  A golden light shone from Sun Mo and illuminated the area.

  These words were borne from Sun Mo’s experience. Hence, Priceless Advice activated.

  Li Ziqi sank into contemplation.

  “I also wish Teacher could give me special treatment!”

  Lu Zhiruo felt envious.

  Helian Beifang was speechless. (At such a time, shouldn’t you ponder over our teacher’s teachings instead? You are actually feeling envious about something like this?)

  (Ai! I really don’t understand why Teacher would want to accept you given your lousy aptitude. Just because your papayas are huge?)

  “Ziqi, at your current age, you should just do what you want to do. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake, just do your utmost for everything you want to do.”

  Sun Mo encouraged her. “Even if you lose face, Teacher will be accompanying you and facing the situation together with you.”

  “Mn!”

  Li Ziqi nodded heavily.

  (Yeah, what am I afraid of? In these two years where I’ve followed the teacher, I’ve learned many things and seen such a vast world. I’m already very outstanding. Right now, I should display my outstandingness to the world.)

  “Ziqi, go and become the best version of you!”

  Sun Mo looked at the little sunny egg’s eyes. His gaze was filled with hope. “Fresh flowers and applause are just out there waiting for you.”

  “Mn!”

  Li Ziqi actually wanted to say that she truly didn’t care about false fame like these. (As long as Teacher feels proud of me, it’s sufficient.)

  “Teacher!” The little sunny egg mumbled, “Can I make a small request?”

  “There’s no problem even if you have 100 requests.”

  Sun Mo laughed.

  “I’m not that greedy.”

  Li Ziqi shook her head. After that, she lowered her voice. “Can you lend me your shoulder so I can lean against it?”

  “Naturally yes!”

  Sun Mo sat up straight.

  Li Ziqi shifted over and leaned her head against Sun Mo’s shoulder.

  Under the bright moon, the cries of the cicada were melodious.

  Sun Mo started humming a tune.

  Li Ziqi’s heart, which was originally thumping fiercely, actually calmed down after she listened to this tune.

  “Teacher, what is the name of this tune? The melody is bizarre, but it is so nice to listen to!”

  The little sunny egg was curious.

  She was considered a genius in all aspects. She knew about painting and music, but she was completely not familiar with this melody.”

  “Childhood!”

  Sun Mo sang out the lyrics clearly while whistling at times to the tune. His voice was like a nightingale and drifted very far.

  Below the wall, the students no longer covered their mouths but were listening quietly. Various thoughts were reflected on their faces as they felt their worries being discarded.

  This was especially so for Qin Yaoguang. Her expression was hard to read, but her understanding of Sun Mo had been refreshed.

  …

  “It is so nice to hear!”

  Li Ziqi praised. “Teacher…”

  “Mn!”

  Sun Mo discovered that his arm was being embraced by the little sunny egg. He wanted to pull it out but didn’t succeed.

  “Can you give this song to me?”

  Li Ziqi felt embarrassed and her voice grew very soft.

  She felt that this request was very over-the-top.

  “From today onward, this belongs to you.”

  Sun Mo laughed. “After I return, I will give you the melody and lyrics.”

  In the past, in order to not remain single, Sun Mo had practiced very hard with his guitar for a long time. Sadly, he didn’t manage to get a girlfriend despite having spent quite a lot of money purchasing musical scores and instruments.

  There was no solution to it. No matter how ‘cultured’ you were, you would never be able to compare to rich guys who could afford cars and homes.

  “Aiya, Eldest Martial Sister is so cunning!”

  Lu Zhiruo pouted, she also liked this song very much.

  “You can also get Teacher to write a new one for you!”

  Tantai Yutang teased.

  “A good song is like a good poem. The writer has to gather their emotions slowly and wait for inspiration to strike, how can they write it just because they wanted to?”

  Lu Zhiruo rolled her eyes.

  “Others might not be able to do so, but there’s surely no problem for our teacher.”

  Xianyu Wei was very certain.

  “Our teacher actually knows how to write songs?”

  Qin Yaoguang was shocked. Although this song was very bizarre in terms of style, it was very catchy and they felt very comfortable after listening.

  “It’s nothing strange. Our teacher is also skilled in both writing and painting!”

  Even if Sun Mo said he was a grandmaster alchemist right now, Lu Zhiruo would also believe it.

  Just when the sickly invalid wanted to mutter the words ‘brainless fan’, he heard Xianyu Wei exclaim in shock. A burst of silver light flashed in the skies. Hence, he turned his head and stared upward.

  Li Ziqi was glowing with silver light. She resembled a celestial fairy descending to the mortal world.

  “What the hell?”

  Helian Beifang was dumbstruck.

  “It’s a great teacher halo!”

  Lu Zhiruo exclaimed in shock. “Our eldest martial sister has comprehended another one.”

  Qin Yaoguang’s pupils narrowed violently.

  In the middle of the night, the roof was shining with silver light and it looked like mercury cascading down to the ground, shocking the other guests nearby.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Windows were being pushed open rapidly.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Is it a couple engaging in illicit affairs?”

  “Would people cast a great teacher halo if they are doing something like this? Do you think they are not afraid of people finding out?”

  The sounds of an argument rang out.

  …

  On the roof, Li Ziqi also had a dumbfounded look on her face.

  “Teacher, this…”

  Li Ziqi had been enjoying the warm atmosphere of leaning against her teacher and wanted nothing more than for time to stop right now. Her emotions also calmed down after she heard Sun Mo’s singing. She felt a sense of absolute security that was off the charts.

  After that, this emotion seemed to germinate and suddenly welled up explosively. After that, the new halo was born.

  Sun Mo started for a moment before smiling.

  “Congratulations on comprehending another great teacher halo!”

  Given Sun Mo’s knowledge, he could tell that this halo was Composed Calm even without using Divine Sight.

  By casting this halo, it would dispel panic, nervousness, cowardice, and other negative emotions, allowing the target to calm down.

  This halo was not that useful, but before a major competition or during an important event in life, the effect of this halo would become extremely important.

  A candidate that wouldn’t feel fear and nervousness would absolutely be able to unleash 90% of their strength or even more.

  “There are so many people looking over here. Let us get down!”

  After Sun Mo spoke, he stretched out his hand and hugged Li Ziqi’s waist before jumping down from the roof.”

  “Teacher, I…”

  Li Ziqi suddenly felt very unhappy. (My time of warmth with Teacher is wasted just like that.)

  (If I could choose, I would rather not comprehend this halo so I could lean against my teacher for a while longer.)

  …

  “That’s your opponent, how do you feel about her?”

  Lu Feng leaned against the windowsill and teased his student.

  “…”

  Huang Meibo had wanted to say that this opponent was unworthy of a mention. But after looking at the tender and immature face of Li Ziqi, she wasn’t able to bring herself to say something so childish.

  “In any case, I will crush her.”

  Huang Meibo silently spoke in her heart. (It’s even better if you are a genius. Just let me destroy you.)

  “When compared to me, how do you think Sun Mo would fare?”

  Lu Feng asked again.

  “How can he be a match for Teacher?”

  This time around, Huang Meibo didn’t have any hesitation.

  “Haha, I like this answer!”

  Lu Feng closed his window. “Go and sleep, do your best for tomorrow’s examination!”

  “I will!”

  After Huang Meibo bowed, she left the room.

  “Sun Mo, you have to be outstanding enough or I won’t feel any sense of superiority in defeating you!”

  Lu Feng also started to hum a melody. It was the exact same song Sun Mo had hummed earlier.

  He wasn’t someone from the modern era, but he depended on his strong learning ability to replicate this.

  After their conversation, the knot in Li Ziqi’s heart was loosened and she had a very good sleep. After that, the sky brightened.

  The examination date had arrived!

  Chapter 986: The Joy of a Genius Great Teacher Is Simply So Simple, Unadorned and Dull!

  Translator: Lordbluefire

  In the early morning, there were already many people gathered outside the Golden Cherry Academy.

  There were examinees, their kin who came here with them, peddlers who were hawking their wares, and the security.

  Jiang Zizhong carried a pastry in his hand and was chewing on it at the side of the road. Meanwhile, his vision swept past the crowd before zoning in on Li Ziqi.

  “How beautiful, as expected of the most doted bright pearl of the Great Tang Emperor. But even if you were a celestial maiden that was reborn into this world, I’m going to crush you badly this time around.”

  Jiang Zizhong chewed his pastry even more forcefully.

  The Jiang Clan had produced a lot of great teachers for generations, and some people would always want to curry favor with them. Moreover, Liang Hongda wasn’t someone who would keep his mouth shut; hence, the news about Sun Mo’s eldest disciple going to participate in the 1-star examination was circulated around.

  After Jiang Zizhong’s clan leader, Jiang Wei, learned of it, he immediately praised them, saying words like a famous teacher trained a fine student, but then no longer paid attention to them. As for Jiang Zhitong, he felt contempt. He felt that Sun Mo was simply engaging in sensationalism.

  A 15-year-old girl shouldn’t have established her worldview, ideology, and values yet. Moreover, she herself was still a student, so what qualifications did she have to teach others?

  This must be a meticulous plan set up by Sun Mo to boost his own fame.

  Just based on this point, Jiang Zhitong looked down on Sun Mo even more.

  A genuine great teacher wouldn’t allow their disciples to participate in the examination too early. If he or she didn’t pass, the psychological impact would be too great. But even if he or she passed, so what?

  It was impossible for them to join a famous school to teach, right?

  Even if Li Ziqi wanted to do so, no schools would want her.

  This move from Sun Mo could only hoodwink the general populace who had no idea about what was going on. Everyone in the great teacher world understood that the 1-star examination was just a threshold.

  All truly impressive great teachers had accumulated knowledge and would have good preparation. They would clear all trials only during appropriate timings.

  After Jiang Zhitong’s ridicule, he no longer paid attention to this because he wanted to prepare for the 4-star great teacher examination at the end of the year. He was very busy.

  As for Jiang Zizhong, he was a descendant of the second family branch. After knowing about the news, he had secretly registered himself for the 1-star exam and prepared to ruthlessly defeat Li Ziqi.

  “You have to last until the martial segment, alright?”

  Jiang Zizhong finished eating his pastry and prepared to leave. But after walking for a few meters, he couldn’t endure the impulse and cast another glance at the little sunny egg.

  “Forget it, seeing that you are a young girl, I won’t destroy your face.”

  Jiang Zizhong absolutely wouldn’t admit that he had protective feelings for the fairer sex.

  …

  “That disgusting male that kept looking at you has finally left.”

  Lu Zhiruo was very angry. The male was very rude to do this.

  “Hehe, there are so many guys here looking at our eldest martial sister. You can’t possibly beat them all to death, right?”

  Qin Yaoguang teased.

  Honestly, Sun Mo’s group was very conspicuous.

  There was no solution to it. Li Ziqi exuded a noble and elegant aura, while Lu Zhiruo was pure and adorable. Moreover, there was Qin Yaoguang, who was street smart, and the long-legged 1.8-meter-tall Xianyu Wei. The ‘killing prowess’ of this group of girls was simply too sufficient.

  …

  “Which one do you like?”

  “I myself prefer the cultured and noble-looking girl. She must be a descendant from an influential clan. I love conquering women like her the most.”

  A male sighed. His gaze then drifted to the papaya girl. “But look at that girl. She is simply too huge. I actually had no idea before that this suits my taste.”

  “No man would dislike it.”

  “Nonsense. I personally prefer the 1.8-meter-tall one. If I can straddle her on my waist…”

  There wouldn’t be a lack of shameless people anywhere. Some local pickpockets and thieves were drooling as they came to mingle within the crowds. Some of them did harbor ill intentions.

  A few human traffickers also had a glint in their eyes, wanting nothing more than to kidnap these girls away.

  “Hey, quickly look. There’s a brave guy heading there.”

  Seeing a young man walking over, everyone immediately grew interested.

  …

  “Hello, everyone, did you guys follow your teacher here to watch him participate in the examination?”

  The young man asked while revealing the kindest smile that he had practiced before the mirror for an unknown number of times. “I’m Tong Li, a 2-star great teacher. I graduated from the Skyraise Academy and am currently employed in the Golden Cherry Academy.”

  Tong Li’s tone was filled with pride.

  Naturally, he did have his capabilities.

  He was a 2-star great teacher that was merely 25 years old and was even teaching in an ‘A’ grade famous school. One must know that the entire Nine Provinces only had eighteen ‘A’ grade schools.

  (They are definitely shocked by the way I lower my status to speak to them so politely, right?)

  Tong Li’s heart was filled with joy, but his face maintained a reserved look as he acted with the style of a great teacher.

  “Teacher Tong!”

  Li Ziqi and the others casually called out. They didn’t even bow.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that they were worried their attitudes might reflect badly on Sun Mo if they didn’t greet this teacher, they really didn’t wish to care about the latter at all.

  (Eh? There seems to be something wrong with their reaction!)

  Tong Li was astonished. Although they might not fawn on him, they should have at least smiled at him, right?

  (In the past, the students I called out to were much more sensible than you guys. But it is fine, you guys are young and it’s very normal that you don’t know the ways of the world.)

  “Cough! Cough!”

  After clearing his throat, Tong Li placed one of his hands behind his back and looked at Xianyu Wei with a look of admiration on his face. “I can see that your aptitude is excellent. This is why my love for talents has been stirred. Do you want to be my personal student?”

  Qi!

  Over ten great teachers in the surroundings had been hesitating on whether or not they should approach her. Now that Tong Li had taken the first step, they all came over and wanted to see if they had a chance.

  When they heard Tong Li’s words, they immediately snorted disdainfully.

  As long as a great teacher wasn’t blind, they would be able to tell that this 1.8-meter-tall girl was not bad at all.

  The vast majority of great teachers would gauge the potential of a student mainly by their figures, muscles, and bone structures.

  Xianyu Wei already had outstanding talent and now, after half a year of personal guidance by Sun Mo and eating a scientifically proven diet, her body was absolutely perfect for her age.

  She was tall and her bone structure was large. Hence, everyone here could see her well-proportioned limbs, glossy skin, and a hint of spirit in her eyes. On top of it, when she was speaking, a booming reverberation from her diaphragm could also be heard clearly.

  She was absolutely a good seedling for cultivation.

  After Tong Li finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Li Ziqi and the others.

  (Ai! I didn’t express my desire to accept the other kids, so they should be very disappointed, right? But there’s no solution. Although you guys are pretty, your aptitudes are slightly inferior and cannot match up to hers… Wait a minute, I can accept one to be my maid!)

  Tong Li felt a little worried. If that petite, beautiful girl and that huge papaya wanted to take him on as a teacher at the same time, whom should he choose?

  (Ai! The joy of a genius great teacher is simply so simple, unadorned and dull!)

  Pu!

  Tantai Yutang had long since guessed this fellow’s motive. Now that he heard the latter’s words, he truly couldn’t control it as he burst out laughing.

  (Did you check the almanac for auspicious dates today before heading out? Stealing my teacher’s student? Even if you had eight legs, they would all be broken.)

  “Ignorant people are really so terrifying!” Qin Yaoguang chortled.

  “You mean arrogant people, right?” Helian Beifang also laughed.

  “What do you guys mean by this?” Tong Li frowned.

  “I already have a teacher!”

  Xianyu Wei hurriedly interjected. She was deeply afraid that if she was slower in rejecting by a bit, she might be reproached by her teacher.

  “He won’t be able to teach you well.”

  Tong Li had predicted this, so he wasn’t shocked at all. “It’s fine. As long as you agree, I will settle all other matters.”

  Qi!

  (Her teacher must be this gigolo-like intern teacher, right? This guy doesn’t even have the qualification of a 1-star great teacher but actually dares to accept disciples? Truly have no idea what his worth is! He most probably has a glib tongue and looks quite handsome, I guess? Hmph! He’s only a little more handsome than me!)

  “I won’t change my sect.”

  Xianyu Wei’s voice was as resolute as iron.

  “You……”

  Tong Li still wanted to try persuading, but Li Ziqi could no longer bear to watch. She opened her mouth and directly said, “Our teacher is Sun Mo.”

  Upon hearing this, Tong Li’s heart violently thumped.

  This name sounded so familiar! They shouldn’t be the same, right?

  “Who?”

  This time around, Tong Li turned his head and stared straight at Sun Mo.

  “Sun Mo!” Li Ziqi repeated.

  “God Hands?”

  “Mn!”

  “That One-Vote Sun? Black Doggy Sun?”

  “Please speak cautiously!”

  “The three-time champion?”

  “He will become the four-time champion next year.”

  Lu Zhiruo bragged.

  “.……”

  Tong Li felt his scalp turning numb. He did his best to squeeze out a smile and clasped his hands toward Sun Mo before turning to leave.

  (What a joke! Stealing Sun Mo’s students? Even if I gave it my all, I wouldn’t be able to succeed in the slightest.)

  Some great teachers at the side also felt that Xianyu Wei was a good seedling and had been preparing to try their luck. But after they heard these words, they were like cats who had their tails stepped on. They immediately turned and left rapidly.

  “Our teacher’s fame is so great.”

  Xianyu Wei was astonished.

  She had initially thought that this elite-sounding teacher would want to challenge her teacher. But in the end, he became a coward.

  “Let alone 2-star, even 3-star great teachers won’t dare to antagonize our teacher!”

  Helian Beifang felt a sense of pride.

  “Alright, be more cultured and stop mocking others.”

  From the start to the end, Sun Mo showed no signs of hostility because he could understand Tong Li’s emotions.

  “God Hands is here? Where?”

  “Hasn’t he already passed the exam? What is he doing here?”

  “I heard that his student is here for the exam.”

  A commotion immediately occurred before the school’s entrance. After all, Sun Mo’s fame could be considered the greatest within the great teacher world for his year.

  Everyone wanted to take a look at this superstar.

  But very soon, the commotion quietened down because a carriage drove over.

  There were no luxurious decorations on the carriage. Even the horse pulling the carriage wasn’t an expensive breed and looked like an ordinary horse purchased by a wealthy family. But on the long street, all noises rapidly vanished.

  Because there was a flag on the carriage.

  And the flag consisted of a very large ‘Zhou’ character with nine stars around it.

  “It’s the carriage of Secondary Saint Zhou!”

  Regardless of students, great teachers, or even the local peddlers, they immediately lowered their heads and bowed after they saw the nine stars. There were even some who knelt and kowtowed.

  The style of this flag was something often used by great teachers.

  It wasn’t anything special and was only put up because the great teacher didn’t want to have his path blocked when he was rushing to a place.

  To say it unpleasantly, although everyone had 24 hours per day, the time of a secondary saint was much more valuable compared to ordinary people.

  When the carriage stopped, a young man walked out.

  The teaching head from the Golden Cherry Academy, which was responsible for maintaining order, immediately rushed over to welcome him,

  “Young Master Zhou, do you want to enter?”

  The teaching head was smiling courteously, having long since known that this young master wanted to participate in the great teacher examination.

  “No, I don’t want special treatment.”

  Zhou Wenbin shook his head. “I will wait for the gate to open before entering.”

  The teaching head invited him a few more times, but after rejecting all his attempts, Young Master Zhou closed his eyes and rested.

  “Ze, I originally wanted to say that there doesn’t seem to be any formidable opponents this year. But now, this personal student of a secondary saint came.”

  Qin Yaoguang was speechless. There was really nothing to say about her eldest martial sister’s luck!