The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Bill tiptoed over and picked up the beverage pitcher, examining the translucent handle. "You're being far from elegant," Brear Rabbit whispered.

“Shut up, rabbit,” Bill whispered.

This was Bill's first time stepping into the teachers' lounge, as he had only just started teaching this semester. He hesitated, wondering whether he should start pouring something out; after all, spilling something unpleasant seemed a bit embarrassing. He was a teacher now, after all, and had to be mindful of his manners…

Before he could even make a move, the door to the lounge was flung open with a bang. Ten'in Reika strode in, snatched the teapot, poured herself a full cup, and then shoved the pot back into Bill's awkward hands.

"Excuse me, Ten'in-in-in-in?" Bill asked tentatively.

Holding her cup, she sneered, "Our long-standing teaching methods seem to be facing a challenge."

Merdin, who was in the corner, looked up: "Oh, you finally managed to kill the freshman?"

"See for yourself what your prophecy says, you old geezer." Ling Ge gulped down her drink. "Just you wait and see, this can't go on—damn it, it's pepper water!"

She coughed repeatedly, clutching her throat. Bill turned away and secretly poured himself a glass, feeling incredibly comforted when he discovered it was cola.

At 12:30, old Murding, having finished reading his leisurely book, had already left. Earl Welton came to the lounge, leaning on his cane and gazing out the window.

"Gentlemen, our long-standing teaching methods seem to be facing challenges," he said after a long pause.

“You are the second person to say that today, Earl,” said Breeze Rabbit.

The elderly man, Tuliman, asked with concern, "A minor conflict has occurred? I think most of this year's freshmen are promising talents."

"That's the problem, old man. I really need to think carefully about how to teach these little geniuses."

He poured himself a glass of colorful sparkling drink, downed it, let out a loud burp, and then strode out. Bill and Brear Rabbit exchanged a glance and asked simultaneously, "What's the next class for first graders?"

The first period in the afternoon was Professor Ji's class on paranormal phenomena. This specialized course covered many paranormal phenomena such as zombies, ghosts, and spirits, and was fearfully called "Demon-Slaying Class" by every new student. Bill and Rabbit waited for half an hour, anticipating that Professor Ji would soon begin tormenting the new students before they eagerly set off.

They went to the back of the classroom and, unsurprisingly, heard her voice: "Now, please demonstrate how to deal with a riot of spirits during abnormal weather."

One second later.

"Ah—!" "A ghost!" "Help me—!" "I'm going to die!!!"

As expected, the students erupted in a cacophony of wails and howls. The classroom transformed into a graveyard, with wandering ghosts roaming freely. Bill was chuckling to himself when the shouting suddenly stopped.

A tiny will-o'-the-wisp appeared in the corner of the classroom, and the surrounding ghosts stared in disbelief at the light. Then, several demon-piercing arrows shot out, shattering the ghosts into mere specks of light.

"The west side is cleared. Follow me to the south side."

"Wenjun, those are zombies from the Physics Department!"

A red-haired zombie burst from the ground, and before the surrounding students could even scream, a ball of will-o'-the-wisp drifted by. Both the zombie and the students stared at the flame as if possessed. Taking advantage of the moment, Lü Wenjun transformed and gathered his strength, then kicked the zombie into dust.

"Very good, let's continue on this momentum."

"Wenjun, watch out for the north!"

"What?! You're so despicable!"

Heavy snow fell in the north, freezing the zombies to dust. A few incorporeal ghosts barely escaped, only to be crushed one by one by the beast witches.

Pershka, wrapped in his cloak, laughed and said, "Isn't that too inefficient? If you're planning to use this trick in actual combat, I can only wish you don't get overwhelmed by the zombie horde."

"Cheating! Why are the beast witch's attacks effective against spirits too?!"

"After all, it's a family heirloom technique of a true witch..."

"You guys are just taking it so slowly... ah."

A wisp of will-o'-the-wisp drifted out, drawing Pershka's attention. Taking advantage of the moment, Lü Wenjun leaped up and launched a lightning-fast attack, swiftly shattering the popsicles.

"Thank you for your assistance, Miss Witch."

"—You're really smug using this kind of crooked spell! Beast Witch, attack!"

"What?! She actually used a witch to hug my leg!"

In just half a minute, the ghosts were almost all wiped out. The remaining few zombies looked pitifully at Professor Ji, their eyes asking, "Sir, do we really have to go and die?"

The other students stood in the corner, discussing amongst themselves.

"So what is the correct solution to the rampage of the cluster of spirits...?"

"As expected, it was either a powerful induction technique or a familiar attack specifically designed to target spirits?"

"But that's not written in the textbook."

"Um, Professor Ji... what should an ordinary magician do?"

Ji Chuanjun stared at the ceiling, a long-unseen expression of silence on his face. Outside the classroom, Bill and Brear Rabbit both shook their heads.

“Not doing practical training is a great idea, isn’t it?” Bill said.

Breeze Rabbit gloated, "I think we can call the teachers for the meeting ahead of time for her."

When Ji Chuanjun arrived at the lounge, all the first-year teachers were already gathered. Tuliman, dragging his linen robe, stood up and preemptively said, "Are our long-standing teaching methods being challenged?"

"That's the truth," Ji Chuanjun said.

Ling Ge tossed aside the scroll she had been looking at and spoke up impatiently: "One Pershka is difficult enough to teach, and now there's another Lü Wenjun! Professor Ji, you be the judge, how are we supposed to continue teaching like this?"

Earl Welton also expressed his dissatisfaction: "I don't object to geniuses using their ingenious ideas, but it's obviously inappropriate to master the 'universal solution' too early. This morning I introduced them to the fire spirit, and that will-o'-the-wisp spell attracted the fire spirit for a full three seconds, long enough to throw three buckets of water on it."

“This attraction is even achieved through eye contact, while my Linggong’s fox spirit requires physical contact,” Lingge added. “With a reaction time of 2 to 3 seconds, what problems could there possibly be?”

“It’s obvious you should blind all the little things before releasing them,” Merdin said.

"Oh, shut your mouth, Merdin!" x2

Teachers have always discouraged teaching too many assimilation techniques in the early stages of instruction for this reason: at lower levels, assimilation techniques are simply too unreliable.

At the level of Fantasy or higher, mages either possess some mental resistance or are thick-skinned enough not to be killed in one hit. However, mages and phantoms at the level of Fantasy are generally thin-skinned; even with enhanced spring legs, they can be reduced to dust by a single punch from Velsa (ignoring regeneration abilities).

In this situation, control abilities like those of fox spirits and will-o'-the-wisps can create huge openings. Assimilating and controlling the opponent and then unleashing a fatal blow becomes the universal solution in 99% of cases. Therefore, if an apostolic mage has high speed, explosive power, and control methods, then he can indeed not care much about basic knowledge.

"Too utilitarian!" Ling Ge said with heartache. "That child has been poisoned by the outside world's education for too long, and he's already thinking about maximizing efficiency just as he's started school."

"Not entirely. I think he's passionate about learning magic," Ji Chuanjun said fairly. "It's just that his favorite spells happen to be the most effective."

"Ah, efficiency-driven pragmatism, your ancient Eastern country produces such talents."

Tuliman stroked his goatee and said, puzzled, "But the first-grade textbooks don't involve much assimilation, and the textbooks that students can borrow at the beginning of the semester are also under precise management... Logically speaking, even if Mr. Lü has ideas, he lacks materials."

“You’re right, old man, who put the explosives in the demolition maniac’s hand?” Welton said.

The teachers all turned to look at Bill, who nearly spat out his Coke.

"How can you blame me?!"

“I told you long ago that we shouldn’t have used Mr. Pex’s masterpiece as an exam reward,” Merdin said slowly. “It’s too much magic and too much content. It’s an outstanding original work, but not suitable as an introduction.”

Bill quickly shifted the focus: "Hehehe, I have to say this isn't just that kid's problem. Miss Witch has gone too far too far."

Tullijman exclaimed in surprise, "Pershka? I thought that kid knew how to keep his distance."

“She’s not so subtle about it anymore,” Welton said.

"Her competitive spirit has been ignited. That kid thinks she's invincible, but she's been outdone by Lü Wenjun. They've started competing with each other, you know?" Ling Ge slammed her hand on the table. "As soon as it gets to the practical exercises, it starts snowing heavily in the classroom. That's not the attitude for learning!"

The second most hated "general explanation" among teachers is to use force to suppress others, which, to put it bluntly, means to rely on magic to create miracles.

In theory, with the arrival of the new era, the differences between races have become negligible, and magical power, whether high or low, generally fluctuates within the same range. But unfortunately, the "True Witch," this strange type of magician, is a remnant of the previous era, born with uniquely superior magical power.

It's no exaggeration to say that although Pershka is only at the Anomalous level, her magical reserves are enough to rival those of a Strange Tale Wizard. Her power is sufficient to overwhelm most problems, so naturally she doesn't need to learn countermeasures.

Earl Welton sighed, "Now the practical sessions have become a talent show for the two little geniuses, and the other students are finding it difficult to learn anything. The little geniuses themselves also find it hard to take the course seriously, which is especially fatal."

"On the bright side, the competition sparked by 'The Jade Record' has been contained..."

"That's because most people know they can't compete with those two, so their enthusiasm is greatly dampened!"

"It's time to upgrade the practical training component." Ling Ge was sharpening her knives.

Merdin sneered: "If you want to kill, you don't need to plot it in front of us."

"Can you say something useful, Great Mage?"

"Returning to traditional and solemn written teaching is what I insist on."

"You're just slacking off, you old slacker who only attended one class."

Bill seized the opportunity to interject: "Perhaps you could try my method..."

"Young man, it's none of your business to tell people what to do when it comes to teaching!"

"Hey, I'm against seniority-based advancement!"

The great and dedicated faculty members, from discussing teaching methods to engaging in personal attacks, displayed masterful demeanor in every gesture. Tullien quietly picked up the teapot and prepared a drink for each person, to quench their thirst when they were parched.

While Ji Chuanjun was still pondering, he handed him a cup of coffee and quietly asked, "So, what level is it this year?"

Professor Ji looked at him with a puzzled expression, and the old man gave him examples: "Bill-level? Fang Mo-level? Mingxiao-level?"

“I was generally a good student! Kano was the one who caused the most trouble!” Bill protested loudly.

Ji Chuanjun pondered for a moment and replied, "Yes, it's probably the Kano class."

Tuliman gasped: "The omnipotent god Zeus!"

Upon hearing this, a somber mood descended upon the lounge. Merdin said grimly, "If there's another Kano Emi, I'll resign."

"We've already welcomed our second and third Kano," Ki Chuan-jun said. "I'm afraid I'll have to take up some of your free time this weekend..."

Earl Welton winked at his colleagues and mouthed the following words in sync: "...review this year's teaching plan, and turn the above issues into motivation to guide students."

"How did you know?" Bill asked with his eyes.

“She said the same thing back in your year,” the Count replied, mouthing the words.

·

While a storm was brewing in the teachers' lounge, the atmosphere inside the classroom was surprisingly positive.

Because today is Friday.

The last class is over! The agonizing first week is finally over! First graders have no classes on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 4 pm until the early hours of the next two days, it's all free and unrestrained time!

"Why are you so worried on such a wonderful day?" Faris asked, puzzled.

Velsa agreed: "Even bears that have been beaten up are happier than you."

While many freshmen were discussing hiking, dating, and parties, Lü Wenjun lay sprawled on his desk like a lump of mud, completely lacking the elite demeanor he displayed in class.

He lifted his eyelids and said weakly, "I was just calculating the debts..."

"Wow, you're amazing! It's only the first week of school and you've already managed to borrow it."

“If, I mean if,” Lu Wenjun paused, “if I owed the right to use a villa, living expenses for the next few weeks, a life-saving favor, an expensive magical artifact, or a tutoring fee…”

"Are you being taken care of by some underworld boss...?" Faris exclaimed.

"Adding the cost of a registered letter I plan to send out, what do you think is the fastest way for me to pay off the debt?"

“Sell yourself,” Faris said earnestly.

Virsa, however, took a practical approach: "Sell a kidney."

"Can you two say something useful?!"

“Let’s analyze this realistically. Big Brother has money, territory, and considerable strength. Do you think you can repay this loan indefinitely?” Faris patted his shoulder forcefully. “Since we’ve come this far, the only option left is to repay him with your body! A real man can bend and stretch. He can lower his head when borrowing money, but he can stick his butt out when it’s time to pay it back!”

"Pah!" said Lü Wenjun.

Versa was also practical: "Some black magic research requires flesh and blood sacrifices, but they are hard to come by now. The kidneys of immortal descendants should fetch a high price."

"I'll consider your suggestion again when I've mastered the flesh and blood regeneration technique," Lu Wenjun sighed. "I'm short of money, so short of money... Is there any quick way to make money...?"

He needed money to send letters to the outside world, to repay a favor to his senior, and for the usual fun he and his buddies had to spend. His thousand magic coins were almost gone in two weeks; if he didn't get some money soon, he'd really starve to death.

"How about we go lay bricks?" Velsa said.

"How could I, a dignified intellectual, be doing manual labor? If I'm going to do it, it'll be after I graduate..."

Faris gave Ling Gong a look, and the latter closed her notebook and suggested, "If Wen Jun really wants to make money, why don't you try commissioning?"

Lu Wenjun's eyes lit up immediately: "Such a good thing? Where is the task board?"

"What's the difference between this task and manual labor, except for the name?" Faris wondered.

"Moving bricks is manual labor with no skill requirements," Lü Wenjun said solemnly. "A mission, on the other hand, is the first step to becoming a hero in adventure literature!"

Chapter 32 The Forest of Lost Paths, The Forest of Exposure