A twenty-year-old young man entered the reading zone, and many students in the surroundings immediately stood up as they bowed and greeted him.
"Teaching assistant Qin!"
On Middle-Earth, the academic atmosphere was flourishing, and a good system where students were taught to respect their teachers was ingrained in everyone. Moreover, teaching assistant Qin was even displaying a 'wide learning and retentive memory' halo, causing everyone's learning efficiency to double. Just based on this reason, it was normal for all the students to greet him.
Qin Fen was dressed in blue-color robes that represented the identity of a teaching assistant. He had a smile on his face as he pressed his hands in a downward motion, indicating the students to continue with their learning.
"Teaching assistant Qin's great teacher halo is so large. It seems that he is about to be converted into a substitute teacher!"
"Are your words not superfluous? He is a graduate of Jixia Learning Palace of Xia Province. That's one of the nine great schools!"
"Ai, I heard that our school has only recruited three graduates from the famous schools this year. How miserable."
Whispers began to ring out from the surroundings. The status of a graduate from a famous school would always gain the recognition of everyone. The reason why the hearts of the students were filled with respect was also largely due to the three words 'Jixia Learning Palace."
The corner of Sun Mo's lips curled.
On Middle-Earth, if one wanted to become a teacher, it wasn't easy. They first had to gain enlightenment and produce a great teacher halo. This depended on the teacher's individual talent. It could allow the students to produce twice the results with half the effort when it came to studies.
For example, after the 'wide learning and retentive memory' halo was used, the students would enter a state of having wide learning and a retentive memory. In this period, their memory would be strengthened, and their comprehension ability would be elevated, allowing their studying efficiency to be boosted several times.
One wouldn't be able to gain a great teacher halo from postnatal learning efforts. They could only depend on gaining enlightenment before they could obtain one. Hence, the number of great teachers on Middle-Earth was not a lot.
If one wanted to become a teacher, the first barrier was to gain enlightenment and obtain a 'self-taught' halo before they were 18 years old.
One must know that enlightenment was a miraculous state that was extremely rare and abstruse. The probability of one having it was akin to finding someone in a crowd of millions.
Gaining enlightenment of the 'self-taught' halo represented that there were no problems with your intelligence. You could also cultivate and comprehend true intent even without the guidance of a teacher.
At the same time, with the 'self-taught' halo, your chance of gaining enlightenment would be elevated. Throughout your teaching career, you might be able to obtain a new great teacher halo.
If you wanted to gauge how outstanding a teacher was, you could just take a look at the number of their great teacher halos.
The levels of great teachers were gauged by 'stars'. Other than the 'self-taught' halo, if one obtained another three great teacher halos and was also proficient in a secondary occupation, that person would be a 1-star great teacher.
9-star great teachers were the pinnacle. They were also known as secondary saints.
"I'm not even a teaching assistant!"
Sun Mo ridiculed himself. The status and respect a great teacher could get in the society wasn't something an ordinary teacher could compare to. After gaining enlightenment of the 'self-taught' halo at the age of 16, the Sun Mo of the past hadn't acquired any other halos until yesterday when he was drowned. From this, one could see how difficult it was.
Speaking of which, the Sun Mo of this world had gone to the outskirts to relax and he simply wanted to swim a bit because he was bored. In the end, this caused Li Ziqi to misunderstand that he was committing suicide. Li Ziqi jumped into the water to save him. In the end, the Sun Mo of this world had drowned to death in order to save Li Ziqi. This also caused him (Sun Mo of the other world) to have the opportunity to cross-over to this world.
"Ai, you are really a good person!"
Sun Mo sighed. That 'priceless advice' halo was something the Sun Mo of this world had comprehended before his death. He didn't even get to use it once and had benefited Sun Mo of the other world.
The learning atmosphere in the Central Province Academy was very rich. For the library, other than every morning when it was temporarily closed for half an hour for the sake of cleaning, it would be open every day of the year.
"Ding! Midnight passed. The lucky treasure chest is refreshed!"
As the system's reminder rang out, a red-colored chest with a gigantic word 'fortune' imprinted on it appeared before Sun Mo.
"What the hell?"
Sun Mo glanced at it. Although it was already late at night, there were still many students immersing themselves in learning.
"Every day after midnight, the host will get a chance to draw a prize."
The system continued, "If you find this troublesome, you can store the treasure chests first and choose a good date before opening them all."
"Will the chance of getting a rare prize be higher if I burn incense, take a bath, kowtow, and offer my worship to the heavens?"
For someone as unlucky as him, he could only use some metaphysics methods to increase his chances of getting a good prize. For example, the simplest ten-draws at one go.
The system didn't reply. Clearly, it didn't wish to answer such a retarded question.
"What are you waiting for? Open it!"
With a treasure chest before his eyes, who would be able to control their excitement?
There were no cool effects. The treasure chest popped open and a tiny clump of soil appeared before his eyes.
"What is this?"
Sun Mo was happy. Could it be he was about to become extremely lucky?
"Just a clump of soil. It is considered a consolation prize to encourage you to try again next time."
"What kind of shitty values do you have? Do you think I will treat a clump of soil, which I received from a reward, like a precious meal coupon?"
In Sun Mo's heart, he wanted to curse at the system's mother. If the prize was really a food coupon, even if it was just a 20% discount, it could allow him to have an egg in his breakfast, and he would be happy for it.
The system fell silent. Other than to provide the necessary explanation, it wouldn't accompany the host to talk nonsense.
Thinking of food made Sun Mo feel a little hungry. Hence, he went back to his dorm room.
The lodging of intern teachers was arranged by the school, and it wasn't far from the student zone. They could stay for three months without charge. Before this, the intern teachers used to be able to stay for a year, and if they ate their three meals in the canteen, the meals would be free. However, the financial situation of the Central Province Academy was very bad now. Hence, all these benefits were either removed or reduced.
It was said that even with some of the new year's benefits, the conditions became much more inferior. For this, the teachers were grumbling privately.
The dormitory building was constructed near a lake, it was a small building of five levels. Sun Mo stayed on the third level of the eastern side. When he returned, the three dorm mates of his hadn't fallen asleep yet.
Zhang Sheng, who was sitting on his bed and meditating, opened his eyes and looked at Sun Mo who pushed the door open. He closed his eyes again as a smile of disdain appeared on his lips.
"Yo? You are back?"
Ludi, a burly and muscular youth who seemed more like a blacksmith than a teacher, smiled. In passing, he lifted the teapot at the side. "Do you want something to drink?"
"No need, thanks!"
When Sun Mo sat on his bed, memories of his three roommates were also recalled.
Every one of them graduated from the Songyang Academy. Zhang Sheng's personality was arrogant, but his strength wasn't weak. He was the most confident of them all. As for Ludi, he would always smile no matter who he was talking to. His attitude was humble. And for the last one, a young man with frog-like eyes, his name was Yuan Feng.
"Did your fiance tell you any news through the grapevine? Come and share with us!"
Yuan Feng spoke. His voice was thin and sounded somewhat ear-piercing.
Sun Mo furrowed his brows slightly. When they had first arrived in the Central Province Academy, after knowing Headmaster An Xinhui was his fiancee, Yuan Feng had been very ardent and wanted to please him. He had even treated him to a meal before. However, as the others became teaching assistants while Sun Mo was tossed into the logistics department, Yuan Feng's attitude rapidly changed.
This sentence was filled with mocking intent and was roughly inquiring about non-public information.
"Oh yes, you haven't returned the money from our last meal. When will you be returning it?"
Yuan Feng didn't have any intention to spare Sun Mo. "Jinling City is bustling and prosperous. It isn't easy to stay here for the long-term. If the school hires me, I still have to rent a house, and it will be another large amount of expense."
Pak!
A tael of silver was tossed to Yuan Feng's bed.
Yuan Feng's eyes brightened. He hurriedly grabbed it and tested its genuineness by biting it.
Sun Mo checked his possessions. Other than three sets of clothes, two pairs of cloth shoes, a few novels, and a money pouch with some fragments of silver, he had nothing else.
The cloth shoes were something his mother personally sewn for him. The stitches were very close together.
"Your wooden blade isn't bad. Where did you buy it?'
Ludi sniffed and turned his gaze onto the wooden blade made from black sandalwood. It was unknown whether it was his illusion or not, but he could sense a faint sense of fragrance entering his nostrils.
"I picked it up."
Sun Mo's words were simple and concise.
This blade was created after a blacksmith in Liang Province had spent three years of effort on it. Even if it was abandoned in the storehouse for over ten years collecting dust. The fragrance of the wood remained somewhat.
"I will give you 100 taels of silver. Sell it to me!" said Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng's father was a landlord, and his family-owned good agricultural land and many fields. He didn't lack money.
"Even if you give me a million taels of gold, I won't sell it!"
Sun Mo was a little unhappy. Zhang Sheng's tone was extremely arrogant, like he was asking for a beating.
"Hmph, you dumb fool. You lost out on a chance of striking it rich."
Zhang Sheng closed his eyes. He was only curious for a while and felt that the wooden blade wasn't bad. But even if Sun Mo changed his mind and agreed to the 100 taels of silver now, he wouldn't agree.
"Hehe!"
Sun Mo's lips twitched. (If I told you that the Grand Universe Formless Divine Art is engraved on this wooden blade, even if you sell your as*hole, you won't be able to afford this.)
A peerless-grade saint-tier cultivation art. Let alone 1 million taels of gold, even if it was changed to 1 million spirit stones, Sun Mo wouldn't sell it.
"How's the work in the logistics department? Is it tiring? In any case, being a teaching assistant is really tiring. I feel like sleeping the moment I return," said Yuan Feng
"When we ate together previously, we spent a total of 30+ coins. Just consider that I treat you then. Pay me back the excess," Sun Mo spoke to Yuan Feng.
Sun Mo didn't intend to suffer this disadvantage. A tael of silver was worth 100 coins.
"I don't have spare change now. I will return the money to you a few days later."
Yuan Feng made an excuse while coldly mocking Sun Mo in his heart. Because Sun Mo was An Xinhui's fiance, many people were unhappy with him, feeling that he was a toad lusting after a swan's flesh. Hence, they were looking for an opportunity to prank him. He wouldn't be able to hold on to his job in the logistics department for long, let alone being a teaching assistant.
If he delayed a few days more and waited for Sun Mo to be fired, he wouldn't need to pay back the 70 coins.
Pak!
Sun Mo took two steps forward and arrived before Yuan Feng's bed. His hand hoisted Yuan Feng's clothes and pulled him up.
"Pay me, now!"
Sun Mo stared at Yuan Feng, his tone was icily cold.
"Eh!"
Not only was Yuan Feng and Lu Di stunned, but even Zhang Sheng at the side had a face full of astonishment. Why did Sun Mo who had a kind and gentle personality suddenly flip out?
"Release me!"
Yuan Feng recovered from his shock and felt extremely angered. He had long since made some inquiries and knew that Sun Mo had just entered the blood-ignition realm recently. Sun Mo was a level lower than him and would definitely not be his opponent.
"Don't fight!"
Ludi was shocked. He hurriedly rushed over and tried to stand between them.
"Get out of the way!"
Yuan Feng wasn't going to accept this.
"Now, it is still the intern period. What if both of you are fired because of fighting?"
If Ludi wasn't afraid of being implicated, he would cheer them on to fight. After all, if two people were fired, he would have two fewer competitors.
No, just one competitor less. Sun Mo was trash. It was basically confirmed that he wouldn't be able to stay here any longer."
"If you want to fight, scram outside and do it!"
Zhang Sheng's expression turned heavy. He was also worried about the consequences.
Pak!
Sun Mo stretched his hand and grabbed the tael of silver in Yuan Feng's hand back. "Oh, come look for me when you have the spare change then."
"Do you really think you will be able to marry Headmaster An Xinhui?"
Yuan Feng mocked, "Let me tell you this, you won't be able to eat the 'soft rice' you are planning to."
"Oh is that so? Even so, I'm still better than someone like you who doesn't even qualify to eat 'soft rice'."
Sun Mo's lips twitched as he revealed a smile. It was as though the sunlight of spring cascaded down on him. His white teeth were so dazzling that it would cause one to feel dizzy.
"This fellow has such a poisonous tongue!"
Ludi mused silently. (How infuriating are these words. Are you simply impressive because you are handsome?)
"You...you…"
Yuan Feng was so angered that his heart thumped violently. His face looked even more like a frog now. His fist was clenched tightly as he glared at Sun Mo's face.
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Note:
Eating soft rice means a grown man depending on a woman for survival.