The thirteen students from Class D looked at their teacher standing on the stage, radiant and awe-inspiring, and felt their hearts begin to surge with emotion.
"Have you ever had such experiences?" Lin Fan asked again.
They wanted to shout out loud to their teacher that they had. Although they were considered worthless, they too had times when they were right. However, when faced with authority, they felt afraid and ultimately chose to remain silent.
Lin Fan sighed as he looked at the students below, each lost in thought. "They're still just kids, their hearts too pure," he thought.
"The path of martial arts requires a straightforward approach, one that aligns with your true self. If you fear authority and bury the truth in your heart, you will never go far on this path."
"Now, tell me loudly, have you ever had such experiences?" Lin Fan's voice was strong, like a beacon of righteousness, illuminating all the students below.
The shouts and cries from the students struck their hearts, completely breaking through their barriers.
The students who had come to watch the event found themselves stirred by Lin Fan's words. Their long-buried grievances seemed ready to pour out.
"Yes... I've had that experience."
"I have too."
"Mr. Lin is right. No one is perfect. When we disagree with our teachers, why are we always the ones who are wrong?"
"Once, my true energy flow was blocked, and I thought it was due to a flaw in my training method. But my teacher said it was a problem with my body, leading me to suffer through painful treatments. I've kept this to myself, never saying anything because they were my teachers."
...
As the students began to voice their grievances, those on stage, including Liu Qingfeng, looked increasingly uncomfortable.
How had a simple competition escalated to this point, where they had become the target of criticism? What was happening?
Lying on the ground, Hu Ben spat blood in frustration. Lin Fan's words were so infuriating, twisting the truth in such a shameless way.
Lin Fan, satisfied with the students' heightened emotions, gestured for silence. "Though you are not my students, you are still students of the Tianfu Academy. I want to tell you that when you believe you are right, you should not be swayed by others. Stay true to yourself and do what you think is right."
The students looked at Lin Fan, their respect for him growing. "Thank you, Mr. Lin, for your guidance," they said.
The students were good-hearted, willing to listen and learn. They weren't fools; they could analyze the situation and see who was right and who was wrong. But they were still too naive.
Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction, pleased with the effect. Students were relatively easy to sway.
He then turned to Liu Qingfeng and the other two teachers. "You must apologize to my students."
Liu Qingfeng and the others hesitated, then spoke softly, "Mr. Lin, leave some room for reconciliation. Making us apologize to students would undermine our authority in front of them."
Lin Fan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, raising his sword slightly. "If that's the case, then we will settle this with our skills."
"Wait... Mr. Lin," Liu Qingfeng and the others hurriedly intervened, knowing they couldn't match Lin Fan in a fight. If they did, they might end up worse off than Hu Ben, and who knows what Lin Fan would say to the students about them.
"Are you going to apologize?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.
"This...," Liu Qingfeng and the others hesitated, struggling with the idea of apologizing to students. They were teachers; how could they apologize to students from Class D? If word got out, they would be laughed at.
"I think Mr. Liu should apologize."
"After hearing Mr. Lin's speech today, I realize I shouldn't look down on anyone. I apologize to the students from Class D."
"Yes, me too."
"Mr. Liu, apologize."
"Apologize."
"Apologize..."
The students' voices grew louder, expressing the people's will.
Liu Shuishui and the other thirteen students were stunned by the situation, never imagining they would see such a day.
Liu Qingfeng and the others looked around, finally sighing in resignation. "Fine, we will apologize."
Lin Fan smiled slightly, then gestured for Liu Shuishui and the others to come forward. "Come, accept the sincere apologies of the three teachers who have realized their mistakes."
Liu Shuishui and the others hesitated but were encouraged by Lin Fan's reassuring gaze. They gathered their courage and stepped onto the stage, standing in a straight line, but avoided eye contact with the teachers.
"When accepting an apology, you must look the other person in the eye. Remember, it's important to forgive others. Do you understand?" Lin Fan instructed.
"Yes, teacher, we understand," Liu Shuishui and the others said, faces flushed with excitement.
Liu Qingfeng and the others were seething with anger, while Hu Ben lay motionless, pretending to be too injured to move. There was no way he would apologize to students; he'd rather avoid the situation entirely.
"Teachers, please," Lin Fan gestured.
Liu Qingfeng and the others glanced at each other, then reluctantly approached the students.
Liu Shuishui and the others, still nervous, looked straight at the teachers as instructed. Suddenly, they realized the teachers weren't as intimidating as they had seemed.
"We apologize to you," Liu Qingfeng said, closing his eyes briefly before quickly departing with a glance at Lin Fan. They had been thoroughly humiliated and didn't want to imagine what would happen next.
"Wait..." Lin Fan called after them.
Liu Qingfeng and the others' faces turned pale. What more could Lin Fan want?
"When someone apologizes, you should accept it graciously. Tell the teachers, 'We accept your apology,'" Lin Fan said, internally chuckling at his own cleverness.
Liu Shuishui and the others nodded, then said to the teachers, "We accept your apology."
At that moment, Liu Shuishui and the others felt as if they were dreaming. They never imagined they would experience something like this, making teachers from Class B apologize to them—something they had never thought possible.
Liu Qingfeng and the others, faces darkening, walked away without looking back. Hu Ben quickly got up and followed, leaving in a hurry.
Lin Fan, smiling, looked at the thirteen students and nodded in satisfaction, then addressed the crowd, "Remember these four words: Stay true to yourself."
"That's all for today."
"Congratulations, you've gained 200 experience points in the secondary occupation of Mentor."
Lin Fan felt overjoyed. Smart people really do have more fun in life, unlike the likes of Liu Qingfeng and the others, who left with their tails between their legs.
Ah, life—it's something to be cherished.