"Teacher, will this empowerment hurt?" Zhu You nervously swallowed, his eyes showing a hint of fear as he looked at Lin Fan.
"It won't hurt, don't worry. I will be gentle, and soon you'll feel a significant change," Lin Fan reassured with a smile. He then took Zhu You's chubby hand and led him to the podium.
Lin Fan recalled scenes from television where a grandmaster would empower others, usually having the recipient sit cross-legged, then placing their fingers on their head. As a teacher, Lin Fan felt it was necessary to maintain a certain level of style.
"Zhu You, sit cross-legged, focus your breath on your dantian, and prepare yourself...," Lin Fan instructed with a loud voice, spreading his fingers and pressing them on Zhu You's head. This imposing posture left the other students bewildered and awestruck.
"Okay, teacher, I'm ready," Zhu You swallowed nervously.
"Relax, don't be so tense. The teacher will be gentle," Lin Fan soothed.
"Okay."
The students had never seen anything like this before and didn't know what the teacher's "empowerment" entailed. Seeing Zhu You's slightly tense face made them feel anxious too. However, their curiosity outweighed their nerves; they eagerly watched Zhu You, the first test subject, to see what would happen.
"Hey, teacher, Zhu You is vomiting!" one student exclaimed as they noticed Zhu You swaying his head and expelling the contents of his breakfast.
Lin Fan, about to start the empowerment, was surprised. "Zhu You, what's wrong?"
Lin Fan was speechless. He hadn't even begun the empowerment yet, so why was Zhu You showing symptoms?
"Teacher, you're shaking my head back and forth, making me dizzy and nauseous. Is this discomfort part of the empowerment?" Zhu You felt that the empowerment was unbearably uncomfortable.
Lin Fan rolled his eyes, feeling awkward. In the TV shows, grandmasters would shake their arms intensely while holding someone's head to create an atmospheric effect. But here, it made Zhu You nauseous—this wasn't scientific!
"No worries, this is normal. I was just gathering energy. Now we'll start for real. Get ready," Lin Fan decided to skip the theatrics and proceed straightforwardly with the empowerment.
"Ding, do you wish to empower with 'Titanium Body'?"
"Confirm."
In that moment, Zhu You, who hadn't felt anything before, suddenly sensed the teacher's hand on his head growing hot, as if energy was flowing from the hand into his mind. This energy swirled around in his brain and then dispersed throughout his body.
"Ding, empowerment successful."
"How do you feel?" Lin Fan asked Zhu You.
The other students eagerly awaited Zhu You's response, curious about the result.
Zhu You blinked, looking around dazedly. Then he shook his head and said, "Teacher, I suddenly have knowledge in my head that I didn't have before."
"Good," Lin Fan nodded. He suddenly punched Zhu You, startling the surrounding students, who didn't understand why the teacher had suddenly hit him.
"How does that feel?" Lin Fan asked, controlling the strength of his punch. He wanted to test if the empowerment with "Titanium Body" worked, as this technique usually required self-cultivation and couldn't be boosted externally in the Sacred Demon Sect.
After taking the punch, Zhu You felt a sense of comfort. "Teacher, your punch felt good! I can feel a flow of energy inside me."
"Wow, Zhu You, the teacher just punched you, and you feel good? Teacher, is Zhu You okay?" Cao Tianjiao asked, confused.
"He's fine. This is normal. The teacher just empowered Zhu You with a body-refinement technique. This technique is special; instead of self-cultivation, others can beat you to advance. Now, line up, everyone, and I'll empower each of you," Lin Fan explained.
"Yes!" The students were thrilled at the idea of such a powerful technique that could be learned so quickly. They had tried cultivating before but failed even with basic techniques, likely due to a lack of aptitude.
Lin Fan then empowered the remaining twelve students one by one.
"Alright, I've imparted this body-refinement technique to all of you. Practice diligently and don't tarnish my reputation," Lin Fan said, pretending to be pale and weak to leave a deeper impression on the students.
"Yes, teacher." The thirteen students nodded seriously. Seeing their teacher's pale face, they felt a pang of guilt and tears welled up. The teacher must have harmed his own body to empower them.
They hadn't seen much, but they'd never heard of someone being able to forcefully impart a technique to others. The teacher had undoubtedly overexerted himself to empower them.
"Teacher, thank you for your great kindness. You are like a father to us. We thirteen will never disgrace your name," Cao Tianjiao declared, kneeling down.
"Good, practice diligently and master this body-refinement technique," Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes, teacher," the thirteen students responded in unison.
"Alright, now let's begin the lesson," Lin Fan said, preparing to discuss the openings of a few novels to enhance the students' comprehension skills.
For the selection of novels, Lin Fan decided on the "waste protagonist" genre, as the concept of rising from adversity was the true essence of heroism.
"Teacher, you've hurt yourself empowering us. Please rest," Cao Tianjiao suggested.
Lin Fan waved it off with a smile. "No worries, as a teacher, I must be dedicated. I just want to share some stories to broaden your horizons, which will help you in the future. Just listen carefully."
Seeing their teacher's pale face, still willing to teach, moved Cao Tianjiao and the others to tears.
"Legend has it that in the Longyuan Province of the Great Li Dynasty, there was a prominent family called the Fang family... And the story I want to tell begins with a slave from this family..."