The story of *Eternal Life* always felt a bit intense to Lin Fan, but the initial plot was quite harmonious. The tale of a slave entering an immortal sect was an inspiring one.
The students were gradually getting absorbed in the story, especially when Lin Fan described the hardships faced by the protagonist, Fang Han, as a slave. One student in particular resonated with this part of the story.
Noticing this emotional response, Lin Fan glanced over a few times at the student.
Zhui Mo.
It was an unusual name and the only student whose name Lin Fan hadn't mispronounced. Zhui Mo was an ordinary-looking boy with a thin face, but his eyes were filled with many negative emotions.
The saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" might sound cliché, but Lin Fan firmly believed it.
Zhui Mo was the son of a servant in the Yun family, one of the four great families, and had a very low status. He had endured much oppression in the Yun family. He was able to come to Tianfu Academy because the academy accepted all students, regardless of their background, whether they were from noble families or common folk, as long as they wanted to pursue cultivation.
Zhui Mo came to Tianfu Academy with the hope of shedding his identity as a servant.
As he listened to the teacher's story, Zhui Mo felt as if it described his own life. However, unlike the character in the story, he hadn't had the same level of effort or courage.
"Zhui Mo, your eyes are filled with discontent. Does this story remind you of something?" Lin Fan paused his narration of Fang Han's extraordinary journey to ask.
The other students looked at Zhui Mo. They knew about his background, but it wasn't something to boast about, so they never mentioned it.
"Teacher," Zhui Mo looked up, respectfully gazing at Lin Fan. "The story of Fang Han resonates with me because of our similar social standings. Hearing about his experiences, I feel a deep connection, but I lack his perseverance and courage."
Lin Fan sighed, looking at Zhui Mo's somber expression. He realized these children's paths were still long and challenging. Since he had become their teacher, he felt a significant responsibility to guide them well. He couldn't just leave after looting the four great families; he had to ensure these thirteen students were on an equal footing with others, not starting at a disadvantage.
"Zhui Mo, with our teacher leading us, we'll definitely overcome our current situation," Liu Shuishui, a female student, spoke up. Despite often being ridiculed and looked down upon, she had a strong inner strength and comforted Zhui Mo.
The other students also tried to comfort Zhui Mo.
Looking at his classmates' support, Zhui Mo nodded. "Teacher, I will take Fang Han as my role model, striving to be unyielding and never accepting a servile status."
Lin Fan felt a bit helpless. The students he was teaching all had tough backgrounds, but Zhui Mo's seemed to be the most difficult among them.
"Yes, the teacher believes in you. You will soar high and make those who oppressed you regret their actions," Lin Fan said, stepping off the podium and giving Zhui Mo a look of trust.
Seeing his teacher's trusting eyes, Zhui Mo's own eyes reddened slightly. It was the first time he had felt this kind of trust from someone else.
"Teacher, I will," Zhui Mo responded firmly.
Lin Fan smiled, sensing a change in Zhui Mo's aura. He then extended his hand of encouragement, gently patting Zhui Mo's head.
**Improving Aptitude**
Lin Fan's side profession as a teacher had upgraded to "Virtuous Teacher," which included the ability to enhance students' aptitudes. Now that Zhui Mo met the requirements, it was time for a boost.
"Ding! Student Zhui Mo's aptitude upgraded from Mediocre to Ordinary."
"Ding! Congratulations on gaining 100 experience points in the Virtuous Teacher profession."
Hearing the notification, Lin Fan felt delighted. He hadn't expected that enhancing students' aptitudes would also increase his experience points.
All thirteen students had been empowered with "Titanium Body." Once they advanced from the introductory stage to the first level, they should reach the first stage of the postnatal realm.
Lin Fan figured he wouldn't stay in the Great Yan Dynasty for too long. However, he planned to elevate the students' aptitudes to at least the "genius" level before leaving, ensuring they would have promising futures.
After finishing the story of Fang Han's early life, the thirteen students' comprehension skills had significantly improved.
For them, every lesson from their teacher seemed to bring about noticeable changes, though they couldn't quite articulate what felt different.
"Alright, today's class is over. From now on, you can move freely. Once you've cultivated the first level of the body refinement technique, I'll give another lecture," Lin Fan announced.
"Teacher, since we can't cultivate this body refinement technique on our own, how should we go about it?" Cao Tianjiao asked.
Lin Fan smiled, "You just need to be hit by others. As for convincing others to hit you, that's up to you. Alright, that's the end of today's class. You're all dismissed."
While the students pondered how to get others to hit them, Lin Fan had already happily returned to his room to focus on cultivating "Formless Heavenly Demon" and "Hidden Breath Technique."
The "Formless Heavenly Demon" was somewhat challenging and time-consuming to cultivate, but the "Hidden Breath Technique" wasn't too difficult.
For two days, Lin Fan stayed in his room, dedicated to his cultivation.
He spent long hours cultivating without rest, and the "Formless Heavenly Demon" gained 50,000 experience points.
Lin Fan realized that this technique wasn't particularly difficult to cultivate; it just required time. Unlike other techniques that could be cultivated quickly, this one needed patience and time.
Lin Fan didn't know that the "Formless Heavenly Demon," as a top-tier Heaven-grade technique, had extremely strict cultivation requirements. Even Mo Yixuan had taken three months to barely reach the first level. Yet, Lin Fan, despite being somewhat lax, had reached the first level in just a few days, as if he were riding a rocket.
With only 20,000 experience points left to reach the next level of "Formless Heavenly Demon," Lin Fan set it aside temporarily because his "Hidden Breath Technique" had reached the nineteenth level.
The experience required for the nineteenth level of "Hidden Breath Technique" wasn't too overwhelming, but the consumption of true essence during cultivation was.
It consumed 30 points of true essence per second, which was quite taxing for Lin Fan.
Even cultivating the "Formless Heavenly Demon" didn't consume this much true essence.
Although the "Hidden Breath Technique" seemed useless, it would undergo a transformation upon reaching the twentieth level. Lin Fan was eager to see what it would become.
So he poured all his true essence into the "Hidden Breath Technique," determined to see if his efforts would pay off.
If the "Hidden Breath Technique" turned out to be useless even after advancing, Lin Fan joked that he might cry.
"Ding! Hidden Breath Technique experience +100."
"Ding! Hidden Breath Technique experience +100."
...
When his true essence was depleted, Lin Fan would rest and recover, only to plunge back into cultivation as soon as his true essence was replenished.
The next day.
While cultivating, Lin Fan suddenly opened his eyes. The twentieth level of the "Hidden Breath Technique" had finally been achieved. Now, let's see what it transforms into. He hoped for something exceptional, not mediocre.