When it came to singing, the only person who could rival "Morning Lin Li" was "Shower Lin Li."
The latter was the true god, the absolute king of karaoke—Jay Chou and JJ Lin would have to bow out in front of Shower Lin Li.
"You want me to say how awkward it is~~"
"I really don't want to part~~"
"Why do I have to smile while—"
"Follow the mandate of Heaven, convey what is profound…"
Hearing Bai Bufan abruptly cut off and join the class rep's morning reading, as well as the neatly synchronized recitation that filled the classroom, no further explanation was needed.
With cautious movements, Lin Li slipped his test papers back into his desk drawer, placed his textbook in front of him, and began his morning reading.
Only then did he look up to survey his surroundings. Sure enough, the culprit behind all this, Chinese teacher Li Binbin, was already strolling down the aisle between Groups 1 and 2.
Youth has its perks, Binbin. Trying to mess with me? You're still a bit too green!
By the time they finished reading The Ten Reflections by Wei Zheng, the class rep instinctively glanced toward the one in charge.
"Have the test papers been collected? I have some free time now; I'll grade them quickly," the Chinese teacher inquired.
The group leader glanced at Lin Li with a sympathetic look.
Lin Li understood right away. One should never get too full of themselves—not even in their mind. Karma comes fast.
---
"Seriously, Binbin is so weak; she actually let you off. At the very least, she should have made you write a three- to four-hundred-thousand-word self-reflection, or maybe even have you strung up at the school gate."
During the break after morning reading, Bai Bufan looked at Lin Li, who came out of the stairwell with all limbs intact and a healthy mind—he'd only been pulled aside for a brief scolding by the Chinese teacher—and commented with disappointment.
"Three to four hundred thousand words? Did I break some celestial law?" Lin Li gave him the finger, then joined the boys' favorite stack-up game.
In school, whenever a guy leaned against the hallway railing, other guys would inexplicably pile up on top of him.
If you had to capture it in Chinese characters, it would look something like this—州.
Thankfully, they were all wearing pants.
Their Chinese teacher, a woman in her forties, had a good personality and treated her students well.
Of course, the key factor might be that she wasn't the homeroom teacher for Class 4 of the first year.
As everyone knew, for any teacher, being the homeroom teacher could be either divine or demonic.
The Class 4 homeroom teacher was the stern, middle-aged math teacher Xue Jian, known for his terrifying aura, maxed-out buffs, and "Do Not Approach" status.
Bai Bufan, his good friend, had suffered majorly in his presence once.
That time, it was a weekend, and Bai Bufan happened to bump into Teacher Xue outside the school, and they were even headed in the same direction.
Only those who've experienced it can understand how awkward it was; every moment after saying "Hello, teacher" was pure torture.
Seeing an elderly man struggling with his bags nearby, Bai Bufan came up with a plan—he would help the elderly man.
This way, he could do a good deed and also escape from the homeroom teacher. So, he went over immediately to help.
The plan was pretty solid.
But the problem was that in his panic, he said to the old man, "Hey, old thing, let me carry this for you, grandpa."
Whatever happened next, Bai Bufan wouldn't say.
His eyes were full of stories—or maybe accidents.
One slip of the tongue, and he'd never live it down.
"Buzz buzz buzz—" The prep bell rang.
At Nansang High School, breaks lasted ten minutes, but the prep bell would sound after eight to remind students to prepare for class.
One unfair thing was that there wasn't a prep bell for the end of class at the 32-minute mark.
Lin Li thought that should have been necessary since many teachers seemed to plan for fifty-minute lessons instead of forty.
Everyone returned to the classroom, and not long after, the official start-of-class bell rang. First period was Chinese, and the Chinese teacher walked in.
"Class begins."
"Stand up!"
"Hello, students."
"Hel——lo——, teacher."
"Sit down."
"Open your textbooks to page 144, and let's continue with The Ten Reflections…"
Lin Li paused as he flipped his book; the system had sent him another notification.
[Having just entered the cultivation world, you've already been recognized by Nansang Sect for your unique potential and accepted as a formal disciple, stepping onto the platform that shakes the world.]
[The experience of those who came before, the treasure of future disciples, the wisdom and skills willingly shared by the elders and sect leaders—diligent study is essential to make them your own!]
[Mission Activated!]
[ Mission 3: During the teachings of the sect elders, deacons, or guardians, listen attentively and study diligently for a total of six hours. ]
[ Reward: Constitution Improvement - Memory Enhancement 100%; System Currency x50. ]
In an instant, Nansang High School transformed into Nansang Sect.
The system must be struggling with this, as Lin Li was already technically a disciple of the sect when it activated, so it had to make do with this setup.
Lin Li was quite pleased with it.
This time, the mission reward would definitely be useful. His base for absorbing Spiritual Energy might always be zero, but his memory certainly wasn't. Plus, the mission wasn't difficult to complete—it just required time.
Six hours, measured in a sleek progress bar with no specific percentages—just estimates.
Based on the eight-class schedule with forty minutes each, he could finish in three days at the fastest. If teachers went overtime or took up study hall, he might complete it in two days.
The future was promising.
Lin Li looked up at Elder Li of Nansang Sect, a smile on his face.
Unconsciously, Teacher Li Binbin's face seemed more refined and attractive.
The sect elder smiled back, "Lin Li, would you like to answer the question I just asked?"
Lin Li, who hadn't been listening at all, stood up: "…"
Seeing Teacher Li's encouraging look, there was no malice this time.
Sht, he'd forgotten! Making eye contact with a teacher during class was a huge no-no, especially with a smile.
Didn't this look like he knew the answer and was eager to respond?
In Teacher Li's perspective, it probably seemed like Lin Li, having skipped homework, was trying to make a good impression in class as an apology.
A true back-row student should be studying his desk intently, marveling at just how desk-like it was!
"Choose C." Bai Bufan, keeping his head down, whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
Lin Li stomped on Bai Bufan's foot.
It's a Chinese lesson, and you're telling me to choose C? As if I don't know what you're trying to pull, you sneaky little brat!
"Seriously, pick C. We're going over example questions!" Bai Bufan urged again.
"…"
"Uh… I think it's C." After some "serious contemplation," Lin Li replied to the sect elder.
"Correct, sit down, everyone note that in this translation, we should absolutely avoid using 'of' or personal pronouns…" Teacher Li nodded, signaling for Lin Li to sit.
Lin Li sat down, relieved, but a certain someone's resentful gaze made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
"I'll keep watching you, keep watching you, keeep…" the voice echoed resentfully.
"Lunch on my meal card." Lin Li, feeling guilty, said weakly while looking out the window.
In truth, Lin Li couldn't be blamed. There should be a certain bond between brothers, after all.
If the roles were reversed, Lin Li would absolutely mess with Bai Bufan without hesitation.
Wait, thinking about it that way just made him feel even guiltier.
"Dinner on my card, too."
"You'd better not go back on your word like last night."
The conversation ended for now, and Lin Li glanced at the system again before focusing on class.
The progress bar for Mission 3 was still at zero.