Small Classes Could Never Earn as Many Spirit Stones as Big Classes

Stone house.

Zhu Yu asked the group about their progress in cultivating the Basic Visualization Diagram.

Liang Kuan stood off to one side with his arms folded, his expression stern and unsmiling. Yet upon closer inspection, one could see his ears pricked up as he listened intently to Zhu Yu answer the others' questions and explain their difficult sticking points.

Xiang Sui seemed to have thrown himself back into diligent cultivation. Dark circles hung beneath his sunken eyes, and he had regained his former dissolute, lewd air. Sitting in a chair, he drank tea while reading an ancient, worn book, occasionally glancing at the group. No one knew what he had thought of, but the corners of his mouth curled faintly upward.

Once the questions were finished,

Zhu Yu sighed inwardly. No wonder they were chosen to enter the sect.

Their talent and comprehension were indeed exceptional. Only two days had passed, yet all of them had made considerable progress in the Basic Visualization Method. Among them, Ni Ying, who looked as though she knew nothing of worldly affairs, had progressed the fastest.

According to the True Sight Eye's analysis, she was roughly thirty percent of the way to getting started, while the others were not far behind, at around twenty percent.

Without further nonsense,

Zhu Yu cleared his throat twice, drawing everyone's attention. He first explained the errors and omissions they had made in deep meditation. Once they seemed to have gained some understanding, he paused briefly, then began describing the experience, details, and little tricks involved in forming the Three-Ring Pattern.

"When constructing the Three-Ring Pattern, the first difficulty lies in an unsteady mind, with stray thoughts springing up like weeds. The second lies in the inexplicable resistance that appears while drawing the pattern..."

As he spoke, setting aside Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others' excited reactions, Liang Kuan's expression beside him alternated between sudden enlightenment and furrowed brows as he anxiously scratched his ears and cheeks. Several times, he opened his mouth to speak, but afraid of disrupting Zhu Yu's lesson, he could only swallow his questions in silence.

Zhu Yu did not notice this. In an unhurried rhythm, he continued his explanations at a measured pace.

Not much time passed.

Three hours quickly went by.

Seeing the pioneering students impatient to test what they had learned and immersed in deep meditation, Zhu Yu signaled Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan with his eyes, then slowly walked out the door.

Not far from the stone house,

Zhu Yu gave Xiang Sui a deep bow. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for teaching me the Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating method."

"I told you not to worry about it. It's only an incomplete method." Xiang Sui waved a hand indifferently. Just as he was about to say something, Zhu Yu's voice came again.

"Yesterday, after taking the medicinal fluid, this junior brother achieved a little success. Does Senior Brother still have any Meditation Fluid?"

"So soon?"

Xiang Sui's brow unconsciously furrowed. He carefully examined Zhu Yu, and seeing nothing unusual about him, he could not help letting out a relieved breath. He nodded and reminded him, "That prescription for toughening the stomach wall can be taken three times. After three times, it will have no further effect. Remember—wait until the strengthening is complete before taking it for cultivation."

"As for the Meditation Fluid, once I return, I'll have a servant deliver you a jar."

He did not know that Zhu Yu had already taken three doses of medicinal fluid in succession. Afraid Zhu Yu would not dare take the remaining two doses and thus greatly reduce the stomach-wall-toughening effect, he deliberately provoked him.

"You've experienced the burning pain of that medicinal fluid's corrosion too, haven't you? Techniques are not so easily cultivated. If your willpower is not firm, you will not succeed even with a basic prescription."

Zhu Yu did not catch his meaning. He merely thought Xiang Sui meant that the burning pain from the medicinal fluid's corrosion was severe, and he deeply agreed.

"It really hurts."

Each of the three doses had hurt twice as much as the last. If the True Sight Eye had not shown that taking all three doses consecutively produced the best effect, he would certainly have spaced them apart.

Liang Kuan seemed to think of something. The fat all over his body trembled as he bared his teeth and grimaced. "This is only a foundational prescription. If one truly cultivated the Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating technique, wouldn't the pain kill a person?"

At those words, Zhu Yu's eyelids twitched.

"Think it hurts? Going home to farm won't hurt."

Xiang Sui shot him a sidelong glance and said it in a strange, mocking tone. Then he shook his head. "A technique can only truly be cultivated after Qi Refining is complete. It's only a little pain—when the time comes, there will be plenty of ways to avoid it."

Liang Kuan did not feel embarrassed in the slightest. He chuckled. "That's good, that's good."

Zhu Yu also quietly let out a breath of relief.

"Remember, the best effect comes after taking all three doses of medicinal fluid." Xiang Sui reminded him once more, then looked at Zhu Yu with a cheerful smile. "And congratulations, Junior Brother. Starting today, your teaching fee will rise to two Spirit Stones per half-hour."

He then carefully explained why the price had gone up.

After the five people who had attended the previous lesson returned, three more of them had soon succeeded in meditation and opened their Divine Seas one after another. Their talent and comprehension naturally played a part, but who could say Zhu Yu's teaching had nothing to do with it?

In just one night,

Zhu Yu had gained a modest reputation among the Spirit Ruins' outer disciples.

Just as Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others came knocking, Xiang Sui simply went with the flow and doubled Zhu Yu's teaching fee. None of them minded paying one more Spirit Stone. They only asked for the lesson to remain three hours long as before, and he readily agreed.

His income had doubled, so Zhu Yu was naturally overjoyed. Smiling, he replied, "This junior brother also congratulates you two, Senior Brothers."

"Shared joy, shared joy..."

The three exchanged glances, and all smiled.

After chatting idly for a few moments,

Xiang Sui hesitated, then asked, "Junior Brother Zhu, can you spare a little more time this afternoon? Not much—one hour will do."

Afraid Zhu Yu might overthink it, he hurriedly explained the reason.

Earning more Spirit Stones was secondary. The main reason was that during Zhu Yu's first lesson, in order to earn more Spirit Stones, he had directly taught for three hours. As a result, after tasting the benefits, those who came later all directly demanded three-hour lessons.

It would not be easy to change this feature in the short term.

If this continued, the number of students Zhu Yu could teach would certainly be limited. A five-person class would be no problem, but Xiang Sui was not satisfied with that.

How many Spirit Stones could a small class earn? If they were going to do it, they should make it big!

With the same effort, the difference in Spirit Stones earned between teaching five people in a day and teaching fifty people in a day was not merely a tiny gap.

Hearing Xiang Sui lay out his plans for the future, Zhu Yu gave him an admiring look. After pondering briefly, he nodded.

"That works."

He calculated that teaching four hours a day, spending the remaining four hours taking medicine, meditating, and cultivating, one hour attending lessons at the Sutra Lecture Hall, and three hours resting would be enough.

Besides, this was preparation for earning a great many Spirit Stones. A little exhaustion was nothing.

At once, delight appeared on Xiang Sui's face.

The three then discussed the schedule. The morning lesson would remain unchanged as their signature feature, while the one afternoon hour would be divided into two sessions to attract new students.

Once the discussion was over,

The stone house door slowly opened, and Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others filed out. They cupped their hands toward Zhu Yu in salute. "Thank you, Teacher Zhu."

"Younger brothers and sisters, you are too polite." Zhu Yu raised a hand in a gesture of support, then reminded them, "After returning, reflect on it carefully. Once you have digested what you gained, if you have any doubts, you may come find me at any time."

Looking at Senior Brother Zhu standing before them with a smile, Xun Su, Ni Ying, and the others could not help recalling their experiences attending lessons at the Sutra Lecture Hall. Those lectures were not nearly as clear and easy to understand as Senior Brother Zhu's, and they did not even allow questions about one's doubts. The gap was truly enormous.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhu."

The group cupped their hands in salute once more, then took their leave.