Machinery

The tutoring sessions for Xiao Yuehua continued.

Leveraging his innate talent—Amplification—Jiang Li managed to sustain the image of a capable professor with relative ease. Every time he deliberately provoked Xiao Yuehua, he would secretly activate his talent, boosting her Deduction skill by 10%. As her emotions subsided, he would quietly cease the amplification.

This was a significant enough improvement to build her trust in his teaching methods. This was the first step of his predetermined conquest plan. In fact, Jiang Li had Ning Rou to thank for the smooth completion of this first step.

Using the B+ rank Deduction skill from the Nangong Li template as a baseline, the world’s strongest “Movie King” level performers were likely at A-rank or above, while the entry-level for academy freshmen was generally stable at D-rank.

According to Jiang Li’s deductions, Xiao Yuehua, as the second female lead, possessed a C-rank Deduction realm. However, due to her lack of emotional investment during the process, her phantom manifestations were poor, causing her overall evaluation to drop a tier into the C-minus range.

Ning Rou was the exact opposite.

Like Xiao Yuehua, she was at the C-rank realm. But thanks to her incredibly abundant emotional investment, her overall evaluation could easily reach C-plus, nearly touching the threshold of the B-rank realm—the industry-recognized standard for high-level mastery.

It was a completely different world from the C-rank. Despite being the same age and having the same foundational level, the potential displayed by the two was worlds apart.

Geniuses are naturally competitive; was it really possible for Xiao Yuehua to be content with the status quo? Of course not. Therefore, Jiang Li had determined from the start that she wouldn’t accept her current state. To improve herself, she would likely give more than she even realized she was capable of.

By grasping this psychological trait, Jiang Li had kept the development of the situation firmly within his control. Except for one thing…

Is it my imagination? Why does it feel like amplifying her to the same level costs slightly less energy than it did at the beginning? Has Xiao Yuehua’s Deduction skill actually improved?

Jiang Li watched Xiao Yuehua in the center of the room, manifesting phantom flames, his mind filled with doubt. According to Nangong Li’s background story, infusing emotion into a puppet-like, mechanical deduction was no simple task. Even if she was a protagonist and “cheating” was logical, could she really have found the knack for it in just two lessons?

Rumble!

Thunder roared.

Xiao Yuehua’s manifestation ended with a scene where the Witch, completely blackened by rage, summoned a thunderstorm to douse the flames. The surrounding scenery gradually distorted, returning to the empty interior of the Deduction Room.

Clap, clap, clap.

“You did well.”

Just as Xiao Yuehua was soaking in the sense of achievement from completing a full manifestation for the first time, the annoying Professor Nangong’s voice rang out again. When she turned back, she couldn’t help but look at him with a trace of resentment.

She couldn’t help it. Even though she knew he was deliberately provoking her to trigger her emotions, the insulting words coming out of that caustic mouth were hard to ignore.

“…Professor.”

“Student Xiao Yuehua, were you just glaring at me?”

“My apologies.”

“Fine, I shall assume you are simply still immersed in your emotions and haven’t stepped out yet…”

Professor Nangong nodded. With his cold face, this gesture made him look less like he was affirming someone and more like he was preparing for the next round of rude remarks.

“So… are you satisfied with your deduction just now?”

“Regarding that… while it wasn’t perfect, I—”

“While it wasn’t perfect! Excellent. I am relieved you can recognize that, so I won’t press you on where that inexplicable sense of self-satisfaction in your tone came from.”

Professor Nangong rudely interrupted her, the words from his heartless mouth still dripping with arrogance. He slowly held up three fingers.

“Three points. I will point out only three fatal problems.”

“First, the emotion was wrong. A witch’s emotion should be the hatred and rage born from being treated as an enemy by the whole world, not a little girl throwing a tantrum.”

Xiao Yuehua’s expression stiffened. “Yes…”

“Second, the operation of your manifested phantoms is unnatural. It’s too stiff; that is a problem of basic fundamentals.”

“I understand…”

“The third point…”

Suddenly, Professor Nangong pressed his third finger against the center of Xiao Yuehua’s brow. The slightly inappropriate physical contact and the deathly cold sensation—as if he weren’t a living human—made Xiao Yuehua’s heart skip a beat.

“Professor! Is this harassment?!”

She looked up, ready to vent her anger, but the fire in her heart was instantly extinguished the moment she met his cold, solemn gaze.

“Third, you care too much about the script.”

Professor Nangong spoke as if he hadn’t heard her. “A Deductor is not a machine, and the image you portray is even less so. Do not be afraid of deviations.”

“But didn’t you tell me to read the script, Professor?”

“Yes, being familiar with the script is a basic requirement. But the emotions within the deduction cannot be bound by a script. Appropriate deviations are not necessarily wrong.”

His tone was matter-of-fact.

“Don’t be shackled by the script; follow your emotions where appropriate. Otherwise, you will forever be nothing more than a mechanical puppet controlled by a play.”

Just like you?

Looking at Professor Nangong, the thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Yuehua’s mind. But on the surface, she showed nothing, merely lowering her head.

“I understand.”

Hearing this, Professor Nangong nodded and checked the time. “That will be all for today’s tutoring session.”

Leaving it at that, he turned and walked away. Every step seemed calculated and meticulous, as if mechanical gears and wheels were turning inside him rather than flesh and blood. At a glance, he hardly seemed like a living person.

Yes, this was the image of Professor Nangong known to everyone in the academy. Compared to this, the professor who had been savoring delicacies earlier seemed like a completely different person.

For a moment, Xiao Yuehua couldn’t help but wonder.

Which one was the real him?