The Sect Master’s Unexpected Class

Feiluo, a lollipop tucked into her mouth, wandered through the spacious classroom, intent on finding a spot hidden from the teacher’s view, allowing her to slack off during class.

Even though she was here for a World Cognition class, having come to scout the ‘enemy situation’ (for a grand dinner later that night), it didn’t mean she was willing to listen to the teacher drone on about dry, uninteresting things.

“Junior Sister Feiluo, come sit here!”

Just as she had settled on a window-side corner seat in the last row, Yiwu’s voice reached her ears. Following the sound, she glanced towards Yiwu’s spot.

Yiwu was waving her arms, beckoning Feiluo, her movements reminiscent of a zealous fan hoping to be noticed by their idol on stage, all while calling out for Feiluo to join her.

“Hmph!”

But Feiluo merely shot her a glance before letting out a cold hmph.

‘That pat on her head earlier had been so painful, as if Yiwu was trying to polish her skull smooth, utterly unlike how her Senior Sister… Moxi!’

‘It was nothing like the comfortable way Moxi would pat her head. And now Yiwu wanted her to go sit with her?’

‘Dream on!’

‘Besides, I’m not a child who needs to sit with someone during class.’

‘I am Feiluo, whose body might have shrunk, but whose mind remains mature!’

‘I would never engage in such childish behavior!’

Feiluo turned her head, fixing her gaze on the window, no longer bothering with the ‘dancing’ Yiwu.

“Eh? Did Junior Sister Feiluo not hear me?” Yiwu hadn’t noticed Feiluo’s glance, assuming her call had simply gone unheard.

“Dong~ Dong~ Dong~”

Just as she thought, ‘If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain,’ and was about to move to Feiluo’s side herself, the class bell rang, forcing her to settle back into her seat.

It wasn’t quite a bell; a class chime would be a more fitting description. It was a massive chime, located somewhere unknown within the sect, which countless disciples had tried to destroy to escape a few days of lessons, yet none had ever truly found its whereabouts.

Feiluo rested her chin on her hands, her expression serene, her gaze fixed outside the window. She paid no mind to the ringing class chime, nor whether a teacher had entered the classroom; her thoughts had long since drifted far, far away.

‘What beautiful weather, perfect for sleeping at home. What a pity I’m stuck here listening to this wretched World Cognition class.’

‘How truly lamentable this situation is.’

Lost in thought, she let out an actual sigh in her mind.

“Now, let us open our textbooks to page 55.”

Just as Feiluo was contemplating whether to simply fall asleep right there, a clear, melodious voice, one she knew intimately and heard every day, reached her ears.

Hearing that voice, Feiluo’s eyes widened, and a name sprang to mind. She quickly focused her gaze on the podium, then her small mouth fell open, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.

‘It’s Moxi!’

There stood Moxi, clad in the red-and-white robes typically worn by teaching instructors, a textbook held in her left hand, a black pointer in her right, gesturing towards the illuminated screen behind her that displayed the lesson content.

Whether she had noticed Feiluo’s gaze, or perhaps had been observing Feiluo since entering, Moxi met Feiluo’s stunned eyes. Her finely arched brows lifted slightly, and a faint smile touched her lips as she looked at Feiluo.

Feiluo instinctively returned a somewhat foolish, dazed smile. Only then did she realize her reaction was inappropriate, and her smile transformed into a fiercely (yet adorably) menacing expression.

Seeing Feiluo’s adorable appearance, Moxi covered her mouth with a light chuckle, then promptly composed herself, turning to the screen behind her to begin teaching the lesson.

As Moxi shifted her gaze away, Feiluo breathed a sigh of relief; truthfully, maintaining that fiercely (yet adorably) menacing expression was rather uncomfortable for her.

It wasn’t that it looked bad, but with her naturally cute, small face, it easily lacked any real deterrent effect, forcing her to contort her features so much that her face ached.

‘Still, seeing Moxi quickly turn away like that, she must have been scared by my expression.’

‘It seems it was quite effective after all.’

‘Hmph hmph, if Moxi ever treated me like a child again, I would make this expression to scare her off!’

‘Let’s see if she still dares!’

After a moment of self-satisfaction regarding her fiercely (yet adorably) menacing look, Feiluo shifted her attention back to Moxi. She watched Moxi speak eloquently from the front, a barrage of questions forming in her mind.

‘Why is Moxi here?’

‘Isn’t she the Sect Master? Why would she come to teach such a basic class?’

‘Could it be that the Blazing Spirit Sect is so short on elders that even the Sect Master is forced to take on teaching duties?’

‘Surely, I’m not dreaming.’

“Hey, why do you think the Sect Master is teaching a class that any ordinary teaching elder could handle?”

“I don’t know, maybe it was a sudden whim?”

As Feiluo’s mind wandered, two hushed, tiny voices reached her. If not for their proximity and her keen hearing, Feiluo likely wouldn’t have caught those whispers at all.

Hearing those two voices discussing a question she also deeply pondered, Feiluo secretly pricked up her ears, listening intently to their conversation.

“How could that be? That’s the Sect Master! I’ve heard from the senior elders that the Sect Master has always disliked classes, whether attending others’ lessons or teaching her own.”

“I know about that. Apparently, the Sect Master’s former master always liked to call her up to answer questions during class, and over time, she grew to despise lessons.”

“Yes, exactly! That’s why the Sect Master has only ever given a few Dao lectures, explaining the bottlenecks encountered on the path of cultivation and how to maintain the right mindset for practice to the entire sect. Nothing else.”

“Alas, it’s a pity I joined the sect late and missed that opportune time. I never got to hear the Sect Master’s Dao lecture.”

“Me too! I truly wish I could attend one of the Sect Master’s Dao lectures. For a powerful figure like the Sect Master, her lectures must surely be ‘heavenly flowers scattered, golden lotuses springing from the earth’—magnificent and profound!”

“Absolutely! Alas, the Sect Master’s Dao lectures have been few and far between. The last one was over a decade ago. Who knows when I’ll ever get to hear one?”

As those two voices began discussing Moxi’s Dao lectures, Feiluo, on her side, grew a little anxious.

‘No, don’t stray from the topic!’

‘Keep discussing why Moxi is here!’

‘What’s so interesting about Dao lectures? I often heard Moxi talk about cultivation insights and experiences, and never once did I witness any scenes of ‘heavenly flowers scattered, golden lotuses springing from the earth’.’

‘It was clearly as ordinary, even a bit dry and boring, as Moxi’s current class, though I had still been forced by Moxi to listen to the end.’

“Speaking of which, did you see the Sect Master smile in a certain direction earlier?”

“I did. That direction seemed to be the corner of the last row. Let me see… Oh, it’s Junior Sister Feiluo.”

“Oh~ It’s Junior Sister Feiluo, then I understand!”

“Understand what?”

“You idiot, isn’t it obvious? Clearly, the Sect Master came to teach us specifically for Junior Sister Feiluo!”

“So that’s it! Indeed, I heard Junior Sister Feiluo failed her recent assessment. It seems the Sect Master must be here to supervise her studies.”

“It must be. The Sect Master is truly good to Junior Sister Feiluo, willing to overcome even things she dislikes doing for her.”

“Yes.”

Finally, they were back on track. Feiluo let out a sigh of relief, then found herself captivated by the answer they had deduced.

Feiluo rested her chin in her hand, thoughtful. ‘It seems Moxi came to teach this class just to supervise me.’

‘To prevent me from slacking off in class, Moxi has truly gone to great lengths.’

‘She even overcame her dislike for teaching.’

Hmph!

‘But this alone wouldn’t be enough!’

‘I am the Heavenly Venerate of Slacking Off!’

‘Slacking off right under a teacher’s nose? That’s mere child’s play!’

Feiluo thought with a smug sense of triumph.

‘Just one more glance at Moxi, then it’s time to slack off and sleep.’

With the question in her mind answered, Feiluo prepared to begin her slacking.

She glanced in Moxi’s direction, only to find her eyes locking with Moxi’s beautiful ones, which were filled with a ‘benevolent’ gaze.

‘Eh?’

Feiluo froze.