38 Can you handle teaching?

After Xue Mo said that, Lu Yao kept silent, and after a while, even Xue Mo felt uncomfortable. He looked at her, only to see her looking at him with a deadpan expression, "w-what?"

"You are going to teach someone?" Lu Yao's voice suggested worriedness, which made Xue Mo feel good. However, when he heard her next question, he almost flipped. "Can you handle teaching? Have you forgot you are an introvert, and before we met, you barely talked to people?"

Lu Yao's words did make sense, and Xue Mo didn't refute them. He just looked at the distance, where the room's window showed the outside clearing and said, "you are completely right. But what you didn't know is that I have observed so many creatures in my life as an introvert that I think I got the basics of everything that concerns relations down."

Even with Xue Mo looking sagely and talking in a deep voice, Lu Yao didn't look convinced but also didn't speak to not hurt his self-esteem.

"Well, good luck then." Lu Yao said while jumping on the bed that Myzer had put in the room.

Just as Xue Mo that seemed to have more to say, was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. Knowing that it was either Myzer or Hiari, Xue Mo opened only to find them both. And it seemed that Hiari had also broken through to the Qi Condensation realm as he radiated the same aura as Myzer.

Both newcomers looked at Xue Mo with reverence filled eyes. Even Hiari, who just had respect for him before, appeared to have started worshiping him. 'What the hell? Am I creating a cult?' Xue Mo thought as he looked at the two men waiting for them to talk.

"Senior Mo, we have talked to the Principal, and we decided if you would accept us, we want to become your followers!" Hiari said before going down on one knee, in this world, this action would let people think he was proposing, but Xue Mo knew he was acting like a noble only. As Hiari knelt on one knee, Myzer as always kowtowed while banging his head on the ground.

Xue Mo didn't know how to react, he was just done talking with Lu Yao about how he understood people, yet the duo assassin's actions made him doubt his own words! Become his followers? Why would they?

What Xue Mo didn't know was that not everyone could enter the ninth floor of the Qi and Mana Pagoda, and for those two to be able to come here had helped them tremendously in their cultivation. They were even able to advance in realm! They didn't know how to repay Xue Mo for that, so when Myzer suggested becoming Xue Mo's followers, Hiari immediately accepted. Even the Principal didn't dare mess with Xue Mo, so becoming his followers was a great honor!

Xue Mo could read their thoughts after gazing at them for a while. His eyes suddenly turned colder before lessening. He looked at the duo assassins with the least cold eyes that he had ever shown them and uttered, "I accept."

The two immediately jumped in a start, the thought that what they came to do would be a pointless endeavor, yet Xue Mo had accepted their proposal; this made them worship him even more that it even creeped Xue Mo out for a second. 'Why are they doing this?'

Xue Mo had accepted because he wanted to use them as core materials for his experiments. He thought that he figured out why they came here–to get his backing and maybe even a few rewards, but the way they looked at him was genuine and honest. Why did they want to follow him? Was it because he helped them?

He didn't know. Even the fact that they advanced in realm wasn't his fault, at least not by choice. Yet, for them to still worship him after getting what they wanted (in his mind) meant that there must be more to it. There wasn't anything more actually, and Xue Mo was overthinking things. The duo assassin's genuinely wanted to follow him.

"Alright, since you two are now my followers, go tell Dominic to prepare a classroom for me. I am going to teach!" Listening to what Xue Mo said, the two men became excited. Getting knowledge from such a powerful man would surely expand their horizons.

Giving Xue Mo the food as always, which was the main reason they came, Hiari and Myzer left the Pagoda and relayed Xue Mo's words to Dominic. Quickly doing as instructed, he waited for Xue Mo to decide when he wanted to start. He also wanted to attend his class and gain some knowledge.

Xue Mo took three days before leaving the Pagoda. He entered the academy building, and the classroom Dominic prepared. He wasn't surprised to find the room filled with students, but he was surprised to see Dominic, Declan, Sarah, and some other older adults sitting who wasn't surprised with his change in appearance as they heard from Myzer already. He asked Myzer what was happening and learned that they came here to learn.

Xue Mo didn't mind as he could experiment with more people that way. He stood in front of the class, and contrary to his usual cold and introverted self, Xue Mo had a warm teacherly face. He started his class with, "what is cultivation?"

The question confused many, yet some knew that it was a rhetorical question, so they continued listening, "Cultivation is the path of the strong. Cultivation is the true path of talent and hard work…" Xue Mo kept talking and explaining his knowledge on cultivation, and although he just talked about the basics, someone with his wisdom made everyone, teachers, and students, get enlightened. After talking for a while and making sure he got everyone's attention, Xue Mo spoke about what he truly wanted,

"How many paths of cultivation are there? And no, I am not talking about Soul, body, and energy! I am talking about Cultivation as a whole! How many different paths and realms exist?" Xue Mo's excited words fueled the burning passion of learning in everyone as they heard him talk. Unfortunately, Xue Mo stopped speaking about that and changed the topic. 'The seeds were laid!' He thought while coldly smirking inwardly!

"The Qi sensing realm is divided into, early, mid, and late stages…" Delving into more in-depth details, Xue Mo recaptured everyone's attention.

***

In a golden room of a castle, two humans were staring at each other. One of the two had a crown adorning his head, while the other was wearing heavy white-colored armor, with the Udanem symbol on it. They were sitting and staring at each other, waiting for someone to make the next move. They had been doing that for 15 minutes.

"George, make your move already!" With an irritated voice, the king ordered. However, the man named George didn't react. He just kept staring at the king before sighing and saying lousily. "I win my liege. It's yowa!" With him saying 'yowa,' he moved a piece on the board and arrived at the last corner of the king's side.

"Agh, you always win." The king said with frustration evident in his voice, but he wasn't angry.

"Someday, my liege, someday." Understanding what George meant, the king just nodded his head and asked,

"How are the preparations for 'that'?" Hearing the solemn question uttered by his king in such a casual way, George straightened himself while smiling bitterly.

"We won't be able to win that way, my liege!" George said before getting up and going on one knee. His tone was imploring as he continued, "we have to use plan B!"

Hearing what George said, the king's expression morphed as different expressions appeared on his face before calming down and sighing. He leaned back on his chair and said, "George, I'm your friend before being your king. Honestly, tell me, what the chances of success are if we go with plan B?"

Hearing what the king said, he also got up and sat on his chair, showing that he was used to talking to the king that way, "I-I honestly don't know." George said while clasping his head with his hands. He also looked depressed and unwilling.

"I see!" Knowing that his friend was suffering, the king looked at the distance. He saw birds flying and tweeting with joy. The trees were high and sturdy, while the sky was clear and bright. Seemingly making up his decision, the king stood up and looked at George, apparently about to command him, not as a friend, but as his king.

"Imperial Knight George Fabian, as the seventh ruler of the Udanem kingdom, I William Udanem, order!" George waited for his king to finish his sentence and finish he did. "I order you to take command and initiate plan B!"

"Yes, My liege!" George left Elijah's room with a loud clang from the clash of his hand and armor.

Looking at George, leaving Elijah thought with a self-deprecating smile, 'I hope that I didn't just doom my kingdom.'