This primitive forest had a lush crown. If one looked down from the sky, it would look like a massive green carpet. After the sunlight was gone, the evening also came earlier.
âItâs not that youâve led the wrong way, but that thereâs a problem with the terrain here.â
Helian Beifang explained.
They didnât have a concrete destination so they could go wherever they wished to. However, there was a mishap here.
âWhatâs going on?â
Li Ruolan looked excited. What she wanted was such accidents, such dangers. Otherwise, what could she write when she returned?
Seeing Sun Mo looking over, Helian Beifang reported in a soft voice, âThe sunâs direction isnât right. We seem to have been going around in circles the entire day.â
âGhost hits the wall [1]?â
Li Ziqiâs eyes lit up. She had read about such a phenomenon before and had long since wanted to experience this herself.
âGhost?â
Xuanyuan Po clenched silver-chan tightly, wanting to catch one.
Ying Baiwu and Jiang Leng instantly raised their weapons and kept their guards up.
Sun Mo observed his personal disciples, feeling satisfied with their performance.
âI donât know how to explain this. Iâve been living in the great plains since young and have great confidence in my sense of direction.â
Helian Beifang couldnât explain things as he relied on his intuition.
Everything was vast and endless on the great plains. One could only not get lost by relying on obvious landmarks. However, Helian Beifang didnât need those.
The few of them looked toward Xianyu Wei.
âI⦠I get lost easily.â
Xianyu Wei looked awkward.
Sun Mo looked around and activated his Divine Sight.
Darkness primitive forest, dangers lurking everywhere.
Other than these words, there was no other information.
âYou guys set up the camp. Iâll check out the vicinity!â
Xuanyuan Po volunteered.
âIâll go with you!â
Jiang Leng was in charge of scouting in the group.
âNo. If what Helian said is right, you guys will likely get lost.â
Sun Mo refused. âItâs late. Set up the camp first. This will be it for today.â
After giving out the orders, Sun Mo ordered the scarab to search the surroundings, getting it to go further away. Anyway, he could still summon it back through the spiritual control technique.
After dinner, the night came down.
The forest was silent. There was only the sound of the wind that caused the leaves to rustle.
Sun Mo started to teach the students next to the campfire.
Li Ruolan held onto a small booklet and took notes with interest. It was because what Sun Mo was teaching was neither the study of spirit runes nor the art of spiritual control. It was an article written by someone called Sun Tzu.
This lesson was interesting.
It was because these articles taught people how to fight wars and gain victory in a battle.
âIn all kinds of war, the direct method can be used to win one battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure a complete victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streamsâ¦â
Sun Mo said fluently.
Not all of his students were interested in spirit runes or spiritual control. If he were to talk about them, heâd be wasting the time of the students who didnât like these two subjects.
Other than these, what Sun Mo knew was all modern world knowledge. A large part of them couldnât be taught. Thankfully, he read books often as a form of leisure and especially liked Sun Tzuâs Art of War.
This could be used for teaching. After all, even though the people in Middle-Earth Nine Provinces didnât fight a lot of battles, they fought a lot. It could be put to use.
âIn fighting, the greatest taboo is to conform to order. Thatâs because the opponent will be able to guess your next move. Always remember, donât let other people figure out what youâre thinking.â
Sun Mo couldnât help but let out a sigh of relief after seeing that the students were listening seriously. But when his gaze landed on the combat addict, he frowned.
This guy wasnât paying attention.
âXuanyuan, what are your thoughts after hearing this?â Sun Mo asked.
âItâs too troublesome. Why not just charge forward?â Xuanyuan Poâs lips twitched.
Sun Mo shook his head. âZiqi, what do you think?â
âImpeding the enemy head-on, attacking the enemy by surprise. One can only gain victory when combining both straightforward and surprising moves.â
Li Ziqi gave it some thought. âIn war, one must not only win but also gain victory at the smallest price. Itâs because every soldier is a precious life.â
âThatâs right.â
Sun Mo nodded. âXuanyuan, if you donât change the way you think, youâll forever only be a fierce general that charges at the very front. Youâll never be the commander.â
âI donât want to be the commander. Thatâs too troublesome.â
Xuanyuan Po looked impatient and got up. âTeacher, I want to go and cultivate.â
âJunior Martial Brother Xuanyuan, listen to it for a little longer. These battle tactics can be used in individual battles as well.â
Li Ziqi persuaded.
(There are three beautiful female great teachers listening in. How awkward will it be for Teacher if you just walk away like that?)
âI believe in breaking through everything with strength.â
After saying that, Xuanyuan Po walked into the forest without turning back.
âDonât go off too far.â
Sun Mo instructed before looking toward Xianyu Wei. In terms of pure strength, there was no one as domineering as this girl.
âTeacher, donât pay him any heed. Can you tell us more?â
Helian Beifang looked at Sun Mo with anticipation. He had taken out a small booklet long ago and was taking notes seriously.
âYouâre interested in battle formations?â
Sun Mo felt curious.
âThe reason I came to the south from the plains is because I want to see what kind of talents are being nurtured on the precious Central Plainsâ land that is vast and rich in resources.â
Helian Beifangâs tribe didnât have a big population and they led bitter lives. Therefore, he wanted to learn the Central Plainsâ systems to raise his tribeâs strength.
âYour tribe is too small and the Jin Country only has a history of 100 years, not yet entering a decline. Junior Martial Brother Helian, even if youâve learned dragon-slaying techniques, you wonât be able to put them to use.â
Tantai Yutang persuaded, âYou should put your efforts into your cultivation.â
âSun Mo, where did you hear this Sun Tzuâs Art of War from? Why havenât I seen it before?â
Li Ruolan felt curious.
Mei Ziyu and Murong Mingyue also turned to assess Sun Mo. If a book of such caliber was written, itâd definitely be very popular and wouldnât remain unknown.
âMy father found it in some ruins in the Darkness Continent.â
Sun Mo came up with a white lie.
âYour father is really lucky.â
Li Ruolan asked after some hesitation. âCan I take a look at the original?â
âSister Ruolan, your request is a little overboard.â
As the eldest martial sister, Li Ziqi naturally had to safeguard Sun Moâs properties. It was a great loss to let someone listen to one lesson from a book like this, let alone allowing the person to read it.
It was because it was too precious.
Li Ruolan waited for a few seconds, and seeing that Sun Mo had no intention of speaking up, she quickly apologized. âIâm sorry for being abrupt.â
In her heart, the beautiful female reporter felt a little disappointed.
Sigh!
(Why is it that my exquisite look isnât able to capture Sun Moâs heart?)
However, after glancing at Mei Ziyu and Murong Mingyue from the corner of her eyes, she accepted things.
These two ladies were no worse off than she was, let alone that there was An Xinhui.
âIâll be giving a test now. Starting from Zhiruo, each of you, share your thoughts.â
Sun Mo instructed.
âHmmm? Am I the first?â
Lu Zhiruo frowned slightly, trying hard to rack her brain. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she came up with this. âThat Sun Tzu is really amazing! Itâs just that his name is too weird. Even if his parents hadnât gone to school, they shouldnât have come up with such a name.â
ââ¦â
Sun Moâs lips twitched a little.
âHuh? Am I wrong?â
The papaya girl looked confused.
âSun Tzuâs actual name is Sun Wu. The reason he is called Sun Tzu is because âtzuâ is a respectable address for someone with good knowledge and culture.â
Sun Mo explained.
He had forgotten that things were different from the modern world. The Nine Provinces had real Saints and didnât treat âtzuâ as a form of respectable address.
âWhat a strange respectable address. Then doesnât that mean that Teacher has the right to be called Sun Tzu as well?â
Lu Zhiruo scratched her head. âI feel that itâd be cursing you!â
âDonât speak recklessly. I donât have the right to carry the word âtzuâ behind my surname.â
Sun Mo thought to himself that this was really the case. In reality, if one wished to draw hatred to themselves, they could just say âHi, grandson[2]â and thereâd be a conflict breaking out.
Other than the papaya girl who was stupid and saw things differently, the other studentsâ answers were very decent. Sun Mo explained things to them in order.
In the end, he concluded things.
âAlthough the main theme of these examples is to introduce one chapter of Sun Tzuâs Art of War, you guys can also learn the outlooks of it.â
When Sun Mo spoke about Sun Tzuâs Art of War, heâd provide classic battle examples. After all, books like the Three Kingdoms were well-known to all the children in China.
That was right. He could talk about this as well.
âOutlooksâ
The papaya girl felt that these terms were very profound.
âItâs referring to oneâs outlooks of the world, of values, and of life. At your age, you should be establishing the correct outlooks.â
Sun Mo smiled. âAlright, we wonât be able to finish this topic in a short time. Weâll talk about a story called the Three Kingdoms in the next lesson.â
âThe name sounds very impressive!â
Ying Baiwu liked stories like these.
Li Ruolan sized up Sun Mo, feeling that his teaching style was very different from the other great teachers. Firstly, his attitude was very amicable and the content he taught was very novel. She was considered a well-learned person, but she had never heard of something like outlooks before.
âYou guys can discuss this amongst yourselves!â
Sun Mo got up. Although he had received 3,000 favorable impression points, he wasnât in a good mood because he had lost the Holy Pharaoh.
According to their agreement, it should come back around this time, but it didnât.
Therefore, Sun Mo used the spiritual control technique, but he still couldnât summon the Holy Pharaoh over. This showed that there was a mysterious power in this place that cut off summoning.
It was late and it was pointless for him to feel anxious. Therefore, Sun Mo told everyone to make good use of the time to get a good rest.
The next day, the sky had just lit up when Sun Mo woke everyone up, announcing that theyâd be setting off.
Sun Mo made plenty of markings on their way and also had everyone take note of the surroundings.
âHelian, how is it?â
Sun Mo would ask this once every half an hour.
âI canât find the critical point.â
Helian Beifang was very gloomy. He had a strange feeling, but he couldnât put it into words.
Everyone walked around in the forest for the entire day. They found some medicinal plants and also killed several dozen species of darkness, and thus could be considered to have some small success. However, they knew that they were trapped in a maze.
During this time, Sun Mo had summoned Little Silver and succeeded on the first try. However, when he had Little Silver search for the exit to this forest maze from the sky, he lost connection with it.
Another day passed by.
During dinner.
âWill we end up wasting a whole month here?â
Lu Zhiruo felt very reproachful. She shouldnât have pointed out this direction for them. Daddy Heaven didnât like her.
âIâm just afraid that we might not be able to get out even after one month has passed.â
Tantai Yutangâs lips twitched. âIâm a dying person after all, so it doesnât matter to me. But you guys still have lots of youth and years ahead of you.â
âTantai, can you not make such jokes?â
Li Ziqi reproached, having the demeanor of being the eldest martial sister.
âAll of you, come over and sit down. Weâll be starting todayâs lesson.â
Sun Mo spoke up, âThe gushing water of the Yangtze River poured and disappeared into the East, washing away past heroes [3]. This time around, weâre talking about the struggle and supersession of a dying dynasty. It is also a song that praises countless heroes and great generals.â
Sun Moâs voice was warm, rich, and calm, like the sunlight on a spring day. It made oneâs worrying and nervous feelings calm down unknowingly.
âIt really gives off a sense of security to be with Teacher!â
Lu Zhiruo sat at the side, propping her head up with both hands, tilting her head slightly and looking at Sun Mo with an admiring gaze. She really hoped that this time could continue on.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion [4],
Oath of the Peach Garden [5]â¦
Even Li Ruolan and the other two great teachers were listening attentively, not wanting to miss out on a single word, let alone the students.
The night in the forest was warm and gentle.
âAlright, weâll stop here for today. Everyone, have an early rest.â
Sun Mo looked at his students. âIâll give you an assignment. In this story, what have you seen and which character do you like?â
âI like Zhang Jue. The Yellow Heaven [6] rises, the people are happy, the world is at peace. This is really very domineering.â
Helian Beifang was full of praise.
Sun Mo suddenly felt a little worried. He couldnât have brought up an ambitious character whoâd rise in troubled times, could he? After all, who would like Zhang Jue after reading the Three Kingdoms?
People would usually like Master Guan [7] or at least the ferocious Zhang Fei!
âItâs still early. Tell us more!â
Li Ruolan pleaded. âOtherwise, whoâd be able to sleep if you leave us hanging like this?â
âThat Dong Zhuo is definitely a bad guy.â
Li Ziqi said confidently, âHe went to the capital. The emperor is going to be in trouble.â
âIâm not saying anymore. Take a rest and restore your energy. Weâll need to break out of this maze tomorrow. â
Sun Mo took a glance at the little sunny egg. As expected of a royal princess, her sense of danger was very sharp.
âHuh? Teacher has a way out?â
Xianyu Wei wanted to know.
âMy idea isnât too mature yet. Weâll see tomorrow.â
Sun Mo didnât know that this maze was man-made and thought that it was formed naturally. Therefore, he wanted to improve his plan and try to succeed on the first attempt.
If there were enemies, heâd kill them with one blow, not letting them patch their plan.
Nothing happened for the entire night and daylight came.
The group went on their way, continuing to explore the place.
Sun Mo still didnât manage to get in contact with the Holy Pharaoh and Little Silver. However, to his surprise, he heard combat sounds.
âLetâs go and take a look!â
When Sun Moâs group arrived at the scene, they realized that it was still the 25-men team from Bozi Academy that was led by Zou Qi.
âAre you guys lost as well?â
Lu Zhiruo was simple-minded and didnât have her guards up against others. When she saw âcompanionsâ, she asked.
At such a time, the group members werenât allowed to talk to others easily without Zou Qiâs orders. But Sun Mo had gotten the answer from their gazes.
They were trapped too.
âTeacher Zou, do you want to share information?â
Sun Mo asked.
Zou Qi fell silent. Two days ago, he had scolded these people and caused their relationship to be very tense. Wouldnât it make him appear very useless if he were to agree to a cooperation now?
Moreover, he was a 5-stars great teacher. Although Sun Mo had a great reputation, he was still a 3-stars after all. Itâd make him appear low class to concede like this.
âNo need.â
Zou Qi refused. He felt that if Sun Mo had a solution, he wouldnât have been trapped here and asked for cooperation.
âHehe, Iâm really scared that youâll agree!â
Sun Mo threw Li Ziqi a glance without any traces.
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