Chapter 1327 Three Consecutive Battles
Sun Mo’s current reputation was on the rise, and he didn’t need to put his reputation on the line against Saint Zhou. However, he still agreed to it.
Only by defeating Saint Zhou and having him apologize would the little sunny egg be able to truly untie the knot in her heart. Moreover, this person was considered his archenemy now. Defeating him openly and fairly on the ‘battlefield’ would allow Sun Mo to be able to stand above heaven and the earth, no longer having any other rivals.
“Then the two of you can go back to rest first. We’ll meet at the public square to pick the students in three days!”
Seeing Sun Mo agreeing, Xu Chunbo immediately announced.
“Secondary Saint Sun, see you then!”
Saint Zhou cupped his hands together and turned to leave. His group of close supporters quickly followed after him.
“Sun, you were too impulsive!”
Gu Xiuxun complained.
“You can’t say that. Up till now, not only has Teacher helped secondary saints advance to become saints, but he has also defeated secondary saints before. However, he had yet to get any battle experience at the ‘saint’
level.”
Qin Yaoguang smiled. “After Teacher finishes Saint Zhou off, then he’ll really be the number one great teacher in the Nine Provinces, including the saints.”
“Then let Saint Zhou be the stepping stone!”
Lu Zhiruo put her fists together. (Teacher might lose? That won’t happen.)
When the news of Sun Mo and Saint Zhou’s showdown spread, those well-informed wealthy and influential people went crazy. They rushed to Saint Zhou’s residence with their children immediately, not caring if their expensive steeds were slogged to their deaths.
Even a 7-stars great teacher would pick through thousands or tens of thousands just to select a single personal disciple, let alone the saints.
Therefore, now that Sun Mo and Saint Zhou each had to pick three students, this was an extremely rare opportunity. All parents who lived in cities near the Saint Gate rushed over without even having the time to bring dried food along as rations.
On the third day, before the sky lit up, the public square was already overcrowded with people. Even the few streets nearby were packed with people, making it hard for people to walk.
The staff members from the Saint Gate immediately helped to group up the people and only managed to make the situation more orderly after a morning of hard work.
At noon, Sun Mo and Saint Zhou arrived at the public square in succession.
A three-meter-tall arena was set up here.
“Are both of you ready?”
Xu Chunbo was still the one being the judge. Seeing both parties nodding, he instructed in a loud voice, “12-year-old children, please head up the arena in succession!”
“Mommy, I’m scared!”
A young boy saw the packed scene and felt anxious and helpless.
“Don’t be scared. If you’re picked, our family will flourish!”
His father’s face was filled with anticipation.
The parents of the other children were either encouraging or threatening them, saying that if they weren’t selected, they wouldn’t want them anymore. These parents’ minds were really filled with nothing but their own benefits.
Very soon, the children queued up into a long row and started heading up the arena.
Sun Mo and Saint Zhou stood at the side and assessed the children seriously. If they didn’t say anything, the queue would keep on moving. If someone said something, then they’d stop.
Many parents started crying when they saw their children passing by with neither great teachers saying a word.
This meant that their children’s aptitude wasn’t good enough and they didn’t have any chance.
Sun Mo listened to all the crying and even saw some parents starting to whack their children. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“Parents!”
After applying Lingering Sound onto himself, Sun Mo’s voice rang through the entire public square. “This is a competition between Saint Zhou and myself. To win, of course we’ll need to pick the most outstanding child. However, it doesn’t mean that the children who weren’t picked don’t have any aptitude.”
“Don’t you think you’re going against your conscience by saying this?”
Saint Zhou sneered, “Mediocre people still form the majority in this world.”
“So what? Are mediocre people not worthy to have dreams?”
Sun Mo retorted.
“Great teachers have limited energy. Are you saying that you can teach every single person in this world? What we need to do is to teach the most talented children and let them become the leaders to lead this world’s progress!”
This was Saint Zhou’s teaching ideology.
“That’s such a coincidence. I don’t care how the world is. I just want every student to become more outstanding. When they’re old and look back at their respective lives, they might feel that they aren’t successful enough, but they definitely won’t feel regretful. They can proudly say ‘I have tried my best.””
This was Sun Mo’s choice
“That’s why your mentality isn’t mature. If you’re just an ordinary great teacher, you can do whatever you want. But you’re a secondary saint and you might even become a saint. Sun Mo, you are carrying the world on your shoulders. Its weight is a lot heavier than these children’s future.”
Saint Zhou said.
All the great teachers present quietly listened to their argument, not saying anything. However, in their hearts, they were on Saint Zhou’s side.
You might not be able to let an ordinary student gain independence and achieve success even if you were to devote 200% of your effort to them. However, you’d only need to put in 100% of energy into teaching a genius for them to be able to obtain tremendous success.
To put it simply, the great teachers in the Nine Provinces went with elite education. The world’s development had nothing to do with ordinary people and was led by the elites.
“There’s no point in talking so much! Let’s see who has the true capabilities!”
Sun Mo couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.
It was impossible for ordinary people to change their values just because of a few words from others, let alone a saint.
The selection continued, but after Sun Mo’s comforting words, the atmosphere became a lot better. At least, although the parents were disappointed, they no longer beat and scolded their children.
“Hold on!”
Saint Zhou was the first to speak. He pointed at a tall child and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Old Master, my name is Black Pig!”
The child grinned widely.
“Don’t call me Old Master, call me Teacher!” Saint Zhou frowned slightly. “I didn’t ask for your nickname.”
“I don’t have a name. This is how my father calls me!”
Black Pig scratched his head. He felt that this old man was very scary.
“Show me a few punches.”
Saint Zhou instructed.
Black Pig swung his hands around messily, and he threw a series of punches. However, everyone’s eyes lit up when they saw this. This brat’s physique was very good.
Judging from his muscles and bone structure, he was clearly a genius for martial arts.
“It’s over! Momo is going to lose!”
Gu Xiuxun felt anxious. She had also learned her lesson. As she couldn’t call out Sun Mo’s full name, she changed to calling him by his nickname.
“That’s right. How far can a student go with just three months of guidance? It’s still primarily about their potential and willpower!”
Li Ziqi was very angry. “Although this Black Pig has taken a bath and changed into clean clothes, there’s still a faint smell of blood coming from him. He’s clearly a butcher. A child like him is definitely fiercer!”
The expressions of An Xinhui, Mei Ziyu, and the others looked increasingly bad. This child clearly had the looks of a ferocious general who could hold up against ten thousand people single-handedly.
“Secondary Saint Sun, I’m your elder, so I should let you choose first. If you like him, feel free to take him!”
Saint Zhou waved one hand, putting on a magnanimous appearance.
However, Xu Chunbo threw a glance at Saint Zhou and shook his head so slightly that it was unnoticeable.
This old man was really such a schemer.
Sun Mo cared about face and would definitely not take such advantages. Moreover, even if he wished to, he wouldn’t dare because in the event that Saint Zhou lost, everyone would say that he was the one who had picked this Black Pig.
“No need!”
As expected, Sun Mo rejected.
There were still 12-year-old children on the stage. They were allowed to pick one who was younger but not older.
“My son has been picked! My son has been picked!”
Black Pig’s father was elated and shouted loudly, attracting many envious, jealous, and hateful gazes.
Time passed by slowly and seeing the queue getting increasingly shorter, Xianyu Wei became a little anxious. “What if there isn’t anyone he likes?”
Helian Beifang and her had rushed over in the last two days.
“According to the usual practice, Teacher can only choose one or forfeit. He doesn’t have the right to search from another group of children.”
Qin Yaoguang explained.
“Secondary Saint Sun, if you don’t have any children you’d like to pick, I’ll allow you to change to another batch of students!”
The more Saint Zhou looked at Black Pig, the more satisfied he felt. If his performance wasn’t bad, he could take Black Pig in as his personal disciple.
Sun Mo paid him no heed and continued to look at the children. This time around, he tried using Divine Sight. It could be used, but he didn’t use it. If he was going to win, he was going to clinch a flawless win.
Finally, a thin and weak little girl appeared in front of Sun Mo. Her face was dirty and her clothes were also full of patches. However, her eyes were especially bright. She was looking around.
When she noticed Sun Mo sizing her up, she even stuck out her tongue secretly, putting a face.
This was a cheerful little girl.
“What’s your name?”
As Sun Mo asked this question, everyone’s gazes stared over, wanting to see the child Sun Mo had picked. After all, a person’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. Sun Mo was a great teacher who could even let a ‘trash’ like Li Ziqi become renowned.
“I’m called Coal Briquette!”
The little girl’s voice didn’t sound very pleasant and was a little hoarse. “Uncle, pick me please. I’ll be able to do whatever you want me to do well!”
“What makes you think that you’ll be able to do it well?”
Sun Mo smiled and asked.
“It’s because I can work hard!”
Coal Briquette rolled up her sleeves to show her arms. “Even though I’m thin, I can pull a lot of coal every day. Even my mother said that I’m more amazing than boys.”
Sun Mo had long since seen through this little girl’s background through the coal ashes between her fingers as well as her teeth, skin color, and the shape of her bones. She was a child laborer who worked at the coal mines.
Even in modern days, coal mining was a very dangerous job, let alone in the Nine Provinces where productivity wasn’t developed. Each time they entered a mine was a life or death experience.
However, these people had no other means of making a living other than mining coals.
What was even more dangerous than adult coal miners were child laborers working on this job. Those bosses of the coal mines often dug out passageways that were only half a meter width in order to cut costs. They’d then let children climb into mine for coals.
Their work equipment was just a shovel, a big basket that they dragged on their back with a rope, and a coal dish that they could hold with their mouths.
A coal dish refered to a plate with some oil and a wick in it. When the children went into the mine, they’d have to bite it the entire time, not letting go. If the dish were to topple over, they’d have to work in the dark.
This was also the reason why Sun Mo could tell that this little girl was a child coal miner. It was because her teeth had grown weirdly from having to bite onto the coal dish over the years.
“Uncle, please pick me!”
Coal Briquette sniffed and her large eyes flickered, looking very bright.
“How many years have you been working in the mines?”
Sun Mo felt curious.
“Three years!”
Coal Briquette was very proud. “I’m the most experienced coal miner in town!”
Many great teachers frowned, and Xu Chunbo even cursed. “It’s shameless to let such a young child mine coal!”
