Chapter 51: A Radiant Figure Shines Upon All

The thirteen Ding-class students standing below the arena, watching their teacher's dazzling image on the platform, felt their hearts begin to boil.

"Have you ever?"

They wanted to shout to the teacher that they had—though they were useless, they had been right before. But faced with authority, they had cowered in their hearts and ultimately chosen silence.

Lin Fan looked at the students lost in thought below and sighed softly. They were still just children, their hearts too pure.

"On the path of martial arts, what matters is charging straight ahead, pointing directly at your true heart. If you fear power and bury the truth within, you will never go far on this path."

"Now, tell me loudly: have you ever?" Lin Fan's aura surged like a righteous little sun, shining down on all the students below.

Those shouts struck the students' hearts directly, shattering them open.

The students who had originally come to watch the excitement, hearing Teacher Lin's words, felt their blood boil, and the many grievances buried in their hearts surged like a torrent ready to burst forth.

"Yes..."

"I have too."

"Teacher Lin is right. No one is perfect. If our opinions differ from the teacher's, why must we be wrong..."

"Once, my true energy circulation was blocked. I thought it was a problem with my cultivation technique, but the teacher said it was a physical issue and made me suffer through drinking medicine. I've kept this buried in my heart and never spoken of it, because they were teachers."

...

Led by Lin Fan, the students below began to pour out their grievances one by one.

On the platform, Liu Qingfeng and the others wore extremely grim expressions.

How had a proper sparring match turned into this, making them the target of everyone's criticism? What was going on?

Hu Ben, lying on the ground, listened to Lin Fan's words and spat out mouthfuls of blood. Infuriating, utterly infuriating.

Twisting black into white—how could anyone be so shameless?

Lin Fan looked at the excited students and gently raised his hand to calm them. "Though you are not my students, you are students of Tianfu Academy. I want to say a few words to you: when you believe you are right, do not be swayed by others. Uphold your true heart and do what you think is right."

The students below looked at Lin Fan, gradually feeling respect. "Thank you for your教诲, Teacher Lin."

The students were good students, all willing to listen humbly. They weren't fools; after analyzing things, they could tell right from wrong. But they were still too naive.

Lin Fan nodded with satisfaction. The effect was good; students were easy to fool.

Then Lin Fan looked at Liu Qingfeng and the other two. "You must apologize to my students."

Liu Qingfeng and the others' expressions shifted repeatedly. Then they said softly, "Teacher Lin, leave some leeway for future encounters. If you make us apologize to students, how can we maintain our authority before them in the future?"

Lin Fan closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them, raising the long sword in his hand and stirring up a spray of light. "If that's the case, then let's settle it with our skills."

"Teacher Lin, wait..." Liu Qingfeng and the others were startled and quickly waved their hands. They knew they were no match for Lin Fan. If they really fought, they'd probably end up worse than Hu Ben, because who knew what this guy would say about them in front of the students.

"Are you ready to apologize?" Lin Fan looked at the three, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"This..." Liu Qingfeng and the others hesitated. How could they bring themselves to apologize to students? They were teachers! How could they apologize to a bunch of Ding-class students? If word got out, they'd be laughed to death.

"I think Teacher Liu should apologize."

"After hearing Teacher Lin's words today, I feel I shouldn't look down on anyone. I apologize to my Ding-class junior brothers."

"Yeah, me too."

"Teacher Liu, apologize."

"Apologize."

"Apologize..."

At this point, the students below, who had been whispering, gradually raised their voices in a chorus.

This was the will of the people...

The tide had turned; it was an irreversible decision.

Liu Shuishui and the other thirteen, watching the scene, were stunned speechless. They had never imagined such a day would come.

Liu Qingfeng and the others looked around and finally nodded. "Fine, we'll apologize."

Lin Fan showed a slight smile, then beckoned to Liu Shuishui and the others. "Come over and accept the sincere and repentant apologies of the three teachers."

Liu Shuishui and the others were startled and a bit scared, but when they saw the encouraging look in Teacher Lin's eyes, they mustered their courage and stepped onto the arena.

The thirteen stood in a row, straight as arrows, but they dared not look the three teachers in the eye.

"Remember, when accepting someone's apology, you must look them straight in the eye. In the future, you must also remember to be good at forgiving others. Do you understand?" Lin Fan said.

"Teacher, we understand." Liu Shuishui and the others replied, their faces flushed with excitement.

Liu Qingfeng and the other two were seething with anger. Hu Ben, lying on the ground, saw the situation and immediately pretended to be seriously injured, lying motionless.

No way—apologizing to students? That was a pipe dream. Better to lie low and escape this ordeal.

"Three teachers, go ahead." Lin Fan spread his hands.

Liu Qingfeng and the other two exchanged glances, sighed helplessly, and stepped before the thirteen.

Liu Shuishui and the others clutched the hems of their clothes nervously, but following the teacher's instructions, they looked the teachers straight in the eye.

Suddenly, they realized that after getting used to it, the B-class teachers weren't so scary after all.

"We apologize to you." Liu Qingfeng closed his eyes briefly and finally said the words. Then he glanced at Lin Fan. "Farewell."

Having lost face in front of so many students, who knew how this would be talked about in the future.

"Wait..." Lin Fan spoke up at this moment.

Liu Qingfeng and the other two's expressions changed. Was Lin Fan up to something again?

"Since the teachers have apologized to you, you should sincerely accept it. Tell them, 'We accept your apology.'" Lin Fan thought slyly.

Liu Shuishui and the thirteen nodded, then looked at the three teachers. "We accept your apology."

At this moment, Liu Shuishui and the others felt as if they were dreaming. They never thought they would have such a day.

Having B-class teachers apologize to them—something they had never imagined or dared to think about.

Liu Qingfeng and the other two's faces turned increasingly green, and they left without looking back. Hu Ben scrambled up and slunk away.

Lin Fan smiled at the thirteen students, nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the students below. "Remember four words."

"Uphold your true heart."

"Dismissed."

"Ding, congratulations, sub-profession Sage experience +200."

Lin Fan smiled happily at this moment. Indeed, those with brains lived joyfully, while those without, like Liu Qingfeng and the others, slunk away in disgrace.

Life... one must grasp it well.