Chapter 121: Zhou Yi's Despair
After concluding that undercurrent-laden conversation with the God of Destruction, the system's signature chime sounded right on cue from the depths of Furina's spiritual sea.
"Congratulations, Host. You have successfully earned the God of Destruction's trust and his covert blessing. Reward settlement: 100,000 points."
"Only 100,000 points?" Furina furrowed her brows slightly, grumbling inwardly. True, 100,000 points was by no means a small sum—enough to summon Neuvillette once at a critical moment.
However, as her Church of the Water God continued to expand its operations, daily expenditures, personnel development, and all manner of other needs required points to sustain. In the long run, these 100,000 points did indeed seem somewhat inadequate—feeling more like a modest "start-up fund" than anything else.
As if it could read her silent complaints directly, the system immediately responded, its tone carrying a nearly human-like exasperation: "Host, count your blessings. This is already the most generous reward that can be granted at this stage, calculated according to mission difficulty and influence weighting. Don't forget, the Goddess of Life's divine trial is yet to be triggered, and when it is, further rewards will naturally follow. Once you successfully complete the first trial of the Water God, this system will also prepare a fitting gift of its own for you."
It paused, as if organizing more persuasive phrasing: "If rewards were given too lavishly and indiscriminately, if the numbers inflated too rapidly, that would instead strip away the joy of challenge and the meaning of growth. Even when facing so-called 'primitive' opponents, is the process itself—planning step by step, accumulating bit by bit, contending game after game—not itself the greatest source of interest?"
"If one were to rely purely on system-assigned stat boosts, then look down from on high and mock those who strive through their own effort... would such a path not be unbearably dull?"
This rapid-fire "lecture," perfectly reasonable and well-reasoned, left Furina momentarily speechless. She had to admit that while the system's words were blunt, they struck at the heart of the matter. Relying too heavily on external gifts could indeed cause one to lose sight of the path of self-improvement, and rob future victories of their hard-earned savor.
"Alright, alright. You make a fair point." Furina waved her hand, accepting the explanation. "I won't be greedy, then. The points just need to suffice. My primary focus, in any case, must remain on the upcoming grand talent-poaching plan and the blueprint for unifying the continent. The ultimate goal, after all, is to drag Tang San down from his lofty divine pedestal."
A note of encouragement crept into the system's voice: "It is good that the Host thinks this way. Please keep up the effort and advance steadily along the path to supremacy. However, this system must remind the Host: due to your successful subjugation of the Tang Sect's remnants, Tang San's malice monitoring value toward you has recently risen significantly. It currently hovers around 50, which falls within the 'High Alert and Hostile' range."
"And if..." the system's tone took on a shade of playful gravity, "if he were to learn that you not only shook his foundations in the lower realm, but also directly leaked those unsavory secrets of his straight to his old nemesis, the God of Destruction... by this system's projections, it is absolutely not impossible for his malice value to instantly breach the ten-thousand-point mark."
"Ten thousand points?!" Furina felt a numbing tingle spread across her scalp, as if she could already feel that bone-chilling, murderous intent. "Isn't that a little too exaggerated? I thought it might at most rise to a hundred or so, just as a token gesture... By this logic, wouldn't he personally descend to the lower realm, grind me—and my entire Church of the Water God—to ash, then scatter even the ashes just to quell his hatred?"
"Extrapolating from logic, such a possibility does indeed exist," the system analyzed coolly. "You have, in effect, flipped over his hidden cards and destabilized his fundamental designs. According to the behavioral patterns of deities—especially one of his disposition—thoroughly eliminating the source of the threat and everything associated with it, even tracing it back through reincarnation to settle accounts, would be standard operating procedure. However—"
The system shifted its tone, "The Host need not be excessively worried. You are no longer fighting alone. Behind you now stands that mighty figure, the God of Destruction. This connection is, in itself, an exceedingly powerful protective talisman."
"You're right." Furina drew a deep breath, suppressing that flicker of trepidation and rallying her spirits. "Face soldiers with generals, stem water with earth. Having a powerful backer truly does feel different."
She stretched, deciding to temporarily set aside her tangled thoughts. "In that case, no late-night cultivation today. I'll conserve my energy and have a good night's sleep first!"
The system seemed somewhat speechless at her capricious decision, leaving behind a silent string of ellipses before fading into quiet.
The next morning, in the classroom at Shrek Academy.
Furina had already become a focal point of the entire class, if not the entire grade. During breaks, classmates continuously gathered around her—some seeking her guidance on difficulties in soul power cultivation or theory, even more curiously or yearningly asking whether they might have a chance to join her "Church of the Water God," which had already taken on an almost legendary reputation.
To those who approached with academic questions, Furina always responded patiently, demonstrating both impressive breadth of knowledge and amiability. To those expressing a desire to join, she greeted them with an even warmer smile while inwardly calculating.
These boys and girls, mostly eleven or twelve years old, largely did not hail from top-tier sects or the core power structures of the empires. Their minds and temperaments were still in a formative stage, far from set in stone. Among them were perhaps children of local nobility, heirs of minor sects, and offspring of newly risen wealthy merchants.
Compared to core inheritors who had been rigorously indoctrinated with familial or sectarian ideals from a young age, these students were undoubtedly ideal targets for "poaching talent" and cultivating a future core faction.
With the proper application of benefits, supplemented by ideological guidance and emotional bonds, it would not be difficult to harvest a fairly high degree of loyalty. Furina mentally mapped out the blueprint for the future, leaving a positive initial impression on every interested individual.
Soon, the class bell rang.
The classroom door was pushed open, but the woman who walked in was a female teacher many students found both unfamiliar and strangely recognizable. She had removed the human-skin mask that had previously obscured her features, revealing a face that was refined yet carried a certain sternness—it was, in fact, Zhou Yi.
The students were stunned for a moment, then, recalling the upheaval of the day before, suddenly realized—this was indeed their homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi. Only, at this moment, she looked entirely different.
The forceful, stringent, sharp-eyed Teacher Zhou of yesterday was nowhere to be seen. Standing on the podium now, her gaze was somewhat scattered, and her brow was shrouded in a lingering veil of exhaustion and dejection. She radiated an air of utter despondency, as if all the spirit had been drained from her overnight.
Zhou Yi spoke in a flat, almost numb tone: "Today's class... shall still be led by student Furina. I feel that I no longer have anything left to teach you all. Perhaps letting go is the best option. The position of class monitor shall be filled by Huo Yuhao. For all matters large and small within the class from now on, consult Furina and Huo Yuhao first to discuss and resolve them. Only come to me if the two of them together deem my involvement necessary."
As her voice fell, a wave of hushed murmuring rippled through the classroom.
"Teacher Zhou is... completely shattered? Has she just given up on herself?"
"Is it really that surprising? Yesterday she was publicly accused of employing teaching methods bordering on evil soul master practices, her entire philosophy was negated across the board, and she was so infuriated she vomited blood... who could bear such a blow?"
"Yeah, having something you've upheld your whole life ground to dust—that kind of breakdown is understandable."
"Though... isn't this better? I feel like Furina knows more, and her teaching is more flexible and interesting."
However, Furina—the very center of this discussion—upon hearing Zhou Yi's near-"shamelessly slacking off" entrustment, was not at all pleased.
She had stepped forward yesterday out of aversion to those unfair teaching methods, along with a calculated desire to seize the opportunity to establish her authority and spread her philosophy. But this absolutely did not mean she was willing to squander her precious cultivation time on trivial matters like managing a class or teaching foundational courses.
Her primary identity was that of a student. Her core objective was rapidly increasing her personal soul power and spiritual force, solidifying her foundation for godhood, and ensuring she had sufficient strength for self-preservation and counterattack in the divine-level power games of the future. Dedicating vast amounts of time to teaching and administration would unquestionably drag down her personal progress.
Thus, Furina rose to her feet. Her expression was earnest yet resolute, her voice clear as she stated: "Teacher Zhou, I am very grateful for your trust. But I must respectfully decline. I am first and foremost a student, and my primary duty must be my own cultivation—that is the attitude most responsible to the academy and to my own future. However, as a member of this class, I can offer some suggestions regarding the curriculum."
She considered briefly, then smoothly outlined her proposal: "I believe we could suitably increase the proportion of class hours dedicated to practical combat training. That is the most direct method for consolidating one's foundation and enhancing adaptability. The remaining time ought to be left for students to focus on meditation and cultivation, strengthening their soul power base."
"Additionally, we could perhaps organize visits to the soul tool experimentation zone, allowing everyone to gain intuitive understanding of soul tool creation and application—especially enabling students of the support-type to evaluate whether they possess the potential and interest to develop in the direction of soul tools."
She concluded: "Of course, my personal view remains that a soul master's fundamental strength is the most vital of all. Soul tools can serve as supplementary means, but unless one truly has extraordinary talent in this path, I do not recommend reversing priorities by investing excessive energy here, which could delay foundational soul power cultivation."
Furina's suggestions were lucid and well-organized, balancing practical experience, cultivation, and the broadening of horizons—many classmates nodded silently in agreement.
At the podium, Zhou Yi seemed to lack even the strength to argue or deliberate. She merely nodded weakly and went along with Furina's words: "Fine... let it be as you say. In that case, today's lesson shall be a visit to the soul tool experimentation zone."
Her gaze drifted somewhat distractedly over Huo Yuhao, a complicated thought flickering through her mind. That child's first soul skill was, in fact, exceptionally suited to her husband Fan Yu's ongoing Ultimate Soldier Project... but given the current circumstances, Huo Yuhao was clearly closer to Furina's circle and would likely prove difficult to recruit into that project.
The thought merely flashed past, then was drowned again by deeper exhaustion.