Chapter 24

I, Tang Family Fortress, Starlight Continent.

These eight characters, Tang Zhengxian taught the young children, repeating them several times and then teaching them how to write each stroke.

After teaching them, he had the children start practicing writing these characters.

"I." After dealing with the youngest group of children, Tang Zhengxian pointed to the first word and said, "What is 'I'? 'I' is oneself. A complete 'I' is composed of many aspects such as self-respect, self-reliance, freedom, and self-control..."

Since the slightly older children didn't need to practice writing these eight characters, Tang Zheng could elaborate a bit more for them.

Extending from the word "I," Tang Zhengxian began to teach them idioms.

"Only I am supreme," "I am outnumbered," "Among three people, there must be one who can be my teacher"...

One by one, the idioms were written on the white paper hanging up, the sound of the pen scratching against the paper filling the air.

Soon, after finishing the idioms, he flipped through the "Spring and Autumn History of the Purple Gold Empire" and began to teach history to the oldest children.

One after another, he continued, and Tang Zheng found that teaching from kindergarten to doctoral students didn't seem so difficult.

After about half an hour, he finished teaching "I" and began to teach about Tang Family Fortress.

Tang Zheng picked up the pen and circled the words "I," "Tang Family Fortress," and "Starlight Continent" with emphasis.

After putting down the pen, Tang Zheng continued.

"I went out last night. I learned the survival rules of Wulong Town with a scar on my neck."

He changed the subject and lifted his collar.

A chorus of gasps immediately rose from the audience below.

"Wow, that's scary..."

"Ah! Master, what happened to you?"

"Who did this? I'll kill him."

Tang Zheng pressed his hand down, signaling them to calm down: "I know many of you think that in a place like Wulong Town, the one with the biggest fists is the law, so there's no need to read or write, and some of you even came to remind me not to keep you late, hmm?"

Tang Zheng tapped the inkstone with the pen.

The few teenagers who had found him in the training ground lowered their heads again.

"I wrote these three words to let everyone know that we are not just a few bad apples. We are the ones who will change the entire Tang Family Fortress, who will leave Wulong Town, and who will conquer the Great Route... ah, no, we will conquer the Starlight Continent, bad apples!"

"I also know that some of you are unwilling to learn to read and write, thinking it's useless, so you've been reading reluctantly for your elders..."

"Today, I want to tell you that in the thick history of the Purple Gold Empire, the 108 most brilliant nine-star powerhouses, their illiteracy rate... is zero! Not a single one! So, can you understand their military strategies, maps, and sand table simulations?"

"From today on, I hope you remember..." Tang Zheng turned around again and wrote a complete sentence on the white paper filled with words.

"Study for the rise of Tang Family Fortress!"

The entire lecture hall fell silent.

"From today on..." Tang Zheng raised the pen and pointed to the sentence behind him.

"Study for the rise of Tang Family Fortress!" All the Tang Family Fortress children who could read shouted out loud.

Tang Zheng didn't speak again.

He wanted to leave some space for the Tang Family Fortress children to think clearly.

That way, his classes would go more smoothly, and no one would cause trouble.

But at that moment, a little boy of about four years old raised his hand timidly and said, "Does Master mean that from today on, we are bad apples?"

"Uh, not exactly..." Tang Zheng almost snapped his pen in half.

"Not... not?" The little boy looked scared.

Tang Zheng swallowed hard and corrected, "We... we are great bad apples, capable of changing the future of Tang Family Fortress, and even the future of the entire Starlight Continent!"

The two or three youngest little boys and girls thought for a moment, seemingly understanding, and then jumped up happily: "We are all bad apples, yay, we are all bad apples, yay!"

"You little rascals!" Tang Zheng was about to flip the table.

The solemn atmosphere of studying for the rise of Tang Family Fortress in the lecture hall disappeared completely.

...

After two hours of intense effort, Tang Zheng's first class finally passed without major incidents.

Having accomplished the great feat of teaching from kindergarten to graduate school, he took a big step toward the path of tirelessly ruining people.

After a hurried lunch, Tang Zheng didn't go to the training ground but hurried back to his small courtyard.

"Star pattern, star pattern... my star pattern... please don't be instant noodles, even if they are, don't be leftover ones, if they are leftover, at least not moldy... " Tang Zheng lowered his standards all the way, and finally, "Forget it, one can't be so greedy! As long as I have a star pattern, it doesn't matter what it is, even instant noodles left in the sewer for three years... Uh, am I getting a heavier taste...?"

Tang Zheng returned to his small courtyard and took out the "heavenly price" pattern ink, which cost one tael of purple gold per square.

A sheet of white paper was already laid out on his small table.

"Big brother, what are you doing?" Just as he was about to grind the ink, a clear child's voice came from behind him.

"Huh?" Tang Zheng, who had walked in a hurry, hadn't noticed the little tail following him—Meng Fengling.

Tang Zheng was puzzled.

His hearing was absolutely top-notch.

But he hadn't heard the bell on Fengling's neck ringing as she followed him all the way.

"Big brother..." Fengling climbed onto the table and sat happily on the white paper, poking it with her chubby little hands, "Is big brother going to write? Fengling will add fragrance for you..."

"..." Tang Zheng quickly picked her up, "Who taught you to use the phrase 'add fragrance' like that?"

"Because I'm not wearing red today?"

"..." Tang Zheng was speechless.

He patted Fengling's head and made her stay obediently to one side, then spread his sleeve and started grinding the ink.

The light purple pattern ink, which faintly carried the scent of a young girl, was finely ground, and as the ink entered the water, his star power seemed to leap and dance joyfully.

The light purple light patterns, changing into various ethereal shapes, rose to the surface like reflections from the water, making the entire inkstone glow with a lustrous sheen.

"Huh, is this pattern ink?" Fengling asked.

"Um, yes, it's pattern ink. Have you used it before?"

"No." Fengling shook her head.

"Wait until you grow up, and big brother will give you some..."

"I'm naturally a one-star... I don't need it."

"..." Tang Zheng really wanted to kick her out.

According to the first volume of "Star Attraction Techniques," "Star Pattern Recognition," one only needed to coat the palm with pattern ink, then channel star power and press it onto the white paper to see the star pattern that would soon rise behind them.

"Here we go!" Tang Zheng focused his mind.

He didn't look at Fengling, took a half-step back, and with a shout, gathered all his star power in his palm and slapped it onto the white paper.

Whoosh... a gust of wind.

"Uh?" Tang Zheng felt as if his entire perception had entered a clear and empty state.

The things in front of him, the white paper, the inkstone, and Fengling, all became increasingly blurry...

The only thing that remained clear was the layer of light purple smoke spreading from his palm.

Like ripples...

The layers of purple smoke quickly rose, spiraled, and even enveloped his entire body, flowing through every star meridian.

The tidal force of the star power and the star power gathered in his palm collided repeatedly!

The burning sensation from his palm almost made Tang Zheng think he was touching not a piece of paper but an electric blanket...

Then, the star power in his palm suddenly loosened, as if struck by some force, and was all scattered.

At this moment, Tang Zheng's perception gradually returned.

The small table, the inkstone, and Fengling slowly became clear in his vision, and the layers of purple smoke slowly dissipated...

Tang Zheng moved his hand from the white paper and held his breath to look at it.

"What's this star pattern?" Fengling, being short, easily climbed onto the table in front of Tang Zheng.

"What the heck?" Tang Zheng stared at the image on the paper for a full minute, "Did the Treasure Pavilion sell me expired pattern ink?"

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It's snowing so heavily outside, I really don't want to get out of bed... A frozen cat waves its paw for a monthly ticket...

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