Collapse: Black Moonlight Turns White, Popular Four-Star Character

"What are you doing here?"

"Yu Mo, have you reviewed the homework first? Bring it to me to have a look." Tao Ran stroked his beard and said lightly.

"It's not finished yet. I need Ying Xing's copy, sir."

"He's late today."

"Heh, your clothes are disheveled. I wonder where you went yesterday. You don't have any craftsman spirit at all."

Yannian glanced at Yingxing, deliberately dragging out his tone, his voice extremely mischievous and full of disdain.

"You--" Ying Xing was furious and stared at Yannian. The other party was clearly confusing right and wrong.

[Ying Xing's favorability: –495.]

"It's over, it's over. Ying Xing is angry and wants to go back. There's still a little bit left."

"The villain's vicious personality misled me." Yannian remained arrogant on the surface, but he was conflicted inside and had already started thinking about where the last save point was.

[Ying Xing's favorability: –490.]

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tao Ran, I'm indeed late. This is my homework."

Ying Xing frowned, looked away from Yannian, took out a crumpled piece of paper from his schoolbag, and handed it to Tao Ran respectfully.

The students who had been looking in to watch the fun saw the cheap, rough paper and sneered, "What a piece of rubbish! It must have been made up at the last minute!"

"Quiet." Tao Ran's face was as calm as an ancient well, and he glanced at the noisy students.

The room returned to silence. Tao Ran gestured for the two to return to their seats, while he walked to the podium and looked through the drawings that Yannian had corrected.

Ying Xing lowered his head and returned to the seat at the back, the voice in his ears still continuing.

"It's class again! I hate class! Help! I'm already wondering when it's going to end."

"After class, buy some food and stuff it into Yingxing's mouth like a bully."

Ying Xing subconsciously looked at Yannian who was in the front. Yannian immediately turned around, his nose turned up, and the corners of his mouth were curved in contempt.

"It must be an auditory hallucination." Ying Xing's eyelids twitched and he complained in his heart.

After pretending for a while, Yannian turned around, puzzled. Why did the other party's favorability increase the more he bullied Ying Xing?

This kid doesn't have the attribute of shaking.

"What is the attribute of shaking?"

Ying Xing looked confused. There were always some strange words in this strange voice, such as rise, fall, personality, etc., which he couldn't understand.

"The quality of this assignment is poor. I took a look at it and it seems gaudy and fraudulent."

"The lines are disordered and the proportions are out of balance. If it is forged according to the diagram you drew, it will not only be without edge, but may also harm others and yourself."

After looking at a few pictures, Tao Ran sighed and shook his head, his face gloomy. The dissatisfaction solidified in the air, making everyone dare not breathe.

"Yu Mo!" Tao Ran slammed his hand on the table and snorted coldly.

"Here." Yannian didn't understand what was going on, so he stood up and was criticized.

"As the eldest senior brother, the drawings you submitted also have several flaws. Didn't I tell you about the forging design of the blade corners?"

"How many times do you think the sword you designed can withstand the sharp claws of the weapon beast?"

"If Yunqi has a bunch of you as logistics support, it will be killed sooner or later. All of you should copy the "Record of Ancient and Modern Swords and Knives" ten times. As the eldest brother, Yu Mo should copy it fifty times." Tao Ran's mouth was tense, and he glanced at Ying Xing's homework.

When I picked it up and took a look, I found that it was even better than Yu Mo's design, and it perfectly made up for the shortcomings of Yu Mo's design.

Tao Ran narrowed his eyes and said, "Ying Xing's design is good. For first place in this assignment, the punishment is waived."

"But the blade is too long."

"Remember this: a sword that's too long will be heavy, and one that's too short will lack power."

When these words were spoken, the students were shocked, turned their eyes to Ying Xing, and began to whisper.

"No way, he actually surpassed Senior Brother Yu Mo. How is that possible? He must have copied from some ancestor. I've been learning for fifty years, how could I be inferior to someone who has studied for less than a year?"

"How shameless! He must have plagiarized it."

Ying Xing looked embarrassed, his hands tightly clutching the corner of his clothes. Faced with the rumors from everyone, he had no idea what to do.

Because even if you argue, no one will believe you.

But this time, it was rare that he actually heard words of praise from his teacher.

In the past, Teacher Tao Ran would simply ignore his homework, never look at it carefully, and let Yu Mo mark it randomly.

Why today——

In the noisy crowd, Ying Xing looked towards the podium, but saw Tao Ran nodding at him with a loving look in his eyes.

Ying Xing hurriedly looked away and rubbed his eyes, thinking it must be an illusion.

"Teacher Tao Ran is a little different today? Sure enough, he came after all. As expected."

"Ying Xing's design is truly the best among all of them. It's incredible that he was able to produce a design several times higher in quality than the previous one in just one night."

"Yo—you're pretty cute when you're shy, but it's a shame you won't be like that anymore."

Ying Xing blushed a little when he heard what the senior brother said. Such frank praise sounded pleasant to his ears, and the haze of discrimination from his classmates in his heart was alleviated a little.

With the teacher's recognition, Ying Xing felt like he was dreaming today.

"Teacher, I don't agree. Why should Yingxing's eccentric design be number one?"

"And how can the works of the short-lived species compare with those of the long-lived species? This might be his limit." Yannian's eyes were dark, and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

In an instant, Ying Xing felt like he was hit on the head, his face was full of black lines, he must be dreaming.

There was a world of difference between these vicious words and the gentle whispers lingering in his ears.

Tao Ran smiled lightly and walked to Ying Xing with his hands behind his back.

The wind blew gently, and the leaves swayed through the window and landed on Ying Xing's desk. Ying Xing stood up hurriedly, feeling nervous. He didn't understand why the teacher who had always disliked him came to him in person today.

Tao Ran picked up a leaf from the table, a smile in his dark eyes, and asked softly, "Ying Xing, where do you think your limit is?"

Ying Xing pursed his lips. It was the first time he was asked such a question, and he immediately stammered in his answer.

"I, I don't know. I just want to be better than last time."

"That's all." Ying Xing lowered his head and closed his eyes, fearing that his answer would make the teacher dissatisfied and he would scold him again.

But after waiting for a long time, what finally landed on my head was a warm and strong big hand.

Ying Xing was stunned, raised his eyes slightly, and Tao Ran smiled at him gently.

"Heaven moves in good health, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement."

"The terrain is good, and a gentleman carries it with great virtue."

"Don't stop pursuing your goals. This answer is excellent. There's a reward for the top scorer in today's assignment—a stationery gift pack. Ying Xing, once your drawing is complete and put into use, you'll receive a subsidy."

"Keep it up." Tao Ran patted Ying Xing's shoulder and took out a big bag from somewhere, which contained paper, pens, ink, calipers, etc.

There are also basic forging books, which are suitable for newcomers to read.

"I will do my best."

Ying Xing looked at Tao Ran's back and felt dazed, as if he was dreaming.

After all, last time, Tao Ran openly criticized him for trying too hard and said that it was useless and hoped that he would drop out of school early.

Although today's words of encouragement were just a few words, they took root in my heart like seeds.

Why does it feel like the world has become dreamy since I fell into the water?

Ying Xing sat down, and the voice of the senior brother sounded in his ears again.

"The rewards are really good, and they're exactly what Ying Xing needs. With these, drawing the map later will definitely go much more smoothly."

"Why do I feel like I'm about to cry? My nose is red. I'm so touched—little crybaby."

Ying Xing frowned, looked up suddenly, and met Yannian who happened to look back, and subconsciously glared back.

He didn't cry.

Yannian felt puzzled. Why did he suddenly glare at him? He hadn't even started performing yet.

Could it be that she hates him, so she is extremely sensitive to his gaze, but the key is that her favorability towards him has increased a little.

Ying Xing was really hard for him to understand.

The other students in the school showed expressions of confusion, thinking that Teacher Tao Ran must have taken the wrong medicine to say such hypocritical words.

Tao Ran waved his sleeves, ignored everyone's gaze, turned and walked to the podium to start today's class.

Time in school always passes quickly and slowly. The sun's shadow tilts, and as the bell rings across the sky, Tao Ran assigns today's homework - to design a small star raft.

The next class is a practical class. The apprentices need to go to the forging room and observe the teacher's assembly, disassembly and explanation of the Star Raft based on their existing knowledge, and practice it themselves.

People left one after another, and Ying Xing also took the time to pack his schoolbag, trying to get closer to watch.

When I walked to the door, I found Yannian sitting there motionless.

Teacher Tao Ran didn't leave either. He put his hands behind his back and looked out the window. Noticing Ying Xing's gaze, Tao Ran turned back and smiled slightly, "Ying Xing, is there anything you didn't understand in class?"

"No, no, teacher."

"Goodbye, teacher." Ying Xing shook his head in panic and left the classroom.

"The person I cared about is gone, and I feel unexpectedly empty. With my score so low, time is truly precious."

Ying Xing paused, his eyes trembling. Is the person he loves the one he loves?

What nonsense!

No, he has to find a time to confirm whether it is the eldest brother's. A trace of ripples flashed in Ying Xing's eyes.

After everyone left, the room seemed especially empty.

The sunlight shines through the half-open wooden windows, scattering mottled light on the tables and chairs polished by time. The air is filled with the faint scent of ink and old books.

"Jun Li, Ying Xing... is a good kid."

Tao Ran spoke with a vicissitudes of life and looked at Yannian.

Yannian remained silent and did not respond.

Tao Ran raised the corners of his mouth, and the leaves at his fingertips flew around and burned to ashes in the flames. In just a moment, the young man's appearance changed.

He was a little old man with a withered and experienced face, thick white eyebrows, squinting eyes, wearing a conical hat, and a fuzzy white beard around his mouth.

With her two little hands tucked into her sleeves, she looked at Yannian happily.

"So?" Yannian said calmly, "Master is planning to take him in as a disciple."

"Harvest this short-lived seed."

"Who knows, but I found something interesting." Huai Yan touched his beard and opened his eyes slightly.

"What's the matter?" Yannian's eyes flickered.

Huai Yan came to Yan Nian's side and asked, "It's about a certain senior brother who first bullied the junior brother and then used the fire of separation to illuminate the junior brother."

"Jun Li, Master clearly told you before...you can't use the Fire of Departure."

"Otherwise, leave the Industrial Manufacturing Division."