"Ashu, go ahead and share," Anna encouraged.
She also wanted to see if Ashu's understanding was correct, and this would give her a chance to help him fill in any gaps. Although the time for the lecture was limited, she didn't mind taking a little extra time to help him out.
"This..." Ashu hesitated.
"Go ahead! Ashu, bro! I want to learn too!" The few boys who usually showed Ashu great respect encouraged him.
"Alright."
Ashu stepped up to the platform, standing next to Anna.
He explained his understanding in simple terms, but the audience still couldn't make sense of it. Instead, Anna on stage wore an expression of surprise and confusion.
As the instructor, Anna was confident that she had fully mastered the basics of cultivation knowledge. After all, she had been studying for many years in the Witch's Guild.
But when Ashu explained it in simple terms, she realized that there were parts of the concept she had been overcomplicating.
What was even more startling was that, as she quickly replayed the explanation in her mind, she was amazed to find that this version of understanding could bypass the need for spiritual perception talent, allowing even ordinary people to learn cultivation!
As long as they focused on studying, it would only be a matter of time before they could master it!
"Has everyone understood?" Ashu cleared his throat. He had never taught for such a long period, and living alone for so long had made his voice hoarse after speaking so much at once.
Unfortunately.
The response was a chorus of shaking heads. Even Carol, who was at the first stage of spiritual perception, was still in complete confusion.
"Do it again!" Fat Laus, who had somehow made his way to the edge of the large open space, called out.
Ashu smiled slightly and used his power to control a leaf from a nearby tree, forming it into a green hat and tossing it over to Fat Laus.
After the demonstration, Ashu suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if he hadn't slept for several days straight.
Fortunately.
Anna had anticipated this. She quickly stepped forward to support Ashu and helped him to a stone pedestal to rest.
"Even those who have already comprehended the material should pay attention. At first, it's best not to use your powers too far or too complicated. The consumption is immense, and you must proceed step by step," Anna said, "Now, I will continue with the divine edict."
Anna began her sermon.
As for the previous part, only Ashu understood, while the others were left staring blankly.
Carol had long lost interest in the sermon. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
She couldn't understand the basics of cultivation, and yet Ashu not only understood them but even demonstrated his learning right there in front of everyone.
Could it be that Ashu's talent was higher?
The higher Ashu's talent, the more painful it was for Carol.
Such an outstanding man, and yet she hadn't been able to secure him! She had let her greedy parents drive him away.
"No, I can't let this go! I have to find a way to win Ashu back!" Carol thought to herself.
No longer interested in listening to the sermon, she stood up and quickly headed back toward her home.
Before she even reached her doorstep, she bumped into her parents, who were on their way to keep an eye on the lecture.
Carol's expression immediately darkened.
Seeing her mother's concern, she quickly asked, "Carol, what's wrong? Did the lecture finish early?"
"No!"
From her daughter's tone, Carol's mother guessed that something was wrong. She quickly added, "Did you see Ashu with that woman? Carol, listen to me..."
Her mother had initially planned to take a long-term approach, but as soon as Carol brought up the matter, her anger flared up.
She interrupted, "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you demanding half of Ashu's land, he would've married me by now! And now look what's happened! Ashu's angry with you! Do you know? Ashu's talent is even higher than my first stage of spiritual perception, and he's already a full-fledged apprentice cultivator!"
Upon hearing this, Carol's parents were shocked. Ashu was clearly a farmer, and his father was just an ordinary knight—how could he suddenly become an apprentice cultivator?
Could it be because of that Saintess?
No, that didn't make sense.
Without talent, even if the Saintess were helping him, he wouldn't be able to transcend his status.
Carol's mother looked troubled and said to her daughter, "Carol, Ashu's always been sharp and clever, much smarter than you. Your father and I were worried you wouldn't be able to control him after marriage, which is why we asked for half of the land. It was all for your own good! Why can't you understand that?"
After all, Ashu was a time traveler. While other children were playing in the dirt, Ashu's demeanor had always been more mature, almost like an adult.
Especially after becoming independent, he had even "researched" things like cultivating fruit and vegetable seeds—something that no one else understood.
Not even the priest of the Guild knew about this.
Moreover, as elders, Carol's parents had always thought that Ashu was just hiding his true abilities. They were certain that he had even more impressive skills yet to be revealed.
With someone like Ashu, Carol simply couldn't control him.
"For my own good? For my own good!" Carol's eyes welled up with tears as she thought of the magic Ashu had shown. "If it were really for my own good, why didn't you come up with a different solution? Why couldn't you just let go of that damned land? Ashu already said he didn't want it last time, but you forced him again today! You pushed him away from me, and now you're satisfied! Ashu's an apprentice cultivator now, and I… I regret it so much! I just want to die from regret!"
"Enough!" Carol's father suddenly growled, unable to stand seeing his daughter's heartbreak. He wanted to console her but couldn't tolerate her agony over a man. "Look at you! If you could have held Ashu's heart, he would have already married you without a second thought. To be honest, Ashu doesn't really love you. If he truly loved you, a man would give up everything just to be with you!"
His words cut deep into Carol's heart.
Before Anna returned, she had been considered the most beautiful girl in the village. After Anna came back, all she felt was inferiority.
The villagers couldn't help but compare the plain Carol to the stunning Anna, constantly judging her as a failure in comparison.
"I hate you!" Carol screamed in anguish, tears streaming down her face as she ran back home.
Her parents stood there, watching her retreating figure, sighing helplessly.
"Never imagined Ashu had such potential... Should we...?" Carol's mother began to waver.
But Carol's father, who refused to lose face, stubbornly replied, "What do you mean, 'Should we'? That Saintess is with Ashu, teaching him. She definitely didn't explain things properly to Carol, wasting her first-stage spiritual perception talent for nothing!"
Sigh, it's human nature.
"To hell with them. I swear, these damn Guild dogs aren't worth a thing. They've taken so much from us, and now we can't even find the priest. From now on, I don't believe in any gods!" Carol's father raged. "I'll go to the neighboring village and find that wizard. He can be Carol's mentor. Once she becomes a full cultivator, what kind of man won't want her?"
"But... I heard that wizard isn't recognized by the Guild."
"I said, to hell with the Guild dogs."
...
Under the large locust tree.
Anna had completed the Guild's commission. She reached into her pocket and felt the sealed pouch of coins, which now opened on its own.
A thin copper coin poured out, filling her pocket.
This was the Guild's payment.
"That's it, thank you."
Anna said as she finished, then walked down from the platform toward Ashu. Amidst envious gazes, she casually draped Ashu's arm over her white neck and supported him as they made their way home.
"Phew, why didn't you say this would take so much out of you?" Ashu asked.
"I just wanted to see how much you understood."
"And?"
"It looks like it was just a coincidence. Tonight, I'll properly tutor you so that you won't feel exhausted when casting basic spells in the future," Anna replied playfully.
Ashu let out a relieved sigh.
He had actually understood everything, including the fact that beginners shouldn't use overly complicated or long-range spell manipulations. But in order to quell any doubts others might have, he had to act a bit more naïve.
"Anna, since I've already cast a spell, what stage of spiritual perception am I at now?"
"Zero stage," Anna replied bluntly, "Spiritual perception doesn't change. You're born with whatever you have."
"What about you?"
"Twelve stages."
"Huh?" Ashu was so shocked that he almost regained his strength. If spiritual perception didn't change, that meant Anna had been at the twelfth stage since she was a child. After all those years in the Witch's Guild, what level must she have reached by now?
Ashu asked again, "So what rank are you at now?"
"Apprentice cultivator." Anna said, and a hint of sadness appeared in her deep blue eyes. "There are two ways to leave the closed training environment of the Witch's Guild: one is to become an operative, the other is to be exiled. I was about to become an operative, but after being tainted by a certain mark, I lost a lot of my magical essence and soul power and fell to the level of an apprentice. But it's okay. I returned to you this way, faster than if I had become an operative."