Start By Parsing The Sun

Chapter 42: Catfish

Gu Jinglong casually tossed his wallet, producing a crisp "ding dang" sound that seemed to indicate a substantial amount of money inside.

He grinned and asked, "Do you all want to know how much money is in this wallet?"

Some students nodded their heads.

The scar-faced vice principal didn't keep them in suspense and immediately revealed the answer, "150 silver coins for the signing bonus, 80 silver coins for this month's subsidy, totaling 230 silver coins. Do you all think that's a lot?"

There was an uproar among the students.

It was not just a lot, it was outrageously excessive!

Among this group of people, the student with the highest subsidy received only 15 silver coins per month, and the signing bonus never exceeded 30 silver coins.

In comparison, Cheng Han's subsidy alone was almost equivalent to that of five or six people.

Suddenly, Gu Jinglong shouted, "Cheng Han, continue!"

He made a sudden movement with his wrist, and the money bag swiftly flew through the crowd towards Cheng Han. The angle was quite tricky, making it difficult to catch.

This was undoubtedly a test.

After a moment, the money bag swiftly passed by Cheng Han's side.

At that moment, everyone thought he would miss the money bag.

But Cheng Han suddenly kicked his right leg in the opposite direction, using a "shuttlecock kick" stance, and accurately kicked the money bag.

"Bang!"

The direction of the money bag instantly changed, shooting diagonally upwards.

It's worth noting that before kicking, he didn't even glance at the money bag, yet he still managed to kick it.

This was clearly a highly difficult move.

"Clap!"

A hand swung over and firmly caught the money bag.

It was Cheng Han.

He collected the money bag and calmly replied, "Thank you, Principal Jinglong."

The surrounding students had different expressions.

Some looked astonished, obviously shocked by this move.

Others looked wary, clearly not fond of this lower-grade student.

Gu Jinglong chuckled and praised, "Cheng Han, it seems I underestimated you. Your skills are even better than I imagined."

The scar-faced vice principal added, "This impressive blind kick is something that no more than three students in the preparatory class can do. Although Cheng Han is only a third-year student, most of the students present can't match him in terms of physical fitness."

Cheng Han sighed inwardly.

I know you want me to be the catfish, but is there really such a rush?

Gu Jinglong timely changed the topic, saying, "Alright, let's not talk too much."

The scar-faced vice principal looked around and then began discussing the main topic, "In this training session, I will demonstrate the second move of the Nine Elements Strengthening Technique, the 'Embracing the Stove' stance, and then guide everyone in practicing it."

Gu Jinglong adopted a military-like efficiency, taking a few steps back and shouting, "Everyone, pay attention!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he struck a rather peculiar pose, as if he was holding a large object in his arms.

The term "Embracing the Stove" originated from this pose.

Cheng Han blinked his eyes.

With the help of the three remaining imprints, he clearly sensed a subtle surge of source energy within Gu Jinglong's body.

During previous school-wide exercises, the two vice principals had demonstrated the Nine Elements Strengthening Technique several times, but it was only a superficial display. This time, they were truly putting in effort.

The other students seemed oblivious, their attention solely focused on the scar-faced vice principal. They clearly didn't perceive the source energy surge.

Suddenly, Gu Jinglong shouted, "Fire!"

This shout was extremely loud, clearly audible throughout the entire venue.

The students standing closer felt their eardrums buzzing.

Cheng Han's mind stirred, immediately silently reciting, "Analyze the Embracing the Stove stance."

Since the "reference object" was right in front of him and he directly sensed the surge, the analysis went particularly smoothly. A stream of information surged through his mind in an instant.

In just a few moments.

The face of Gu Jinglong, as well as the exposed skin of his hands and feet, unexpectedly turned a dark red color, and steam even rose from the top of his head.

What's even stranger is that there was not a drop of sweat on his body.

This situation is truly very strange.

The students didn't blink.

Although they had seen it more than once, witnessing it again still gave them a sense of shock.

A few more seconds passed.

Gu Jinglong straightened his back and put away his posture.

His gaze swept around for a moment, and he called out a name, "Jun Changkong, in the preparatory class, you have practiced the Furnace Embrace technique the best. Please share your understanding."

This is the teaching style of the preparatory class. They don't directly give the answer, but instead let the students discuss their thoughts.

A handsome young man, also known as "Jun Changkong," answered loudly, "The meaning of 'Furnace Embrace' is to use oneself as the 'furnace body,' one's own energy as the 'fuel,' and the source energy as the 'flame,' forming a 'human furnace.'

"Finally, with the help of the power of Source Sensing, ignite this human furnace and use it to cleanse the marrow and strengthen the body bit by bit."

Other students nodded in agreement.

They felt that Jun Changkong's description perfectly explained the various anomalies they had just witnessed.

Except for Cheng Han.

Based on the analysis just now, he was very clear that Jun Changkong's answer was completely wrong.

Gu Jinglong called out the second name, "Cheng Han, share your insights."

He added meaningfully, "I hope you don't hide your abilities."

It could be heard that this guy had heard about something.

Cheng Han smiled helplessly and answered in a calm tone, "Personally, I believe that the object embraced in the Furnace Embrace technique should be an 'illusory furnace.'

"For example, in the freezing wilderness, we are on the verge of freezing to death, but unexpectedly, we discover a warm and cozy fireplace.

"Driven by the will to survive, we embrace it regardless of everything else, and our bodies absorb the heat, gradually restoring our vitality.

"From this perspective, the Furnace Embrace technique is not using 'oneself' as the furnace, but using an 'external object' as the furnace. I call this furnace the 'Furnace of Life'..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Jun Changkong couldn't help but interject, "When practicing the Furnace Embrace technique, it is clearly our own bodies generating heat. We are the furnace, so how could it be the Furnace of Life?"

Cheng Han remained silent.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with this guy. Anyway, he had already said it, whether you believe it or not is up to you.

He didn't keep it a secret either. When practicing the Furnace Embrace technique, if he visualized the Furnace of Life in his mind, the effect would be much better.

Gu Jinglong looked at the others and asked, "Which explanation do you agree with?"

The students expressed their opinions one after another.

"I think Jun Changkong is right."

"Jun Changkong explained the role of Source Sensing and source energy clearly. His viewpoint is more reasonable."

"Jun Changkong's explanation is very eloquent, while Cheng Han seems to be making up stories."

The situation was completely one-sided.

No one supported Cheng Han.

Gu Jinglong shook his head. "I just realized that Yandongting made a big profit. The signing bonus of 150 silver coins and the sponsorship of 80 silver coins were really worth it."

The implicit meaning of his words was clear—Cheng Han's explanation is the correct answer.

This person furrowed his brows and cursed without reservation, "What a bunch of idiots!"

Cheng Han sighed.

At this point, he had already realized that Scarface seemed to be intentionally treating him as a "catfish" to stir up trouble in the preparatory class.

Taking it a step further, how dissatisfied is this guy with the people from Lanlou?

Cheng Han silently deduced and had a realization in his heart.

Factions, huh?

Interesting!

Thanks to the following readers for their support:

Qishi.

ZUROSHE

(End of this chapter)