Then thank you." Peter smiled playfully, "Thank you all for bringing your eyes."
"But I Hope everyone also brings their ears."
He said, "The next thing I'm going to say," he looked solemn, then stepped down from the podium and walked towards Mary's seat.
Every step seemed to tug at people's hearts.
Like a source of light and heat energy.
The students' eyes moved with his steps.
Mary met Peter's gaze, her heart suddenly quickening. Every step Peter took seemed to land on her heartbeat—she felt as if Peter was about to say something related to her.
Peter finally arrived in front of Mary.
He bowed slightly, his gaze fixed on Mary's gradually reddening face: "Mary and I are neighbors. I've liked her since elementary school. Of course, that was a secret crush."
"I often… well, creepily, followed behind Mary, feeling that just seeing her back was a very happy thing. But in reality, I didn't dare to express my feelings in front of her because I was insecure, lacked courage, was shy, and timid."
"But now, I must express everything I think and feel in my heart. Yes, Mary, I like you."
He looked at Mary solemnly: "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Mary was already flustered.
She pursed her lips and lowered her head, her expression changing, until she finally whispered, "I'm sorry Peter, we might not be suitable. You… might not be my type. We're just friends, I'm sorry."
Upon hearing this, Peter's expression shifted slightly, then showed regret: "I should have known. You're very smart, you must have known about my crush on you, but you never showed it… I just feel regret, perhaps first love always brings regret… Well, I was just being lucky, or wanted to bring closure to my first love… I'm sorry for bothering you."
He was not disheartened.
Just as he said himself, if he didn't speak his mind, he would feel stifled and regretful.
But now, after being rejected, his heart suddenly felt lighter.
Then he turned and bowed to the bald teacher: "Sorry, sir, for taking up your time."
The bald teacher smiled and shrugged: "Your other half is definitely more important than me, isn't he?" He laughed loudly: "I'm very happy to see your new appearance, Peter."
"Thank you."
"Now, go back to your seat." The bald teacher's expression changed like June weather: "If you waste any more of my time, I'll tell the principal!"
Peter stuck out his tongue and quickly returned to his seat.
"Peter, did something happen to you?" Harry, sitting in the front row, whispered: "You seem like a different person. And buddy, Mary is already my girlfriend, you're poaching! That's unethical!"
Peter smiled secretly: "I know, but buddy, I had a crush on her first!"
"Some people should be quiet!" The bald teacher's gaze shot over like a knife, making everyone silent with fear.
Peter and Harry quickly sat up straight.
...
Peter's change was not unexpected by Zhao Yu.
When people possess certain things, they change. Whether it's money, power, or authority, once possessed, their mindset becomes different.
The timid gain courage, the insecure gain confidence. It just depends on whether you have something to rely on.
Whether it was in novels before Zhao Yu's transmigration or in folk tales, those peerless masters or reclusive immortals were always extremely cautious when looking for successors.
Because they knew that people who gained power would change.
The saying "the Dao is not lightly transmitted," besides the profound and precious mysteries of the Great Dao, another reason lies here.
They either choose those with pure essence and an innocent heart, or those with an indifferent nature, undisturbed by external things. All of these are to prevent power from being abused, and to prevent power from being corrupted in the next generation.
Hence, there were also doctrines.
As a core ideology, guiding the inheritance of power.
Many people talk about sectarianism and its drawbacks in this regard. But more often, it is for this purpose.
Peter's transformation was orchestrated by Zhao Yu, every change as clear as lines on his palm. This also gave him more to ponder.
Perhaps his arrival in this World indeed had its mission.
Because this Universe lacked a sound power system. Those who accidentally gained power couldn't see the path ahead, had no possibility of further advancement, and so, they looked downward.
They constantly wanted to rule the World, destroy the World, and so on.
They thought their actions conformed to the Great Dao, but in reality, they hadn't even stepped onto the Dao path, so what right did they have to say their actions conformed to the Great Dao?
The Immortal Dao inheritance is an incredibly complete evolution system. Those who are Forging Body know that the next step is Qi Refining; those who are Qi Refining know that the next step is Spirit Transformation; those who are Spirit Transformation know that the next step is Void Return, then becoming an Immortal, then becoming a Saint, with clear goals.
No matter what stage they reach, they are always looking upward, not downward.
Coupled with the guidance of doctrines, Immortal Dao Cultivators gained a set of ideological principles, becoming the universal view of Immortal Dao Cultivators, conforming to the laws of World development and Dao operation, thus forming a complete system.
This World did not have one.
Zhao Yu thought, perhaps he was born to be the Dao Ancestor of this World!
To preach the Dao and impart knowledge, guiding the direction.
Of course, preaching the Dao and imparting knowledge must also be selective. As the saying goes, 'the Dharma is not transmitted to six ears,' those without Dao Foundation and Dao nature are not qualified.
Peter does not have a profound Dao nature or Dao Foundation; it is still too early. But in Zhao Yu's eyes, he is still qualified. In fact, looking at Little Spider's life in the comics, except for a brief period of negativity due to mental obstacles, he mostly persisted in being a 'Super Hero.' He did not use his spider abilities to illegally gain money or benefits, but rather upheld his original intention, doing good while working part-time, living a tight life.
Many people find it somewhat unbelievable, but Zhao Yu said that this is already a kind of innocent heart.
These past two days, Zhao Yu vaguely sensed that he was about to break through the first Forging of Chaos True Body First Revolution, which is why he gave Peter two days off. After sending Peter away, he closed the door, his thoughts directly entering the ethereal, his spirit wandering beyond the heavens.
...
After school, Peter was carrying his backpack, ready to go home. As soon as he reached the school gate, someone called out to him.
Turning around, he revealed a sunny smile: "Jessica, is there something you need?"
It was Jessica Jones, Mary's deskmate.
She was also a beautiful girl.
However, in the past, Peter's gaze was always on Mary, ignoring the surrounding beauty. Now that Mary was a thing of the past, he had just discovered that there was an incredible amount of beauty in the school.
"Peter."
Jessica walked over gracefully, smiling sweetly, her brown eyes fixed on Peter: "Tomorrow is a holiday, we're planning a picnic. What about you?"
"Who all is going?" Peter looked interested.
Tomorrow is September 1st, a national Labor Day holiday.
If it were in the past, he would have fled in a hurry. But not now.
"Harry, Mary…" Jessica counted five or six people on her fingers, all classmates, and finally said: "Of course, there's me… and you."
"Okay." Peter shrugged: "Why not?"
"Then, tomorrow morning at eight, at the school gate." Jessica said as she walked away: "See you there."
"See you there."
Looking at Jessica's graceful back, Peter rubbed his nose and chuckled: "Is my luck about to change?"
Returning home, Peter threw down his backpack: "Uncle, I'm going outside to Cultivation for a while, call me if you need anything!"
Ben, who was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, looked up at Peter upon hearing this: "Go ahead, you rascal, it's best if you go find Mary."
Peter's laughter faintly came from outside the house.
Mei walked out with a cup of coffee, somewhat worried: "I've noticed Peter has changed a lot recently, Ben. This might…"
"This is what I want to see."
Ben put down the newspaper and looked at his wife: "Peter used to worry me a lot. He was shy, insecure, and afraid to communicate with others. I worried that he would have a difficult time in the future. You know, in this society, interpersonal communication is very important."
He paused, then continued: "The Peter now is the one I like. He's sunny and vibrant, full of youthful passion and dreams. Isn't that good? We should be proud of him."
"But Ben," Mei glanced outside the door and said: "Didn't you notice that Peter has powers that ordinary people don't? He can break a tree as thick as a thigh with one punch… I saw it with my own eyes yesterday morning! What if he used it to hit people?"
Ben laughed: "My dear, you only see the power, not the person. We raised Peter ourselves. Don't you know what kind of person he is? I believe that even if my Peter possesses even greater power, he will not do bad things, and that is enough."
"No, Ben, you don't understand what I mean." Mei gestured: "I mean, what kind of person is the one who taught Peter—Cultivation—after all? He can give Peter such power…"
Ben looked at his wife, extremely serious, and after a long time, nodded: "Your worries are not without reason, but I still have to say you're overthinking it. If he were a bad person, Peter might not be sunny and vibrant now. I've talked to Peter in detail, and their power comes from diligent Cultivation and hard work; it's accumulated little by little, just like our labor, there are no shortcuts. In the process of Cultivation, it's a process of perseverance and testing. If one's heart is not pure enough, and one's mind is not firm enough, there will be no achievement. I think this method is very good; things obtained through effort often make people cherish and be more cautious. And aren't we still here?"
"Okay." Mei spread her hands, smiling: "Maybe you're right."
"You know, Peter often gets bullied." Ben nodded, then sighed slightly: "But we are just an ordinary family and cannot give him strong support. I often feel heartbroken when I see him bruised and battered, and this also deepened his insecurity. But I was powerless. But now, Peter can protect himself, my dear, we must be happy."
"Perhaps, we should pay a visit to Peter's 'Xi Fu'?" Mei suggested.
"Of course, we can choose a time." Ben nodded.