I Just Wanted to Teach Cultivation, But Goddesses Keep Coming!-Chapter 40 Ripe

"Bye, Teacher!"

"I’ll see you tomorrow, Teacher Lin Feng."

"Thank you for today, Teacher. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused."

One by one, Lin Feng’s students left the classroom, their voices trailing behind them like the fading notes of a melody.

Chu Jiangyue’s polite nod, Wang Yuyan’s composed smile, and Su Wanwan’s enthusiastic wave all left a lingering warmth in the room.

The desks and floor, once alive with activity, now seemed almost still, as if the space itself were exhaling after the morning’s lessons.

Lin Feng leaned back slightly, allowing himself a quiet moment of relief.

Teaching was demanding, not just in skill, but in patience, in reading the students, in guiding them beyond what they thought themselves capable of.

He had barely finished processing the flow of the morning when the door opened again.

A familiar silhouette slipped inside, quiet yet commanding.

Lin Feng’s gaze caught her immediately, and he felt the pull of instinctive attention. Qiao Mei.

He chastised himself internally. He had to maintain control. He was hard as the rock!

He could feel the temptation stirring, the natural response to such beauty, but he had trained himself, disciplined himself, to rise above base instincts.

This was not a mere matter of desire... it was a test of character, and Lin Feng refused to fail.

Even if all the powers at his disposal made it easy, he would not stoop to the level of those scoundrels who sought gratification at the expense of respect and honor.

"I apologize for my rash behavior, Senior!" Qiao Mei bowed deeply, her waist bent at a sharp angle, her posture filled with genuine remorse and fear.

"I had eyes, yet failed to recognize your immortal station. Please punish me however you see fit."

Her voice trembled, not with false courtesy, but with true dread.

Qiao Mei had seen firsthand how some cultivators became drunk on power, their minds corroded by arrogance and cruelty.

A single careless word, a perceived insult, or even an unintentional glance could become reason enough for them to exterminate an entire clan, leaving nothing behind but blood, ashes, and regret.

Families were wiped out, legacies erased, and generations of effort reduced to nothing... all because someone with overwhelming strength chose to abuse it.

She had witnessed such tragedies before, and the memories still haunted her.

That was why fear had gripped her heart today... not just for herself, but for her entire clan.

Power, she knew, was not always wielded with wisdom or restraint, and mercy was a luxury few cultivators ever learned to afford.

Only now did she fully comprehend how reckless she had been.

Not only had she challenged a hidden expert, but she had done so arrogantly, blindly, and without understanding the depth of his cultivation.

Worse still, her actions could have brought calamity upon her clan.

The thought alone made her heart pound painfully in her chest.

She had always believed herself strong, capable, untouchable but today had shattered that illusion completely.

Lin Feng regarded her calmly, his gaze steady and unreadable.

There was no anger in his eyes, nor contempt... only a quiet, unfathomable depth that made her feel as though she were standing before a vast ocean.

"There is nothing to forgive," he said evenly. "You only did what you believed was best for your niece. Your intentions were not evil, merely misguided. Go now. If you can convince Jiangyue without forcing her to return against her will, then I will, of course, allow it."

Qiao Mei’s breath caught.

She had expected reprimand, perhaps punishment yet instead, she was given understanding.

Gratitude surged through her chest, so overwhelming that her eyes stung.

"I... I understand, Senior," she said softly. "Thank you."

She bowed again, even lower than before, her forehead nearly touching the floor.

This time, her respect was no longer forced by fear... it was born of genuine awe.

Rising slowly, she turned and left the classroom without another word, not daring to linger a single breath longer than necessary.

The invisible pressure of Lin Feng’s presence lingered behind her, heavy yet restrained, like a mountain she had no hope of climbing. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

As she walked down the corridor, her thoughts churned uncontrollably.

Every step felt heavier than the last, as though the weight of her ignorance pressed down upon her shoulders.

So this is what true power looks like...

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

All her years of cultivation, all her pride, all her confidence... it all felt laughably small now.

She had mistaken a calm lake for a shallow puddle and only realized too late that it was, in truth, a boundless sea.

"I was truly a frog at the bottom of a well," she muttered bitterly under her breath.

"To think I believed this academy was simple... that this city was insignificant..."

Her lips curled into a self-mocking smile as she continued forward.

She had thought herself a protector, a guardian, someone who could stand above the world and shield her niece from danger.

But now she understood the truth... there were existences far beyond her reach, beings whose mere presence could rewrite her understanding of reality.

Yet, strangely, alongside her humiliation, there was also relief.

Relief that she had not crossed an irredeemable line.

Relief that her clan would not suffer for her arrogance.

Relief that her niece had found a teacher who was not merely powerful, but also righteous, restrained, and principled.

As she stepped out of the academy, sunlight fell across her face, but her world no longer felt the same.

The sky seemed wider.

The earth seemed deeper.

And her heart felt smaller.

But in that smallness, there was clarity.

If Jiangyue can walk this path... then perhaps I, too, must learn to look beyond my own horizon.

With that thought lingering in her mind, Qiao Mei left, her pride shattered but her future, for the first time, truly open.

Behind her, Lin Feng watched the graceful sway of her figure and couldn’t help but draw a quiet breath, a flicker of longing passing through his eyes.

"Someday," he muttered softly, a faint smile on his lips.

"Someday I’ll experience everything this world has to offer... and drown in the arms of fairies and goddesses alike."