“Hehehehe!” Henry Clark let out a low chuckle. “Of course, of course, you’re getting younger every year!”

Mark shook his head with a wry smile. He wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t look authoritative enough, or if this kid was just too casual, but he simply couldn’t establish any sense of teacherly dignity in front of him. What was even more infuriating was that this kid was always extremely respectful in front of his other senior brothers, as if they were his real masters. Every time he thought of this, he would grind his teeth in frustration.

“You lazy brat, why aren’t you sleeping in your room? How come you’ve suddenly become so diligent!” Mark scolded with a smile. “Isn’t your lifelong goal to turn into a pig?”

“I wish I could become a pig, but I have too many distracting thoughts!” Henry Clark laughed awkwardly. “I really have to thank you, Master. If it weren’t for your help just now, it would have taken me at least another half a year to break through to the second level!”

“You have pretty good aptitude!” When it came to cultivation, Mark put away his joking manner. “If you were a bit more diligent, you would have broken through the second level long ago!”

“Hehehe, Master, you know my temperament. A little diligence now and then is a given, but if I were diligent every day—”

“If you were diligent every day, you’d have run down the mountain to become a chef by now, wouldn’t you!”

“You really know me, Master!”

“Useless thing!” Mark scolded with a laugh. “Come with me, I have something to tell you!”

“Yes, Master!” Henry Clark replied, following behind Mark as they walked deeper into the pine forest.

Mark Harris was thoroughly familiar with the pine forest of Green Pine Terrace. Judging by the direction Mark was heading, it seemed they were going to a clearing by a pond in the middle of the woods.

The pond wasn’t large, just about ten feet across, formed by a spring from Mount Luofu. By the pond was a clearing about an acre in size, which was Henry Clark’s favorite spot for barbecuing, and now also his place for practicing martial arts.

Sure enough, after walking a bit further, Mark brought Henry Clark to the pond’s edge.

“This is the place!” Mark stopped, turned around, and said to Henry Clark.

Henry Clark smiled, noticing that the rack he’d left from his last wild game cookout was still there. “Master, are you craving something tasty? How about I go catch some wild game to go with your wine?”

“Not a bad idea, but let’s save it for next time!” Mark laughed as well. Although his disciple was lazy and gluttonous, the things he cooked tasted pretty good—no worse than those made by the best chefs in the mortal world.

“I was planning to call you tomorrow, but I didn’t expect you to be practicing tonight. That was a surprise!”

“Master, what instructions do you have for your disciple?” Seeing that Mark didn’t seem to be here just to help him improve his skills, Henry Clark asked.

“I’m leaving.”

“What?!” Henry Clark was taken aback.

“I’m leaving. There are some things I need to take care of, so I’ll be away from Luofu for a while!”

“Huh?!” Henry Clark was stunned. To be honest, although his master was a bit irresponsible, ever since his parents passed away, this guy had been the one taking care of him. Though they were called master and disciple, their relationship was more like father and son. Now, hearing that his master was leaving, Henry Clark’s expression naturally darkened. “Where are you going to have fun, Master? I want to go too!”

Mark almost kicked him flying when he heard that. What do you mean, going to have fun? I have serious business to attend to.

So, putting on a serious face, Mark said, “I’m going down the mountain this time to look into an old matter from years ago, not to buy wine. You’re too young, and your cultivation isn’t strong enough. If you follow me, you’ll just be a burden!”

That stung his pride. Henry Clark grunted twice in annoyance and said nothing more.

“I’ll be gone for at least two or three years, maybe as long as seven or eight. During this time, you must stay on the mountain. If you have any questions about your cultivation, you can ask your uncles or senior brothers, or even your eldest senior brother!”

“Oh.” Henry Clark replied reluctantly.

“Also, since I’ll be gone for quite a while, to keep you from falling behind in your training, I’ll teach you the formulas for the fourth to sixth levels of the Innate Purple Qi technique!”

“What?!” Henry Clark was shocked. It felt like he’d just stumbled upon a huge windfall. Normally, you only received the next three levels of the technique after reaching the third level. He had just broken through the second level today, and his master was already going to teach him the next part. It looked like his master really was going to be gone for a long time this time.

Thinking of this, Henry Clark felt a strange sensation in his heart. “Master, what exactly is so important that you have to leave the mountain?”

“Shut up, it’s none of your business!” Mark said. “Just listen carefully to what I have to say!”

“Yes!” Henry Clark replied, feeling a bit deflated as he stood obediently.

Seeing Henry Clark wilt like an eggplant hit by frost after being scolded, Mark felt a bit sorry for him, but didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he gave him another kick. “You brat, pull yourself together! I still have things to tell you!”

“Yes, Master!”

Chapter Four: The Most Irresponsible Teaching Process