There was a difference between concentration, focus, and attention.
Concentration is the ability to immerse yourself deeply in a topic or subject. Focus, simply put, is the ability to put your mind on an issue that requires your attention without getting distracted.
In a way, focus is the gateway to all thinking: perception, memory, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making. Without adequate focus, all aspects of your ability to think will suffer. For obvious reasons, if you can't focus effectively, you can’t think effectively.
There were few whose concentration could be compared to Tian Lang’s. However, when it came to focusing, even kids were better than him. It could be seen from how he always got attracted to a thing from another. Whatever he was concentrating on might be exciting, but once something more interesting caught his eyes, he would always forget the current one.
As for importance, that hardly mattered to the chaotic being.
What could possibly be more important than more exciting and fun things?
That’s where focus and attention played their part. If focus was to include and exclude topics to concentrate on, then attention was all-inclusive–excluding nothing. That meant the chaotic being could pay attention to all of his interests equally. He could also focus on something yet not lose that more interesting thing. Or simply get back to it on a later date.
Evidently, this was much harder than focusing.
Thankfully, the divine teacher had no need to think of ways to teach the foolish chaotic being focus or attention for that matter. So far, Tian Lang has revealed greater learning ability and the skills to correct his own shortcomings.
However, for that to work, he had to know his own weakness. If Meng Delan went ahead and said, ‘Hey, concentrate on reading. You can’t just get lost in something just because they are interesting. You should focus and do what you were given,’ even if she said that Tian Lang would hardly get whatever she meant. For him, that was normal. Why would one need to mind some boring stuff?
When it was almost dark outside, Meng Delan put away her antics with a satisfied expression. It shouldn’t be long before Tian Lang could consume this. Hmm, she also had to find some ways to bully him.
“Now, Student Sky Wolf, how much did you read, and what are your thoughts? Give me your notes.”
Thoughts? Tian Lang glanced at the blank sheet and reluctantly handed it over. He had no ideas about what he read, but he definitely didn’t lack thoughts on whatever Meng Delan possibly made.
“What’s this? Isn’t it totally blank? Are you trying to tell me you have no thoughts of this ingenious story or the hardship of the Lion King?” Meng Delan wore multiple expressions on her face. Disbelief, confusion, and even doubt.
“This...” Tian Lang had to come up with a solid excuse. Else, once this unreasonable teacher got a slight chance she would immediately start questioning Tian Lang’s intelligence.
“You, student Sky Wolf, I don’t wanna question but, are you really not trash?” and just like he thought, it only took the devious teacher only three seconds to reach that conclusion.
Where the hell the trust I built upon the last month go?! The Chaotic Being couldn’t help but cuss and question... inwardly. He had no intention to go through another lengthy and unneeded lecture. That being said, he had to clarify his greatness!
“Teacher Meng, it’s nothing like that. I... might’ve had some thoughts on it but your refining was really interesting and also distracting! Even though teacher instructed me not to look, I just couldn’t focus on reading with all the noise. And what you did was more interesting than reading a book! What did you make, teacher? Can you do it again? Let me see it too!” as the chaotic being spoke, he drifted from the original topic and fervently requested the divine teacher to show her work.
Meng Delan was irritated. Let alone realizing his weakness, he had zero awareness of his choice of words! Was he trying to infuriate her with his words? Then he definitely succeeded! A smile bloomed on the divine teacher’s lips but her eyes definitely said otherwise, “Student, can I take it as you’re implying that not only did I give you a boring lesson to complete, but also disturbed you?”
“Eh?” the confused and slightly excited humanoid became sluggish for a moment. His confused face had “what do you mean” written all over but he quickly denied her, “No no, teacher. I only meant what you did was interesting. Isn’t it better to learn the more interesting thing?” Even if he couldn’t understand why she said that, the dangerous tone and expression said whatever was about to come.
However, whatever Tian Lang expected didn’t come. The divine teacher let out an exasperated sigh, “You disappoint me, wolfy. You’re saying that if something is interesting you should focus on that, is that right?”
Seeing the chaotic being nod, Meng Delan continued, “Ok, then let’s see it like this. You’re fighting against someone for a gold-ranked weapon. No, a Wisdom Fruit. Once you win the fight, you get the fruit for your beast. Suddenly, you notice a human unrelated to your fight was manipulating the space and moved from one place to another. Which is definitely more interesting than a boring fight. Now, what will you do?”
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Tian Lang was a bit stumped. Although he hadn’t experienced any boost in intelligence, Wisdom Fruit left a deep impression on him. That being said, the old fox’s instant teleportation left no less of an impression.
Seeing the chaotic being lost in his chaotic thought, the divine teacher smiled blissfully. She purposely gave an example of something he could easily relate to. Even if it was Tian Lang, Meng Delan wanted to, no, she wished Tian Lang to take a long time to reach a conclusion on this matter. The more he thought, the more likely he would arrive at a better decision. Of course, he could avoid all good and get the worst on them. Either way, he would start thinking, which was progress nonetheless.
If Tian Lang arrived at a satisfactory conclusion, it was great and all, but if not... she would do anything to drag him out of that pit. The teacher with ambiguous intention had involved herself too deeply. She had already spent more than enough effort, both materially and psychologically, to wash her hand off Tian Lang. Not to mention she had no intention of backing away at this point.
If she wanted to restart her plan, she doubted whether she would find any satisfying subject like Tian Lang. His symmetrical base was something that would be hard to find even among high Rankers.
Throughout the last month, Meng Delan went through many records and checked Tian Lang’s physique multiple times hoping to find any weakness to which left her both disappointed and ecstatic. She could only prepare the most basic way to push his growth.
Bending down, she took out the chest below the bed. Tiny engraving covered the chest and a thick layer of mist shrouded the view inside. Meng Delan whipped out a bowl and closed the chest.
If not for this chest, Meng Delan’s last step of the plan would be hard to realize. Thankfully she hadn’t come up with the plan on a whim and had done a lot of preparation for years.
“Teacher Meng, what should I do in this situation?” suddenly Tian Lang asked. He thought for some time, although he had some ideas, he felt Teacher Meng was hinting something at him. Just like how she took a long time to tell him what is the difference between male-female.
The teacher mused as she leaned her ear on the sealed bowl. Noticing the zapping sounds, she smiled in satisfaction and replied, “How would I know, dear student? You are the one doing it, you should know better than me.”
“Then, what would teacher do?”
After considering whether to give an honest opinion or refuse, the divine teacher spoke thoughtfully, “Hmm, I’m not interested in space manipulating, so I’ll fight for my advantage but if I had to get both, I would summon my beasts to deal with them.”
Not that Tian Lang hadn’t thought of this but he was definitely not satisfied. He liked to rely on his own abilities and training beasts were troublesome. He thought broadly and found the situations looked similar.
He had to read the book and for Teacher Meng’s example, get the Wisdom Fruit. Both Meng Delan’s work and space manipulator’s manipulation was extra, but definitely something he wanted to watch or learn. The answer was simple, he had to get both of them.
As for how... that’s something he had yet to think of that.
Meng Delan felt today’s progress was good enough. With the new program tomorrow, they had nothing to worry about. Once Tian Lang mastered this weakness, then he would have no direct challenge in human society... well, aside from a few notable issues. But she would be by his side for those.
Meng Delan placed the bowl in front of him and gently whispered, “Finish the bowl fast.”
Raising a brow, Tian Lang lifted the lid of the bowl. A surprising scene unfolded before his eyes. A soft layer of golden mist drifted along with the gentle wind as green lightning arcs zapped around the small snake-like hearts occasionally. They looked half-cooked with no sign of spices, but the alluring aroma said otherwise. Above all, Tian Lang saw the elements densely packed inside them. Just one poke and a bomb might go off.
Gulping the mouthful of saliva, Tian Lang picked the prepared chopsticks and placed one of the big hearts in his mouth. Without any hesitation, he bit on it.
A bomb blew up inside Tian Lang’s mouth. Instantly, all the cells of his body were electrolyzed and awakened.
Meng Delan was pleased with Tian Lang’s expression while the latter was going through a whole new level of experience.
It wasn’t just the element that surprised Tian Lang. Different from normal hearts, it tasted sweet and sour and incredibly chewy. It was without a doubt that Tian Lang fell in love!
He grabbed the bowl and put one heart after another in his mouth.
Meng Delan placed a water pouch on the table and sat opposite to the devouring chaotic being as she stared at him with love, all the while praising her perfect-wifey self. Naturally, the perfect her couldn’t bring normal water on this special occasion. The water was Jade Bamboo Water with one drop essence mixed.
Although not required, they would calm down his overly excited cells. Her only regret was suddenly running low on Eternal Youth Spring-Water.
Thup!
With the bowl on the table, Tian Lang picked the water pouch and drank without any care. Lightning zapped inside his body as he felt his brain overworking. Having one thought felt wasting to his head’s capability. Only when he drank the bamboo water did his mind calm down from its overdrive state.
Tian Lang felt he returned to the forest. He felt tranquil and thoroughly refreshed.
The expression on the self-proclaimed wifey’s face only brightened. She gently spoke as if guiding the close eyed chaotic being, “What you ate awoke your inactive body cells. Try to circulate your cultivation method. It will absorb the excess qi to avoid hyperactivity.”
Tian Lang circulated the [Unquenchable Mystic Body] as green lightning zapped outside his body.
‘He just started circulating, and his body already absorbed sufficient life qi?’ Meng Delan watched the scene with wide-eye. The lightning appearing outside his body meant that before he started circulating the technique, his body already absorbed the required qi or rejected it. However, the latter was unlikely as the qi wasn’t forced outside his body but circulated around him.
Slowly, the color of the green lightning got lighter and lighter, and the zapping sound disappeared. Minutes later, the lightning was no longer. Only three transparent streaks circled around the air before diving into his body.
Meng Delan watched with bated breath. She wanted to guide but had no idea how to proceed. Her head was full of criticism toward her hubby, ‘Did he just refine the energy? What kind of qi refining takes place outside the body? It’s not like you are performing alchemy! No, are you trying to say my supplement wasn’t up to your standard?!’