Going to Class

The moment his head was severed by the Sword Light, azure lightning, like a ribbon, leaped out from Zheng Zetian's hands, feet, and acupoints, enveloping the boy's tendons, sheaths, and meridians, as if he were a puppet, pulling his entire skeleton to leap.

With a burst of all his strength, Daozi, who was squatting in front of the tea table, pulled out a blood-red celestial book, pushed off with his toes, and leaped out of the tea room, dodging the sword that cut off the futon beneath him. Without looking back, he rushed out of the courtyard, zigzagging and dodging through the still crowd of people.

The white light instantly turned back, following closely behind, slashing through stone and jade, cutting down anyone who stood in its way, shredding them to pieces without a drop of blood, until it reached Zheng Zetian's neck and wrapped around him!

In the face of life and death, Zheng Zetian bit his tongue! His eyes were bloodshot! The veins on his face throbbed like earthworms, and the air seemed to solidify as if it were concrete, suddenly pressing down the white ribbon that was being pulled toward his neck!

At the same time, the blue light around him surged like electric snakes, and the lightning net, like a ghostly hand, pulled the boy's body and dragged him through the white light. A piece of his scalp was shaved off, and his ankles were almost bent at a right angle when they hit the ground. He flew sideways, crashed through the ship's side, and fell into the water!

So the next moment,

The air and time resumed their flow, the white light disappeared into the clouds, and the crowd at the auction entrance fell silent for a moment, then blood seemed to burst forth like a flood, and amidst the screams, fallen heads bounced and rolled all over the deck.

As Zheng Zetian fell to the bottom of the lake, his thoughts sank deeper and deeper into the dark, icy water...

While the art of flying swords is formidable, it is not without its dangers. The claim that it can take a person's head from a thousand miles away is an exaggeration. If one cannot use Divine Sense to lock onto the target and perform a ritual to determine its location, then it is no different from a blind man throwing a pot; one must rely on the spirit within the sword to decide its fate...

Even the finest sword spirits and sword masters, aided by the most profound algorithms, are still subject to the swiftness of Sword Light and are influenced by the timing, location, fate, and magic. Mistakes are inevitable, and often a single miscalculation leads to a series of errors, resulting in the loss of the initiative, the diminished sharpness of the sword, and ultimately, the situation becomes irreversible...

The skill of using flying swords lies first and foremost in the art of sword control and sword calculation. Therefore, the secrets of sword manuals are the most core secrets of all schools of the Xuanmen sect, and cannot be entrusted to anyone other than the direct disciple of the sect leader...

Actually, it's not that difficult. Some sects' sword techniques involve using flying swords to kill the person with the highest cultivation level on the spot first, while others kill the person with the weakest fate first, and still others kill the person with great perseverance first, or the person with first-grade aptitude first. They are not all the same.

But regardless of how many people this sword strikes and who it kills are already recorded in the sword imprint. So even if one doesn't know its true secrets, as long as one has seen enough and lived long enough, one can roughly recognize which school or sect's flying sword struck the person.

So who was it? Who killed my disciple?

Hehe, Brother Luo, couldn't you guess this? In this world, there is only one sword manual that can break through all restrictions and techniques, allowing one to do as one pleases, as if it were one's own arm. One can kill as many people as one wants, and slay whomever one wants...

A sharp pain shot through Zheng Zetian's body, and he opened his eyes. Tu Lou flicked its tongue, licking the blood seeping from the wound on his head, and even tried to tear off the remaining half of his scalp to gnaw on. It was still wild and untamed, wanting to gnaw on any flesh it saw.

Zheng Zetian punched the beast, knocking the lamb over with a bleat. He sat up, took out some medicinal liquid to wash the wound to prevent infection.

Looking Fourth Department, Zheng Zetian realized he was sitting on the shore of the lake, where he could see a fleet of boats several miles away. He knew that he had briefly fainted when he crashed into the lake, but thankfully he hadn't been unconscious for long and had been pulled ashore by the Tu Lou.

He touched his chest and found the blood-soaked book was still there. Zheng Zetian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately put the book into the jade box and stored it in his Storage Jade container.

His original plan was actually quite simple. Qingtingzi had been in Ink Bamboo Mountain for many years, and this Heavenly Book had been hidden for so long. He could use it as a temporary solution and it shouldn't be exposed so quickly, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

After all, Zheng Zetian had been through the underworld and knew that the underlings were the hardest to deal with. He didn't have much time for infiltration and investigation, so he had to prove his worth as soon as possible to have direct contact with the company's higher-ups.

Although Zheng Zetian also guessed that Qingtingzi's refusal to pass on the Heavenly Book to Song Dayou must be because the karma between them was not yet settled, and that there were people from the Xuanmen who were after the Heavenly Book. In fact, he did have some intention of diverting trouble, using the Heavenly Book as bait to incite conflict between the company and the Xuanmen, and to test the methods of both sides.

But he truly hadn't expected that the moment the Heavenly Book was revealed, it would immediately bring about his death! This calamity seemed to have come far too quickly! Could it be that his exceptional talent had truly incurred the jealousy of Heaven?

But regardless, it seems that Ink Bamboo Mountain is not only home to extraterrestrial demons, company agents, former members of the Luo Sect, and overseas students from the Xuanmen sect, but also a number of old ghosts just like him.

Sigh, it really is like a sieve.

However, speaking of using flying swords...

If his recollection of the flying sword was correct, then this sword immortal from the Xuanmen sect must at least be at the Nascent Soul Realm, and should not be near Tianyu Mountain at this time. Otherwise, why would he need to use a flying sword to kill someone? He could have simply teleported over and attacked directly; there would have been no way for him to escape.

Of course, Tianyu Mountain is a novice sect of Ink Bamboo Mountain, protected by a Grandmaster. The fact that the opponent's flying sword killed people in the lakeside boat group was already a serious offense to the Grandmaster. When Zheng Zetian escaped into the water and entered the territory of Tianyu Mountain, the opponent decisively gave up the pursuit and immediately withdrew to avoid making a mistake. In the end, they were cowardly and did not dare to keep courting death.

Sure enough, beams of light continued to fly in from all directions and land on the fleet. These were naturally the guards from the surrounding Discipline Institute and Ink Bamboo Mountain. They had realized that the official auction house had been taken over by someone else and a group of people had been killed, so they rushed over to investigate.

Zheng Zetian naturally couldn't go back to the crime scene and be recognized, lest those cats interrogate him and cause trouble that he wouldn't be able to escape. So he immediately tiptoed up the Tu Lou on his broken feet and flew back to Tianyu Mountain.

To be on the safe side, if you've been ambushed, you should at least hide in the sect for three days until the karmic debt has been cleared before you can come out.

However, it shouldn't take that long.

If these 'company agents' are truly as capable as they were at Qingting Peak, with so many spies and pawns hidden within, they would definitely react to the murder of an 'insider' within the company. My 'performance' today should have been seen by them as well. Within the next two days, someone will definitely take the initiative to contact me, so as long as I don't stay too much of a shut-in and show my face appropriately, I can create opportunities for them to make contact.

So Zheng Zetian went back to his dormitory, cut open the swollen wound on his ankle, drained the blood, changed the dressing, wrapped his ankle with a bandage made of bamboo and hemp cloth, gritted his teeth, and pretended nothing had happened as he walked out of the dormitory to listen to the Tianyu Mountain.

Well, in other words, he went to class.

Yes, whether they're disciples from Ink Bamboo Mountain or international students from the Xuanmen Sect, they're all vying for student dormitories, and they're certainly not here for the pleasure boats, the groves, or the older sisters from the Yuling Courtyard! They're here to study! Of course they have to attend classes!

After all, while one-on-one mentorship is a method for cultivating elites, it's inconvenient to constantly have a disciple by one's side nagging. Therefore, the internal teaching methods of the Xuanmen (mystical sect) are similar to those of private schools, but the content is limited to basic courses in body and qi cultivation and the five arts. If it involves secret mental techniques, everyone goes their own way, forming various inner and outer sects, and true and false lineages. When it comes to opportunities to practice advanced weapon crafting and alchemy, there is simply an inner sect competition where disciples fight swords to compete for a chance.

In this respect, Ink Bamboo Mountain is different. Since the era of independent cultivators in the nine peaks of Bamboo Mountain, the independent cultivators of Bamboo Mountain have gathered their disciples together for education. Whether it is the Five Arts, the Six Arts, or Qi Refining and Cultivation, the rotating teachers teach whatever they are good at. After all, to put it bluntly, everyone is trash, everyone is stupid, so why distinguish between the Outer Sect? Mortals should have the awareness of mortals. So it is a cramming education, learn as much as you can.

This school-style cultivation method, while not comparable to the Xuanmen (Daoist sects) in terms of cultivating elites, is quite effective at teaching mortals who lack foundational immortality and haven't been reincarnated. Although very few disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain are outstanding, none are particularly bad either.

The summit of Tianyu Mountain is like a university, Zheng Zetian has glanced at the course schedule over the past few days.

From 7 PM to 1 AM, some people would Moon Worship and observe the stars; from 3 AM to 5 AM, some people would observe the sun and practice breathing exercises. Apart from these six hours of rest after school, there was a public class every two hours from 7 AM to 5 PM. The classes generally covered Tai Su, Qi Refining, Body Refining, the Six Arts, and various other methods, depending on the teacher's schedule.

The teachers naturally invited cultivators from various specialties in Ink Bamboo Mountain to teach the Dharma in turn. Sometimes, they had to make appointments in advance, because teaching disciples was a sect task. It was quite worthwhile to teach a child for a couple of hours and earn sect contribution points.

Of course, there's no attendance policy at cultivation schools. After all, students here can genuinely say things like, "Teacher, I was late because I was checking on a batch of pills," or "Teacher, my exam record doesn't look like I just possessed a new Dao body," or "Teacher, I had to leave early to undergo my tribulation."

As for someone like Zheng Zetian, a reincarnated immortal, he doesn't need to attend large classes regularly. After all, he has already mastered the basic five arts; he just 'can't remember them right now.' As long as he stays in his dormitory all day cultivating on his own, he'll graduate once he forms his core.

Participation in the Xuanmen's college entrance examination simulations is not mandatory, since not everyone aspires to further their studies in the Five Arts within the Xuanmen. Most people never even considered cultivating to the level of Divine Transformation or higher. Their cultivation of immortality might simply be for longevity, eternal youth, and ideally, a life of luxury. Such mundane desires are sufficient for the Nascent Soul Realm.

Those who truly set lofty goals, seek the Dao from the heavens, and explore the principles of the universe are indeed rare, perhaps only appearing once in a thousand years.

When Zheng Zetian came to visit the academy, he was surprised to find that there seemed to be quite a few Daoist disciples like him.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. While there are certainly elite Daoists among the students from the Xuanmen who can learn more efficiently on their own than through basic courses for ordinary people, they have indeed already gone through a selection process, and their enthusiasm is truly exceptional.

Even if a real fight broke out, the lecturers on stage might not be a match for them. But based on the principle that "among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me," international students will still selectively attend classes. Even if they can't fill in their own gaps in knowledge, they can still brag about their broadened horizons.

Needless to say, the Grand Master's public lectures on the new Tai Su method were a must. The Advanced Tai Su course was a daily required course. And when the Grand Master lectured on the Great Learning, regardless of whether you understood it or not, just to give the Grand Master face and show your support, the classes were always packed. The queue stretched all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Moreover, some of those who reincarnate after their physical death are aiming to rebuild their Tai Su Dao in their next life. Naturally, they wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to 'steal merit.' They seem to be afraid that others won't know they're not normal kids. With so many opportunities, they don't even engage in dual cultivation. Instead, they keep doing practice questions and refining their skills, working day and night to accumulate more knowledge! Each one of them is more knowledgeable than the last!

However, what they were teaching at this time wasn't the kind of advanced or university courses that were being taught. There were also many international students attending the class. It turned out that they were teaching mechanical engineering.

Zheng Zetian became a little curious. He had never really studied the art of mechanisms in detail, so he sat down in the corner, temporarily putting aside all the nonsense in the book and focusing on the lesson.

The lecturer at this moment was a mechanical engineer from Heavenly Craft Peak, only at the Golden Core stage, and with his strange appearance, he usually wore a mortise and tenon joint. However, he possessed a golden waist tag inscribed with "Tiangong," clearly indicating that he was a senior engineer of the Tiangong lineage, here specifically to pass on his skills. If any scoundrel dared to be disrespectful in class, the group of old Daoist masters from the Xuanmen sects below, diligently drawing diagrams and taking notes, would not let him off the hook.

Mechanical engineering, as the newly added sixth art, can be considered a specialty subject of Ink Bamboo Mountain. After all, it is well known that Heavenly Craft Peak comes from the Tiangong lineage of the Three Enclosures, and the Xuanmen (mystical sects) do indeed lack knowledge in this area. Moreover, in recent years, with the increasing number of unearthed extraterrestrial creations that seem to have appeared out of nowhere, even if you can't figure out the manufacturing principles behind them, if you manage to seize an extraterrestrial treasure, you still need to be able to identify what it is and how much money it can be sold for.

If it were any other sect, they would surely treasure their secrets and hide them away as secret manuals, but the leader of Ink Bamboo Mountain is a true teacher. He actively spreads his teachings, not only to cultivators of the Xuanmen sect, but also to ordinary people who cannot cultivate. He provides various educational opportunities, such as teaching mechanical engineering and training engineers and technicians, which is quite unique.

By the way, speaking of this, there are roughly three major schools of thought in the field of mechanical engineering today.

The first category is the Six Arts Immortal Dao Mechanical Arts from Tianyu Mountain. This is a traditional mechanical art inherited from the Tiangong lineage, which combines classical immortal Dao with mechanical crafting. In this school, mechanisms are indeed only an auxiliary tool, serving more as a branch of weapon crafting. For example, various molds for weapon crafting and sword forging, Mechanical Puppet, and so on.

The second school of thought is the Mechanical Engineering Institute in Lou Guan City. This school mainly teaches mortals mechanical arts, researching and creating mechanical tools that can be activated and used directly without even needing Void Jade. Mechanical railways and mechanical flying boats are examples of what this school produces and studies. The Engineering Institute is even using the Tai Su Heaven to research a special mechanical path that breaks through the materialization method, producing various half-puppet, half-humanoid 'mechanical objects,' which is considered a semi-open secret.

The third school of thought, however, is from the theistic tradition and focuses on military mechanics.

Yes, the Divine Cult is focusing on applying its mechanical theories and the research technology of various extraterrestrial weapons to arms manufacturing. It is said that they have already created the Blood Fiend Demon God Cannon, which is capable of killing gods and immortals, with boundless power. It can easily destroy mountains and wipe out entire clans. Even the protective array of the Xuanmen Taiyi Palace in Duizhou was destroyed by that divine cannon with a single shot. It really frightened the old Divine Lords who participated in the war at that time.

Given this situation, how could the Xuanmen sect not be aware of the dramatic changes in the times? If they continued to work in seclusion, hiding in the mountains and practicing asceticism, they would truly fall behind the times. So, the more enlightened ones directly lowered their pride and came to Ink Bamboo Mountain to study, while even the most conservative ones began to secretly collect and experiment with mechanical arts.

Zheng Zetian was indeed a gifted individual. Although he lacked a foundation in mechanical engineering, his basic skills in arithmetic, array formations, and drawing were quite good. Moreover, he could take and read the bamboo slips containing textbooks and lecture notes himself. Song Dayou had also prepared supplementary textbooks and lecture notes such as "Mechanical Pivot" for him, and he could understand them by flipping through them.

This lesson offers a new solution for automatic control systems that output controlled variables such as the position, orientation, and state of an object, enabling them to follow arbitrary changes in the input target (or given value). Specifically, it proposes using a device that can assist the pivot motor in indirectly changing the speed of the rotor, acting as an engine to control the operation of various mechanical components in the automatic system.

Oh, I see, I see! Wonderful, wonderful! I get it now...

"Hey, junior brother, you're new here, haven't seen you before..."

A female student dressed rather scantily cladly sat down next to Zheng Zetian, leaning against him. As if she were very hot, she opened her front, revealing her bulging bodice and protruding her high, firm breasts...

"Hush—!" Zheng Zetian and the old Daoist priests exclaimed in shock and anger!

This is so annoying! Women, get out of my way! Don't disturb my studies!

Dudou Senior Sister, "..."