Ernst Institute

Chapter 5: Ernst Institute

At the break of dawn the next day, Zhao Nan had just stepped outside when he saw Linley already waiting for him.

Upon seeing Linley, Zhao Nan led him directly to the mountain behind Wushan Town to begin their training.

However, Zhao Nan did not start by teaching Linley meditation; instead, he first had Linley practice the Yunqi Style.

Having read the original work, Zhao Nan knew very well that whether one was a mage or a warrior, the ultimate goal was to achieve godhood.

But it had to be said that at the very beginning of cultivation, warriors were indeed more formidable in combat than mages, as novice mages cast spells slowly and their magic lacked power.

Warriors were different; with the advantage of weapons, once a warrior closed the distance, a mage could be beaten to death.

Furthermore, after becoming a god, many methods of combat were more inclined toward the warrior path.

Therefore, Zhao Nan had no intention of letting Linley abandon the warrior profession; instead, just like in the original story, he intended for Linley to cultivate both magic and martial arts.

Warrior training always began with the Yunqi Style, even in great clans; it was the most common and fundamental method of cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed. Seeing that Linley's body had begun to tremble, Zhao Nan called a halt and told him to stretch his limbs.

After waiting for Linley to loosen up, Zhao Nan had him sit cross-legged and began to guide him in meditation.

The first time meditating was very difficult, especially for Linley, who was currently in a state of exhaustion from his previous training.

But with the system's twofold cultivation speed bonus, combined with Linley's already exceptional talent, he managed to enter a meditative state quite quickly, even on his first attempt.

Linley soon exited his first meditation session.

Seeing Linley stop, Zhao Nan didn't mind.

After all, meditation was like finding a partner; the first time was the hardest, while the second and subsequent times would be a matter of course, flowing naturally.

Therefore, after Linley finished meditating, Zhao Nan walked with him slowly through the mountain, beginning to explain various concepts of magic and warrior arts.

Zhao Nan did not lecture on the fusion of laws, nor did he speak of "lifting the heavy as if it were light," "lifting the light as if it were heavy," or anything regarding "momentum."

Zhao Nan simply shared his own understanding of magic and warrior battle qi.

These insights were simple enough that even though Linley was only a six-year-old child, he could still understand them.

Of course, while explaining magic and battle qi, Zhao Nan also interspersed information about various magical beasts, herbs, and other such knowledge.

Soon, half a day had passed, and it was time for lunch.

On the way home, Zhao Nan said to Linley, "Little Linley, you must know that while a teacher leads you to the door, your cultivation depends on yourself."

"From now on, I will lead your training for half a day every morning, and the rest of the time will be your own."

"You don't need to come looking for me anymore."

"Understood, Teacher!"

Hearing Zhao Nan's words, Linley nodded obediently.

Time flies like an arrow, and years pass like a shuttle!

Soon, Zhao Nan had already spent half a year in Wushan Town.

During these six months, Linley had become a first-rank warrior and a first-rank mage.

Just as Linley reached the first rank in both, Zhao Nan bid farewell to Linley and Hogg.

Both Hogg and Linley tried their best to persuade Zhao Nan to stay, but Zhao Nan insisted on leaving, citing his status as a student of the Ernst Institute.

However, Zhao Nan promised that he would return in a year to check on Linley's progress, which finally stopped the six-year-old Linley from being too heartbroken.

The Ernst Institute, the premier magic academy of the entire Yulan Continent.

The Ernst Institute was located in a forested area more than twenty miles south of Fenlai City.

As Fenlai City was the holy capital of the Radiant Church, the Ernst Institute was naturally funded and built by the Radiant Church.

As one of the two great churches of the Yulan Continent, they were naturally wealthy and powerful.

Consequently, the campus was vast, covering nearly ten square miles.

Such a large academy was almost comparable to a city.

Outside the Ernst Institute, there was no sign of human habitation, only vast, open mountain ranges.

Restaurants, clothing stores, bars, and other service establishments were all located within the academy; one could say that the students of the Ernst Institute lived their entire lives inside the campus.

"Truly impressive." Even though Zhao Nan had lived at the Ernst Institute for several years, upon returning after a long absence, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

The main gate of the Ernst Institute was fifty meters wide. Above the gate stood a giant crescent-shaped structure adorned with various profound magic runes. Just by looking at their complexity, one could tell that the magic array on the gate was a large-scale spell.

After admiring the Ernst Institute, Zhao Nan stepped forward and walked into the academy.

Zhao Nan's dormitory was 1653.

Besides Zhao Nan, there were three others in the room; it was a four-person dormitory.

Just as Zhao Nan walked into the dormitory, a youth with purple hair and a height of one meter seven was just walking out.

"Oh, Zhao Nan, you're back." The youth couldn't help but call out happily when he saw Zhao Nan.

Zhao Nan looked at the youth, also wearing a happy expression as he reached out to pat the youth on the shoulder. "That's right, As, your big brother is back!"

As's originally happy expression stiffened the moment he heard Zhao Nan call himself "big brother." He grumpily reached out and punched Zhao Nan in the chest. "Damn it, I'm the boss in our dorm."

"Fine, fine, fine, Boss As. I'm starving to death; are you going to treat me to a meal?" Zhao Nan didn't bother to argue after hearing As's words, simply replying with a chuckle.

Upon hearing this, As shook his head. "Just grab a bite on your own for lunch. I have to head out, and I'm waiting for the third and fourth years to return tonight so we can all go eat together. My treat."

Zhao Nan didn't say anything more, simply nodding to show he understood and telling him to go attend to his business.

Once As had left, Zhao Nan began to ponder the path he should take moving forward.

Since he possessed the Teacher System as his golden finger, he needed to find students to take on as disciples.

But thinking back to the original work, Linley actually didn't take very long to transcend.

As his teacher, having already bound himself to Linley, he could completely just lie back and wait for Linley to transcend.

However, Zhao Nan knew very well that although it seemed like Linley's transcendence in the original work was a matter of course, in reality, the path to transcendence was never that easy.

If he were even slightly careless, Linley might fail to transcend and end up dead and extinguished.

Furthermore, he still had to change the regrets in Linley's heart; how could he have the time to wait for Linley to slowly grow toward transcendence?

Most importantly, what if his arrival changed some of Linley's destiny, and in the end, Linley couldn't transcend? What would he do then?

Therefore, he still had to rely on himself.