Course Selection?

Cloud-Perch Academy, West Room.

The room was small, the smallest of the three, roughly the same size as his living quarters back in Willow Town. The furnishings were simple: a bed, a wooden table, a desk, and so on.

The room was clean; there was no dust on the desk or the cabinets, as if it had just been tidied. New bedding was already laid out on the bed, which saved him quite a bit of trouble.

There was a pot of tea on the table. Chu Ming felt a bit thirsty, but he didn't drink it.

He placed the Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy on the desk, opened his bundle, took out his change of clothes, and put them into the cabinet.

Xiao Shan would have normally organized these chores, but now he had to do it all himself.

However, it was simple enough; he had done everything himself in his past life, and he finished it in a few moments.

Once his luggage was settled, he sat at the desk to rest and opened the Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy to study.

This book, which reached half his height, was already nearly half-read. He estimated that in another seven or eight days, he would be able to finish it entirely.

If he weren't spending time simulating techniques or practicing the Body Forging Technique, and instead devoted himself entirely to it, he could shorten that time even further.

As he read, Chu Ming pondered his current environment.

Ning Hao's behavior and attire are refined and steady, while Liang Yuan looks unkempt, yet he seems to have deep attainments in calligraphy and painting.

He could hear every word of the conversation between the two in the courtyard.

Calligraphy and painting... He mused, Perhaps I can grind out a skill for that, imitate the works of masters, and sell them for money.

Chu Ming had over a dozen taels of silver on him, which was enough for food, but martial arts training required medicinal soups. He also wanted to send some silver to Fang Xiao, his steward, and that girl Xiao Shan.

Later on, there would certainly be many places where he would need silver.

Therefore, he had been considering finding a way to earn money.

The conversation between Ning Hao and Liang Yuan had provided him with a train of thought.

Once I'm familiar with the academy's environment, I'll look for relevant books to study.

It wasn't easy to grind out a skill on the panel; it required a certain level of proficiency or insight.

[Reading] had only appeared after he had read many travelogues, and [Wind-Slapping Palm] had required many days of continuous practice, not to mention the others.

In fact, there was a faster way to obtain silver: using the power of a martial artist.

As the saying goes, murder and arson lead to golden belts...

The seven strands of blood energy condensed within his body allowed him to mobilize more than twice the blood energy of an ordinary martial artist. It could be said that, based on blood energy alone, he would rarely encounter an opponent within the Blood Activation Realm.

But such things carried risks; the Criminal Defense Division was not a group of idlers.

Silver is secondary. How to finish reading all the books in the academy is my most urgent priority right now.

Only by reading more books could his two special abilities, "Integration" and "Drawing Inferences," exert their greatest effects.

Finally... His gaze sharpened, there is the matter of the Chu Family.

As he thought this, time slipped away. At dusk, the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked upon.

Ning Hao and Liang Yuan had gone out half an hour ago, so Chu Ming had to put down his book and go out to open the door.

"Brother Chu, you're about finished packing, right? I'll take you to eat."

The person at the door was none other than Lu Xian, who had brought him to Cloud-Perch Academy earlier that day.

Since they were both from Willow Town, Lu Xian was worried that Chu Ming might be unfamiliar with his surroundings and not know where to eat, so he had come by specifically at this hour.

"Alright, Brother Lu, please wait a moment."

Chu Ming turned back into the room, grabbed three taels of silver, and followed Lu Xian along the path. They passed through the gate of the Middle Academy and arrived at the Lower Academy.

"Brother Chu, Baiyuan Academy has a dining hall right here in the Lower Academy. The prices are cheaper than outside, so we all eat here."

"Of course, you can also go to the taverns outside the academy, but that not only costs more silver but also wastes time. Unless there's a special situation, we generally just settle for the academy dining hall."

As they walked, Lu Xian introduced the situation at the academy: food, housing, transportation, classes, instructors, famous senior students, and so on...

Listening to him, Chu Ming felt as if he had returned to the boarding high school of his past life.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the number of scholars on the road gradually increased, all of them seemingly preparing to eat.

"Brother Chu, we're almost there." Lu Xian pointed to a three-story pavilion ahead. "That is the academy's dining hall."

The two quickened their pace. As they reached the front of the dining hall, they saw someone waving at them from afar.

"Brother Chu, Brother Lu." The man trotted over, his face full of smiles.

"Brother Guan, have you reserved a seat?" Lu Xian asked.

"It's reserved. Don't worry, Brother Lu. Since Brother Chu is here, how could I let him go hungry?"

The person who had come was Guan Chong, the third-place finisher in the Willow Town Academy Exam, wearing a scholar's cap.

"Let's go, let's go. Brother Chu, I'm treating you today to welcome you."

The three of them entered the dining hall side by side, the aroma of food wafting toward them.

The dining hall was large, with rows of tables and chairs neatly arranged, much like a school cafeteria from his past life.

Guan Chong led the two of them along a side path until they reached a table near a corner.

"This is the spot you booked?" Lu Xian did not seem very satisfied with the location.

At dusk, there was already little light, and while the Dining Hall was illuminated by oil lamps, this corner received very little of that glow.

Guan Chong's face flushed slightly as he said with some embarrassment, "It's peak dining time and there are too many people; this was the only spot I could snag..."

"Couldn't you have come earlier?"

"...Coming early wouldn't have helped. I had to order the food and hold the table at the same time; I couldn't manage both..."

"This is the first time the top three from Willow Town are eating together..." Lu Xian wanted to say more, but Chu Ming interrupted, "As long as we can eat, it doesn't matter where."

After the bumpy day-long journey from Willow Town and only a light meal at noon, he was famished.

"Brother Chu, there are quite a few classes these days, so let's just make do for now. In a few days, we'll go to a restaurant outside the academy for a proper meal."

Guan Chong deferred to Lu Xian, while Lu Xian vaguely deferred to Chu Ming.

Chu Ming glanced at the two of them before shifting his gaze to the food already laid out: seven or eight dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, and a large bucket of steaming white rice.

Under his Sword Gourd Spiritual Sense, he could tell everything was freshly cooked and perfectly fine.

"Fine."

He had only met Lu Xian and Guan Chong once before, and their enthusiasm and initiative carried a clear hint of sycophancy...

After a moment of thought, he understood the reason.

It must be because of that Principal Eighth Rank Archivist, Lord Feng Yuan, having spent time alone with him.

The three took their seats, exchanged a few pleasantries, and finally picked up their chopsticks to eat.

The portions were generous and the food tasted quite good; the academy's Dining Hall was far more conscientious than the cafeterias of his past life.

Halfway through the meal, Lu Xian picked up the teapot, filled Chu Ming's cup, and said with a smile, "Brother Chu probably doesn't know how the academy handles its curriculum yet, right?"

"Mn, I don't." Chu Ming ate at a leisurely pace; he truly hadn't looked into how the academy taught its classes.

"You should have seen the Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy text, Brother Chu. It consists of five parts: Poetry, Politics, History, Rites, and Military Strategy. The academy requires us to choose three to study. Poetry is mandatory, and we select the remaining two ourselves."

"What do you plan to choose, Brother Chu?" Lu Xian asked.

Chu Ming paused; this was essentially the same as choosing between liberal arts and sciences in high school...

"I haven't decided yet. Could you introduce them to me, Lu Xian?"

"Of course, let me explain it in detail for you."

"First is the mandatory Poetry, which covers poems, lyrics, and songs, representing one's literary talent."