Academy Summons

Academy Summons

Zhang Yu looked at the two newly emerged Seal Glyphs on the light screen. The one above the Seal of Speech was called the Roaring Voice Seal, while the one above the Seal of Intent was called Keen Thought.

Because he had previously received instruction from that stream of intent, he already knew what these three Seal Glyphs could do even before contemplating them. He thought to himself, It seems the Profound Residence truly intends for us to develop in the direction of combat.

Including the earlier Vitality Seal, these three Seal Glyphs did not seem particularly remarkable at first glance. Yet in actual combat, all three could play an important role.

For instance, after a cultivator contemplated the Vitality Seal derived from the Seal of the Body, they need only pour intent into it to stir their own vitality and accelerate the recovery of injured areas.

However, this Seal Glyph was clearly meant to be used alongside the Origin-Nourishing Seal. Otherwise, it would merely drain one's own life force and shorten one's lifespan. Now, however, the two could keep each other in balance.

The Roaring Voice Seal was somewhat similar to his Thunder Voice, but it was not meant to intimidate an enemy. Rather, it was used to set one's own mind right. In the Old Cultivator teachings, "roar" was the first sound after heaven and earth were born, capable of driving away all evil spirits and vile things, and even more capable of eliminating the four disorders of fear, dread, terror, and timidity from one's heart.

When cultivators fought others, they would inevitably be affected by all manner of emotions. One moment of carelessness could give an opponent an opening. With this sound, however, they could steady themselves and remain calm throughout battle.

As for the Keen Thought Seal, as a continuation of the Seal of Intent, it could accelerate one's thoughts for a period of time.

Yet even after mastering these three Seal Glyphs, one still needed the proper techniques and breathing patterns whenever using them, and every use would inevitably consume the body's vital energy.

According to what that intent had conveyed to him, an ordinary person could use at most one or two Seal Glyphs in a day. More was not impossible, but it would harm the body, and afterward one would need ample rest and recuperation before recovering.

But everyone's foundation differed, and so naturally did their circumstances. He estimated that if he used them himself, employing all three Seal Glyphs at once should not be a problem. As for the precise number of uses, that was still difficult to determine before contemplating them.

He believed that the Seal of the Great Dao surely contained Seal Glyphs that could better nourish vital energy. It was only that the Profound Residence had not yet imparted them to them.

But it was still too early to consider that. The problem before him now was another one: he had the Seal Glyphs, but not enough Divine Essence.

Including the Control Seal in the Turbid Canon, there were now four Seal Glyphs waiting for him to contemplate. And afterward, if he found the Heartlight Seal, he would still need a certain amount of Divine Essence to activate it.

The shortfall was truly no small matter.

He had never imagined that he had once worried the Profound Residence would place overly strict restrictions on the transmission of Seal Glyphs, only to now have to rack his brains because there were too many of them.

By his estimate, if the Source Energy accumulated within that statue was plentiful, it should make up for the deficit of two Seal Glyphs. He would have to think of another way to cover the rest.

A thought crossed his mind. He wondered whether Ren Yi's side might give him a pleasant surprise, but that was ultimately a matter of luck, and he could not place too much hope on it.

Still, this gave him an idea.

The items containing Source Energy he had obtained in the past all shared several characteristics: they possessed at least one of the three qualities of antiquity, Strange God, or spirituality.

By that standard, there should be many things within the Protectorate Office that fit the requirements. But there were too many of them, and they might not necessarily contain Source Energy. If he searched for them alone, it would waste both time and effort, and he might still find nothing. Since that was so, could he think of a way to make such things come to him of their own accord?

After pondering deeply for a long while, an idea gradually formed in his mind. Yet several necessary conditions were still missing, so he could not put it into practice for now. He would have to wait patiently a while longer.

Over the following days, he simply stayed at the Profound Residence. Every day, apart from meditating and practicing swordsmanship, he would set aside some time to absorb Source Energy near that statue.

Several days passed in this intermittent fashion. On the twenty-fifth day of the second month, as he was tracing the statue beneath it, he suddenly sensed that the unceasing stream of heat that had been flowing toward him had abruptly become much thinner. He immediately realized that the Source Energy contained within it was nearly drained by his absorption.

Sure enough, not long afterward, he could no longer sense any heat flowing toward him. When he looked at the statue again, it seemed far more damaged and dilapidated than before, though it had not truly collapsed.

He examined his Divine Essence. Adding what he had absorbed later to what he had gathered himself earlier, it had accumulated to roughly four-fifths of its previous maximum. That was enough to contemplate two or three Seal Glyphs.

However, according to the "seal method" indicated by the intent in the jade slip, there was actually an order to contemplating these three Seal Glyphs. The amount of Divine Essence invested each time also mattered, and one had to contemplate the three Seal Glyphs back and forth several times before there was a chance of drawing forth Heartlight.

Thus, it would be best for him to accumulate more Divine Essence, wait until he had enough to contemplate four Seal Glyphs, and then settle the matter in one go.

After giving it some thought, he decided that since he had already obtained the Source Energy, there was no need to remain here. He could return and continue his cultivation. Thus, he returned to his quarters, packed up his belongings, bade Zheng Yu and the others farewell, and left the Profound Residence.

More than half a summer-hour later, he returned to his residence within the Academy.

But as soon as he entered, he saw a lean, short-haired youth standing before the door with a bundle on his back. His hair was somewhat light in color, his eyes grayish, and he wore only a single shirt. The moment he saw Zhang Yu approach, he set down his bundle and bowed deeply.

Zhang Yu looked him over. This was a very healthy Beardfolk youth, brimming from head to toe with irrepressible vitality. His gaze was clear, and his face still carried a trace of childishness.

"Did the General Affairs Hall send you?"

The youth respectfully replied, "Yes. The clan elder sent me to serve as your attendant, Master."

Zhang Yu said, "There is no need to call me Master. The Protectorate Office has its own rules; surely the elders of your clan taught you that."

The Protectorate Office nominally did not permit anyone to serve as another's slave. Thus, even if Beardfolk regarded themselves as servants, they had to be careful in how they addressed their employers. Of course, some people still liked their subordinates to call them that when no outsiders were present.

The youth immediately changed his form of address. "Yes, sir."

Zhang Yu asked, "When did you arrive?"

"Three days ago. I came here every day during daylight to wait for you, sir."

Zhang Yu said calmly, "Since this began three days ago, you have been my attendant from that time onward. I may return at night. Should you not have waited here at night as well?"

The youth answered earnestly, "Sir, if you require it, Li He can wait without sleep or rest. But if you are absent, Li He believes that only by resting well at night can I serve you better when you need me."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Though this youth was a Beardfolk, he did not blindly agree with everything Zhang Yu said; he had convictions of his own. That was very good. Zhang Yu did not want an attendant who only obeyed orders without any judgment of his own. "Your name is Li He?"

The youth replied, "Yes, sir. The clan elder gave me this name."

Zhang Yu considered it. Beardfolk were often named after grain crops, poultry, and livestock. That elder had given him this name in hopes that the grain stalks would flourish. Zhang Yu said, "The character 'Li' carries the meaning of parting and separation. It is unsuitable for my household. I will change your name."

The youth was delighted. For the head of the household to give him a name meant he had passed. He bowed and said, "Please bestow a name upon me, sir."

Zhang Yu said, "Li can be changed to Li. I see that you are vigorous and full of youthful strength, so I will add the character Qing before He. You shall be called Li Qinghe."

Upon hearing this, Li Qinghe bowed all the way to the ground and said joyfully, "Thank you for bestowing this name, sir."

Zhang Yu nodded. He stepped forward and pushed open the door, walking into the residence. Seeing Li Qinghe standing by the entrance without rashly entering, he said, "Qinghe, come in and tidy up."

"Yes, sir."

After entering, Li Qinghe did not immediately begin working. He first looked around, then started cleaning and arranging the place. His movements were nimble, and his work was highly orderly. Before long, he had set everything in perfect order.

Watching this, Zhang Yu could not help nodding. He was fairly satisfied with this young attendant, especially since Li Qinghe was a Beardfolk. In the future, he could entrust certain matters to him without concern.

Once Beardfolk recognized a household as their own, they would never change allegiance. Even if their employer fell into poverty and had nowhere to turn, they would remain unwaveringly loyal. In the past, there had been no shortage of Beardfolk servants who chose to follow their employers in death after their employers passed away.

After giving Li Qinghe a few more instructions and telling him what to pay attention to, Zhang Yu prepared to go to the quiet room to meditate. But just then, he heard someone knocking against the door outside. Li Qinghe looked toward him, seeking instructions.

Zhang Yu said, "Go open it."

He also walked to the entrance. When Li Qinghe opened the door, he saw two unfamiliar instructors outside. Neither entered, but their gazes swept inside with little courtesy. Yet when they saw Zhang Yu standing there, handsome in bearing and extraordinary in appearance, unlike an ordinary man, they unconsciously restrained their earlier attitude. One of them clasped his hands and asked, "Are you Assistant Instructor Zhang?"

Zhang Yu returned the salute. "I am. What business do you two instructors have?"

The man who had spoken took a card from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. "A summons from the Academy. Qiu Xueling requests that you visit Zhenli Hall the day after tomorrow."

Zhang Yu considered this and gestured for Li Qinghe to take it.

Seeing that he had accepted the card, the other instructor said, "Qiu Xueling is a man of great virtue and high prestige. Assistant Instructor Zhang, please do not miss the appointment, or you will bear the consequences yourself." With another clasped-hands salute, the two left.