Inner Sect's First Lesson (2)

Shen Yuxi had barely taken his seat when the atmosphere in the classroom quietly changed.

The disciples who had originally been listening to Chu Shihan's lecture with rapt attention began to stir faintly. Some unconsciously bit their lips, while others' gazes started wandering. Without exception, those acting strangely were disciples who had entered the inner sect earlier.

Li Ming was still wondering why his senior brothers and sisters had suddenly become so strange when a bright, excited Heart Voice exploded in his ears without warning.

"Wow, the train of thought is clear, the structure is organized, and he even thoughtfully highlights the key points. Eldest Senior Brother is way too amazing! If I'd had a teacher as conscientious as Eldest Senior Brother back in college, how could I possibly have failed a course?!"

The Heart Voice had come too suddenly. Hearing Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice so clearly for the first time, the new disciples immediately lost their composure.

Their eyes widened, their faces full of shock. How could they have imagined that the usually aloof and noble Second Senior Brother harbored such blazing admiration for Eldest Senior Brother in his heart?

This Second Senior Brother was so different from the image they had known before that it could not even be called worlds apart—he simply had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

The veteran disciples, who had long been prepared, noticed that some new disciples were reacting far too obviously to Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice and might draw his attention. They immediately moved to steady the situation without showing it.

Some secretly signaled with their eyes, some used subtle gestures to remind them, and others simply physically pulled their thoughts back. In the most natural manner possible, they cleverly concealed the newcomers' loss of composure.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice only grew more active. Almost every time Chu Shihan finished explaining a key point, a string of sincere praise burst forth from his heart.

This left everyone in a difficult position, and a peculiar cognitive split formed in the lecture hall. Half their divine sense had to focus on comprehending the cultivation essentials Eldest Senior Brother was teaching, while the other half was drawn to Second Senior Brother's vivid, lively Heart Voice, their attention repeatedly tugged away beyond their control.

Even Chu Shihan himself was affected. His train of thought was interrupted time and again by the ever-present Heart Voice, making his lecture stammering and halting, utterly devoid of its usual fluency and composure. His slender fingers unconsciously tapped against the scroll, while the faint line between his brows revealed the helplessness he was forcibly suppressing.

The new disciples had been specifically warned by their senior brothers and sisters about the strange condition of Second Senior Brother's Heart Voice leaking out, and they had more or less prepared themselves mentally.

Yet once they truly experienced what their seniors had described, the shock did not lessen—it only grew. Besides, who could have expected Second Senior Brother to come out swinging this hard the moment class began?

Those lavish praises were like the liveliest spirit sparrows of spring, flapping straight into their ears. They knew they ought to pay attention to the lecture, but whenever Eldest Senior Brother demonstrated an exquisite technique, Second Senior Brother's heartfelt exclamation would explode in their sea of consciousness at precisely the right moment, catching them completely off guard.

Shen Yuxi's unreserved, ardent, straightforward praise surged over them like a raging tide blotting out the sky and covering the earth, leaving them no power to resist. Under such circumstances, asking them to focus on the lesson was truly asking too much.

This was Second Senior Brother! The Second Senior Brother who was ruthless and sparing with words, whose gaze seemed capable of freezing people to death, who emerged unstained from the mud! And he had such intense thoughts in his heart?! Who the hell could have guessed that?!

Several disciples with weaker composure were already holding themselves in until their faces turned red, their features nearly twisted into a knot by their tangled emotions. The entire lecture hall seemed to have become a silent trial ground for cultivation, every person doing their utmost to stubbornly fight against those uninvited Heart Voices.

Chu Shihan, standing on the platform, felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

He had already been unbearably ashamed of how poorly the lecture was going, yet Shen Yuxi refused to miss a single chance to praise him. Even such mistakes were forcibly beautified by Shen Yuxi. "Eldest Senior Brother truly is a man of action. He must be so extraordinarily gifted that he never paid much attention to these minor details before. Yet he specially dug them out to explain for the sake of his junior brothers and sisters. He really... I'm crying my eyes out."

The junior brothers and sisters who had newly entered the inner sect immediately looked enlightened upon hearing this. Their eyes became round as saucers, their faces filled with admiration.

"! So that was it? I thought Eldest Senior Brother had also been affected by Second Senior Brother's Heart Voice, which was why the lecture had gone wrong. I never expected Eldest Senior Brother to be so dedicated to this lesson.

"Forgive us, Eldest Senior Brother. We wronged you! Please rest assured: no matter how Second Senior Brother's Heart Voice disrupts us in the future, we will never let your painstaking efforts go to waste!"

The elders exchanged looks, wanting to speak but holding themselves back.

"...Is there perhaps another possibility...?"

They all knew Shen Yuxi was purely over-glorifying Chu Shihan's mistakes. But seeing the new disciples' utterly convinced expressions, they truly did not know how to explain it.

After all, the impact caused by Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice was plain for all to see. If they rashly exposed the truth, they would surely damage the new disciples' confidence in Chu Shihan, and the authority of the sect's eldest disciple would vanish into thin air.

Hearing Shen Yuxi's words and his junior brothers and sisters' reactions, Chu Shihan's heart was a tangled mess of emotions.

On one hand, he was deeply grateful for Shen Yuxi's desire to defend him. On the other, he knew perfectly well that his poor performance in this lecture was an indisputable fact. Shen Yuxi's praise did not comfort him in the slightest—rather, it only made the guilt in his heart grow stronger.

"That has to be it. Eldest Senior Brother is Long Aotian, after all! Do you even understand what it means to be Heavenly Dao's Son? The cultivation bottlenecks that ordinary people like us run into probably aren't even noticeable to Eldest Senior Brother!"

The moment those words emerged, the entire hall was stunned.

The junior brothers and sisters who had newly entered the inner sect had only been briefly told about Second Senior Brother's leaking Heart Voice. Hearing this now, they assumed it was merely one of his usual exaggerated compliments toward Eldest Senior Brother. Though they found the wording strange, they did not pay it much mind.

The older disciples, however, were dumbfounded. They knew of Second Senior Brother's prophetic abilities. Their shock was so great that their breathing stalled for an instant, and when they looked toward Chu Shihan again, their gazes suddenly turned fervent and reverent.

Eldest Senior Brother truly is extraordinary beyond compare! the veteran disciples marveled inwardly.

Although there were words in Shen Yuxi's statement that they found difficult to understand, anything connected to the Heavenly Dao was absolutely no simple matter. Setting everything else aside, merely cultivating without a single setback or bottleneck was already enough to make others endlessly envious.

And Second Senior Brother had outright called Eldest Senior Brother "Heavenly Dao's Son." Was that not saying the Heavenly Dao favored Eldest Senior Brother greatly and treated him as its own child? How could that not make people green with envy?

Low murmurs of amazement spread through the disciples, while undercurrents surged among the elders' seats. Several elders nearly crushed the tea cups in their hands, turbulent waves overturning their hearts. !! So that's what you meant when you brought up Long Aotian before! Why didn't you say so sooner?!

They tried their hardest to maintain calm expressions, but the joy at the corners of their brows and eyes could not be suppressed. The curve of their lips rose higher and higher, light gleamed in their eyes, and their gratification and delight were like overflowing wine, nearly spilling forth.

True Person Yu Qing could not help but sigh in admiration upon hearing this, his eyes full of praise and anticipation. "Heaven blesses our sect, to have gained such a qilin child!"

Yet Chu Shihan, standing upon the platform, was in incomparable turmoil and torment.

...I don't know whether what Junior Brother said is true, but Second Junior Brother, please stop talking. The expectant gazes of my junior brothers, junior sisters, elders, and Sect Master are so piercing... so heavy...

He felt as though he had been placed over scorching flames to roast. Every gaze filled with expectation seemed to become a cold, heavy shackle, pressing down on his chest until it felt stifling, until he could barely breathe.

More than anyone, he knew that he was far from as flawless as Shen Yuxi praised him to be. Yet this situation had left him riding a tiger with no way to dismount. He was at a complete loss, with no idea how to properly wrap things up, and could only groan endlessly in his heart.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, Chu Shihan immediately gathered his scrolls and left the lecture hall with wind beneath his feet. He feared that if he lingered even a moment longer, Shen Yuxi would blurt out another earth-shattering Heart Voice and leave him utterly unable to step down from the stage.

Watching Chu Shihan's hurriedly departing back, Shen Yuxi muttered inwardly, Eldest Senior Brother left in such a hurry—he must have gone back to grind himself to death again. Sigh, is this the self-cultivation of a protagonist? He can't even bear to waste time taking a breath. Sigh, you people who can be protagonists...

Seeing this, the disciples below the platform felt both regret and an inexplicable sense of relief.

"It is good that Eldest Senior Brother left first. At least he won't keep getting battered senseless by Second Senior Brother's exaggerated praise."

But the facts proved that they were still far too naïve.

It was Shen Yuxi's turn to teach. Today, he was teaching the crucial foundational course, <Basic Concepts of Spiritual Energy and Its Applications>.

At the beginning of class, the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Shen Yuxi's explanations were clear and structured, while the disciples listened attentively. Everyone secretly felt fortunate, thinking that this time, they would finally be able to peacefully finish a lesson.

But this smooth scene did not last for long—

Shen Yuxi stood on the platform in a green robe, his expression focused as he earnestly explained the concept of spiritual energy. His words were clear, his logic rigorous, and every key point was laid out in detailed, thorough fashion.

He began with the most fundamental nature of spiritual energy. His slender fingers traced the paths of spiritual energy through the air, and his voice rang clear. "Spiritual energy is the primordial energy of heaven and earth, the foundation of cultivation. Ghost energy and demonic energy are different. Do you know the differences between spiritual energy, ghost energy, and demonic energy?"

The disciples below exchanged looks. They only knew that they should keep away from ghost energy and demonic energy, but had never delved into the reasons why. A few bolder disciples tentatively answered, "Demonic energy is violent, and ghost energy is eerie?"

"That is not wrong. Demonic energy and ghost energy form when spiritual energy is affected by negative influences. The three share the same origin, yet are utterly different."

Shen Yuxi raised a hand and drew runes in the air. At once, three masses of energy in different colors materialized in midair—lustrous green, strange purple, and gloomy black.

The vivid contrast between the three colors instantly drew everyone's eyes. The disciples in the front rows unconsciously leaned forward, staring fixedly at the three masses of energy.

It's kind of fun. It looks a lot like the rainbow bubble slime I played with as a kid, except it isn't transparent enough.

The classroom atmosphere instantly became subtle.

The disciples did not know what "bubble slime" meant, but they all understood one thing: this class was probably about to go off the rails again.

Shen Yuxi extended a fingertip and guided a thread of spiritual energy to lightly touch the purple mass. In an instant, the purple mass twisted as though it were a savage beast jolted awake, suddenly transforming into a ferocious ghost face. It opened a blood-filled maw and let out a hair-raising howl before dispersing into the air with a boom.

Shen Yuxi looked at the vanishing mass, his expression grave. "Demonic energy is violent, like stream water mixed with sand and broken stones. In the short term, it can bring a cultivator an enormous increase in power.

"But this power is extremely unstable. The 'sand and broken stones' within it slip through every crack, wearing down the meridians and corroding the mind. Once one comes into contact with demonic energy, one has stepped onto a road of no return, whose only destination is destruction.

"Demonic energy itself is also highly contaminating. Even the misfortune of touching a single wisp of it may lead to corrosion."

His voice was steady and powerful, every word like a heavy hammer striking the disciples' hearts.

Yet just as those below the platform immersed themselves in his explanation, his Heart Voice ran wild like an unbridled horse and entered their ears beyond control.

Put simply, it's the cultivation world's plague-rabies combo. That's why every demonic cultivator is a short-lived wreck with questionable mental health—though their lifespan is still much longer than a mortal's. Compared to cultivators at the same realm, though, it's not even worth mentioning. Among cultivators, they absolutely count as dying young. A classic case of drinking poison to quench thirst, using your life to speedrun cultivation.

But the results really are badass. The talented disciples of this generation can all go head-to-head with the previous generation's seniors. Well, they are closer to the underworld than their seniors' seniors in terms of lifespan, though.

After saying this, he moved his fingertip toward the black mass. As though sensing his approach, the black mass instantly turned into wisps of mist. Like nimble little snakes, they slowly curled around his finger and clung tightly to it.

"Ghost energy is more like a swamp—seemingly calm, yet concealing lethal danger." With a light shake of his wrist, the ghost energy proved as difficult to cast off as an illness clinging to the bone.

"Unlike demonic energy, ghost energy is dense and heavy, more concealed and stable. It slowly devours spiritual power and vitality. Once one is corroded by ghost energy, life force will drain away as swiftly as sand through an hourglass."

Before his words had faded, he moved the green mist formed from spiritual energy at his left closer to the black mass. When the two masses reached a certain distance, the green mist was suddenly tugged by an invisible force and instantly absorbed into the ghost energy that had not yet fully dispersed.

The mercury, sulfuric acid, parasite combo meal—free delivery to everyone in range, rich or poor alike. Always on time, never late. The spiritual energy and vitality it absorbs can directly nourish itself in return. That's where the legends of evil ghosts absorbing yang energy came from.

At the same time, spiritual light burst from Shen Yuxi's palm, shattering the ghost energy into starlike motes.

"Spiritual energy, meanwhile, is pure and gentle, like fine rain on a spring night, silently nourishing all things. Only this clear, spiritual energy can resonate with the meridians without damaging them or harming others, helping cultivators continuously raise their cultivation." As Shen Yuxi spoke, he lightly swept his sleeve, gathering another mass of spiritual energy in his palm.

In short, eternal Tang Monk meat. A huge tonic! A huge tonic with phenomenal effects!

"This is also the fundamental reason why cultivators generally reject Demonic Cultivators and Ghost Cultivators," Shen Yuxi concluded. "One destroys the mind, harming others and oneself. The other brings calamity to the world and harms others. Both can easily trigger chaos and cause tremendous casualties."

He then demonstrated several vivid examples of techniques for transforming spiritual energy in practical applications. When he reached crucial points, he deliberately slowed his speech, using spiritual power to trace clear paths of energy circulation through the empty air.

This should have been a brilliant lesson from which everyone would benefit greatly. Yet the disciples below could not absorb the knowledge smoothly. One by one, they painfully clutched their temples.

The rigorous explanation on the platform overlapped with the lively inner commentary. The two voices spoke one after another, their content and trains of thought completely different but their tones utterly identical. It was like two ancient zithers in vastly different keys playing simultaneously in their minds, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

The disciples were utterly bewildered and did not know what to do. They could not tell which side they were supposed to focus on. Whenever they tried to follow the lesson, the wildly imaginative Heart Voice led them astray; just as the Heart Voice made them laugh, they had to quickly straighten their faces and take notes.

How the hell were they supposed to listen to this class...?

The elders seated in the back rows wore equally marvelous expressions as they watched.

On one hand, Shen Yuxi's ability to divide his attention and carry out both things so perfectly in parallel was truly rare. On the other hand, this was a lesson for new disciples, and such a state of affairs was indeed inappropriate.

And so, amid confusion and chaos, this lesson muddleheadedly came to an end.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Spiritual Energy

An abstract form of energy and the foundation upon which all things endure.

Its nature is gentle and it can be used properly.

○ Ghost Energy

One variation of spiritual energy, usually condensed from Ghost Cultivators, corpses, and resentment.

Corpse energy is also a type of ghost energy.

Ghost energy is usually uncontrolled. Those capable of preventing ghost energy from dispersing freely are all high-level cultivators.

Ghost energy is dense and heavy, concealed yet stable. It slowly devours the spiritual power and vitality of living beings it comes into contact with. Once one is corroded by ghost energy, spiritual power and life force rapidly drain away, and the lost spiritual power and life force nourish the source of the ghost energy in return.

Ghost energy that is not voluntarily released usually does not possess strong corrosive power. Even if its target is a mortal, unless they remain within it for a long time, they will at most fall ill and weaken rather than lose their life. Only ghost energy voluntarily emitted by its source possesses terrifying corrosive power. The speed of corrosion is directly proportional to the cultivation level of the ghost energy's source.

Demonic energy primarily corrodes the mind and meridians, while ghost energy has no interest in those and heads straight for "nutrients." Therefore, death from ghost energy corrosion comes faster.

○ Demonic Energy

One variation of spiritual energy.

When cultivators absorb spiritual energy to improve themselves, they must circulate it through their cycles in a specific manner. If something goes wrong and the method of circulation is incorrect, spiritual energy may transform into demonic energy.

Demonic energy can also be used for cultivation. Since there are fewer restrictions on its circulation method, cycling it through the body is faster. Yet precisely because it is too fast and disorderly, it causes enormous damage to the meridians.

Demonic energy is violent. Cultivating with demonic energy harms oneself and also damages the mind. Most Demonic Cultivators become irritable and extreme amid suffering.

It is adhesive. Once contaminated by it, it easily takes root within the body, is difficult to remove, and even harder to assimilate.

○ The Difference Between Ghost Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators

A Ghost Cultivator is determined by the cultivator's own state. It is a difference of race.

A demonic cultivator is determined by one's cultivation method. It is a difference of cultivation path.

A Ghost Cultivator can also be a demonic cultivator.

Bonus Scene:

Shen Yuxi: Eldest Senior Brother is incredible! Eldest Senior Brother is handsome! Eldest Senior Brother is an unparalleled genius!

All Disciples: Second Senior Brother, please shut up... No, please seal your heart.

Chu Shihan: I want to die so badly...

Feng, the "Both Senior Brothers Are Always Right" bot: ? Strange. Isn't everything Second Senior Brother said true? Why is everyone's expression so strange?

Zhou Wen before joining the inner sect: Second Senior Brother is heaven-shakingly extraordinary.

Zhou Wen after joining the inner sect: ...How is he not?