Third-Tier Cultivation Art

Wang Weixin helped Xia Yunyun hand out a printed timetable to everyone. Xia Yunyun said, "You can download the Jasmine Timetable app on your phones. Once you log in and verify your school and student number, you can get your digital timetable and put it on your home screen. You also need to choose your martial arts elective this week; classes start next week. I'll send the times and instructions to the group chat. Choose carefully, and don't fail."

Then she asked a few students to help distribute the textbooks:

"Beginner Cultivation"

"History of Traditional Cultivation and Cultivation Systems"

"Modern History"

"Development of Spells"

"Ethics and Self-Cultivation"

"Beginner Runes"

"Fundamentals of Spell Principles"

"Current Affairs and Policy"

"Military Theory"

Chen Shu looked over the timetable carefully. There were neither too many classes nor too few. It left students some room to pursue their own interests, and the first semester consisted entirely of foundational courses.

Some classes could be skipped altogether.

Chen Shu carried his books back to the dorm, sprawled on his bed, and opened "Beginner Cultivation" first.

The first dozen or so pages explained spiritual power, the Spirit Sea, and the principles behind modern cultivation arts in greater detail. They were followed by methods and precautions for opening the Spirit Sea, then the first chapter of the cultivation art used throughout Yi Nation, interspersed with theory and little tricks. After that came instructions on how to control spiritual power more skillfully.

"Boring..."

Half an hour later, Chen Shu tossed the book aside.

But he still had to attend the class. It was tomorrow, and it would take up the whole afternoon.

Just then, Qingqing sent him her timetable.

Qingqing: [Image]

Chen Shu: Worthy of praise

Qingqing: ?

Chen Shu: So proactive today /thumbs-up

Qingqing: I love you very much

Chen Shu scratched his head. He could picture Qingqing saying it: expressionless as ever, her tone calm and light, as though she were saying, "I'm going to sleep."

Chen Shu: Clearly, I taught you well

Qingqing: If you say so

Chen Shu: I'll come see you tomorrow

Qingqing: When?

Chen Shu: Noon

Qingqing: Okay

July 21.

His first morning class was "History of Traditional Cultivation and Cultivation Systems." Chen Shu went, discovered that the teacher had no intention of taking attendance, and decided not to come back. As far as he was concerned, he could skip any course involving history. That would save him several classes a week.

Eleven in the morning.

Outside the gates of Ling'an Academy.

Ning Qing stood beside the gate in a simple casual jacket. Blue jeans outlined her long, straight legs. She wore high-top sneakers and a mask.

At first glance, there was nothing striking about her clothes, and her face was hidden. But she stood so straight, with such a tall, slender figure, that people couldn't help looking twice.

When Chen Shu spotted her, she was staring down at the ground, lost in thought. He carefully circled around from behind and to the side, lightening his steps as he tried to get behind her. But when he was only a few meters away, Ning Qing silently turned and stared at him.

"Umm..."

"What were you going to do?" Ning Qing studied his expression, looking thoughtful. "Startle me? Or jump onto my back?"

"Startle you."

"I'll pretend not to notice next time."

"..." Chen Shu fell silent for a moment. "You don't have to say that out loud."

"Oh."

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Ten minutes."

"Can't you calculate when I'll arrive?"

"I couldn't wait." Ning Qing tucked her hands into the pockets of her varsity-style jacket and headed through the gate in tiny steps. "What do you want to eat?"

"What's good at your school?"

"I don't know."

"That won't do. You're the host. You need to discover the good food, then take me to eat it whenever I come see you," Chen Shu said. "You have to treat me well."

"I haven't discovered any yet."

"Then I'll give you an assignment..."

"I won't take it."

"No, you have to!"

"I can try the places with you one by one and find out which are good." Ning Qing didn't want to eat alone in a restaurant. At most, she ate in the cafeteria; preferably, she ordered delivery.

"How long would that take? I can't come every day."

"We have a long future ahead of us."

"Wow!" Walking beside her, Chen Shu couldn't help exclaiming, "You're good at this!"

"At what?"

"You're so good at flirting."

"Am I..."

Something shifted in Ning Qing's eyes, as though she found it amusing. She moved a little closer to Chen Shu, their shoulders nearly touching. "I'll treat you to the cafeteria, then."

"How stingy."

"That's what we're having."

"You're the boss." Chen Shu paused. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"I learned it from you."

"I'm not even wearing one today."

"With a mask on, I don't have to care about other people's stares." Ning Qing took hers off, folded it, and tucked it into her pocket, revealing a face without a trace of makeup. "The fish-fragrant eggplant and pickled-chili chicken I had in the cafeteria yesterday were decent. I'll get them again today. You can try some."

"Which tastes better, theirs or mine?"

"Yours."

"Very good, very good..."

The cafeteria Ning Qing took him to was called Rippling Splendor Building. At least it had a lovely name.

Chen Shu got rabbit with two kinds of peppers, red-braised pork, and a fish steak. He also bought milk tea, charging several dozen yuan to Qingqing's card. As he ate his own food, he helped himself to hers too.

As for the taste, it was probably top-tier for a cafeteria, even a little better than what he'd had in the Jade Capital. Compared with restaurants outside, it was above average.

It was big-batch cooking, after all. The main attraction was the price.

Next time, he'd try the made-to-order dishes upstairs.

After eating their fill, they wandered around with his unfinished milk tea in hand. Apart from not holding hands, they looked like any ordinary young couple. Ning Qing walked him all the way to the gate and told him to use another entrance next time he came to see her. Then she put her mask back on and headed toward her dorm.

Two in the afternoon.

Beginner Cultivation class.

Cultivation was one of the two most important core courses.

That had been especially true in ancient times. Young cultivators often focused on cultivation first, while their knowledge of spells and other subjects generally grew richer over the years.

They were still young when they began cultivating. If they pulled ahead early, received everyone's praise, and became known as gifted cultivators, they would naturally start living up to that image, work hard at cultivation, and form a habit of it. But if their peers left them behind from the start, they could easily grow discouraged, give up on themselves, or shift their time and energy to something else that gave them a sense of achievement.

In modern times, cultivation rank mattered less, but it was still important in the early stages.

To Chen Shu's surprise, the teacher for this course was the woman who had tested him yesterday. Was her surname Fu?

"Hello, everyone. I'm your teacher for this course. My name is Fu Jia."

Teacher Fu was slender and stood about 1.7 meters tall. Her face looked neither old nor young, and she was fairly attractive, but her eyes were sharp. She had the stern air of a disciplinarian.

"Hello, Teacher Fu."

The students greeted her earnestly.

Teacher Fu swept her gaze across the classroom. She had a commanding presence and a brisk manner. "I won't waste words. Let's get straight to it. Those who haven't opened their Spirit Sea, raise your hands."

The vast majority of the students raised their hands.

Teacher Fu pressed her lips together. "Hands down. Those who have opened their Spirit Sea, raise your hands."

Chen Shu raised his hand.

He turned to look around. Besides him, two other students had opened their Spirit Seas early, one male and one female. He didn't know why.

"That's enough."

Teacher Fu continued, "I glanced over your entrance test results yesterday. Nearly all of you meet the standard for opening your Spirit Sea. To confirm it, you need to get an official examination at the cultivation hospital in the university district this week. Bring back the report, and you can receive the opening medicine free of charge.

"Who's the class monitor?"

"I am!" Wang Weixin raised his hand.

"Count up the test results and tell me over the weekend how many say 'opening recommended.' Also, remember this: next week, we won't have class here. Those who haven't opened their Spirit Sea should go to the meditation room on the second floor of Martial Cultivation Hall No. 2. Those who have already opened it, or whose results don't say 'opening recommended,' don't need to attend that class."

"Got it."

"Write down my phone number and Feixun ID. Everyone needs them. Leave me a message if you have questions."

"Yes..."

Teacher Fu Jia picked up her thermos and took a sip of water before continuing. "Read the first twenty pages of the textbook yourselves. I can't be bothered to lecture on them. During these four sessions, this afternoon and the afternoon after tomorrow, I'll explain the science of opening the Spirit Sea, the correct method and relevant precautions, and we'll do practice runs.

"This is important. Study carefully."

At that, she glanced at Chen Shu in the back row.

Chen Shu looked fully attentive. He didn't dismiss the lesson just because he had already opened his Spirit Sea.

Teachers at Yujing University were not to be underestimated. Even when covering the basics, they might offer their own insights and distinctive details, or wander into more advanced topics in the same field. There was always something to learn.

He soon discovered how merciless this teacher was—

From two until six, there were four hours of class: two long sessions divided into four shorter ones, with two ten-minute breaks and one half-hour break scheduled. Yet Teacher Fu gave them only ten minutes in the middle to use the bathroom. Otherwise, she never stopped.

And everyone listened with rapt attention.

Students who kept up felt they were learning a great deal. Those who struggled grew so anxious they broke into a sweat and scratched their heads in frustration.

Teacher Fu was incredible.

The bell rang.

Teacher Fu grabbed her water cup and strode out with effortless flair.

Chen Shu hurried after her with his book and asked as they walked, "Hello, Teacher Fu. I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

Teacher Fu didn't slow down at all.

Chen Shu got straight to the point. "Where do I apply for the latest version of the Third-Tier Cultivation Art? Are there requirements for applying early?"

"Follow me."

"Yes, Teacher."

Chen Shu followed her all the way to her office.

Once Teacher Fu sat down, she opened a drawer, rummaged around briefly, and casually pulled out a stapled stack of printed pages. She handed it to him. "The latest Third-Tier Cultivation Art. Don't pass it around."

"?"

Chen Shu froze.

"You're just giving it to me?"

"What else?"

"Don't I need to submit an application, go through a review, register, and pay a fee?"

"If you're determined to spend money, consider donating to a charity. Our school's stray-pet neutering fund, for instance. It benefits everyone."

"I see..." Holding the stack of papers, Chen Shu scratched his head and asked, "What about the fourth-tier one?"

"When you reach that rank, come to me for it too."

"It's that simple?"

"What else?"

Teacher Fu folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching him coolly. "What have you been through to make you distrust your school and teachers this much?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just think this is too good. It feels like a dream."

"You got into this university. Why are you still playing dumb?"

"You have a point..."

"You're a student, and I'm a teacher. Your job is to study hard; mine is to teach you. How much you absorb depends on you, but if I have it, I'll give it to you." Teacher Fu paused, then turned to stare straight at him. "Also, did you use the wrong method when opening your Spirit Sea or advancing, or did something go wrong? Is that why your Spirit Sea is in poor condition or has suffered some damage?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"In a rush to open your Spirit Sea, were you? In a rush to advance?" Teacher Fu took a deep breath. "Get it checked at a cultivation hospital. If that's the problem, add a dose of Spirit Sea repair medicine to your supplementary medicine the next time you advance. It should help somewhat. The Spirit Sea also repairs itself during advancement. You're only at the third tier, so if things go smoothly, the damage can be reversed."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Off you go." Teacher Fu added one last reminder. "If you have questions, ask me. Don't blindly muddle through on your own. Mistakes can cost you dearly."

"Okay."

Only then did Chen Shu realize that her voice was lovely—gentle, refined, even a little sweet. She used the same voice in class, yet there she had sounded so stern.