What Mulan taught was not simply copied word for word from some book. Some principles were simple enough, but the Magic Books never stated them outright, or explained them ambiguously. Some even contained contradictions that failed to hold up.
Much of Mulan's lesson consisted of his own insights, the product of distilling existing knowledge and developing new ideas from it, and what he believed came closest to the truth. Many of those conclusions could only be reached by reading numerous Magic Books and comparing their implications. Quite a few of those books were actually dangerous, too. Reading too deeply without sufficient strength of will could contaminate one's mental power, causing serious illnesses that were difficult to cure.
Fundamentally, whether at his job in the Twenty-First Century or here in the present, Mulan had always taken his work very seriously, however much he might complain. Since he had become a professor, he certainly would not coast along. He would not be like the others, who failed to show up even on the first day, or merely went through the motions when they did.
Well, Mulan had expected some sort of opening ceremony, but there had been nothing at all. Walton had only dropped by that morning, and when Mulan expressed his confusion, he merely said everyone was busy. A ceremony could wait until next time, or they could hold a joint one when the next batch arrived. It was a thoroughly perfunctory excuse.
Mulan would not do that. Instead, he would make sure the students understood what they were studying and what they would face in the future. He opened his notes, but never once glanced down at them. Taking a black charcoal pencil, he wrote directly on the lecture hall's white wall: "Existential force."
"Students, you must understand that entering