3 Chapter 3: First Year In The Academy
Locating the academic affairs office proved effortless. Su Wen swiftly arrived there accompanied by Xiaopang.
"Greetings, esteemed educators. I am here to initiate the admission processes for working students. How may I proceed?"
...
Upon fulfilling certain formalities, Su Wen and Xiaopang attained the status of official working students.
"I see you both came empty-handed. Would you require bedding and other essentials?" inquired the director.
Su Wen and Xiaopang accepted without hesitation. Each handed a copper spirit coin and received the necessary bedding.
"Your assigned dormitory is Room 7," the director stated calmly.
...
- Room 7 -
With the bedding in tow, Su Wen followed to the director's guidance and located Room 7.
Upon opening the dormitory door, a figure lunged towards him.
Su Wen deftly evaded the attack.
"Hmm?"
Wang Sheng's surprise was evident. Observing the bedding in Su Wen and Xiaopang's hands, he ceased his assault.
"Drop the bedding and face me. The victor will be the leader of Room 7," he declared.
"Why must we fight?" Xiaopang inquired, perplexed.
"Working students often face bullying here, which is why we must unite. The one with the mightiest fists assumes leadership, shielding us from such torment," Wang Sheng explained.
Su Wen shook his head and said "I have no inclination to engage in such games. If leadership is what you want, by all means, take it and don't waste my time."
Locating an unoccupied bed, he swiftly made it, assumed a cross-legged position, and commenced meditation.
Wang Sheng and numerous other working students exchanged glances.
"Leader Wang Shen, he's alredy entered meditation..."
"How can we challenge him when he's already deep in meditation?"
"Let's just leave him be. Clearly, leadership isn't his concern."
"Ha, what a sly move. Claiming disinterest, yet basking in the privileges of a working student with Wang Sheng's support."
Some mocked, but Su Wen completely ignored these side chracters.
...
Upon his arrival at the academy, following dinner, Su Wen sought out the Grandmaster's office. After inquiring with several teachers, he located it and knocked on the door.
"Enter," a middle-aged voice called out, and Su Wen pushed the door open.
Upon seeing it was a youth, the Grandmaster's brows furrowed slightly, his tone tinged with impatience. "What brings you to me?"
"Grandmaster, greetings. I am this year's working student, and my Martial Spirit..."
...
"Innate Spirit Power Level Five? Heaven Book Martial Spirit?" The Grandmaster's intrigue was picked. "Manifest your Martial Spirit."
Su Wen did as told.
"Nothing but a common Book Martial Spirit."
His interest plummeted immediately, annoyance flickering in his gaze.
A mundane Book Martial Spirit, lacking any notable characteristics, yet boasting Level Five Innate Spirit Power.
"I do not accept disciples."
"Grandmaster, my Martial Spirit is a book, and I aspire to become a scholar like yo—"
The Grandmaster cut Su Wen off, declaring, "Cease speaking. You comprehend nothing of the essence of scholarship."
Su Wen lapsed into silence. He didn't continue to seek warmth where there was only coldness and left the Grandmaster's office.
A sigh escaped him.
"A scholar... something I can't afford to pursue, right?" Su Wen grasped the Grandmaster's implicit message.
Without lineage, one's path to scholarly greatness remained obstructed. What purpose did the mere transmission of knowledge serve?
Particularly since the Grandmaster was the founder of numerous theories and sought to elevate his own fame, primarily to affirm himself, leveraging this title to mask his lack in Martial Spirit cultivation.
Destined to remain obscure on the continent, the Grandmaster naturally had no inclination to take notice of him who was even much worse than he was.
As Su Wen departed from the Grandmaster's office and pivoted away, his gaze grew indifferent.
If he wouldn't acknowledge me a student, then I won't bother with him either.
Su Wen's reason for coming to try was naturally not for the master's theories or his intelligence and training methods.
What mattered most to Su Wen in the hands of the master were those resources.
Additionally, there were considerations of identity and connections.
Since the Grandmaster's approach wasn't viable, Su Wen contemplated alternative routes.
'Should I consider joining Spirit Hall?'
Becoming a member of Spirit Hall would undoubtedly grant access to resources, and with diligence, pathways to attain deeper insights might emerge.
Yet—
"Spirit Hall doesn't align with my aspirations."
Lacking innate talent and fearing the constraints imposed by influential figures, Su Wen found the prospect of joining the Spirit Hall unsettling.
One of the most exasperating situations in life is when your enemy holds authority over you.
"In seems in the end, it will all boil down to my own efforts."
Typical Spirit Masters engage in meditation techniques, often wielding Soul Power without systematic consistency. Through years of personal experience, they may eventually craft their own approach, albeit one driven by habit.
Soul Power manipulation also entails methodical techniques. Over the course of at least three months of meditation, Su Wen has delved into numerous methods, poised to consolidate these diverse approaches into a structured regimen for refining his Soul Power techniques.
Regrettably, the human body boasts an abundance of meridians, requiring Su Wen to invest significant time in investigating a comprehensive operational pathway.
Thus, he directed his attention towards the Grandmaster's approach.
Regrettably, the Grandmaster remained indifferent to his efforts.
"I possess a unique perception talent. I can discern the meridian distribution and the state of the Martial Spirit within the body. My self-control far exceeds that of other Spirit Masters."
'In terms of efficacy and safety in technique exploration, my methods surpass those of ordinary practitioners.'
Su Wen refused to accept that he cannot develop techniques on his own.
Regarding other resources...
"In truth, I already possess a thorough understanding of the Spirit Master realm. It's merely a matter of organization."
Viewing it from a different angle, Su Wen acknowledged that aside from details about Spirit Beasts and prevalent Martial Spirits across the continent, he lacks no crucial knowledge. Even for those areas where he's deficient, his innate abilities can be used to decipher them entirely.
...
The curriculum at the academy proved too elementary for Su Wen, with no chance of impeding his cultivation progress.
In addition to his daily regimen, Su Wen dedicated time to harnessing his innate abilities and leveraging his personal knowledge to contemplate the trajectory of his Martial Spirit.
Every accumulation of ten levels presents an opportunity for Martial Spirit evolution.
"Although my Martial Spirit may seem ordinary, by seizing each opportunity presented by every ten levels, I can optimize its evolutionary potential and ultimately transform it into a true Heavenly Book!"
While top-tier Martial Spirits face formidable challenges in further evolution, the progression of average Martial Spirits is comparatively more feasible.
"As long as I acquire sufficiently potent Spirit Rings and employ an efficient absorption process, maximizing the potency of Spirit Rings during transformation, the quality of my Martial Spirit can undergo significant enhancements within the initial three Spirit Rings."
Acquiring high-quality Spirit Rings poses a challenge, and Su Wen has meticulously crafted numerous contingency plans for this endeavor. Alongside securing Spirit Rings, he currently delved into the intricacies of the absorption process.
"I possess exceptional control abilities. While the absorption of Spirit Rings might yield marginal results for others or remain unclear, the same may not hold true for me!"
It's evident without much deliberation that the absorption of Spirit Rings constitutes a pivotal phase in harnessing their potent essence and facilitating the transformation of Martial Spirits. Even minimal human intervention, such as maximizing the absorption and refinement of Spirit Ring power, can substantially augment the transformative effects! And that's what he will try to achieve!
...
Progress unfolds in a methodical fashion.
Su Wen's cultivation pace proved commendable.
He refined his external training methods, refined his meditation techniques, delved into Soul Power manipulation to hone his internal capabilities, and explored external skills.
The synthesis of these efforts yielded significant progress; within his first year at the academy, he ascended four levels!
A mere five months later, he achieveed a breakthrough from the ninth to the tenth level.
Simultaneously, Su Wen embarked on a new research endeavor—the essence of Martial Spirits.
"A genuine scholar not only comprehends but also discerns how to apply."
"The ten fundamental attributes of Martial Spirit? Grandmaster, forgive me, but I'll grasp them better than you."
