Chapter 4: Classes

When he awoke, it was still in the early hours of the morning. Su Chen felt a little groggy from partying deep into the night.

Yesterday, Jin Ling’er and Wang Doushan had dragged him to meet the other students in the same tower, saying things like “In the future we’ll all be classmates, so we need to get to know each other. You’re not allowed to return until you get drunk!”

Although he was welcomed with open arms, he felt a hint of alienation, save for Wang Doushan and Jin Ling’er. A strange sense of rejection loomed over him. He felt as though these students disdained anyone who wasn’t like them, a student with a bloodline. Not that he felt surprised by how they acted. After all, in the entire Clear Sky Tower, he was the only one without a bloodline.

Su Chen truly could be considered an alien species in this tower.

Luckily, they all acted with proper etiquette, refraining themselves from insulting Su Chen to his face. This allowed for a friendly relationship on the surface, at least.

Whatever, forget about it. Su Chen saw the sun was well above the horizon, so he got up and washed himself. Without Mingshu here, nothing was as convenient as it used to be. Iron Cliff was a great fighter, but not very good at serving others. Perhaps I should learn a body cleansing technique in the future to save me some trouble, Su Chen thought.

After eating breakfast, Su Chen went to class.

Su Chen had already chosen the classes he would attend. The first one was biology.

Biology was taught in a lecture hall in the North Brilliance Tower. By the time Su Chen arrived, nearly a hundred students had already gathered.

He found a random corner and sat down. After he got comfortable, another ten or so students came, followed by a large-nosed old man.

The old man looked like he woke up not long ago, his hair as messy as a bird’s nest. He stood in front of the podium, not wasting any time.

“Biology is mainly focused on exploring the innate essence of life. It helps us understand the relationship between life, energy, and nature. Many people like to treat biology as a study of the human body, a field that relates the motion of energy to the human body; in all honesty, I despise such a viewpoint because it is too utilitarian! The true purpose of biology is not limited to this. It’s not just to help you understand the paths that Origin Energy moves in your body, to help you form Origin Energy Talismans more easily, or even understanding how medicine behaves when it interacts with the human body...... this is biology, not human physiology! If your view is narrow, you will not find much success in life. Either way, most of you won’t ever know what a great success is.

This was the first thing Su Chen learned during his biology classes, and it was what he remembered most clearly.

The old man was called Guo Kai. Although his appearance was very sloppy, his instructions were very clear and well-organized.

Although he repeatedly emphasized he taught biology and not human physiology, the reality was that the human body was one of the greatest research subjects in the field of biology. He taught the students about the composition and capabilities of the human body, as well as the relationship between Origin Energy and how it was controlled. He used these methods to help the students understand the innate essence of biology.

Although biology was the most helpful for studying alchemy, one had to admit it also had some benefits for cultivation.

After finishing biology, Su Chen left the lecture hall, heading for the Windriding Tower for his Origin Energy Talismans class.

The Origin Energy Talismans class was very popular. The classroom could hold up to 400 students.

Even so, by the time Su Chen arrived, the classroom was full. Su Chen couldn’t find a spot to sit, so he settled with leaning against a wall to listen to the lecture.

A man wearing a black robe walked into the large lecture hall.

It was Li Hongyuan, who had welcomed Su Chen to the institute the day before. He seemed much more energetic than yesterday, his small beard and mustache neatly combed.

He arrived at the elevated podium and said, “Hello everyone, my name is Li Hongyuan. Today, I am here to tell you about the different ways to construct an Origin Energy Talisman.”

“Everyone knows that Origin Energy Talismans aren’t isolated existences. They are brands of Origin Power nodes deep within our body, located near the source of our Origin Energy. But very few people know that the relationship between an Origin Energy Talisman and a human is one of symbiosis. Humans activate the Origin Energy Talisman, and the Talisman also affects the human body. The simplest example of this is body tempering techniques, which rely on Origin Energy Talismans to affect and sculpt the human physique.”

“So where do these talismans come from? Every student at the Hidden Dragon Institute is already an Origin Qi Scholar, and you should all have a general idea of the answer. It’s very simple! It comes about through external cultivation, specific breathing techniques, and certain skills. Today, we will talk about 63 of these fundamental skills necessary for the formation of an Origin Energy Talisman.”

Su Chen took notes as he listened attentively.

Before entering the Hidden Dragon Institute, Su Chen obtained all of his knowledge from the Immortal Temple due to his unique circumstance. As remnants of the Arcana Race, the Immortal Temple possessed an abundance of ancient knowledge. He was able to learn quite a few Ancient Arcana Techniques, but he was still unfamiliar with contemporary Origin Skills.

Su Chen finally had a way to do something about that. As a student of the institute, he now had a systematic way he could absorb the institute’s knowledge on contemporary Origin Skills.

Only by studying did he finally understand that contemporary Origin Skills were in no way inferior to Ancient Arcana Skills in terms of complexity. The Origin Energy Talismans alone had many different topics to cover, such as: “Different methods for forming Origin Energy Talismans”; “Different effects that Origin Energy Talismans have on different peoples’ bodies”; “The positioning of Origin Energy Talismans and how it affects one’s control over Origin energy”; “Why decomposing Origin Energy Talismans is important”; “Formation of basic and unique Origin Energy Talismans and differences in the process”; and “The effects of Origin Energy Talismans on Origin Skills”, to name a small portion of the vast content. Every topic was incredibly profound and complex, requiring large amounts of time for research.

Only if he put in the time necessary could he compare the differences between contemporary Origin Skills and Ancient Arcana Techniques.

In terms of explosive power, contemporary Origin Skills were inferior to Ancient Arcana Techniques, but their field of use was much broader.

By forming an Origin Energy Talisman and using it to direct the body’s Origin Energy, they could obtain a respectable power output and could also raise the quality of one’s vitality. This was something Ancient Arcana Techniques simply could not do. Although there were many talented great Arcana masters during that period of time, they might not even be able to compare with a current Origin Qi Scholar.

Apart from this, contemporary Origin Skills were easier to use and could often be used both offensively and defensively. For instance, the Thunder Blade didn’t seem as powerful as Su Chen’s other Origin Skills, but it could be used for offense and defense. In the Three Mountains Region competition, it had helped him defend himself against Pan Yue and the silver-armored youth’s combined attacks. This was something Ancient Arcana Techniques like a fireball simply could not achieve.

This was one of the benefits of a contemporary Origin Skill.

As Li Hongyuan spoke, Su Chen began to understand how Origin Energy Talismans were formed.

Although they were not as complicated as Origin Energy Patterns, there was a special procedure necessary to form them. There would be different effects depending on when and where the Origin Energy Talisman was formed as well as what formation procedure was used even though the Origin Energy Talisman itself was the same.

If there was a specific preference or need, it would require a rational cultivation method.

Su Chen and the other students were all intoxicated by the lesson. Many of them wanted to try it out immediately.

The class ended at that precise moment.

“The lesson on how Origin Energy Talismans can be constituted will end here for today. Because of the time, I could only talk about three kinds. If you’re still interested, join my next class. Don’t forget to attend every lesson if you want to master my Origin Energy Talisman class.”

Li Hongyuan floated away as he spoke these last words.