Zu An found the two women really interesting. Each of them had asked him the same question about the other. “You could say so. My dashing appearance makes it inevitable that women would fall for me.”

Shang Liuyu didn’t know whether to roll her eyes. 

She let out a long sigh before offering him a piece of advice. “You’d best not say those words in front of our principal. She doesn’t like people with slick tongues.”

Zu An was surprised by that. The gorgeous principal seems to have taken a liking to me, though. Is this because I’m too charming? I’ve long heard that the power of love allows one to overlook their partner’s flaws.

“Big sister Shang, I’m flattered by your concern,” replied Zu An with a chuckle.

Shang Liuyu sniffed. “I’m only helping you since you played me a decent melody once before. However, I’ve already repaid the favor, so don’t expect me to help you anymore.”

She had expected Zu An would be disappointed, but to her surprise, his eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s simple enough to fix. I have plenty of melodies to spare. I’ll play you another one if an opportunity arises in the future.”

A rare tinge of excitement flushed Shang Liuyu’s usually-composed face. “Really? You have more melodies on par with the one you played previously?”

“Of course! Let’s find a convenient night to bond over music, shall we? Where’s your dormitory room? I also have a room in the staff’s dormitory now. We might even be neighbors with one another!” Zu An’s mind filled with tales of how his senior transmigrators had plagiarized all kinds of poems from their previous world to show off their ‘literary talent’. 

Since this world doesn’t allow me to plagiarize poems, surely I should at least be able to plagiarize some melodies right? Pui, what am I even saying? It’s called propagating the wondrous culture of the modern world. A noble act like this shouldn’t even be called plagiarism! 

An enigmatic smile played across Shang Liuyu’s lips. “Isn’t it perfectly fine to meet during the day? Why must we meet at night?”

“That’s because we have lessons during the day. Right now, I’m taking on the roles of a student and a teacher simultaneously, so I’ll be busier than ever. I reckon I’ll only be free at night,” replied Zu An earnestly. “Other than exchanging melodies, you can also help me with my studies. I’ve attended the academy for a while now, but it seems I haven’t even attended any of your classes.”

“Help you with your studies?” Shang Liuyu repeated, a bizarre look on her face. “We’ll talk about it another time.”

Other students had begun streaming out of the classroom. She didn’t want to be seen too close to him in public, so she bade a quick farewell and headed off.

As he watched her beautiful silhouette depart, Zu An couldn't shake the thought that she was a little bipolar. She could be friendly in one moment, only to be distant in the next.

The foreign language class had ended quickly because the bet, and all that followed it, had eaten into it. Next up was cultivation class.

Zu An was excited about this. He had been through all sorts of useless lessons the past few days, but he believed that none of them would be as practical as this. While he did have a convenient system that allowed him to level up through an alternative method, his lack of knowledge on conventional cultivation made it hard for him to assess the threat that his opponents carried. This fueled his strong desire to learn more about this subject.

The cultivation teacher was Bai Susu. As soon as he walked in with his hips swaying seductively, the noisy classroom immediately settled down.

This was not the class of some third rank teacher. A true sixth rank expert stood before them. Unless they were tired of living, it was wise not to act up before him.

On top of that, Bai Susu’s eerily seductive aura was a huge deterrent to the students. No one wanted to risk drawing his attention. If he somehow called any of them to his office for a private chat, they could be in for a virgin experience.

Bai Susu walked up to the podium and scanned the faces before him, letting his eyes drift leisurely before stopping on Zu An. A smile emerged on his face as he said, “I have been to this class many times now, but this is the first time I’m pleasantly surprised. There’s actually a colleague of mine seated here as well.”

The surrounding students immediately directed looks of envy toward Zu An. He simply responded with a shy smile. He was delighted to see yet another wave of Rage points come in.

Bai Susu cleared his throat and said, “Before I begin the class, let me first make an important announcement. The Ursae Dungeon is about to be opened, and while most of you are unlikely to stand a chance, you may still register for the selections if you’re interested.”

His words caused a stir in the classroom. The students began whispering amongst one another excitedly.

Zu An was a little surprised to see that the Ursae Dungeon was common knowledge. It looks like I really need to brush up on my general knowledge of this world. Yup, that’s the perfect excuse to get Shang Liuyu to tutor me after school… 

“Hm? The dungeon is opening up much earlier this year.”

“Yeah, it’s half a year earlier than usual, right?”

… 

Those who were more well-informed were surprised by the news.

Bai Susu quickly explained, “Dungeons are existences that are shrouded in mystery to us. The current conclusions we have made about them might not necessarily hold true, such as our assumptions of their opening times. However, there does seem to be something peculiar about the premature opening of this dungeon, and venturing into it would certainly prove more dangerous than usual. Unless you have the capability, it’s best for you not to covet what could be inside the dungeon. Know that the academy will not be taking responsibility for your death.”

“Teacher Bai, you’re thinking too much. We have at least that much self-awareness.”

“Indeed. Those who usually qualify to enter dungeons are always those from the Earth class or the Sky class. How could anyone from our Yellow class possibly qualify?”

“We’re just there to enjoy the show.”

… 

“It’s good that you all understand. Alright, let’s start today’s lesson. Even though most of you are likely to take on academic roles in the future, our Great Zhou Dynasty is, after all, founded on military might. All of you should possess some fundamental knowledge, so that you won’t disgrace yourself and our academy with your ignorance,” said Bai Susu.

“I’ve already imparted to you the basic cultivation technique. How far each of you can reach will depend on your talent and on fate. For today, I’ll be teaching you some combat skills. While your cultivation technique allows you to strike harder and move faster than ordinary mortals, such gains are meaningless if you don’t put your strength and speed to good use.”

Those words made Zu An’s eyes light up. His fight with Snow had already enlightened him on the importance of properly harnessing raw physical prowess. In his severely injured state, his strength and speed had been boosted to a level comparable to hers by the effects of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.

However, as soon as she employed her combat skills, he had been forced to a corner, unable to retaliate. It was similar to comparing an ox to a tiger. In terms of absolute strength, an ox was likely stronger than a tiger. However, it was always the tiger hunting the ox, simply because the ox couldn’t exert its strength effectively. Zu An, as the ox, was currently facing the same problem.

Thus, he sharpened his focus upon hearing that Bai Susu was instructing them in combat skills.

Bai Susu pushed back the hem of his robe and pulled out a meter-long sword. The students’ eyes went wide with astonishment. They were certain that Bai Susu hadn’t had a sword on him when he entered, so where did he conjure it from?

Some students studied him carefully to see if there was any way to feasibly hide such a long sword, but it simply didn’t seem possible.

Hm, wait a moment. He couldn’t have been hiding it there, could he?

A flicker of excitement flashed across Bai Susu’s fair face as he said, “All right, I’ll be imparting to you the Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay.”

Zu An nearly spurted blood. He had read plenty of novels in his previous life, and all of them had techniques with awe-inspiring names. Given how top-notch Brightmoon Academy was, he had expected to be introduced to secret arts on the level of Dugu Nine Swords or Six Pulse Divine Sword.

Yet, this secret technique he’d been hoping for bore such a humble name. ‘Elementary Swordplay’—the name reeked of weakness!

Many in the class shared his thoughts, and they began booing.

Bai Susu seemed to have expected such a reaction. He waited for the students to calm down before he explained, “Don’t look down on the Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay. You should know that these Thirteen Forms are the foundation of all swordsmanship. All the mystical and amazing swordplays you see are basically an extension of the Thirteen Forms.

“The Thirteen Forms have been continuously refined over the centuries to maximize their prowess. Its aim is to bring down your enemy using the fastest speed and in the shortest distance. Most powerful experts in the world eventually return to the basics, and their movements are more or less similar to the Thirteen Forms.”

The students were placated by those words, and they gave Bai Susu their fullest attention once more.

Bai Susu nodded in satisfaction. He raised his sword up high and began lecturing, “The Thirteen Forms are namely ‘Stab’, ‘Chop’, ‘Tap’, ‘Swing’, ‘Pick’, ‘Flick’, ‘Intercept’, ‘Sweep’, ‘Slit’, ‘Shed’, ‘Cloud’, ‘Revolve’, and ‘Rise’. All of them are simple, direct and to the point—there’s nothing fancy about them at all. However, even though they look simple enough, mastering them will be a challenge. I’ll demonstrate the Thirteen Forms once for you, then slowly impart them one by one in subsequent lessons.”

With that, Bai Susu’s demeanor suddenly changed. His air of femininity faded as the sword in his hand morphed into a cold burst of light, causing the students in the classroom to shiver involuntarily.

Watching the swordplay on the podium, Zu An couldn’t help but recall a poem.

Once there was a fair lady by the name of Gongsun, a great commotion she would stir when she danced with her swords.

Mountains are shamed by the crowds she draws, even heaven and earth would sway with her grace. 

Her blade glimmers as bright as the nine suns Hou Yi downed, her moves swift like the dragon chariots of the heavenly gods.

With thunderous fury she commences her dance, but with the tranquility of the reflected moon in the sea it concludes.

… 

Haaa, what a pity that he’s a guy. What a waste of his beautiful appearance, or else it would be a truly marvelous sight.

The Thirteen Forms were soon fully demonstrated. Seeing the awed looks of the students around, Bai Susu asked with a smile, “Isn’t it formidable?”

“Amazing!”

“The Elementary Swordplay actually wields such great prowess!”

“I think it looks suave too. Girls will surely fall for me if I can master this!”

“That’s because Teacher Bai has a beautiful appearance. Just look at your own face… Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

… 

Bai Susu took out a little mirror to check if his hair was disheveled, then continued on with the lecture. “All right, I’ve shared with you the strengths of this technique, so naturally, I should also talk about its weaknesses, lest the lot of you attempt to do something rash with it.

“My swordplay might have looked formidable, but that’s because my cultivation is higher than yours. Strength and speed are necessary to bring out the prowess of this swordplay to its maximum potential. If your cultivation is not at a high level, executing this swordplay will reveal all sorts of openings. This technique has powerful offensive prowess, but its defense is fragile in comparison.

“However, you need not worry. It’s unlikely that you’ll clash with powerful cultivators in the future. You should find this swordplay sufficient to deal with common thieves and bandits.”

“Tsk~”

The excitement in the room dimmed significantly as the weaknesses of the style were laid bare. Most of the students lost their initial enthusiasm. I should have known. Any combat skills that are imparted to our Yellow class are bound to be nothing special.

However, Zu An was intrigued by Bai Susu’s description of the swordplay. Since he did not lack strength or speed, its weakness didn’t apply to him. In fact, if he could synergize Grandgale’s instantaneous movement together with this swordplay, he would be able to exert an incredible amount of force.

He thought about the Bixie Swordplay in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, a wuxia drama series he had watched in his previous life. That technique was also straightforward, and focused mainly on offense. In the eyes of true experts, it was filled with openings. However, if it was used in unison with a powerful movement technique, the swordsman would become nigh impossible to deal with.

As long as you’re fast enough, openings are not openings anymore. You’d be able to release your prowess to the greatest degree.

The more Zu An thought about it, the more excited he was. However, he soon realized something. He lowered his gaze to look at ‘little Zu An’, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Is it destiny?[1]