Chapter 19: Group Forming
Ignoring the foolish act from Xia Youhui, Luo Fei turned to Chen Chu. "It's almost noon. Shall we have lunch together? The cafeteria in the cultivation area is different from the one in the academics area. They provide a portion of mutated beast meat every day."
Chen Chu became curious. "Mutated beast meat? How does it differ from normal meat?"
"There's not much difference in taste, but it's more chewy and nutritious than normal meat, since it's from farmed mutated beasts." As Luo Fei spoke, she lifted the hair in front of her forehead behind her ear.
The office door in the distance opened, and Pang Long looked at the three of them, saying, "It's a bit early for lunch. Chen Chu, come over and do some paperwork."
"… Yes, sir." Not knowing what paperwork he signed up for, Chen Chu bid Luo Fei and Xia Youhui farewell before entering the office.
"This is the 'Law of Prohibition of the Use of Martial Arts Against Civilians,' and the 'Oath of Prohibition Against Unauthorized Transmission of Martial Arts'. This is the 'Student's Weapon Management Contract'. And this is the 'Cultivator's Daily Rule of Conduct,' and the 'Guideline for Taking Action against Injustice…'"
While talking, Pang Long took out documents from the drawer and tossed them to Chen Chu.
Some were regulations he needed to sign, and some were guidelines and precautions for cultivators, including weapon management and such. The sheer volume of documents made even Chen Chu feel overwhelmed.
Seeing the struggle on Chen Chu's face, Pang Long smiled. "I didn't ask you to read through them right now. You can read them at home after school, and hand them in tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." Chen Chu breathed a sigh of relief.
Pang Long nodded. "I've checked the data on your Foundation Building. Not bad at all. Have you chosen your arts?"
"Yes," Chen Chu nodded.
Pang Long gave him a reminder. "Since you've made your choice, go to the logistics department for cultivation resources after lunch and start as soon as possible.
"You should know that Foundation Building is not just about strengthening your physique. It also increases your body's affinity to transcendent energy. From now on, all you need to do is cultivate true martial arts and circulate vitality to absorb transcendent energy and strengthen your body.
"In the first few days after you've completed Foundation Building, your body will be more sensitive to transcendent energy and cultivation will be more efficient."
Chen Chu was slightly stunned, as he did not expect there to be so much to it. No wonder Xia Youhui and the others had disappeared for quite some time after their Foundation Building.
"Thank you for the reminder, sir," Chen Chu expressed his gratitude.
Pang Long calmly replied, "It's part of my duty as a teacher. In the future, if you have any questions about cultivation, you can come and ask me. I'll be here for a while every morning."
Walking out of the office, Chen Chu saw Xia Youhui, Luo Fei, Lin Xue and another male and female student chatting.
Xia Youhui grinned. "Ah Chu, you're out. Come on, let's go for lunch. I have something to tell you."
Chen Chu glanced at Lin Xue and the others and nodded. "Sure."
***
The cafeteria in the cultivation area was on the thirtieth floor. The food here tasted similar to the academics area, but the portions were much bigger and mostly consisted of meat dishes.
There were quite a few people present. There were nearly fifty classes in the first year, and many first-years had broken through. Some classes had over ten breakthroughs, while others had five or six.
In the first year alone, the number of students who had finished Foundation Building was over three hundred.
After grabbing their meals, the group found a quiet corner to sit. Chen Chu and Xia Youhui sat together, Luo Fei and Lin Xue sat across from them, and the two other students sat next to them.
After sitting down, Lin Xue looked at Chen Chu and smiled. "First off, congratulations, Chen Chu, on successfully building your foundation in half a month."
Chen Chu modestly replied, "Thanks, but my achievement pales in comparison with you all."
Lin Xue shook her head. "This isn't just praise. Being able to finish Foundation Building within half a month means your talent surpasses most people in the school. This is why we approached you."
"Please go on."
Lin Xue didn't beat around the bush. "To us, Foundation Building is just the start of our long journey. So, we're planning to establish a club."
"A club."
"Yes, a club. This will serve two purposes. The first is to let us exchange insights in cultivating true martial arts, encourage each other, and prepare us for the trials ahead."
"Trial? Are we going out to battle?" Chen Chu was slightly stunned.
"Of course," Lin Xue said matter-of-factly. "We don't cultivate true martial arts just as a hobby. If we had no battle experience, how could we strengthen our minds to become cultivation experts? I figure you haven't noticed that there are few second- and third-year cultivating students at school. Even cultivators in the workforce are rarely seen."
"You're right. I haven't noticed this."
In the past half a month since the transmigration, there had been too many things going on at the same time, so Chen Chu hadn't focused on these issues. While he had occasionally wondered why he didn't see any cultivators on the streets, he had just thought those people were intentionally keeping a low profile.
"Starting in the second year, all cultivating students have to go through trials, usually in military-quarantined forest areas.
"In recent years, there have been increasing numbers of mutated beasts that need to be eliminated. Therefore, the trials are dangerous, and result in casualties every year. Many second-years have formed teams to increase their odds and better complete their missions. This is also why I want to establish a club.
"Currently, all five members are from our class. If we get along in the coming year, we can form a team for the trials next year. Of course, if any one of us is unable to cooperate with the others, they can quit the club at any time.
"So, Chen Chu, are you interested in joining?"
In the face of Lin Xue's invitation, Chen Chu hesitated for a moment.
In truth, joining this club would bring nothing but pros for him, such as the information and knowledge the others could share. Lin Xue and Xia Youhui both came from extraordinary families, so they would know a lot that ordinary people would be unaware of, and were exceptionally talented to boot.
The difference between them and ordinary students would only grow bigger as time went on. Certainly, if someone's talent was extraordinary, they could catch up later. But in this world, how many people had talents that would reach that level?
Moreover, Chen Chu understood that Lin Xue had invited him because he had completed his Foundation Building within half a month. She and the others weren't calculating; it was simply natural that strong cultivators would want to associate with other strong cultivators.
In just a short while, Chen Chu analyzed the pros and cons in his mind, then tactfully said, "Can I have a day or two to consider?"
"…Sure." Lin Xue was a bit stunned, sensing that Chen Chu was politely declining.
She couldn't figure out why Chen Chu would decline a club that was clearly beneficial for himself. The others were caught off guard, as well.
Of course, they didn't know that Chen Chu had too many secrets. While there were clear benefits to joining the club, he still felt that practicing in solitude was better.
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