Class begins!
The middle-aged man in the white suit possessed a remarkably clear voice, one that seemed uncharacteristic for someone of his age.
The ingrained habits from their high school days caused the new students to instinctively want to stand and greet the teacher upon hearing the words, “Class begins.”
However, the man in the white suit anticipated their reaction. He extended both hands, pressing them down lightly as if to calm them.
“You are university students now,” he said with a warm smile. “There’s no longer any need to say ‘Class begins’ or ‘Hello, teacher.’ From now on, simply bid me farewell when class is dismissed.”
A collective thought flickered through the minds of the freshmen: ‘This teacher seems quite amiable and approachable.’
Many of the students, especially those who had struggled academically in the past, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s start with a self-introduction, shall we?”
The man in the white suit retrieved a whiteboard marker and wrote two neat, large characters on the whiteboard behind him.
[Hua Song]
“My name is Hua Song,” he announced. “I am an associate professor at Tiandu University. You may address me as Professor Hua or Teacher Hua.”
Hua Song leaned his hands on the podium, his gaze sweeping across the entire classroom, lingering briefly on each student’s face.
“I will be responsible for your Introduction to Void Realm Knowledge, from Class One to Class Five, as well as the Void Energy Studies and Basic Principles of Void Energy Instruments you will learn later.”
“These courses aren’t particularly difficult, provided, of course, that you pay attention and don’t skip class.”
A smirk played on his lips as he uttered the words “skip class,” revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
“Let me clarify something in advance. I don’t take attendance in my classes. After all, with 157 students across five classes, roll call would be far too cumbersome. Therefore, I have already memorized all of your faces and names.”
‘Memorized them?’
‘Wait, what did he memorize? Their faces and names? Just from that one glance?’
The freshmen were taken aback, but the long-standing inertia of their student lives prevented anyone from voicing their doubts.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try skipping class,” he said, a playful glint in his eyes. “But we can discuss that then.”
Hua Song moved to the center of the whiteboard and erased his name.
“Now, back to business. Let’s begin the lesson. I can hardly wait to stuff all this knowledge into your lovely big brains.”
Huang Xiu’s thoughts raced.
‘Oh no, she’s starting to suspect that this Associate Professor Hua Song isn’t quite normal herself.’
She straightened slightly, opening her notebook, prepared to immerse herself in the lecture.
****
The Void Realm, a dimension antithetical to the Present World, was once known as the Anti-World or the Inner World.
The earliest appearance of a Void Realm on Earth is untraceable. However, the current consensus among Void Realm researchers across nations is that these realms emerged with the birth of the universe, steadily growing stronger with the proliferation of intelligent life.
Hua Song spoke as he began writing on the whiteboard, starting from the upper left corner and moving right.
It was unclear whether this was his personal teaching style or a common practice in university instruction.
He presented without a projector, simply standing at the front, lecturing and writing. This brought Huang Xiu back to her middle school days, when multimedia was not yet prevalent in classrooms.
“If the Void Realm ten thousand years ago was merely a small pond, then today, it has expanded to the size of all five oceans combined.”
Hua Song’s analogy was remarkably vivid, instantly conveying the terrifying disparity between the two.
“It is predictable that the Void Realm will continue to expand as humanity develops.”
“The latest data also substantiates this view.”
Hua Song paused his writing, turning to face the students. His amiable gaze swept over them.
“From 2011 to this year, 2016, the frequency of Void Realm descents has been steadily increasing. This year, in particular, the number of descents has already equaled the total for the entire previous year.”
“It is estimated that the frequency of Void Realm descents this year will be at least double that of last year.”
A collective gasp rippled through the classroom at this terrifying statistic.
‘Is it really that serious? Can humanity even endure this?’
‘Don’t worry, even if we can’t, we have to endure it. We’re still here!’
‘Damn it, I don’t want to endure it!’
Listening to the hushed whispers behind her, Huang Xiu was suddenly reminded of the three Void Realms that had descended simultaneously that night.
The Jurisdiction Bureau of the Void Realm, caught off guard and severely understaffed with Awakened individuals, had narrowly averted a major catastrophe.
Seen in this light, while the Black Tower certainly played a hand, the expansion of the Void Realm undoubtedly contributed to the escalating crisis.
She shifted uncomfortably, a sticky sensation below making her restless.
‘If this rate of development continues…’
A shadow of worry flitted across Huang Xiu’s eyes.
According to information she had seen on the Void Web, many smaller nations abroad were already struggling to cope with the ever-increasing Void Realm descents, forced to seek assistance from the Global Council.
If the frequency of Void Realm descents continued to rise, the international situation might truly be on the brink of collapse!
She didn’t particularly care for foreigners, whose culture was different from her own and whom she had never met.
Huang Xiu harbored no such grand ambitions or capabilities.
Her only desire was to protect her family, her friends, and her fellow Great Xia Nation citizens within her sphere of influence.
However, a single move could affect the entire board. If the international situation collapsed, her own nation would certainly not fare well.
Many students shared Huang Xiu’s foresight, their expressions instantly turning solemn.
Hua Song’s gaze slowly swept across the crowd, his heart content with his students’ reactions. This was precisely what he hoped to see when he veered from the textbook to discuss the real-world situation.
Only by truly understanding the importance of this lesson would they proactively commit themselves to serious study.
“The dangers of the Void Realm, I believe, require little elaboration from me. To discover an effective solution for Void Realm descents, research into these realms is paramount.”
Hua Song wrote two more large characters in the center of the blackboard.
[Depth]
“And in researching the Void Realm, one cannot avoid the concept of [Depth].”
“The distance between a Void Realm and the Present World varies. We refer to this distance as ‘Depth,’ though it is, in essence, a concept we have artificially introduced.”
Hua Song tapped the blackboard.
“Pay close attention; this will be on the exam.”
He didn’t need to elaborate.
Huang Xiu, who had often heard Professor Yuan mention ‘Depth’ but never truly understood its meaning, now leaned forward, eager to absorb every word.
She even momentarily forgot the cramping sensation in her stomach.
“All Void Realms cluster together like bubbles, floating in the boundless void beyond the Present World. This void is what we call the Sea of Reality and Illusion. As Void Realms drift across this sea, their distance from the Present World is not constant.”
“Thus, [Depth] is a variable value.”
Hua Song paused briefly, then continued in a questioning tone, “Since we’ve artificially named the concept of [Depth], how did the earliest system of measuring this depth come about?”
“This brings us to the most unique Void Realm discovered by humanity to date: Void Realm No. 0.”
“It is currently the only Void Realm without a specific name, identified only by a code. Over two hundred years have passed since its discovery, yet it has remained fixed in the Sea of Reality and Illusion, its position relative to the Present World never changing.”
By this point, Hua Song had filled several lines of the whiteboard with his writing, covering more than half of it.
Huang Xiu had diligently followed along, her notebook now filled with notes spanning half a page.
“Later, scholars defined the distance from Void Realm No. 0 to the Present World—that is, its [Depth]—as 10.”
Hua Song picked up a red whiteboard marker and highlighted this section with a red wavy line.
“Therefore, the Depth of any Void Realm we observe today is referenced against Void Realm No. 0.”
“Generally, the larger a Void Realm and the more complete its rules, the less susceptible it is to being drawn into the Present World, and consequently, the greater its relative Depth. Once such a Void Realm descends, expelling it becomes exceptionally difficult.”