Seeing Yuan Fei stride confidently, a smile gracing his lips as he approached, Huang Xiu’s gaze instantly turned resentful.
Despite her wildest imaginings, she never anticipated this.
Yuan Fei, who had been out of contact with her for at least a month, was actually here in this class—and seemingly as her teacher.
Her teeth ground together audibly. “That old scoundrel,” she muttered.
He acted as if nothing had happened, yet he hadn’t replied to any of her messages.
And here she had worried he was tied up with some urgent, unavoidable matter.
Yuan Fei felt the resentful stare from the crowd, his steps faltering for a brief moment as beads of cold sweat trickled down his back.
He didn’t need to think twice to know whose resentment ran so deep.
Even so, the smile on his face remained unwavering as he walked from the edge of the cushions to the front of the assembled students.
He pulled out an empty cushion and settled into a cross-legged position.
“Hello, everyone. I am your instructor for this Ability Development class, Professor Yuan Fei.”
He deliberately avoided glancing at Huang Xiu, instead addressing the students loudly. “And I am also… your class mentor.”
‘A class mentor?’
Huang Xiu paused, startled by his words. Soon, a flurry of hushed discussions erupted around her.
“A class mentor? Isn’t that just a homeroom teacher?”
“Huh, I heard universities don’t have homeroom teachers, only academic advisors?”
‘But it seems we don’t have academic advisors either.’
“Ahem, everyone, settle down.” Yuan Fei gestured downwards with both hands, and the murmuring instantly ceased.
“You can think of me as a homeroom teacher, but the difference is that a homeroom teacher manages everything, while I manage nothing.”
The students exchanged bewildered glances. ‘Manage nothing? Then what’s the point of having you?’
“University is different from high school, middle school, or elementary school. You must learn to manage yourselves.”
Yuan Fei’s sharp gaze swept over everyone.
“You need to elect three class committee members yourselves: a class president, a study representative, and a practical training representative. You can decide whether to choose them by vote or by competition.”
Without allowing the students time to discuss, Yuan Fei’s teaching pace was remarkably swift.
Having finished, he immediately changed the topic. “Alright, enough small talk. Let’s begin today’s lesson.”
“Introduction to Thought Processes for Ability Development…” He began to explain the meaning of the course. “This class primarily aims to help everyone learn how to contemplate the future development direction of their abilities, ultimately determining a suitable path.”
“I hope that before military training, each of you can find a temporarily viable direction for your ability development to help yourselves improve.”
“Military training?” Someone instinctively gasped in a whisper.
Not everyone, like Huang Xiu, had learned about the freshmen’s military training from a senior student.
The two words, ‘military training,’ casually uttered by Yuan Fei, were undoubtedly a bombshell for them.
“We’re having military training too?” Someone from below quickly asked.
Yuan Fei nodded.
“Yes, you are. Some of you might already know this. It’s scheduled for the month after next. I hope you all do well.”
“Alright, back to class.”
He raised a single finger. “One question: how many of you here are ‘otaku’ or have watched a lot of anime?”
The freshmen exchanged glances, ‘otaku’… This was a term with mixed connotations in the Great Xia Nation.
“Me!” One boy bravely raised his hand.
“Excellent.” Yuan Fei nodded. “Anyone else?”
“Me!” “Me too!” Once someone took the lead, many others followed, raising their hands.
“Mm, you can put your hands down now.”
Yuan Fei had asked the question but, for some reason, didn’t follow up. Instead, he returned to the course itself.
“Ability development, how to develop abilities, and how to determine the direction of development—these have remained persistent headaches from the first Awakened individual in human history until modern society.”
“Abilities are like building blocks; what they ultimately form and what functions they possess are entirely up to each of you.”
Everyone below, including Huang Xiu, listened with exceptional attentiveness. No one was concerned about military training anymore.
After all, it was just military training, right? Who hadn’t experienced that in high school?
“Everyone should understand the principle of teaching according to aptitude, and the same applies to ability development.”
Yuan Fei continued.
“Even similar abilities, with only slight differences, must never blindly copy another’s development path. Instead, you should adjust it based on your own actual circumstances.”
They listened intently. “I hope everyone grasps this principle.”
“Ability development is actually a fascinating subject. From ancient times to the present, through extensive research, something has been discovered.”
Yuan Fei said with a smile, “That is, imagination is crucial.”
“Why is imagination so important? Because an ability itself is the product of a specialized spirit combined with Void Energy.”
“Spirit is what a person thinks and contemplates, even after undergoing specialization. And Void Energy, though seemingly ethereal, can transform in countless ways to adapt to any rule or principle.”
“So, do you understand?”
Yuan Fei spread his hands in a bear-like shrug. “Ability development is subjective; what it can be developed into depends on your imagination.”
The preceding theoretical sentences were a bit convoluted; some understood, but others still looked bewildered.
However, everyone understood the conclusion that followed, and a wave of excitement swept through the students.
‘Subjective is good! Dependent on imagination is wonderful!’
‘Isn’t that just daydreaming? We high school students are masters of that!’
Huang Xiu, who had shifted from sitting uncomfortably with her legs stretched out to a cross-legged position, heard this.
Her eyes widened like copper bells.
‘This isn’t good. Why is Yuan Fei so serious, so reliable, so charming when he lectures? It’s almost as if I don’t recognize him anymore.’
‘Indeed, I’m still more accustomed to the frivolous Yuan Fei,’ Huang Xiu thought, forcing herself to endure the discomfort and continue listening.
“Mm, everyone is very excited.” Yuan Fei looked at the excited faces of the students before him, nodding with a smile. “This is excellent; you have great drive.”
“However, everyone should also pay attention to one point: imagination is important, but can what you imagine truly be developed?” He poured cold water on their enthusiasm.
“Let’s imagine a scenario now: your ability is [Freeze]. How should we develop it?”
Yuan Fei gave an example.
“This type of ability is very common.”
“Some might develop their ability towards lower freezing temperatures or a larger freezing range, eventually reaching a point where they can instantly freeze an entire lake.”
“Others might think outside the box and strive towards freezing molecules, attempting to create ice out of thin air.”
“Think about it, which of these two directions is more difficult?” Yuan Fei asked with a smile.
Though he posed it as a question, the answer was already on everyone’s lips; no thought was needed.
“The second one is harder.”
“Exactly.” Yuan Fei snapped his fingers. “While ability development certainly depends on imagination, everyone must also consider whether they possess the capability to develop their ability to the imagined extent.”