Huang Xiu felt no joy at the conclusion of the combat training class, despite the beatings endured. Her next course was the Basic Void Arts Explanation, and it promised a stark contrast to the previous ones.
While the instructors of her first three classes had been wonderfully eccentric, perfectly aligning with her image of Awakened individuals, the teacher for this course was, conversely, far too normal.
An old man, his hair a shock of white, sat hunched on a stool behind the lectern, his eyes peering over old-fashioned spectacles. He held up a book whose cover was utterly tattered, and lectured in a slow, drawn-out rhythm that possessed an almost hypnotic quality.
The vast lecture hall was packed with students, a murmur of quiet chatter never quite ceasing. Brilliant afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a diagonal glow across Huang Xiu’s cheek. Fine downy hairs caught the light, shimmering with a gilded hue, as the silhouette of her face fell across her notebook.
Huang Xiu spun her pen, half-listening to the lecture, then turned her head to gaze out the window. Two sparrows chirped from a nearby branch.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her, as if she had been transported back to a high school classroom.
‘Though I certainly didn’t have a teacher this old in high school,’ she mused, a soft chuckle escaping her. She then forced herself to refocus on the lesson.
As its name suggested, the Basic Void Arts Explanation class primarily covered the twenty-five most widespread common Void Arts in the Present World.
These twenty-five fundamental Void Arts essentially encompassed all the diverse needs of Awakened individuals. They included everything from long-range offense and physical enhancement to Void Energy amplification, perception, and movement augmentation.
After understanding the effects of these twenty-five basic Void Arts, Huang Xiu and her classmates were expected to select three Void Arts to cultivate, based on their own abilities, and ultimately construct their personal combat system.
“But only the first Void Art is free,” Huang Xiu grumbled, pursing her lips. “Subsequent ones require academic credits to exchange. How stingy!”
She hadn’t yet checked the exchange prices, but she estimated that each Void Art would conservatively cost dozens of credits. That amounted to several thousand yuan!
Despite her complaint, Huang Xiu understood that the school was hardly short on funds. After all, the scholarships distributed each semester alone amounted to an astronomical sum.
Her guess was that the school set a threshold for the second Void Art to prevent students from wasting too much time on Void Arts and neglecting other courses.
Indeed, Senior Female Student Huai Nannan, for instance, only completed the construction of her entire combat system by the second semester of her sophomore year, having inscribed three Void Arts onto her Chakras.
Of course, this might also be related to the high difficulty of the three Void Arts Senior Female Student Huai Nannan chose. Yet, it offered a glimpse into the broader picture: even basic Void Arts were undoubtedly challenging and extremely time-consuming to learn.
The teacher had only just finished explaining five Void Arts. At this sluggish pace, Huang Xiu figured it would be at least next week before she could formally choose and begin cultivating her Void Arts.
‘Even if I could choose a Void Art this week, inscribing it onto my Chakra would still require the Forging Method,’ Huang Xiu thought, shaking her head with a sigh. ‘The road ahead is long and arduous!’
Even Awakened individuals, if they wished to keep pace with others, needed to study relentlessly. The Forging Method, Void Arts, and combat training were all skills they had to master and become proficient in.
Huang Xiu could sense the high expectations Tiandu University held for its Exploration Department students.
****
Meanwhile, in a teacher’s dorm on the Tiandu University campus, Yuan Fei sat, quivering and shaking, utterly devoid of any pretense.
Across from him, Yun Ning was engrossed in his laptop, typing away. He looked up when Yuan Fei spoke.
“Junior Female Student Huang agreed. But, Teacher, why didn’t you ask her yourself?”
“Hmph, well, that’s because…” Yuan Fei lightly wagged his right index finger, declaring proudly, “Because I didn’t dare!”
“Is that something to be proud of?” Yun Ning asked, a speechless expression on his face. “And did you do something to offend Junior Female Student Huang Xiu?”
“I merely didn’t reply to her message!” Yuan Fei crossed his arms, beaming with pride.
“Then why didn’t you reply?”
“Because I forgot,” Yuan Fei sighed. “She first messaged me when I was out drinking heavily at a bar, so I didn’t notice. By the time I did, five days had already passed.”
“At that point, replying felt wrong, but not replying also felt wrong, so I just kept putting it off.”
“I actually think, Teacher, that if you’d just replied with a simple explanation, Junior Female Student Huang Xiu wouldn’t have minded,” Yun Ning stated, looking up earnestly.
“Hmm, you have a point. In that case, you can explain it for me,” Yuan Fei nodded in agreement. “Just tell her I forgot my password and only recently remembered it.”
“Alright!” Yun Ning responded, a helpless look on his face. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to clean up after Yuan Fei.
Yun Ning placed his laptop on the coffee table, rotating it so the screen faced Yuan Fei.
“I’ve accepted the mission.”
“Excellent.” Yuan Fei glanced at the computer. The screen displayed a large headshot of a man. His appearance was ordinary, he wore glasses, and his eyes held the unique weariness of a white-collar worker, or perhaps a “corporate drone” vibe.
Below the headshot, a line of text read:
[Lin]
[Danger Level: 2, Requirement: Life or death, no exceptions]
[Note: Please bring a regular barrier device or related Void Energy instruments in advance. Please do not cause excessive commotion and cause public panic.]
This was a mission posted on the Void Web. Danger Level 2 signified the strength of a Mercury Rank Awakened individual.
“Although this person is only Mercury Rank, he’s more than enough as an opponent for the two of you,” Yuan Fei said, retracting his gaze.
“This is your junior female student’s first mission. Be careful. Don’t let anything go wrong.”
Yun Ning nodded, picked up his laptop, and left the room.
****
“So, this is our weekend mission?”
In the cafeteria, Huang Xiu and Yun Ning sat huddled in a corner table, like thieves. Between their meal trays lay a laptop, its screen displaying the mission details.
“Yes,” Yun Ning confirmed with a nod. “This individual is an Awakened individual who awakened unexpectedly. They only awakened in their thirties and have already committed three crimes. They are considered a high-risk target.”
“Awakened in their thirties…?” Huang Xiu paused, surprised. “I thought you couldn’t awaken after eighteen.”
“Generally, that’s true, but nothing is absolute,” Yun Ning explained. “Some people might be very lucky, possessing the potential of an Awakened individual but never having encountered Void Energy until later.”
“I see,” Huang Xiu murmured, nodding thoughtfully. In that case, it seemed Shi Lei truly had no chance of awakening. He had encountered Void Energy that night but hadn’t awakened. Perhaps not becoming an Awakened individual was, for him, a stroke of luck, as Awakened individuals constantly walked the edge of death.
“Where is the mission location?” Huang Xiu asked, pulling her thoughts back to the present.
“Your hometown…” Yun Ning said softly, “Ying City.”
“???” Huang Xiu’s face was a mask of confusion.