Nanmen Xiu’s words were like Pandora’s Box.
Even though it likely meant another dose of public affection, there wasn’t a single person present who didn’t want to hear it.
Gossip was an inherent human trait, impossible to resist. This was especially true for stories concerning the exceptional individuals right beside them.
Watching the crowd nod vigorously, like garlic being pounded, Nanmen Xiu’s foxy cunning finally couldn’t be hidden any longer.
“That concludes our lesson for tonight,” Nanmen Xiu announced. “I’ll cover the rest of the material next class, so make sure to be on time. I’ll only explain it once; miss it, and you’ll miss out.”
Huang Xiu’s expression subtly shifted.
Teacher Nanmen Xiu had employed a clever tactic, using herself as bait to draw them into her scheme!
Yet, merely listening shouldn’t have any significant impact.
“Is… is class already over?” she wondered aloud.
She checked her phone. It was only 7:40 PM. This psychological counseling session was much shorter than she had anticipated.
“Yes, this isn’t a traditional class, after all,” Nanmen Xiu explained with a smile. “You’ve just enrolled, and time is precious. Besides, I need to go home and rest too.”
Then, with the air of a big sister, she slapped her phone onto the table.
“Come on, everyone, let’s create a group chat face-to-face. From now on, I’ll be the first to inform you of any good news.”
After everyone had created the group chat and added each other as friends, this unpredictable, utterly unexpected first experience with a psychological counseling session finally concluded.
****
The teachers’ dorms were separate from the students’. Thus, on their way back, only Huang Xiu and her three companions walked together.
As eight o’clock approached, the streetlights across campus were already illuminated, their warm, orange glow pushing back the encroaching darkness.
Every building within sight glowed with light.
These were the exploration department students burning the midnight oil, as well as the research department students busy with their experiments.
Thanks to the merit-based selection process, the academic atmosphere at Tiandu University was exceptional.
Everyone strived relentlessly, fighting for a brighter future.
Consequently, few people wandered leisurely through the campus late at night.
The entire campus was remarkably quiet.
Huang Xiu walked back to her dorm, the distant lights reflecting in her eyes like countless scattered stars.
The four of them remained silent, not a word exchanged throughout their walk.
Even knowing they were all Awakened individuals, it was simply too difficult for them to engage in cheerful conversation on their first meeting.
And so, they walked in silence all the way to the dorm area, politely bidding each other farewell.
The four dispersed, each returning to their respective rooms.
“Today’s experience… was truly outrageous!”
Huang Xiu pushed open her door, kicked off her shoes, and immediately collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow.
Simply meeting so many Awakened individuals was already absurd.
But to have a teacher who had undergone a complete gender transformation share their romantic experiences with them? It was utterly ridiculous.
“I wonder if Teacher Xu Gaoxuan knows that Teacher Nanmen Xiu used to be a man,” Huang Xiu’s voice muffled from the pillow.
‘He should know, right?’
‘Since Teacher Nanmen Xiu had openly confessed their Awakened identity to the students, there was no reason they wouldn’t have told Teacher Xu Gaoxuan.’
‘Perhaps it was common knowledge among the teachers.’
“Still, it’s so bizarre,” she muttered. “Falling in love with a man, and then falling in love with a woman who used to be a man.”
Huang Xiu shook her head.
Such a mutual attraction was truly rare.
As she reached for a glass of water, she suddenly noticed a thick book on her desk, which previously only held her computer.
“What is this?”
Huang Xiu flipped herself off the bed, taking a small jump to the desk.
A thick, hardcover book rested silently on her computer.
The book was quite large, as wide as her 14-inch laptop. Its cover was pure white, without a title.
It didn’t have many pages, perhaps only ten. However, each page was made of a glass-like material.
Each page was as thick as a practice workbook.
Huang Xiu scratched her head. The book weighed roughly twenty kilograms.
“This must be the heaviest book I’ve ever held!” she exclaimed. “The power of knowledge, indeed!”
The book felt incredibly sturdy. She imagined it would make a formidable weapon. Even an Awakened individual wouldn’t be able to withstand a blow from its sharp corner.
Curiously, she opened the book. The first thing that met her eyes was:
[White Tower Lineage Basic Forging Method Version 3.0]
[Author: Tiandu University]
[Warning: This book is prohibited from being photographed, shared, or taken out of campus. Violators will be severely punished.]
“Holy moly, it’s a Forging Method!” Huang Xiu exclaimed, thrilled.
Although Teacher Wen Zhidie had mentioned in class that the necessary materials for cultivating the Forging Method would be distributed, Huang Xiu never expected Tiandu University, which hadn’t even issued textbooks, to be so efficient.
The cultivation materials for the morning’s lesson had already arrived at her dorm by evening.
“I can finally begin cultivating!”
Her heart pounded, her hands trembled. Huang Xiu had been waiting for this day so long, she felt like the flowers had withered from anticipation.
Ignoring the warning, she immediately flipped the page.
It was still the same glass-like material. But in the very center of the second page, a stone slab, occupying eighty percent of the page’s area, was embedded.
The stone slab appeared to be ordinary rock; Huang Xiu couldn’t discern anything special about it. However, what was engraved upon it was extraordinary: the same Contemplation Diagram she had seen in class.
Though it wasn’t the exact stone from the photo, the patterns of the Contemplation Diagram were identical in every detail.
Below the stone slab, a small line of text on the page described the diagram’s effects:
[White Lotus Contemplation Diagram (Mercury Rank), suitable for the White Tower lineage. Can slightly amplify mental strength and enhance control over abilities.]
“Special effects…”
Huang Xiu remembered Teacher Wen Zhidie mentioning this in class, even explaining the principle behind the special effects of cultivating Forging Methods.
It was likely because the Contemplation Diagrams themselves originated from the Void Realm, possessing a certain ineffable mystique. This mystique would attach itself to their Awakened minds each time they contemplated.
It was harmless.
Flipping further, the next two pages also featured Contemplation Diagrams.
[Gluttony Contemplation Diagram (Mercury Rank), suitable for the White Tower lineage. Can slightly increase physical strength and Void Energy level.
Note: During cultivation, an increased appetite may occur as a side effect. If this develops into binge eating, please contact a teacher immediately.]
[Demonic Seed Contemplation Diagram (Mercury Rank), suitable for the White Tower lineage. Enhances resistance to mental manipulation Void Arts or abilities, and amplifies Void Energy recovery speed.]
“There are three Contemplation Diagrams, and their effects are all different,” Huang Xiu mused, smacking her lips. Faced with the three diagrams, she immediately entered decision paralysis.
Since the school had distributed these three diagrams, it meant they were all high-quality products that had been tested and approved. Whichever one she chose, it wouldn’t be too bad.
“But judging by the ‘Mercury Rank’ after their names, these Contemplation Diagrams probably have subsequent stages,” she thought.
Teacher Wen Zhidie might have run out of time in class, so she hadn’t covered these details. Huang Xiu could only speculate for now.
Since the Contemplation Diagrams were labeled ‘Mercury Rank,’ there must certainly be higher tiers like Gold Rank, Turbid World Rank, and so on.
‘Could they not be interchangeable, though?’
Huang Xiu didn’t want to make a wrong choice now and regret it forever. She quickly flipped through the entire book, trying to find any helpful hints. And she actually found one:
[School’s Friendly Reminder: Choose your Contemplation Diagram according to your heart’s desire. Select what suits you best. If it’s not suitable, you may change it at any time.]
“I can change it at any time! Well, that’s a relief.”
With the warning dispelled, Huang Xiu began analyzing which Contemplation Diagram would be best for her.
Based purely on effects, the Gluttony Contemplation Diagram was undoubtedly the most appealing. After all, increasing Void Energy levels and physical strength were pain points for most Awakened individuals.
As for the increased appetite, that wasn’t really a drawback. Tiandu University provided free meals and didn’t offer special individual dishes. It cost nothing…
However, Huang Xiu felt that this effect wasn’t very applicable to her.
“I have few opportunities for close combat, and my current Void Energy level already surpasses most Mercury Rank Awakened individuals. It’s already sufficient; further increases feel somewhat unnecessary.”
Huang Xiu then looked at the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram.
Mental strength and control over abilities… this could increase the time she could precisely manipulate her mutated plants. It sounded quite good.
“I can always change it anyway, so this one it is.”
Huang Xiu decided, too lazy to overthink it. As for the Demonic Seed Contemplation Diagram, it was never even a consideration. Its two effects were even more useless to her than those of the Gluttony Contemplation Diagram.
Having chosen her goal, Huang Xiu read through the entire book. The cultivation methods described in the book were far clearer and more detailed than what the teacher had explained in class.
However, the precautions Teacher Wen Zhidie had mentioned were the accumulated wisdom of generations of predecessors. Many of these details were not explicitly written in the book.
Huang Xiu committed both her class notes from Teacher Wen Zhidie and her own perceived precautions to memory. She then began her first Forging Method cultivation session as an Awakened individual, following the book’s instructions.
Cultivating the Forging Method felt somewhat like daydreaming. Huang Xiu had already felt this way in class, and the sensation became even more pronounced when she began practicing herself.
She first gazed at the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram on the stone slab, then closed her eyes, trying to visualize the patterns in her mind, attempting to make them appear clearly. But for some reason, despite her excellent memory—which had been further enhanced after her awakening—she repeatedly failed.
She had just taken a good look, confirming that she had temporarily memorized all the patterns and symbols. Yet, upon closing her eyes, her mind would go blank, unable to recall even a single detail of the patterns.
Huang Xiu opened her eyes, summarizing her experience, “It’s as if I’ve never seen the Contemplation Diagram before.”
She clearly perceived the miraculous nature of the Contemplation Diagram. She continued cultivating until ten o’clock at night, still making no progress, but Huang Xiu did not get discouraged.
The teacher had emphasized in class that cultivating the Forging Method was a gradual process, like grinding water with a millstone. Haste makes waste, and one should not rush.
It was possible to make no progress for the first few hundred or even thousands of attempts, but as long as one persevered, progress would eventually come.
Huang Xiu, taking the teacher’s advice to heart, maintained an exceptionally positive mindset. She even played two games online before bed.
She played with her main account. Midway through a game, Huang Xiu, watching Momo get critical-hit to death by her blade, inexplicably thought of Yun Ning.
After the game ended, she checked his account on the platform. To her surprise, he had already reached level thirty!
“I recall Senior Yun Ning was only level twelve after his last all-nighter!” Huang Xiu stroked her chin. In just four days, playing in his spare time between classes, he had leveled up eighteen times.
“So this is what a ‘Roll King’ is like, huh? Or maybe it’s just me being a slacker.”
Huang Xiu felt a pang of fear for Yun Ning’s dedication.
“But he wasn’t interested in games before. Why is he playing so intensely now?”
‘Wait, did I lead Yun Ning astray?’
At this thought, her face turned pale. If Yun Ning truly became addicted to gaming because of her last time, and his academic performance plummeted, Teacher Yuan Fei would likely crush her into a paper-thin figure with a single palm.
“I don’t want to become a paper-thin person!”
Fearful of death, Huang Xiu decided to observe him. If Yun Ning continued to play games intensely, she would personally help her senior brother overcome his internet addiction.
“Senior Yun Ning, please don’t turn from a sports student into an internet addict. If you do, my sins will be truly immense!” Huang Xiu prayed.
For the next few days, after finishing her packed daytime classes, the first thing Huang Xiu did was immediately log online to check if Yun Ning was online. Only then would she continue her Forging Method cultivation.
However, Yun Ning didn’t seem to have truly become an internet addict. After observing him for several days, Huang Xiu noticed that his gaming times were fixed: he would start at eight and log off immediately after three games, playing in a task-oriented manner.
Seeing this, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and canceled her intervention plans.
****
The Forging Method cultivation still made no progress for the first two days. Huang Xiu asked several friends around her. Besides Chi Xue, who was able to contemplate the first diagram on the second day, no one else had made any progress either.
Compared to the unchanging Forging Method cultivation, the other courses were becoming more varied and engaging.
The Introduction to Void Realm Knowledge class had already reached the topic of Source Objects. To help them understand the knowledge more deeply, Teacher Hua Song even brought out a real Source Object in class.
The Source Object, a