Nanmen Xiu’s words were like Pandora’s box.
Even if it meant another mouthful of ‘dog food’ – a public display of affection – not a single person present wanted to miss it.
Gossip was an inherent human nature that no one could resist, especially when it concerned the exceptional individuals right beside them.
Observing everyone nodding vigorously, Nanmen Xiu’s sly nature finally became apparent.
“That concludes tonight’s lesson. I’ll cover the remaining content next time, so make sure to be on time. I’ll only explain it once; if you miss it, you’ll miss out.”
Huang Xiu’s expression subtly shifted.
‘Teacher Nanmen Xiu had employed a brilliant tactic, using herself as bait to draw them into her scheme!’
‘However, merely listening shouldn’t have any adverse effects.’
“But… is class really over?”
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 course. You’ve only just enrolled, and I don’t have much time. Besides, I need to go home and rest.”
Nanmen Xiu explained with a smile, then, like a seasoned leader, slapped her phone onto the desk.
“Come on, everyone, let’s create a group chat face-to-face. I’ll be the first to notify you of any good news in the future.”
After everyone had created the group chat face-to-face and added each other as friends, the unconventional psychological counseling session, which had caught Huang Xiu completely off guard, finally concluded.
The teachers’ dormitories were separate from the students’. Consequently, on their way back, only Huang Xiu and her three friends walked together.
As it neared eight o’clock, the campus streetlights had long since illuminated, their warm, orange glow pushing back the encroaching darkness.
Every building within sight was lit up.
These lights belonged to students diligently studying the Exploration Department’s curriculum or those from the Research Department busily conducting experiments.
Owing to its rigorous selection process, Tiandu University fostered an excellent academic atmosphere.
Everyone strived relentlessly, fighting for a better future.
Thus, few people lingered idly on campus, taking late-night strolls.
The entire campus was remarkably quiet.
Huang Xiu walked back to her dormitory, the lights reflecting in her eyes like a sky full of stars.
The four of them remained silent, no one speaking a word throughout the walk.
Even though they knew they were kindred spirits, forming a cheerful conversation upon their first meeting proved quite challenging for these Awakened individuals.
They arrived at the dormitory area in silence, politely bidding each other farewell.
The four dispersed, each returning to their respective rooms.
“Today’s experience… was truly bizarre!”
Huang Xiu pushed open her door, entered her room, kicked off her shoes, and immediately collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow.
Suddenly meeting so many Awakened individuals was already outlandish.
Yet, there was also a teacher who had completely transitioned into a woman, sharing her romantic experiences with them.
It was utterly absurd.
“I wonder if Teacher Xu Gaoxuan knows that Teacher Nanmen Xiu used to be a man,” Huang Xiu’s voice muffled from the pillow, sounding somewhat indistinct.
‘He should know, right?’
‘Since Teacher Nanmen Xiu had openly confessed her Awakened identity to them, her students, it made no sense for her not to tell Teacher Xu Gaoxuan.’
‘Perhaps this was common knowledge among the teachers.’
“Still, it’s incredibly strange to fall in love with a man, and then to fall in love with a woman who used to be a man.”
Huang Xiu shook her head.
Such a mutual journey was truly rare.
As she reached for a cup of water, she suddenly noticed a thick book on her desk, which had previously only held her computer.
“What is this?”
Huang Xiu sprang up from her bed, taking a small hop to the desk.
A hefty hardcover book rested quietly on her computer.
The book was quite large, as wide as her 17.3-inch laptop.
Its cover was pure white, with no title.
It didn’t have many pages, perhaps only a dozen or so.
However, each page was made of a glass-like material, as thick as the practice workbooks they used in high school.
Huang Xiu weighed it in her hands. The book was roughly twenty catties.
“This must be the heaviest book I’ve ever held! This is the power of knowledge, dammit!”
The book’s hardness seemed considerable. She felt it would be sufficient as a weapon.
With its weight and sharp corners, even an Awakened individual wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow to the head.
Curiously, she opened the book, and the first thing that caught her eye was:
[Basic Hammer Forging Method 2.3 Version of the White Tower lineage]
[Author: Tiandu University]
[Warning: This book is prohibited from being photographed, shared, or taken out of campus. Violators will be severely punished.]
“Holy cow, it’s the Hammer Forging Method!” Huang Xiu exclaimed excitedly.
Although Teacher Wen Zhidie had mentioned in class that the necessary materials for cultivating the Hammer Forging Method would be distributed, Huang Xiu hadn’t expected Tiandu University, which hadn’t even issued textbooks, to be so efficient.
The cultivation materials for the morning class were delivered to the dormitory by evening.
“Finally, I can start cultivating!”
With an excited heart and trembling hands, Huang Xiu had waited for this day until she felt like wilting.
She directly ignored the warning and continued to turn the page.
The book pages were still made of that glass-like material.
However, in the center of the second page, an eighty percent of the page area was inlaid with a stone slab.
The stone slab was just ordinary rock; Huang Xiu couldn’t discern anything special about it.
But what was on it was extraordinary: the contemplation diagram she had seen in class was carved into it.
Though not identical to the stone in the photograph, it was an exact replica.
Below the stone slab, on the page, a small line of text described the effects of this contemplation diagram.
[White Lotus Contemplation Diagram ① (Mercury Rank), suitable for the White Tower lineage, can slightly increase spiritual strength and enhance control over Awakened abilities.]
“Special effects…”
Huang Xiu remembered Teacher Wen Zhidie mentioning this in class, explaining the principle behind the special effects of cultivating the Hammer Forging Method.
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 spiritual energy each time they performed contemplation.
This was harmless.
Flipping further, the next two pages also featured contemplation diagrams.
[Gourmand Contemplation Diagram ① (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 it develops into binge eating, please contact a teacher immediately.]
[Demon Seed Contemplation Diagram ① (Mercury Rank), suitable for the White Tower lineage, enhances resistance to spirit-manipulating Void Arts or Awakened abilities, and boosts Void Energy recovery speed.]
“There are actually three contemplation diagrams, and their effects are all different.”
Huang Xiu smacked her lips, looking at the three contemplation diagrams, and instantly entered decision-making paralysis.
Since the school had issued these three contemplation diagrams, it indicated that all three were proven and recognized as high-quality methods.
No matter which one she chose, it wouldn’t be a bad option.
“However, seeing ‘Mercury Rank’ and ‘①’ after the names, these contemplation diagrams probably have subsequent stages.”
Teacher Wen Zhidie might not have had enough time during class, so she didn’t cover these details.
Thus, Huang Xiu could only speculate for now.
Since the contemplation diagrams were labeled ‘Mercury Rank,’ there must certainly be higher ranks like Gold Rank, Turbid World Rank…
‘Could it be that once I choose, I can’t change?’
Huang Xiu didn’t want to make a wrong choice and regret it forever.
She quickly flipped through the entire book, attempting to find any helpful reminders.
And she actually found one.
[School’s warm reminder: The choice of contemplation diagram is based on your preference. Choose what suits you. If unsuitable, you may change it at any time.]
“I can change it at any time! Well, that’s a relief.”
With her worries dispelled, Huang Xiu began to analyze which contemplation diagram would be best for her.
Based solely on their effects, the Gourmand Contemplation Diagram was undoubtedly the most appealing.
After all, the increase in Void Energy level and physical strength were pain points for most Awakened individuals.
As for the greatly increased appetite, that wasn’t really a side effect.
Tiandu University provided free meals and no small stoves, so it wouldn’t cost money…
However, Huang Xiu felt that this effect wasn’t particularly applicable to her.
“I have few opportunities for close combat, and my current Void Energy level is already paramount among all Mercury Rank Awakened individuals. It’s already sufficient, so increasing it further feels somewhat unnecessary.”
Huang Xiu then looked at the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram.
Spiritual strength and control over Awakened abilities… this could extend the time she could micro-manage her mutated plants.
It sounded quite good.
“Anyway, I can change it later, so this one it is.”
Huang Xiu, too lazy to ponder further, made her decision directly.
As for the Demon Seed Contemplation Diagram, it was never a target for her from the start.
Its two effects were even more useless to her than those of the Gourmand Contemplation Diagram.
Having selected her goal, Huang Xiu read through the entire book.
The cultivation method described in the book was far clearer and more detailed than what the teacher had explained in class.
However, the precautions Teacher Wen Zhidie had discussed in class were the accumulated wisdom of generations of predecessors.
Many of these points were not explicitly written in the book.
Taking out the notes she had made in class today, Huang Xiu committed all of Teacher Wen Zhidie’s precautions to memory.
Immediately afterward, following the instructions in the book, she began her first Hammer Forging Method cultivation session as an Awakened individual.
Cultivating the Hammer Forging Method was somewhat akin to daydreaming…
Huang Xiu had actually felt this way during class.
And after personally beginning to cultivate, the feeling became even more pronounced.
She first glanced at the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram stone slab, then closed her eyes and fantasized about the shape of the patterns in her mind.
She tried to make them appear clearly in her consciousness.
But for some reason, despite her already good memory, and even more so after awakening, she repeatedly failed.
She had just looked at it, confirming that she had temporarily memorized all the patterns and symbols.
Yet, upon closing her eyes, she found her mind completely blank, unable to recall even a single pattern.
Huang Xiu opened her eyes and summarized, “It’s as if I’ve never seen the contemplation diagram before.”
She clearly perceived the miraculous nature of the contemplation diagram.
She continued to cultivate until ten o’clock at night, still making no progress, but Huang Xiu did not lose heart.
The teacher had emphasized it in class.
Cultivating the Hammer Forging Method was a slow and steady process.
Haste makes waste; one could 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 be made.
Huang Xiu, who took the teacher’s advice to heart, maintained an exceptionally positive mindset.
She even went online to play two games before bed.
She played on her main account.
Halfway through a game, Huang Xiu looked at the enemy she had critically struck down with a single blow and inexplicably thought of Yun Ning.
After the match, she checked his account on the platform.
She was astonished to discover that he had already reached level thirty-three!
“I remember Senior Yun was still level twelve when he finished his all-nighter last time!” Huang Xiu mused, stroking her chin.
In just four days, playing games in addition to attending classes, he had managed to level up eighteen times.
“So this is what it means to be a ‘roll king’? Either you don’t do it, or you go all out until you drop.”
Huang Xiu felt a pang of fear at Yun Ning’s intense dedication.
“But he didn’t seem interested in games before; why is he suddenly playing so intensely?
Wait, did I corrupt Yun Ning?!”
At this thought, her face instantly turned pale.
If Yun Ning truly became addicted to gaming because of her last time, and his studies plummeted as a result, Teacher Yuan Fei would most likely fold her into a paper person with a single palm.
“I don’t want to become a paper person!”
Terrified for her life, Huang Xiu decided to observe him.
If Yun Ning continued to play games intensely, she planned to intervene directly and help her senior overcome his internet addiction.
“Senior Yun Ning, please don’t turn from an athlete into an internet addict! Otherwise, my sins will be too great!” Huang Xiu prayed.
Over the next few days, after finishing her packed daytime classes, the first thing Huang Xiu did upon returning to her dormitory was to immediately go online and check if Yun Ning was online.
Only then would she continue her Hammer Forging Method cultivation.
However, Yun Ning didn’t seem to have truly become an internet addict.
Huang Xiu observed him for several days, noticing that he played games at a very fixed time each day.
He would start at eight o’clock, play three matches, and immediately log off, not a single one more.
He played games as if it were a task to be completed.
Seeing this, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and canceled her observation plan.
Her Hammer Forging Method cultivation still made no progress for the first two days.
Huang Xiu asked a few friends around her.
Aside from Chi Xue, who was able to visualize the first pattern on the second day, everyone else had also made no progress.
Compared to the unchanging Hammer Forging Method cultivation, the daytime classes were much more vibrant.
The General Knowledge of the Void Realm class had already progressed to discussing Root Objects.
To help them understand the knowledge more smoothly, Teacher Hua Song even brought out actual Root Objects as examples in class.
A Root Object named ‘Finger Gun’ was Teacher Hua Song’s personal collection.
This Root Object looked like a man’s finger.
Its effect was simple: whichever hand held this finger would transform into a gun, capable of firing invisible bullets.
Of course, it was a gun only in a conceptual sense.
The external appearance did not change.
The power of the Finger Gun was affected by the user’s Void Energy and would also be weakened by the target’s Void Energy level.
Hua Song’s assessment of it was that it was useless.
However, Huang Xiu thought it was very powerful, because her Void Energy was sufficient, and she could completely use it as a long-range attack.
But it wasn’t her Root Object, so she could only watch longingly as Teacher Hua Song put it away with a look of disdain.
Envious tears welled in Huang Xiu’s eyes. “If you don’t want it, give it to me!”
Nevertheless, through this incident, she truly understood the mysterious and powerful nature of Root Objects and began to pay attention to them.
On the Void Web, there wasn’t much discussion about Root Objects because they were extremely precious.
There was only one in each Void Realm.
They were usually only possessed by high-level Awakened individuals; ordinary Awakened individuals used imitations, known as Void Tools.