Book 2: Chapter 10: Flame Behind the Conviction

A cool morning breeze blew past Lin Xi, Tang Ke, and Bian Linghan’s bodies from between the mountains.

As one’s gaze followed the moderate hillside up, an academy building that was completely comparable to Babylon’s Hanging Gardens towered like a celestial palace, making one feel fascination and reverence.

Reverence, was a type of restriction.

Lin Xi took a deep breath, enjoying the natural fragrance of the wild flowers at the side of the road, meanwhile pondering over the meaning of this quote from that middle-aged uncle that was always on the mouths of the academy’s lecturers.

It had already been two days since he rejected Zhou Yongxian’s invitation. During these two days, the Equestrian Archery and Wilderness Survival courses went surprisingly smoothly. Basic horsemanship wasn’t particularly difficult for Lin Xi, while in archery, both Lin Xi and Bian Linghan were even warned by the single-eyed black-robed lecturer to keep a lower profile. As for Wilderness Survival, the first class was also just to fill in what these Self Defense Department new students didn’t learn yet from their trek from Summer Spirit Lake to Green Luan Academy. They were first taught how to assemble all types of military tents, and then the important things to note when traveling through different terrains and environments, as well as having these Self Defense Department new students have a taste of various bugs, roots, and plants that were edible in an uncultivated valley.

The lecturer in charge of Wilderness Survival class was called Nan Zhongjie, a middle-aged darker skinned robust man whose appearance wasn’t fierce at all. If it wasn’t for the black robes he wore, he really might be mistaken for an ordinary farmer.

According to what he said, this type of limited day one lesson was just an appetizer. A small half of this course will be accompanied by real practical training.

Today’s class was the first elective course. Among the elective courses that numbered as many as several dozen, a class like Medical Care was clearly a class most Self Defense Department students weren’t interested in. Of all of the Self Defense Department new students, only three chose to take this course, and the other two just happened to be good friends of Lin Xi.

Compared to normal students, Lin Xi’s elective course choices weren’t out of interest, but rather all out of practical reasoning. As the only one who was able to read Principal Zhang’s advice, he understood even more clearly that the cultivators of this world weren’t invincible. That was why while preparing to cut people down, Lin Xi also made preparations against being cut down… As such, learning a bit of life-saving medical treatment definitely wasn’t a bad thing.

Moreover, apart from this, another reason why two of the four elective courses he chose were from the Medicine Department, was a small secret he would rather keep hidden.

It was because in Medicine Department, he had a high chance of seeing that completely carefree tall and slender girl, Gao Yanan… Even though he had another world’s experiences and secrets on others, in that world before this one, on the topic of love, Lin Xi similarly didn’t have much experience. That girl he secretly exchanged small slips of papers with during class in high school, went on movie dates with, after being accepted to different universities, it all came to nothing. Moreover, when he thought about these things, these feelings that didn’t produce much ripples in his mind, just some young and inexperienced memories, vague positive emotions, compared to what he felt when he saw Gao Yanan, they were two entirely different things… This was a type of extremely wonderful feeling. Over a thousand people crowded together during the entrance examination, yet he only saw her.

Even now, the moment he realized that he might see this girl who also ended up becoming heaven’s choice like himself, the tall and slender young lady who entered Medicine Department, he felt like the mountain winds around him seemed to have become a bit gentler.

Bian Linghan walked at Lin Xi’s side, feeling the movements and flow of the wind. This thin and weak young lady from Rainmist Region didn’t think many things, just feeling that walking with Lin Xi and Tang Ke side by side quietly through this quiet academy alley, this feeling really was nice…

There weren’t any patterns to the way buildings were built on the mountaintops, the various palaces scattered between the mountains and cliffs. The quiet and secluded alley was connected to all of the other roads between the buildings, but the gathering location for the first day was already clearly stated on the course list, so Lin Xi didn’t take any detours, directly heading to the rice fields that were irrigated by clear spring water. They made their way past the white-walled gray-roofed short buildings that were full of a sunny south feeling, reaching a gray building built on the slope of a peak that neighbored Self Defense Department.

This gray building only had three floors in total, but the windows were large, greatly resembling the school buildings Lin Xi was familiar with.

“Meng Bai!”

Beneath the building, a little fatty in yellow robes was currently looking all around. Lin Xi saw him from the distance, he immediately couldn’t help but reveal a bitter smile, calling out from the distance.

That timid and scared appearance, if that wasn’t his other good friend Meng Bai, who was it?

As soon as he saw Lin Xi, Meng Bai who was originally about to head inside immediately ran over to Lin Xi with a face beaming with joy.

“Meng Bai, you also chose Medical Care class? You seem to have gotten even fatter?” When he saw Meng Bai’s face, Lin Xi gave him a playful punch out of excitement, but then he became a bit stunned.

Meng Bai’s originally fair face had darkened a bit, making those small freckles on his face no longer that prominent. However, his face and his stomach clearly became a ring rounder.

“The things in the academy are too delicious…” Meng Bai rubbed the place where he was punched by Lin Xi, his round face becoming slightly red, explaining in a bit of an embarrassed manner.

Lin Xi, Bian Linghan, and Tang Ke immediately couldn’t help but laugh.

“What kind of required courses does your Internal Study Department have… do you guys not move that much?” Because he was familiar with Meng Bai’s natural disposition, Lin Xi didn’t really hold back when talking to him, pulling on the yellow robes Meng Bai wore. “You really should hold back a bit, or else if this continues, your clothes will start to seem small.”

“Lin Xi,” When the coursework of internal study was mentioned, Meng Bai instead became excited, ignoring Lin Xi’s teasing and saying, “Turns out Internal Study Department isn’t any inferior to Medicine Department! In the future, I might just have to research some ancient texts, see if I can produce some better cultivation methods, it is already enough!”

Lin Xi laughed again, patting Meng Bai’s shoulders, understanding what he meant well.

After all these days, he naturally already knew that Internal Study Department researched the mysteries of cultivators’ bodies, as well as methods of cultivation that were even stronger. This type of department that leaned more towards research was something most of the academies didn’t have. In the future, their chances of heading onto the battlefield were comparatively lower.

For the more timid unambitious Meng Bai, the reason he chose Medical Care went without saying.

“How many people from your Internal Study Department chose this class?”

“Only me.”

“Ah?”

“They felt like our Internal Study Department’s Internal Sense, Ancient Text and other courses were already too suffocating, so none of them wanted to choose any more mostly indoor classes. Most of them chose courses from your Self Defense Department… Lin Xi, now that I heard what you just said, I’m starting to feel a bit of regret. If I had known, I would have also chosen some classes that burned some calories.”

“Why?”

“Ever since two days ago, didn’t all of us new students have to enter the training valley? With my build… even if I wore a voice changing mask and changed some clothes, wouldn’t everyone still recognize me?”

Pfft!

Lin Xi and Meng Bai chatted as they entered Medicine Department’s gray palace. When he heard what Meng Bai said and saw his extremely worried round face, Lin Xi couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.

Suddenly, Lin Xi’s smile froze on his face.

It was because inside the classroom on his left he had just passed were rows of Medicine Department students dressed in gray clothes.

There were many Medicine Department students in the classroom, while in front of the students was a black-robed lecturer. However, with just a single glance, Lin Xi immediately saw Gao Yaonan who sat in the corner.

Gao Yanan’s black hair fell casually down her back like a waterfall. Even though she only wore old fashioned gray robes, her overall appearance was still a beautiful scenery in Lin Xi’s eyes.

Her left cheek seemed to have been stung by a mosquito, a bit red. However, on her jade white face, it added a bit of a cute feeling.

“Relax, if others can recognize you, then we should be able to recognize you as well. When the time comes, if anyone dares to plot against you, then we can help as well.” At this time, Tang Ke and Bian Linghan were currently smiling while consoling the extremely worried Meng Bai, not noticing Lin Xi’s unusual behavior.

However, right at this time, a trace of abnormal red color appeared in Lin Xi’s eyes.

This trace of redness was cast inside from the classroom window Gao Yanan was in, quickly filling this place with a bewitching brilliance.

“Lin Xi…” Tang Ke, Bian Linghan, and Meng Bai all noticed that Lin Xi was acting off, but the moment they followed his gaze, their expressions immediately changed. “A fire!”

The bewitching redness that was like a great red banner that was suddenly hoisted wasn’t far off, the great flames coming from a nearby gray building!

In under a minute, everyone in this gray building was alarmed. Not only was this true for the new Medicine Department students like Gao Yanan, even the expression of the black-robed lecturer standing at the front changed slightly.

“Fire rescue!”

After uttering these two words directly, the black-robed lecturer whose face Lin Xi wasn’t even able to see clearly sprung out like a powerful arrow.

At the same time, on the floor above them, a black-robed lecturer floated downwards like a drifting black lotus leaf, landing gently on the ground.

…

When Lin Xi, Tang Ke, and the others ran out of this gray building, the two lightning fast black-robed lecturers were already not far from the scene of the fire.

The string of buildings were all made of wood, most of them three-floored, connected together, creating several courtyards. In an instant, roiling smoke rushed into the heavens, giant tongues of flame gushing out from the windows.

“There are students taking lessons inside?”

What immediately made Lin Xi take a deep breath was that there were quite a few students who were rushing out in terror.

“There were elective courses there too?”

The figures of several Self Defense Department new students immediately made Lin Xi react. The ones running for their lives from the flames were dressed in different colored academy uniforms, also the various departments’ new students.

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