Gu Xuanming remained at the back of the group as they were being guided far away from the Gue Ming village.
In order to have cultivators remain focused, they would be brought a bit far from the village.
Not too far so they could return without being attacked by the spirit beasts in the forest, but far enough that there would be no distractions.
The Scarlet Bone sect itself was quite a large plot of land.
Multiple buildings covered the premises, multiple paths that led to the different dorms, the training ground, and the cafeteria.
It was the perfect spot for a cultivator to live.
The two elders who were left waved their youths goodbye, looking at each other.
“So, who do you think it is?” Tai Ben Yen Shong asked.
Murong Xuanji looked at his friend, then back at the students.
“I would say Nangong Xuanhe.
He carries resentment and envy within his heart.
His brother, on the other hand, is calm and composed.
I believe he may be the neutral cultivator.”
Tai Ben Yen Shong nodded.
“Reasonable logic.
But we should keep our eyes on those three just in case.”
Tai Ben Yen Shong stepped over to a servant who was raking any nearby leaves away from the entrance.
When he saw Tai Ben Yen Shong, he immediately bowed.
“Elder Tai Ben Yen Shong!
How may this humble servant serve you?”
“Hohoho, at ease.”
Tai Ben Yen Shong leaned forward, whispering orders into the servant’s ear.
After he leaned back, the servant nodded, bowing once again.
“Understood!”
After that, the elders left while the servant went on to follow the orders he was given.
…
Gu Xuanming and the rest of his classmates all entered the classroom, sitting on a random mat.
Gu Xuanming himself took the seat closest to the window and to the back.
This gave him a good view of the outside, allowing him to see the training grounds.
‘I heard that not many cultivators live here, so I shouldn’t worry too much about distractions.
Although…’
Gu Xuanming glanced around.
He could still feel the envious gazes of many, especially Nangong Xuanhe, who sat at the front, across from him near the door.
Everyone spoke with one another, and most worshiped Zhao Cangsheng until the instructor arrived.
Xu Changfeng was tall, with black hair tied into a ponytail that exposed his hairy chest, black pants, and martial arts slippers.
“So, this is the next generation of disciples?”
“A lot less than expected, but it will have to do.”
Xu Changfeng slammed the desk, leaning forward.
Everyone fell silent, shushing themselves.
“Now, I know all of you are excited to tread the path of cultivation, but be wary.
While it may seem like sunshine and rainbows, it isn’t.”
“The path of cultivation is filled with blood and regret.
Many who do cultivate are often driven mad.
Though that’s no surprise, knowing the supposed origins of the state within our body.”
Xu Changfeng faced the class with his chest held high.
“Tell me, does anyone know the story of Xue Man?”
He glanced around the room, mainly directing his eyes towards Nangong Xuanhe, Zhao Cangsheng, and Gu Xuanming.
Why?
Because he was told to keep an eye on them by the elder.
After a bit of waiting, it seemed no one knew.
“It seems no one does.
It’s best you know this story before we talk about cultivation…”
Long ago, before civilizations rose, the second generation of man was born from a great tree.
This tree was no normal tree, for it had consumed a human of the first generation of them before attempting to create a copy.
This copy, however, was not perfect.
Humans of the first generation looked far more like monkeys, with hunched backs, bigger teeth and eyes, and longer noses.
However, the copy did not have any of these things, looking more like the humans of the present.
But he wasn’t just a man; he was gifted with talent.
He was blessed by heaven, offered a power that only he could possess.
That was cultivation, the ability to cultivate his body, mind, and soul to become an immortal.
It was just meant to be a one-time gift, a limited offer to a single mortal and never again, but he had other plans.
Xue Man felt lonely in the world.
He had lived for hundreds of years, remaining at the top of the food chain.
He slaughtered countless humans, animals, spirit beasts, and demonic beasts.
Yet he felt hollow.
It was a time when survival was difficult, so naturally, someone who could easily kill others could not experience the thrill of the hunt ever again.
Even if he wanted to try and not use the qi of the atmosphere, he couldn’t help it.
In the end, the grind for power became a strive for excitement, and so he continued to meditate and break through until he reached the infamous 10th Dimensional Immortal Stars.
The stars when one achieves true immortality of sorts.
They are free from heaven, their strings removed.
But that wasn’t the end of it, far from it, for he had chosen to create a world of cultivators, and that was by snatching a piece of heaven itself!
This piece would be sent down to all mortals of Blue Star, and this piece would spread to every soul, creating a galaxy within their bodies, the Primeval Galaxy, the main source of cultivation!
No one knows what happened after.
Some say he had become the constellations in the sky and was punished by the heavens.
Others say he did not achieve true immortality and was killed.
No one truly knows what happened to this man, but regardless, humanity now chooses to tread the same path as this man and reach the heavens.
After speaking the story, some students were asleep, while others were still awake, having focused all their attention on the story itself.
Xu Changfeng sighed.
‘Of course they fall asleep.
This happened ten years ago too.’
‘…it seems like the new D-grade talents were paying attention.
Few C grades aren’t.
Thankfully, those three are.’
After that, he would take a scroll from the desk, unraveling it as now he needed to teach the class the first lesson of the day, Star Cultivation.
“Everyone…” Xu Changfeng clapped his hands together, sending a mild shockwave through the room.
This wave blew the hair of every disciple and awakened them from their dream.
When they felt Xu Changfeng’s glare, they immediately straightened their backs in silence.
“…anyway.
Star Cultivation is the practice of refining the stars within the Primeval Galaxy that reside within our astral bodies.
It is located around the belly, at the belly button to be specific.”
“The Primeval Galaxy, on the other hand, is a small galaxy that resides within 2 layers.
This galaxy is different for everyone, no matter how close they may look.
There will always be defining characteristics that separate them.”
“To cultivate these stars, a cultivator must absorb the different qis that are created across Blue Star.
Like today, at the current moment, all of your stars are at their zero-dimensional shape, and you want your stars to be at the first dimensional shape.”
“If you can do that, the path to cultivation is truly opened to you.
However, in order to mutate your stars, you must first open your meridians and absorb Qiang Qi.”
“Don’t think this is an easy feat, however.
Opening your meridians is already hard enough, as well as absorbing qi, but doing it subconsciously is even harder.
You don’t want to constantly have to open your meridians all the time just to cultivate, do you?”
The disciples shook their heads.
“Exactly.
Of course, once you are able to do that, you will then have to hit that qi against the first layer of your Primeval Galaxy.
This layer prevents you from accessing your stars, so once you can keep your meridians open and absorb qi passively, you will then have to break that layer.”
“Doing all of this will set you on the path.
Any questions?”
Nangong Xuanhe was the first to raise his hand.
It had risen so fast that you would think he was holding in the question since the start of the lecture.
“Yes?”
“What do you mean by Qiang Qi?
You say it as if there are different types.”
Xu Changfeng nodded, tugging at his beard.
“You’re right, there are different types.
Four types, to be exact.
Each one offers different benefits and breakthroughs.
Only focus on Qiang Qi, however, for your body cannot handle the other types yet.
Different stars require different absorptions of qi.
Try to rush, and terrible things can happen…like death.”
Silence.
Hearing such dire consequences, the arrogant ones with a C-grade talent started to humble themselves.
Some had planned to try to rush their cultivation, but with the consequences of death, they immediately rejected such an idea.
Another disciple raised his hand.
“Instructor, I’ve heard that people can choose different paths.
Could you tell us about that?”
Xu Changfeng closed his eyes, shaking his head.
“Not today.
This is for tomorrow’s lecture.
We will go over paths and the different qi types.
Since this is the first day, the class will be much shorter.
By the door, there will be a servant who will pass you a slip.
This slip will contain a number and will be the dorm you will live in for the time you will be here.
Your first assignment is to break through to your 1st Stars.”
“First place will gain 300 Primordial Stones, second place will gain 250 Primordial Stones, and third place will gain 200.”
“Am I clear?”
“Yes, master Xu Changfeng!” They said in unison.
They would all stand by the door, collecting their slips and searching for their dorm rooms.