"This wheel… can it be pushed bit by bit?"
Lin Xi couldn't understand. Holding onto his complicated emotions, he looked down.
On the stone tablet, the characters — so familiar he could write them with his eyes closed — appeared effortlessly:
"By now, you probably already know the classification levels for soul power cultivation in this world, right? If you're like me, and you feel there's a wheel in your mind, then when you reach the Soul Master level, you'll understand what I mean. And when you reach the National Soul level, you'll discover even more differences…"
"Also, is your cultivation talent… not great? Maybe it's a two, like mine? If that's the case, then yeah, cultivation is going to be kind of slow. But let me tell you, there's an upside to being a two — your cultivation level won't be too high, and that lets you keep a low profile. And in this world, being low-key is a good thing. Because no matter how strong your soul power is, it still runs out. Even a thousand-strong army could drown you. Even a National Soul could burn through all their soul power just cutting through a hundred suits of heavy armor. There are still plenty of strong people in this world. Also, maybe because it's like we've merged with two souls, the amount of soul power we can accumulate is double that of a normal person. You might not understand how that helps now, but since you've already entered Qingluan Academy, you'll probably find out soon enough…"
"So what else should I say to a fellow from back home who I've never even met?... Aside from the fact that nobody here can understand the things from our time, this really is an interesting world. Oh, right — I didn't come to Qingluan Academy by accident either… I once snuck into the imperial capital and read some records you can't find anywhere else. This world's cultivation methods, the legends of the Ancient Demons and Ancient Immortals… how do I put it? I think people like us might understand it more easily. You could think of it like this: a long time ago, a bunch of aliens called Ancient Immortals came to 'Earth', and then another group called Ancient Demons showed up, and the two sides fought. Regular people in this world got some cultivation methods out of it. The Ancient Demons and Immortals eventually disappeared, but the cultivation methods they left behind lived on… Before I got here, Qingluan Academy already existed. It's said to be descended from the Qingluan Palace. That palace, from the era of Ancient Demons and Immortals, was one of the sects created by ordinary people. Nowadays, nobody knows where the Qingluan Palace or those other sects are, but they could still exist somewhere far away from civilization. I came to Qingluan Academy originally to search for Qingluan Palace's whereabouts… Why?
Simple: since I've come to this world and gained powers I never had back in ours, then I want to see its most beautiful, majestic, and mysterious places. Qingluan Palace probably holds even more advanced cultivation techniques. Maybe they'll make me stronger — maybe they'll help me understand what kind of space-time this even is... After searching for a long time, I found records suggesting that the Qingluan Palace might be in the Ice Domain north of the Ascension Mountain Range. Nobody knows how big that frozen land really is…"
"To the fellow I've never met — I don't know when you're reading this. If more than 180 years have passed, I might already be dead in this world. If not, then either something happened to me… or maybe I'm still alive somewhere in the Ice Domain behind the Ascension Mountains, maybe even inside the Qingluan Palace. If so… maybe we'll still get the chance to talk in person…"
"What else should I say? Maybe I shouldn't say anything more. If I spoil all the fun stuff about this world, then you — the fellow from home I've never met — really would miss out on some of the joy of discovery…"
Lin Xi stood silently before the stone tablet, as if listening to a middle-aged man with the look of a physics teacher murmuring to himself. He wished that man would keep rambling on. But the familiar characters on the stone tablet stopped abruptly after that string of ellipses. Nothing more appeared.
"You idiot…!" Lin Xi suddenly shouted at the stone tablet, "You knew how hard it is to find someone from back home who understands you! Couldn't you have said more? Made it clearer?"
He raged with bitter frustration, his curses pouring out, and tears streamed down uncontrollably from his eyes.
Everyone froze in shock. All eyes turned to Lin Xi. He was clearly shouting at the stone tablet — shouting at Dean Zhang… In this world, someone actually dared curse at Dean Zhang…
But Lin Xi didn't care. Ever since arriving in this world, he discovered he had a strange ability — he could return to ten minutes earlier in time. As long as he willed the wheel of azure light in his mind to spin, he could go back. It only worked once a day, but ever since arriving here, it had ensured he'd never lost a single bet.
That day, when that stern, serious young girl — who looked even younger than him — kept interrogating him, he had a hunch she was extraordinary. Later, when he saw the bird's nest fall from the archway labeled "Fair Weather and Smooth Winds," he used his ability to test her. And sure enough, she was even sharper than the old coachman — she saw through his move instantly and smacked him on the head.
So after returning to the moment before her questioning began, he just quietly obeyed like a good student before a strict teacher. That moment taught this traveler a lesson: there are true experts in this world.
But what he never expected was that this middle-aged man — the one who built Qingluan Academy into its current glory, the most dazzling figure of the last fifty years, the one who went around with a dog-like qilin and a duck-like mandarin duck — was from the same place as him. He knew what a television was. What a computer was. What going online meant…
And yet, this guy still had to be cryptic! Couldn't he have just explained a little more?!
"Lin Xi, you—"
As the lecturers and professors turned pale and tried to intervene, Lin Xi shouted "You idiot!" one more time, then yelled:
"Go back!"
The wheel of azure light the middle-aged man had mentioned spun once in his mind and then fell still.
His surroundings reversed — time rewound ten minutes.
Once again, he was walking with the other Qingluan Academy freshmen along the wooden boardwalk, through the woods, past the giant yellow-stone bell tower, heading toward the majestic tricolored-glass dome hall.
…
Once again, Lin Xi stood in that grand, awe-inspiring hall, in front of the middle-aged man's carved words.
Though he still couldn't fully suppress the emotions from carrying a whole world into this one, he didn't show it this time. He simply looked at the familiar words and thought quietly:
This middle-aged man stubbornly called the different academies of Qingluan Academy "departments." Probably not just as a joke or preference — maybe it was his way of leaving behind more proof that he'd been here.
He left Qingluan Academy sixteen years ago. According to the tablet, he might still be alive — and for Lin Xi, knowing that someone from the same world might still exist made him feel less alone, less lost.
Is he now somewhere in that frozen wilderness?
"Since I've come here… then I should truly see what this different world is all about. And truly live." Lin Xi's gaze landed on the tablet once more. He knew no one in this world could understand that man's heart better than him.
"Since that's the case, I'll start by truly exploring your Qingluan Academy."
Reading the words over and over, Lin Xi's emotions gradually settled.
In that solemn atmosphere, the black-robed, one-eyed instructor concluded the traditional welcoming ritual for Qingluan Academy and barked coldly:
"Repeat after me! I shall not disgrace the glory granted by the Academy. I shall not betray the trust of my comrades. Even if it costs me my life, I shall protect it!"
"I shall not disgrace the glory granted by the Academy. I shall not betray the trust of my comrades. Even if it costs me my life, I shall protect it!" all the new students shouted in unison.
Then, the professors and lecturers led the students out of the grand hall.
"Warfare Department freshmen, follow me."
"Civil Studies Department freshmen, follow me."
"Medicine Department freshmen, follow me."
…
The rest of the staff, including Vice Dean Xia, the black-haired man, and Xia Yanbing, all left. Only six black-robed lecturers like Xia Yanbing remained, calling out from the boardwalk across an open area.
To the Warfare Department freshmen, it was slightly intimidating that the one calling them over was the fierce-looking, one-eyed instructor. But of course, none of them dared disobey and quickly followed.
The freshmen of the six departments were led to six different buildings. The Medicine and Spirit Cultivation Departments were guided to slightly lower valleys. The Artificing, Internal Affairs, Warfare, and Civil Studies departments were taken to buildings perched at the edge of cliffs.
The Warfare Department's seven-story, pavilion-like green building sat right at the edge. Up close, it was downright terrifying — half of its foundation jutted out over empty space.
The grand doors of this building were made of bronze, carved with countless tiny swords and arrows. Two war-drum-like structures stood on either side of the door, each topped with a qilin.
At the center of the bronze doors was a well-worn, polished copper ring.
The Warfare Department freshmen all widened their eyes again. The green building didn't look especially large from the outside, but the inside… was far more complex than any of them imagined.
The one-eyed instructor pulled the copper ring — the heavy doors rose quickly with the clanking of mechanisms.
A bronze staircase, also carved with sword and arrow motifs, swept down from above and halted in front of them.
The stairs led to a corridor on the first floor. The entire center of the building was hollow. Bronze staircases were suspended mid-air by chains. Corridors and rooms lined the walls, but they were irregular and asymmetrical — giving the whole place the feeling of a massive labyrinth.