Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin was puzzled. The English teacher on the platform was still droning on with her lecture. As the clock hands neared the end of the period, his ears twitched. He suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway—few in number, but incredibly high in frequency. The footsteps rushed past the window, evoking the image of Ninjas dashing down the corridor, a feeling of both secrecy and incredible speed washing over him.

Hearing these footsteps, the students poised for a mad dash grew visibly anxious.

"Uhh... um... It’s almost time..." The English teacher spoke quite slowly, dragging her words out as if preparing to say a few more things. DING DING DING! The dismissal bell rang, and an explosive, tidal wave of rushing footsteps erupted from outside.

"Let me just finish explaining this one problem..."

All the blockheads poised to take off were on the verge of losing it. ’You’re never this dedicated! Why, of all times, are you getting so serious now?!’

"Hm? Don’t want to listen anymore? Well, then..." The English teacher drew out the last word, deliberately stretching it for a long moment before finally waving her hand. "Class dismissed..."

WHOOSH—!

The two words "Class dismissed" had barely left her lips. In that split second, many of the blockheads had already exploded into motion, each one like a crazed rabbit as they scrambled to get out.

They accelerated. They accelerated hard. They quickly hit the top speed of their lives! They were like wild beasts freely chasing prey in the dog-eat-dog world of nature, sprinting at full speed for food, for survival, for freedom!

This was a race that could only be won, never lost. Objective conditions were irrelevant; a win was a win, and a loss was a loss. In this competition, victory meant getting to the front of the pack!

And the first step toward that victory was being the first one out of the Class 28 classroom.

Fast. Everyone was fast, but at a time like this, geographic advantage was paramount. Look, the kid sitting near the door—he flashed a smile of triumph and mockery. He was the one closest to victory!

But just then, someone began to challenge his supremacy.

Who was it?

It was Zhou Nan! Zhou Nan! Zhou Nan, whose bruised and swollen face still hadn’t healed. Zhou Nan, who was as light as a feather and hopped the school walls to get off campus every day. In that instant, it was as if he were possessed by a track star; with a ZIP, he squeezed past!

He was unstoppable! His footwork was dazzling! It was as if he’d sprouted wings from his sides. In the blink of an eye, he ducked into a low sprint, unbelievably evading the other guy’s attempt to block him. He was the first one out the door, the first to plunge into the surging river of students!

’This Body Technique... not bad at all,’ Shi Tiexin thought, surprised by Zhou Nan’s agility. ’No wonder he was able to find a chance to escape while being ganged up on by four people yesterday. His Body Technique really is nimble.’

’But how in the world did this guy develop a Body Technique like that?’

Shi Tiexin was puzzled. Then, as if sensing something, he turned to look out the window next to him. Peering outside, Shi Tiexin finally understood how Zhou Nan had mastered his Lightweight Techniques.

Outside the window was a surging, violent torrent!

Shi Tiexin didn’t understand why these kids acted this way; he hadn’t had a chance to join in over the past two days. But today, he finally witnessed it with his own eyes—the spectacular, mad dash of the student horde scrambling toward the cafeteria. It was like a pack of countless feral dogs lunging for a single, meaty bone.

’It makes sense, though. Just think about it. Think of the lunch line stretching as far as the eye can see. Think of the cafeteria ladies shaking the ladle over and over again to make the portions smaller. If you want to get enough to eat on time, you have to fight for every inch, for every second!’

From outside the window, he could hear what sounded like passionate battle cries, as if they were unleashing their inner beasts.

"ARF ARF ARF ARF—!"

’Yep, that’s some real fighting spirit. That attitude... definitely commendable.’

This scene played out twice a day, at lunch and at dinner. Of course, as a lord who could make others do his bidding, Shi Tiexin didn’t need to be so stressed. By the time he strolled leisurely into the cafeteria, Zhou Nan had already regrouped with the four blockheads and claimed a prime piece of territory.

"Tch! The teacher held us late. It messed up my performance!"

Zhou Nan seemed to be fuming that he hadn’t managed to place first in the entire school. ’Seriously, if you put this much passion into your studies, would you still be stuck messing around in the remedial class?’

After lunch, Shi Tiexin took his usual three laps around the athletic field.

’Truthfully, from a purely practical standpoint, only my consciousness has descended here; my physical body didn’t come with me. No matter how well I cultivate my vital essence, I probably can’t take it back with me. So, rather than cultivating essence, it would be better to save that time for my mental techniques.’

But Shi Tiexin walked the three laps anyway, increasing his primordial essence by another three wisps.

He had his reasons.

’First, I can’t practice mental techniques with high concentration around the clock. My levels of vital essence and mental energy limit my performance. Since I have to rest and recover my mental energy anyway, there’s no harm in using that time to practice the Strength Training Technique.’

’Second, accumulating primordial essence also benefits the practice of mental techniques. As my primordial essence increases, my physical stamina will improve, and I’ll have more vigor. The duration and effectiveness of my high concentration will both be enhanced. It’s like the old saying: sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the woodcutting.’

’And third... how can this body of mine, Old Tie’s, be so damn weak! The Strength Training Technique is a Warrior’s romance! Since practicing it here is like hitting the nitrous, how could I possibly suppress this burning Warrior soul of mine?’

’The Bull Warrior never stops practicing the Strength Training Technique.’

’So let’s get to it, Old Tie!’

Interest really is the best teacher. This time, when Shi Tiexin practiced the Essence Nourishment Technique, a progress bar actually popped out. Over the course of the lunch break, five stars appeared, and POP POP POP, the progress bar advanced five ticks from "Excellent" toward "Profound." It looked like it was already approaching the halfway mark.

’This is some great speed!’

If it weren’t for his lack of time, Shi Tiexin would have loved to practice the Basic Essence Nourishment Technique until it reached Profound, or even higher, just to see what kind of magical effects might manifest.

’But for now, I’ll just keep at it.’

A sound sleep through the noon break left him full of vigor for the afternoon. He yawned his way through dinner, then took another sound nap in the evening before writing furiously during night study hall. The progress he made in one day was extremely pleasing. ’As expected, cultivating with my full, undivided attention is truly a great pleasure.’

That guy Zhou Nan skipped the evening study session, secretly sneaking out to get the middle school textbooks Lord Shi needed. Middle school textbooks weren’t like elementary school ones; there were more of them, and the subjects were numerous. Zhou Nan said that if he had to buy them all, his personal piggy bank couldn’t take the hit. So, he asked Lord Shi if he could use the ones he’d kept from his own middle school days. His family lived in the city, so he could definitely retrieve them overnight.

Lord Shi asked, "Are they used?"

If they were used, the durability of the Auxiliary Cultivation Tome would be lower.

Zhou Nan puffed out his chest and slapped it resoundingly, his face a mask of pride. "Don’t you worry, my lord! I guarantee they’re brand new. Not a single word has been written in them! Forget reading them, I didn’t even write my name on the covers! Where else are you going to find books this pristine?"

’Not sure what he has to be so proud of...’

Ignoring Zhou Nan, Shi Tiexin had learned his lesson today. As soon as it was time, he strode toward the study hall. He couldn’t count on the guard for the elite class study hall to be conveniently absent every time, so grabbing a seat in a regular study hall was the proper course of action.

Over the course of the day, he had finished two entire "High Difficulty" premium workbooks. A crackling shower of meteors rained down, and the progress bar shot up like a weed. Just as Shi Tiexin sat down in the study hall, the progress bar erupted in a brilliant flash of light.

[Basic Mathematics, First Level. Cultivation progress has advanced to Profound.]