Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin practiced three cycles of his Cultivation Technique on the sports field before stopping. His internal organs had reached their limit. The rapid refinement of food by his stomach and intestines came at a price; he couldn’t overdraw indefinitely, as that would also damage his foundation. Besides, he had refined three wisps of primordial vital essence in that short time, and his body needed a moment to adapt.

The three wisps of primordial vital essence drifted like a thin mist in his lower abdomen, invisible and intangible. But when Shi Tiexin clenched his fist, his vitality was indeed much stronger than before. Of course, a full meal was always better than an empty stomach. However, after refining primordial vital essence, his physical stamina was more abundant and his energy more vigorous than it would be from just an ordinary full meal.

It was as if he had been an empty shell before and was now being filled with something. His entire being grew fuller, from the inside out.

This process would become more and more apparent later on. Once he accumulated a hundred wisps of primordial vital essence, he could break through to the next stage of Nourishing Essence. He calculated that it would only take about ten days to accumulate all one hundred wisps.

However, primordial vital essence dissipated easily. Getting into a major fight, failing to replenish his energy with food, or even just losing control of his emotions until he was gasping for air would all cause it to be consumed. It was a type of energy extremely close to the essence of human physical stamina—easy to refine, but also easy to convert back into physical strength.

Therefore, the theoretical time required to store the essence could be vastly different from the actual time. This was especially true at the Tumu Castle Orphanage, where fights and struggles were constant. So, while Shi Tiexin could theoretically have finished storing his essence in seventy days, in reality, his first attempt had taken him over a year to truly complete.

And now, at Fengming First Middle School, the food and living conditions were good. Dealing with Teng Chaoguo had served as a warning to the rest. As the saying goes, "Throw one punch to avoid a hundred." Now, in the vast Fengming First Middle School, any punk who thought about picking a fight with him would have to consider the fate of the piss-pickled chicken feet and measure their own strength.

So now, even external conflicts could be considered mostly resolved.

’Such great conditions for cultivation. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever had it this good. It truly lives up to its name as a Cultivation Sacred Land!’

Full and refreshed, Shi Tiexin was mentally debating whether he should go to class that afternoon or go case the joint in preparation for skipping school. After all, the only thing on his mind right now was the matter of the elementary-level Heart Skill Secret Manual. If he could get his hands on it soon, he could quickly begin his real Heart Skill cultivation.

’Being in a Heart Technique Sacred Land, it would be a huge waste not to properly improve my Heart Skill cultivation.’

Just then, a student appeared in Shi Tiexin’s line of sight, walking toward him with clear purpose. He didn’t recognize the person, but he was wearing a conspicuous and familiar red armband.

’A lapdog from the Wind Disciplinary Committee.’

"You’re Shi Tiexin, right?" The member of the Wind Disciplinary Committee was blunt. "Come with me. We’re going to the Director of Student Affairs’ office. Director Zheng is looking for you."

’Director Zheng? Isn’t that the guy with the big, square head? What does he want with me? Does he want to check on me, see if I’m living and eating well in the trash class dorms?’

He couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. Shi Tiexin nodded and uttered his usual two words: "Lead the way."

BRRRING! The bell for class rang, and the entire school immediately fell silent. The Wind Disciplinary Committee student led Shi Tiexin through the administration building, the soles of their shoes echoing on the floor in the empty hall.

The Wind Disciplinary Committee student stole a glance at Shi Tiexin behind him, wondering to himself. ’Normally, when the Director’s office wants to see someone, they just make an announcement over the PA system and have the person come on their own. I wonder what on earth this kid did to require a member of the Wind Disciplinary Committee to personally come and fetch him. It must be a big deal.’

’But seeing how calm and composed this kid is, I really can’t figure him out.’

The students of the trash class kept to their own relatively closed circle. The top students couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to the topics the punks enthusiastically gossiped about, assuming it was all just foolish nonsense. Being from an honors class, this member of the Wind Disciplinary Committee hadn’t yet heard about the incident with Teng Chaoguo and didn’t know it was the reason Shi Tiexin was being summoned.

But since he couldn’t figure him out, he stopped thinking about it. The Wind Disciplinary Committee student just led Shi Tiexin to the door, knocked to announce his arrival, then came back out and told Shi Tiexin, "Go on in."

Shi Tiexin pushed open the door and walked into the Director of Student Affairs’ office. The furnishings were simple and the style severe, making anyone who entered immediately feel an omnipresent, oppressive atmosphere. But how could a display like this possibly faze Shi Tiexin? Or rather, he couldn’t have shown it even if he wanted to; his face simply couldn’t make the expression. Thus, he maintained a brave and resolute appearance, his gaze fixed forward, utterly fearless.

Zheng Kaoming sat in his chair, looking Shi Tiexin carefully up and down. He was surprised to discover that Shi Tiexin seemed subtly different than before. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the change. It was as if... he had more vitality? Sunlight streamed in through the large window, illuminating Shi Tiexin’s face and giving him the appearance of having thick brows and large eyes, the very picture of righteousness.

Zheng Kaoming keenly and meticulously observed the details of Shi Tiexin’s bearing, trying to discern the truth. He saw that Shi Tiexin’s gaze was direct, without a hint of evasion. His posture was upright, standing tall as a pine and poised as a crane. There was no nervousness, no affected posturing. Only someone with firm convictions, a clear conscience, and strict self-discipline could carry themselves this way.

’No matter how you look at him, a student like this seems like a model student. Would he really get into a fight with delinquents?’

Zheng Kaoming began to doubt his own judgment again. Nevertheless, a little disciplinary warning was still in order. It was just like yesterday; they had clearly agreed only to transfer his class, but he had insisted on threatening expulsion. ’Scaring students is the best part of the job!’

So, he deliberately put on a creepy, not-quite-a-smile expression. "Shi Tiexin, are you getting used to Class 28?"

But Shi Tiexin failed to detect Zheng Kaoming’s malicious intent. ’That smile is probably... because of his unusual skull structure. The muscles in his face must be different from a normal person’s. He was probably just born with that awkward smile. There shouldn’t be any malice behind it. Yes, that must be it.’

’If he was born that way, what was there to be concerned about?’

’So he really was just here to check on how I’m doing. This teacher isn’t half bad.’

So, Shi Tiexin replied with a neutral expression, "It’s fine."

"Fine? No, I don’t think so. You made a huge mistake on your very first day in Class 28, and you call that ’fine’?" Zheng Kaoming said, carefully observing Shi Tiexin’s expression. He was trying to startle a confession out of him, but instead, he found that Shi Tiexin simply looked baffled.

He’d been working with students for so long, he’d seen every kind of actor. He could usually tell at a glance whether a student was faking it. But to his surprise, he found that this Shi Tiexin genuinely didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about.

And in reality, Shi Tiexin truly didn’t understand. He asked, "A huge mistake?"

’Huh? A huge mistake? What huge mistake did I make now? Did I do something wrong? It can’t be. Are the rules in this Heart Technique Sacred Land so strict that I could break one without even knowing it?’

Zheng Kaoming was starting to believe Shi Tiexin was innocent, but he decided to give it one last shot. "Heh, quit the act. What are you pretending for? You beat up Teng Chaoguo and four other students, and on top of that, you stuffed Teng Chaoguo into a... a bucket of urine. Are you telling me you didn’t do that?"