"That"s fast," I muttered, stretching myself as I walked along the courtyard and toward the dormitory. Over the holidays, I had left Wu Ling Academy to visit my family, but as the new semester approached, I returned to school. In fact, I had only just returned to the dormitory yesterday, after bringing a bunch of stuff from home.

It really has been over a year since I"ve been reincarnated into this timeline, huh?

It didn"t feel real to me somehow, almost as if this reality was a waking dream. Moreover, I had a thirty-year-old mind trapped within a fourteen-year-old body, never mind that I behaved childishly and like any other kid. But was I thirty-one now, or just fourteen? Well, it didn"t matter, given how I was an immature person who behaved like the latter.

"Fei Wu! Hey!"

"Tong Xue."

We exchanged greetings the moment we saw each other along the courtyard. Tong Xue raised a hand and gave me a high five. That stung…Tong Xue had grown considerably throughout the year, having trained under the Smart Shadow Sect.

"It"s going to be a tougher year ahead," Tong Xue informed me. I smiled in resignation.

"Well, yeah. Since when wouldn"t it be more difficult as we grow older?"

"Heh. You"ve got a point."

"Guys!"

We both turned around and caught sight of Zhu Jiao hurrying after us.

"Hey!"

"Zhu Jiao!"

"It"s been a while, hasn"t it?"

"Yeah. How was your holidays?"

"Good. Yours?"

As we walked along the courtyard, exchanging pleasantries and swapping stories of what we did during the holidays (which wasn"t much, given how we mostly just returned home to spend time with our families), we proceeded toward the large hall building in the middle school division. Most of the other middle school students were also heading that way.

"We have an opening ceremony today, huh?" Zhu Jiao remarked. Tong Xue nodded.

"After this, we"ll have martial arts training with our respective sects, and also to welcome the new sect disciples. There shouldn"t be any theoretical cla.s.ses today."

"That sucks," I muttered. The theoretical cla.s.ses were the ones I looked forward to the most, given how I was a studious person. And since I didn"t have a sect, I wouldn"t have anyone to direct my training. I would have to carry out on my own.

Then again, I had been doing just that the entire year.

"The new first year students will be arriving anytime soon," Tong Xue added, peering above the walls, as if he was expecting the flying boats to be soaring over them and landing within the campus grounds. I still remembered how the ride from last year.

"Man, how am I supposed to recruit anyone into the Golden Kirin Sect?" Zhu Jiao grumbled. "While my sect is officially recognized, I don"t have a master to pick new disciples."

"Well, we can leave that to the teachers. All you need to do is show up and brag about your sect. it"s the disciples who make their own decision."

I listened, half-interested. This had nothing to do with me, after all. Since I was an Experimentalist who didn"t belong to any sect, I was free to leave after the opening ceremony and do self-training. At least I was provided the resources from the academy. Having pa.s.sed level 5 in the previous academic year, I was already receiving the maximum amount of resources allocated to a middle school student. I just had to prepare for level 6 the moment I went into high school, but that wouldn"t be until two years later. A fairly long time, to be honest.

"Hey! You guys!"

This time it was Tang Qi Hong. She was strolling along the courtyard alongside Lian Rou, who also waved at us as she smiled. Though not as beautiful and outstanding as Tang Qi Hong, Lian Rou had a pretty face and a somewhat lovely figure. It was a pity that she was outshone by the other girls in cla.s.s.

"h.e.l.lo."

"How have your holidays been?"

The five of us gathered and headed toward the hall where the opening ceremony took place. Even though it was a new year, we had been placed in the same cla.s.s, so there was no reason to go our separate ways.

Apparently we would only be a.s.signed to different cla.s.ses when we were promoted to the high school division, as there would be a few tests and exams to decide whether we were qualified to enroll there, and it would be a whole new experience and curriculum.

I noticed that Tong Xue in particular was smitten with Lian Rou as he fell back to converse with her more. Lian Rou giggled at something he said, but my attention was directed toward Tang Qi Hong, who was sulking.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

"Yeah. Your Nine Tail Fox Sect is going to be recruiting new disciples today?"

"That"s right!" Tang Qi Hong sighed dramatically. "Even though it"s the first day of school, we"ve to work. They really ought to give us a break!"

I decided not to point out that we had just returned from a fairly long vacation. From my experience, it was not a good idea to go against the flow. People only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear.

As for Zhu Jiao, he was glancing around conspicuously. Without reading his mind with my protagonist"s privilege, I could already tell that he was looking for Bai Ning Xue. Not that it mattered. Even if he spotted her, he would continue to maintain his distance and watch her from afar instead of actually approaching her.

I wasn"t sure what the deal between the two childhood friends were, but apparently Bai Ning Xue had a reputation to protect, so she stayed aloof and alone from everyone else. I honestly thought that was a bad thing, but it was none of my business.

"Oh, you guys are finally here!"

When we stepped into the hall, Ban Zhang waved at us. The cla.s.s representative, he had come earlier than everyone else to locate our a.s.signed positions and lead us there when the rest of the cla.s.s entered.

"It"s been tough on you," I told him when we joined him. Ban Zhang shook his head with a broad smile.

"Nah. I"m just doing my job."

"So you"ll be cla.s.s representative again this year?"

"Yeah, unless someone else wants the job."

Unfortunately, no one wanted that job. It was a troublesome role, filled with responsibilities and other sorts of burden. I was grateful that Ban Zhang had risen to the role, meeting its demands perfectly without complaints. And from what I could see, he seemed to enjoy his duties as cla.s.s representative tremendously.

We were really lucky to have him.

While we all stood around, waiting for the opening ceremony to begin, students continued to enter in dribs and drabs. Since there were only second years and third years, with the first year students arriving in boats to take the Star Const.i.tution measurement exam in the main plaza, and the previous batch of third years having graduated, there weren"t as many students as I thought there would be. Cla.s.s 1-4 looked the same as ever, except…

"Where"s Qi Fu Ren?"

Tong Xue shrugged. "I dunno."

Ever since our official match last year, and his expulsion from the White Tiger Sect, Qi Fu Ren had gone missing. I mean, he would still show up in cla.s.s from time to time, meeting the bare minimum of attendances to ensure he didn"t drop out and so that he could move onto the next year, but otherwise he behaved like the delinquent he always was. I heard that he had barely pa.s.sed his final exams, but the teachers allowed him to sc.r.a.pe through since theoretical scores weren"t as emphasized as the practical combat scores.

Surprisingly, despite me cutting off his arms and severing his qi vessels there, Qi Fu Ren had recovered quicker than antic.i.p.ated and pa.s.sed the practical combat exam with flying colors. Probably the only reason why he was able to pa.s.s.

"He probably won"t come for the opening ceremony since he"s no longer in a sect."

Tang Qi Hong offered that suggestion, but I wasn"t convinced. The guy had gotten creepier since his defeat, his eyes turning more and more murderous. Whenever I glanced at him, I felt an indescribable chill.

There was something up with that guy, but I just couldn"t place my finger on what. Furthermore, my gut was telling me strongly that it had something to do with my premonition from about three or four months ago.

But without evidence, I can"t do anything about it. I could very well be mistaken…

"Welcome back, middle school students."

Xiao Zhang had appeared to make his announcement, his voice booming and shaking me out of my disturbed thoughts. Even though he had just delivered his speech to the high school section, and flew over to the middle school section in a single bound, he didn"t seem to be out of breath. Rather, he was as excited and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with irresistible enthusiasm as ever.

"It"s a new year for all of us. Time flies really quickly, huh? And I"m proud of all of you. Throughout this year, I"ve seen all of you have made remarkable progress in your cultivation and martial arts training. Keep it up!"

The students straightened, pleased at the praise they were receiving. Xiao Zhang continued to indulge us with his smile.

"You are all the hope upon which the future of this Wu Ling Academy rests upon. So I hope you can all continue working hard and endeavor toward a much higher stage than ever before! Remember, the academy"s resources are at your disposal. The teachers and staff are all here to help. So don"t hesitate to approach any of us! And I"m sure your sect masters and elders will continue to offer you maximum support! As for the Experimentalists, you have made me proud, even though you"ve to largely rely on self-training instead of learning under a master. You"ve displayed remarkable results and proven that you can compete on par with the Traditionalists!"

It was no secret that the Princ.i.p.al of Wu Ling Academy favored the Experimentalists, but since the Traditionalists already held an overwhelming advantage in the form of their sect"s support and resources, no one complained about that. Even with the supposed favoritism, the Traditionalists continued to hold an edge over the Experimentalists, and they also outnumbered the latter faction by far. Xiao Zhang"s att.i.tude didn"t make any difference.

Speaking of which, wouldn"t Qi Fu Ren be counted as an Experimentalist?

It disturbed me that I would be grouped together with the likes of Qi Fu Ren, but I wasn"t immature enough to obsess over that. Even as fellow Experimentalists, our modus operandi and values differed by too much. Much like the Traditionalists, the Experimentalists weren"t a monolithic faction. There were splits and divisions between its "members".

"Well, since I"m going to have to take charge of the Star Const.i.tution measurement examination for the new batch of first year students, I"ll keep this speech short. In other words, continue the good work that you"ve been doing so far, and make the academy and your respective sects proud. I look forward to your growth."

The students buzzed, thinking that the ceremony was at an end and we would be released. However, the majority of us knew that we would have to return to our sects to help with the recruitment process, to help draw the new first year students into their respective sects. In a way, it reminded me of clubs vying for the attention of new students.

"Oh, wait. One last announcement."

Xiao Zhang held up his hand, silencing the excitement and murmurs. All the students turned to stare at him. As ever, Xiao Zhang had a flair for the dramatic, so he merely grinned and held his silence to up the suspense.

Then he finally spoke up.

"We"ve finally perfected the manufacturing process of artificial qi."

"…huh?"

"What?"

"Artificial qi?"

A hushed murmur swept across the students again, with many looking confused and even more looking excited. There were rumors going on at the end of the previous academy year about the production of artificial qi, but there was no confirmation or information. The academy had kept the secrets of artificial qi close to its metaphorical chest, and most people dismissed them as gossip or myths. No one took it seriously.

But now, Xiao Zhang had just made the unbelievable announcement that artificial qi was real, and not only that, they had succeeded in manufacturing it.

They must have developed and perfected the process over the winter vacation, I guessed. Not that the timeframe would make much of a difference.

"Every one of you would be provided the chance to absorb artificial qi," Xiao Zhang continued after everyone fell into silence. He smiled knowingly. "I know you must be surprised. The high school division was just as shocked as you."

"Incredible," Tong Xue whispered. "I heard of the rumors, but I never thought they would be true."

"Artificial qi? Is it real?" Zhu Jiao muttered in disbelief.

"If this is true, it"ll change everything we know about martial arts," Tang Qi Hong remarked, her eyes wide.

"Change? It would revolutionize martial arts." Ban Zhang shook his head. "All the traditional training methods would be rendered…obsolete."

"Note that this will not change your current regime," Xiao Zhang declared, almost as if he had heard Ban Zhang"s statement. "Artificial qi only gives you an advantage and boosts your strength considerably, but it does not replace martial arts techniques. It is not cheap, and is highly costly to produce. Nonetheless, we"ve succeeded in synthesizing artificial qi and found a process to customize them for your various martial arts. Needless to say, the artificial qi will only be useful if you use it in tandem with your martial arts. Just having a large amount of qi is useless unless you know how to utilize it properly."

"Well, looks like we don"t have to worry about that," Tong Xue said mischievously. Ban Zhang merely shrugged.

"I stand corrected."

"Furthermore, the absorption of artificial qi varies from person to person. Don"t overly rely on your amount of qi. Yes, it might give you an overwhelming advantage in a fight, but the basics of your martial arts are as important as ever. In an environment where everyone has ma.s.sive amounts of qi, the winner will undoubtedly be the one with the most solid foundation and who has honed his martial arts techniques to perfection."

I listened, but couldn"t help feeling unsettled. There was something about this whole affair that didn"t sound right to me. I couldn"t put my finger on it, but I wasn"t sure I wanted artificial qi. It sounded too good to be true.

Will it really be safe?

This was what they called shortcuts. And from my experience, it was never a good idea to take shortcuts in life.

"Of course, I"m sure some of you and your sect masters would be uncomfortable with the idea of artificial qi. There will be some who view change as dangerous, and since this is an unprecedented change, their fears are not unfounded. Therefore, if you do not wish to receive artificial qi, you are free to reject it."

From the murmurs around me, it didn"t sound like anyone was opposed to the idea of receiving artificial qi. It was a ma.s.sive boost, and sounded like the most awesome thing to ever happen to the academy. In fact, it would be idiotic to refuse this chance.

"That said, inner qi difference does exist." Xiao Zhang grew serious and swept his gaze solemnly over the listening students. "It might be the deciding factor in a fight. Just like how someone with a weaker physical const.i.tution might not be able to hurt someone with a much stronger physical const.i.tution, having a tremendous gulf in the amount of qi would prove decisive in determining the outcome of a fight."

He paused, and his steely eyes hardened.

"If there"s only a few years of difference between the amounts of qi, you might still be able to overcome that gap through perception, strategy or other factors. However, if the gulf is too large, then no amount of perception or strategy will be able to help you bridge the gap."

I sighed. Not this bulls.h.i.t again. I hated it when people resorted to the whole "I have more qi therefore I win" logic.

"From now onward, the amount of qi would probably be measured in terms of s.e.xagenary."

"Eh? What"s that?"

"s.e.xagenary?"

The majority of students hadn"t heard of that unfamiliar term before. But as I was previously a thirty-year-old PhD major in East Asian history, literature and folklore, I had heard of it.

"The s.e.xagenary cycle is also known as the Stems and Branches or Gan Zhi. It"s used to refer to a sixty-year cycle, and was used to measure time in ancient China…I mean the ancient Zhou Empire. It was used to record days, sort of a prototypical calendar."

"Oh, looks like someone did his homework." Xiao Zhang smirked. So the guy could hear whatever we were speaking. "That is correct. But in this case, we"re using it as a measuring unit for the production of artificial qi."

"Don"t tell me…"

My eyes widened when I understood. Xiao Zhang nodded.

"One s.e.xagenary of qi is the estimated amount of qi achieved by cultivating inner energy for sixty years. Of course, the amount of qi cultivated over sixty years varies from pract.i.tioner to pract.i.tioner, but we"re using the mean…the average of most pract.i.tioners."

A deathly silence filled the hall as all the students stared at Xiao Zhang, their minds churning chaotically at the revelation.

"Now, imagine receiving that amount of energy at your age. To have sixty years" worth of cultivating qi when you"re only 14 or 15. What sort of difference would that make?"

"Incredible," one student muttered.

"Amazing…"

"Is this for real?"

"I don"t know, but…"

"By the time you"ve reached high school, you would be provided two to three s.e.xagenaries of qi, which means you"ll be surpa.s.sing all but the oldest and longest living of cultivators. You would, in essence, become living legends."

The students continued to chatter animatedly as Xiao Zhang described the new process, unable to contain their excitement, disbelief and anxieties.

"Thanks to this revolutionary invention, all of you, as well as martial arts students from the future, will be able to train your martial arts to the limits of the human ability…no, you"ll be able to surpa.s.s those limits!"

"Whoa…"

"I don"t believe it…"

"I"m not dreaming, right?"

"Perfection of your martial arts is like a dream come true, right?" Xiao Zhang beamed at us. "Almost all traditional martial arts are based on obtaining near unachievable amounts of inner qi. With our newest creation, all of you will be able to achieve the pinnacle of your traditional martial arts, halving your cultivation period…no, even speeding it up by six times!"

He then turned away.

"Your homeroom teachers will be providing you more details as the semester goes by, and you can apply for artificial qi through the school. But I believe that"s enough excitement for today. On that note, I shall end the opening ceremony for the middle school division. I"ll see you later, during the Star Const.i.tution measurement examination."

With that, he disappeared off the stage, already soaring away somewhere in a single bound. The old man was as amazing as ever.

"All right, all of you."

Teacher Jiao Shi came to the front and clapped his hands to draw our attention. Similarly, the homeroom teachers of the other cla.s.ses were also strolling forward and taking charge of dismissing or making announcements to their respective cla.s.ses.

Clearly, Teacher Jiao was our homeroom teacher again this year, and would continue to be for the rest of our middle school years.

"The opening ceremony is over, so let"s move. I know most of you have to return to your sects and get ready for the first year recruitment drive, so don"t waste any time. The first year students will be arriving soon, so get a move on. The rest of you are dismissed."

"Lucky you," Tong Xue told me. I shrugged and grinned.

"The privilege of being an Experimentalist."

"I bet you"ll also be one of the first to receive artificial qi."

I shrugged, still unsure about the entire process. Still, since it was available, there was no reason to reject it. I wasn"t stupid enough to refuse a silver spoon if it was offered to me. I might as well make full use of the resources available to me.

I could only hope it was safe, and that there wouldn"t be any negative side effects. I remembered how doping would leave devastating effects on the body, and wondered if artificial qi was something similar. I had best found out more and ensure its safety before committing myself to such experimental products.

"What do you make of the whole thing?" Zhu Jiao asked, looking as uncertain as I. I didn"t blame him. This was new, and completely unprecedented. The only manhwa I read that ever talked about artificial qi was a Korean story named Veritas, which had ended its run over eight years ago, and never got a sequel despite the open ending. Apparently the author and the artist had a falling out, but since I didn"t understand Korean, I never knew what really happened.

"I don"t know," I replied honestly with a shrug. "But no harm trying, right? That said, I need to find more information regarding it, or…"

"You"re kidding! This has got to be the best news ever!" Tong Xue exclaimed. "I"m so glad we"re living in the modern period!"

"This will change our understanding of martial arts forever," Lian Rou agreed, but she seemed a little afraid. "I…don"t know if it"s a good thing."

"Well, we"ll find out," Tang Qi Hong a.s.sured her. "We"re the pioneer batch, after all."

"Yeah, that"s our job," Ban Zhang muttered bitterly. "To be guinea pigs for the academy"s crazy experiments." Then he smiled. "That said, artificial qi, huh…this sounds amazing. I can"t wait!"

"Be careful what you wish for," I mumbled under my breath as I turned to glance at the now deserted stage, that chilling premonition now bothering me more than ever.