Chapter 5

Su Jin began sensing spiritual energy according to Liu Shi’s instructions; perhaps the medicinal bath from last night had an astonishing effect, or perhaps her parents’ earlier baths had laid a solid foundation, for as soon as she focused, she sensed the spiritual energy in the classroom.

She began circulating the cultivation technique to absorb spiritual energy and convert it into magic power.

She had barely completed one full cycle of the technique when she refined her first wisp of magic power.

Once that wisp stabilized, Su Jin immediately raised her small hand.

Liu Shi glided silently to her side and whispered softly, “You’ve produced your first wisp of magic power?”

Su Jin nodded.

Liu Shi quickly placed her hand on Su Jin’s dantian and sensed it.

Correct—there was indeed her first wisp of magic power.

With magic power, she had officially entered the path of cultivation. Liu Shi picked her up and carried her to the adjacent room.

Though smaller than the main classroom, the spiritual energy here was far denser.

“This is our class’s backup classroom. It’s officially activated now,” Liu Shi whispered to Su Jin.

Su Jin nodded, acknowledging. When she was carried in, she noticed two other classmates from her class were already meditating.

Just as her mother had said, the sect’s geniuses were as numerous as fish crossing a river.

Even with all the medicinal baths her family had prepared for her, she still hadn’t ranked first in her class.

She’d barely managed third place.

“The spiritual energy here is denser. You and the other children focus your cultivation here and strive to reach Qi Refining Level One before dismissal,” Liu Shi whispered encouragingly. “I must return to the main classroom to guide the other children in sensing spiritual energy and crossing the threshold of cultivation.”

“If you have any questions, come find me.”

“I understand, Master Liu. I’ll work hard,” Su Jin whispered.

Reaching Qi Refining Level One wasn’t difficult—it simply required condensing ten wisps of magic power.

But don’t think it’s easy to accomplish.

Breaking through Qi Refining Level One depends on the quality of your technique, the abundance of spiritual energy in your surroundings, whether you have enough time to focus on cultivation—these factors all subtly influence and hinder your progress.

The clan school was established precisely to clear away these obstacles for these children.

If you still can’t succeed, the clan school will have no choice but to expel you.

Suddenly, someone began crying in the adjacent room.

Hearing it, Liu Shi hurried off.

Someone must have suffered qi deviation over there!

As soon as she left, the other two children opened their eyes and stopped cultivating.

Pretending?

Su Jin stared at them in disbelief.

“Do you think we’re faking cultivation?” asked one boy with delicate, feminine features, smiling. “We’re all just children—how could we keep meditating nonstop? Even if we wanted to, our meridians wouldn’t allow it. They’re already full.”

“We only pretended to meditate so Liu Shi wouldn’t think we were slacking.”

Su Jin understood.

If Liu Shi labeled them as lazy, their future here would be miserable.

“I’m Su Wuji—Wuji as in ‘without taboos’—from Immortal Water Alley.”

“This is Su Cheng—Cheng as in ‘Chengguang Alley,’” the boy added, introducing the child beside him.

The boy being introduced gave Su Jin a shy smile.

He was good-looking too, though not as strikingly beautiful as the first boy.

“I’m Su Jin—Jin as in ‘cautious.’ I’m from Qing’an Alley.”

“So we’re all from the old neighborhoods? We’ll have to look out for each other,” Su Wuji smiled.

“We’re classmates—we should help each other,” Su Jin replied with a smile.

“Classmates, heh—you’ll see soon enough that even within the same class, we’re different from them. Anyway, I won’t delay your cultivation. Push hard and aim to reach Qi Refining Level One before tonight’s dismissal. I heard this year’s reward is excellent. Not striving would be a waste of our talent.”

Su Jin: This guy’s got a big mouth.

But he was right—she needed to hurry. She immediately closed her eyes and began cultivating.

In the morning, only the three of them had produced their first wisp of magic power.

In the afternoon, more children in the class began producing their first wisps.

From after lunch until just before dismissal, sixteen children in Su Jin’s group had produced their first wisps of magic power.

That meant the other ten in the main classroom probably had no chance today.

The closer dismissal came, the more crying came from the other room.

Probably because they knew they’d failed—hence their heart-wrenching sobs.

Half an hour before dismissal, Liu Shi came back and called them all back.

Now all twenty-six children in the class were seated again.

But their futures would be worlds apart.

Sixteen classmates had, in just one day, become cultivators who had produced their first wisp of magic power; the other ten remained ordinary mortals.

Though Liu Shi wouldn’t abandon them and would continue guiding them,

those who had become cultivators had gained a head start—and their future access to resources would surely differ.

The other ten children sat with defeated expressions, eyes swollen from crying.

The sixteen newly promoted young cultivators looked at their weeping classmates and felt a mix of emotions. This was their first crossroads in life—they had crossed over today and become cultivators.

If they ever fell behind later, this was the future they would face.

If they didn’t want to cry like that tomorrow, they had to push harder, work harder!

“Today, sixteen children in our class produced their first wisp of magic power.”

“First place: Su Wuji. Second: Su Cheng. Third: Su Jin…” Liu Shi recited all sixteen names and their rankings. “You’ve all done exceptionally well.”

Even I didn’t expect that on the very first day of enlightenment cultivation in my Wood Class, sixteen children would generate their first wisp of magical energy.

“My previous Wood Class had only ten on the first day.”

“You’ve done even better.”

“Of course, I’m pleased—but I also have expectations for the others. Those who haven’t yet produced their first wisp must keep working at home. If you manage it by tomorrow’s class, you’ll join the others in receiving the clan school’s medicinal bath reward.”

“Thirty packets per person, monthly.”

Thirty packs per person per month.