Chapter 159: The First Day at the Alchemy Academy

Du Gu Qingli appeared in the Western Frontier, where a rising star's second sword strike instantly eliminated the fourth-ranked contender. The news reached the capital, vigorously upholding the credibility of the Demon Suppression Bureau's rankings, and the Editor-in-Chief received commendation.

Even more worthy of praise was that the added verdicts caused this issue's Hero Rankings sales to double compared to before, generating additional revenue...

Old Sheng never expected that letting his daughter manage this affair would yield unexpected gains; he was so pleased he issued an internal commendation. When Sheng Yuanyao received the commendation, she finally understood what Shen Tang's happiness was: think of nothing, and benefits simply fall into your hands...

Eager to go thank Lu Xingzhou again, she found he was already gone.

By this time, Lu Xingzhou had already enrolled Anuo.

The Alchemy Academy is connected to the Imperial University, but Imperial University students are mostly Capital Nobles who do not live on campus, whereas the Alchemy Academy is residential. First, because the students come from all corners of the world; second, because Alchemists need to be stationed permanently at alchemy sites. Each Alchemy Academy student is assigned an independent alchemy cave dwelling, with alchemy furnaces and earth-fire configurations that are top-notch.

Even Anuo was assigned an independent cave dwelling, right next to Lu Xingzhou's.

After all, she enrolled as an independent student, not as Lu Xingzhou's attendant.

Normally, they rented small courtyard rooms in inns, and everyone had separate rooms, so there was no real difference from living in adjacent cave dwellings, but somehow Anuo felt as though she had been separated from her master. From start to finish, her lips were pouted high: "Clearly, the cave dwelling could be partitioned; why assign a separate cave dwelling at all..."

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "You say that, yet you are dissatisfied when others are allocated more resources."

"What do I need this resource for..." Anuo sniffled: "Didn't you just hear them say that in a few months we must choose a mentor to follow and specialize in a certain direction? Anuo has a master; I don't need some mentor."

Advanced studies after becoming the Top Graduate were called Hanlin in ancient times, a level far higher than modern university students. Here, it is at least equivalent to a combined bachelor-master program... The intimacy with such a mentor exceeds that of general collective instructors but falls short of the traditional master concept.

A traditional master is a lifelong teacher, guiding you from childhood until you graduate, and even managing your life thereafter; whereas such mentors serve term by term, finishing their duty once the term ends, with no continuity. Therefore, many alchemists from sects, who already have their own masters, also follow a mentor here without conflict.

Of course, in terms of emotion and public perception, such mentors are still firmly regarded as teachers, transmitting the Dao, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts, carrying a heavy imprint. For the politically charged environment of the Capital Alchemy Academy, choosing a mentor based on research direction is not as important as choosing a faction.

"We will follow Meng Jiaoyu together when the time comes, if he takes students." Lu Xingzhou did not care about these matters; rather, he was very interested in the Alchemy Academy's advanced study model.

People learning alchemy techniques simply learn alchemy techniques; probably only the official Alchemy Academy makes such subdivisions.

Whether one aspires to the path of healing and saving lives, or only to refining immortal pills for cultivation breakthroughs, or focuses solely on theoretical research, or specializes purely in the art of alchemy itself... Originally comprehensive fields here highlight directional branches. Among them, the healing and saving lives direction even distinguishes between internal and external medicine in a way inappropriate for ancient times.

Ultimately, this is an era of cultivation; understanding of the human body, and of medical treatment and injury healing, is incomparable to conventional ancient times.

Lu Xingzhou initially learned alchemy mainly to treat his own childhood internal injuries and poison wounds and to heal his legs; therefore, both he and Anuo belong to the typical researchers of the healing and life-saving direction, and are proficient in both internal and external medicine. However, due to the need to feed Anuo, the proportion of refining cultivation-type pills is actually larger, since someone needs to eat them as meals.

Later on, one could indeed consider specializing in a direction.

It was said long ago that Lu Xingzhou himself was not particularly interested in alchemy, nor did he have the ideal of being a doctor to heal and save lives. Now that his legs are healed, the sole motivation for advancing at the Alchemy Academy is to gild his Golden Body, striving to marry the Princess.

But after all, it is a skill practiced for ten years, brought to the level of the second rising star; it would be a pity to abandon it entirely. Lu Xingzhou pondered that he could shift to specializing in pondering cultivation-type pills; the effect brought by the Dragon Elephant Strength Pill last time was quite good... As for healing and saving lives, he could specialize in combat injury treatment.

The healing and saving lives aspect is actually more suitable for Anuo, as long as the child is willing. Then she could specialize in refining pills to enhance cultivation for herself to eat as meals, achieving self-sufficiency.

Anuo had no objection to her master's thoughts, only saying: "If master says so, then we must pray that Meng Jiaoyu also specializes in this direction. However, I see Meng Jiaoyu mainly focuses on theoretical research; his classes are even unrelated to alchemy."

On the schedule, the first class is Meng Li's, lecturing on loyalty to the monarch and love for the country, and the importance of alchemy development for the nation and its people.

Lu Xingzhou watched with amusement, as if he had traveled back in time...

"Let's go, attend class, and experience this world's university life." Lu Xingzhou said with a smile, and Anuo pushed the wheelchair, running joyfully toward the classroom.

Compared to modern universities, the Alchemy Academy has far fewer classrooms, totaling only a dozen or so rooms, looking somewhat shabby.

Because the Alchemy Academy has only over a hundred students in total, among whom Lu Xingzhou's cohort consists of twenty-eight people.

When Anuo pushed the wheelchair into the classroom, it was already full, with only the two of them missing. Anuo kept a straight face, pushing her master to the front row desk amidst the gazes of twenty-six people, and sat down heavily beside him.

Someone snickered, muttering softly: "Master and student as classmates, truly shameful."

Lu Xingzhou turned to look; unsurprisingly, it was Daoist Xuan Qing.

Lu Xingzhou said leisurely: "Since ancient times, fathers and sons taking the same exam have not been rare. Daoist Brother, though you appear to have the bone of a Daoist and the air of an immortal, seem quite uncultured; perhaps eating too much of the Huo family's food causes this... I hope the Alchemy Academy's advanced studies can improve your quality."

"You..."

"Master, who is this Daoist Priest? Are you very familiar with him?" Anuo asked curiously.

"Oh, just the one whose alchemy skills are inferior to yours; not familiar."

Anuo blinked her eyes: "With such poor skill, not feeling ashamed, how can you dare to criticize others?"

Anuo's attack power has always been strong, but this remark was a bit of a map-wide attack; Lu Xingzhou rubbed Anuo's head: "Knowing he is cultivated by the Huo family, you should be mentally prepared; he is not a good shoot. Normal people do not show off like him."

Xuan Qing sneered: "Are you not a member of the Huo family?"

Lu Xingzhou said indifferently: "You should be grateful; if I were truly a member of the Huo family, you should be considering whether to kneel, rather than sniping at me here."

Someone at the seat chuckled softly; Xuan Qing choked there, not knowing how to respond.

Indeed, if Lu Xingzhou returned to the Huo family, he would be addressed as Seventh Young Master; how would he dare to talk back?

Lu Xingzhou snickered: "So, being a dog of a person is like this; pitiable and tragic."

"Knock knock~" The open classroom door was tapped; Meng Li appeared at the door and glanced around.

The entire hall fell silent.

"You are here for advanced studies, not to quarrel." Meng Li said indifferently, walking to the front of the stage: "Today, I will teach you the first lesson: school rules. First rule: unity and mutual assistance..."

Xuan Qing was so stifled that he was about to explode; just as it was his turn to retort, the Jiaoyu interrupted, as if his mouth had been covered halfway through speaking, which was extremely uncomfortable.

Meng Li paid no attention to him and began the first lecture on admonitions on his own.

Just school rules would be one thing, but what is this nonsense about loyalty to the monarch, love for the country, and refining for the people? Who is this lecture for? Is this lecture for people to hear?

These sect children from all corners of the world had never heard such politicized nonsense; everyone listened with wide-eyed shock, whereas Lu Xingzhou listened with considerable amusement, grinning and wanting to give a thumbs-up; it was all nostalgia...

Meng Li's gaze toward him grew even softer; what a sensible young man!

The classmates barely endured this half-hour of drowsiness; Meng Li finally stopped speaking, took a sip of tea: "Seeing everyone's expressions, you are all shocked, which shows you have all taken the words of this Jiaoyu to heart. No need to be shocked; there will be three such courses every month in the future..."

Everyone: "..."

"Time is still early; today we will not cover only these matters. Since this is the Alchemy Academy, on the first day, I must give everyone a shock of alchemy."

As the words ended, a splash of beauty suddenly appeared at the doorway.

A woman wearing a light veil stood there quietly, her eyes deep, calm as the stars.

This mere beauty dispelled all sleepiness in everyone present without a trace.

Lu Xingzhou also had to admit that Lady Ye was truly beautiful. Although wearing a veil makes one generally appear a bit more beautiful, like those wearing masks in films... after all, it can conceal many uglinesses. But Lady Ye is on a completely different level from those; this temperament, these eyes, truly like a lotus on a high mountain, a star in the sky; one can imagine how breathtaking she would be if the light veil were removed.

"This is the top alchemy grandmaster Lady Ye, whom I painstakingly invited, responsible for lecturing on the theoretical essentials of the top three grades in alchemy." Meng Li said: "You are luckier than previous students; Lady Ye has only occasionally accepted invitations to lecture once or twice on her insights, but for this cohort, she will be responsible for lecturing on the theory from third grade to first grade."

First grade!

Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

Throughout the entire Da Qian, how many first-grade alchemists were there? At least these students had no access to them. If one's own family had a first-grade alchemist, who would travel a thousand miles to study at the Alchemy Academy?

Among those few first-grade alchemists, quite a few were hidden away in powerful sects like the Tianyao Sacred Land, the sort who answered to summons but not to commands—how many of them had actually entered the official system? The vast majority of instructors at the Alchemy Academy were only second or third grade; the only first grade was the Academy Head, Qin Zhiyu!

Where on earth did this Lady Ye pop out from, a first grade!

Ye Tinglan walked slowly up to the platform and began to lecture calmly.

She didn't really look in the direction of Lu Xingzhou and his disciple either, acting very casual—no one could tell she knew Lu Xingzhou.

But Lu Xingzhou had a very clear feeling—the lesson she was giving was specifically meant for him to hear.

It was all the other, simpler approach to the answering portion of that paper he'd done at Meng Li's home… perfectly suited for these students to listen to, and perfectly giving him, Lu Xingzhou, guidance and food for thought from another angle.

Then Lu Xingzhou discovered that the obscure knowledge of Mohe, when she explained it from another angle, suddenly became much smoother; some of the difficult points that had stumped him before were suddenly illuminated under her analysis.

To be able to glimpse the inheritance he had received from that paper back then, to see at a glance where his difficulties lay… and to dissect Mohe's clearly overly archaic way of thinking using a modern person's method of explanation.

Her gaze seemed to see through past and present, like an ancient river of stars, having weathered ten thousand years of change, still there.

A'nuo stood beside him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed: "Master, this old woman… she's really amazing…"

(End of this chapter)