Chapter 99 - 96: What is a Mage?
Chapter 99: Chapter 96: What is a Mage?
Feng Hao also held his breath and focused, listening intently. Although he couldn’t discern Instructor Yang’s level through the Crystal Eye, he could faintly sense a unique aura about her—mysterious, profound, and unfathomable.
Instructor Yang scanned the students below the stage, smiled, and began, "Hello, everyone. We three will be your instructors for the next five years."
"My surname is Yang. You can call me Teacher Yang or Instructor Yang. I am primarily in charge of your Magic Fundamentals course. These two beside me are Teacher Guo and Teacher Liang. Teacher Guo is in charge of our department’s specialized Alchemy studies, and Teacher Liang is in charge of the Martial Arts course." After her brief introduction, Instructor Yang bowed slightly and stepped back. "Next, I’ll ask the other two instructors to speak about their respective courses."
With that, Instructor Guo gave a light laugh and a nod, stepping forward to speak first. "Regarding Alchemy, I’m sure I don’t need to say much. Since you’ve all come to our Alchemy department, it’s naturally because you’re interested in Alchemy. However, I must remind you of one thing: the Alchemy department of our Five Provinces Academy differs from mainstream Alchemy, especially in our research on poisons."
Next, Instructor Liang swaggered to the front, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd. "I’m in charge of your Martial Arts course. I’m sure some of you are wondering what use an Alchemist has for martial arts. To understand that, you first have to understand what martial arts are. Does anyone here know?"
At his words, the students below were instantly filled with confusion and doubt.
To Feng Hao’s surprise, Houhuiyao actually stood up voluntarily. "The original purpose of martial arts was to strengthen the body and hone its functions. Only later did it evolve into a comprehensive set of combat techniques."
"A good answer. Please, sit." Instructor Liang nodded in satisfaction and added, "It’s understandable that an Alchemist doesn’t need to fight. But honing your martial arts can give you more ways to save your own life, strengthen your physique, and give you the stamina and energy needed for your Alchemy research."
"In short, if you don’t want to be a lamb waiting for slaughter, you’ll take my class seriously. Enough nonsense. I’ll hand the time back to Teacher Yang." Instructor Liang shot a glare across the room, then turned and retreated.
Feng Hao glanced over at Houhuiyao again and asked in a low voice, "You know a lot about this, huh?"
"I had no choice. My old man forced me to study the knowledge of a Combat Mage since I was a kid. I can pretty much recite all the modern martial arts theories by heart." Houhuiyao shook his head with a bitter smile, a flash of sorrow in his eyes.
Feng Hao gave a helpless laugh and turned his gaze back to the stage.
Instructor Yang had already returned to the front of the stage. She said with a beaming smile, "As one of the required subjects at the Advanced Academy, I won’t elaborate on the importance of Magic Fundamentals. Instead, I’ll focus on explaining what Magic Fundamentals is."
"To understand Magic Fundamentals, you must first understand a concept: What is a Mage?" Instructor Yang’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she scanned the students. Seeing no one answer, she continued, "Regardless of your aptitude, all of you here are Mages. But who among you knows what a Mage is? Why are they separate from ordinary people?"
After a brief pause, Instructor Yang’s expression suddenly changed, becoming solemn. "A so-called Mage is a life form that continuously evolves and transforms through the magic-energy genes within their body. Unlike physical genes, magic-energy genes form the fundamental structure of the soul. They are that sapling-like thing within our Sea of Consciousness."
"And Magic Fundamentals is the discipline dedicated to exploring the mysteries of these magic-energy genes, allowing us to gradually touch upon the Origin."
"It’s no exaggeration to say that Magic Fundamentals is the theoretical foundation of the entire Mage cultivation system. It will be with you throughout your entire path of cultivation, and my task is to guide you through the true gateway to becoming a Mage."
"Perhaps you feel your aptitude for magic is poor and that you aren’t suited to become a Combat Mage. But I can tell you this unequivocally: as long as you study Magic Fundamentals to a certain degree, you can absolutely transform into a Mage with formidable combat power!"
"I hope you all take Magic Fundamentals seriously. Don’t treat it like a game, or you’ll be the one who regrets it in the end."
When Instructor Yang finished, the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. The vast majority of students who came to the Alchemy department had relatively poor aptitude, but Yang Caide’s words had given them a glimmer of hope.
Instructor Yang nodded, gratified, and continued, "That’s all for Magic Fundamentals. Next, I’ll briefly go over elective courses. The Alchemy department has only three major required courses: Alchemy, Magic Fundamentals, and Martial Arts. This is a relatively light workload, so if you’re interested in other subjects, you can take them as electives or audit them in their respective departments."
"There isn’t much difference between taking an elective and auditing. The only difference is that for an elective, you must take the department’s exam. Passing the exam will earn you a good number of credits, whereas auditing doesn’t have that requirement."
"Lastly, let’s talk about the Origin Secret Realm. I’m sure many of you have experience entering a Secret Realm, but I still need to go over it here."
"Students who plan to enter the Secret Realm must be fully prepared. There are two main points to be aware of on your first visit. First, you must absorb enough Spirit Beast Essence as quickly as possible to allow your Genetic Tree to gain ’Secret Realm Power.’ Only then can you enter with companions on subsequent visits. This is also a prerequisite for wearing Spirit-Core Equipment. Second, you must search for a special stone unique to the Secret Realm: the Listening Stone."
"The Listening Stone allows for communication via Divine Sense through the special fluctuations of Origin Nodes. Theoretically, as long as there is an Origin Node, you can send messages. The Listening Stone’s main characteristics are that it’s a grayish-black, spherical rock, about the size of a walnut. Most Crystal Eyes on the market can identify it. It’s best if you can find one, but if you can’t, don’t worry. You’ll find one eventually if you go enough times."
"Alright, that’s all I have to say. Now, let’s nominate a class president. Any interested students can come up on stage to campaign."
The moment Instructor Yang’s voice fell, a unified response rose from below the stage.
"Feng Hao—!"
The three instructors were all taken aback. After exchanging glances, Instructor Yang said with a helpless laugh, "Very well, then Feng Hao will be the class president. Feng Hao, do you have any objections?"
"Since everyone trusts me, I have no objections," Feng Hao shrugged helplessly.
"Then it’s settled. The rest of the class is dismissed. Class president, please come with us."
And so, completely bewildered, Feng Hao had no choice but to follow them out...
After following the three instructors all the way to an office, Feng Hao finally understood their purpose. Sun Yaowen, that stubborn old man, was sitting there, bobbing his head to some unknown music.
Seeing Feng Hao arrive, Sun Yaowen’s aged face immediately soured. He casually turned off the music, gestured for the three instructors to leave, and then put on his best dean-like air as he asked, "Kid, have you thought it over? Do you want to become my apprentice?"
"You called me here just for this?" Dark lines formed on Feng Hao’s forehead as he replied, clearly annoyed.
"Is there anything more important than taking a master?" Sun Yaowen snorted coldly and said, speaking as if to himself, "I have spent the better part of my life in the Alchemy Realm. The number of people who wish to become my apprentice is countless. For me to take an interest in you is your good fortune."
"Right. Whoever wants that good fortune can have it. I’m not interested," Feng Hao said dismissively.
Hearing this, Sun Yaowen’s stubborn temper flared. "What an ungrateful little brat! It seems if I don’t show you a thing or two, you won’t understand how capable I am. Come on, we’re going to my Alchemy Room!"
"Not going. Whoever wants to go can go." Feng Hao sneered, turning to leave.
"It’s not up to you. Today, I’m going to make you witness my Alchemy Techniques and have you willingly accept me as your master!"
Sun Yaowen let out a cold laugh and shot forward, transforming into a white blur. He seized Feng Hao in an instant and then, under the dumbfounded gazes of the three instructors outside the door, sped away.
Feng Hao was completely stunned as he was dragged away. ’I can’t believe this old man is so powerful! This feels just like when I was kidnapped by that Elder from the War and Magic Alliance...’