Chapter 378: Teacher Ji’s Phone Call
Time flew by, and after a few days, my life had entered the planned track.
In the mornings, I practiced meditation and body cultivation to enhance my mental power and overall physical quality. In the afternoons, I read books to accumulate knowledge, and if Betty had time, I would try to study alchemy with her. After all, her mentor, Lola Lucy, is an extraordinary witch with a high level of expertise in alchemy.
During these mornings, I continued my body cultivation in the body training hall as usual, while Tao Ling squatted here, having figured out my schedule over these days.
However, she was no longer as outrageous as when we first met. She began attempting to learn basic ritual battle dances with me, but I understood well that the purpose of the basic ritual battle dance is to enhance physical quality, and this improvement has its limits; otherwise, there wouldn’t be corresponding beginner, intermediate, and advanced body cultivation rings and matching ritual battle dances.
As for Tao Ling… if she wants to learn, let her. Although this is used for improving physical quality, the suffix is still a battle dance, and in my understanding, aside from the tedious ritual aspects, the combat aspect of this dance is still quite valuable in practice.
However, I feel that this combat skill is more like a performance form of fighting, as it is too flashy—fighting with others would surely be giving benefits?
Moreover, since that incident of establishing authority, the atmosphere in the body training hall has become much better. There are no longer those who looked down on or provoked me during my first visit, nor are there those who come to pick fights without reason.
Even unfamiliar seniors greet me warmly as they pass by, which surprised me, but it also made sense. Who could refuse an amicable stranger greeting them?
It’s definitely better than having someone come to pick a fight.
While I was practicing the ritual battle dance in the body training hall, a phone call suddenly came in.
“Huh?”
I was forced to interrupt my ritual progress. Who could be calling me at this hour…?
Sister Bai? No, Sister Bai’s ringtone is distinctive. It might be Betty, since she said she would be free today. I temporarily set aside my reading plan and prepared to join for alchemy lessons. Is there a sudden change in plans?
When I saw the caller ID… well, it’s Teacher Ji.
Um… seeing this name made me a bit stunned. It seemed like I hadn’t met her in a long time.
From the beginning to the end of the nightmare incident, and now, I almost completely forgot that I had a class… and a counselor.
Sigh… after all, Teacher Ji is my first benefactor. She was the one who first brought me into the Witch Academy and helped me further understand the extraordinary world, enhancing my level of cognition.
As soon as the call connected, Teacher Ji’s voice came through the phone.
“How many days has it been since you last came to see me? What have you been doing these days?”
“Uh… meditation, body cultivation, alchemy?”
“Meditation and body cultivation? Am I not disturbing you now?”
“Not really, I’m just training my body; it’s not much of a disturbance. Is there something you need, Teacher Ji?” I asked curiously.
After all, Teacher Ji’s personality tends to avoid small talk. If there wasn’t something important, she usually wouldn’t contact me.
“The monthly exam has passed for several days, and you haven’t come to retrieve your ranking rewards. Is this how you behave? You’re my class leader.”
“There are rewards for the monthly exam?” I paused, thinking… there probably are, right?
I’m not sure about this, since I missed the first monthly exam and didn’t really know there were so many intricacies involved.
“Of course! The monthly exam is a means of phased testing and motivation, and the rewards are substantial. It’s not just about grade rankings; there are also class internal rankings, so you have two rewards waiting for you here.”
“Oh, I’ll come get them when I have time. Is it okay around noon?” I asked.
“Noon? That works. By the way, bring me some food; I don’t have any dietary restrictions.”
“Huh?” I suspiciously pulled the phone away to confirm that it was indeed Teacher Ji asking me to bring food.
“What do you mean? Since you’re taking up my lunchtime, don’t I need to eat? If you’re coming over now, you wouldn’t have to help,” came Teacher Ji’s blunt response.
“Uh… just grabbing the reward shouldn’t take too long, right? Is there anything else, Teacher Ji?” I asked tentatively.
“There is something else, but it’s inconvenient to discuss over the phone. You’d better come over—when do you plan to come?”
“How about noon, Teacher Ji? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you; I’ll treat you to lunch.”
“Alright, I won’t be polite then. See you at noon.”
“Okay, see you at noon.” After exchanging a few courteous words, Teacher Ji hung up.
“Ah~”
I sighed, putting my phone aside. I didn’t expect Teacher Ji to reach out to me, but the so-called monthly exam ranking rewards were secondary. What intrigued me more was the matter she mentioned that was unsuitable for discussion over the phone.
What could Teacher Ji want with me?
It might be related to the script, although the concept of “script” has spread across various extraordinary academies, no academy has officially acknowledged or clarified it yet.
So, this kind of business certainly falls under the category of things not convenient to discuss on the phone.
Moreover… the extraordinary knowledge.
Teacher Ji’s ambition aligns with what the academy head was working on recently: creating the Great Spellbook!
I had also promised to help Teacher Ji with this; I wonder if it’s about this very matter. I recently saw her starting preparations for that Great Spellbook.
But thinking about how long the academy head had prepared for that Great Spellbook, it suddenly feels like Teacher Ji’s current efforts are somewhat… small scale?
Sigh… Anyway, the extraordinary knowledge is provided by Teacher Ji; the research environment and all preparatory work are led by her. I’m merely a reserved participant, so why should I worry about this?
Yet, speaking of extraordinary knowledge… I remember I still have the part related to my awakened talent that the academy head hasn’t taken. Is she really that at ease leaving it with me?
It feels like the academy head has regarded me as a vessel for extraordinary knowledge.
As long as I remain a part of the Witch Academy, I can’t escape it, can I?
At this moment, my attention was on Tao Ling beside me. Although I didn’t pay her much mind, she was clumsily mimicking my movements. It indeed made me feel a bit inclined to offer her some guidance.
“Raise your posture a bit; it’s all form without spirit. Do you know why my movements here differ so greatly from what is taught?”
“Uh… I don’t know; is this more effective?” Tao Ling asked tentatively, excited by my guidance.
“This way better expresses the essence of the ritual.” As I spoke, I pulled out a book from my four-leaf clover storage equipment that I had borrowed from the library.
It had been several days, and I had changed my batch of books. I specifically selected books concerning rune explanations that correspond to the ritual battle dances, which would help deepen my understanding of the runes’ meanings.
Moreover, it was a great opportunity to blend theory with practice.
“Ah, you… carry books with you?” Tao Ling looked shocked as I casually took out the book, and she was genuinely surprised and touched when I started explaining it to her.
“Yeah, I was learning rune literature before. Runes involve many fields, and now I’m sure body cultivation is the same. Regardless of whether it’s the ritual battle dance or the so-called body techniques, they’re all interpretations of rune rituals. The actions produced by your body are a special language interpreting the runes…”
As I explained, Tao Ling frowned because she had not come into contact with rune literature, and my teaching felt like listening to a foreign language.
In the end, she used her phone to take pictures of the book’s content to study it thoroughly later.
I let her do her thing; after all, a large part of my sharing was for my own benefit. During my time in Ninglan New City, I learned a highly efficient way of studying, which is teaching others how to learn. Teaching others also helps practice my communication and expression skills.
It’s akin to reviewing and filling in gaps for myself through Tao Ling.
After teaching her, I practiced the ritual battle dance a few more times, expending my excess energy before finally concluding the session.
“Ah~”
I opened a water bottle to rehydrate myself. This bottle was a “membership gift” from Coach Liv. It was given to me when Liv saw me using a disposable cup to get water in the tea room, and it’s quite convenient.
They also recommended a few potions for stamina recovery, which can be diluted in water and effectively replenish energy while hydrating.
However, I didn’t buy them, as they reminded me of something—an IQ tax.
It seems like a stamina recovery potion; perhaps the ingredients have been adjusted, but the changes shouldn’t be significant. The pricing, though… let’s not even go there.
I could figure out a formula for this on my own. Given my grasp of alchemy, I could try making it a few times; not only would it increase my alchemy experience, but using something I created would also be more reassuring.
Arriving at the changing room, I changed out of my sports tank top and shorts. While this outfit seemed fine here, it appeared a bit sultry outside.
Plus, considering my body cultivation physique, I genuinely worry about running into unruly girls on the street. Although I might not fear those seniors with my abilities, I avoid annoyances.
After changing clothes, I checked the time, and since it was almost noon, I headed straight to the cafeteria. After enjoying a good meal, I packed a portion to take to Teacher Ji. I hope she likes it; she said she had no dietary restrictions, but if she can’t eat it, she can’t blame me.
For this reason, I also packed a portion of the dark cuisine specifically designed for extraordinary witches, which the academy head mentioned is used for genuine taste training, and it isn’t cheap.
Carrying the food, I felt like a delivery person in the academy, but… with my flying broomstick and teleportation landmarks, being a full-time delivery courier seems pretty convenient, right?
Unfortunately, the pay isn’t much; for me now, money isn’t a hindrance anymore—at least for the time being.
Upon reaching the familiar teaching building, I passed by the laboratory I hadn’t visited in a while. The laboratory looked different; it had many more professional pieces of equipment and was very clean, as if someone cleans it daily.
However, I just took a quick glance. Now that I was here, Teacher Ji should have sensed my arrival. If I dilly-dally, I can only imagine how she would talk to me.
Perhaps Teacher Ji had already assumed a position in her office to welcome me.
As I approached the door, I was just about to knock politely when I heard Teacher Ji’s familiar voice from inside.
“Come in.”
“Alright~”
I chuckled lightly and opened the unlocked office door. Teacher Ji looked noticeably more fatigued than when I last saw her.
“Teacher Ji… um… what have you been through? You look…”
“Just haven’t slept for a few days,” Teacher Ji replied, putting down the work in her hands when she saw me.
Then she slightly closed her eyes to rest for a moment. “Oh, right, your monthly exam rewards. One is for your grade ranking and the other is the class incentive. They’re in that storage equipment on the corner of the desk. Remember to return the storage equipment to me.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t mention anything about not returning the storage equipment. After all, no matter how small its internal space, it’s still an expensive luxury item. New students generally don’t have their own storage equipment; most buy a bag, which is much more practical than storage equipment of the same capacity.
It’s just a bit of a hassle.
I opened it to take a look. With my current perspective, I could only describe the rewards inside as meager: dozens of magic sources, some spellbooks, even a few minor spellbooks, and red copper coins as bonuses.
For a moment, I couldn’t distinguish which were grade rewards and which were class rewards.
But it didn’t really matter.
“Does it seem like a small amount to you?” At that moment, Teacher Ji asked.
“Not really.”
“This is the usual amount for monthly exam rewards. Generally, during the first three years of the curriculum, there aren’t many channels to obtain magic sources.”
“I understand, so I’m not too concerned.” While saying this, I swallowed the magic sources to feel the enhancement and feedback they gave me. Indeed, it felt somewhat unnecessary, but I wouldn’t refuse to take them.
“It seems you’ve grown quickly.” Teacher Ji remarked, looking at me. Once, I needed her assistance with magic sources, and now I could use them myself.
I really did grow quickly, but… it also means I now have the ability to give magic sources to others. I wonder if there will be any lucky souls in the second year whom I’ll give magic sources to?
“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either.” I handed Teacher Ji her lunch, “Teacher Ji, your lunch—I’ll just leave it here.”
“Thank you.” Teacher Ji nodded as she took the bag.
“I left the storage equipment here. By the way, Teacher Ji, you mentioned on the phone that there was something else. What is it?” I placed the storage equipment on the corner of the desk and then asked.
“It’s related to the Great Spellbook project, which has officially started. I’ve applied for a better laboratory from the academy; do you want to accompany me to check it out this afternoon?”
