Chapter 81: Can you help me take another look at that set of bamboo slips?
Du Sixian had gotten up early, and it was still dark when she rose. She simply practiced the Red Flame Flash in her room while waiting for the sun to rise.
Unlike yesterday when she had no clue, with the successful demonstration of the spell in her dream as a precedent, she tried just once and succeeded.
“Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!”
Raising her arm, chanting the spell, interrupting the spell formula, and slightly adjusting her breathing… Du Sixian repeated the process of casting the spell several times until she was drenched in fragrant sweat, and only after confirming that she had indeed mastered the Red Flame Flash did she stop.
Immediately afterward, she untied her pajamas and let them fall from her body, revealing her firm muscles and smooth skin dotted with tiny beads of sweat on her back.
After shedding her pajamas, she said to herself, “I must report that I have mastered the Red Flame Flash to Sister Qing. As for that advanced spell formula and the mysterious person… I need to inquire a bit first.” She walked towards the bathroom.
……
After finishing her morning routine, the sky was beginning to brighten.
She changed into a lace-trimmed denim skirt and put on a small jacket, sitting down at her desk to open her computer. She replied briefly to her few loyal fans, explaining why she hadn’t updated her videos recently, and hinted that there would be a big surprise coming soon.
Once all of that was handled, she hesitated before stepping out. As she walked through the bright Mudan Street in the morning, she unexpectedly encountered An Qing just as she was about to enter the Siye Society.
“Oh? You came quite early. Are you here to practice the spell?” An Qing smiled at Du Sixian and said, “Actually, you don’t need to work so hard. After all… mastering a spell isn’t something that can be done in a day.”
What An Qing said was true; according to statistics from various Siye Society branches across Z Country, the average time for beginners to master a standard spell was between eight to twelve days.
She had thought of telling Du Sixian this yesterday, but seeing her so serious and hardworking, she didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm too soon.
“Sister Qing, actually I practiced a bit again last night…”
An Qing slightly opened her red lips, just about to chastise Du Sixian for practicing the spell privately without supervision after exhausting her spirit energy, when she heard the latter’s next words and paused momentarily.
“The result of my practice was quite good; I feel like I have initially mastered the Red Flame Flash.” Du Sixian paused halfway and explained, “But it’s only occasionally that I’m able to produce a wisp of flame at my fingertips.”
She always felt that the matter regarding that special dream shouldn’t be known by the Siye Society, at least not yet.
“You can produce a wisp of flame now?” An Qing suppressed the shock in her heart and asked, looking directly into Du Sixian’s eyes.
An Qing had thought that Du Sixian could feel the operation of spirit energy in her body just one day after practicing; her progress was already considered quite fast. She had wanted to praise her, but she held back for fear of inflating her ego.
However, An Qing never expected that Du Sixian, as a beginner spellcaster, would actually grasp a standard spell in less than twenty-four hours—indeed astonishing.
Although Du Sixian could currently only summon a wisp of flame, far from complete mastery and not usable in practical combat, her performance certainly deserved to be called genius.
“Uh, yes, yes…” Du Sixian stammered, “Sister Qing, is my learning speed okay?”
An Qing, “…” It’s more than okay, way too okay!
A spirit ability user who can master a standard spell within a day? It takes two or three years to produce one like that!
I’m a bit worried that people from the headquarters will target you and try to poach you!
An Qing thought, adjusting her emotions, and replied casually, “Mediocre, just average.”
Genius-level average.
An Qing silently added in her mind, continuing, “It looks like you have some talent after all. You need to practice diligently from now on. If you have any questions, report to me individually, and I’ll give you one-on-one guidance.”
Reporting individually… one-on-one guidance…
Du Sixian repeated the key phrases in her mind, furrowing her brows and biting her lip, secretly thinking.
I really don’t seem to have much talent, and it looks like I’m worrying Sister Qing.
But Sister Qing is really good to me, willing to go through so much effort for me, Du Sixian thought.
“Let’s go, let’s head inside first so I can see the results of your practice.”
“Mm.” An Qing interrupted Du Sixian’s thoughts. She nodded slightly in response and followed An Qing deeper into the Siye Society. Not long after they left the classroom, she suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks.
“By the way, Sister Qing, if—I mean if—I started practicing a high-level spell now, what would happen?”
Hearing this, An Qing was taken aback for a moment and frowned.
Is she already thinking about learning high-level spells?
However, having such high talent and experiencing a bit of lofty ambition is normal. I need to find a way to talk her down a notch.
An Qing pondered for a few seconds before looking seriously at Du Sixian and saying, “Du Sixian, the spell practice in the Siye Society emphasizes a gradual process. Only after you master a certain spell can you unlock the corresponding advanced spell. Being greedy for results will lead to major problems.”
“Uh…” Du Sixian’s face paled slightly at those words, and she weakly asked, “Do I have to fully master it to unlock it? If—if I obtained a spell from somewhere else, could I learn it?”
“Mm?” An Qing narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Du Sixian. “Did you get a spell from somewhere else?”
“No, no, I was just making a hypothesis,” Du Sixian quickly shook her head in denial.
“Let me tell you a story?” An Qing shook her head. “There was once a spirit ability user in the Siye Society who was not satisfied with the pace of learning spells and privately obtained Illusion Spell No. 53 through unclear channels. What do you think happened later?”
“Did he go crazy?”
“Not quite.” An Qing shrugged. “But he was caught and questioned repeatedly about the source of the spell. He couldn’t explain it, and in the end, he broke down mentally and went crazy. He’s still locked up in Yun Kang Psychiatric Hospital now.”
“Besides, with your talent, there’s no need to think about those high-level spells. Taking it step by step is the right way to reach the peak.”
With my talent… Du Sixian bit her lip, deep in thought.
Sister Qing is right; since my talent is lacking, I shouldn’t consider that spell obtained in the dream, and I should proceed step by step.
As for that dream…
Let it remain a secret so I can keep up with the progress of practicing spells!
Du Sixian thought, nodding toward An Qing. “Sister Qing, thank you for pointing the way for me.”
……
Huacheng University, College of Arts and Literature Classroom.
Professor Ma had been mentally exhausted lately due to the bamboo slip incident. He always entered the classroom right as the bell rang and struggled to focus during lessons. Halfway through, he handed out a document, allowing the students to begin self-study while he sat alone on the podium lost in thought.
In a daze, whispers began circulating in the classroom.
“Did you see the class group chat? Something big has happened.”
“What happened?”
“You don’t know?”
“Spit it out; stop holding your breath.”
“He Zhe is dead, found near the College of Arts and Literature Experimental Building this morning. His body was in terrible condition. Everyone’s saying it’s an urban legend attack.”
“What?! No way! I saw him yesterday during the day; why was he running to the experimental building at night?”
The things the teacher could see and hear from the podium were far more than the students imagined.
Naturally, Professor Ma overheard the students gossiping. At first, he didn’t want to get involved because, under such circumstances, which school didn’t have one or two incidents of urban legend attacks every year?
Although the official side had yet to acknowledge it, among the public, the existence of urban legends had already become an unspoken truth. Incidents resulting in fatalities due to urban legends were mostly seen as natural disasters.
However, upon hearing that the student named He Zhe had an incident near the experimental building, Professor Ma could no longer sit still.
“The classroom is a place for learning, not for gossiping. Save the discussion for after class!”
Professor Ma shouted, and suddenly the classroom fell silent. His gaze swept across the room until it landed on Luxianbei. Clearing his throat, he said, “Luxianbei, come out with me for a moment. I have something to discuss with you.”
Suddenly called out, Luxianbei’s mind was filled with questions.
What’s going on? I wasn’t discussing gossip; as a good student who loves learning, I was diligently reviewing materials.
Really, I was seriously engaged; look, I even took notes.
Feeling wronged, Luxianbei thought, and when he saw Professor Ma’s undeniable gaze, he sighed resignedly and stood up.
So, how terrible was that boy who died in their discussion? What was he doing running to the experimental building?
Luxianbei wondered as he caught up with Professor Ma, leaving the classroom.
……
“Luxianbei, what I showed you yesterday wasn’t the original bamboo slips.”
Luxianbei never would have imagined that the first thing Professor Ma said after calling him out was an admission about the bamboo slips that had been faked with replicas. He froze for a moment.
“Professor, you…”
“Luxianbei, listen to me. I didn’t intend to hide it from you. It was just that when I touched the bamboo slips, the sudden thought came to me that I might not need to show you the original.”
“But as it turns out, I was wrong. I suspect that the incident involving the student named He Zhe might be related to the bamboo slips. I remember that student well; although he often skipped class and was a bit unruly, smoking, drinking, and getting a perm, he’s actually a good kid.”
Luxianbei, “…” Professor, you might have a misunderstanding about what a good kid is.
“Good kids shouldn’t suffer. It’s all my fault,” Professor Ma lamented, his old face filled with sorrow. Suddenly, his expression turned serious. “So, can you please help me take another look at that set of bamboo slips? I don’t want anyone to be harmed because of those slips again.”
“…” Luxianbei pondered for a few seconds and nodded, “No problem, Professor. This is something I should do.”
