C14 Origin Power Cultivation

As day gave way to night and dawn broke once more, birds frolicked joyously and a gentle breeze whispered through the pines. Northern Pine Academy was abuzz with excitement on the first day of the new term.

At the White Courtyard's seven lofty pavilions, a throng of students had already gathered.

In front of the second pavilion, Yu Yin and seven others were variously seated, leaning, or standing at attention, all awaiting Huajun's arrival. She had informed them the previous day that this pavilion was now theirs.

Each person was clad in navy blue robes with emerald jade belts. The women wore their hair simply, without adornment, while the men, Yu Yin being the exception with his hair down, all sported neatly tied buns.

Yu Yin stood out with his striking height and handsome features, his entire demeanor transformed by the elegant robes. Gone was the rough-and-tumble air of the streets, replaced by a natural poise and crispness.

"Yesterday, our instructor emphasized uniform attire, Yu Yin. Why do you still look like this?" Dongmen Ai said, clearly exasperated.

Yu Yin touched his headscarf and replied, "This headscarf is the last keepsake from my mother."

Touched by this revelation, Dongmen Ai took a moment to examine the headscarf more closely.

"Well, suit yourself. Let's just hope the instructor isn't upset," he finally conceded with a resigned look.

"Now that everyone is here, come inside," Huajun announced as she approached from the courtyard.

Her silky hair and jade belt accentuated her beauty, her skin fair and complexion radiant. Despite having seen her just the night before, Zhao Cai and the others couldn't resist stealing glances.

The pavilion was cozy, with four white jade tables arranged in the center, two in front and two behind, each flanked by a pair of bamboo stools.

A stone lectern stood a meter from the nearest table, topped with a white jade desk. To the left, a bamboo ladder behind a beaded curtain led to the upper floor.

"There were originally five tables, but we haven't replaced one since the registration. After class, we'll fetch it from the main hall," Huajun explained.

"Please, take a seat."

At her invitation, the eight students filed in and seated themselves in an orderly fashion.

Yu Yin was the last one to walk in, and he paused when he noticed Xia Chen and the others had already paired off and claimed their seats.

He spotted an open seat at a table towards the back and made his way there.

"Scram!" The icy voice that reached his ears stopped him in his tracks.

Zhao Cai and Ou Lu couldn't help but smirk at the sight; they had just recently been on the receiving end of such treatment.

Yu Yin took a seat next to Zhuang Jiujing, giving her a cool glance. He appreciated beautiful women, but those with foul tempers only inspired his disdain.

"This first lesson will be about how to become a cultivator," Huajun announced from the front of the room.

Zhuang Jiujing, trying to contain her anger, turned her attention to the stage upon hearing the voice.

"The mark of a cultivator is Origin Energy, which sets you apart from ordinary people."

"Today, we'll delve into Origin Energy."

All eight students listened intently, careful not to let their minds wander.

"Origin Energy is crucial; it's tied to a cultivator's innate talent and their level. Without Origin Energy, the six major professions wouldn't exist in this world."

"At present, cultivators on the continent are ranked across ten levels, with level one being the weakest and level ten the strongest. A level ten cultivator is revered as a top-tier powerhouse, regardless of their profession."

"Now, regarding the levels of Origin Energy: a cultivator is considered level one at 100 Origin Energy, and so on, with each subsequent level requiring progressively more—500 for level two, 1,000 for level three, up to 200,000 for level ten."

"Reaching 200,000 Origin Energy is the pinnacle for cultivators; anything beyond that enters the legendary detached state."

"This foundational knowledge is essential for all cultivators to commit to memory," Huajun stated, clearly believing that anyone who didn't grasp these basics hardly deserved the title of cultivator.

"Yes, Mentor!" Zhao Cai and Zhang Ziyue responded with due respect, while the rest nodded in agreement.

"The amount of Origin Energy a cultivator can harness is intimately linked to their innate talent. For instance, a cultivator with a heart strength talent of 30 can only muster a maximum of 30 Origin Energy per day, which is their upper limit."

"The daily cultivation limit for origin power among practitioners hovers between 80% to 90% of their innate talent. It's quite rare for someone to achieve perfection."

"Each of you eight has a minimum talent of 60 heart strength. Even if you can only cultivate 80% daily, with some effort, that's still 48 points of origin power."

"Mentor, so you're saying, at 19 years old, if I live to be 100 and with a talent of 60, I could cultivate 1,421,120 origin power over the next 81 years? Does that mean I could reach at least level 9 before I turn 100?" Xia Chen asked, looking up after quickly calculating with a small abacus he had pulled out.

"Correct," Huajun acknowledged with a nod, then added, "But that assumes you can consistently cultivate 48 points of origin power every day."

Zhao Cai inquired, "Your words seem to imply there's more to it. Is that not the whole story?"

Huajun surveyed the room with a slight smile. "The struggle of cultivating origin power isn't as straightforward as you might think. Even with a talent of 60, cultivating 48 points of origin power daily is not something everyone can maintain."

"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Cai pressed.

"I'll teach you the methods of cultivating origin power, and you'll understand once you've experienced it firsthand." Huajun's lips curved into a knowing smile as she distributed the palm-sized yellow bamboo boards, engraved with the cultivation techniques, to the group.

Yu Yin took one and examined it closely.

Zhuang Jiujing frowned as she watched him snatch the board from in front of her.

The board was inscribed with no more than a hundred characters, each stroke flowing elegantly, clearly the work of an expert. Yu Yin, with his excellent memory, committed it to memory in moments, yet he showed no sign of passing the board to Zhuang Jiujing.

As time ticked by, everyone except Zhuang Jiujing had finished reading and was poised to begin their cultivation practice.

"Go on, hit me if you dare," Yu Yin taunted with a glance, his face contorted into an exaggerated, mockingly defiant expression before he resumed his usual detached demeanor.

Zhuang Jiujing, despite her stature, found herself being toyed with by a boy even younger than herself, her outward calm belying a seething rage within.

"If you want an apology, I'll give it to you," Yu Yin said, locking eyes with Zhuang Jiujing.

She remained silent, her gaze icy as she stared back at him.

"Yu Yin, come out here!" Huajun's voice suddenly called from ahead.

"Drop the bamboo slip!"

Realizing that she had witnessed the earlier incident, Yu Yin let the bamboo slip fall and stepped onto the stage.

Dongmen Ai and the others were baffled by the unexpected turn of events, their faces marked with astonishment.

"Was the bamboo slip meant just for you?" Huajun asked, her face devoid of emotion.

"No," Yu Yin met her gaze firmly.

"Then I need an explanation."

"What kind of explanation would you like, Mentor?"

"Apologize to Zhuang Jiujing."

Yu Yin fell silent.

"I'm giving you a chance this time. If there's a next time, you won't need to attend my class anymore."

"The Mentor may expel me, but asking me to apologize to her is something I cannot comply with," Yu Yin responded with a frosty tone.

"You!" Huajun's eyes widened in anger.

Zhao Cai, watching from behind, couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

"Leave. When you've come to your senses, you may return to class," she said, pointing sternly towards the door.

Yu Yin, having committed the cultivation method to memory, cast a final glance at Zhuang Jiujing, who was still giving him a cold stare, and then he turned and left the attic without another word.

As she watched Yu Yin's retreating figure, Huajun sighed inwardly. She had great hopes for him, but his attitude was something she found intolerable.

The memory of Yu Yin's detached gaze flashed through Zhuang Jiujing's mind, causing her grip on the bamboo slip to tighten.

Outside—

Yu Yin exited the building and made his way directly to the towering pine tree in the Giant Pine Garden. Leaning against the flowerbed's edge, he pondered the detailed steps for cultivating Origin Energy.

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