owlsbooks Chapter 255 - 146: True Understanding of the Two Principles, The One That Escapes
Chapter 255 - 146: True Understanding of the Two Principles, The One That Escapes
He took the initiative and extended his hand toward Lin Ye. His palm was long and slender with well-defined knuckles, yet it held astonishing power.
"Zhang Daoxuan."
"Lin Ye."
Lin Ye reached out and shook his hand.
From that simple touch, both men made a rough assessment of the other’s strength.
’He’s strong.’
Lin Ye found a spot nearby and sat down.
Dongfang Zhen, meanwhile, eagerly sidled up to Zhang Daoxuan, and the two began to converse in low voices. They spoke of people and events within the top genius circles of Ninghai Province—topics completely foreign to Lin Ye.
Lin Ye didn’t feel excluded. He could sense that both Dongfang Zhen and Zhang Daoxuan were upright individuals, experts focused purely on the martial way.
They might become rivals, but they could just as easily... become friends.
Lin Ye recalled what Chen Meng had once told him about the four essentials of cultivation.
Wealth, companionship, method, and location.
A top-tier training environment was "location." The freely imparted earth-grade Cultivation Technique and Observation Skill were "method." The priceless training facilities were "wealth." And the top geniuses surrounding him, capable of pushing each other to improve together, were "companionship."
The Qiming General Star Training Camp had taken these four principles to the absolute extreme.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Outside the doors of the Martial Arts Hall, figures began to appear one after another.
Most of them were wounded, their auras were unstable, and their faces still bore the exhaustion and lingering fear from the brutal fight.
But when they walked into the great hall and saw Lin Ye and the other three already seated calmly inside, their faces, without exception, contorted with complex emotions.
Envy, awe, and a hint of resentment.
These were the victors who had fought tooth and nail to secure their 20 points in the brutal free-for-all moments ago.
Soon, a cold gaze fell upon Lin Ye.
Without even looking up, Lin Ye could feel the undisguised, chilling killing intent.
’It’s Lu Jiuxiao.’
He had changed into a clean set of combat fatigues, and his injuries had vanished without a trace.
In this day and age, medical technology was so advanced that even severed tendons could be easily repaired.
But that should take a few days at least.
Lu Jiuxiao had either received some special treatment, or his Qilin Ancestral Spirituality itself possessed powerful regenerative abilities.
Faced with Lu Jiuxiao’s provocation, Lin Ye couldn’t even be bothered to spare him a glance, ignoring him completely.
Lin Ye glanced at the digital clock on the wall. 9:55.
Five minutes left until class.
He scanned the great hall. Including himself, there were thirty-six people in total.
No new figures appeared at the doors.
’Damn, that’s harsh.’
’A single entrance exam eliminated 14 people.’
The clock’s hands finally pointed to ten o’clock sharp.
A figure appeared at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, right on time.
The newcomer had graying hair and a slightly stooped figure. He wore a plain instructor’s uniform and looked like any other neighborhood old man.
However, the moment he stepped into the great hall, the somewhat noisy chatter came to an abrupt halt.
All eyes fell upon him.
Lin Hanshan’s murky gaze swept over everyone present. He gently shook his head and sighed.
"Every last one of you... your killing intent has yet to fade, your Qi and Blood are in turmoil, your minds are scattered, your thoughts are a mess. How do you expect to cultivate in this state?"
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it reached every person’s ears with perfect clarity.
"All of you, be silent. Close your eyes. Sit still for ten minutes."
"After ten minutes, if any of you are still restless, you can see yourselves out. You won’t be attending today’s class."
Upon hearing this, many students looked indignant, but no one dared to talk back.
Lin Ye saw Dongfang Zhen beside him shoot him a helpless look, silently mouthing the words, "Mr. Lin is an academic. He’s got a lot of rules..."
Lin Ye did as he was told and closed his eyes.
He emptied his mind and regulated his breathing.
’I have to admit, the old man’s method actually works.’
As the entire hall fell silent, the hostility, anxiety, excitement, and other emotions born from the fierce competition felt as if they were being soothed by an invisible hand, eventually fading away into nothing.
A few minutes later, all Lin Ye could hear was the sound of steady, deep breathing.
The moment ten minutes were up, Lin Ye opened his eyes.
He felt refreshed and clear-headed. The lingering fatigue and bloodlust from the battle had completely vanished.
On the instructor’s platform, Lin Hanshan gently tapped the black board behind him with a ruler.
"Very good."
"Before we officially begin, I will make a few points clear."
"First, I am only responsible for teaching you the Cultivation Technique. I will not answer any questions regarding its comprehension or any problems you encounter during your training. You must figure everything out for yourselves."
"This is a requirement from your chief instructor. The speed of your progress in the Cultivation Technique will be part of your future evaluations."
"Of course, if you are already practicing a superior Cultivation Technique, or are unable to switch for personal reasons, you may file for an exemption in advance. In that case, this evaluation will not be counted toward your total score."
"As for the rest of the training camp’s evaluations and scoring systems, other instructors will explain them in detail later, so I won’t elaborate."
Having said that, Lin Hanshan picked up a piece of white chalk, turned to the blackboard, and drew a diagram.
It was a Tai Chi Diagram.
The dual fish of yin and yang swirled, but it was missing the crucial "eyes."
"The Cultivation Techniques you have practiced before, regardless of their grade, all share the same essence: they teach you how to sense source energy, guide it into your body, and then circulate it through your meridians along a fixed path, again and again."