Chapter 3 - Lotus Institute

Morning arrived, and a new day began.

Feng Qian was so excited the previous day that he didn't get any sleep at all.

"Hey Fatty, wake up!" He enthusiastically pulled the blanket off of Guo Pang and tried to wake him up, "It's morning already."

"Let me sleep a little more." Guo Pang said in a begging voice.

He didn't sleep much from fear after hearing giggles and perverted laughs from Feng Qian last night.

He wanted to protect his 'chastity' from his friend, who seemed to have totally changed since yesterday.

"Is this the work of the infamous perverted ghost?" Guo Pang muttered to himself.

Feng Qian used to sleep late till the morning, and usually, Guo Pang had to wake Feng Qian up. But ever since Guo Pang found him in the streets, Feng Qian seemed to have changed.

There was a 'rumour' floating around in the 'institute's dormitory' that an ancient perverted ghost walks in the streets during winter, and many young boys have fallen prey to him.

Those who come in 'contact' with the old ghost become crazy and do all kinds of weird, disgusting acts and do not spare even those around them.

Guo Pang was scared that Feng Qian was 'possessed by the same perverted ghost, and that's why he was acting in such a manner.

And therefore, he couldn't sleep at all last night. He wanted to run away but didn't want to betray his best friend.

Feng Qian was so energetic that he didn't even notice Guo Pang's fearful expression. He was looking forward to the day ahead.

Looking at the longing expression in Feng Qian's face, a chill ran down Guo Pang's spine, and he jumped up, maintaining a safe distance from Feng Qian.

...

After getting ready, Guo Pang and Feng Qian stood in front of the Institute's gate.

Today they were going to enter the renowned Lotus Institute.

It was the best academy in the entire Emerald City and had created many City Lord level characters in the past.

Even the Present City Lord, Wang Tian was once a student of this prestigious establishment.

Compared to other academies in Emerald City, Lotus Institute had a long history.

It was established by the forefathers of Emerald City, during the 'Era of desolation; to save humanity from the Spirit beasts.

All Noble clans and commoners alike want to send their children here in order for them to become the strongest warrior, earning fame and fortune.

Another reason is for the Noble clans to prepare their children to make connections and learn leadership qualities by creating their own groups.

Even Feng Qian, who had seen many magnificent academies in his life, was filled with pride and a sense of reminiscence.

This was the place he had taken his first step into the cultivation world in his past life, and he was doing the same this time again.

....

Inside the classroom, a dignified middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a long beard that reached his chest was teaching the class of a hundred students.

The students were excited to learn from this 'instructor', who usually taught the third year disciples, and shared their excitement in a hushed tone.

All the murmuring stopped as soon as the teacher started speaking.

"Humans were once the ruling race among all the species found in the Forsaken boundary. But around the Era of Desolation, everything changed when the Spirit beasts suddenly united and started attacking all the human nations. It is believed, that before the 'Era of Desolation', there were countless Ancestor realm warriors standing at the peak of this world. Although our Emerald City has survived that dark period of time, we, along with the other remaining 'cities' lost the way to reach the Ancestor realm." The instructor paused after describing the events of the past, in order to pay respect to the martyrs who laid their lives to protect the last safe havens for humanity.

"But the city still isn't safe. Every year, thousands of warriors die at the boundary of the city gates in order to protect the common people. And as the students of this Institute, it is your duty to do the same." The teacher tried to inspire courage and passion into the hearts of young students through the story of great sacrifice by the human ancestors but was a little disappointed after looking at the non-emotional faces of some noble family students.

Instead, it was the people hailing from commoner families that were excited. But the teacher knew that most of them would not be able to become the pillars of the city, as it required a lot of resources to become strong warriors, which the majority of commoners failed to accumulate, becoming cannon fodder in the war.

Collecting his thoughts, he continued calmly, "To become a warrior, you have to start with feeling the natural Qi in the atmosphere and absorb it into your dantian. This stage is called Qi Gathering Stage. To feel and absorb Qi into your body, you require breathing techniques. The most common and oldest technique created by the wise sages of the past is the Ancient Qi breathing technique. It is one of the most widespread and ancient techniques, but it is just a waste of your time as there are many better cultivation techniques with faster growth speed nowadays."

Feng Qian, who was sitting on the last bench, chuckled at the last statement, to which Guo Pang kicked his foot and directed him to keep quiet.

Many students wore annoyed expressions and those from noble families cast disdainful eyes at the two friends sitting at the end of the classroom.

The class was filled with commoners and nobles alike but it looked as if there was some sort of hierarchy in the sitting arrangements.

The front-most seats were reserved for the supreme and the noble clans, behind them were people from major aristocratic families and at the end sat commoners of minor families.

With the exception being Feng Qian and Fatty who liked to hog the last bench of the class for themselves. It was also the place from where Feng Qian could stare at his 'crush', a young miss from a noble family with a mysterious origin.

In the past, Feng Qian would be happy just by having a glance at her because he thought that his and her families were heaven and earth apart, but now since he has his memories of the future, he knows that she is the young lady of one of the supreme clans, the Yan clan.

Even though there seems to be an insurmountable gap between their status, Feng Qian believed that with his knowledge, soon he will definitely change the situation.

"The Supreme clans are standing at the top of the Emerald City by relying on their cultivation techniques created by their ancestors and are taught only to the heirs of the main branch. Similarly, our institute also provides general cultivation methods and more enhanced ones based on your merits." The instructor ignored the antics of the 'duo' as if he didn't notice anything and tried to entice the students to work hard and get benefits from the Institute.

Soon the lecture ended and the instructor dismissed the class.

"Which cultivation method are you going to choose?" Guo Pang inquired from Feng Qian.

"I'm going to stick with Ancient Qi breathing technique." Feng Qian replied nonchalantly.

"But didn't you hear what the teacher said? It will ruin our future. Cultivation is all about creating a strong foundation." Guo Pang tried his best to make Feng Qian change his mind.

"I'll tell you the reason later," Feng Qian shrugged the matter off as he stared at her lover of the past life, Yan Xiuying.

With her almond-shaped eyes and silky black hair, she sat in the first row wearing a purple dress.

Unlike other noble princesses who act proud and haughty, she was just like a gentle stream, caring for everyone.

But soon, Feng Qian's face turned sour as he saw another heir from a noble clan was trying to gain Yan Xiuying's attention and a sense of jealousy developed in his heart.

"Toad lusting after Swans meat," Feng Qian thought.

He decided to teach this 'brat' a lesson he will never forget.