Volume 1, Chapter 4: Yan Jin Encourages Study

"Yan Jin?"

"Have some respect! Who taught you to address your teacher by their given name?"

After delivering the reprimand, Yan Jin finally noticed Si Nanxi, who was covered in injuries and hobbling on a crutch. Taken aback, she instinctively covered her mouth and let out an "Oh."

She then frowned, secretly blaming Mo Daoke. That man really didn't know when to hold back; even if Si Nanxi was detestable and hateful, there was no need to beat him into such a state. What if he tried to extort her for compensation?

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she recalled how Si Nanxi had wantonly mocked her in class, never once treating her as his mentor. Her temper flared, and she set her face in a stern expression.

"When you are injured, you must inform me. What do you take the Spirit Appraisal Academy for? Do you think you can come and go as you please?"

The shift in Yan Jin's expression could not escape Si Nanxi’s sharp eyes. He guessed she must have mistaken his injuries for Mo Daoke’s handiwork.

Seeing this, Si Nanxi decided to play along. He secretly kicked his crutch away and, with a thud, collapsed right into Yan Jin’s arms.

"Teacher! I was wrong. It was all my fault for being insolent. Please, do not blame Senior Brother Mo for being too heavy-handed; I deserved it. I will go and file my withdrawal papers tomorrow."

"You... you... Si Nanxi, don't be like this."

Si Nanxi’s sudden transformation startled Yan Jin, making her speech stutter.

Si Nanxi had skipped yesterday’s and this morning’s classes without cause. Yan Jin, holding to her earnest belief that no student should be left behind, had decided to have a serious talk with him.

Previously, Yan Jin had assumed Si Nanxi was the son of some noble family in Lin'an City; otherwise, why would he be mingling with the freshmen of the Spirit Appraisal Academy at his age? It was only after checking his enrollment file after class today that she discovered his residence was located in the notorious red-light district of Lin'an City.

Early mornings and evenings were the busiest times for that street. Yan Jin had deliberately chosen noon, when it was quieter, to come over, head bowed and face covered, jogging the whole way for fear of being recognized by an acquaintance and causing a misunderstanding.

"You cannot withdraw!"

The Spirit Appraisal Academy had always prioritized student development. Even for the most unruly students who violated academy rules, corporal punishment was strictly forbidden—this was the greatest difference between the Spirit Appraisal Academy and the Spirit Cultivation Academy.

At the Spirit Cultivation Academy, it was not uncommon for senior brothers and sisters with higher cultivation to use the pretext of "sparring" or "exchanging techniques" to settle scores and retaliate.

After all, the culture at the Spirit Cultivation Academy was one where the strong reigned supreme.

Lin'an City had no government and belonged to no single faction. Students and teachers with lower cultivation were expected to root out evil, while those with higher cultivation were responsible for slaying ferocious spirit beasts. These were life-and-death matters, so as long as tempers flared, those in charge usually turned a blind eye.

However, the Spirit Appraisal Academy consisted of ordinary people without a shred of cultivation, and fighting was strictly prohibited. If this were reported to the Dean, not only would she be reprimanded, but her father might also be implicated.

Thinking of this, Yan Jin abandoned her usual composure and softened her stance, delivering a new, hour-long version of "Encouragement to Study" to Si Nanxi.

Today, Si Nanxi acted as if he were possessed by a top-tier actor, adding all sorts of embellishments to his description of how Mo Daoke and several senior brothers from the Body Tempering Academy had brutalized him on Cliff of Contemplation yesterday.

Mo Daoke, who did this often, usually knew exactly how much force to use. The superficial wounds from the two lashes were painful but caused no internal damage. His own actions had only resulted in a common joint dislocation. It was enough to intimidate the ignorant freshmen without causing any real trouble.

The story Si Nanxi told Yan Jin, however, was entirely different.

Si Nanxi sobbed as he recounted how he had been hung from the crooked tree on the Cliff of Contemplation, how he had been whipped over a dozen times while suspended, and how he had been forced to roll down the mountainside.

Yan Jin, who rarely saw such violence, couldn't help but gasp at the vivid, immersive performance.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened yesterday, she knew Mo Daoke’s temperament well enough to know he wouldn't have been so heavy-handed just because of a casual remark she made.

She suspected Si Nanxi was exaggerating, but lacking the evidence to expose him, she had to patiently coax him.

"Si Nanxi! Didn't you want to invite me and Senior Brother Mo to the Immortal Spirit Pavilion? I was originally going to refuse, but if you promise to attend classes properly from now on, I will agree. How about that?"

Seeing that Si Nanxi remained silent, Yan Jin continued in a soft, gentle voice.

"As long as you don't cause trouble and attend your classes every day, I will make Senior Brother Mo apologize to you. Those people at the Spirit Cultivation Academy really don't know their own strength; it's just..."

Si Nanxi, who had been feigning ignorance and misery, cracked a grin. He whispered, "So easy to fool," before taking hold of Yan Jin's hand.

"It's a deal!"

Si Nanxi could already imagine Mo Daoke’s infuriated expression when he heard that Yan Jin wanted him to apologize.

In the Otherworld, spirit cultivators were born superior to ordinary people, and those with decent cultivation were respected everywhere. Making Mo Daoke admit fault would likely be more painful for him than death itself.

Si Nanxi suddenly grew curious: for Mo Daoke, which was more important—his pride, or Yan Jin’s words?

Based on his impression of Mo Daoke, he likely wouldn't want either outcome.

Si Nanxi promised Yan Jin that he would no longer undermine her in class and would listen attentively. He simply stated that he was injured and couldn't go to the academy for the next two days. Yan Jin didn't press him further and, before leaving, urged him to take care of his recovery.

Watching Yan Jin leave, Si Nanxi felt a pang of emotion. If she were in his own era, she would likely have been a very responsible teacher.

She just lacked a bit of depth, relying only on reading from the textbook without adding her own insights.

Over the next two days, Si Nanxi followed his routine: having Little Liuli go to Old Wu at night to learn the mental cultivation techniques, then having her teach them to him during the day.

With the first experience behind him, Si Nanxi was more cautious. When he encountered cultivation mantras that felt clearly wrong, he began to improvise.

He didn't know if Little Liuli was truly a genius at spirit cultivation or if she was just stumbling upon the right answers by luck. The sections of the mantra she misremembered always seemed to be "wrong" in just the right way. As long as he made slight adjustments, he achieved twice the result with half the effort.

With the mantra already being a shortcut method, combined with Si Nanxi’s spirit body, which far exceeded his current stage, his speed of breaking through realms was more than ten times faster than that of an ordinary person.

Old Wu had always thought Si Nanxi was a genius at combat but only average in his comprehension of cultivation.

Seeing such rapid improvement this time, Old Wu was truly shocked. He mused to himself that even among the shortcut techniques that had been passed down for centuries in the Otherworld and were revered by all, Si Nanxi had managed to find even faster ways to cultivate.

For Si Nanxi, those few months felt like a heavy mountain pressing down on him. The system task was like an inverted hourglass, with time slipping away grain by grain. His remaining time in this world was constantly counting down.

By the morning of the fourth day, without relying on external forces, Si Nanxi was able to stabilize himself at the second stage of the Spirit Realm—the Spirit Construction stage. With the aid of spirit elixirs and immortal herbs, he could break through the second stage in a short time and touch the threshold of the third stage, the Spirit Division stage.

As the last breath of spirit energy returned to his dantian, Si Nanxi’s exposed skin was covered in a dense layer of sweat. He exhaled a long breath and rose to stretch his limbs.

"Finally, it's done."

Seeing no response, Si Nanxi turned around and realized that Little Liuli, having stayed up late for several nights to memorize the techniques and then relaying them to him all day, had long since fallen into a deep slumber in the chair.

Si Nanxi called her name softly a few times.

"Really asleep?"

He carefully removed her glasses from the bridge of her nose and carried Little Liuli back to her room. Watching her sleep with soft, trembling snores, Si Nanxi felt a sudden sense of sorrow.

If he were to die in the Otherworld, it wouldn't be so bad; she would mourn for a year or two, maybe three or four, and then eventually move on. But if he were to complete all the system’s tasks and return to the real world, he would disappear from her life forever. Given Little Liuli’s nature, she would likely grieve for a very long time.

"Oh no!"

Si Nanxi suddenly remembered that he had promised Yan Jin he would attend her academy-wide demonstration class today. He checked the time and realized if he didn't leave now, it would be too late.