novelraw Chapter 80 : Please Come to the Department Head’s Office
Chapter 80 : Please Come to the Department Head’s Office
80: Please Come to the Department Head’s Office
Having won the Direct Disciple test, Yuyin had defeated four people. With the additional reward, she had earned 60 Academy Credits, bringing her total to 157.
Next, it was up to Chen Qian'ning to make the final decision. However, after completing the test, Chen Qian'ning did not immediately give Yuyin an answer.
The next morning, Yuyin went to the Swordsman Department Hall for class as usual. Only today, Shenwu and Yang Ke were absent… It was said they were both hospitalized.
Yuyin joined everyone for basic physical training as usual. But now, whether they were new students or upperclassmen, the way they looked at Yuyin was different.
Just then, the department hall’s broadcast system sounded: "Student Xia Yuyin, upon hearing this announcement, please come to the Department Head’s office."
Everyone turned to look at Yuyin.
"Coming." Yuyin could hardly conceal some excitement in her heart, but she didn’t feel smug because of the attention and envious gazes.
She walked out of the training hall and came to the faculty office area on the east side of the top floor of the department hall, walking down a long corridor.
At the end of the corridor was the Department Head’s office.
Yuyin had considered that Chen Qian'ning might want to see her today and had thought about dressing more formally. But since she was suddenly called from the training area, there was no time to change. At this moment, she was wearing a white short-sleeved dress with a black belt, high-waisted black pantyhose on her lower body, and a blue-purple hair tie on her head.
Yuyin adjusted her breathing slightly and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Chen Qian'ning’s voice came through, carrying a hint of sternness and formality. Yuyin wondered if she was married.
Yuyin walked into the spacious and elegant office. The walls were decorated with wood and leather soft-packaging, which seemed to have a certain soundproofing effect.
Chen Qian'ning, dressed in a tight, dark blue teacher’s professional suit, sat at the large desk by the window, approving documents.
"Xia Yuyin, come here."
Yuyin walked to Chen Qian'ning’s large desk and stood there.
"Teacher Chen."
Chen Qian'ning put down her pen, looked up and examined Yuyin for a moment, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face. "From now on, just call me Teacher. Starting today, you are my only Direct Disciple, and the only one with the right to call me Teacher directly."
"Yes, I understand, Teacher." Yuyin said obediently. Although Yuyin was cold and proud at her core, she was naturally very humble in the face of a master like Chen Qian'ning, who was now her teacher.
"I am very satisfied with your performance. You were decisive in your strikes, ruthless but with a bottom line. Very good." Chen Qian'ning praised. "To be honest, if Shenwu had been the final victor, I might not have accepted him as a Direct Disciple. For one, I don’t really want to take a male student. For another, Shenwu’s aptitude isn’t actually that high."
"However, a few years ago, I really did want to take a male student. He was the most gifted student in the history of our Swordsman Department, Lan Lingfeng. It’s a pity… Lingfeng’s aptitude was simply too high. If I had taken him as my disciple, I would have held him back. Our old dean personally accepted him as his Direct Disciple." Chen Qian'ning said.
"The old dean? Dean Tong?" Yuyin asked.
"No, he is the true iron-clad backing of our Lingdu Source Martial Academy, a Grandmaster of a generation, Old Master Hu Yimo. Old Master Hu is one of the eight great Grandmasters of our Huaxia Nation, and also the senior I respect most."
Speaking of Hu Yimo, even the usually stern Chen Qian'ning couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.
A Grandmaster of a generation, Hu Yimo. Yuyin silently memorized this name.
"Do you know why our Swordsman Department is called the pride of the Lingdu Source Martial Academy? Without any qualifiers. It is because of the existence of your senior, Lan Lingfeng. Although he is not in the department now, because of Lan Lingfeng’s name, no department in the entire academy dares to say they can compare with the Swordsman Department. Of course, comparing Lan Lingfeng only within the scope of the Lingdu Source Martial Academy is to underestimate him. He… is perhaps someone who will change this world in the future." Chen Qian'ning’s eyes shone as she spoke. She didn’t particularly like men, but she truly, deeply admired this student’s talent.
"However… perhaps because Lan Lingfeng is too dazzling, the other students in the department are a bit overshadowed by his halo. There is actually a bit of a gap between our third and second-year students and those in the Strongman and Long Weapon departments. Dean Tong has also spoken to me about this." Chen Qian'ning looked at Yuyin. "I hope that you, my Direct Disciple, will bring honor to me and to our department. Our Swordsman Department cannot just rely on Lan Lingfeng’s halo to enjoy the academy’s most generous resources."
Lan Lingfeng. Yuyin had heard this name countless times in the short time she had been at the academy. Hearing Chen Qian'ning speak of him like this, Yuyin really wanted to meet him. A senior hailed as someone who might change the world, what kind of bearing did he have? Yuyin also wanted to learn from him.
"By the way, let me first test your strength and realm. That way, I can better understand you and plan your future training. I happen to have the latest equipment imported from Germany here." With that, Chen Qian'ning opened a drawer and took out a pen and a sensing device, which looked very sophisticated.
"Come, place both hands on the desk." Chen Qian'ning stood up and walked to Yuyin’s side. She was about the same height as Yuyin, perhaps a little taller.
Yuyin did as Chen Qian'ning said. For a moment, she felt a scent that was a mix of a mature woman’s body fragrance and a faint perfume made from spiritual herbs.
"Raise your hips slightly backward." Chen Qian'ning’s breath was warm in Yuyin’s ear, but her tone was very proper.
"Now, gently circulate your Primordial Energy. You don’t need to release it all." She first lightly brushed the sensing pen across the curve of Yuyin’s hips and lower abdomen, then pressed the pen against Yuyin’s lower abdomen, holding the device and watching the readings.
Chen Qian'ning repeated the action with the sensing pen a few more times. Then, looking at the stable data on the device, which was in the form of numbers and letter codes that she could of course understand, she said with some surprise, "Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm?"
"Yuyin, you actually defeated Shenwu, who is at the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm, while you are only at the mid-stage? I truly did not choose the wrong person. Alright, you can get up now." The look in Chen Qian'ning’s eyes as she regarded Yuyin seemed to have grown even more fond. Without realizing it, she had started calling her by her name directly. Yuyin, for her part, didn’t mind being called by her name by such a woman.
But what Chen Qian'ning didn’t know was that Yuyin was actually only at the early-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm. The device had measured the intensity of her Primordial Energy, which was already equivalent to a relatively strong Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm. It was Yuyin’s foundational physical strength, combined with her sword arts, that gave her the actual combat power to defeat Shenwu, who was at the late-stage. However, this was difficult to explain, so Yuyin decided not to mention it for now.
"Relative Female Cultivator Index… 100. No wonder you could defeat Shenwu. Your body must also be very strong." Chen Qian'ning said.
"Teacher, what is the Female Cultivator Index?"
"That is a parameter invented by German scientists, specifically to study the relationship between cultivation methods and gender. The higher the Relative Female Cultivator Index of a female cultivator compared to her realm, the richer and more intense her feminine charm and characteristics are, making her suitable for cultivating techniques that are especially oriented toward women. If it’s low, then she can only cultivate general methods. Overall, the higher the better. And you, at only 19, have already reached the upper limit of 100. This is truly rare. Most women don’t reach this peak of feminine charm index until they are 24. In the academy, only a handful of female students have an index of 100, and they are all outstanding." Chen Qian'ning herself was also at 100, but she didn’t tell Yuyin.
"Oh… Teacher, then how should my next cultivation proceed?" Yuyin asked, standing up straight, her face slightly flushed. Having an off-the-charts female index was beneficial for cultivation, but it was also a bit embarrassing.
"Hmm… as for Primordial Energy cultivation, do you happen to have a good cultivation method for after the Spirit-Seeking Realm?" Chen Qian'ning asked.
Yuyin’s Yuan Shixi, although optimized, was still a primary cultivation method. Its final chapter only wrote about breaking through to become a Source Martial Practitioner. The path beyond that was completely absent. Since it wasn’t written down, there was no way to optimize it.
"Teacher, I am currently confused about this very thing. I haven’t found a follow-up cultivation method." Yuyin said truthfully.
"Hehe, don’t worry." Chen Qian'ning smiled with satisfaction. "Your aptitude is good, and your Female Cultivator Index is high. There are many cultivation methods in the academy’s repository that are suitable for you. I can recommend some. However, even though you are my Direct Disciple, if you want to obtain advanced cultivation methods beyond the basic ones, you will need to exchange them with Academy Credits. This is the style of our academy. Everything must be earned through your own efforts."
"Um, I should still have some credits. I wonder how many credits are needed to exchange for one method?"
"Right, before you choose a specific method, let me first explain the preferential conditions for you as the Department Head’s Direct Disciple. This is also a unified regulation of the academy. Come, have a seat."
Chen Qian'ning and Yuyin sat down on a modular sofa to the side. Chen Qian'ning sat with her legs together, turned slightly toward Yuyin, and said, "First, as the Department Head’s Direct Disciple, your credits are halved when exchanging any of the department’s main cultivation methods. For exchanging equipment, pills, and other precious items, as well as cultivation methods and secret arts from other departments, you get a 30% discount. As for the second point, my personal instruction, I don’t need to elaborate on that. Third, as the Department Head, I have the right to gift you any one cultivation method from the academy’s repository for free."