Chương 15: Chapter 12 I'll Take Care of It For You
Just before the bell rang for class, Group Ten students stepped into the classroom on time.
It was located at the top of a towering spire, in a semicircular room with all the windows tightly shut and thick curtains shielding any iota of light that might seep through.
There were no desks or chairs in the room, only soft cushions and low round tables.
The air was filled with a thick, soothing fragrance while a fireplace on one side released waves of heat to every student.
Teacher Karaman was quietly standing next to the fireplace waiting for them.
This was a very maturely charming woman, her hair in a high updo, dressed in a light, translucent fabric that draped over a thick mist enveloping her body.
"Greetings, students, I am Teacher Karaman. Today is your first lesson, and also your most important one. I will teach you how to guide, use, and train Spiritual Energy,"
Her voice was gentle and soothing, inadvertently relaxing one's spirit.
"Spiritual Energy is the power produced by the Fire Holder's Extraordinary Soul, you must utilize it to acquire extraordinary powers, to battle the monsters within the Black Fog, to protect our friends, relatives, homes, and the eternal Holy Fire."
The students sat on the cushions, intently listening to her speech.
Karaman paced slowly between the round tables, sharing the mysteries of Spiritual Energy, her light fabric occasionally brushing the students' faces, tickling them.
"...Our souls consist of three layers, the outer Gaseous Layer, the internal Light State Layer, and the core layer that is Spiritual Energy itself."
"Each layer has specific forms and characteristics, our Spiritual Energy originates in the Soul's core layer, formed through the Light State Layer and Gaseous Layer, and ultimately controlled by our spirit."
"...Very good, now that you have a basic understanding of what the soul is, turn to the first page of 'Extraordinary Soul'..."
A rustling sound followed by another long stretch of dry theory.
Rod found it hard to comprehend, even as he tried his best to understand, but he inevitably felt drowsy.
The soft cushions and the warm firelight intensified this effect.
But sleeping at this time would undoubtedly be a waste of time, and dozing off during the first class would be too disrespectful.
Thus, Rod decided to practice the "Eye of the Soul," to get familiar with his first skill.
Following last night's memory, Rod took a deep breath, awakened his Spiritual Energy, and felt it pulsate at his forehead, focusing his attention on his eyes.
However, external distractions caused his initial attempts to fail; it took Rod three tries to activate it successfully.
In that instant of success, the entire world turned vividly colorful, the air strewn with colored ribbons, countless glittering points flickering and roaming.
Rod was shocked, his drowsiness instantly vanished.
This was completely different from when activated in the Dream Realm.
As he moved his gaze from left to right, each student appeared as a vague humanoid mist, within which faintly luminous veins and flickering points could be discerned.
"Is this their Soul? Can I see their souls?"
"Are these wandering points the Spiritual Energy?"
He saw one mist-like hand brightly light up, followed by a light ripple.
Suddenly, Kashan's excited voice followed.
"Teacher! I did it! I've awakened the Spiritual Energy!"
Rod saw all the mists' heads turn toward that direction.
"Very good, Kashan, try to sense it, control it and let it flow through your body..."
Teacher Karaman approached, and the moment she entered his line of sight, Rod's concentration shattered, and the "Eye of the Soul" closed on its own.
The world returned to normal, the dim red firelight coursing through the dark classroom, and Teacher Karaman, covered in white mist, was bending down, carefully guiding Kashan to control the Spiritual Energy.
Kashan joyfully watched a nebulous glimmer flow over her hands, while the surrounding students looked on with envy.
Nobody noticed Rod's incredulous expression.
"Did I see it wrong? Was it an illusion? Do I have worms in my brain?"
Rod tapped his head and activated the "Eye of the Soul" again.
The world shifted in an instant, and once again, he saw clearly.
Teacher Karaman's white mist had vanished.
Pop!
His focus disrupted, the "Eye of the Soul" closed again.
Rod was stunned.
Wayne poked him, "Rod, stop staring at the teacher."
Another student with green hair chuckled softly, "Teacher Karaman is so beautiful, what's wrong with looking a little longer?"
Wayne looked at him disdainfully, "Have you awakened your Spiritual Energy?"
The green-haired student's face reddened, "I just can't awaken it, that's why I watch the teacher."
"Does watching help?"
The green-haired murmured, "You don't know, Karaman is the highest in Spiritual Power Level among the young generation of teachers, it's said to have reached the Ninth Level. See that white mist around her? That's the vaporized Spiritual Energy, it has a very strong concealment effect, can shield any prying eyes, isolate one's own Spiritual Energy waves, it's naturally Assassin-like."
Wayne's curiosity was piqued, "Then why doesn't she go to the battlefield?"
The green-haired shook his head, "I don't know the specifics, but it's related to Dawn Fortress."
"What does that have to do with you watching her?"
"You don't understand, there's a connection between spirits, just one more glance at a combatant with high Spiritual Energy might trigger my inspiration and awaken my Spiritual Energy."
Wayne was clearly skeptical, and the green-haired turned to look for allies.
"Rod, am I right? Just by the way you stare at the teacher, I knew we were on the same wavelength."
No, we are not.
Rod responded vaguely and suddenly realized something. He activated the "Eye of the Soul" again and looked at Kashan.
Indeed, it was a hazy light of mist, with the body invisible.
In this entire vibrant and twisted world, only Teacher Karaman looked normal.
"Good thing this isn't X-ray vision… It seems that the mist of Spiritual Energy is blocking the sight of the Eye of the Soul, so I can only see Teacher Karaman's body, not her soul."
"Hmm… So, the eye that's famed for penetrating illusions and observing everything is only barely matching the mist of Spiritual Energy?"
Perhaps I'm too weak, and the strength of the "Eye of the Soul" isn't sufficient,
Rod thought.
It looks like I need to train more; this could be a life-saving divine skill.
In a world filled with dangers, having the ability to detect threats or dangers in advance is extremely important.
So, after this class, Rod spent all his time practicing with this eye.
The other students were also trying hard to awaken their Spiritual Energy, but only a few were successful.
Teacher Karaman kept instructing them,
"Relax, close your eyes, and imagine being in a boundless void of space."
"Inhale, imagine a white flow of air entering the soul with each breath."
"Exhale, imagine releasing the soul in your heart along with the airflow."
"Always focus your thoughts on the fingertips you use the most, as Spiritual Energy usually appears from the most familiar place."
"Very good, well done."
"Continue, you are the best class I've ever had."
"Why do you always keep looking at me?"
"Extraordinary Soul" was a major class, and by the time the academy's bell rang for dismissal, it was already Noon.
And in group ten, half of the students still hadn't awakened their Spiritual Energy.
"Don't be disheartened, this is very normal. Just keep practicing, and you will succeed soon."
"Kashan, you're the group leader, remember to help the students who are having trouble."
Kashan said loudly, "Of course, Teacher Karaman."
Teacher Karaman smiled, handing her a paper packet.
"This is Moon Sleep Dust, it can help you focus. It's best used in a quiet environment and will really help you awaken your Spiritual Energy."
Kashan carefully tucked away the paper packet and declared, "I understand."
"Students, class is dismissed."
Teacher Karaman's blue gemstone-like eyes swept over them, her gaze lingering momentarily, a cryptic smile appearing in the corner of her mouth.
She turned and walked towards the furnace. The flames ignited her light veil, quickly engulfing her whole body, and her graceful figure vanished in the flames.
With her gone, the classroom felt empty and silent.
Some students were happy, some felt lost, all gathering around Kashan, mostly asking about how to use Spiritual Energy.
—She was the first one in the group to awaken her Spiritual Energy, and also the one with the strongest Spiritual Energy.
Rod was the only exception.
He pushed through the crowd and bluntly stated,
"I want to go to the Jinwoosi Library; get me an Academy pass."
—This was something Wayne had told him, that to access the academy's library, an Academy pass was necessary.
And the minimum requirement to get it was being the group leader.
Kashan's brows shot up.
"Rod! What library? You were absent-minded the entire class! Without awakening your Spiritual Energy, you can't even be considered a Fire Holder. Now come back with me to train. You're not going anywhere this afternoon!"
She lifted a hand, the mist of Spiritual Energy enveloping her entire arm, and said proudly,
"When your Spiritual Energy is stronger than mine, then I'll get it for you."
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