Chapter 1: The Youth of the Present
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Divine Prefecture Calendar, Autumn of Year 9999, East Sea, City of Qingzhou
Qingzhou Academy was a sacred place in the city of Qingzhou. Over half of the strongest individuals from the wealthiest families and most prominent clans had attended this academy. Thus, citizens of Qingzhou took pride in being able to develop themselves there. If the opportunity presented itself for one to attend the academy, they would undoubtedly study with the utmost diligence.
However, it seemed that not everyone felt this way. In a classroom in the academy, there was a young man fast asleep at his desk.
Lecturing at the front of the room was a young woman, clothed in a long teal dress. She took notice of this. A wave of anger flashed across her face as she made her way towards the young man, who was in a deep slumber.
Qin Yi was seventeen, and an official disciple of the academy, as well as a lecturer for outer sect disciples. She was blessed with a beautiful face and an alluring body. In the classroom, all eyes followed Qin Yi as she moved. Even when she was mad, every move she made was elegant.
“This guy again! I can’t believe he fell asleep during Senior Sister Qin’s lecture again.” It seemed as if the rest of the class had not noticed their sleeping classmate u[ until that point. Many of them did not know what to say. It was obviously not their first time witnessing this.
“Senior Sister Qin is serious eye candy. I don’t know how that guy could have fallen asleep,” whispered a fellow classmate.
Among all the lecturers, Qin Yi was without a doubt the most popular. The reason as to why was evident as soon as one laid eyes on her. She was considered a goddess by many. Her lectures were always made to a packed classroom. Falling asleep in Qin Yi’s classroom was seemingly impossible.
Qin Yi’s steps were light. She arrived at the young man’s side without making a sound. Standing in front of the desk as she eyed his face in deep slumber, her beautiful face frosted over.
“Ye Futian,” a soft voice said. The voice was not Qin Yi’s, however; it had come from behind Ye Futian.
As if he had heard his name called, Ye Futian’s body moved slightly. With his hands holding up his head, he slowly opened his eyes. Through his blurry vision he was able to make out two round peaks.
“So big,” Ye Futian muttered unconsciously. His voice was very soft, and he had only murmured to himself, In a quiet environment like this, however, his unexpected comment was heard loud and clear by the entire class. In an instant, everyone froze, then immediately grew angry again.
“I can’t believe it! How can he be so openly disrespectful to Senior Sister Qin?!”
“This shameless bastard.” Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Ye Futian, piercing him as sharp swords would, which caused him to shiver. He could feel that something was wrong. He shifted his gaze upward and away from the glorious view in front of him. His eyes landed on a face as exquisite as jade, but also filled with anger.
“Uh…” Ye Futian was dumbfounded. It was Qin Yi! Had it not been Qingxue calling him?
Turning around, he saw the glaring eyes of a seemingly innocent 15-year-old girl.
Ye Futian took a glance at the young girl and immediately cursed under his breath. He had been played; no wonder the cup size had been wrong.
“Senior Sister Qin, I…” Ye Futian attempted to explain.
“Ye Futian,” Qin Yi coldly interrupted him. She asked, “What is the history behind the establishment of Qingzhou Academy?”
It was obvious Qin Yi wanted to avoid the awkwardness by changing the subject, but Ye Futian could clearly feel her anger radiating towards him. He could even feel the Will of Sword flowing through her body. It was as sharp as a knife, cutting into every inch of his body.
“Three hundred years ago, the Great East Phoenix united the Divine Prefectures of the East and commanded all dukes to establish martial arts academies in order to promote martial arts. This was the reason behind the establishment of Qingzhou Academy,” Ye Futian answered. Of course, what he had said had come straight out of the history books. In the unofficial history books of his clan, another name was connected to this event. However, this tabooed name must not be brought up.
“What types of occupations are involved with development?” Qin Yi continued her questioning.
“Development can be divided into martial arts and the art of divination,” Ye Futian replied. “Development in martial arts is associated with occupations such as warriors, knights, swordsmen, and so on. Development in the art of divination involves occupations such as mages, alchemists, armorers, and so on. Mages can also be divided into subcategories. Of course, there are also people who are naturally gifted and choose to work on both arts.”
“It seems like you missed one type of occupation,” Qin Yi stated solemnly.
“I couldn’t have possibly missed anything,” the young man said with a radiant look on his face. “The Divine Prefecture acknowledges Mandate Sorcerers as the most powerful occupation of all, as they possess a gift from the Heavens. Most of those who possess rare gifts are Mandate Sorcerers; conjurers, beastmasters, and astrologers, for example. No matter which artform they decide to pursue, they are able to surpass all others.”
Everyone in the classroom was focused on Ye Futian’s words. “Being a Mandate Sorcerer is a legendary occupation. They operate on the will of the heavens and are blessed by the heavens as well. Not only that, but even the most ordinary Mandate Sorcerers possess an innate capability for both martial arts and divination arts.”
Qin Yi glanced at the young man in front of her, impressed. However, she was still angry. She said, “I didn’t expect you to know so much about this.”
“Well of course,” said Ye Futian as he looked at Qin Yi. “I am a Mandate Sorcerer.”
Pfft! Not far away, a young man began choking on his water, and was now coughing up a storm. Many pairs of eyes looked at Ye Futian as if he were crazy.
Everyone began to think that it was possible to be that shameless. Ye Futian was a legendary character at school, and his notoriety was well-deserved. Not only had he disrespected Senior Sister Qin in public, but he was now falsely claiming to be a Mandate Sorcerer. Could it be that he was doing this to attract the attention of Senior Sister Qin?
Who did he think he was? In his three years developing at the academy, he had been stuck on the Collection Plane of the first level of development, Awakening. His body was weak. It was clear that he had yet to reach the Enhancement Plane. How could this loser claim to be a Mandate Sorcerer? How could he be so blatantly shameless?
Qin Yi’s chest puffed out again; it was truly a magnificent sight. She looked at Ye Futian angrily. “Since you’re a Mandate Sorcerer, you must have spirit in your Life Palace. Set the spirit of your Life Palace free and prove your words to be true.”
“My Life Spirit is still in a deep slumber, it cannot be summoned. It is also the reason why I fell asleep in class,” Ye Futian answered calmly.
“Ye Futian!” Qin Yi called out abruptly. Her beautiful eyes pierced into those of the young man facing her. “Three years ago, you arrived at the academy as a 12-year-old boy. Back then, I observed the entrance talent inspection as an outer sect disciple. Your ability to perceive Spiritual Qi was at the highest level, shocking the academy. Despite the care of many instructors, you have not made any improvements in surpassing the first level of Awakening for the past three years. Having spent your days lazing around, not paying attention during class, have you developed at all? And now you even dare to falsely claim to be a Mandate Sorcerer, going as far as using it as an excuse for sleeping in class.
“In these three years, whether it be the Spring Quarter Examinations or the Fall Quarter Examinations, you always drop out of testing, automatically making you last in ranking throughout the entire academy. Ye Futian, do you really not feel ashamed?”
Following Qin Yi’s enraged outburst was a silent classroom. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone watched Qin Yi as she fumed; it seemed to be the first time any of them had seen her like this.
Ye Futian was frozen in shock as well. His dark, black eyes stared at the delicate face in front of him, which was now red with anger.
Has it already been three years? he thought to himself. Unknowingly, three years had passed, but the commotion in his Life Palace was still the same, unchanging. He was also a bit surprised because Senior Sister Qin, a goddess to many, was usually an ice beauty. However, it appeared that she had been keeping tabs on him, and doing so since the entrance talent inspections at that.
The room was filled with a dead silence. Qin Yi carefully looked over the young man before her eyes. He had a handsome face with sharp features, with eyes as clear and deep as the night sky. At the young age of fifteen, his only shortcoming was his thin frame. In a few years, he would definitely grow to become an attractive man.
Qin Yi silently questioned herself: Was her tone too harsh? She noticed the slight sadness in Ye Futian’s eyes. Her anger dissipated slightly.
“There is still one month before this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations. If you fail or give up again, no one will be able to save you from being expelled. The academy is not going to let you stay, do you understand that?” Qin Yi continued. The class watched. It seemed that the academy had reached its limits with this guy.
Was he finally going to be expelled? If it did happen, it would be one for the history books. After all, it was not easy to get expelled from Qingzhou Academy.
“If he goes, I go.” From the back of the room, someone spoke up rather indifferently. Many looked over to the young man, who was sitting in a corner. There were looks of envy, jealousy, worship, and worry as well.
“The academy has already decided that Yu Sheng doesn’t have to participate in next year’s Spring Quarter Examinations,” Qin Yi said. “He can choose to develop at the academy Battle House, with the society of knights, or in any of the divination schools. His future can’t be tied to you. You will only hold him back.” Qin Yi looked at Ye Futian and sighed. Yu Sheng and he were destined to head in two separate directions.
“Hold him back?” The corners of Ye Futian’s mouth curled into a soft smile, revealing a hint of cynicism.
“Shut up,” Yu Sheng said from the back of the room. He stood up, his eyes shooting daggers at Qin Yi.
“Sit down,” Ye Futian said lightly, not turning to look at Yu Sheng. Yu Sheng’s gaze dulled as he looked at the silhouette in front of him. He then took his seat quietly, as if Ye Futian’s words were absolute orders to him.
“I’ve decided…”, Ye Futian had a frivolous smile on his face. He continued as he looked at Qin Yi, “I am officially participating in this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations.”
In the back, Yu Sheng’s eyes sparkled.
After three years, was he finally going to take things seriously?
Over his three years of development at Qingzhou Academy, everyone knew of Yu Sheng’s exceptional talent. His ability to perceive the element of metal was of the highest level. He was also highly gifted in martial arts. He could continue developing in either of the arts. Even though he was an outer sect disciple, his Plane was higher than many lecturers at the academy.
But even so, who could really understand Ye Futian?
“Your body is frail, plus you’re still stuck in the first plane of Awakening, the Collection Plane. Even if you were to participate in the Fall Quarter Examinations, how do you expect to pass?” Qin Yi eyed Ye Futian, inwardly releasing a deep sigh. Even if he were to start working hard now, it might already be too late.
“And what if I pass?” It seemed that Ye Futian did not have a clear understanding of his own abilities. His voice was filled with confidence.
“If you pass, then you are free to do as you please in the classroom,” replied Qin Yi.
A peculiar light flashed in his eyes as he took in the captivating figure standing in front of him. His eyes unconsciously made their way to a place where he should not have been looking. He asked weakly, “Is it really okay for me to do anything I want?”
This guy…what does he mean by that? many wondered as they stared at Ye Futian.
“You shameless *sshole, where do you think you’re looking?” The other students had finally realized what his eyes were trained on. Oh, how they all wanted to hit him. How could he still be saying such disrespectful things to Senior Sister Qin?
Naturally, Qin Yi was aware of Ye Futian’s gaze as well. The little pity she had for him died in an instant. Her beautiful eyes glared at Ye Futian with rage once again. She bit her lip and answered his question
“Whatever you want!”