landbeastnovel Chapter 95: Undercurrents in the Core Class
Chapter 95: Undercurrents in the Core Class
The next morning, when Lin Chen arrived at the classroom, it was already mostly full.
The classroom for Core Class One is on the third floor of the core teaching building, at the end of the corridor. The door is a heavy, dark brown solid wood door that requires force to open. The classroom is spacious, seating sixty people, but Core Class One only has thirty students, so the seats are arranged quite loosely. The desks and chairs are made of spirit wood, with fine spirit patterns inlaid in the dark brown wood grain. You can feel a slight warmth when you touch them, like holding a warm stone. After sitting for a while, spiritual energy slowly seeps into your body from the chair surface; it's not strong, but you can feel it.
There are six portraits hanging on the classroom wall, all of them depicting powerful martial artists from different eras. The largest one in the center is the first Martial Emperor, dressed in a black robe with a long sword at his waist and piercing eyes. The paint in the portrait is mixed with spiritual powder, and under different lighting conditions, his eyes seem to be staring at everyone.
Lin Chen sat in the last row by the window. Su Ling'er sat to his left, Chu Fan to his right, and Leng Feng sat next to Chu Fan, by the aisle. Su Muyue sat in the row in front of Lin Chen, several ancient books on formations spread out on her desk, their pages yellowed and covered with sticky notes. She was flipping through a book about ancient restrictions, her brow furrowed as she read intently.
Before the bell rang, the classroom had already quieted down. Not the kind of quiet that's truly quiet, but the kind where everyone is busy with their own things and doesn't disturb each other. Some people were resting with their eyes closed, some were flipping through cultivation manuals, and some were drawing something on the table with their fingertips—those were students from the array formation department memorizing array diagrams.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, leather shoes clicking steadily on the terrazzo floor. Bai Xuan pushed open the door, a lesson plan tucked between his fingers and a wooden sword under his arm. He placed the lesson plan on the podium, glanced around the classroom, and without a word, took a sip of water from the teacup on the podium.
"Today we'll be discussing the 'Gale Fist'." Bai Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in every corner of the classroom. "It's a high-grade Xuan-level martial art, suitable for martial artists in the Meridian Opening Realm. When mastered, the fist's wind is like a blade, capable of injuring people from a distance, doubling your combat power."
He wrote the three characters "烈风拳" (Lièfēngquán, meaning "Fierce Wind Fist") on the blackboard, the chalk strokes heavy and sharp, leaving white stubble at the ends. Then he began drawing a diagram of the energy flow path, a simplified diagram of the human body's meridians, marking the pathways of true energy and key acupoints. The chalk squeaked on the blackboard, and chalk dust fell in a flurry.
Lin Chen opened his notebook and began to copy. His handwriting wasn't good, but he wrote slowly, making sure every stroke was precise and that he didn't miss any details.
After explaining the principles of internal energy cultivation, Bai Xuan stepped down from the podium. He walked to Qin Hao's row and stopped.
"Qin Hao, stand up and demonstrate the starting stance once."
Qin Hao stood up, walked into the aisle, feet apart, shoulders relaxed, elbows dropped, fists at his waist. He took a deep breath and threw a punch—the force of the punch created a gust of wind that made the hair of the student next to him flutter. The movement was fluid and the power was precise; it was clear he had practiced beforehand.
Bai Xuan nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "Not bad, your starting stance is already quite good. But the point of force in your punch is wrong. Your true energy should be concentrated at the tip of your fist, not scattered at the base of your palm. Come on, let me show you how to do it."
He stood beside Qin Hao, reached out and supported Qin Hao's elbow, adjusting his angle. "Here, raise it half an inch. Yes, that's it. When you punch, don't just use the strength of your arm; turn your waist, thrust your hips, twist all the strength of your body into one point, and strike that one spot."
Bai Xuan taught him step by step, explaining every detail thoroughly, even the rhythm of breathing. Qin Hao's followers surrounded him, craning their necks to watch, afraid of missing a single word.
Lin Chen watched from the last row, his pen never stopping. He wrote down every key point Bai Xuan made—although he didn't see any of them, Bai Xuan spoke loudly enough for everyone in the classroom to hear.
After teaching Qin Hao, Bai Xuan moved on to the other young masters from various aristocratic families, instructing them one by one. One girl shrugged her shoulders too high when throwing a punch, so Bai Xuan stopped and corrected her three times until her movements were correct before continuing his instruction.
Su Ling'er muttered something under her breath, but Lin Chen didn't hear it and didn't ask.
When it was Lin Chen's turn, Bai Xuan glanced at him from afar.
"Lin Chen, study on your own." His tone was calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary. "The techniques and formulas are all written on the blackboard. Figure them out yourself. The core class emphasizes self-learning ability; you can't always rely on the teacher."