Chapter 4: Cultivation Exchange

Fang Lang rested his head on one hand and flashed Ni Wen his best smile.

The horrified expression on the girl's face did not stop her from turning back for a look. He felt rather speechless for her behavior.

The academy genius was acting like a fool.

Ni Wen's frequent glances to the back got the attention of other students which stirred up a commotion.

Seated on the dais, the mentor banged his gavel.

"Silence. There is one month until the Imperial Examination. Concentrate your efforts and don't lose focus. This is a chance for you to change your fate." The mentor pointed out.

Ni Wen knew the words were meant for her. She resisted the urge to look at Fang Lang but curiosity lingered. What was this unprecedented feeling of familiarity when they barely interacted?

Once the mentor was satisfied with Ni Wen's attitude, he turned to Fang Lang. The mentor did not waste his breath on Fang Lang. Ni Wen had a good core and the potential to be selected by the elite sects in the Tang Dynasty after the Imperial Examination.

Fang Lang… There was little chance the rich man's son would do well in the Imperial Examination. After graduating from Luojiang Academy, it was likely he would inherit the family's business and lead a boring but comfortable life. The mentor ignored the boy.

He continued giving pointers on the complicated aspects of the Tang Dynasty's Sword Scripture and the key points to focus on for the Imperial Examination.

Fang Lang stopped staring at Ni Wen and listened to the mentor's explanation.

From the front, a boy seven seats away was staring daggers at Fang Lang.

Fang Lang was shocked. The boy was tanned and there was a glint of cruelty in his eyes.

'Liu Hao, fifth-grade martial arts disciple, academy ranking 378th, class ranking 27th.' Fang Lang recalled the details about him.

Liu Hao was a common folk like Ni Wen but he was nowhere near Ni Wen's level of talent. A fifth-grade martial arts disciple was far from a ninth-grade spell disciple.

"What a deadly glare," Fang Lang muttered under his breath, a smirk on his lips.

Liu Hao met Fang Lang's eyes and did not back down. He mouthed something.

'Buzz off!'

That was Fang Lang's interpretation.

Fang Lang cocked an eyebrow.

Was Liu Hao an admirer of Ni Wen's? They were both from the same social class.

Perhaps he treated Ni Wen as his exclusive property?

Possessive much? Fang Lang only exchanged glances with Ni Wen and Liu Hao was already sending him warnings.

The warning did not piss Fang Lang off—he was a sensible person after all.

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With a bright smile on his face, Fang Lang flipped Liu Hao the bird.

Then, he turned away, ignoring the fuming Liu Hao. He rested his chin on his palm and paid attention to the mentor's lecture, his finger lightly tapping on the desk.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

The mentor who kept track of the passage of time sounded the bell.

The mentor on the dais closed the Tang Dynasty's Sword Scripture. He took the teacup on the high table and lifted the lid. He sipped the liquid elegantly.

He emptied the cup and chewed on some tea leaves before banging the gavel. "What you read is the theory, cultivation also requires practice… The Imperial Examination encompasses both theory and practical. Get ready and gather at the practice grounds."

The order was greeted with cheers from the class. Students who were falling asleep during the lecture looked forward to actual combat on the practice grounds.

The mentor left the room.

The volume of chatter in the study hall rose.

Fang Lang stood up and stretched lazily. His mood was infinitely better now that he had the ability to overcome his cultivation limitations.

'Ding! Guide mission: Engage in meaningful interactions with the binding partner, Ni Wen, about cultivation. For the first attempt, you will receive the Sword Draw Technique (Sword Mastery Specialty) as your reward.'

Huh?

The guide mission notification appeared in Fang Lang's mind.

The mission reminded Fang Lang of the last detail in the System character panel, 'Sole Passive Ability: Additional rewards may be granted when the host bonds with the binding partner over cultivation.'

Fang Lang smiled.

He was passionate about cultivation and the reward was an extra bonus.

In a languid pace, he walked toward Ni Wen.

The girl was hunched over like a tortoise hiding its head.

Ni Wen was curious about the reason behind the familiarity with Fang Lang.

She swore she had never spoken to Fang Lang.

As she turned around, she saw the boy walking toward her.

Ni Wen made a distraught expression.

Why was he coming over?

It was too sudden.

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'Don't… Don't come over!'

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Ni Wen was too surprised to revert to her original position. She screamed internally.

Her internal struggles did nothing to stop Fang Lang's approach. Not minding the dusty floors of the study halls, the boy sat down across Ni Wen's desk.

"I'm Fang Lang. Fang like a square, Lang like a wave."

Fang Lang introduced himself to the frozen statue of a girl, a charming smile on his face.

"I… I…"

Ni Wen kept a low profile in the academy. After class, she always headed straight for home.

The friction between the lower and upper class—compounded with her mother's advice—made her reticent in school. She rarely interacted with the sons of the rich families.

This was the first time she was socializing with a boy from the upper class.

Her nervousness made her tongue-tied.

The best course of action was to abstain from any further interactions with Fang Lang. However, the undeniable familiarity whittled her resolve.

Fang Lang kept the gentle smile on his face. Who knew the third-ranked genius in the academy was such an introvert?

A part of it was likely due to the partner-binding—the process interfered with the girl's emotions.

The System stated the process would not affect the partner's core or talents, but there would be some mental and emotional changes.

"Relax. I have some questions regarding cultivation and wanted to ask for your guidance. You're the prodigy of our class after all."

Fang Lang lowered his posture to appear deferential—the smile on his face remained unchanged.

His well-mannered attitude lowered Ni Wen's defenses. Anxiety bled out from her body.

Ni Wen checked their surroundings for odd glances from the other students. Then, she said with her shoulders hunched, "G-Go ahead. I'll try my best to answer."

She knew Fang Lang was not an academically promising student. She surmised his question would not be too difficult to stump her.

The sooner she answered, the sooner she would be left alone.

Fang Lang took Ni Wen's positive reply as progress.

His expression changed from friendly to serious as he delivered his question. Ni Wen was glad to witness the earnesty.

"When channeling the Tang Dynasty's Sword Scripture, I always feel my meridians clogging after completing a small circuit. There'll be a disruption in the flow of spiritual energy and the top of my head will smoke. The body becomes uncomfortable and the meridians struggle to keep up…"

Ni Wen's eyelashes fluttered as she looked at Fang Lang with surprise.

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The question was very familiar.

She had encountered the same issue recently when channeling the Tang Dynasty Spell Scripture and sought guidance from the mentors. The complication was ultimately resolved. She was surprised Fang Lang came to her for help.

Ni Wen could answer in confidence after her personal experience with the issue.

Her hands were folded into her sleeves as she let out a knowing sound. A slender finger moved elegantly on the desk, tracing out the human meridians diagram.

"I've looked into the Sword Scripture, the channeling for the small circuit is similar to that of the Spell Scripture. It's the basic cultivation technique used in the Tang Dynasty. The principle should be similar…

"Slow down the spiritual energy flow as it approaches the Shangxing acupoint. Keep it at the slowest flow between the Luhui acupoint and the Shangxing acupoint but layer your spiritual energy at the Qianding acupoint. At the apex, punch through the barrier at one go. This will minimize the load on the meridians and avoid smoking at the crown. However, this method requires a strong spiritual sense."

Ni Wen's voice faltered toward the end and she retracted her hand.

Throughout her explanation, Fang Lang had a smile on his face. An occasional nod was observed as he digested the words.

The individual words were recognizable but the concept was a mystery to Fang Lang.

Despite his cluelessness, he maintained a calm expression.

'Switch to the binding partner's cultivation state,' he thought.

'Ding! Switching successful. Happy cultivating!' The System chimed.

After the switch, Fang Lang had 50% of Ni Wen's cultivation inspiration. He had also activated the 3X Amplification Card in the morning. After the morning session with the spirit crystals and two hours of class, he had another hour remaining.

This meant Fang Lang had 150% of Ni Wen's cultivation inspiration.

In the next moment, Fang Lang's eyes lit up. He found new meanings in Ni Wen's words as his mind made the connections.

Thoughts and ideas came to him and he suggested certain improvements that could be made to Ni Wen's method.

The surprise was evident in Ni Wen's eyes as she stared at the boy.

'He… He actually understands!'

Ni Wen felt as if she had found her kin.

A scholar of her caliber!

In Fang Lang's head, a System notification popped up and brought a smile to his face.

'Ding! The host has completed the guide mission by engaging in meaningful interactions with the binding partner, Ni Wen, about cultivation. You have received the Sword Draw Technique (Sword Mastery Specialty) as your reward.

'The Sword Draw Technique will be incorporated through mental memory and muscle memory. The ins and outs of the technique will be revealed to the host. Happy cultivating!'

1. The original text makes little sense if translated directly, hence some liberties were taken.

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