Chapter 35: The Path of Witchcraft and Gu

“What?”

Every student in Yuanzhi Pavilion froze, staring blankly at the black-robed elder walking in slowly. Some even looked pleasantly surprised. After all the fuss yesterday, they thought there would be no instructor. Who knew misfortune could bring such luck? Instead of the young instructor Yuanzhi, they were getting an even more powerful one for their lessons?

This elder happened to be the highly respected Instructor Lingxiu of the Academy…

She was ranked quite high among the dozen or so instructors…

“And she actually came…”

But Fang Cun inexplicably felt a sinking sensation in his heart, an uneasy premonition.

Yesterday, it was this elder whose single sentence had blocked his chance to enter Lan Shuang Pavilion. Now here she was again…

…

“You only have one year left!”

The black-robed elder entered the pavilion, calmly seated herself behind the lecture desk. Facing the gazes of students filled either with pleasant surprise or awe, her expression remained utterly unchanged. Beneath her hood, her gaunt face tilted slightly as her eyes slowly swept across the pavilion. Silence fell instantly.

At a glance, she seemed ancient, giving the aura of someone eighty or ninety years old. But upon closer look, her face wasn’t heavily wrinkled, less aged than expected. Yet, clad in her black cloak with an eerie presence, she unnerved anyone who looked upon her. Her gaze passed over each student in the pavilion before she spoke in a raspy voice: “Yesterday, you made utter fools of yourselves during the Elder Mentor’s lecture. Did you truly believe that dawdling your way through these three years at the Academy was an acceptable path?”

Hearing this, most students flushed with shame. They lowered their heads, unable to meet her eyes.

“Utterly naive. You have no inkling of what you are squandering…” The Instructor Lingxiu continued, her voice hoarse and carrying a note of cold mockery. “The great path of a Qi Refiner is about ascending step by step, breaking through barriers layer by layer. Truth be told, none of you possess the natural aptitude meriting entry into this Academy. Whether you leveraged connections or paid hefty silver to get in—that entry was your stroke of fortune…”

“A pity you grasp so little just how great that fortune is…”

“Hmph! Others might see you as chosen ones, your status transformed by entering the Academy, but truly, what are you worth?”

“Above the Academy stand the County Sects. Above the County Sects stand the Divine Palaces. Above the Divine Palaces stands the Immortal Palace!”

“Only by climbing this ladder—entering County Sects, then Divine Palaces, and finally reaching the Immortal Palace—do you complete the great path, earning the barest measure of qualification!”

“…”

As she spoke, her gaze flickered over Fang Cun almost casually. She continued deliberately: “However, those who successfully tread this path are invariably prodigies of their era. Just like the eldest young master of the Fang Family of Willow Lake, the Immortal Master Fang Chi. He entered the Nine Immortal Sect of Duyan County, then was selected for the Celestial Moon Palace in Shenjiang County, and finally ascended to the Seven Kings Immortal Palace. Only such a man can truly claim significant achievement.”

Many sidelong glances darted towards Fang Cun.

Regarding the Instructor Lingxiu’s words, most felt indifferent. The Immortal Master Fang Chi’s accomplishments were naturally unattainable by them.

If everyone could tread the same path as the Immortal Master Fang Chi, then the name ‘Fang Chi of Willow Lake’ wouldn’t have resonated throughout the land.

“Of course…” The elder paused, then her lips curled into a derisive sneer. “But this path is forever closed to the likes of you. Out of the Academy’s three hundred disciples, perhaps only a mere dozen qualify for County Sects. Of the three paths after graduation, one is already dead for you. All you can do is scrape and struggle towards the other two…”

“Therefore, forget coveting the cultivation level attained through profound study, or the refined Treasure Body. It holds not a sliver of opportunity for you. Instead, exert yourselves diligently in the way of spellcraft. Mastery there might yield some tangible skill, perhaps even allowing you to remain in the city in the future…”

“And failing that, even being sent to the Eternal Night Wasteland—having more real, substantial abilities means a better chance of staying alive!”

“…”

Hearing her words, the students paled, their expressions acutely awkward. No one dared utter a word.

“She… is actually a practical instructor…” Fang Cun listened, surprised inwardly, yet couldn’t help but feel a tinge of reluctant admiration.

After their three years at the Academy, disciples generally faced three outcomes:

First, being spotted and recruited by Sects across the counties to learn even deeper arts.

Second, entering various branches of the imperial administration as constables, guards, artifact refiners, medical officers, strategists, etc.

Third, being taken by the Nightwatcher Palace to explore the Eternal Night Wasteland.

The third option was often the final destination for disciples lacking outstanding talent or influential backgrounds.

Of course, besides these three, a fourth path existed: those neither recruited by Sects, deemed unfit for official roles, nor willing to risk death in the Wasteland. They usually fled, becoming Rogue Cultivators. But this condemned them to a life in shadows, stripped of their Qi Refiner status.

Potentially, they could even become fugitives.

The old woman’s blunt statements were indeed harsh truths, but undeniably practical.

“So, this old servant has come to teach you truly practical life-saving abilities, not profound cultivation!”

The Instructor Lingxiu finished laying out her rationale. She paused momentarily, her gaze indifferent as it swept across the students in the pavilion. Suddenly, her voice lifted slightly: “Yesterday, you all heard the lecture on the Art of Object Manipulation by Elder Zhong Yue. Did you find it astonishing?”

The disciples responded with enthusiastic nods.

Even Fang Cun felt a spark of anticipation. He wondered how long it would take to achieve such skill as Elder Zhong Yue.

Just then, Fang Cun felt a faint sensation. He glanced down to see a tiny, blue beetle the size of a grain of rice crawling near his foot. It was unremarkable, and insects were common among the Academy’s wooded grounds. Barely noticing, he instinctively stepped on it, squashing it flat, then turned back to the lecture.

At that moment, however, Instructor Lingxiu surveyed their nodding heads and let out a cold chuckle.

“Touch your necks!”

Her command was uttered casually, almost offhand, as she lowered her eyelids.

Perplexed, the disciples instinctively reached for their necks. Suddenly, chaos erupted within the pavilion. Tables and chairs toppled with crashing sounds. Someone shrieked in fright. Students stumbled, looking at each other in bewilderment. To their horror, each neck bore one or even several small insects, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

Despite being Qi Refiners, the shock was overwhelming.

“Hmph!” Instructor Lingxiu snorted coldly, instantly silencing the turmoil. A subtle flicker of satisfaction crossed her stern face. “The Destined Scripture of Elder Zhong Yue is the Classic of Arts. Naturally, his Art of Object Manipulation is formidable. But no matter how masterful such skill, when it kills you, you see it coming.” She paused, delivering her blow with chilling precision: “Yet, when a master of my Classic of Spirits wants your lives… you won’t even know how you died.”

As she spoke, she retrieved a blue Gourd from beneath her black cloak and uncorked it.

With a casual wave of her hand, the blue insects clinging to the students’ necks unfolded their wings simultaneously. As they lifted into the air above the pavilion, they resembled a thin, pale blue mist drifting steadily towards the Instructor, funneling silently back into the Gourd.

Fang Cun was caught completely unprepared. An awkward flush crept over his face.

Quietly, he stretched out his foot and nudged the squashed grub towards his neighbor, Shen Shiming by accident.

Fortunately, amidst the swarm of little creatures, the Instructor failed to notice. Once the last insect vanished back into the Gourd, she replaced the stopper firmly and stowed it beneath her cloak. Her gaze swept over the trembling students with fierce intensity: “My Destined Scripture is the Classic of Spirits. I cultivate and study the Spirit Controlling Arts contained within it. All things in heaven and earth harbor spirits! Therefore, all things can be shaped to my will! Such is the true measure of power.”

“Refine your Art of Object Manipulation to the peak—can a single person defeat an army of a million?”

“Perfect the Arts of Soul Bewitchment—could it truly ensnare an entire nation?”

“Only the way of the Classic of Spirits permits one to harness the strength of all living things under heaven! In its ultimate grandeur, honed to mastery, one could command armies of insects, legions of beasts. A single person, embodying an unstoppable force, capable of toppling kingdoms!” Her voice lowered, turning grimly practical. “And on a smaller scale? In days to come, subduing Demons or taming strange beasts empowers you beyond others. This… is the Art of Gu within the Classic of Spirits—the magic I will teach you!”

“…”

The disciples listened with intense focus. None dared risk distraction, lest another slip unnoticed beneath their collars.

At that moment, Instructor Lingxiu slowly rose. She walked deliberately to stand beside Fang Cun.

“What do you think of my arts of Witchcraft and Gu, hmm?”

She peered down upon him. No trace of a smile softened her stern features as she posed the simple question.

Fang Cun hurried to answer: “Profoundly deep and profoundly admired!”

A faint, almost imperceptible flicker of satisfaction touched the black-robed elder’s impassive face. “Though I am but a temporary Instructor over these few days,” she stated flatly, “I shall spare no effort in your instruction. Be truthful now: can you recite the Classic of Spirits from memory?”

Fang Cun hesitated, then answered honestly: “No, Instructor… I cannot.”

He’d only been at the Academy for a month, pouring his energy into refining Qi and mastering the Classic of Arts. The Classic of Spirits? He had merely glanced through it.

“For an Academy Disciple, all Seven Classics must be knowable by heart, reverse or forward!”

The Instructor fixed him with a cold stare. “You enrolled late. Your grounding in the Seven Classics lags far behind. The art I teach now will likely be gibberish in your ears.” Her tone brooked no argument. “Therefore, a punishing course of study is needed. The Classic of Spirits—as one of the Seven Classics—is the foundational essence controlling everything from Witchcraft and Gu to beast-taming and Demon suppression! Your task is simple: master its recitation entirely. I shall test you on it tomorrow!”

Having delivered this absolute decree, she turned her back decisively and returned to the lecture desk, resuming her lessons on the Art of Gu.

Left alone in his seat, Fang Cun simply gazed at the Classic of Spirits, thick as his finger. A wave of stunned disbelief washed over him.

“Thousands… no, tens of thousands of densely packed words…,” he thought, despair settling like a heavy stone in his stomach. “And I must memorize all of it… overnight?”