Chapter 10: Capture

“That’s Cheng He, with a mid-grade fire spiritual root!”

Over the next few days, Cheng He became a celebrity at Second High School. With his mid-grade fire spiritual root, he had an excellent chance of becoming a prominent figure in Yunxi County.

Many classmates, even seniors, started approaching Cheng He, which further fueled his pride.

As his fame grew, so did his loathing for Li Zhen.

Every time he saw Li Zhen, it reminded him of being thrown to the ground by him.

However, outside of school, Li Zhen took the bus home, leaving no opportunity for revenge.

After a month into the new term, twenty students from the first-year cultivator class achieved the first layer of Qi Refinement.

The transition from channeling qi into one’s body to reaching the first layer of Qi Refinement is relatively smooth, primarily requiring the accumulation of spiritual energy. As long as one’s spiritual roots aren’t exceptionally poor, aided by external resources, achieving the first layer within thirty days isn’t particularly challenging.

On this day, the cultivator class received an updated course schedule, introducing more diverse subjects.

Li Zhen flipped through the introductory texts on Hundred Grasses, Spirit Materials, and Mythical Beasts. He discovered that these courses focused on foundational knowledge, covering only first-rank spirit materials and mythical beasts.

His Winged Wood wasn’t mentioned in the beginner Spirit Materials textbook. Nevertheless, these courses weren’t entirely useless; they could at least teach students to recognize first-rank spirit materials and mythical beasts, helping them identify potential dangers and avoid them proactively.

“Students, regardless of your spiritual roots as cultivators, mastering combat skills is essential! This Combat Fundamentals course will teach you how to fight effectively!” Mr. Zuo Zheng, the instructor, stood tall and slender at the lectern, exuding a sword-like aura.

The students perked up, even the girls in class eager to learn self-defense through combat.

Why can’t ordinary people leave the city while cultivators have no such restrictions? It’s because non-cultivators lack any means of protection in the wilderness, whereas cultivators can safeguard themselves.

The beasts that appear in the wild are generally weak with limited fighting abilities.

Any powerful creatures near cities would have been discovered and eliminated long ago.

The real trouble in the wilderness comes from creatures like the demonic rats. Even if all known demonic rats were killed, some ordinary rats could still mutate into spirit rodents.

This world’s air contains spiritual energy; though it may be sparse, it’s enough for small animals to undergo strange transformations, evolving into monstrous beasts.

“I specialize in swordsmanship,” Mr. Zuo continued. “Throughout this course, I’ll impart upon you the basic techniques of the Xian Nation’s sword methods!”

“Will we learn flying swords, sir?” Cheng He asked, raising his hand.

The recent news about a sword cultivator slaying a divine dragon had greatly influenced the students, including Cheng He.

“To wield a flying sword, one must first reach the intermediate stage of qi cultivation,” Mr. Zuo explained with understanding. “For now, you should focus on mastering ordinary swordsmanship!”

Disappointment flickered across many faces; who wouldn’t dream of becoming a cultivator capable of vanquishing enemies with a mere wave of their fingers?

When school dismissed, Li Zhen, unusually, didn’t head straight home, joined by several classmates.

Earlier in class, Mr. Zuo, their combat instructor, had assigned them a task: visit one of the partnered shops around town to select a longsword.

The reason for “select” was that the cost of purchasing these swords would be covered by Yunxi County’s budget—a perk exclusive to the cultivator program students.

Li Zhen deliberately avoided the Nine Heavens Group’s magical weapons store. Instead, he entered Xingrui Group’s shop, where about ten others had made the same choice.

This wasn’t surprising; currently, the most renowned magical weapon stores in Yunxi County were those established by the three major groups—Nine Heavens, Xingrui, and Puyi—all popular choices among students.

“Student, please show your identity bracelet so I can assist you in choosing a practice sword!” The Xingrui Group’s magical weapons store seemed well-prepared, assigning each student a dedicated salesperson.

Li Zhen displayed the public information from his identity bracelet, which the female salesperson verified to confirm his status.

“Student,” she said with a smile, “please extend your arms. I need to gather some data on your arm and hand dimensions to help you choose the most suitable practice sword!”

Li Zhen stretched out his arms, and a beam of light swept over his body.

The saleswoman then tapped away at her screen for a moment. The cabinet beside her sprang open, revealing ten longswords standing vertically inside.

Li Zhen sensed the presence of these ten swords. He could tell they contained only tiny amounts of low-grade first-order materials. In his view, these swords didn’t even qualify as first-rate magical artifacts.

However, considering they were meant for practice and free of charge, he couldn’t expect too much.

“These are the Xingrui F101 through F110 model practice swords,” the saleswoman explained. “All of them are perfectly suited to your physique and have been enchanted for durability—built to last without easily breaking!”

The so-called different models simply referred to various designs; there were slim blades, broadswords, short swords, stilettos, two-handed swords, and more.

Li Zhen chose a classic three-foot sword—the same type that was favored by most students.

He took hold of it, feeling how well the hilt fit in his grip.

“I’m still growing,” Li Zhen noted as he swung the sword experimentally. “This practice sword will be perfect now, but probably not in a few years!”

“The first three months are crucial for swordsmanship,” the saleswoman explained with a smile, clearly accustomed to addressing such concerns. “A suitable practice sword prevents bad habits. If you find your current one unsuitable later, feel free to come back and choose another!”

Li Zhen shook his head, holding the practice sword in hand as he turned to leave.

No sooner had he exited the Xingrui Group’s magical tools specialty store than he sensed someone trailing behind him.

Among them was likely a classmate; he detected an aura similar to that of his own practice sword. The other carried what appeared to be a genuine low-grade first-rank magical artifact.

Initially, he dismissed it as coincidence. However, even after leaving the bustling commercial street and entering a quiet alleyway, the two figures remained in pursuit.

Their pace quickened, and when Li Zhen glanced back, he recognized one as Cheng He. Judging by the clothing and insignia, the second seemed to be an upperclassman.

“Ah, Li Zhen! We finally caught up to you!” Cheng He declared smugly.

Having learned from an upperclassman that freshmen needed to acquire practice swords from this street, Cheng He had arranged for the senior to keep watch on Li Zhen while he expedited his own selection process. His plan had paid off, successfully cornering Li Zhen.

“What do you want, Cheng He?” Li Zhen asked, frowning.

His gaze fell cautiously on Cheng He; he couldn’t afford to underestimate his senior’s strength.

“Can you really not guess what I want?” Cheng He asked angrily as he stepped closer to Li Zhen with each word.

As a genius, having been humiliated by Li Zhen was intolerable for him—even if it had occurred before either of them became cultivators.

When Cheng He reached within two meters of Li Zhen, he swung his sheathed practice sword at him.

Though filled with hatred towards Li Zhen, killing him wasn’t his intention. At most, he wanted to inflict some physical pain to regain his lost dignity.

Having received the divine dragon bloodline inheritance, Li Zhen now possessed even greater control over his body.

He extended one hand to block the sword sheath while forming a fist with the other, which he directed straight at Cheng He’s abdomen.

The impact forced Cheng He to involuntarily curl up like a shrimp, rendering him instantly incapable of further combat due to the excruciating pain.

Neither Li Zhen nor Cheng He had yet learned the battle techniques specific to cultivators. Consequently, their fight relied solely on who could move faster and exert more force—in this aspect, Li Zhen held an absolute advantage.

“Senior Lu!” Cheng He strained his neck to look back at his senior and plead for help.

Among the students who had been trying to befriend him recently, Senior Lu was the most powerful, already at the peak of the second level of Qi Refinement.

Although Cheng He had reached the first level of Qi Refinement, he wasn’t confident in his ability to defeat Li Zhen. Senior Lu was his safety net.

Hearing Cheng He’s call, Senior Lu took a step forward with a faint smile. Then, with a wave of his hand, a large net materialized out of thin air and descended.

No one could have anticipated that this net would not only envelop Li Zhen but also Cheng He.

By the time Li Zhen noticed Senior Lu’s action, it was too late. He lacked experience dealing with such peculiar magical artifacts.

As the net wrapped around him, a paralyzing sensation spread through his body, rendering him immobile.

How did a magical artifact specifically designed for capture end up in the hands of a student?

Li Zhen found it even more bewildering why Senior Lu would ensnare both Cheng He and himself within the same net.

Before he could ponder further, a strange smile appeared on Senior Lu’s face. A surge of magical energy emanated from the net, causing both Li Zhen and Cheng He to lose consciousness instantly.