Chapter 5: The Start of School

Early the next morning, Li Zhen awoke. Only now did he have a chance to properly examine his room.

“Good morning, Li Zhen!” a female voice chimed as he got out of bed.

“Good morning, Mei Yun!” Li Zhen initially froze, then realized it was Mei Yun, the smart home manager speaking. He wasn’t yet fully accustomed to this world.

He stretched briefly. Though his body appeared thin and frail on the surface, it actually harbored strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Mei Yun had already prepared toiletries and clothes for him. After freshening up and changing into comfortable loungewear, he stepped out of his room.

“Mom!” Li Zhen called instinctively as he entered the living area, habits from his past life lingering.

No one responded; neither Father nor Mother Li were present.

On the dining table, a bowl of spirit rice congee awaited him - his breakfast. Although more than what was served in the hospital, it still seemed rather meager.

Li Zhen picked up the bowl, sipped the congee until every drop was gone, then placed it in the dishwasher for Mei Yun to handle later.

He knew where his parents should be at this hour: likely in the hydroponic farming area upstairs.

Using the elevator, he arrived at the cultivation zone. His eyes fell upon massive rotating planting tables. Father and Mother Li stood among them, continuously casting minor rain spells.

The initial stage of Qi Refining had limitations on the range of the Minor Cloud Rain Technique they employed. Fortunately, the couple had long since perfected their coordination. Before their spiritual energy ran dry, they managed to irrigate all three acres of spirit rice with blessed rainwater.

Li Zhen gazed at the sporadically appearing patches of rainclouds over the cultivation area, finding it hard to believe that such feats were within human capability. The difference between memory and firsthand observation was vast; his admiration for cultivators only intensified.

“Zhen’er, how do you feel now?” Mother Li asked, concern etched in her voice as she turned from completing her spell.

“Perfectly fine! I’m feeling incredibly strong!” Li Zhen replied, bouncing up and down twice to emphasize his point.

“Don’t go out these next few days,” Father Li interjected. “School starts in just a few more days. You need to be ready!”

Mother Li wholeheartedly supported keeping Li Zhen indoors. His recent string of accidents had left her deeply worried.

Li Zhen himself harbored no objections. For him, starting school was the most pivotal moment in his life. Whether he could become a true cultivator by channeling qi into his body would be determined once classes began.

On the day of enrollment, Li Zhen boarded a school bus bound for Yunxi Second Elementary Middle School, which adjoined the elementary school he had attended.

Today marked the arrival of new students. Although many faces were familiar from his previous school, few interacted. All understood the profound significance of this day.

From this day forward, the new students would be divided into two distinct categories: ordinary individuals and cultivators.

Henceforth, these two groups would embark on entirely different life paths, with social statuses that could not even be compared.

Li Zhen reported to the reception desk, where he was assigned number 112—this indicated his position in the queue for the Qi Channeling ceremony.

He joined the other newcomers, led onto the sports field. The weather remained scorching hot, with sunlight beating down relentlessly upon the students.

While Li Zhen himself didn’t feel overly burdened by the heat, he noticed many of his peers were visibly affected—a mix of nervousness and the oppressive sun causing sweat to stream down their faces, drenching their clothes.

Of course, some had come prepared: hats appeared, fans unfolded, and those who showed no signs of discomfort or perspiration likely carried magical artifacts capable of shielding them from the high temperatures.

The student next to Li Zhen assumed he fell into the latter category, envy and jealousy evident in his gaze.

It was worth noting that any magical artifact, regardless of how basic its function might seem, commanded an exorbitant price—one beyond the reach of many families’ means.

“Attention, all students!” the teacher standing at the front announced sternly. “We will admit twenty students at a time. No cutting in line, and absolute silence must be maintained. Any violation will result in immediate disqualification!”

The freshmen stood at attention, terrified of being called on by the teacher.

The instructor announced, “Freshmen 1 through 20, enter now. Freshmen 21 through 40, prepare.”

Li Zhen watched as the first 20 cadets walked through the gate. He couldn’t help but sigh; he was number 112, in for a long wait.

Less than ten minutes after the first group entered, disheartened cadets began emerging. It was clear they had failed to channel the qi into their bodies.

More and more cadets exited, all unsuccessful.

Half an hour passed before the last five cadets emerged, visibly different from the previous ones—they were smiling.

Round after round, cadets entered and exited. The number who truly succeeded in Qi Channeling was remarkably small, barely twenty percent overall.

Finally, it was Li Zhen’s turn, and he stepped through the gate.

Inside, he found twenty upright oval machines with open hatches.

“Follow the order! Each of you, enter one guidance machine!” the teacher instructed.

Li Zhen located the guidance machine labeled “12,” approached it, and sensed its aura. Though he wasn’t sure if this device could be considered a magical artifact, its quality was undoubtedly top-tier, akin to a first-rank high-grade item.

He suppressed the gravitational pull from the guide machine and stepped inside. The cabin door closed automatically, followed by metal rods extending from various points on the inner walls, securing even his head in place.

The metal rods pressed against specific acupoints on his body, while soothing natural sounds—flowing water, bird songs, gentle breezes—filled his ears.

Under the influence of these sounds, his mind became exceptionally calm, minimizing his perception of external stimuli to an extreme degree.

A peculiar wave traveled down from above his head; for the first time, Li Zhen sensed the presence of spiritual energy, thanks to the function of the guide machine.

The guide machine was a groundbreaking invention. Through countless improvements over time, it had become a cornerstone of the cultivation world.

Before the advent of the guide machine, initiating qi channeling—the process of drawing spiritual energy into one’s body—for the first time was extremely difficult, especially for cultivators with weaker spiritual roots, who had a very low probability of success.

However, everything changed with the introduction of the guide machine. As long as a cultivator’s spiritual root met certain conditions and their adaptability to spiritual energy reached a threshold, they could achieve successful qi channeling using this device.

Li Zhen felt the spiritual energy being channeled into his body through the instrument atop his head. Without needing any conscious control, the metal rods touching his skin guided the spiritual energy along predetermined pathways within him.

Every time the spiritual energy reached a metal rod, he felt it create a vortex of spiritual energy at that point.

He lost track of time during this process, until one hundred and eight spiritual energy vortices had formed within his body. These vortices were no longer separate from him but became an integral part of his being.

The metal rods of the Guide Machine retracted, lifting the restraints on his body.

“Student Li Zhen #112 has successfully channeled spiritual energy into his body!” A voice jolted him out of his self-examination.

The cabin door opened, and Li Zhen emerged from the Guide Machine. Two others—a boy and a girl—also exited with him. Out of the twenty new students in this batch, only these three had successfully completed Qi Channeling.

“I’m finally a cultivator!” The male student, a small chubby boy, exclaimed excitedly.

“Hurry up and get out! The next group is about to come in!” the teacher scolded sternly.

The little fatty quickly sobered up and briskly walked towards the door.

Li Zhen, still sensing the changes within himself, followed suit.

The most significant change within him was his ability to sense spiritual energy without relying on a Guide Machine.

Why is the spiritual energy in the outside world so weak?!

This was his immediate thought upon sensing spiritual energy for the first time. Compared to what he had experienced inside the Guide Machine moments ago, this felt like less than one-tenth of that potent presence.

After exiting, Li Zhen and two other successful newcomers who had achieved Qi Channeling were led to another classroom. Upon entering, they were greeted by enthusiastic chatter.

“Isn’t that Li Zhen? I can’t believe someone like you managed to channel spiritual energy!” As soon as Li Zhen stepped through the door, a burly male student spoke with clear disdain.

Li Zhen’s heart flared with anger at the sight of this muscular boy. Delving into his memories, he recognized him as Cheng He, a former classmate from his old school and one of those who frequently bullied him.

“Hey, Li Zhen, I’m talking to you!” Seeing that Li Zhen was ignoring him, Cheng He felt his face burning up before all their classmates. He raised his voice further, approaching Li Zhen menacingly.

It was important to remember that all these newcomers would eventually become classmates in the cultivator program.

Li Zhen remained silent, stepping aside to let Cheng He pass as he searched for an empty seat.

Li Zhen’s indifference only fueled Cheng He’s anger further. Especially when he noticed the prettiest girl in class wasn’t looking at him; in his mind, this meant she had lost interest due to his perceived failure.

Standing at 180 centimeters tall, even considering the accelerated growth of children here influenced by spiritual energy, Cheng He was still the tallest among their peers at just twelve years old.

In contrast, Li Zhen barely reached 150 centimeters and had a frail build.

Leaning sideways, Cheng He reached out to grab Li Zhen by the neck. The sight of someone so tall (180 cm) bullying someone shorter (150 cm) made it look like an adult was picking on a child.

Some students in the classroom couldn’t bear watching any longer and turned away. Others reveled in the misfortune of others, enjoying the spectacle. Then there were those driven by sympathy, preparing to intervene and talk sense.

With a loud thud, Cheng He crashed heavily onto the ground, while the seemingly weak Li Zhen stood unscathed, as if nothing had happened.