Volume One: First Steps into the Dao Chapter Fifty-Six: Statistics

As time passed, Yin Jia finally answered all the lingering questions from the crowd, and the first enlightenment class for the freshmen of the Daoist Arts Department gradually drew to a close.

“Now, does anyone still have any questions?” Yin Jia asked gently. Even someone of her cultivation found herself parched after such a long lecture, her voice carrying a slight rasp if one listened closely.

Thanks to her patient explanations, the students' confusion had already been dispelled, and they all shook their heads in response.

Seeing this, Yin Jia smiled and said, “Very well. In a moment, I’ll need everyone to help with a quick registration, and then today’s class will be over.”

In truth, during the question-and-answer session, Yin Jia had already gained a general understanding of everyone’s situation. However, to avoid any mix-ups, a formal registration was still necessary.

No one objected; in fact, their faces were lit with excitement. After all, class was about to end, and the energy spent in cultivation was far greater than in ordinary studies. Some were already daydreaming about what delicious food they’d enjoy once class was over.

Since there were no objections, Yin Jia said no more. With a few deft hand movements, as if operating some invisible mechanism, she produced a half-human-tall object resembling a mirror from seemingly nowhere.

The students, mesmerized by her mysterious actions, couldn’t help but exclaim, “What is that mirror?”

Someone nearby replied, “Never mind the mirror—aren’t you curious where the teacher got it from? I didn’t see her take it out from anywhere!”

At this, the original questioner realized, “You’re right! I didn’t see it at all—where did it come from?”

“That’s because you’re inexperienced,” said another, who seemed to know the answer. “The teacher probably took it from a spatial artifact.”

“A spatial artifact? What’s that?” the first student asked, confused.

“It’s an artifact used for storage—just as the name suggests.” The knowledgeable student explained patiently.

“I see! I’ve never heard of such a thing before,” the two replied, enlightened.

“I only heard about it recently myself. Now that we’re cultivators, we’ll learn about these things sooner or later.”

“So, how can one get such an artifact? It seems awfully convenient,” another asked.

“You can find them for sale on the exchange interface or the forums, but at our current level, I’d say don’t get your hopes up—the prices are far out of reach,” the student replied kindly.

Yin Jia, meanwhile, paid no heed to their chatter nor offered any explanation. Such things, she knew, they would come to understand in time.

Adjusting the mirror’s position, she formed a series of mudras with her hands. Under her control, the half-sized mirror floated magically into the air, its surface emitting a soft, mysterious glow, reminiscent of a magic mirror from a fairy tale.

The class erupted into exclamations of amazement once again.

Yin Jia could only shake her head helplessly, thinking, “These children—perhaps after they’ve seen enough, they won’t be so easily astonished.”

Regardless of their reactions, she said, “All right, this mirror is the artifact we’ll use for registration. Each of you, in turn, come up and place your finger on the mirror’s surface, channel a bit of spiritual energy, and state your name. Then you’re free to leave.”

“Yes, teacher,” the students replied in unison.

With that, Yin Jia beckoned to the first student in the front row.

The student stepped forward and did as instructed. A flash of red light flickered across the mirror’s surface, and a red symbol appeared beside the student’s name.

“Very good—you may go,” Yin Jia said.

“Goodbye, teacher,” he replied, turning to leave.

One after another, the students came forward to register. The lights flickering across the mirror varied—some red, some green, yellow, blue, and so on. Clearly, these colors reflected the different Dao seeds each had comprehended.

Eventually, it was Ye Junze’s turn. After greeting Yin Jia and receiving her nod, he followed her instructions. Pressing his finger to the mirror, he felt a strange ripple from his fingertip, which resonated with the purple lightning in his dantian, sending out its own pulse. The mirror flashed with a violet light, identical to his lightning, and a purple lightning symbol appeared next to his name.

Yin Jia nodded and said, “All right, you may go.”

“Goodbye, teacher,” Ye Junze replied.

“Until next time,” Yin Jia said, waving her hand.

Ye Junze waved back and turned to leave.

Once he had gone, Yin Jia gestured for the remaining students to come forward.

When the last student had completed the process and left, the once-bustling classroom was suddenly empty, save for Yin Jia herself.

She stretched, letting out a long breath. “Finally finished. I suppose it’s time for me to head back as well.”

She checked the mirror to confirm everything was in order, then stored it back in her spatial artifact.

After making sure nothing was left behind, she said, “I’d best submit these results to them first.” With that, she left the classroom, striding off to destinations unknown.

...

After leaving the classroom, Ye Junze did not hurry back to his dormitory like the others, but walked at his usual unhurried pace. Though the morning’s enlightenment had left him hungry, his leisurely demeanor betrayed nothing.

“Hey, junior!” a delighted voice called out.

Ye Junze turned toward the familiar voice. When he saw who it was, he broke into a smile. “Senior Lin, what brings you here?”

“I just finished class and saw someone who looked like you from behind. Turns out, it really was you,” Lin Xin replied.

Ye Junze nodded. “I see.”

“You had your enlightenment class today, right? How was it?” Lin Xin asked as she approached.

“Yes, it was all right. I quite enjoyed it,” Ye Junze answered earnestly.

Hearing this, Lin Xin said, “You’re heading back to the dorm, right? Shall we walk together and chat?”

“I’d be delighted! Maybe you can give me some pointers along the way.” Ye Junze smiled.

Lin Xin waved her hand, feigning annoyance. “There you go teasing me again—what pointers? Let’s talk as we walk.”

She set off first, and Ye Junze quickly caught up.

As they walked, Lin Xin asked, “So, did you gain a Dao Mark today? Which one?”

“I did—Lightning Dao,” Ye Junze replied, summoning a small violet bolt of lightning into his palm. He raised his hand to show her. “Look, senior, it’s this one.”

“Wow, not bad! Lightning Dao is excellent. I knew I had a good eye—you really are talented. Keep up the good work,” Lin Xin praised.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. You flatter me, senior.” Embarrassed by her praise, Ye Junze scratched his head modestly.

“I mean it. Lightning Dao is quite powerful in the early stages. If you cultivate diligently, you’ll rarely encounter a match at your level,” Lin Xin said seriously.

“Is that so? Thank you for the advice, senior,” Ye Junze replied gratefully. Then, struck by a thought, he asked, “What about you, senior? Which Dao seed did you comprehend?”

“Me? I attained the Water Dao.” As she spoke, Lin Xin gathered her spiritual energy and raised her hand. “See?”

Ye Junze glanced at her palm and saw a thin stream of blue water flowing there, quite different from the water drop symbol he’d seen before.

Thinking aloud, Ye Junze asked, “Senior, your Water Dao looks very different from the Water Dao marks I saw others display. Theirs were all little water drops, but yours is like a river.”

Lin Xin laughed. “That’s because what you saw were just the initial forms of the Dao Marks. As we cultivate, our Dao seeds grow stronger—a process we call evolution. What starts as a tiny drop can eventually become an ocean, so my little stream here is nothing special. Similarly, other Dao seeds can evolve in many ways—your little bolt of lightning, for instance, might one day become a sea of thunder.”

“I see. I understand now,” Ye Junze nodded thoughtfully.

“So you must keep working hard, junior, and strive to reach that kind of realm,” Lin Xin encouraged.

“Thank you, senior—I will,” Ye Junze replied.

Lin Xin suddenly rubbed her stomach and said, “All right, I’m starving after all this time. Let’s hurry back to eat.”

“Sure.”

With that, the two quickened their pace, heading swiftly toward the Qian Building.