Star Odyssey

Chapter 2197: Prof. Wei

An irresistible force overpowered Liu Que's body, sending him flying until he crashed into the academy’s dense forest a great distance away from Lu Yin’s residence. Liu Que tried to resist the force that threw him, but his efforts were all futile.

It was a sort of helplessness he had only ever experienced when facing true powerhouses.

"What? Student, are you alright?" Prof. Huai was a short distance from where Liu Que landed, and he could not help but look in the direction that Liu Que had come from, as the student had flown an impressive distance.

Liu Que calmly rose to his feet and patted the dust from his body. He then left without even looking at Prof. Huai. All that Liu Que could think about was the moment that Lu Yin had moved. Liu Que had not been able to see anything at all at that moment. How? There had been absolutely no chance for the swordsman to even react, but why had he been helpless even after being sent flying through the sky?

Questions filled Liu Que's mind, but there remained one thing that he was absolutely certain of: he would not visit Prof. Hao Yu again anytime soon, as there was too great a gap between them.

This instructor’s strength was rather unfathomable.

Liu Que was not Xia Shenguang, and he did not have multiple motives and thoughts. He was focused exclusively on training and fighting. Knowing what kind of person the young man was, Lu Yin had taken direct action, dealing with the matter simply and cleanly. Otherwise, Liu Que would have continued to harass Lu Yin to death, especially since the Teleportation Formation that Lu Yin had set up to protect his pillar was not able to block Liu Que from ascending, which was quite irritating.

…

After receiving "Hao Yu's" lesson, Liu Que did not try to find the instructor again, and there was also no activity on Xia Shenguang’s part as well. Fewer and fewer rumors were being spread through the academy about Lu Yin and Wen Zhao. It seemed like things were dying down.

Two more of Lu Yin’s classes passed without issue. His lectures proceeded smoothly without anyone trying to make trouble.

Half a month of passed by in peace, but one day, Lu Yin received word that Headmaster Wen was calling for a faculty meeting. This was the first such meeting since Lu Yin had joined Virtue Archives.

The faculty meetings were always held on Headmaster Wen’s stone pillar in his garden, and while they were called faculty meetings, it was really just a small get together. For the first time, Lu Yin was finally able to meet all of the other instructors.

There was a two-tribulation Envoy from the Celestial Frost Sect’s Bai family who was referred to as Prof. Bai.

There was also Prof. Wei, who was the academy’s history teacher.

Lu Yin was rather interested in Prof. Wei, as when he had first arrived at Virtue Archives, Lu Yin had heard student discussing rumors that claimed that Prof. Wei was a beautiful woman disguising herself as a man. For the first time, Lu Yin was seeing the woman for himself.

Lu Yin had to admit, she was truly quite stunning.

Prof. Wei was a classic beauty, and no disguise could hide such loveliness. Even though she was disguised as a man, Prof. Wei had a slender figure that was even more noticeable in her disguise, and it gave off a different impression.

Prof. Wei apparently noticed Lu Yin's attention, and she turned to give him a small smile.

Lu Yin blinked, but then he returned the smile with a nod.

"Prof. Hao Yu, do you have an interest in Prof. Wei?" Prof. Huai stepped up from behind Lu Yin as he quietly asked the question with a smirk.

Lu Yin had already spent a month in Virtue Archives, and during that time, he had met Prof. Huai several times, so they could be considered rather familiar with each other.

"Merely curious. After all, Prof. Wei is the first history teacher that Virtue Archives has ever had," Lu Yin replied.

Prof. Huai commented, "Who can't see that Prof. Wei is simply disguising herself as a man? It’s possible that only the headmaster himself knows who she really is, but I can tell you that he treats her much better than any of the rest of us."

"Oh?" Lu Yin was intrigued.

Prof. Huai’s voice dropped low, "Prof. Wei is the only one of the new instructors who doesn’t actually need to teach classes. She is allowed to stay in the academy even without offering any classes to the students."

"Really?" Lu Yin was surprised.

"No one knows why, but Prof. Wei is quite pleasant. She’s happy to chat with the rest of us, and she isn’t arrogant at all. She’s happy to share information if you have any questions, and she is also one of the very few instructors who hasn’t placed any restrictions on her pillar."

Lu Yin once again turned to look at Prof. Wei. She was standing quietly in the garden, staring off into the distance. Why did Lu Yin suddenly have the impression that he was staring at a lotus flower?

Headmaster Wen arrived, and he smiled as he looked around at the academy’s faculty. There was only a small bit of polite words before the man got to the point of the meeting. "I called you all here mostly to inform you that the four ruling powers have invited our Virtue Archives to visit them and participate in an exchange program in six months. Before that time, we need to select the faculty members who will be leading our team, as not all of us will be able to attend.

"Also, the faculty selection is not up to us to decide, but rather up to the students. There will be a vote, and the instructors who gain the most votes will be the ones to chaperone the students during the exchange. Naturally, the rewards for this job will not be small. Most importantly, after the exchange, the chaperones will be allowed to study Progenitor Wen’s scriptures."

"Progenitor Wen's scriptures?" Prof. Zheng exclaimed.

Headmaster Wen nodded with a smile. "All of you should already be aware of how important Progenitor Wen's scriptures are, as well as how beneficial they can be for any one of you. I hope that all of you will do your best to win the favor of our students. As for them, it is also important that our students choose appropriate chaperones, as we will be visiting the four ruling powers, and our Virtue Archives must be well represented. Also…"

Headmaster Wen continued for a long time, mostly trying to encourage the various professors.

After the meeting was finished, several faculty members stayed behind to say something more to Headmaster Wen. Lu Yin had wanted to stay behind and ask about Progenitor Wen's scriptures, but after seeing Headmaster Wen be surrounded, Lu Yin felt that he had no choice but to leave.

As he passed by the lake, Lu Yin noticed Prof. Wei standing there. Lu Yin was still not sure what to think about the other instructor, but after considering things for a moment, Lu Yin approached Prof. Wei.

"Excuse me, Prof. Wei," Lu Yin said.

Prof. Wei turned around and smiled when she saw Lu Yin. "Hello, Prof. Hao Yu."

The woman had a smooth and melodious voice. Just hearing it made Lu Yin feel like a thirsty man who had just been given a glass of water. Something in him felt restored from hearing her.

Lu Yin smiled. "What are you looking at, Prof. Wei?"

Prof. Wei turned her head back to stare out at the lake. "This academy is much like this lake. They both appear to be calm from the surface, but with just a bit of external force, things can turn upside down."

Lu Yin felt rather curious. "Why do you feel that, Prof. Wei?"

Prof. Wei smiled. "It's not a feeling—it’s nothing more than a thought. Do you need something, Prof. Hao Yu?"

"Well, I would like to ask you about something."

"Go ahead."

"What are Progenitor Wen's scriptures?"

Prof. Wei stayed silent for a bit. "There have been various powerful Progenitors throughout the Perennial World’s history, and Progenitor Wen was one of them. He also founded Virtue Archives. He studied the ancient characters, and he developed a deep understanding of them. There are rumors that claim that, before his death, he recorded his own cultivation experiences and stored the collected scriptures here in Virtue Archives.

"Many faculty members have read the scriptures over the years, receiving various benefits. Headmaster Wen benefited greatly from studying the scriptures, and they are considered one of Virtue Archives’ greatest treasures."

Lu Yin finally understood what the scriptures were. "So they’re Progenitor Wen’s writings. No wonder everyone wants them, as they’re the record of a Progenitor. They really must be helpful in improving people’s cultivation."

Prof. Wei smiled. "Everyone's cultivation path is different, and Progenitor Wen's path is likely not suitable for everyone. Something that has always remained true throughout history is that every powerful Progenitor rose to power by creating their own path."

Lu Yin was caught off guard. Were these really Prof. Wei’s own thoughts? This was literally the path that all the Progenitors who had controlled the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had taken, but Prof. Wei was only an Enlighter.

Prof. Wei looked over at Lu Yin. "Do you think that I’m being too presumptuous? I’m only a mere Enlighter, yet I’m speaking about how to go about becoming a Progenitor."

"Of course not. Your comment simply reminded me that I need to have more self confidence when it comes to my cultivation," Lu Yin said.

Prof. Wei smiled. "I study history and the lives of numerous powerhouses. Without exception, all of those people have created their own path. I might only be an Enlighter, but I feel that my knowledge should not be any worse than an Envoy’s."

"In that case, I’ll have to disturb you when I have questions about history, Prof. Wei," Lu Yin said. He was being honest, as he had quite a few questions related to history.

Prof. Wei responded with a slight smile. "I’m happy to share whatever I know."

It was not long before the two parted ways. Prof. Wei gave Lu Yin a very odd feeling. While the disguised woman seemed quite friendly and easy-going, why did Lu Yin have the impression that she was a cold person? Was it just because of her appearance?

***

Lu Yin had spent a month in Virtue Archives, and during this time, Xia Zhitong had received an invitation to join the rest of the Xia family in the ceremony to pay their respects to their ancestors.

Xia Zhitong had finally been able to relax after she received the invitation. Neither Xia Feng nor Xia Yuan had been able to help her remove the poison in her system, so Semi-Progenitor Xia Ziheng was her last option. Additionally, the ancestral ceremony was her best opportunity to meet with this powerhouse.

The entire time she had been poisoned had been unbearable torture for the woman. Not only was she unable to even have physical contact with any man, she was constantly aging. She was genuinely worried that the poison would eventually kill her. Just as Yu Hao had said, this poison was the worst torture imaginable for Xia Zhitong.

Even her dreams were filled with her desire to be with a man, but she was unable to do so because of the poison. She had even been forced to drive all of the men out of her own home, as their mere presence had started to drive her mad.

She could not wait to go to Shenwu's Sky, but it was not yet time for the ancestors’ ceremony.

Suddenly, Xia Zhitong’s communication crystal vibrated. She connected to the incoming call, only to discover that there was no image at all. All that came through the call was a gloomy-sounding voice. "We’ve located him."

Xia Zhitong was thrilled by this news, and a sinister light flickered in the depths of her eyes. "Where is he?"

"Virtue Archives. Alias: Hao Yu," the cold voice replied.

This was surprising news. "He’s studying in Virtue Archives?"

"He’s a professor. He was recently recruited as Virtue Archives’ faculty," the voice corrected.

Xia Zhitong had never expected Yu Hao to actually become an instructor at Virtue Archives. "I understand."

She immediately ended the call before calling Xia Yuan.

It did not take long for the man to answer. "What's wrong?"

"I’ve received word of Yu Hao," Xia Zhitong said.

Xia Yuan’s voice dropped low, "Where is he? I'll catch him myself."

Xia Zhitong’s voice also dropped, "He’s in Virtue Archives going by the name Hao Yu. He’s an instructor."

"Virtue Archives? How did you find out?" Xia Yuan was also surprised by this news. Yu City was a great distance from Virtue Archives, and Xia Zhitong was not capable of gathering information from the Virtue District.

Xia Zhitong explained, "I hired Realmless to look for him."

Xia Yuan hesitated. "Virtue Archives is not an ordinary place, and they have a Semi-Progenitor overlooking them. Unless he leaves, we won’t be able to touch him."

Xia Zhitong fell silent. There was no denying that Virtue Archives was outside of her realm of influence.

"However, there are people from Shenwu’s Sky in Virtue Archives, so just wait for now." Xia Yuan ended the call and quickly requested Wu Taibai's contact information from the other members of Shenwu's Sky.

Wu Taibai was a member of Shenwu's Sky while Xia Yuan was a member of the Xia family. Even though they were both part of Shenwu's Sky, the two men had never met each other before. This was Xia Yuan’s first time making contact with Wu Taibai.

Wu Taibai was very surprised to receive a call from Xia Yuan. The man was a member of a branch family of the Xia family, but it was the largest branch family, and their patriarch was a Semi-Progenitor. The two men had comparable statuses.

While Wu Taibai was a member of Shenwu’s Sky, he was also a member of the Tai generation, which had far too many people in it. The ones who received all of the attention within the sect were the members of the Shen generation. This discrepancy was the reason why Wu Taibai had left the sect and gone to the Fifth Mainland. He desired to forge his own path.