Chapter 63 Elective Course—Swordsmanship Class

Perhaps it was due to Sikong Xu's "Infinite Martial Refinement" that his cultivation of "Unity of Ten Thousand Techniques" progressed at an extraordinary pace. In just a single night, Sikong Xu had already produced source energy.

With this breakthrough, his strength once again increased, and the personal information engraved in his mark now showed his level had risen from the early Ink-Black stage to the mid Ink-Black stage.

Moreover, after a night of cultivation, Sikong Xu discovered that source energy could do much more than simply transform into other forms of energy at will. Through various experiments, he found it possessed many wondrous properties, the most useful for him at present being its ability to nourish and strengthen the body.

After burying himself in cultivation all night, Sikong Xu could feel his physical constitution improving significantly under the nourishment and reinforcement of source energy—much better than the half-crippled body he once had. If previously his physical state barely matched that of an ordinary person, now Sikong Xu's physique could be considered quite decent even among normal people.

“Whew—” Sitting on his bed, Sikong Xu exhaled a long, turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes.

The "Unity of Ten Thousand Techniques" mental art, created by Ye Fei, truly lived up to its reputation. In just one night, it had elevated his strength from early to mid Ink-Black stage. Although it was his first time cultivating it, which contributed to the rapid progress, the power of this technique was undeniable.

After a simple morning routine and breakfast, Sikong Xu began another day of academy life.

It had to be said—the teaching system at Dawn Academy was remarkably open. Apart from a few compulsory courses relating to the world of Barkliel, all other courses were elective, chosen entirely by the students themselves. In fact, one could opt out of electives altogether.

But surely no one would be so foolish, for the academy incentivized students to take electives by awarding credits upon completion of each course phase.

This greatly boosted student enthusiasm, though they were not naive enough to attempt every course—energy was limited, and not all courses suited everyone. Some electives even required certain prerequisites to enroll.

To prevent students from aimlessly searching for electives, each homeroom teacher created a personalized schedule for each student in their class. Students merely needed to follow the curriculum laid out for them. Of course, given Jiang Hong's eccentricity, Sikong Xu was certain he would have no such schedule.

“I must be one of a kind as a student…” Sitting alone in the empty E-Class classroom, with not a single classmate in sight, Sikong Xu mused that if his state of mind hadn't been honed to perfection by "Infinite Martial Refinement," he might well have gone mad.

Since returning from the fantasy world, Sikong Xu had only seen Jiang Hong once. Whenever he visited the E-Class classroom, not a soul was present. Were it not for the academy's strict time control over fantasy world training, Sikong Xu might have long since plunged back into that realm for further tempering.

“Let’s see, which of these many courses actually suit me…” Seated at the sole desk in the classroom, Sikong Xu projected the student handbook from his mark and immersed himself in reading.

The handbook gave a detailed introduction to all the courses offered at Dawn Academy and their unique characteristics. Since Jiang Hong hadn't provided a schedule, Sikong Xu had to take matters into his own hands.

“Martial Arts… Meditation… Wait! There's even Geography! Huh? This is the geography of Barkliel world…”

It took Sikong Xu a full two hours to select courses suitable for himself. Many of these conflicted in timing, so he spent another half hour adjusting his schedule.

“Whew… finally done organizing…” By now, Sikong Xu was slumped over the desk. Calculating the timings, he realized he could skip the first few classes, but the next one seemed interesting enough to attend.

Truthfully, Sikong Xu could have skipped all classes, but without attending, this peculiar academy life would lose its meaning.

After refreshing himself, he left the E-Class classroom and walked to Training Hall No. 4 at Dawn Academy.

The academy's campus was vast, with six training halls alone, not to mention teaching buildings, dormitories, and other structures, making it a veritable academy city.

Compared to the Exchange Hall, Dawn Academy's training halls were far more monotonous—all nest-shaped buildings, each occupying the size of an international football stadium.

After estimating the time, Sikong Xu headed straight into Training Hall No. 4.

His next elective was "Swordsmanship." Truth be told, Sikong Xu could have completely disregarded such courses.

After all, he possessed "Infinite Martial Refinement," a perfect fusion of mind, skill, and body. As for swordsmanship or blade techniques, Sikong Xu could master them without instruction, reaching the highest realm effortlessly.

As for why he was here, Sikong Xu simply wanted to see how advanced swordsmanship was in the real world.

After all, in his previous life he’d been influenced by martial arts novels—a white robe and a three-foot blade were things he once aspired to. Most importantly, the student handbook revealed that this course would teach the use of sword energy!

Upon entering the training hall, the noisy chatter of students immediately filled Sikong Xu's ears. Judging by the voices, there were dozens of people present—clearly, swordsmanship was quite popular.

With time to spare before the class began, Sikong Xu, bored, found a spot and sat down. Watching groups of students gather and chat, Sikong Xu felt a bit helpless.

He was considered quite the loner at Dawn Academy; without classmates, it was difficult to find anyone to converse with, not to mention he still bore the title of "King of the Cripples."

If not for the principal's efforts to keep Sikong Xu's personal information confidential, he would long since have become the focus of the entire academy thanks to his S-level rating.

“Hmm… why does that guy look so familiar?”

“That guy… Ha! I know him, I’ve seen him before—he’s our grade’s famous ‘King of the Cripples’!”

“What? So he’s the legendary figure from E-Class, the ‘King of the Cripples,’ who rivals Mu Qing, the campus belle? Ha!”

Once someone recognized Sikong Xu, a mocking atmosphere swept through the training hall. Though the voices were low, Sikong Xu caught a few remarks, and even if he missed the words, he could read everything from their derisive expressions.

“These people…” Sitting alone in a corner, Sikong Xu’s face turned pale. His clenched fists bulged with thick veins.

Were it not for "Infinite Martial Refinement" elevating his state of mind to its peak, Sikong Xu might already have lashed out and crippled a few of them.

But just then, a brash female voice suddenly rang out in the hall: “Within one minute, everyone assemble in front of me. Fail to do so… and you’ll face the consequences!”