Chapter 378 : Chapter 378

Chapter 378: Teacher Ji Niang's Phone Call

Time flew by quickly.

After a few days, my life had already entered the rhythm I had planned.

The mornings were for meditation and Body Forging, to enhance my mental power and overall physical quality.

The afternoons were for reading to accumulate knowledge.

If Betty was free, I would try to research alchemy with her, as her mentor, Rola Lucy, was a Transcendent Witch with extremely high attainment in alchemy.

During the mornings in this period, I was still systematically Body Forging at the Physical Arts Training Hall.

Tao Ling was practically staking out the place, having figured out my training schedule.

However, she was no longer as outrageous as she was during our first meeting.

She had started trying to learn the Primary Ritual Battle Dance from me.

I knew very well that the purpose of the Primary Ritual Battle Dance was to enhance physical quality, but this enhancement had a limit, or else there wouldn't be corresponding Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced Body Forging Rings and their matching ritual battle dances.

As for Tao Ling... if she wanted to learn, let her.

Although it was a ritual for enhancing physical quality, its suffix was still "battle dance."

In my understanding, even without the cumbersome ritual parts, the battle dance itself was quite practical for combat.

However, I personally felt that this kind of fighting technique was more like a performance battle form because it was too flashy.

Wouldn't using it in a real fight just be asking for trouble?

Moreover, since I established my authority, the atmosphere at the Physical Arts Training Hall had become very pleasant.

There were no longer people who looked down on me or flirted with me as they did the first time, and no one came looking for trouble.

Even senior students I didn't know would greet me enthusiastically and proactively when passing by.

This change was truly surprising to me, but it was also quite logical.

Who could refuse the friendly and loving greetings of a stranger?

At least it was better than being confronted.

Just as I was practicing the ritual battle dance at the Physical Arts Training Hall, a phone call suddenly came in.

"Hm?"

I was forced to interrupt the ritual and stopped.

Who would call me at this time?

Big Sis Bai?

No, Big Sis Bai's ringtone was unique.

Maybe it was Betty, since Betty had confirmed she was free today, and I had tentatively put off my reading plan to go sponge off her alchemy teaching.

Did the plan change?

When I saw the caller ID... alright, it was Teacher Ji Niang.

Ugh... seeing this name, I was stunned for a moment.

It seemed I hadn't seen her for a long time.

From the beginning of the Nightmare Event to its end, and then to now, I almost completely forgot I had a class... and a counselor.

Alas... Teacher Ji Niang was, after all, my first benefactor.

She was the first person to bring me into the Witch Academy, and she was the one who led me to further understand the transcendent world and elevate my cognitive level.

As soon as the call connected, Teacher Ji Niang's voice came through the phone.

"How many days has it been since you came to see me, kid? What have you been doing these past few days?"

"Um... meditation, Body Forging, alchemy?"

"Meditation and Body Forging? Am I not bothering you right now?"

"It's alright. I'm Body Forging, so it's not much of an interruption. Did you call directly, Teacher Ji Niang, because something is up?"

I asked curiously.

Given Teacher Ji Niang's personality, which tended to dislike unnecessary talk, she generally wouldn't contact me unless it was important.

"The monthly exam has passed for several days, and you haven't come here to collect your ranking rewards. Is that acceptable? You're the Class President I brought in."

"There are rewards for the monthly exam?"

I was momentarily surprised.

It seemed... there should be, right?

I wasn't very clear on this aspect.

Since I missed the first monthly exam, I really didn't know there was so much fuss about it.

"Of course. The monthly exam is a means for periodic testing and motivation, so the rewards are naturally generous. There are not only grade rankings but also class-internal ranking rewards. So, you have two sets of rewards here with me."

"Oh, then I'll come and get them when I have time. Is it okay around noon?"

I asked, negotiating.

"Noon? That works. By the way, bring me a meal at noon. I'm not picky about food."

"Huh?"

I pulled the phone away in confusion, confirming again that the call was from Teacher Ji Niang.

Teacher Ji Niang actually asked me to bring her food?

"Why the 'huh'? Since you're taking up my lunchtime, don't I need to eat? If you came over now, I wouldn't need your help."

Teacher Ji Niang's blunt words came through.

"Um... picking up an award shouldn't take long, should it? Does Teacher Ji Niang have something else to discuss?"

I asked tentatively.

"Yes, I do. It's not convenient to talk about it over the phone. Come over and we'll talk. When do you choose to come?"

"Noon then, Teacher Ji Niang. It's been a while since I've seen you. Treating you to lunch is on me."

"Alright, then I won't be polite. See you at noon."

"Mhm, see you at noon."

After a simple exchange, Teacher Ji Niang hung up the phone.

"Whew."

I sighed, putting the phone aside.

I hadn't expected Teacher Ji Niang to call me, but the so-called monthly exam ranking reward was secondary.

The reason Teacher Ji Niang asked me to come over—the matter that wasn't convenient to discuss over the phone—was what I was more interested in.

What could Teacher Ji Niang want from me?

Perhaps it was related to The Script, but the concept of The Script had already spread among various Transcendent Academies, although no academy had formally admitted or clarified this point.

So, this matter would indeed be something inconvenient to discuss over the phone.

And the other possibility was... [Transcendent Knowledge].

Teacher Ji Niang's ambition was the same as what the Academy Head achieved not long ago: to create a Grand Spellbook!

And I had previously promised to help Teacher Ji Niang.

I wondered if it was about this.

I had seen Teacher Ji Niang start making preliminary preparations for that Grand Spellbook some time ago.

But thinking about how the Academy Head prepared for that Grand Spellbook for an unknown number of years, I suddenly felt that what Teacher Ji Niang was doing now seemed a bit... trivial?

Alas... anyway, the [Transcendent Knowledge] was provided by Teacher Ji Niang, and the research environment and all preparatory work were led by Teacher Ji Niang.

I was just a reserved participant.

Why should I worry about this?

Speaking of [Transcendent Knowledge]... the part from my talent awakening, the Academy Head still hadn't taken it.

Was she so at ease leaving it with me?

It felt like the Academy Head had already treated me as a vessel for holding [Transcendent Knowledge].

Anyway, as long as I was a member of the Witch Academy, I couldn't run away, could I?

At this moment, my attention shifted to Tao Ling in front of me.

Although I wasn't deliberately guiding her, her clumsy imitation and learning right beside me... really made me want to offer her some pointers.

"Raise your posture a little. It has form but lacks spirit. Do you know why the movements I make here are so different from what is taught?"

"Um... I don't know. Is the effect better this way?"

Tao Ling asked tentatively, although she was quite excited to suddenly receive my guidance.

"It's easier to express the essence of the ritual this way."

I said, while taking out a book I borrowed from the library from the four-leaf clover storage accessory on my forehead.

After all, several days had passed, and I had already exchanged my batch of books.

I deliberately chose Rune explanation books that corresponded to the ritual battle dance runes, which was more helpful for me to understand the meaning of the runes.

And it was a perfect opportunity to combine theory and practice.

"Oh this... You, you carry books with you?"

Tao Ling was astonished to see the book I casually pulled out, and even more astonished and touched that I was explaining it to her directly.

"Mhm. I was studying Runology before. Rune rituals involve many fields, and now I'm certain Body Cultivation is one of them. Whether it's the ritual battle dance or the so-called Physical Arts, they are essentially interpretations of rune rituals. The actions your body makes are a special language that interprets the runes..."

As I explained to her, Tao Ling frowned constantly because she hadn't been exposed to Runology.

My method of teaching and explaining sounded like Greek to her.

In the end, she resorted to taking pictures of the content in my book with her phone, saying she would study it carefully when she got back.

I let her do as she pleased.

A large part of why I was teaching this was for myself.

During my time in Ninglan New City, I also learned a highly efficient way to study: teach others how to learn.

Teaching others also helped me practice communication skills with others and my own expression ability.

This was equivalent to me using Tao Ling to self-review and check for omissions and weaknesses.

After teaching her, I practiced the ritual battle dance a few more times, consuming my excess energy and stamina to a certain extent before finally stopping.

"Whew."

I opened the bottle to replenish my water.

This bottle was a "membership gift" Coach Live gave me.

She saw me taking water with a disposable cup in the pantry earlier and gave it to me.

It was quite convenient.

They also recommended some potions for stamina recovery.

After diluting them in the water bottle, they could effectively replenish energy and stamina while hydrating.

But I didn't buy them because they reminded me of one thing: a scam.

They seemed to be simple stamina recovery potions.

The ingredients might have been adjusted, but the change was certainly minimal, and the price... better not to mention it.

Once I figured out the recipe, I could make it myself with my mastery of alchemy.

Not only would it increase my alchemy experience, but using something I made myself would also be more reassuring.

I headed to the changing room and swapped out my sports vest and shorts.

Although the outfit was fine here, it looked a bit too revealing to wear outside.

Given my Body Cultivation physique, I was genuinely afraid of running into female hooligans on the street.

Although my strength meant I didn't have to fear these senior students, I feared trouble.

After changing, I checked the time.

It was almost noon, so I headed straight to the cafeteria.

After a good meal, I packed one more portion.

This was for Teacher Ji Niang.

I hoped she would like it.

She said she wasn't picky about food, so she couldn't blame me if she couldn't eat it.

For this purpose, I even separately packed a portion of the "dark cuisine" that the Academy Head told me was specially prepared for Transcendent Witches, supposedly for True Sense of Taste training.

It wasn't cheap.

Carrying the meals, I felt like a delivery person for the academy.

However... now that I had a flying broom and landmark teleportation, doing full-time food delivery and courier service... actually seemed quite convenient?

It was a shame the pay wasn't much.

For me now, money was no longer an obstacle, at least for the time being.

Arriving at the familiar teaching building and passing by the lab I hadn't visited in a long time, the lab now looked different from the last time I was here.

Many professional equipment pieces had been added, and it was very clean, as if someone was cleaning it daily.

But I only took a quick glance.

Since I was already here, Teacher Ji Niang must have sensed my arrival, and if I lingered, I didn't know what she might say.

Perhaps Teacher Ji Niang was already posed in her office, waiting for my arrival.

Arriving at the door, just as I was about to knock politely, I heard Ji Niang's familiar voice from inside.

"Come in."

"Sure thing."

I chuckled softly and pushed open the office door, which wasn't locked.

Teacher Ji Niang at this moment looked noticeably... much more exhausted than the last time I saw her.

"Teacher Ji Niang... um... what did you go through? You look like..."

"I guess I haven't slept for a few days."

Ji Niang put down her work when she saw me.

Then she closed her eyes for a moment to rest.

"Oh, right. Your monthly exam rewards, one for the grade ranking and one for class incentive, are in the storage equipment on the corner of the desk. Remember to return the storage equipment to me."

"Okay."

I didn't say anything about why she didn't give me a storage equipment.

After all, even if a storage equipment's internal space was small, it was still a costly luxury.

Not many newcomers currently had their own storage equipment.

Most students bought a bag, which was much more affordable than storage equipment of the same volume capacity.

It was just a little more troublesome.

I opened it and looked inside.

With my current perspective, the rewards could only be described as meager: a few dozen Magic Power Sources, some Spellbooks, even Lesser Spellbooks, and Red Copper Coin prize money.

For a moment, I couldn't distinguish which were the grade rewards and which were the class rewards.

But there wasn't much difference anyway.

"Do they seem small?"

Teacher Ji Niang asked at this moment.

"They're alright."

"These are the rewards for the monthly exam under normal circumstances. Theoretically, there aren't many channels to obtain Magic Power Sources during the first three years of the curriculum."

"I know, so I don't mind."

I said, taking the Magic Power Sources and stuffing them into my body.

The boost and feedback from the extra Magic Power Sources felt somewhat dispensable, but I wouldn't refuse them.

"It seems you're growing very fast."

Teacher Ji Niang looked at me and sighed.

There was a time when I needed Ji Niang's help with Magic Power Sources, but now I could use them myself.

It was indeed fast, but... this also meant I had the ability to give Magic Power Sources to others now.

I wonder if there would be any lucky individuals in the second year who would receive a Magic Power Source from me?

"Mhm, I didn't expect it either."

I handed Teacher Ji Niang the lunch.

"Teacher Ji Niang, here's your lunch. I'll put it here for you."

"Thank you."

Teacher Ji Niang nodded and accepted the bag.

"I've put the storage equipment here. By the way, Teacher Ji Niang, you mentioned on the phone that you had something else to discuss. What exactly is it?"

I put the storage equipment on the corner of the desk and asked.

"It's about the Grand Spellbook project. It has officially started. I also applied to the academy, and the academy has assigned us a better lab. Do you want to come with me to check it out this afternoon?"