Compared to courses such as Music and Hundred Beasts, the "compulsory courses" like Talismanic Sword Thought Body underwent even more significant changes.
Sword Study Master Cui Yixian and Mind Study Master Xi Yangyu did not return to the Academic Palace after the New Year holidays, leaving both courses temporarily in the charge of other Doctors and Instructors.
The explanation given internally by the Academic Palace was that both Masters had important matters to attend to, without specifying what those matters were, nor how long they would be away.
Li Ang speculated that it might have something to do with Cui Jiu, who had been injured in the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains previously. Perhaps Cui Yixian and Xi Yangyu had already left Chang’an before the winter break—that would also explain why the anomaly that occurred at the thirteenth residence on the second street of Victory Square hadn’t attracted Xi Yangyu, who lived in the same Square. Had a Level One demon beast been discovered in the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains? Or had the site of a Demon Sect been found? Regardless of the nature of the matter, it had to be complex enough to warrant both Candle Cloud Realm Cultivators leaving the capital. (That was only what was stated publicly; surely more Cultivators must have been accompanying them in secret.)
Apart from Mind Study and Sword Study receiving new Doctors, the formats of talisman class and Magic Class also underwent some changes.
After freshmen reached the Body Concealing Realm, they could craft more effective talismans and cast more spells.
Now, the primary content of these two courses had shifted from "how to craft talismans and cast spells" to "how not to inadvertently kill oneself while crafting talismans and casting spells."
The essence of talismanic magic is to use a special ’language’ to command nature’s spiritual energy to follow a predetermined program.
Whether it was the material and strokes of the talismans or the gestures and linguistic actions during casting, all could affect the final outcome.
Arbitrary alterations or attempts at ’innovation’ could lead to unforeseen consequences. For instance, one might try to cast a [Soundproofing Technique] only to inadvertently vacuum out the surrounding air, leading to suffocation. Or, while attempting to create a [Warm Wind Talisman], an extra, careless stroke could set the entire room ablaze.
To emphasize the seriousness of such incidents, the Academic Palace required the freshmen to read a huge stack of books—all filled with accident records of past students.
If the freshmen didn’t want to die young, suffer debilitating injuries, or harm others, they would need to behave themselves.
Except for classrooms and other designated places, they were forbidden from releasing Spiritual Power at will. Offenders would have their academic points deducted.
This rule caused the freshmen to complain endlessly. It was like handing a fishing enthusiast a rod and access to a pond but forbidding him from fishing, or giving a connoisseur an entire wine cellar but not allowing him to drink. It was torture.
If new students wanted this ban lifted early, they first had to reach the Mid Stage or High Order of the Body Concealing Realm, determine their Dao Path, and prove they wouldn’t easily lose control.
To meet these conditions, the freshmen’s enthusiasm for learning increased significantly. Many students could even be seen in the cafeteria reading while eating.
Li Ang set his meal tray and a Natural Science journal down on the table.
Li Wei, who was devouring his meat (the Body Refinement course required consuming a lot of energy), noticed the smile on Li Ang’s face and asked, "What’s up, Risheng? You seem happy."
"I came across a paper on glass lenses."
Li Ang was indeed delighted. This issue of the Academic Palace’s Natural Science journal had published a paper by a Cultivator from Lu Li Academy. The paper described how stacking two differently shaped glass lenses could enhance visibility of distant objects, much like the Eagle Eye Technique—in other words, a telescope.
Given the academic atmosphere surrounding Natural Science at the Academic Palace, Doctors would naturally attempt to replicate the experiment.
With the invention of the telescope came concave and convex lenses. With those lenses, optics would be further developed, and astronomy would advance. This, in turn, would spur inventions like reading glasses, prescription glasses, and even microscopes.
With the aid of microscopes, ordinary people could clearly see minuscule objects, such as the veins of leaves, the shapes of epidermal cells, bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms.
Li Ang had already made his plans. Once someone created a microscope, he would immediately conduct a series of experiments to prove that bacteria were the cause of disease in the human body, thereby promoting the practice of drinking hot water and public health initiatives. A thousand pronouncements from famous and divine doctors couldn’t compare to the direct evidence of millions of tiny, wriggling worms under a microscope. Drink! All of you must drink hot water!
Li Ang briefly described the ingenuity of the paper. Yang Yu and Li Wei blinked, looking as though they understood.
"What about you two? What are you reading?" Li Ang asked casually.
Li Wei replied, "I failed the national history exam twice in a row, so I’m reading Pre-Sui History. Qilang is on the verge of failing Agricultural Science, so he’s buried in agricultural books, trying to find a way to make up for it."
"You can fail Agricultural Science too?" Li Ang looked at Yang Yu in surprise. "I thought I saw you diligently watering and fertilizing your leased farmland."
Yang Yu’s eyes flickered. "Uh, just bad luck. There was a small accident."
Li Wei mercilessly exposed him. "A small accident? He means he tried to cut corners on his leased farm by using a Water Collection Talisman for irrigation. Due to an operational error, the fields were flooded, and half a year’s hard work went down the drain!"
Yang Yu said defensively, rubbing his forehead in distress, "I only tried it because I saw the method described in the Natural Science journals! Who could have predicted the air would get so humid those few days and draw in that much rain? Now it’s probably too late to replant other crops. I’ll have to think of something else... Like imitating the Minister of the Secretariat and cultivating some rare peony or something."
"You’re also going to resort to strong-arm tactics to get one? Aren’t you afraid the Academic Affairs Office will come after you?"
Li Ang shook his head in resignation. Yang Yu was referring to an amusing anecdote from Chang’an a few years prior. The people of Yu Country were famously infatuated with peonies. In Jinchang Square’s Cien Temple, an old monk had cultivated an exceedingly rare and beautiful crimson peony, which he kept a closely guarded secret.