"What's wrong? You don't know?" Zhang Ping looked at Lin Xi in surprise.
"There are lecturers, departments... does that mean there are also professors?" Lin Xi looked at the "country bumpkins" and couldn't help but say this.
"Yes." Zhang Ping, Meng Bai, and the others nodded, feeling that Lin Xi's expression was very strange.
"What kind of academy is this?" Lin Xi was at a loss for words, only managing to smile bitterly while chewing on his jerky.
From his understanding, this was a world so ancient that it couldn't be any older. Everything outside was completely devoid of modern language, which was why some of the things he said in Lulin Town were considered nonsense, and the people there called him "Lin Er." The local private schools and academies only referred to teachers as "teachers" or "tutors," but this Qingluan Academy not only had lecturers and professors but also had different departments. This was really hard for him to accept.
"When I came here, I heard that our Yunqin Empire has three major academies. Do all three academies use titles like 'lecturers' and 'professors,' and have different departments?" After swallowing a piece of jerky that had a strange yet unique odor, Lin Xi asked again.
"Lin Xi, it seems you really don't know anything." The chubby Meng Bai looked at Lin Xi in surprise. "Aside from our Qingluan Academy, the other two academies don't use these titles. It was only after Dean Zhang took over that our Qingluan Academy started using them."
"Dean Zhang? Only Qingluan Academy uses these titles?" Lin Xi was stunned.
"Meng Bai, you keep saying 'our Qingluan Academy,' making it sound like we are already students here. We haven't even seen what Qingluan Academy looks like!" Upon hearing Meng Bai's words, Zhang Ping and Li Kaiyun laughed.
Meng Bai's freckled face turned red, feeling quite embarrassed. He smiled slightly at Lin Xi and said, "Originally, our Qingluan Academy didn't use these titles either. After Dean Zhang became the head, he changed the naming conventions. It might seem a bit strange, but because of his achievements and reputation, it has been in use ever since, and I don't think it will change. It's even become a tradition at Qingluan Academy."
Lin Xi was stunned for quite a while.
"I really don't know anything about Qingluan Academy. What departments does Qingluan Academy have?"
"As far as I know, there are six major departments: Weaponry, Alchemy, Military Strategy, Governance, Physiology, and Astronomy," Meng Bai replied, chewing on a piece of jerky as he spoke seriously.
Lin Xi was very curious. "What do these departments focus on?"
"Weaponry is the department that studies weapons and armor; Alchemy is focused on medicine, healing techniques, and also poison-making and assassination techniques; Military Strategy is the department that trains military leadership, warfare, reconnaissance, and assassination; Governance focuses on internal management; Physiology studies the mysteries of the human body and how to unlock its potential; Astronomy is dedicated to studying celestial phenomena and controlling spiritual beasts." Meng Bai explained, "Generally speaking, graduates from Weaponry will go to the Military Department, Alchemy graduates might work in the Medical Department or as spies, Military Strategy graduates often go to the frontier military to guard a region, Governance graduates will work as civil officials, Physiology graduates either stay in the academy or go to other academies, and Astronomy graduates become spiritual advisors."
"Which department do you think is the best? Which one would you like to join? Meng Bai, how do you know so much?" Lin Xi asked, looking at Meng Bai. While Meng Bai was speaking, the other three "country bumpkins" were quietly listening, not interrupting. Clearly, Meng Bai was the one who knew the most among them.
"If we're talking about the best, it has to be Military Strategy. After all, in our Yunqin Empire, military achievements are valued over civil ones, and the highest-ranking officials in the regions are all promoted based on military merit. Students from Military Strategy tend to rise the fastest and become high-ranking officials. However, Military Strategy is also the most dangerous, as it often involves life-or-death missions. My family has passed down a single heir for three generations, and I'm not really suited for hardship, so I'd rather join Alchemy or Astronomy," Meng Bai said. "As for how I know all of this, I'm actually a third-generation Golden Spoon. My grandfather was a student at Qingluan Academy, from the Alchemy department. Back then, it was still called the Alchemy Palace."
"Your grandfather was also from Qingluan Academy?" Lin Xi was stunned. "Then why are you still a 'country bumpkin'?"
Lin Xi's surprise was justified because Liu Bo had told him on the way here that once students from the three major academies graduated, they were already at the level of a town's governor. If one could only achieve a position as low as a regional governor, it would be considered a very poor result for someone from one of the three major academies.
"My grandfather passed away early, so I ended up being a country bumpkin instead of a Golden Spoon," Meng Bai's face reddened as he puffed out his cheeks and spoke in a muffled voice.
"That's really bad luck," Lin Xi said sincerely.
"I want to join the Military Strategy department," Li Kaiyun suddenly spoke up. The young man with yellowish hair, the weakest of the group, had a proud look on his face that made people respect him.
"I also want to join Military Strategy," Xiang Lin said as he puffed out his chest, speaking seriously. His eyes also sparkled with a light that reflected the dreams and sacrifices of youth, not just ambitions of promotion.
"I want to join Weaponry," Zhang Ping said.
"Weaponry?" Meng Bai, Li Kaiyun, and Xiang Lin exchanged looks. "We thought you'd want to join Governance."
"Although I've helped my father manage many businesses," Zhang Ping shook his head, "the patterns on soul weapons attract me even more. I love those unique patterns. Ever since I saw them, I've decided to join Weaponry."
"That's really unexpected," the three "country bumpkins" said in unison.
"Lin Xi, which department interests you the most now?" Before Lin Xi could ask anything, Meng Bai clapped him on the shoulder excitedly.
"Me?" Lin Xi hesitated. To be honest, for him, the Yunqin Empire was just a place he passed through. The big events here seemed distant and unfamiliar to him, so he didn't have the natural aspirations and sense of glory the others had. The most important thing was that all these things were quite new to him. "Except for Governance, I think all the others are fine..." After a brief pause, he said.
"You're not picky," the other three "country bumpkins" all laughed.
"By the way, what are soul weapons, and what do the patterns on them mean?" Lin Xi laughed and then asked the question he had been wanting to ask earlier.
"Zhang Ping, take out your treasure and show it to Lin Xi," Meng Bai and Li Kaiyun urged.
"Okay." Zhang Ping carefully opened a package on his back and took out a black dagger about a foot long.
Lin Xi's gaze was immediately drawn to it.
The dagger was thin, sharp, and cold. It quickly formed a thin mist on its surface, and on its dark surface, patterns appeared like waves, some shallow, some deep.
"Lin Xi, don't tell me you don't even know about soul power? It seems that the strong guardian who brought you here didn't explain this to you, huh?" Seeing Lin Xi's curious expression, Meng Bai looked at him with some sympathy.
"I don't know." Lin Xi nodded firmly.
"You really are a country bumpkin among country bumpkins. I bet you're the only one who doesn't know," Meng Bai laughed heartily. "Soul power is the internal power that everyone has. Qingluan Academy's main focus is teaching us how to cultivate soul power. According to the custom of our Yunqin Empire, it's divided into nine levels based on strength. The first level is Soul Warrior, which allows you to use soul power to shock your body, making you significantly stronger. The second level is Soul Master, where soul power can cover the surface of your body. The third level is Great Soul Master, where soul power can cover your weapons. The fourth level is National Soul Master, where soul power condenses into a core. The fifth level is Great National Soul Master, which allows you to merge your soul. The sixth level is Holy Soul Master, where soul power can leave your body. The seventh level is Great Holy Soul Master, where soul power can solidify into weapons. As for the eighth and ninth levels, there aren't specific definitions—these are just divine beings."
"Whew." Lin Xi took a deep breath.
So this is the cultivation system for the strong in this world? Soul power? It sounds quite interesting...
"That guy with the crooked nose... his face glows, so he's at least a Soul Master, someone at the Soul Master level. The powerful guardian who brought you here was able to easily knock his nose out of place, meaning his strength is great enough that the man couldn't get up. At the very least, that guardian is at the Great Soul Master level," Zhang Ping added, complimenting Meng Bai's explanation, while waving the cold black dagger that seemed to have rolling waves of energy on its surface. "A Great Soul Master can coat their soul power onto a soul weapon like this."
"And that makes the soul weapon more powerful and deadly?" Lin Xi asked.
"Exactly." Zhang Ping nodded, his eyes burning with enthusiasm. "If a Great Soul Master uses this soul weapon, normal leather armor or steel armor would definitely be pierced through."
"So this is like the magical weaponry we talk about in our world," Lin Xi smiled wryly, remaining silent for a long while before asking seriously, "So, what's the story with Dean Zhang? What kind of person is he, and is he still alive?"
Before leaving Lulin Town, he hadn't cared much about Qingluan Academy, but now, the departments and titles were so fascinating that he was incredibly interested. He even wanted to meet Dean Zhang, the one who changed the name from "Palace" to "Department," and who renamed teachers as lecturers and professors.
"I don't know," the three "country bumpkins" shook their heads. Even Meng Bai's face now carried an expression of reverence.
"Academies like this usually keep their inner affairs a secret. To know about Dean Zhang, you'd probably have to enter the academy," Li Kaiyun explained in a respectful tone. He softly began to sing, "He traveled the world with the Qilin and Divine Phoenix, journeyed to deserts no one had visited, cut off the heads of monsters, easily took the head of a general from thousands of soldiers, and shone in the Starfall Lake like no one else..."
Li Kaiyun's voice was soft, starting out only as his solo, but soon, more voices joined in, and the entire camp echoed with a solemn, respectful song.