Today, the Immortal Alliance espouses many concepts that Ancient Method Practitioners find incomprehensible.
For instance, "Any alchemy formula that requires extremely rare or hundred-year-plus spiritual medicines is worthless."
This statement is enough to infuriate ninety-nine percent of Ancient Alchemists. Their entire lives are spent "searching for formulas, searching for precious herbs, practicing alchemy" and "searching for mutated herbs, studying formulas, practicing alchemy". This sentence is basically a denial of their life's cultivation.
Modern Alchemists, however, think differently—what a joke, those elixirs that take hundreds of years to produce one pill provide so few samples, how could they possibly be the subject of study? If you can't study it, then you can't improve, right? It's better to spend time using ordinary ten-year-old herbal medicines to study pharmacology than to fuss with individuals with no research value!
As for the behavior of Modern Alchemists—our goal is to let the Cultivation World have no... cough cough, use ten-year-old spirit grass to refine the medicinal effects of ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasures!
And also—if one is not enough? No problem, we'll eat them by the handful, since the cost is low!
According to measurements, Modern Elixir Pills refined from hundred-year-old herbs can already compare with Ancient Elixirs refined from over three-thousand-year-old rare spiritual herbs, yet the former's cost is less than one thousandth of the latter's.
Another concept that Ancient Method Practitioners find hard to accept is "a cultivator who doesn't understand theory and can't research is not a good cultivator."
All abilities of a Modern Cultivator are built on exploration of the Great Dao, so how could a cultivator, who is like a lower animal, knowing only to train mechanically, accumulate experience, rely on instinct, and fight fight fight, possibly be a good cultivator?
It is because of this concept that the Immortal Institute's arranged courses are also theory-focused.
Immortal Institute Disciples must finish breakfast before seven-thirty every morning. At seven-thirty, all disciples gather on the practice field and under the guidance of a Foundation Establishment Stage Teaching Assistant, execute the Basic Fist Technique once and perform the Basic Sword Technique once.
After that, until lunchtime, all new disciples are to study various theories. From the beginning of the academic year to November, the Immortal Institute's scheduled courses are all required, and from December to the following June, new disciples can arrange their own courses.
After lunch, there is a two-hour nap time. The afternoon courses mainly consist of Martial Skills, Spells, and so on. And in the evening, there is another theory class. After this theory class is over, these Immortal Sect Disciples conclude their day's curriculum.
For every new disciple, the half-day in the morning is extremely precious because every word spoken by the instructors concerns their future prospects.
But Wang Qi is an exception. Most of the time, his mind wanders during theory classes. The Immortal Institute only offers introductory-level courses, rarely teaching in-depth theory, and a few figures including the Planck Constant that Wang Qi is most concerned about are not detailed. This makes Wang Qi quite depressed.
"Photoelectric Precision-Guided Flying Sword..." Wang Qi flips through his textbook, bored: "I'm really curious as to why Flying Sword theory classes are arranged for Qi Cultivation Stage Disciples."
Zhen Chan quietly answers in his mind: "Actually, you only haven't learned the Object Control Technique yet. It's basic for a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator to injure people with a Flying Sword."
"That's explainable, but I am even more curious why an instructor from Spirit Beast Mountain is teaching a class for Liuyun Sect."
Wang Qi looks at Xiong Mo, the teacher on stage furiously lecturing on Flying Sword theory, and silently critiques.
Teacher Xiong Mo appears to be in his thirties, teaching with passion. From Wang Qi's point of view, Xiong Mo's class is quite good.
But, this guy's robe clearly bears the green emblem of Spirit Beast Mountain! Why is he openly teaching a class for Liuyun Sect?
That's completely off from his field of expertise!
As Wang Qi contemplates this, Xiong Mo has already moved on to the next commonly used Heavenly Element Formation. He lightly draws on the water aura light screen acting as a blackboard, where a formula and several major applications appear on the screen. Clearing his throat, Xiong Mo prepares to continue lecturing.
At this moment, his expression changes, and he loses control of his spiritual power, causing the light screen to blur.
All of the disciples in the lecture hall are startled, but Xiong Mo shows a pleased expression and says, "Class, study on your own for a bit, I have to transcend a tribulation! Before I come back, complete questions two, three, five, and nine on page forty-two of the exercise book! I'll go over them when I return!"
This bold statement shocks everyone, including Wang Qi. After saying this, Xiong Mo immediately rushes out of the classroom, leaving everyone in disarray.
Wang Qi dazedly asks Zhen Chan, "You've mentioned before that a cultivator's tribulation is extremely dangerous, right? But judging by Junior Master Xiong's tone... it's no different from saying 'I have an urgent need'!"
Zhen Chan is speechlessly choked up: "He must be quite confident... I really can't keep up with the times..."
Three minutes after Xiong Mo dashes out, the weather quickly turns overcast. The sky, which was clear moments ago, is suddenly covered by dark clouds from nowhere. Thunderclaps sound continuously, as if giant wheels are rolling across the clouds. Blue-white lightning serpents slither within the clouds, emitting a terrifying aura.
All new disciples, including Wang Qi, who have cultivated Thunder or the Primordial Magnetic Heart Method feel the mana in their bodies becoming slightly uncontrollable. In mid-air, a strong electromagnetic field is continuously amassing strength.
"I see... The strong magnetic field interferes with the magnetic crystal poles of water vapor, causing clouds to appear in the sky... The brewing of a Heavenly Tribulation starts with a magnetic field?" Wang Qi initially wanted to study the principles of a Heavenly Tribulation, but the barely controlled "Heavenly Song" magnetic field doesn't give him the chance. Wang Qi has to sit down and silently practice his mental method to regulate his breathing.