Chapter 5 Aspirations and Challenges

When Chad Thompson announced the end of class, everyone rushed to the practice room. Jim Chris deliberately lagged behind, pretending to be unable to catch up with the first group. He then made an excuse to go to the toilet and slipped into the teacher's office.

In the Wellesley teaching system, classes are held only in the morning, followed by self-study in the afternoon. After class, students and teachers alike crowd into the practice room to cultivate. However, Chad Thompson, an old practitioner who has exhausted his potential, is an exception.

Jim Chris expected to find Chad Thompson alone in the teacher's office. Instead, he found Dean Leroy, a genius in the late stage of Qi training, already there. Dean Leroy is a beautiful and tall student with a loose school uniform. When Jim Chris arrived, Dean Leroy frowned slightly, bowed to Chad Thompson, and left.

Jim Chris nodded to her as she exited, and she hesitated before nodding in response. The two students belong to different social circles in their class and are merely acquaintances. Jim Chris noticed that Dean Leroy seemed colder and more indifferent this semester, as if matching her name.

Old Man Chad Thompson, considering himself humorous, asked Jim Chris why he wasn't in the training room. Jim Chris smiled and explained that his mother hired a tutor to teach him practical magic application, and he was struggling with an assignment.

Jim Chris told Chad Thompson that the tutor asked him to break a defensive ban resembling a water wave, but he couldn't do it. Chad Thompson didn't doubt Jim Chris's story, knowing that continuous practice is key to improving magic skills. While the school curriculum is extensive, private teachers outside may offer better instruction on specific spells and prohibitions.

Chad Thompson commented that Jim Chris's mother must be willing to spend money on his education, as private lessons are expensive. Jim Chris replied vaguely, saying his mother has high hopes for him, and he must work hard.

He thanked Chad Thompson and began describing in detail how he used a coin to test the water wave restriction in the Water Palace. Chad Thompson analyzed Jim Chris's description and concluded that three spells might have solidified the restriction.

He selected the spells from his database: Flowing Water Cover, Surging Wave Spell, and Scale Wave Technique. Chad Thompson uploaded the spell content and cracking methods to Jim Chris's personal database, instructing him to try it out at home.

If Jim Chris still encountered difficulties, he could write a report and send it to Chad Thompson. Jim Chris thanked Chad Thompson, aware that downloading the spell information from the Immortal Gate Spell Library would cost at least thirty points of merit.

He appreciated the school benefits and the value of having a knowledgeable teacher like Chad Thompson. Jim Chris reflected on the importance of the college entrance examination, which could grant access to top academies offering free spells, secret methods, and magical powers.

On the Earthly Planet, knowledge is shared freely, and the mysterious method of transformation can be obtained at no cost once one's cultivation reaches the late Nascent Soul stage.

Before leaving, Jim Chris asked Chad Thompson if Dean Leroy had also sought his advice on magic. Chad Thompson revealed that Dean Leroy was seeking guidance on purifying and improving her dual-attribute true spiritual roots of gold and water to transform them into ice spiritual roots.

Jim Chris was shocked, wondering if spiritual roots could be transformed and upgraded. Chad Thompson confirmed that it was possible, although Jim Chris hadn't reached that level yet.

Chad Thompson didn't mind sharing this information in advance. Chad Thompson sent Jim Chris a document and explained that he was admitted to Bright Academy as an exception due to his hard work in seclusion at Yale University.

He transformed his spiritual roots into a three-yang body, a variant of unusual spiritual roots. However, despite having top-grade spiritual roots, Chad Thompson failed to make a breakthrough in Qi training and eventually exhausted his potential.

Jim Chris glanced through the document on spiritual roots and understood the reason. On Diyuan Star, the Immortal Sect focuses on researching and developing spells and techniques to improve the overall quality of immortal monks.

Six thousand years ago, Master Kliev created the "Alchemy Technique", which enhances gold-type spiritual root attributes. The Immortal Sect has over a dozen secret techniques to purify and enhance spiritual roots.

These techniques, including those for transforming into ice, thunder, and wind spiritual roots, are widely circulated in major academies. However, Chad Thompson cautioned that improving spiritual roots takes time away from practicing Qi. He considered himself a negative example, as he had spent too much time focusing on improving his spiritual roots, which had ultimately hindered his progress in Qi training.

"The problem is, improving spiritual roots is a long-term process," Chad Thompson explained. "It requires a lot of time, effort, and resources. And if you're not careful, it can distract you from your Qi training. I made that mistake myself, and it cost me dearly."

Chad Thompson's words were a warning to Jim Chris and the other students. They knew that improving their spiritual roots was important, but they also knew that they couldn't neglect their Qi training. The Immortal Sect had a rule that spiritual root improvement techniques were not taught in class before college to avoid distraction.

"The reason for this rule is simple," Chad Thompson said. "The Immortal Sect wants its students to focus on building a strong foundation in Qi training. Once you have a solid foundation, you can start to focus on improving your spiritual roots. But if you try to do too much too soon, you'll only end up hindering your progress."

After college, each academy had its own secret methods for purifying and improving spiritual roots, suitable for their inheritance. These methods were highly guarded secrets, passed down from generation to generation. They were only shared with students who had proven themselves to be worthy, and who had demonstrated a deep understanding of the underlying principles.

"For example, the Wind Academy has a technique called the 'Wind Spirit Transformation,'" Chad Thompson said. "It allows students to transform their spiritual roots into wind spiritual roots, granting them incredible speed and agility. But this technique is only taught to students who have reached a certain level of proficiency in their Qi training, and who have demonstrated a deep understanding of the underlying principles."

Jim Chris listened intently, fascinated by the secrets that Chad Thompson was sharing. He knew that he still had a long way to go, but he was determined to learn as much as he could. He was eager to start his journey, to see where it would take him, and to discover the secrets that lay hidden in the world of spiritual cultivation.