Era of Mist

Chapter 132: Chapter 131: Breakthrough Today, Master Teacher in a Dream

He made his way back to the Orphanage.

He walked, his pace unhurried.

’Looking at the rising sun, this is a good time for a breakthrough.’

He wasn’t overly excited, but a sense of elation and anticipation still bubbled within him. Shi Tiexin felt he was in a great mood, and his body felt great, too.

’Oh, right, there’s one more thing I need to check.’

Shi Tiexin looked at his watch. The cheerful chime from the recent payment notification still seemed to ring in his ears as he checked his current savings. With his wages from the trial work these past few days, the modeling fee from yesterday, and the large sum from Tao Zhongming—fifty value points in one go—Shi Tiexin suddenly realized he had more than enough to make the first loan payment!

He suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart. In that instant, Shi Tiexin felt a sense of relief so profound it was as if the sky had widened, the earth had broadened, and the Space City itself had expanded.

’Mm, good, very good!’

’My mood’s even better than before, and I feel even greater. Today is definitely the perfect time for a breakthrough!’

Back at the Orphanage, Shi Tiexin first picked up a brush and practiced his calligraphy on paper. This helped him maintain a state of mind that was relaxed and lively, but not overly agitated. Then, he bathed, changed his clothes, and lay down comfortably on his bed.

There was no need to sit cross-legged or to face the heavens with the five centers. Cultivators of the Mist Era didn’t need to bother with such formalities. Shi Tiexin found the most comfortable position for himself and lay down, looking up at the ceiling.

He took a deep breath in.

And then let it out in a long, slow sigh.

His eyes closed, his expression serene, and Shi Tiexin quickly fell into a deep sleep. To break through to the second level of Mind-Arts, he needed a second-level cultivation manual. Shi Tiexin had obtained one from the Star Worker School before, but such a crude manual was no longer worthy of his Dharma Eye.

He wanted to see a better one—a top-grade secret manual.

Hooo... A thought was born, a thought died, and a myriad of dharmas followed in his dream. A mysterious diagram faintly appeared, and the point of light representing the Champion Scholar Stone flared with brilliance. It was brighter than usual, like a supernova, and the line of light connecting the two of them became much clearer.

When Shi Tiexin formed a thought, the other side responded in kind. As Shi Tiexin sank completely into his dream, he discovered that this dream was different from all the ones before.

They say dreaming is like experiencing a story in the first person. His previous dreams had been like memories. They weren’t rigid, but Shi Tiexin couldn’t control them.

But this time, as he delved deeper into the dream, everything was different.

He opened his eyes in the dream and found that he seemed to have become the Champion Scholar Stone in his elementary school days. He raised his hands to look at them. The elementary school-aged Shi Tiexin was already quite tall, making the small desk in front of him seem a little too short and cramped.

Looking around, he found himself in a classroom—the Champion Scholar Stone’s elementary school classroom.

It was dilapidated, old, and the facilities were outdated, but it felt incredibly familiar, incredibly peaceful, and incredibly serene.

Sunlight streamed through the windows. Shi Tiexin sat alone in the classroom, but he didn’t feel lonely. On the contrary, he felt very comfortable.

’This place... it’s just like the real world.’

’So, where’s my secret manual?’

As the thought formed, a large stack of books suddenly appeared on the desk before him. Shi Tiexin looked down and saw a series of textbooks, starting with the first volume of fourth-grade elementary school mathematics. ’Okay, *this* part isn’t like the real world. It’s pretty magical.’

The first level of Basic Mathematics was the understanding of numbers and calculations. The second level was conditions and logic. In the Champion Scholar Stone’s memory, this section had a single name: Word Problems.

As he stared at the books, the vision system, which had never appeared in his dreams before, suddenly popped up and provided a professional annotation.

[Secret Manual: Basic Mathematics, Second Level]

[Quality: Top-Grade]

[Attribute 1: Systematic Progression. This manual’s descriptions are detailed and systematic, effectively lowering the cultivation threshold and reducing aptitude requirements by 30%.]

[Attribute 2: Integrated Learning and Practice. This manual includes an expanded section. This section is considered a supplementary manual for the first level of Basic Mathematics, increasing cultivation speed by 20%.]

’Nice. As expected of a series from the same publisher. The quality is consistent, the attributes are consistent, and the stability is completely reliable!’

"Young man, in this class, we will begin our lesson on word problems." A gentle voice spoke. Shi Tiexin looked up and saw a male teacher in his thirties appear at the lectern at the front of the room. The teacher wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he had a very approachable air. He was rational yet easygoing—exactly the type of teacher elementary school students liked most.

"Please turn to page three of your textbook."

Although Shi Tiexin was the only student, the teacher was extremely earnest in his lecture. He not only gave detailed explanations but also wrote meticulous notes and analyses on the blackboard.

[You have received the teachings of a Top-Grade Master. The teaching is rated "Meticulous Guidance," and your learning is rated "Complete Focus." Aptitude requirements reduced by 20%. Chance of cultivation deviation reduced by 30%. Cultivation speed increased by 20%. Initial progress increased by 30. Duration: ten days.]

’So receiving guidance from a master comes with ratings?’

This was the first time Shi Tiexin learned of such a thing. He had never encountered this at the Star Worker School. Of course, it was also possible that he just didn’t have the vision system back then, so it couldn’t be displayed. And at Fengming First Middle School, he either couldn’t understand a thing or didn’t listen at all, so he never triggered a rating there either.

But regardless, even judging from simple intuition, this dream-teacher was clearly of a much higher caliber, had a much more serious attitude, and was far more dedicated than the teachers at the Star Worker School. The rating of "Meticulous Guidance" was definitely no exaggeration.

If he had had such a good teacher imparting knowledge to him back then, Shi Tiexin believed he could have achieved the effect of a top-grade manual even with his own tattered, two-page excuse for a manual. But alas, whether it was due to their limited abilities or their perfunctory attitude, the teachers at the Star Worker School had never taught Shi Tiexin this way.

However, Shi Tiexin immediately put the matter of the Star Worker School out of his mind and began to listen to the teacher’s lecture with his full attention.

Time flowed differently in the dream; it seemed to pass in a flash, yet it also felt as if he had been studying for a long, long time. The teacher lectured meticulously, and Shi Tiexin studied earnestly. One top-grade manual after another was covered. After an unknown amount of time, the teacher at the lectern suddenly put down his chalk.

Only then did Shi Tiexin realize that he had finished studying all the secret manuals for the second level of Basic Mathematics.

The teacher put down his book and said gently to Shi Tiexin, "That’s all for today, young man. Class dismissed."

SHUFFLE. Shi Tiexin pushed back his desk and stood up. Even though this was just a phantom in a dream, a specious teacher cobbled together from the Champion Scholar Stone’s memories, Shi Tiexin still bowed earnestly to him.

’I’m grateful to you, Teacher, for imparting the Way, bestowing your knowledge, and dispelling my doubts.’

Shi Tiexin bowed deeply, his gratitude sincere and heartfelt. "Goodbye, Teacher."

The phantom teacher nodded, smiled faintly, and then slowly faded away.

At the same time, the classroom door was pushed open, and this time a female teacher walked in. She was about forty years old and wore glasses, looking strict but also full of passion.

It was the elementary school language arts teacher from the Champion Scholar Stone’s memory.

"Please be seated, young man. Let’s begin class. Open your fourth-grade textbook, first volume. Today, we will be studying the application of words, idioms, and proverbs, as well as some simple poetry appreciation."

Shi Tiexin looked and saw that the math textbooks on his desk had completely vanished, replaced by a large stack of language arts textbooks.