79: Chapter 79 Reading Master

Jiang Xiaolan put on a stern face. "Is it funny? This is the First Specialized Academy. Status here is based on strength, not age. If you don't have the strength, please tuck your tail between your legs and behave."

It was rare to hear something that made sense, so Tang Long nodded in agreement.

But the calmer he acted, the angrier Jiang Xiaolan became.

"Also, I would ask you to pay attention to your appearance. It's not that hot in Song City; there's no need to wear leather."

Only then did Tang Long notice that he did indeed look a bit out of place.

Having been in a cold region previously, he had kitted himself out in animal skins from head to toe.

After going through several fierce battles, besides being stained with all sorts of grime, he had soaked in snake blood for a long time, and had even been smoked by certain things, absorbing the scent.

Coupled with the fact that the temperature in Song City was indeed much higher than outside, the smell was probably starting to waft around.

He had already gotten used to it, but it probably didn't smell very pleasant to others...

Moreover, ever since his rebirth, he hadn't seemed to have taken a bath, nor had he trimmed his hair, so his current appearance was likely a bit wild.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the teaching building, many people cast strange looks his way, and some female students even covered their noses as they passed by him.

Arriving at the large classroom with over a hundred people, he caused an uproar of laughter.

"Holy crap, Class Monitor, where did you dig up such a prize?"

"He's truly fierce, absolutely wild—a total savage!"

"Governor Xu is already outrageous enough, taking anyone and everyone into the city. The school is even more outrageous, bringing in some Hetero-blood Species and hogging all the spotlight. I didn't expect our class to be the most outrageous of all—actually bringing in a monkey that hasn't shed its fur."

"Although he's a bit stinky, isn't it a bit mean to say that right in front of him?"

"Are you sure he can understand human language?"

"Maybe it's a good thing. With him here, I might not have to be ranked last anymore."

Tang Long smiled, not making any response, but he did make a mental note of a few clear and foolish faces.

Just then, the bell rang, and a shout of reprimand came from outside the door.

"What are you all doing! What kind of chaotic mess is this? Didn't you hear the class bell?"

The classroom immediately quieted down, and then a bespectacled man with a receding hairline walked in, his gaze inevitably falling directly on Tang Long.

"What is going on here?"

"Professor He, this student, Tang Long, was just assigned to our class." Jiang Xiaolan immediately stepped forward to explain and handed over Tang Long's materials.

Professor He took the materials, looked them over, and his face immediately darkened.

"This Old Yu, is he just messing around? I'm calling him."

He turned and walked out the door, and soon a roar could be heard.

"Old Yu, what is going on with you? The first year is about to end, and you're stuffing someone who hasn't even entered a stage into my class! And his Spirituality is only level three?"

"Don't you have any idea what kind of class Class 9 is? How can someone from outside the city be assigned to our class?"

"Then you tell me, how can I get him to raise his Qi Flow to the promotion line in two months? If he gets held back, my year-end bonus is gone—are you going to make up for that money?"

"The Sangyu delegation is about to visit, and our class is going to represent the grade level in the competition. Are you trying to hold me back at a time like this?"

"Oh, so that's how it is. This..."

"Fine, I'll talk to him personally."

A few seconds later, Professor He called out from the doorway.

"Student Tang Long, come here for a moment."

Tang Long walked out the door, simultaneously using Detection.

As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. This Professor He Dazhi, although he looked unremarkable and had a bit of a receding hairline, was actually a level 9 in Qi Manipulation.

"I've already been briefed on your situation. Since it's a recommendation from the Civil Affairs Department, we naturally have to accommodate you."

"But let me be frank with you, your timing is bad. The promotion line for the second year is a Qi Flow of 160. The vast majority of students in our class have already reached it, and some top students have even reached the second stage."

"There are only two months left until the end of the semester, and your Qi Flow is only 58. It's very difficult to catch up."

"My suggestion to Director Yu is that you just sit in on classes first and work hard to improve. If you can catch up, that would be best. If not, when the next school year starts, we'll see about transferring you to another class. How does that sound?"

Tang Long naturally had no objections. Professor He left immediately, telling him to go into the classroom and find a seat himself.

The last period was a self-study session. No one was talking, and no one paid him any mind.

The classroom was basically full, with only three or four empty seats in the last few rows.

The only exception was a thin, frail boy at the desk next to him, who happily reached out his hand to him.

"Hey buddy, nice to meet you. Let's get to know each other; my name is Sun Jian."

Tang Long reached out and shook his hand, though he found it funny inside, because this kid was the one who had previously claimed to be ranked last.

"Student Sun, why do we have so few academic classes? Are there only three sessions a month? Where is the library?"

Sun Jian looked at him with extremely surprised eyes. "Why are you asking about academic classes? This is a martial arts specialized academy; naturally, cultivation is the priority. Those secondary courses don't really matter one way or the other."

"Then... where is the library?"

"The library? Buddy, it's useless for you to ask about that now. Let me tell you, don't let Old He fool you. If you get transferred next school year, you'll become a holdover student. Even if you manage to graduate in the future, it'll be with a Grade B diploma. You won't be able to pursue further studies, and you won't find a good job."

"If you have connections, hurry up and think of a way. Or just don't attend this semester and wait until next semester to come."

"Otherwise, this semester only has two months left, and 36,000 will be thrown away for nothing!"

Tang Long frowned as he listened.

Sure enough, wherever there are people, there is a society, and the people of Blue Star are really not very kind.

If it weren't for Sun Jian's reminder, he wouldn't have known there were so many tricks involved.

However, they had processed his enrollment, and since he couldn't keep up with the class, they had also agreed to transfer him; the way they handled things was actually flawless.

Fortunately, he didn't need to worry about these things; cultivation realms were something he could train back at any time.

"I'm asking where the library is."

Sun Jian was stunned for a moment. "Fine! Forget I said anything. Go past our grade's teaching building three more blocks; the oldest and ugliest one is it."

"Thanks."

Tang Long nodded, then took out a book titled "Overview of Martial Arts and Psionic Energy" and began to read.

[You have comprehended the Life Skill: Reading {Apprentice}.]

[You have used the Life Skill Instant Upgrade Permit, Reading has been upgraded to Master level!]

Of the two Life Skill permits the system had compensated him with initially, he had used one for Mining, but Tang Long had kept the other one unused specifically for Reading.

In the game, the Reading skill originally focused on deciphering hidden information.

But later, players discovered that its function was not limited to that. Once this skill was high, many extremely difficult-to-learn medicinal recipes and equipment blueprints became easy to master.

Reading books related to Life Skills could also increase profession proficiency.

Therefore, it should be defined as a powerful learning ability.

And Tang Long believed that for him, the value of this skill would only be higher than it was in the game.

Sure enough, Master-level Reading almost allowed him to memorize things at a glance, and his understanding was also easier and more thorough; many things seemed to be understood without needing to specifically rack his brain.

What was even more surprising was that Master-level Reading also provided a lot of experience.

[You have finished reading "Overview of Martial Arts and Psionic Energy", Experience + 389!]

Tang Long almost laughed out loud on the spot; he could easily read ten or eight books like this a day. If he put in extra hours, he could read even more.

In other words, he could level up quickly just by reading!

A class period passed quickly, and after school, Tang Long happily went to the library to scout the location before leaving the school.

The library wasn't going anywhere; the problems he needed to solve now were accommodation and money.