193: College Tasks

[Year Twenty-Nine]

[You spent ten Contribution Points to attend the first class taught by Mentor Mingdu.]

[The lecture location was a gigantic open-air plaza called the "Dao Platform." Mentor Mingdu sat alone on a Black Jade Cushion in the center, surrounded by students seated in a ring, numbering no less than a million.]

[The entire plaza was utterly silent, with only Mentor Mingdu's hoarse, low voice clearly entering everyone's ears.]

[He lectured with his eyes closed, offering no demonstrations and answering no questions, as if passing down some ancient Legacy.]

[The sun rose and the moon set; a full thirty days passed—]

[When the final Sound of the Dao faded, Mentor Mingdu's figure vanished like a phantom.]

[The vast plaza remained silent; all the students were still digesting the month-long sermon.]

[As you pondered the sole core concept of this lengthy course, your expression couldn't help but turn strange—Testing Poisons with One's Own Body!]

[That's right! The core of this entire month-long course consisted of only four words: Testing Poisons with One's Own Body.]

["So this Old Gentleman lectured for a month... just to repeatedly explain how to safely consume poison?"]

[Staring at the ten Contribution Points deducted from your Identity jade pendant, you felt the absurd sensation of "mismatching goods" for the first time, vaguely sensing you had been cheated.]

[Year Thirty]

[You paid another ten Contribution Points to attend the second class, taught by Mentor Huodu.]

[This class also lasted a month and similarly contained only four words—Transforming Poisons with One's Own Body.]

[The two courses differed by only one character, yet the cost was exorbitant.]

[You left the lecture hall with a grim expression and continued burying yourself in missions.]

[Year Thirty-One]

[You spent another ten Contribution Points to listen to the third class, taught by Mentor Anlan.]

[Frustratingly, this class also lasted a month, and still contained only four words—Unity of Man and Poison.]

[After finishing the class, you began to regret choosing the Poison Dao Academy.]

[You couldn't help but suspect: Was your Aptitude too poor, or was something amiss?]

[The other students in the class seemed to have gained some enlightenment, so why were you the only one who found this content too simple?]

[Why were they only explaining basic theories?]

[Couldn't they teach a concrete method?]

[You were too embarrassed to ask directly, and requesting extra answers from a Venerable Mentor required paying even more Contribution Points, which you couldn't afford.]

[However, on second thought, having these Great Experts personally lecture didn't seem like a loss for ten Contribution Points—]

[After all, these mentors were at least Great Experts of the Void Refining Realm.]

[But upon closer inspection, something felt wrong: Void Refining Cultivators could completely condense primordial spirit clones to teach simultaneously...]

[The more you thought about it, the more you felt these Contribution Points were wasted.]

[Year Thirty-Five]

[While accepting a mission at the "Affairs Hall," you accidentally saw a familiar name—Luo Jiuchen.]

[Curiously, you accepted the mission: Help Senior Sister Xiao Ya of the Poison Institute deliver a Love Letter to the Prodigy Luo Jiuchen of the Divination Institute.]

["So Luo Jiuchen is a Prodigy of the Divination Institute? No wonder he was able to find my whereabouts using the Heavenly Mystery Plate back then."]

[You recalled that during the ninth simulation, you were found by Luo Jiuchen using the Heavenly Mystery Plate while you were in the Canglan Holy Land.]

[When it came to finding people, calculating events, and seeking good fortune while avoiding disaster, the Divination Institute was truly expert.]

[The round trip from the Poison Dao Academy to the Divination Dao Academy would take approximately one year.]

[Had you not seen Luo Jiuchen's name, you definitely wouldn't have accepted such a time-consuming mission.]

[After accepting the mission, you immediately set off for the Divination Dao Academy.]

[Luo Jiuchen held outstanding prestige in the Divination Dao Academy and was considered a prominent figure even across the Three Thousand Academies; otherwise, he wouldn't have been selected later to participate in the Holy Land Grand Competition at the Canglan Holy Land.]

[You casually inquired with a student and quickly learned Luo Jiuchen's residence—he had purchased a temporary palace within the academy named "Luo Manor."]

[Arriving at the entrance of Luo Manor, you saw a magnificent palace standing tall, its scale comparable to the imperial palace of a mortal emperor.]

[Even more striking was that Luo Jiuchen commanded many followers, and guards stood solemnly protecting the manor entrance.]

[What amazed you most was that this young man, barely thirty years old, was already a Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator—although he was only at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, he actually had Spirit Transformation Cultivators among his followers, demonstrating his extraordinary potential.]

[You knew that he would reach Nascent Soul Perfection thirty-one years later and represent the academy in the Holy Land Grand Competition; such talent could truly be called a Prodigy.]

[At this moment, you couldn't help but think of your younger sister, who possessed the Chaos Body and Chaos Spiritual Root; her talent seemed even more Heaven-Defying.]

[You also noticed a detail: Luo Jiuchen was not yet thirty years old, meaning he had not yet been born in reality. It seemed you were destined never to meet him in reality.]

[After entering Luo Manor, a servant led you to the Reception Hall. A moment later, Luo Jiuchen arrived gracefully, followed by a Soul Transformation Stage follower.]

[Luo Jiuchen smiled as he sized you up, then went straight to the point: "Are you here to deliver a letter too?"]

["How did you know?" You were slightly surprised, and at the same time, you waved your hand, gently sending the Love Letter toward him.]

[He shook his head helplessly. With a flick of his sleeve, a pile of Love Letters appeared on the ground. He said calmly, "My heart is set on the Dao, with no room for distractions."]

[Staring at the mountain of Love Letters, you couldn't help but be stunned.]

[After regaining your composure, you stated the true purpose of your visit: "I have another matter I wish to consult Senior Brother about."]

["Speak freely." Luo Jiuchen lightly sipped his Spiritual Tea.]

["What methods are there for tracking someone's whereabouts? If one doesn't have the target's personal item or Essence Blood, can they still be tracked?"]

[Upon hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Luo Jiuchen's eyes, and he immediately became interested. He put down his teacup and motioned, "Junior Brother, your question shows great insight. Please sit down, and let us discuss this in detail."]

[Once you were seated, a servant offered Clear Tea. The tea's fragrance was refreshing and cleared the Divine Sense.]

[Luo Jiuchen adjusted his collar and spoke calmly: "The essence of Tracking Technique is capturing the Karma traces left by the target between heaven and earth."]

["The most effective method is the target's Essence Blood. A single drop is enough to discern their location, even across millions of miles, as clearly as observing a fire."]

[Seeing you listen intently, he continued to elaborate: "Next are personal items used frequently, such as clothing, Magical Artifacts, and Accessories."]

["However, the results of this method are relatively vague, with greater deviation the farther the distance."]

[At this point, his expression became serious, and he answered the question you cared about most: "As for whether tracking is possible without a target's item—"]

["The answer is absolutely impossible."]

["Heaven and Earth are vast; without a Karma catalyst, it is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. However..." He paused slightly, then added:]

["The scope of 'items' is quite broad. They are not necessarily inanimate objects; those with deep ties to the target can also serve as a medium."]

["For example, Blood Relatives, deeply affectionate Dao Companions, or even servants bound by a special Slave Contract... the deeper the bond, the more accurate the tracking."]

[This explanation shook your heart—If that were the case, wouldn't Liu Jinfeng be able to find you through Liu Ruyan's Essence Blood?]

[But why hadn't she come looking for you after all these years?]

[Noticing the change in your expression, Luo Jiuchen smiled knowingly: "Is Junior Brother worried about an enemy tracking you down?"]