As the faint morning light pierced through the clouds, the cherry trees of Heart of Fire Academy were the first to awaken, rustling and swaying. The sunlight scattered, making thousands of branches and twigs appear as if plated with a thin layer of gold.
Ye Lingling pushed open her dorm room door, welcoming the first ray of morning sun, and immediately felt the vibrant vitality of Heart of Fire Academy.
Perhaps at this moment, even she herself felt like she was dreaming.
This Spirit Master's Academy, which was clearly much smaller in scale than Heaven Dou Royal Academy, was filled with cherty blossoms and red maple leaves, making it extremely beautiful.
It gave her a sense of peace and comfort, a feeling she rarely experienced anywhere else.
Several senior Disciples who had enrolled before her had already begun their morning exercises.
Morning exercises were not about pursuing high-intensity physical exertion, but rather about awakening the body after a night of sleep and meditation, and invigorating it for the day—this was what the teacher had taught.
Teacher Xin practiced alongside his students; all rose at the hour of Mao and were already performing a set of sword techniques beneath the academy hall.
The sword techniques Xin practiced today were slow. Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran couldn't understand them, but Xiao Wu stared intently, exclaiming, "Teacher's sword techniques today are very similar to my Tai Chi Fist. Is Teacher applying Tai Chi boxing to sword techniques?!"
Ye Lingling didn't understand the profound mysteries of martial arts; she only found them enigmatic. These senior Disciples seemed to have their own unique paths of cultivation, different from what she had learned at Heaven Dou Royal Academy or from Grandmaster.
Whether it was the Royal Academy, Grandmaster, or other academies, all had a set Spirit Master's template where teachers followed rules and taught step-by-step. However, they took an unconventional path, with Spirit Ability training not being the primary focus, but rather these unique arts and Spirit.
At the beginning of the Chen hour, it was time for morning lessons and readings in the academy hall.
"As Heaven maintains vigor through movements, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-Perfection; as Earth's condition is receptive devotion, a gentleman should hold the outer world with broad-mindedness and thick virtue."
"Do not commit evil, however small; do not abandon good, however insignificant."
"Where there's a will, there's a way. Breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, the Qin Pass, with its hundred and twenty li, will eventually belong to Chu."
"Heaven rewards those who work hard. Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, three thousand Yue soldiers can swallow Wu."
Ye Lingling heard the clear morning recitations, though she struggled to grasp their full meaning.
She walked in wonder. The environment of the academy hall was very elegant and ancient, exuding a scholarly aura, completely different from the luxury and coldness of the Royal Academy. Moreover, more than ten framed school mottos teaching character were hung between the pillars around the hall:
[Respect Teachers and Value the Dao]
[Not Corrupted by Wealth]
[Not Swayed by Poverty]
[Unity of Knowledge and Action]
[Think of Righteousness at the Sight of Gain]
[Strive for Self-Improvement]
[Respect the Old and Love the Young]
[Establish Oneself and Settle Down]
[...]
These were school mottos not seen in any other Spirit Master's Academy.
Although Ye Lingling didn't understand the deep meaning of these mottos, she could grasp their superficial meaning from the words themselves and was greatly amazed.