Volume One, Chapter 123: Out of Place

Seeing the thirty-three students head off to find their respective training rooms, Chu Fengyi turned to the faculty team and said, "I am going to meet with Principal Sanyi. Everyone should follow the pre-arranged patrol schedule: one person will remain here on guard, while the other four disperse throughout the South Campus. Teacher Tu Tian, please keep a close eye on the southwest sector." Chu Fengyi looked toward Tu Tian, who was standing to the side with his hands behind his back.

Tu Tian met Chu Fengyi’s gaze and nodded slightly, signaling that he would be extra vigilant for any signs of trouble.

"Teacher Mu Qing, you are free to continue gathering intelligence as usual. If you encounter anything, please contact the rest of us immediately."

The group nodded and then split into several teams, heading off in different directions.

Mu Qing watched them "clock in" before walking out of the Pavilion of Anomalies, planning to find a place to change her disguise and blend into the campus to play—or rather, to gather intelligence.

As for Su Ziwen, after searching for a while, he finally discovered a secluded "Space Ability Training Room." Pushing the door open and stepping inside, an all-encompassing pressure immediately smothered him.

Enduring the discomfort, Su Ziwen walked toward a meditation cushion, sat down cross-legged, and began to steady his mind to cultivate his abilities.

There was no one else in the room. The concentration of spatial exotic particles was incredibly high, converging on Su Ziwen from all directions.

Surrounded by such a massive influx of spatial particles, Su Ziwen felt as though he were wrapped in dozens of thick coats, and a faint sensation of suffocation began to cloud his mind.

Suppressing the urge to choke, Su Ziwen gradually lowered his defensive barrier, guiding the particles into his body little by little to slowly refine them.

The entire process was extremely slow at the beginning, as Su Ziwen knew that rashly absorbing too many particles would not only be useless for his cultivation but could also cause physical harm. Thus, he had to remain steady and cautious, slowly increasing his absorption rate.

The situation in most of the other training rooms was much the same as Su Ziwen’s.

"Absorption" and "refinement" are the basic steps of breathing in exotic particles to cultivate abilities. People must first absorb the surrounding particles into their bodies, isolate those that match their own elemental affinity, and then refine them into their physical essence.

In daily cultivation, the concentration of exotic particles in the environment is typically not very high, and the content of particles that match one's specific affinity is even lower. Therefore, people usually focus more on the "refinement" stage—inhaling large quantities of ambient particles and then using their abilities to extract the specific attributes they need once the particles are inside the body.

Of course, during large-scale spiritual energy eruptions like the "Lunar Tide," the torrent of exotic particles between heaven and earth becomes violent and roaring. Even if the concentration is high, it is impossible for practitioners to use it for cultivation.

However, in the training rooms of the Pavilion of Anomalies, vast amounts of high-concentration, pure-attribute particles reside within, like a mountain of gold pressing down on the head of everyone who enters. A massive number of particles swirl around the occupants, scrambling to surge into their bodies.

Yet, every individual has an upper limit to their absorption rate. If that limit is exceeded, the body not only fails to be strengthened or nourished by the particles, but the immense pressure can actually shatter the foundation of the physical body—a case of losing more than one gains.

Inside the training rooms, the high-concentration, single-attribute environment means practitioners do not need to waste time on the "refinement" stage. Instead, they must focus their energy on defending themselves, carefully considering how to safely "consume" the feast before them.

Some, blinded by the treasure trove of particles, lost focus and opened their absorption channels too wide, immediately losing their senses under the impact of the countless particles rushing in. The meditation cushion beneath them would then instantly emit a pale blue light shield, isolating the unconscious person from the external particles.

By the time they woke up, who knows how much precious time had been wasted?

The reason Chu Fengyi did not warn everyone beforehand not to be overly greedy was that she wanted all the students to learn, during this first day of training, what it means to act according to one's own capacity.

Fainting on a cushion now is far better than dying later due to rash ambition.

After all, these promising talents are already at the "Physical Vessel" stage, and the next challenge they face is the second awakening, known as the "Gate of Life and Death."

The first awakening is usually subtle and completed quietly, but during the second awakening, one careless mistake can truly be fatal.

Therefore, knowing one's own limits and learning to restrain one's desires is a crucial lesson for these children.

Mo De understood this deeply. After stepping into his training room, the cautious youth repeatedly checked the surroundings before deciding to proceed within his limits.

There was no one else in this Metal-attribute training room. After verifying that there were no hidden surveillance devices and confirming it was perfectly safe, Mo De began to absorb the particles at his own natural breathing rate.

Removing the golden protective light that usually covered his body, he welcomed the influx of surrounding particles while secretly activating his ability technique to increase the suction. A vast amount of Metal-attribute particles were drawn in, forming a significant vortex centered around his seated form.

What? You say one needs to be more careful when facing high concentrations of particles to avoid fainting from over-absorption?

It doesn't matter. The concentration and quantity of metal particles in this room are not even a fraction of those contained in the particle clouds that dissipated after the black fire burned the dead-gold armor in the underground ruins of Mobei.

Back then, even before Mo De had broken through the late stage of the Physical Vessel realm, he dared to absorb everything without restriction. How could he be timid here?

As they say, one must act according to one's capacity; for someone with Mo De’s physique, these burdens are just a drop in the bucket.

In no time at all, Mo De had completely drained the room of its once-abundant cloud of metal particles. Looking at the particles slowly emerging from the generation array, Mo De thought for a moment and decided to go find another Metal-attribute training room for a second helping.

After all, Metal-attribute ability users are rare; surely it wouldn't be a big problem if he occupied a few more rooms...

On the South Campus, the five teachers rotated their patrols, eliminating potential hazards and keeping a sharp eye out for suspicious individuals.

Meanwhile, Mu Qing had changed into a trendy outfit and was wandering all over the campus, sightseeing.

Inside the Pavilion of Anomalies, the students steadied their minds, resisting the tidal wave of surging particles, gradually lowering their defensive barriers, and continuously absorbing and refining the pure particles at a pace they could handle.

As for Mo De, he moved from one metal-ability training room to the next, walking through the pavilion in search of his next destination.

Mu Qing and Mo De—one acting on whim, the other acting within his limits.

Both were so unconventional, and so out of place compared to the rest.