High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2453: Chapter 674: First Class

”...A senior once said, ’The development of destiny is influenced by many factors,’ and I find it quite accurate. You are like this, and so am I.”

”...When Dean Yao asked me to be this teaching assistant, I was actually quite anxious. I’m not joking, just a bit perplexed about how a student from Jiuyou Academy could come to Edge Academy to be a teaching assistant? But Dean Yao said that the school has already made this decision, so after returning to the dormitory, I spent a whole night flipping through the ’First University Campus Management Regulations’ to see if there was a more tactful way to decline.”

”...This regulation has no punctuation, and every densely packed page seems like nonsense. I read it for a long time and finally deciphered the parts between the lines; the whole regulation boils down to six words—listen to the school’s words—so after closing the regulation, I obediently went to Professor Yao’s office to sign my name the next day.”

”Then I stood in front of all of you.”

At this point, Zheng Qing paused, took a breath, picked up the green tea on the lectern, lowered his eyelids, and took a gentle sip.

He finally understood why many teachers like to bring a beverage to class, because speaking at length is really tiring. In just a few minutes, he felt his throat had swollen, the channel that once let breath flow easily had become narrow and dry, as if the rapid breathing was causing low air pressure in the throat, pressing the walls of flesh on both sides.

The warm tea effectively alleviated that dryness.

The young teaching assistant took a deep breath, raised his eyes again, and looked toward the audience, with his gaze first falling in the front corner.

An afternoon ray of sunlight passed through the tall glass window, falling on Jiang Yu, making her seem to wear a layer of golden gauze. She focused on the podium, smiling with clear eyes, immediately filling the young man’s heart with enough courage to speak again:

”Before entering First University, I knew nothing about the wizarding world, almost akin to a commoner.”

Zheng Qing’s prepared opening remarks were still not over; he felt that to make his course run smoothly, he first needed to be accepted by these new students in the classroom, and to be accepted by these wizards initially on the fringes of the Alliance, he needed to find common ground and find each other’s merits.

Fortunately, he easily found both:

”...Sure, I can draw a few talismans, and as a child, I saw a mermaid in a bathtub, a three-headed dog. But that’s about it. Like other commoners, I once thought flower fairies, Ninfus, unicorns, pumpkin cars, cloaks that make you invisible, and high-heeled shoes that don’t hurt your feet existed only in fantasy.

But you guys wouldn’t think so.

You live on Buji Island, outside your houses is the Silent River, across the river lies the vast Silent Forest. You deal with Horse-Men, trade with Fishmen, capture injured Houdous, steal from Giants’ nests, gather luminescent mushrooms, and harvest talking fruits—you have unparalleled understanding of the basic knowledge of the magical world.

This is your biggest advantage.”

Zheng Qing sensed that after this sentence, the wizards dressed in green robes had a glimmer in their eyes, and their posture became much more upright, which boosted his confidence immensely.

”...I know, many of you are worried about falling behind in your studies, unable to grasp complex magic skills, not understanding those difficult magic theories. Trust me, when I first received the admission notice to First University, I was more anxious than you, my only thought was, ’Will I be dismissed if I can’t keep up with the progress’, ’After being dismissed, do I have to repeat a year?’

Yes, repeating is a concept from my commoner school days, meaning if I didn’t get into a university this year, I would go back to high school, study for another year, and then retake the entrance exams the following year.

Of course, the situation is very clear now. Just as Mr. Thomas, who assisted me with the admission procedures, said, if the university admits you, you surely meet the school’s requirements. Now I pass on this message to you, don’t worry about being at the bottom of the class, because every student who starts at the bottom has the chance to truly feel every bit of their progress.

Young eagles fall off cliffs, cicadas climb out of hard shells, and hibernating snakes shed their heavy skins. Every creature constantly breaks away from old shackles to embrace new life. So do you. Don’t be afraid of new things, because everyone is facing an unknown tomorrow.”

He raised his teacup again.

From below came a burst of enthusiastic applause. Very rarely, Zheng Qing found that his few companions did not take the opportunity to scream or whistle, making the toes he had prepared to dig into the ground momentarily unsure of where to place themselves.

He licked his dry lips, his face breaking into a big smile.

Then turned around.

Writing two large characters ’Talisman’ on the blackboard.

”The most crucial part of learning Talisman is the foundation.

From the basic structure of Talisman, to every stroke of the runes, then to the arrangement of the Symbol Gall, finalizing the Talisman feet, sealing the spirit into the pen, etc... In theory, if variables in an experiment are not controlled within a certain range, various accidents may occur during the experiment. Drawing talismans is the same. If you can’t thoroughly understand the rune structure, or be very familiar with the talisman paper and talisman pen, then mistakes can appear in any of your strokes.

But once the foundation is solid, learning a new talisman is just a matter of course.”

”So how do you build a solid foundation?”

Zheng Qing wrote two more words on the blackboard—Focus, Repeated practice.

”Don’t think this is just an old saying,”

He noticed many dismissive looks below, so he slightly raised his stern tone: ”Being able to concentrate on one thing, without stray thoughts, is very difficult. And being able to resist the allure of colors and sounds and repeatedly practice, is even more difficult. Ordinary wizards are easily attracted to deeper and more sophisticated magic skills. Therefore, concentration is your perfect opportunity to surpass them.

This semester, I only have one requirement for you, which is to master a talisman.

Here, mastery is not simply drawing it, but to skillfully handle it, know under what circumstances this talisman can be used, in what environments the talisman’s power is maximized, and achieve the level of doing whatever you want without overstepping boundaries.

Don’t think it’s too difficult.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, a tree that could fill a span grows from a tiny shoot, a tower nine stories high begins with a heap of earth.

No matter how difficult a task, it can be broken down into many not-so-difficult parts, allowing one to gradually grind it away.

So, first, I will conduct an initial assessment to confirm each person’s talisman foundation level. Then, based on each person’s situation, I will select a suitable talisman for you... Your volunteers will assist you in experiencing the basic properties of the talisman you select...”