Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 96: Undercurrents in the Core Class

After Bai Xuan finished speaking, he turned around and went back to the podium, picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Su Ling'er frowned slightly, her mouth opening as if to say something, but Chu Fan stopped her with a look. Leng Feng leaned his battle sword against the table, crossed his arms, and stared expressionlessly at Bai Xuan's back.

Chu Fan subtly shifted his body towards Lin Chen and lowered his voice: "Bai Xuan is Qin Cang's man, that's obvious. He's deliberately not telling you this to slow you down. Don't worry about it, we'll study it together after class. Your talent is undeniable, you can understand it by yourself."

Su Ling'er also leaned over, resting her chin on the table, and whispered, "Exactly. Their teaching method is so slow and drawn-out. We can definitely do just as well as them if we practice on our own."

Lin Chen didn't reply. He looked at the energy circulation diagrams on the blackboard and reviewed the key points Bai Xuan had just explained to Qin Hao in his mind—the points of exertion, the rhythm of breathing, and the coordination of the waist and hips. He remembered them all. Although he hadn't received individual instruction, he hadn't missed a single word when Bai Xuan was explaining.

He closed his eyes, and the Star Martial Core in his dantian slowly rotated, a warm surge of star power flowing from his dantian along his meridians. He tried to mobilize the star power according to the route diagram on the blackboard. The first time was somewhat sluggish, like water encountering a stone; the second time was smoother; and the third time it flowed freely. The star power condensed at the tip of his fist, and he could feel that small ball of power swelling under his skin, like something about to burst out of its shell.

He opened his eyes, but instead of throwing a punch, he dispersed the stellar energy. He already knew what to expect.

When the bell rang, Qin Hao walked over from the front.

He held a roll of something in his hand; the paper was yellowed, and the edges were wrapped in silk, making it look quite elegant. He slammed the roll onto Lin Chen's table; the sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for people in the surrounding rows to hear.

"Lin Chen, did you see that?" Qin Hao unfolded a corner of the scroll, revealing densely packed tiny characters and meridian diagrams inside. "A fragment of a low-level cultivation technique. Teacher Bai Xuan gave it to me personally. You probably can't even master a high-level technique, can you?"

His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something trivial. But as he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Lin Chen's face, waiting to see his reaction.

Lin Chen glanced at him, then looked back at his notebook.

"In the secret realm, everyone relies on their own abilities. These superficial things are useless."

Qin Hao's smile froze on his face. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to react this way—no anger, no rebuttal, not even looking at him, as if he hadn't heard a thing. This disregard hurt him more than any rebuttal.

"You—" Qin Hao took a step forward.

Leng Feng stood up.

He didn't speak or make any movement; he simply stood up. His broad shoulders beneath the camouflage uniform blocked Qin Hao's view, and the scar running from his cheekbone to his chin was particularly clear under the fluorescent light. He looked down at Qin Hao, his eyes calm, but something weighing on that calm made Qin Hao instinctively take a half-step back.

Qin Hao's followers also shrank back.

"You'll see what's coming to you in the secret realm," Qin Hao said, then turned and left. He walked quickly, his steps hurried and heavy, his leather shoes thumping on the ground.

Su Ling'er made a face behind him and stuck out her tongue.

Su Muyue turned around and looked at Lin Chen. She was still holding the book on formations in her hand, the page stopped on a certain page, and a note was sticking out.

"Don't bother with him," Su Muyue said softly. "Qin Hao is just a clown. The one we really need to be wary of is Qin Cang. Bai Xuan's targeting of you today was definitely at Qin Cang's behest. They want to suppress you and prevent you from cooperating with us in the secret realm."

Lin Chen closed the notebook and stuffed it into the desk drawer. "I know. The more he acts like this, the more I need to practice."

In the second half of the class, Bai Xuan had everyone take turns going up to the stage to demonstrate.

After the other young masters from prominent families finished their matches, it was Lin Chen's turn. He stood up, walked to the aisle, and instead of using the space in front of the podium, stood in the aisle between the seats.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax your shoulders. Drop your elbows. Bring your fists to your waist.

Take a deep breath.

Stellar energy surged from his dantian, flowing along the path he had just discovered. When the power at the tip of his fist reached its peak, he threw a punch.

A punch was thrown, imbued with silvery starlight, the force of which exploded in the air with a muffled thud. The energy traveled a great distance, causing the hair of the students in the first few rows to flutter backward.

His moves were fluid and his power precise, even more ferocious than what Bai Xuan had taught him. His fists were wrapped in a faint silver light, a manifestation of his stellar energy being released—Bai Xuan had only taught this technique for half a lesson; normally, it would take at least three to five days of practice to achieve this effect.

The classroom fell silent for a moment.

Bai Xuan's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air. His gaze lingered on Lin Chen's fist for two seconds. His pupils contracted slightly before his indifferent expression returned. He put down the teacup, offering no comment, no praise, not even glancing at Lin Chen, simply saying "Next" before looking away.

But he gripped the teacup with a bit more force than before, and his knuckles turned slightly white.

Lin Chen returned to his seat. Chu Fan quickly scribbled a few words in his notebook and pushed it towards him. The notebook read: "Bai Xuan's expression changed just now."

Lin Chen glanced at it and pushed the notebook back.

After class, Lin Chen packed up his notebook and headed out. Just as he reached the classroom door, Bai Xuan called out to him.

"Lin Chen, can you stay here for a moment?"

Su Muyue glanced at Lin Chen, who nodded to her, indicating that everything was alright. The four of them left first, and Su Ling'er looked back one last time as she left, still worried.

Only Lin Chen and Bai Xuan remained in the classroom. Bai Xuan stood on the podium, slowly putting his lesson plan into his briefcase. Lin Chen stood at the door, neither going in nor out.

Bai Xuan zipped up his briefcase and looked up.

"Lin Chen, you have good talent." His tone was different from that in class; it was less indifferent and more ambiguous—like a reminder, or perhaps a warning.

"But you must know how to behave yourself. Xingwu University is a dangerous place; there are some things and some people you shouldn't mess with. Don't get involved in the affairs of the Martial Emperor's Mausoleum. Otherwise, you'll only get burned."