Free Web NovelChapter 397: Chapter 384: Professor Zhang
Originally, Lu You was going to take Professor Zhang’s class, but on Elder Huo’s recommendation, Gu Ming decided to attend as well.
The main reason was that creators of Cultivation Techniques needed to broaden their horizons, constantly reading and gathering information. Only with a vast knowledge base could one truly innovate new Cultivation Techniques.
It was this advice that convinced Gu Ming to enroll.
As for the difficulty, Gu Ming hadn’t given it much thought.
Next was the matter of the customized development plan.
As an alumnus, Teacher Tang had a firm grasp of the overall direction, and Elder Huo made no modifications.
However, Elder Huo was less optimistic about Ah Ji taking the path of balanced Evolution and shook his head.
But that was all he did.
"At this stage, the Evolution of Pet Beasts with coexisting Light and Dark Dual Attributes is already a rare phenomenon. A balanced Evolution isn’t entirely out of the question; it’s at least a tangible path you can follow.
"It’s just not an easy path to walk, but you can certainly try. In that case, we’ll set your curriculum as planned."
After finalizing his courses, Gu Ming immediately left the faculty building and began the process of catching up on his missed classes.
How would he catch up?
By spending Credit Points, of course, to request private tutoring sessions with the professors.
If multiple students joined in and split the cost, the price in Credit Points would be even lower.
Students earned these Credit Points by getting their papers published in academic journals.
Gu Ming, for instance, had published in the top-tier journal *Peak*, and the corresponding Credit Points had already been deposited into his account.
The Credit Point reward for this paper was the absolute highest among the first-year students.
In fact, Gu Ming had earned enough Credit Points to last him all four years of university.
All he had to do was fulfill the minimum course requirements and complete his academic tasks.
But Gu Ming had no intention of just coasting.
He had come to the university to improve himself and his Pet Beasts.
During these make-up sessions, there were fewer students, which allowed the instructors to freely control the pace.
When it was just Gu Ming and Lu You, the pace was even faster. The instructor taught as much as they could absorb, barreling through the material like a runaway train.
Gu Ming listened all day until his head was swimming, even using his evening hours to study.
The evenings of the university’s High-star Beastmasters were spent on either Cultivation or teaching.
The Credit Points earned from this extra tutoring could be converted into research funding, so the instructors were more than happy to oblige.
Besides, the professors didn’t always have to conduct the sessions personally. Their own advanced students, who had a solid grasp of the fundamental principles, could teach in their stead.
Some professors, however, upon learning that the student was Gu Ming, the author from the journal *Peak*, would change their minds and decide to personally conduct the make-up sessions.
Gu Ming accepted them all; as long as he could catch up quickly, he was fine with it.
「In less than three days.」
Gu Ming had made up for all ten days of missed coursework. By the fourth day, he was completely caught up.
It was worth noting that while every student had a customized curriculum, the courses related to Cultivation Techniques were mandatory for everyone in the Cultivation Technique Class.
This was one of the few classes the entire group attended together.
Otherwise, the students spent most of their time scattered across various academic buildings, gradually coming into contact with more Beastmaster students from different departments.
At the start of the semester, the first-years had mostly mingled within their own classes and clubs, so their social circles were limited.
But when Beastmasters from different classes and departments attended lectures together, the disparities between individuals became apparent, and new inspirations for Beast Taming would spark and collide.
Just as Gu Ming took a seat in Professor Zhang’s Spiritual Fragment Analysis class, the volume in the classroom suddenly rose.
Aside from his classmates in the Cultivation Technique Class, who were already used to it, everyone else in the room turned to look at him.
’The fame from a top-tier journal like *Peak* has its downsides,’ Gu Ming thought, slightly annoyed, but he maintained a composed expression in his seat.
The attention was harder on Lu You; faced with a sea of staring eyes, she unconsciously propped her book up to hide her face.
The moment Professor Zhang stepped onto the lecture platform, his gaze landed on Gu Ming. He sized him up for several seconds before giving a slight nod and saying:
"In my classroom, it makes no difference whether you’re an author published in *Peak* or a complete novice of a Beastmaster who knows nothing about Spiritual Fragments.
"If you don’t pay attention in class, you’ll fail just like anyone else.
"Since you’ve enrolled in my course, you are expected to complete every single assignment I give."
Before Gu Ming could say a word, the other students glanced his way again.
Professor Zhang’s words were clearly barbed and aimed directly at Gu Ming, intending to make an example of him.
However, Gu Ming wasn’t offended. On the contrary, he rather appreciated Professor Zhang’s attitude.
He was here to learn, not to crush his peers or show off his academic achievements.
Professor Zhang paused for a moment, his voice turning serious:
"First, I’ll give you all an assignment: have your Pet Beast condense one Memory Fragment.
"I’ll be conducting a spot check next class. Any student who hasn’t completed it will immediately receive a demerit.
"If you accumulate two demerits, you will be expelled from this course. You are not suited to be studying here.
"The same goes for the author from *Peak*. There are no special privileges."
"Gu Ming, since you’re the role model for this class, you’ll be the first one I inspect next time. How about it?"
The students erupted into murmurs at his words.
Teacher Zhang’s strictness was famous throughout the university. Anyone who dared to take his class was naturally unafraid of risks and ready to rise to a challenge.
But with these last few sentences, Professor Zhang had all but dropped the pretense. He was clearly targeting Gu Ming, showing he had a major issue with the prestige associated with the *Peak* journal.
It was understandable, when you thought about it.
Professor Zhang himself had never managed to get published in *Peak*.
Yet a first-year he was teaching had not only been published in *Peak* but was also being fervently studied by Beastmasters across the nation for pioneering an entirely new system.
Furthermore, titles like "Creator of the Nine-Colored Technique" were being thrown around—all of which severely undermined Professor Zhang’s authority in the classroom.
This would greatly impact the quality of his lectures.
If the students didn’t fear him, they wouldn’t take his lectures seriously.
The person Professor Zhang needed to put in his place was precisely a student like Gu Ming—someone so conspicuous that his reputation was already undermining the professor’s authority.
Gu Ming, however, was not annoyed. He simply said:
"Don’t worry, Professor. I will have my Pet Beast complete the assignment."
Gu Ming’s Pet Beasts didn’t possess exceptionally strong potential in Spiritual Power, but he trusted Professor Zhang’s judgment. ’If even a novice Beastmaster can do this Cultivation, then so can I.’
’The very first assignment in this class was already right up his alley. He definitely hadn’t come here for nothing.’
Gu Ming secretly hoped he could learn some knowledge from the "updated versions" that would only appear thirty years in the future.
As Gu Ming had these thoughts, Teacher Zhang paused on the platform, unsurprised by Gu Ming’s compliant attitude. ’A student who could get published in *Peak* isn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t openly defy a professor in class.’
In the next moment, he began lecturing fluently.
Professor Zhang’s *Spiritual Fragment Analysis* course was built on the principle of first experimenting on one’s own Pet Beasts to study their memories.
First, the research process was divided into three main steps:
Recalling a memory, extracting the memory, and condensing it into a fragment.
This process was then repeated over and over, practiced relentlessly until it was honed into a memory-extraction Skill.
After that, one would proceed to deepen their understanding of Spiritual Fragments.
It was a step-by-step, standardized procedure. Professor Zhang had taught for many years, and his course curriculum had only been revised twice. It was largely the same as the original version, with only minor changes to the details.
