C26 Child Education Guidelines

"Qing Anqi, what brings you here?" Lee Yu asked as he pushed open the door, intending to take a lakeside stroll, only to find a young girl with a troubled look on her face. It was the same girl who had rescued him in the dense forest.

"My father sent me to train with you," Qing Anqi said, biting her upper lip and eyeing Lee Yu with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. "He mentioned you've reached Eighth Grade. Is that actually true?"

Lee Yu couldn't help but smile at Qing Anqi's incredulous expression. Seizing the opportunity to tease her, he ran a hand through his hair and boasted, "Absolutely true. Perhaps I'm just more of a prodigy."

Without another word, Qing Anqi spun on her heel and stormed off to the neighboring room, which a maidservant had prepared. She entered and promptly slammed the door shut behind her.

Lee Yu chuckled to himself, "Still such a kid at heart."

After his leisurely walk, he returned to his room and settled into a meditative pose on his bed. His initial plan was to continue absorbing the thunder attribute spiritual energy from the thunderstrike wood, but he suddenly remembered he hadn't checked in yet. "System, is it possible to check in from the Otherworld?"

Yes.

Lee Yu smirked at his own oversight. He had always assumed the Otherworld was like a separate instance, so he had made it a point to check in only after returning to Blue Star. If it hadn't been for Qing Anqi's arrival making his return inconvenient, he might never have considered checking in from here. "System, let's check in."

Ding! Check-in successful. You have received 1 Purification Pill and 5 random thunder attribute crystals.

The system's electronic voice echoed in his mind.

A random reward? Lee Yu was taken aback by the pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected to receive extra bonuses just for checking in.

With a flicker of thought, he pulled out a thunder attribute crystal. The five-centimeter blue crystal was brimming with spiritual energy, nearly matching that of three pieces of thunderstrike wood.

"If I were an independent cultivator, this would be exactly what I'd be wishing for at this stage," Lee Yu mused as he examined the crystal. After a moment, he carefully stored it away in the system's space.

It was unfortunate that Lee Yu found himself within the Qing's territory, where having unexplained items was frowned upon. It was best to avoid such complications; the Qing's were considerate enough to provide everything he needed for his cultivation anyway.

Cultivating by the lake was practically idyllic. Lee Yu had people to take care of his daily needs and others to gather the necessary cultivation techniques and secret manuals for him. All he had to do was live up to his reputation as a prodigy; the rest was taken care of.

Checking the time on his phone, Lee Yu realized he had several hours left before his midnight bedtime. Deciding to make the most of it, he pulled out the thunderstrike wood to absorb the Thunder Spiritual Force.

...

Across the palace, in the evening dining hall, Qing Heng drummed his fingers on the table. "What are your thoughts? Anything to add?"

The lavish meal had been cleared from the thirty-person table, replaced by paper documents detailing a cultivation plan concerning the Thunder Bloodline. It was the product of their extensive discussion.

"The level of care is on par with our family's seeds," remarked the middle-aged man in the fourth seat, who managed the Qing's finances. "But is it really appropriate to extend such privileges to an outsider?"

"Can we be sure that our investment will yield a proportionate return?" questioned the individual in the seventh seat. "Without proper control measures, we risk losing more than we gain."

Qing Heng pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Perhaps we should grant him seed status initially? Beyond the resources up to the Sixth Grade, he'll receive the same treatment as any other clan member."

"That seems reasonable."

"I agree."

"Then let's arrange for a teacher to start tomorrow."

...

As the twin moons dipped behind the mountains, Lee Yu sensed the bustling activity around him. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself encircled by curious children, all staring at him intently.

Lee Yu was taken aback.

He quickly surveyed the scene. The crowd was mostly children around ten years old, with a few even younger, likely five or six. Despite their curiosity, none of them strayed from their spots.

Rows of small desks and chairs lined the room, and at the front stood a tall podium where a woman was giving him a chilly stare.

"Is this a school?" Lee Yu's eyes snapped open, the blanket on the floor forgotten. "How did I end up here? Is this a dream?"

He pinched himself hard, wincing at the pain. This couldn't be a dream, could it? This morning, he vaguely remembered being called several times but hadn't responded. Wait, the night before, hadn't Cui mentioned something about arranging a teacher for today?

The woman on the podium spoke up, "You're awake? I was about to start class in a few minutes. If you hadn't woken up, I would've had to resort to certain measures."

Certain measures... Did she mean flipping his blanket off or dousing him with water?

Lee Yu shuddered as the morning's memories slowly returned. It had started with Qing Anqi bursting in, eager to take him to school, which he had flatly refused by turning his back on her, effectively dampening her enthusiasm. Then came contestant number two, Hong, whom Lee Yu had fended off by burying his head under the blanket.

He had successfully ignored the outside world and continued to lounge in bed.

So, why was he here? Lee Yu clenched his teeth. "Cui, you're in trouble."

He recalled that when Cui had come to wake him, he was still groggy and had clung to his blanket, refusing to rise. But Cui, relentless, had dragged him out of bed, blanket and all.

"Snap."

A piece of chalk struck Lee Yu's forehead sharply. The woman on the podium announced, "Class is starting. Pay attention."

Lee Yu straightened up immediately, thinking to himself that this woman was no ordinary teacher.

He was, in name, an Eighth Grade cultivator with senses enhanced by spiritual energy. Yet he hadn't seen the chalk coming. What exactly was she teaching? Lee Yu was genuinely curious.

The woman, satisfied with the rapt attention of her students, nodded approvingly. She then turned to the blackboard and wrote in bold letters: "Preschool Education Guidelines."

Lee Yu was taken aback—the name didn't bode well.

The woman spoke, "Hold on while I hand out the textbooks. I want everyone to go through them first."

Really? Was it still a 'learn at your own pace' kind of deal?

Lee Yu was incredulous. Scanning the room, he noticed he was the only older student. Could this educational approach be trusted? Some of the kids looked no older than five or six.

Lost in thought, he was brought back to reality as the woman placed a textbook in front of him. It was a hefty volume, with only a few bold words emblazoned on the cover.

Opening the "Preschool Education Guidelines," Lee Yu saw it was divided into three main sections: the origins of the Qing family, a brief overview of cultivating the Divine Path, and the essentials of etiquette.

"So, it's still education for the nobility."