Book 1: Chapter 17: Kill to Stop Killing, Only Then Can Violence Be Stopped

“What kind of course subjects does our Self Defense Department have?”

“Only techniques for killing and prevention of being killed. Once we reach the academy, you all will naturally slowly understand.”

“Why is our department called Self Defense?”

“Kill to stop killing, only then can violence be stopped.”

The question and answer session continued. Some people felt that Xia Yanbing’s explanation of the course content was a bit too serious, so they asked a comparatively lighter question, but what none of them expected was that Xia Yanbing’s reply was even colder.

“This is what the principal has said before, as well as the principle our Green Luan Academy upholds.” While looking at the youngsters who clearly found this a bit hard to accept, Xia Yanbing added, “Our Green Luan Academy will also teach you all many other principles the outside world doesn’t acknowledge. You all can choose not to listen to them. Our academy is only responsible for paving the road, as for what kind of path you wish to take, if you want to go down this path, all of you have the freedom to choose yourselves.”

The face of Li Kaiyun next to Lin Xi was immediately filled with indescribable shock. He looked at the black-haired man and Xia Yanbing who was steady like a boulder under the darkness of night. “The academy does not even mind if we acknowledge the academy’s principles or not?”

“However, there is already wrong and right in things. If the students who leave the academy do wrong things, don’t tell me that the academy won’t step in to punish them?” A bookworm-like new student was extremely agitated, loudly speaking out.

Xia Yanbing gave this new student a look, still calmly replying, “What is right, and what is wrong? One type might be when there is a power great enough to establish regulations deciding what is right and what is wrong, another type might be the evaluation of future people.”

This bookworm-like new student’s face immediately became red from impatience, about to speak out again, but at this time, Lin Xi who hadn’t spoken for quite some time instead suddenly said, “Teacher Xia’s meaning is that each person has their own scale within their mind, right or wrong is something that originally exists within each of our hearts to begin with.”

Xia Yanbing didn’t say anything, but instead gave Lin Xi a look of astonishment and praise. Even that black-haired man couldn’t help but turn around to give Lin Xi a look.

By now, Lin Xi already calmed down. He, who wasn’t from this world to begin with, naturally wasn’t as inflexible as this world’s people. This academy whose principles were innately closer to his world’s rules and regulations was naturally clear and easy to accept.

“Approximately how many academic points can be obtained from an ordinary course, what kind of things can they be exchanged for?” After wrapping the soft and warm black cloak a bit tighter around himself, Lin Xi first asked an extremely practical question.

“An ordinary course, once passed, will earn you two to three points. The things that can be exchanged for are worth roughly one to two hundred gold.” Xia Yanbing continued walking while replying to Lin Xi’s question. “However, the things that are valued at around one to two hundred gold in the academy are just like the cloaks on your bodies, just an approximate cost, moreover extremely difficult to purchase through ordinary means in the outside world.”

This immediately produced an uproar.

Even for a golden spoon youngster, one to two hundred gold wasn’t a small figure. Moreover, from Xia Yanbing’s unspoken implication, the things these two to three points could be exchanged for might very well be unique to the academy. Thus, if one wished to buy these things outside, it wouldn’t be a price of just a few times greater.

“Turns out these points are worth so much! No wonder this Professor Qin said Meng Bai had a great stroke of luck.” When he thought of his previous life university’s eighty yuan per credit, Lin Xi immediately couldn’t help but reveal a bit of a bitter laugh.

After releasing a bitter laugh, Lin Xi immediately followed with another question. “The aptitude that we had tested at the start, just what kind of aptitude is it?”

Many new students immediately inwardly curled their lips. This question Lin Xi asked was obviously a foolish one in their eyes. However, Xia Yanbing seemed to have seen all of the puzzlement Lin Xi felt concerning this question. Not only did he not immediately berate him for asking a stupid question, he instead explained in an extremely patient manner, “Our cultivation power is called soul force. Soul force is extremely strong, and it is naturally even more useful when confronting an enemy. Meanwhile, some people’s innate ability to cultivate soul force is faster, while others cultivate it slower. The same spiritual medicines, when taken by different people, some people’s soul force would grow at a great speed, while some would grow at a slower speed. The Soul Inspection Stone can measure our talent in cultivating soul force.”

Lin Xi remained silent for a moment, and then he asked, “Then when the exam began, what was the reasoning behind the selection of a weapon?”

Xia Yanbing slowly said, “Through the academy’s decades of tests and data collected, under the pressure of that type of environment, the weapon the examinee instinctively chooses can not only reveal a bit of his temperament. In addition, oftentimes, the weapon chosen will be the one most suitable for their cultivation, this test able to foretell certain talents.”

“This type of simple test was actually comprised of so many psychological and massive statistical aspects?” Lin Xi was slightly shaken, knowing that he had still underestimated the academy.

“Then is the soul force cultivation method something unique to the academy?”

“Of course not. The cultivation methods are virtually the same, what is different are some methods and teachings of the academy that can make the cultivation speeds, operation of techniques, and battle methods of those accepted by the academy far surpass that of other places, turning them into outstanding individuals in the empire.”

“Blades and swords can be forged anywhere, but the blades and swords forged through our academy are faster.” Xia Yanbing was quite fond of Lin Xi from the very beginning. Moreover, in his eyes, Lin Xi was precisely a young bumpkin from a small border town who knew nothing, which was why when facing this type of similarly stupid question, he replied in an extremely gentle manner, moreover even adding a line, fearing that he wasn’t clear enough.

In spite of the looks he was getting, Lin Xi continuously asked questions, to the point where the scene momentarily became a question and answer between him and Xia Yanbing alone. However, there were some relatively proud and arrogant new students who really felt that his questions were idiotic, unable to take it any longer.

“Just what kind of traditions does our Green Luan Academy have exactly? These traditions, were they all left behind by Principal Zhang?” That rather soft and immature golden spoon youngster Qiu Lu who aroused dislike towards Lin Xi because of the carriage conflict before shot Lin Xi a glare, snatching the chance to ask.

When he heard this question, the corners of Xia Yanbing’s mouth instead curled up into a faint smile. He looked towards the distant Heaven Ascension Mountain Range, slowly saying, “Principal Zhang indeed left behind many special traditions in our Green Luan Academy, some of them rules, some of them habits. Once you all arrive at the academy, you will naturally slowly come to learn of them.”

“These traditions, are all of the academy’s teachers able to understand the meaning behind them? For example, why they are called departments, why there are lecturers and professors?” Lin Xi’s voice sounded again, asking before Qiu Lu, making him shoot Lin Xi another hateful look.

“These terms Principal Zhang established are indeed things even we do not understand the purpose behind, but just like ‘Self Defense’, they should have special meanings, just that he hasn’t told us yet.” Xia Yanbing gave Lin Xi a look, his voice suddenly becoming solemn and respectful. “Now that the traditions are mentioned, Principal Zhang left behind two sayings. Reverence can keep people in check, traditions can establish conviction. The most important tradition of our Green Luan Academy, is that each year, all of the new students who are accepted must undergo Principal Zhang’s advising on the first day.”

Lin Xi was stunned. “Didn’t you say Principal Zhang wasn’t in the academy?”

Xia Yanbing nodded. “Principal Zhang isn’t in the academy, but before leaving Green Luan Academy, he left behind a stele, recording the advice he wanted to give you all on it. Moreover, making sure all of the new students each year listen to the lecture is Green Luan Academy’s most important tradition.”

“The stele… what is recorded on the stele?” Qiu Lu spoke out before Lin Xi could, but when he opened his mouth, he hadn’t had time to think about what he wanted to ask. In a moment of desperation, he ended up asking this.

Many new students immediately curled their lips, their faces filled with disdain. Principal Zhang’s advice, how can it be something a lecturer can reveal ahead of time?

Xia Yanbing shook his head. “I do not know. The advice Principal Zhang has left behind are some symbols. To this day, none of the academy’s professors have been able to comprehend their meaning.”

“Incomprehensible symbols?” Lin Xi’s brows immediately furrowed, starting to think to himself.

“What exactly is the intention of this?”

“Even the academy’s professors can’t decipher Principal Zhang’s intentions, so how can we possibly guess at it?”

Xia Yanbing’s reply was outside many people’s expectations, many of them starting to mutter.

…

A group of individuals dressed in expensive black cloaks advanced between the endless dark of night and dry grass autumn plains, the question and answer session still continuing.

“Teacher, why aren’t the other departments walking, while we still have to continue? Didn’t you all tell us before that only when we eat our fill will we have strength? When will we be able to eat? When can we stop for rest?” However, because everyone began to gradually feel close to Xia Yanbing, feeling like it wasn’t too hard to make him talk, even this type of question was asked in a somewhat lax and mischievous manner.

“Xia Yanbing, we can’t go about spoiling them now. The border army has an old saying, there is no way a soft whip can make a horse run faster.” The black-haired man who had always remained rather quiet lazily said this when he heard this question.

Xia Yanbing nodded, replying instead with a question. “Do you all know why most of the exam candidates wish to enter the Self Defense Department?”

Li Kaiyun was the first to speak. “Because the Self Defense Department is the place closest to honor and glory.”

“Not everyone necessarily shares your way of thinking.” Xia Yanbing gave this youngster whose figure wasn’t tall, but carried great conviction a look. He shook his head and said, “The Self Defense Department isn’t necessarily the place closest to glory, but normally speaking, it is the place closest to death.”

“Those who come out of other departments will also set out to the battlefield, also face all types of dangers, but our Self Defense Department exists for the sake of leading troops, going to war, and carrying out assassinations. Compared to other departments, the odds of you all facing life and death dangers are much greater. Among your enemies, there will be opponents who have also undergone serious training. Before these types of opponents, deciding the one who ends up surviving, will completely depend on who invested more normally, who is more outstanding.”

“If we compare the entire empire to a bow, then those who come out of the Self Defense Department are the arrows fired by this bow, the most deadly, but also the most easily snapped. That is why all of you must do your all to become a bit tougher. The more exhausted one becomes, the more one’s willpower can be sharpened. This, in itself, is one method to cultivate soul force.”

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