Volume One: The Beginning of the Path Chapter 120: Matching the Jade Slips

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Upon hearing this, Ye Junze and the others exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. Like the others, they began to adjust their states, falling silent. The classroom, which had been noisy moments before, grew quiet again after Lei Fan finished speaking. Only the soft, continuous sound of breathing could be heard faintly.

Once everyone had settled down and started regulating themselves, Lei Fan waited calmly nearby. His expression was composed, giving nothing away about his thoughts.

After a while, Lei Fan suddenly seemed to recall something and touched his forehead thoughtfully.

Muttering to himself, he said, "There’s nothing pressing now, so why not prepare the items those guys will need for the second phase?"

Without further delay, Lei Fan walked to a corner of the classroom, bending down to search the floor. His eyes brightened as if he found what he was looking for, crouching to examine it closely.

He uncovered a wooden box containing numerous fragmented jade slips. Lei Fan sifted through them, seemingly counting their number. After some time, he nodded in satisfaction.

Looking down, he said with relief, "Looks like nothing’s missing. Good, I’ll take these with me."

With that, Lei Fan hugged the box and returned to where the others were still quietly regulating their breathing, steadily recovering the spiritual energy spent in the earlier battle.

Seeing that everyone still needed some time to fully recover, Lei Fan was in no hurry. He idly fiddled with the jade slips in the box, seeming to amuse himself.

...

Ye Junze closed his eyes, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy around him to replenish the massive reserves he had just expended in battle, slowly adjusting his state.

After some time, he opened his eyes. The moment they opened, his aura shifted dramatically—no longer the exhausted appearance after the fight with the phantom, but a revitalized spirit shining brightly.

He noticed Lei Fan in front of him, quietly manipulating something in his hands. Though a bit curious, Ye Junze didn’t interrupt and simply observed in silence.

Sensing Ye Junze’s gaze, Lei Fan stopped fiddling, looked up, and met the fully restored Ye Junze’s eyes.

Embarrassed, Ye Junze scratched his head and smiled at Lei Fan.

Lei Fan returned the smile, putting down the box and walking over to Ye Junze.

Seeing Lei Fan approach, Ye Junze quickly stood and greeted, “Teacher Lei.”

“Hmm, looks like you’ve recovered well,” Lei Fan said, patting his shoulder.

Ye Junze smiled and replied, “Better than before, thank you for your concern, Teacher Lei.”

Lei Fan waved off the thanks, saying, “Good, once you’re ready, prepare yourself. The others should be finishing up soon. The next battle might be even more draining, so get ready.”

Ye Junze nodded in acknowledgment and said, “Understood, thank you, Teacher Lei.”

As they spoke, others gradually opened their eyes as well, seeming to have nearly recovered.

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Seeing this, Lei Fan turned to Ye Junze and said, “I’ll go prepare now.”

Ye Junze nodded, replying, “Alright.”

Lei Fan returned to the corner, picked up the box, and began taking out the jade slips one by one.

As he extracted them, he formed hand seals with one hand, channeling spiritual energy into each jade slip.

Meanwhile, more people finished their recovery and opened their eyes.

Li Ling, Yun Tianhan, Fan Yan, and Lu Renjia, who sat near Ye Junze, gradually woke up as well.

Ye Junze greeted them, “How’s everyone? Feeling better?”

They nodded in response.

Ye Junze smiled and said, “Then get ready. The second phase of the exercise should start soon.”

As if his words carried some magic, the remaining people also opened their eyes and regained full awareness after he spoke.

Once everyone was alert, Lei Fan noticed and turned to look at the group.

Seeing that all had recovered, he nodded silently.

With a wave of his hand, the jade slips that had been scattered on the floor floated into the air.

The crowd’s eyes widened in amazement as they fixed their gaze on this magical sight. Having been in Anze for some time, they were familiar with such scenes but remained curious and intrigued.

Facing everyone, Lei Fan clapped his hands to quiet them and gestured for their attention.

The crowd ceased their chatter and looked toward Lei Fan.

He nodded with satisfaction and said, “Looks like everyone’s ready. Let’s not waste time and begin the second phase immediately.”

Then he added, “But before we start, I have a few things to remind you all. I hope you’ll keep them in mind.”

Curious, the crowd looked at Lei Fan, silently asking what he wanted to say.

Without beating around the bush, Lei Fan spoke plainly, “The two techniques I taught earlier—you can freely apply them in the second phase. It’s been a while; surely none of you have forgotten?”

The crowd smiled and shook their heads. Joking aside, if they had forgotten such simple techniques, what would be the point of their cultivation? They might as well go home.

Lei Fan smiled too. He had intended the joke to ease their nerves and help them relax.

“All right, since no one’s forgotten, I also hope you remember what I said at the start of class: this is a friendly sparring match. Keep it light, don’t seriously injure your partner’s foundational cultivation. I won’t repeat it here, but I trust you all remember.”

The crowd nodded solemnly, showing they had not forgotten.

Seeing this, Lei Fan continued, “Now, come forward one by one to receive a jade slip from me. One per person.”

At his command, they complied, walking forward to take a jade slip each.

Ye Junze silently felt the jade slip in his hand. Apart from sensing the immense spiritual energy infused within, he detected nothing else.

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He shook his head, abandoning further investigation. He’d find out soon enough anyway.

Once everyone had their jade slips, Lei Fan announced, “Now that everyone has one, the second phase of our practical class begins.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Fan formed hand seals again. The jade slips in everyone’s hands emitted waves of blue light.

The light gradually transformed into beams, straight and true.

Some began to notice their blue beams connected with another’s, causing surprised exclamations to ripple through the crowd.

More people realized this and the murmurs grew into a steady chorus of astonishment. Everyone was baffled, unsure what to make of it.

Lei Fan raised his hand, signaling them to quiet down, then explained, “I believe you’ve all noticed that your jade slips have linked you to another person.”

They nodded in understanding.

Lei Fan continued, “This means the person your jade slip connects to is your opponent for this phase.”

Surprise flashed across their eyes; they hadn’t expected such a twist but soon comprehension settled in.

With his explanation, everyone quickly sought the person at the other end of their blue beam.

Ye Junze did the same and soon found himself face to face with a pair of astonished eyes.

Yun Tianhan stared at him in disbelief. “Huh? You’re my opponent? Ye Junze?”

Ye Junze frowned slightly, surprised by how they had been paired.

He nodded, “Looks like it.”

Yun Tianhan exaggerated, “Well, that’s quite the coincidence. When you fight me later, take it easy—especially no hitting my face! I rely on my looks for a living!”

Ye Junze rolled his eyes and retorted, “Do you think I believe that?”

Though Yun Tianhan joked, Ye Junze remained vigilant. He recalled Yun Tianhan’s solid performance in the forging class and suspected he had hidden tricks. Best not to take it lightly.

He silently thought, “But if possible, it’s better to avoid serious conflict.”

Seeing Ye Junze deep in thought, Yun Tianhan suddenly shouted, “Hey, hey, what are you thinking? You’re not already planning how to beat me, are you?”

Ye Junze waved him off, “Get out of here, no way.”

Yun Tianhan clapped his hands, “Good, good. You looked like you were scheming something sneaky.”

As they bantered, Lei Fan raised his hand and loudly declared, “Then I hereby announce: the second phase of the practical class begins now!”