Chapter 4

After a night of meditative breathing and sitting, Ji Boyi's internal strength had recovered to its peak. After all, he and Qian Ziyi did not engage in a life-or-death battle; they only exchanged two moves, stopping at the point of contact. However, the broken finger bones still caused some pain, as his skill level was still slightly inferior.

But what troubled him the most was his mental state. Although the medicine and a night's rest had alleviated the throbbing pain, his eyes still lacked their usual luster, and it would take at least ten days to fully recover.

"Old Cheng may not look impressive, but his medical skills are quite good. It's a pity I don't have the extra time to learn them; otherwise, they could be useful in dangerous situations."

Abandoning this impractical thought, Ji Boyi got up, washed up with the help of a maid, and changed into a plain long robe before heading to the Beidou Star Academy.

Since it was an academy, the main focus was on teaching, but here, the primary subjects were not martial arts but rather astrology and mathematics.

As a scion of a prominent family, Ji Boyi naturally knew the background of this academy. It was a branch of the "Star Palace," and outstanding disciples would be invited to join the "Star Palace" once they reached a certain level.

Although the Ji family was considered one of the outstanding families in the entire Chixian神州, they were like ants compared to the "Star Palace."

Scions of prominent families were usually arranged by their families to join major sects. In the entire Kunxu World, the most famous were the "Five Great Mystic Holy Lands, Seven Heavenly Demon Sects, and Nine Outer Dao Respects," among which the "Star Palace" was one. Unlike other sects that recruited disciples based on their innate qualities, the "Star Palace" selected disciples based on their insight.

This insight had a clear definition: quick thinking and outstanding mathematical skills.

The "Star Palace" emphasized a cultivation method called "Following the Stars and Harmonizing with Numerology." The sect's ultimate technique, "Purple Micro Star Number," was said to be capable of "dominating the fate of all heavens and manipulating the principles of the stars" when practiced to its highest level.

Initially, Ji Boyi thought that his level of education from a prestigious university would easily surpass the mathematics of this primitive era.

However, after arriving at the Beidou Star Academy, he realized that his level was just enough to keep up. Basic algebra and linear equations were the minimum requirements. Some exceptionally talented and mentally sharp disciples had even begun to move beyond theory, using mathematics to study the most mysterious aspects of fate, and using fictional equations to probe into others' destinies.

Fortunately, there were no more than five such exceptional disciples in the entire Beidou Star Academy. Thanks to his past experience, Ji Boyi was among the top few, though this still left him feeling very unsatisfied, as his pride as a 21st-century university student was severely shaken.

Therefore, Ji Boyi was one of the more diligent students in the academy, rarely missing any lectures. His attitude pleased the few teachers in the academy.

At the Beidou Star Academy, there were daily lectures, but students were not forced to attend. There was an annual assessment, and those who passed stayed, while those who failed were expelled. After all, the "Star Palace" was a large and powerful organization that did not lack for disciples, but diligent and talented disciples were always favored.

Ji Boyi was one of them. There were seven lecturers in the Beidou Star Academy, with one giving a lecture each day, in a seven-day cycle.

The seven lecturers had different teaching styles, and there were no strict requirements for which lectures students should attend, depending on personal preference. Ji Boyi chose the lecturer from Tianxuan Hall, not only because the pace of her lectures suited him but also due to his male instincts.

"Teacher Yun, good morning!"

Entering the classroom, Ji Boyi saw a woman in a light yellow robe. Hearing his greeting, she looked up, revealing a face of extraordinary beauty, a graceful figure, a nose as smooth as goose fat, and ice-like skin. Her delicate brows relaxed slightly upon seeing Ji Boyi, and her moon-like face broke into a gentle smile.

"Sit!"

Although it was just one word, it caused a ripple in Ji Boyi's otherwise calm heart. He bowed and sat in the seat closest to her.

There was still a moment before the lecture started, so the classroom contained only Ji Boyi and the lecturer. The entire Beidou Star Academy's male students were eyeing this woman with desire.

Although the academy had many beautiful women, her exceptional beauty was rare. Most men harbored hopeful expectations, but as one of the seven lecturers, her background and strength were top-notch, so no one dared to make a move.

Ji Boyi had also used the Ji family's influence to investigate her background, but he could only trace her to a higher-level sect. Further investigation was beyond the Ji family's reach.

So, all he knew about her was that her name was Yun Wan'er, she was a lecturer at Tianxuan Hall of the Beidou Star Academy, she was in her twenties, and she specialized in "Plum Blossom Numerology."

After completing the basic mathematics courses, students at the Beidou Star Academy began to study numerology and fate.

After all, the "Star Palace's" purpose was to use numerology to avoid misfortune and predict the future. Martial arts were a process of defying fate, while the "Star Palace" used "Star Destiny Techniques" to change one's fate and achieve immortality.

Ji Boyi had completed the basic numerology courses and started practicing Star Destiny Techniques within a year of joining the Beidou Star Academy, which was considered a talent. However, this was largely due to his past foundation. As he delved into the mysterious aspects of numerology and fate, he began to feel the strain.

After all, he was a fake genius, and his pure mental insight was slightly lacking. While diligence could help in the basics, in the realm of numerology and fate, it was all about talent. Dull people could never cross that threshold.

In the entire Beidou Star Academy, excluding the lecturers, only five people had reached that level, and Ji Boyi was struggling to cross that threshold.

As time passed, the students arrived. Most were male, with the front rows occupied by scions of prominent families, while commoners sat in the middle and back rows, clearly divided by class.

As the lecture time approached, Yun Wan'er put down her book, stood up, and began her lecture.

Her slender fingers extended, and a substantial true qi gathered at her fingertips, forming a pattern of the先天八卦. Most numerology and fate techniques were based on the Eight Trigrams, so they were the foundation of these studies.

Listening to Yun Wan'er's clear and melodious voice, Ji Boyi cleared his mind of distractions and fully immersed himself in the study of numerology and fate, trying to grasp his own destiny through her lecture.

"Qian one, Dui two, Li three, Zhen four, Xun five, Kan six, Gen seven, Kun eight..."

"Body trigram is suitable for prosperity... In spring, Zhen and Xun trigrams are strong, in autumn, Qian and Dui trigrams are strong, in summer, Li trigram is strong, in winter, Kan trigram is strong, and in the four seasons, Kun and Gen trigrams are strong..."

"Mutual trigram, a trigram within a trigram, the second, third, and fourth lines form the lower trigram, and the third, fourth, and fifth lines form the upper trigram. The mutual trigram represents the state and changes of people, events, and things during the middle period of a prediction."

Time passed, and three special incense sticks had burned, indicating the end of the morning lecture.

When Ji Boyi came to, he found that Yun Wan'er had already left, but most of the students were still immersed in their calculations.

After starting to practice numerology and fate techniques, each person encountered different challenges. While they could seek help from others, doing so would leave a psychological flaw, preventing them from truly mastering the techniques.

Each time he immersed himself in the calculations, he encountered perplexing problems. Grasping one's own fate was always the most difficult. However, if he could solve these problems one by one, he could begin to glimpse his own destiny and change it.

This time, Ji Boyi felt strange when he woke up because he was the first to do so. In the past, he was usually one of the first to wake up, but there were always a few geniuses who woke up before him.

For example, the one next to him!

As he was thinking this, the woman next to him, with her exquisite and stunning features, wearing a green robe, woke up. Seeing Ji Boyi staring at her, she frowned, and her sharp, sword-like gaze made him instinctively look away.

"Miss Qingyi, tonight I will host a banquet at the Lan Tian Bao Yue Tower to apologize to Brother Ziyi and Miss Ji. I wonder if you have the time to grace us with your presence?"

This green-robed woman, who was even more formidable than any man, was one of the few people in the academy whom Ji Boyi lacked the courage to confront.

She was arguably the most powerful female student in the entire Beidou Star Academy, having already broken through to the innate realm and becoming one of the Seven Star Disciples. Ji Qianran was under her protection, and most of the female students in the academy were under her care. If he were to fight her, even with all his strength, he could probably only withstand three moves.

"This was not your fault; Rourou went too far."

After saying this, Yun Qingyi got up and left. In a blur, Ji Boyi seemed to see the figure of another woman in her.

"Hmm, an illusion?"

Ji Boyi watched her leave, frowning. For a moment, he felt her destiny.

That natural spiritual light!

But when he focused again, his mind felt fuzzy, as if he was just one step away from the truth but could not see it clearly.

When he came to, he found that only a few students remained in the classroom, and a new incense stick was already halfway burned.

"How could this be? My mental state was severely drained and not fully recovered, yet my Star Destiny Technique has improved, and I am just one step away from reaching that level."

If the previous Ji Boyi was at the bottom of the top tier, now, except for the top few, no one could surpass him in Star Destiny Technique.

"It seems that was not just a dream. I wonder how I can uncover the truth?"

Questions swirled in his mind, but Ji Boyi's expression remained unchanged. He got up and left the classroom, preparing to go home.