The time had come for her first day at Cloud Academy. Over time, the student town gradually saw the return of more and more people. The sounds of students and teachers echoed through Cloud Academy as it began to buzz with life.

  May left her room. It was early morning, and her first class was starting in about half an hour. Luckily, her classes took place nearby, since she lived close to the building.

  Wearing the outfit she had received as a gift from Shui Gai, she went outside. There were already many first-year students standing in front of the building. May felt their eyes on her.

  Although she came from the Outer Court, the fact that she was in the sixth stage was much more important.

  On her way to school, she ran into people she hadn’t seen in a long time. Izzy Volenbaum and Deng Zhifang... She had met them before. They were the two people who had entered Cloud Academy from the Eastern Outer Court.

  “May... Good morning,” said Zifang, walking arm in arm with Izzy.

  As it turned out, they were currently in a relationship! They were engaged. It was strange to May, considering they were only ten years old, but in this world it was surprisingly normal. Not for May, of course.

  May questioned them about how it all happened. It turned out that Izzy's father had decided to take Zifang into his home as a bodyguard after the academy in Eastern Court was closed following the parasite attack. This was to give him a chance to earn money and learn cultivation with Izzy.

  I don't really see them together... Their personalities are very different, but I guess opposites do attract?

  Izzy's father was against the relationship, but said he would accept him as his son-in-law if he got into the academy. Deng succeeded, so they were officially engaged.

  Well... As long as they're happy? The important thing is that they're doing it on their own initiative.

  “Good morning,” she replied with a smile. “Excuse me, I’m off to class.”

  However, they were in different classes. As in the Eastern Court, classes were divided according to stage and talent. May was in the highest possible class, Class A. Zhifang was in Class D, and Izzy was in Class G.

  However, May was somewhat pleased about this. It was good to have familiar faces at the academy.

  However, she didn't have time to think about it; she didn't want to be late for her first organizational class.

  She entered the building, which stood out from the others, resembling Soviet brutalist cubic blocks in a dull gray color. It was, nevertheless, the oldest building in the entire academy.

  Most people were already there.

  There were about fifty people in her class. Four people at the top, with 6th stage Qi Refinement: the Chen twins, Peng and Zu, Wu Yifan, and the wild card from the Outer Court, May Shang, about whom little was known. It was a real anomaly that so many people at this stage appeared in just one year. Then there were seventeen people at the 5th stage. Also above average. All from the Inner Court. These were the people who made up the elite.

  When May entered, all eyes fell on her. She swallowed hard. However, no one dared to speak to her. She had heard rumors that people from the Outer Court were not usually well-liked here. But she was different, she was in the top four.

  Who cared where you came from as long as you were a genius? In addition, most people knew about her good relationship with the twins and that she had some connection to the Yun clan.

  They understood well that it was generally not worth messing with her. A cultivator should have good judgment and know when it is okay to make enemies. May Shang was not worth it.

  May confidently pushed her way through the students. She approached Peng and Zu, familiar faces. She greeted them, letting everyone know that she was friends with them. May knew it was good to stick with the strong.

  “Hey, May,” said Peng Chen, and Zu Chen nodded. After a moment, Peng continued, pointing to the person next to him. “Meet Ma Long, he's in our class. I've told you about him before, we live in the same room.”

  May greeted the short boy, who was even smaller than her, but extremely muscular.

  “Nice to meet you, brother Long,” She said. It never hurt to have more friends, especially from well-known clans like the Longs.

  “Me too. I've heard a lot about you, Sister Shang. It's an honor to meet someone like you.”

  Suddenly, everyone heard a loud noise. The professor entered the room and began the lesson! Everyone fell silent and took their seats in the auditorium. May sat down next to the twins.

  She noticed that Yifan and his three new friends, two boys and a girl, were glancing at her from time to time. May rolled her eyes, hoping he wouldn't try anything stupid.

  I already kicked his ass once, so I'll have no problem doing it again.

  The students were immediately thrown in at the deep end. Professor Kun Yang. “Today we will discuss Advanced Qi Techniques. These will be the basics, but even these require in-depth knowledge...” The professor began to speak, and next to him sat a white wolf, gnawing on a bone. Professor Yang was a beast trainer.

  May already knew one of these techniques, Qi Manipulation. However, to tell the truth, she still learned a lot about this technique, which she thought she knew everything about.

  Kun Yang was able to explain with great simplicity, not to mention that he demonstrated it with examples. Class A really had the best teachers.

  “To learn Qi Transmutation and Qi Reversal, you must master Qi Manipulation to a great extent! It's the foundation!”

  At the beginning of their cultivation journey, children learned the Three Basic Qi Techniques, which were as follows.

  Qi Sensing: Allows you to sense the Qi energy in the surrounding world. The absolute basis of cultivation. Thanks to it, you can estimate the cultivation stage of other people.

  Qi Suppression: Allows you to “hide” your Qi energy in your body. Thanks to this, you can avoid detection by other cultivators or wild beasts.

  Qi Control: The most difficult of the basic techniques, which allows you to move Qi within your body. For example, it allows you to concentrate Qi in one point of your body.

  Then, at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement, you began to learn the Three Advanced Qi Techniques:

  Qi Manipulation: This is required to learn the other two advanced techniques. It allows you to change the properties of pure Qi energy into something else. For example, it allows you to create fire or water from Qi alone. This is the foundation, which is absurdly difficult to learn.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Qi Transmutation: It is somewhat similar to Qi Manipulation, but unlike it, it allows you to change the properties of existing substances, not pure Qi energy. For example, changing mercury into gold. It is much more demanding than Qi Manipulation and requires an absurd amount of Qi.

  Qi Reversal: This technique is the reason why clans guard their secret techniques and no one wants to share techniques with strangers and those outside the sect. It allows you to “cancel” your opponent's technique, as long as you understand how it works. Of course, even with understanding, it is difficult, but it cannot be ignored.

  May smiled when she saw her notes. They were just the basics, but it was good to have everything neatly written down.

  May did not yet know Qi Transmutation and Qi Reversal, which were not used very often at her stage. It was good to know them, but their usefulness only increased significantly at later stages.

  The class lasted another hour and a half. Finally, it ended, and May's hand was already aching slightly from writing all her notes. Professor Kun Yang explained very well, but he wanted to cram too much material and information into such a short lesson.

  May looked around and saw that she wasn't the only one who was overwhelmed by the flood of information. She smiled to herself, remembering her old university days on Earth.

  She left class. A few people started trying to talk to her. She quietly assessed them in her head. Some of them were worth a some attention, others were not. Most of them gave off an impression of insincere intentions.

  If she weren't a genius, would they have tried to befriend her? No. They wanted to get to know her because they believed in who May could be in the future. However, she wasn't interested in fake relationships.

  But if I can get something out of it too, then why not... They'll feed off me, and I'll feed off them. But if I want real friends... I want their intentions to be sincere. Although maybe I'm asking for too much.

  Ironically, Cloud Academy in Inner Court was less demanding compared to Eastern Court. Here, they believed in students' individuality and self-discipline. Lessons were more relaxed, and free time allowed students to go their own way, with the possibility of consulting with professors.

  It will also give me time to develop my business.

  However, she had to manage her own time. She decided to go to the alchemy building to ask around and possibly find her own alchemy master. Some might say it was too soon, after all, she had just started her first year, but May didn't want to waste any time.

  She entered the alchemy building, which was built in traditional Chinese style. It was quite spacious, yet exuded a certain sense of grandeur.

  Unfortunately, none of the sect's Elders pursue alchemy... However, there are a few promising candidates here who are not too bad. The question is, how many of them are willing to take on a student?

  “Excuse me, but I'm a freshman and I'd like to know if any of the alchemy masters are looking for a student?” she asked, approaching the receptionist.

  “In your first year, you'd better focus on your studies,” she commented, rolling her eyes and returning to reading her untitled book.

  She didn't like her attitude, but she wasn't going to give up because of it.

  “But I really wish to.”

  The woman snorted and took out a piece of paper, handing it to May reluctantly. “This is a list of projects currently funded by the sect. The people specified are seeking assistance.”

  May looked at the list. There were fourteen names with the names of various projects.

  Lu Zheng “Tolerance of Janna's Blood Potion towards pregnant women.”

  Ruan Chin “Attempt to neutralize the negative effects of the Yellow-Shy Pill.”

  Hu Yeung “Treating infertility in cows using the reverse sword technique, with the help of the Three Breakthrough Potion based on the time of year.”

  ...

  Unfortunately, the names alone did not tell May much about the project or the people running it. She lacked context, and unfortunately, she could not look up these people on the internet.

  Some projects sound more interesting than others, but... Hmm... I should ask someone for help in choosing.

  “Could I take this list?” May asked.

  The woman looked up from her book and replied angrily. “You must be out of your mind! No! You can't.”

  May sighed and began to rewrite the contents of the list. After a few minutes, she finished, returned the original to the receptionist, and left.

  But who should I ask...? Peng...? I don't think he knows much about alchemy. Izzy and Zhifang? No, they probably know even less than I do about the Inner Court. Maybe Zu Chen? The question is, though, whether she'll even want to talk to me.

  “You know...” Minnie suddenly chimed in out of nowhere. “If you ask the system, it will give you the best option for only 765 [mu].”

  Expensive. Very expensive. At times like this, I wonder how the system calculates these prices. Still, if I were to waste money on all these fundamental things, I would have been up to my ears in debt long ago.

  May sighed, not really knowing where she could find Zu Chen at the moment. She knew where she lived, but she wasn't sure if she was even at her place. And even if she was, she probably wouldn't be particularly happy about her visit.

  “Hmm? May Shang, what are you doing here?” She suddenly heard a voice behind her.

  She turned around and saw a short boy. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember who he was.

  “Umm... Sorry, but I'm afraid I've forgotten your name...” She said awkwardly.

  The boy laughed and waved his hand.

  “Haha, it's okay. My name is Ma Long, Peng Chen's friend, we happen to share a room. Do you remember?” He said, calmly explaining his identity.

  May finally remembered that she had indeed spoken to him that morning. She felt a little silly that she had forgotten someone she had spoken to so recently.

  “Indeed... I'm sorry,” she replied, embarrassed.

  “I didn't see you in our class, so I guess you're in a different one?”

  After a moment, however, she realized that she had been rude once again. She had implied that he was in a worse, lower class. The boy, however, didn't seem to mind.

  “Well, I'm also in class A, but a year above you.” He said politely. “There's no rule that prevents students from different grades from living in the same room.”

  “I understand,” she replied. “And to answer your question, I came here because I'm interested in alchemy and wanted to find a master, but to be honest, I don't know who I should approach.”

  The boy frowned.

  “To be fair, it might be quite difficult. It’s rare for professors to ask first-years to be their disciples,” he said thoughtfully. “And when they do select someone, it’s usually to clean up after them and take care of mundane tasks like making tea.”

  In a way, I expected that.

  “As long as I learn something, I don't mind cleaning,” she replied. After a moment, however, a certain question began to intrigue her. “Brother Long, what are you doing here?”

  The boy laughed awkwardly. “Probably the same thing you are.”

  “Oh, so you're also interested in alchemy?” she asked.

  “To be honest, no. But the alchemy department pays the best, and I'm pretty strapped for cash,” he replied awkwardly. After a moment's thought, he spoke seriously. “However, if you really want to acquire a master of alchemy, I think I can give you some suggestions…”

  May smiled. That was exactly what she was hoping for. “Yes?”

  “Master Tang Hua. I’ll try him myself…”

  May tried to remember if his name was on the list. However, after a moment's thought, she was sure she didn't remember that name among those looking for an assistant.

  “This Senior Hua... Is he a good alchemist?”

  “He has reached the Master level in the path of Alchemy!” he said with admiration. “He is acknowledged as the person with the highest chance of becoming the next Elder of the sect.”

  If he was telling the truth, it was indeed impressive. The levels in the Paths were as follows: Ordinary, Quasi-Master, Master, Archmaster, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster.

  That would mean that his understanding of the Path of Alchemy exceeded his current stage of cultivation! Usually, only people at the Golden Core stage had at least one Master Path level.

  “But I guess there's a catch?” May asked, and the boy nodded.

  “There are many applicants. As soon as they found out that Senior Hua was looking for a disciple, dozens of people applied immediately,” he explained thoughtfully. “That's why Senior will be organizing a trial. In short, you'll have to compete with many people from all grades. Including those who are much older.”

  May swallowed hard. After a moment, however, she smiled lightly. “Where can I sign up?”

  The boy laughed. “I like your enthusiasm.”

  She didn't know what to expect after that. However, she felt that she might have a chance.

  She had been taught alchemy for months by the elf Scar, who had hundreds of years of experience. She also had experience from her previous life in laboratory chemistry, although she wasn't sure how useful that knowledge would be.

  But it could work out. It all depends on the test he gives. It all comes down to luck.