Calamity of Tomorrow

Chapter 39: Zhou Bai Studying Hard

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lu Chongyang’s voice came from the podium. “Zhou Bai, I’ve taught for twelve years at Donghua Tao Academy. You’re the first one to sleep in my class. Get up!”

Hearing the anger in Lu Chongyang’s tone, Zhou Bai raised his head. But seeing that his Laziness immediately ceased to rise, he felt a pain in his heart.

Looking at Lu Chongyang at the front, then at the auxiliary practice system in his mind, images from his past flashed in Zhou Bai’s brain.

The shattered underground base…the children killed by Mara…Zhang Aidao’s sacrifice…the mutated old man…

Zhou Bai sighed to himself. This is all for humankind…to defeat the Mara! In order to obtain the power to annihilate Mara, I must bear all the blame.

Zhou Bai looked at Lu Chongyang, who stood in the front, and tried to explain, “Teacher, I’m not actually sleeping. I’m just listening to your lecture with my head down. I think really well when my head is on the table, so it’s efficient. If it’s getting in the way of your teaching, I’ll just leave class.”

Zhou Bai’s boldness shocked everyone in the classroom.

Lu Chongyang also froze for a moment on the podium, then immediately reproached him. “Ridiculous! Absurd! How dare you say that? Donghua Tao Academy has never had such a lazy student!”

Hearing Lu Chongyang’s angry tone, Zhou Bai filled with glee. He thought to himself, That’s right, that’s right, just like that, hurry up and kick me out. Let me cut class! Or even let me sleep outside! Sleeping in class can increase Laziness, so cutting class must add even more!

Lu Chongyang said, “From now on, you will listen to the lecture standing up! Zhou Bai, I know you’re a genius. You have an incredible gift, and you got first place in the entrance exam. But don’t assume you can sleep without anxiety. The journey of Tao practice is very long. Many geniuses fall halfway.”

Zhou Bai thought, But I’m not a genius! I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you if I actually listened in class!

“With your current attitude, you won’t even pass the test in two months….”

Zhou Bai thought, If I waste all my time on lectures in the next two months, then I really won’t pass!

“The balance of the three key elements of Tao practice—do you know how important this class is? The entire lecture is full of key points. You’ll be tested on them in two months. The rest of you too! Anyone who doesn’t listen, wait to get expelled….

“Zhou Bai! Listen up, in the twelve years I have taught at Donghua Tao Academy, not a single student has dared to sleep in my class. From now on, I’ll watch you in every class. You better not slack off a single second.”

Lu Chongyang forcibly lifted Zhou Bai, making him stand on the side. Hearing Lu Chongyang’s reproach, Zhou Bai’s heart immediately went cold.

Holy sh*t…Zhou Bai lamented silently. Why the heck did I say that…why did I infuriate him…?

Lu Chongyang forced Zhou Bai to stand the entire morning. After listening to a morning of theory classes, he still didn’t understand anything. His brain was empty, and he didn’t gain any Laziness points.

After class, Lu Chongyang called him out again. He did his best for half an hour to convince Zhou Bai of the need for his attention. Then he liberated Zhou Bai.

“Holy cr*p!” Zhou Bai exclaimed, “I can’t keep going to this class. I’ll be over with everything if I keep going.” His brain turned quickly, thinking of a solution.

Jing Xiu walked over and said to Zhou Bai, “Brother Zhou, are you all right?”

“I’m all right. I’m all right,” Zhou Bai said. “Let’s go. Let us eat first.”

During his entire meal at the cafeteria, Zhou Bai thought about his plans, contemplation in his eyes.

When they walked out of the cafeteria, Zhou Bai said to Jing Xiu, “Jing Xiu, I have to go back to my dorm to feed my dog. You go to class first.”

Jing Xiu didn’t suspect anything and went to class.

After Zhou Bai got Elsa’s food and went back to the dorm, he lay down on the couch and didn’t plan on going out again at all.

No, I really can’t keep going to class. I’ll just cut the afternoon classes. Zhou Bai stroked his chin and thought, I wonder how much Laziness I can gain from cutting class? Could I earn enough points to light up the next star point in an afternoon?

At this thought, Zhou Bai couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, his expression changed again, and he thought, But I haven’t learned how to practice Degree of Taoification yet. I’m afraid it might be dangerous to add it directly.

He thought about Jing Xiu, who took careful notes. Yes. I’ll find a time to borrow Jing Xiu’s notes. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll go find Old Lu after class…

But after recalling how Lu Chongyang went on for half an hour, Zhou Bai looked hesitant again.

At that moment, Christina, who had been curled into a ball for an entire day, slowly unfurled. She stretched herself, glared at Zhou Bai, and asked, “Zhou Bai! Where’s my breathing method?”

Zhou Bai’s eyes lit up, “Right—there are complete study resources in the library. With my current situation, I should start learning from the basics while I cut class. I can’t always rely on the auxiliary practice system to add points. That makes me uneasy.”

If he were in a tranquil world of practice, Zhou Bai might just promote himself by adding points.

But in a world where the Heavenly Tao was distorted, and the higher your level of practice, the more likely you were to lose your mind, Zhou Bai felt uneasy about promoting himself purely by adding points.

After lying on the dorm couch for a while, Zhou Bai saw Laziness really did increase after he cut class. Zhou Bai took Christina into his consciousness and brought her to the library to find textbooks and a breathing method.

When he walked into the library, he found the entire library was divided into sections based on the level of practice. They were strictly guarded.

At the door of the library was a list of safety precautions for Tao practice that covered an entire wall.

Zhou Bai took them in at a glance. They all reminded practitioners not to touch knowledge that exceeded their realms recklessly.

After all, the Heavenly Tao was distorted. Each promotion was like walking on ice for practitioners.

Low-level practitioners coming into contact with high-level Heavenly Tao knowledge massively increased their chance of insanity and mutation.

The school’s library allowed students to borrow and read books freely, but made strict divisions of the type of material they were allowed to read.

People like Zhou Bai could only borrow the most basic of content.

But that was exactly what he wanted. Zhou Bai borrowed some of the most basic materials on Tao practice from the library. He also helped Christina pick the breathing method book with the most borrowers. Zhou Bai wanted to find a place to study in the library.

That’s when he realized that he couldn’t study at all while cutting class, because the moment he started studying, his Laziness stopped increasing.

Then should I go back? He gave it some thought. Zhou Bai decided not to return to his room. He was afraid Lu Chongyang would find out he was cutting class and look for him in his dorm. If he went back now, he’d be walking right into a trap.

Zhou Bai had no choice but to hold back his desire to study and to nap on the table.

After Christina read the breathing method he got for her, she regained much of the breathing-related information in her memory. She sat in Zhou Bai’s mind and started practicing a breathing method, silently breathing Spark, slowly increasing her primordial spirit power.