The resounding ringing of bells mixed with the sound of someone pounding on the door outside Jin Lu's dorm. Grabbing her robe and quickly belting it, Jin Lu ran to the door, flinging it open. A girl who stood about a foot taller than Jin Lu was standing outside, holding a folded set of clothes.
"Here, hurry and put these on. I'll take you to breakfast," she said, pushing the clothes into Jin Lu's startled arms while stepping into the dorm. Jin Lu was in a daze, but did as ordered, walking into his room to change. The girl stayed outside, talking in the living room.
"I'm Fan Genji. Everyone's talking about you. A dual cultivator! So cool! And who was that guy you came in with? He was hot! Hey, was he your brother? I have two…" Her words buzzed through the door as Jin Lu went to the restroom.
Something brushed against the side of her face, making her jump. Looking into the mirror, Jin Lu saw a long earring in her left ear with a yellow jewel dangling at the end.
What the hell?
Jin Lu reached up to take it off, only for a jolt to pierce her fingertips.
Long Yin.
Jin Lu grumbled at Long Yin's audacity as she finished getting ready, dressing in the same type of robes as the girl was wearing. Done dressing, Jin Lu opened the door, seeing the girl walking in circles around the room.
Too much energy.
Though Jin Lu had slept deeply, she felt like it hadn't been long since she closed her eyes. Long Yin was nowhere to be seen, making Jin Lu both disappointed and relieved. She wanted to know what was up with the earring, but hadn't been looking forward to the argument if he decided to join her in class.
"Oh, you're done! Good, let's go."
Fan Genji grabbed Jin Lu's wrist, pulling her through the door and down the path.
"I'm super excited! We have two lectures and then cultivation practice till lunch. You'll be going to Martial Field afterward, so cool! How does it feel to be a dual cultivator? I've never heard of it before, but everyone was saying how rare it was. The last one anyone had heard of was millions and millions of years ago!"
Fan Genji rambled on and on about how rare and special being a dual cultivator was until they came to a building with the kanji for "spirit" written above the doors.
Cushions were set in front of a raised platform, each with a short table for students to use during class.
"Let's get a seat!" Fan Genji skipped towards the first available seats, pulling Jin Lu along.
Jin Lu was finally able to twist her wrist free, and she bowed to Fan Genji.
"Thank you for showing me the way and bringing me my clothes, however, I will sit over there."
Jin Lu pointed to the far corner in the back before bowing again and taking off. Fan Genji looked a little startled and sad, but shrugged her shoulders, starting to talk excitedly to her seatmates. Jin Lu let out a sigh of relief, not sure if she would be able to keep herself from snapping at the overly chatty girl.
Sitting quietly in the back gave Jin Lu a moment of peace to settle her nerves and observe her classmates. They looked between sixteen and twenty, respectively. Some were wearing gray robes like hers, while others wore bright silver or light gray.
No one came over to speak to her, but she caught them giving her sidelong looks. Jin Lu ignored the curious looks, but took note of the ones who showed hostility.
She'd had a lot of experience with bullies when she had been studying at Juilliard and had no wish to go through it again.
After a few minutes, a man walked in and the students quieted. He was dressed in a brown robe with green leaves stitched from the bottom hem to his chest. The craftsmanship made him look like a walking tree.
"Good morning class. I am Master Lin, your spiritual introduction instructor." Master Lin's voice was deep and warm. He pulled a scroll from his sleeve, calling out the names of those present.
"Jin Lu, you will remain after class, understood?" Jin Lu nodded, and the instructor started his lecture.
As Master Lin spoke, Jin Lu came to understand that cultivation was a type of elemental awareness. Energy from multiple elements could be felt in the world, and those who were able to perceive it were known as cultivators.
A cultivator could then absorb and harness this energy in order to raise their rank and become stronger. The stronger a cultivator was, the more opportunities they would get once they graduated, and the more likely they were to survive in the world.
That was something Jin Lu was familiar with; survival of the fittest, where the strong ruled over the weak. She had guessed from the way Long Yin had been strong-arming her that that was the type of world she had fallen into, but it was different when that feeling was affirmed.
I will get stronger. Strong enough to get back at Long Yin.
Jin Lu smiled smugly at her thoughts of revenge before continuing to listen to Master Lin.
When a child reached fifteen, they were able to take the cultivation test until they became an adult at twenty to see if they had a cultivation mark. These marks formed from the energy that the person was most affiliated with, while the color of the mark showed the individual's element.
Jin Lu had both air and darkness affinity, while the shape of her marks showed musical notes encircling two crossed daggers.
Master Lin explained that though all elements could be cultivated, the higher a person's cultivation level, the more of that element they would need to absorb. There was also the matter of elemental impurities.
The more elemental impurities in the cultivator's absorbable element, the longer it would take the cultivator to rank up. There was a way to separate the impure elements, but they wouldn't learn how until they reached Orange Essence; the second rank.
"It is common practice for many cultivators to sell the impurities they separate to others, since they cannot use them themselves. The rarer and more purified the element being sold, the higher the element can be sold for. You are welcome to set up a booth in the student market once you start cultivating, however, not many students who start out can actively direct elements they do not have an affinity with," Master Lin informed the class.
Many students showed disgruntled expressions. They had been thinking that selling the elements they couldn't use would be easy money.
"Something else that you will need to keep in mind is what type of Sect you will join in the future. I know that many of you are already affiliated or children of Sects in the area, however, those who are not should study up on them. Each Sect has a particular creed they follow, so making sure that their ideology is something you are comfortable with is important. It will have a large impact on your future."