The year was 2350, and humanity had reached the galactic era. The ancient arts of practice and cultivation had not faded away, but rather thrived.
"Deep Sleep! You need to enter Deep Sleep to enhance your vitality!"
A shrill voice rang out in the spacious gymnasium of 3,000 square meters.
It belonged to a female teacher.
She had almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, and a slender and graceful figure. She was a beauty. But her demeanor was stern and fierce, and she radiated a sharp aura. Her gaze made people feel like they were being slashed by a knife.
"John, watch out for Sister Knife. She's in a bad mood." Mike whispered to John from behind.
"Shh…" John gestured with his fingers: "Don't make any noise. Deep Sleep, do you think it's easy? There are over 80,000 students in this school. I doubt there are even 50 who can do it…"
"Sister Knife" was the nickname given to this female teacher. She had been a soldier before and became a teacher after she retired.
John was a high school student and he was in her spiritual class.
Spiritual training was the most essential course for students. It was more important than physical training.
It taught students how to make their minds stronger, their thoughts clearer, and their bodies more controlled.
They used methods like Zen, meditation, and guidance. The final aim was to reach Deep Sleep, a deep mental relaxation that was better than normal sleep.
Studies had shown that one hour of Deep Sleep was the same as seven or eight hours of light sleep for regular people.
Imagine how much time you could save for studying and doing other things if you slept less than seven hours a day.
One hour of Deep Sleep would make you feel refreshed and alert all day. You would have a great memory and your body would be healthy and long-lived.
"Spiritual training is very important. Let me tell you a story.
"There were two patients who had a deadly disease. One didn't know he was sick and he was happy every day. His immune cells grew and killed the bad cells and he got well.
"The other one knew he was sick and he lost hope. He died in a few days even though he could have been cured. "Sister Knife said, her voice cutting through the air.
That's the power of the mind!
"Peak!"
The female teacher nicknamed "Sister Knife" singled out a tall and handsome male student who was 1.9 meters high in front of her: "You are the only one who has entered a Deep Sleep among the thousands of students in this class. How about you demonstrate it for us?"
"Miss, I don't see the point of showing it." Peak Zane was the class leader, but he had no respect for anyone in the class. He just smirked: "Spiritual practice is a gift, and only a genius can master it. If you can't grasp it, you will be hopeless for life."
"This guy is so arrogant!" John's friend Mike muttered angrily.
"He is just depending on resources." John sneered: "His family is wealthy, and every night he sleeps with precious herbs to calm the nerves and stimulate the brain, and also hires a hypnotist to put him in a trance. Without the help of these resources, he would never enter a Deep Sleep. Let him show it live, and he will surely expose his secrets."
"That's right. It's a genius who can enter Deep Sleep anytime, anywhere without any help!" Mike agreed: "But his vitality score is getting higher and higher, and it has reached 0.9."
"What's so great about that? His grades are only in the top 100 in the school." Another student scoffed: "The top three in the school may not even get into Star and Space University."
"Yeah, it's amazing to get into Star and Space University."
"Shh, lower your voice, don't let Peak Zane hear you or he will make trouble for us. A vitality of 0.9 can easily kill more than ten of us."
"I wish I could have a hypnotist at home. Then I could be hypnotized into a Deep Sleep every day, and my physical and mental strength would improve."
"Stop dreaming, those who can hypnotize people into Deep Sleep are intermediate hypnotists, and they charge thousands of stars for each session!"… Some students were whispering.
Star and Space University was the best educational institution for humanity, and it was the aspiration of countless students.
Vitality was the main aspect of the student's performance, which included physical and cultural components. Physical fitness was the foremost factor, and culture was the subordinate one, which contrasted markedly with the education that existed more than three hundred years ago.
In the human galaxy era, the education had eliminated the exams that required heaps of books and seas of questions.
Three hundred years ago, high school students only focused on cultural achievements. As a consequence, some of them collapsed and some died suddenly when they ran 1,000 meters.
This was a huge joke in the present day.
John's vitality was 0.7, which was average, and he barely passed the threshold.
But he could also run 100 meters in 10 seconds, which was close to the world champion at that time.
"Alright, Peak, take a seat." Sister Knife said, without any reproach for Peak Zane, since he was the best student in the class. "Don't get complacent. There are three stages of Deep Sleep. You are only in the first stage now, so your vitality is just 0.9. You still have a long way to go to get into the Star and Space University!
"If a person reaches the third stage, they can stay conscious when drunk and enter sleep while exercising. This is similar to some ancient martial arts, which activate adrenal hormones and act like stimulants."
"Miss, don't worry! By the end of this semester, I will surely reach the vitality of 1!" Peak Zane was full of confidence. "And next semester, I will be even stronger!"
Students who reached the vitality of "1" were the "superheroes" of ancient times. They could run faster than cheetahs, rip apart tigers and wolves with their strength, and excel in cultural courses.
They were versatile talents.
"Now, follow me and start training."
Sister Knife clapped her hands and sat cross-legged on the blanket. "First of all, relax. Let me tell you about Crystal Meditation…Imagine your body is a crystal full of impurities! Breathe in, breathe out…The air is like water, flowing in your body. Exhale, the water is expelled out of your body with dirt. Gradually, your body becomes more and more transparent…"