OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 289: Establishing Roots

Chapter 289: Establishing Roots

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"Of course... As most know, Aether exists everywhere, so where there is space, there's Aether. Usually, it's a very subtle existence, but in some instances, it could be very dense, and that density dissipates as time passes since Aether is naturally an air-like substance."

The holoscreen soon began to display what his eyes had seen back when he was in the Well of Eternity himself.

"But Arcanists can kill that process. They can force Aether into liquid and condense it using runes to create this Well, a Well where low-ranking Celestials will gain immense strength at incredible speeds. And just know, a place like that needs to be managed properly since the runes could only hold Aether in for so long 'cause eventually some of it will dissolve back into the air, as any liquid would evaporate into gas."

He paused for a moment, his gaze returning to the student who had asked the question earlier.

"Do you understand?"

"Y-yes! Thank you, Professor."

Emir nodded and then proceeded to ask those who climbed the Hierarchy:

"Now we all understand that places with a high density of Aether will help us rank up faster... But how does one rank up in the first place?"

Sofia was the first to raise her hand.

Emir gestured for her to answer.

She stood up while nodding and said:

"Cultivation, which is done by absorbing, processing, and releasing Aether."

He clapped once.

"Correct, but is there a way for us to cultivate any better?"

She took a moment to think, then slowly spoke:

"...No, we can only improve by repetition, by 'breathing' better; there are no techniques, and those that spread such knowledge are frauds."

'Laying it on thick, aren't you?'

Emir didn't need to be a genius to catch her jab, but he ignored it and moved on: "What else?"

Max stood up without asking for permission, wanting to answer before anyone else.

Yet he couldn't let out a word as his mouth was stuck in place, all due to a sphere construct made by the holder of Celestia's Hand.

"Sit."

Emir saw his actions before they could even take place and was prepared to shut them down.

"You've done a great disservice to yourself. A clear attempt at challenging a professor's authority..."

He was doing his job as a professor and was not about to accept such disrespect, especially not from those he saw as lesser.

"Can only be called stupid."

"I-"

"Don't worry, your penalty will be light."

Max attempted to speak but Emir shut him up with the Aether construct again.

"Minus a hundred AUC."

"...What?"

The students, taken aback, exchanged surprised glances.

"That's what we get for the entire month..."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Is he serious?"

Such a penalty was far from light, in fact, it seemed excessively harsh, evident in the students' reactions.

However, they dared not react further, fearing their professor's attention might turn to them, all the while silently agreeing that Max had brought it upon himself.

"I... understand."

Max ceased his attempts of resistance, acknowledging the futility of his efforts and recognizing when to back down.

He begrudgingly slumped into his chair, his eyes smoldering with anger. Despite Ava's questioning look, his gaze remained fixed on Emir.

Yet the man ignored him as he did Ava, his attention shifting onto his little brother, Elijah.

"Can you answer?"

"Of course!"

Elijah stood up excitedly and said:

"The second way is to fight; battle experience does the process of cultivation, but in a much

faster way!"

"And the third?"

"?"

His head tilted in confusion at Emir's question.

He knew the answer since Lyra sent the information they gained to the entire family, which included the Embodiment Method, so he was confused about why Emir would want it to be

known.

Was it a test? He didn't know.

So to be safe, he acted as if he was in the dark:

"There's a third, Professor?"

Emir's smile widened, proud that his little brother had reached the conclusion he wished for.

"Yes, there is..."

He paused for a second while gesturing for Elijah to return to his seat and looked back at the holoscreen.

"The third is a hidden one, only known to high-ranking Celestials in the Hierarchy..."

The course outline that Lyra had prepared showed itself as a hologram, depicting most of what he would teach during the next year.

"I'll tell you what it is if you're one of the top three in the midterms; I'll do the same for the fourth method at the final exam, so make sure to study well~."

Whispers and murmurs resounded as a response. The students didn't dare be any louder than

that.

Their professor had terrified them since day one, and they weren't about to risk it only to lose their credits like Max did.

So they showed their excitement in silence once again, as most of the 'Half-Pure' and 'Impure' students had no opportunities such as this before.

Meanwhile, the Elite were skeptical.

Or rather, it was mostly Sofia, as she attempted to guess what the third and fourth methods

were, but she truly had no idea.

The four family heads knew of the Aether core absorption method since that was what they used the prisoners for, something that Emir had figured out after processing the knowledge

he gained recently.

Judging by what Amon said, they most definitely experimented on them with semi- incompatible cores, noting down results that mostly included them turning hollow or just

dying instantly.

On the other hand, the fourth method, Embodiment, wasn't so understood by anyone except Isidore and those above him in rank.

At least that's what it seemed like, considering Emir's knowledge of this stemmed from the pills Isidore had sent.

So he was sure of this guess as it made the most sense and went ahead with his plan, pushing for the best of the unnamed to show themselves and compete with the Elite, igniting a fire under their green bottoms.

"Now, now... Calm down, everyone. The details will be sent to you later, but for now, focus on

the lesson."

The hologram flickered and then depicted a massive tree-like structure with many branching

paths.

"As you all know, our paths are like those tree structures in the RPG games some of you play. So we can theatrically choose any path that we wish. However, many of those ability paths aren't mapped out yet, or at least we don't know if they are or not, so instead of going that unknown route, some become spell weavers instead."

"Because at the end of the way, us specialists only take certain abilities while the spell weavers and arcanists enjoy a wider array of abilities."

"They, of course, need to stick to their element, but their path isn't as restrictive as ours." After letting out an annoyed sigh, his eyes scanned the students as he asked:

"The first to answer this question correctly will get ten AUC; raise your hand only when you

know the answer, alright?"

The students collectively nodded.

"Yes, Professor!"

"Right, so while keeping in mind what I just told you, what's the difference between a spell

weaver with the life element and a Zenith warden?"