It was the opening day at the Central Glacier Academy, and the campus grounds, usually sparse, were now bustling with a far greater throng of both new and returning students than when Yang Ying had first arrived.

The Newcomer's Welcome Gala was a long-standing tradition, organized by the upperclassmen of each department to usher the freshmen into the greater academy family.

The twenty new initiates of the Alchemist Department also participated in this evening event, held in the multi-purpose hall of the department's primary building. Every fixture within—be it tables, chairs, or the podium—was crafted from liquid metal; a simple program change could transform the space into a classroom, a conference room, a ballroom, or any other functional hall.

, Wan Bi Bei

As the gala proceeded, long tables flanking the hall were laden with an array of exquisite delicacies, rumored to be the handiwork of the senior female students. Yang Ying sampled a few bites and found them exceptionally good—perfect in color, aroma, and taste. They were indeed worthy of chefs hailing from the Alchemist Department, exhibiting the dual profundities of precision engineering and Spiritual Crafting.

The host for the evening was the Dean of the Alchemist Department, who had recently returned from the Capital Sphere. He was an extremely aged man, with a voluminous shock of snow-white beard cascading down to his abdomen. His eyes were set deep in their sockets, yet they sparkled brightly, brimming with the light of wisdom.

The Dean’s name was Fasculen. Legend had it that he had consumed a self-brewed, top-tier longevity elixir, extending his life by a thousand years. Combined with the three hundred years afforded by his own cultivation at the peak of the Third Level, his lifespan extended to thirteen centuries. He was currently six hundred and fifty-two years old—barely past the midpoint of his artificially prolonged life.

Despite his advanced age, the Dean was a highly witty and humorous man; under his stewardship, the entire gala was immersed in laughter.

Tisia had apparently briefed him on the four most outstanding freshmen this year: Igor, Lya, Dimas, and Dannan. Yang Ying noticed that the old man paid particular attention to himself and Dannan.

Yang Ying assumed the Dean’s focus on him stemmed from the similarity in their spiritual power cultivation. Upon their first meeting, both had sensed the immense spiritual force radiating from the other, both having reached the zenith of the Third Level. Since spiritual power is paramount to Spiritual Crafting, Yang Ying found the old Dean’s high regard for him unsurprising.

As for Dannan, his case was even more remarkable. He had gained entry to the Alchemist Department as an ordinary person, a feat that hadn't occurred in over two decades, Yang Ying recalled from his research. Historically, every student admitted to the department in the same manner as Dannan invariably graduated to become a Great Alchemist—a prestigious title reserved for exceptional pharmacists capable of formulating Tenth-Level elixirs.

Dean Fasculen himself was a Great Alchemist, which made his evident favoritism toward Dannan easily understandable.

When the gala concluded, the old Dean personally presented a bottle of top-tier Gene Activation Elixir to Dannan—an elixir of deep violet, appearing to cradle infinite power within its liquid form.

This very elixir was the true purpose behind Yang Ying’s visit to the Empire. Yang Ying desired it intensely, but he wouldn't wrest it from Dannan; he had plenty of time, and ample opportunities would arise. Moreover, anything intended for Katerina could not be handled carelessly. Wouldn't an elixir he crafted himself please her even more?

After the party, every freshman received a comprehensive Study Reference Dossier, listing the required curriculum before graduation. Xu Zhuo glanced at the document and immediately pulled a wry smile, while the upperclassmen nearby reveled in schadenfreude, clearly recalling the same tormented expressions they wore years ago upon seeing the requirements.

The Empire had developed over hundreds of thousands of years, accumulating knowledge beyond measure, a mere glimpse of which could be gleaned from this curriculum plan.

For an Alchemist Department student to graduate, they were required to complete one hundred courses at the Seventh Level, twenty at the Eighth Level, five at the Ninth Level, and one at the Tenth Level. Yang Ying quickly calculated that even for him, mastering this curriculum would take over a thousand hours of study. Students whose spiritual power was only at the Second Level might study for a decade and still not meet the graduation standard.

The requirements of the Alchemist Department were stringent, yes. In fact, the entire Central Glacier Academy held its students to such high standards; no one was permitted to graduate without mastering the full syllabus.

Fortunately for Yang Ying, meeting this requirement posed no difficulty. He could complete the entire course load with two months spent in solitary study at the library. He had already completed ninety percent of the Hundred Seventh-Level courses in the fortnight preceding the start of the term, so he felt no apprehension whatsoever.

When the gala ended, the crowd dispersed, chatting merrily as they returned to their respective dormitories. Yang Ying suddenly realized he had never even been to his own quarters. His housing had been assigned half a month ago when he reported to Tisia, yet he had spent the entire period sequestered in the library.

The library was open around the clock, and many students who had cultivated to the Third Level often resided there, relying on their superhuman physical resilience. Yang Ying’s instance was by no means anomalous.

He made his way toward the western quadrant of the campus. The residential area was less a block of dormitories and more an expansive cluster of villas. Tens of thousands of these residences were scattered artfully across the frozen plains, stretching out of sight. Snow fell incessantly from the sky, dusting the villa rooftops, the pathways before them, and the shoulders of the occasional passerby, painting a breathtaking, ethereal scene.

Central Glacier Academy was situated in the western suburbs of Ever-Snow City, and this housing district occupied the academy’s western flank. Viewed on a map, the academy covered a vast tract of the western suburbs, and the western edge of this residential zone overlapped with the western boundary of the city itself—explaining its immense scale.

Yang Ying located his assigned residence by the address. It was a three-story villa, complete with a small, enclosed greenhouse garden at the front. The interior was equipped with a domestic automaton, fully functional, capable of routine cleaning or transforming into a chef, gardener, or any other necessary role.

Academy rules stipulated that a villa must house at least two individuals. However, Yang Ying sensed no presence within the villa upon reaching the door. He initially thought he might have arrived too early, but a glance at the nameplate revealed that his roommate was the taciturn Dimas.

Yang Ying remembered that Dimas had headed straight toward the library after the gala concluded, as if treating the library as his second home. He surmised that Dimas would spend even less time at the villa than he did.

Yang Ying skipped introducing himself to any neighbors. He spent one night in the villa, sampling the life of an Imperial Academy resident, before returning to the main campus grounds early the next morning.

He arrived at the Alchemist Department’s teaching building. The freshmen’s very first class was scheduled to take place in the second classroom on the ground floor.

Entering the room, Yang Ying’s gaze immediately fixed upon Dannan. The young man who had been an ordinary person just yesterday had successfully awakened overnight.

A number of students were gathered around Dannan, querying him about the experience of drinking the top-tier Gene Activation Elixir—such an event was rarely observed firsthand. Dannan’s description was simple: he felt intensely drowsy after consuming the elixir, fell asleep, and awoke that morning to discover he had awakened.

His vision, hearing, sixth sense, and memory had all been vastly improved; it was as if he had become an entirely different person, marking a qualitative leap from the day before.

As Yang Ying listened to Dannan recount his experience, he could sense that Dannan’s current spiritual power hovered around one thousand units—though this was merely the numerical value for the First Level, a mere fraction of what Yang Ying possessed.

Still, considering Dannan had managed to pass the entrance exam without awakening, Yang Ying believed that the inherent advantage gifted by his talent would soon manifest. As his spiritual power grew, once he reached the Second or even Third Level, he would surpass ordinary students immeasurably.

With Dannan’s tangible result in hand, Yang Ying was very satisfied with the top-tier Gene Awakening Elixir. Dannan’s case thoroughly validated the efficacy of the top-tier Gene Activation Elixir, easing his mind about using it on Katerina once he manufactured his own version.

This type of elixir was classified in the Empire as an Eight-Level, Eight-Category formulation, its difficulty bordering on Ninth-Level—it was certainly not something one could whip up casually. Nevertheless, Yang Ying was confident; he believed he would succeed.

According to the rules of the Alchemist Department, all graduates must complete the entire curriculum and, additionally, successfully synthesize one Eighth-Level elixir. A small number of top students could even produce a Ninth-Level elixir by graduation. Yang Ying recalled that such elite students emerged only one or two annually. He wondered, could he truly be inferior to them?

Just then, the old Dean entered the room. The cohort of freshmen immediately straightened into rigid attention, their postures formal and their expressions focused, ready to receive the Dean’s lecture.

“Ahem,” the Dean cleared his throat. “There is no need for such tension, everyone. I will be teaching the first class for the new cohort today. If you are nervous, I will become nervous too! If I teach poorly, won’t you little fledglings look down on me? Will you blame yourselves, or will you blame me?”

A burst of laughter swept through the hall.

“Good, that’s better. Everyone relax a bit,” the Dean smiled. “Alchemy is a truly miraculous discipline. The more you invest in it, the more it will reward you. Through the elixir’s effect on the human body, whether in true humans or sub-humans, miracles can be wrought. The Empire has studied these transformations for many years, tracing their origins back to the moment Spiritual Crafting was discovered, one hundred thousand years ago. Over these ten millennia, countless elixir formulas have been uncovered, profoundly influencing the Empire. All of this, I assume, you have covered in the History of Alchemy. I won’t belabor the point. Today, my first lesson will be on Spiritual Crafting. Listen closely, everyone: Spiritual Crafting is…”

The Dean began to elaborate on Spiritual Crafting, and the students were unconsciously drawn into the depth of his words.

It seems Chapter Three won't be finished today; it will be postponed until tomorrow. Apologies. To find out what happens next, please log into Xin, where there are more chapters, support the author, and enjoy the official release!