Chapter 366: To Impart the Way and Be Called Master

But Long Zhan was the exception. Twenty minutes into the lecture, he was already dozing off—clearly, he was just like Qin Haonan.

The guard beside him kept tugging on his arm, trying to keep him awake.

Ren Yuanyang felt a bit helpless, but having had a student like Qin Haonan before, he wasn’t surprised.

After forty minutes of explaining the principles behind Cultivation, Wang Jun and the others had benefited greatly.

“You can all take some time to digest this information. If you have any questions, bring them up tomorrow. Next, we’re going to start learning the Cultivation Technique.” Ren Yuanyang said, looking at Wang Jun and the others on the screen. “Go ahead and wake Captain Long up completely. He should be very interested in what’s next!”

Hearing this, the guard beside Long Zhan stepped into the camera’s view and woke him up.

Long Zhan finally pried open his heavy eyelids, a bewildered look on his face. “Is it over?”

“The teacher told me to wake you, sir,” the guard said, sounding helpless.

Long Zhan glanced at Ren Yuanyang’s faint, knowing smile on the screen and felt a little ashamed. “Brother Yang, I’ve gotten sleepy in class since I was a kid. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break, even at my age!”

Ren Yuanyang shook his head. “It’s fine. Some people are just naturally like that. However, without understanding the guiding principles, your gains from Cultivation will be smaller than others, so you’ll have to spend more time practicing.”

“Understood. So you’re done with the Cultivation lecture?” Long Zhan asked uncertainly. “Was I asleep that long?”

Ren Yuanyang was speechless for a moment. “We’re just about to start that part. You might not learn the theory, but you have to learn the Cultivation Technique. That’s why I had them wake you!”

Long Zhan nodded, then vigorously rubbed his face with both hands. “I’m ready. Let’s begin!”

“As I mentioned earlier, when you cultivate, you must not practice with an Evolver with whom you have an Attribute Incompatibility. Otherwise, the gains for both of you will be greatly diminished!” Ren Yuanyang continued. “So, please adjust your positions quickly, and then we’ll begin with the Cultivation Technique!”

Wang Jun and the others immediately rearranged themselves according to the Five Elements creation cycle and listened intently to Ren Yuanyang’s instruction.

After half an hour of instruction, having guided them through one full cycle of the Cultivation Technique, Ren Yuanyang asked, “Did you all succeed?”

Wang Jun and Ji Yizhi shook their heads slightly, but Long Zhan exclaimed excitedly, “I did it! You really can cultivate!”

Wang Jun and Ji Yizhi were completely astonished.

‘He succeeded at Cultivation without even listening to the lecture?’

This result didn’t surprise Ren Yuanyang in the slightest. Qin Haonan had been the exact same way.

“Don’t be too surprised. Captain Long is a hands-on learner. He might be terrible with theory, but when it comes to practical application, he’s a natural!” Ren Yuanyang explained with a smile. “Those who succeeded, continue to cultivate using this method. Those who didn’t, follow my lead. I’ll walk you through it one more time!”

“Yes, sir!” they all responded in unison.

Nearly three hours later, Wang Jun and the others finally managed to complete their first cultivation session.

Only after successfully completing a full cycle did they realize how much Cultivation benefited their Mental Energy.

“The effect is so dramatic! Even if I used my Mental Energy nonstop for a whole day, the boost wouldn’t compare to this single cultivation session!” Ji Yizhi said, completely stunned.

Wang Jun nodded in firm agreement. He was bogged down with so many administrative duties that he rarely had time to use his Mental Energy. Moreover, as a rare Electric-Type Evolver, he seldom had cause to use his Superpower. As a result, his Mental Energy was the lowest of the three captains.

His day-to-day increase in Mental Energy was very limited, but after just a short time cultivating, the improvement was exceptionally clear!

Wang Jun rose to his feet, cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute to Ren Yuanyang, and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Master, for imparting the Cultivation Technique to us!”

Long Zhan and Ji Yizhi were taken aback for a moment. Then, they too stood, bowed to Ren Yuanyang just as Wang Jun had, and addressed him as Master.

Ren Yuanyang was flustered by their sudden gesture and waved his hands dismissively. “When it comes to Cultivation, I’ve only scratched the surface. You’re giving me far too much credit.”

“Not at all. If you hadn’t guided us to the path, who knows how long we would have stumbled in the dark? We might never have found the way at all!” Wang Jun said, shaking his head. “You are the master who has passed on this art to us.”

Ren Yuanyang just shook his head slightly, not wishing to dwell on the topic. Instead, he said, “Let’s stop here for today. From now on, I will lead a cultivation session every day from 5 to 7 AM, and again from 8 to 10 PM. The content of both sessions will be the same, so you can choose whichever time is convenient for you.”

“Yes, Master!” Wang Jun and the others replied in unison.

Ren Yuanyang didn’t bother correcting their form of address again. With a wave of his hand, he ended the video conference.

After Ren Yuanyang left, Long Zhan laughed and said, “Old Wang, you suddenly calling Brother Yang ‘Master’ nearly threw me for a loop. A little heads-up next time, maybe?”

“Well, we didn’t know beforehand if Taoyuan Yang could actually teach us the Cultivation Technique,” Ji Yizhi said, shaking his head with a sigh.

Long Zhan paused, slightly taken aback. “So you mean to tell me you guys were still doubting Brother Yang?”

“It wasn’t doubt, it just seemed too incredible. Before all this, if I had told you people could cultivate, would you have believed it?” Wang Jun retorted.

Long Zhan thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Definitely not. I’m a staunch materialist, after all.”

“Exactly. To think our ancestors left us such a precious treasure… It’s a shame our own understanding was so poor that we let these ancient texts gather dust like hidden pearls,” Ji Yizhi lamented.

Wang Jun nodded in agreement. “Perhaps this mysterious flood is an opportunity for us to unearth the true value of these ancient classics.”

“Even so, if you call Taoyuan Yang ‘Master,’ doesn’t that drop us down a generation in seniority?” Long Zhan said, a little exasperated. He used to call him Brother Yang, but now it would have to be Master.

“He did teach us the Cultivation Technique. Calling him Master is only right and proper,” Wang Jun said with a smile. “Besides, didn’t we all agree to latch onto Peach Blossom Base for support? Isn’t a master-disciple relationship a much stronger bond than just calling each other ‘brother’?”

Long Zhan blinked, then nodded in complete agreement. “You’ve got a point.”

“Alright, everyone. First, go back and digest what the Master taught. Compile a list of anything you don’t understand. We’ll discuss it among ourselves first, and if we can’t figure it out, we’ll ask the Master,” Wang Jun continued. “As for tonight’s evening session, everyone must make time to attend and listen closely.”

“Yes, sir!” the guards replied in unison.

After the guards had left, Long Zhan grumbled, “I’m really not cut out for lectures.”

Wang Jun was equally helpless. “That’s something you’ll have to overcome on your own. We can’t help you with it. If it’s really that bad, just watch the recording for ten minutes at a time. Every little bit helps.”

They had already recorded Ren Yuanyang’s lecture and could rewatch it as needed.

“Sigh… I guess that’s the only way,” Long Zhan replied with a sigh.

“Didn’t the Master say so himself? If you’re not suited for theory, then focus on practice. Hard work makes up for a lack of talent,” Ji Yizhi said comfortingly.

Long Zhan rolled his eyes. “Tch. What’s clumsy about me? I was the first one to successfully perform the Cultivation Technique!”

“Fine, you’re not clumsy. You just have a habit of falling asleep in class,” Ji Yizhi retorted with a laugh.

Long Zhan made a face and changed the subject. “Has the transport team returned yet?”

“They set out at six this morning,” Wang Jun replied.

“Did they take enough weapons and ammunition?” Long Zhan pressed.

“Of course. We’re counting on them to make the Xi’an Base waste some of its fuel,” Wang Jun said with a nod.

“Good. I’ll contact them and ask about the situation,” Long Zhan said, then sent an inquiry to the transport team.

“Captain, we’re more than halfway there. So far, we haven’t encountered a single ship,” the transport team leader reported.

Long Zhan was taken aback. ‘Did the Xi’an Base retreat?’

‘Still, not running into an ambush is a good thing. No need to overthink it.’

‘Fuel sources are extremely limited right now. They couldn’t possibly wait at the ambush point forever. The fuel consumption for that many ships would be a huge problem.’

He relayed the information to Wang Jun, who nodded slightly. “Tell our transport team to be careful. I’m sure they’ll make another move.”

“Alright, I will,” Long Zhan replied.

Meanwhile, the Xi’an Base had already confirmed the location for its next ambush, this time much closer to the Aircraft Carrier Base.

“Commander, we’ve confirmed the ambush location. Please review it.” The aide sent the coordinates to Bao Mu for approval.