"Students, if you are a support-type, whether specializing in Energy Recovery, Injury Recovery, or Stamina Recovery, your purpose is to enhance your team’s overall combat power. So, here’s a question: imagine almost all your teammates have perished, leaving only one or two. You face a powerful enemy. A choice lies before you: either fight alongside your remaining teammates with all your strength, or have them create an opportunity for you to retreat safely. What would you choose?" "Isn’t that obvious? How could I be a deserter?" "Teacher, don’t underestimate us just because we’re girls! Star Martial Warriors are warriors, through and through!" "This student here, yes, the one with brown hair and glasses, please answer." "I..." A seemingly shy girl slowly stood up. "I would assist my comrades in continuing the fight. Since we are comrades, a squad, we should stick together through thick and thin." "That student’s answer is quite humorous! Well then, does anyone have a different opinion?" The teacher surveyed the classroom. It held two classes, yet surprisingly, everyone shared the same opinion. "It seems that when faced with the reality of life and death, you all make the same choice. However, my answer to you is to have your teammates help you retreat." "Support types aren’t powerless, Teacher! We can fight too, you know." "I believe you can fight; our Auxiliary Department has always been full of hidden talents. For instance, right here in this classroom, we have a provincial martial arts champion—the strongest fighter in the entire province. But what I’m emphasizing is role definition! A support-type Star Martial Warrior plays a crucial role in a team. They must clearly understand their position within the team and their significance to the nation. Get full chapters from 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁 Let me give you an example. A hundred years ago, the Demon Clan launched a massive invasion into Jade Country, quickly advancing to the north shore of the Yangtze River. So, who were the first people to retreat back then?" Who pays attention to this point in history? "It was the students, the students from various universities! Of course, not students from Star Martial Academy, as the concept of the academy didn’t exist at that time. So, why were university students evacuated to safety first? Because university students are our hope for rebuilding civilization; they should not be consumed by the flames of war. They are more valuable alive, capable of making a greater contribution. It may seem unfair, but it is the truth. Similarly, as a support-type, a Star Martial Warrior designated for a support role must understand this: regardless of your personal combat strength, your primary function is to assist. If your combat ability were to exceed your support capabilities, you wouldn’t have been classified as a support type in the first place." From within the crowd, Wang Lan quietly lowered his head. I might be a husky that snuck in; I can hardly keep up the act. "The presence of a support type from the Auxiliary Department can allow a team to exhibit at least one and a half, or even two to three times, its normal combat power. Your individual contribution is more significant than that of many others combined. That’s your value! Therefore, to maximize your value when facing danger—especially danger that means certain death—do not be ashamed of retreating. You are not living for yourself; you are living for the comrades who died in battle..." University classes are indeed different from those in high school. Previous teachers rarely strayed from examination content, often skipping the historical development of a subject to jump straight to the core topics. This teacher, however, was progressively informing students about the scope and importance of the subject by teaching its history. An hour passed quickly, and when the bell rang, many felt a sense of longing for the class to continue. The next lecture would be on Spiritual Engraving. It was a course that every student at Star Martial Academy must take. Star Martial Skills cannot be fully captured in writing; many aspects of using Star Power are more intuitive than easily communicable. In particular, the timing for activating Star Martial Skills and the precise state required for successful execution are things that can only be felt. This is why Star Martial Families have come to nearly monopolize Star Martial Skills. The monopoly by such prominent families has been a societal problem since ancient times. Before the invention of Soul Bead Imprinting, there was no fundamental way to resolve this issue. Star Martial Families possessed a vast array of Star Martial Skills. Ordinary Star Martial Warriors could typically only obtain these skills by pledging loyalty to these families; in return for their service, they might be granted access. However, receiving a skill did not mean gaining ownership of it. There’s an old saying: "Those who divulge a Cultivation Technique to outsiders must be executed!" Even with the advent of Soul Bead Imprinting technology, which should have made skills more accessible, Star Martial Families still control a vast number of Star Martial Skills, and countless Star Martial Warriors remain willing to affiliate with them. The Spiritual Engraving teacher entered the classroom. He was a bald, elderly man wearing black-rimmed glasses, appearing rather gaunt and, at first glance, not exceptionally sharp. However, the professor’s introduction described Professor Zheng Gong as a top-ranking Spiritual Engraving Master in Jade Country. He was one of the few individuals capable of masterfully imprinting S-rank Star Martial Skills from one person’s mind into an intermediate-grade Soul Bead. The textbook before them was authored by Professor Zheng Gong himself. It explained the conditions for Spiritual Engraving, progressing from simple to complex, and detailed methods to achieve those conditions. For example, strong spiritual power! Star Martial Warriors talented in Illusion Techniques inherently possess far greater spiritual power than others. But what if you lack such innate strength? No worries—Professor Zheng’s teachings included methods to cultivate spiritual power. Powerful spiritual power was merely the prerequisite; understanding the principles of Spiritual Engraving was equally crucial. Spiritual Engraving was likened to operating a complex machine. The meticulous application of spiritual power served as its components—isolating spiritual power, guiding it, and so forth. Only when dozens of such conditions were met could one even attempt the art of Spiritual Engraving. Spiritual Engraving also had different levels, the most basic being self-exploration. This was akin to treating one’s own brain as a hard drive and using spiritual power to search for memories within. Textbooks described this sensation as if the soul had separated from the body, allowing for a detailed re-examination of oneself. Wang Lan continued flipping through the book, unknowingly reaching the final pages. After reading each condition for Spiritual Engraving, he silently attempted to test it himself. This self-experiment yielded startling results. Powerful spiritual power? He tested it. It seems I do. Fine control over spiritual power? He tried. That also seems possible. Concentrating spiritual power into a single point and continuously training to strengthen it... It feels like I condensed it into a clump almost immediately! Maybe I should... start with something simpler, like exploring my own memories first? Wang Lan silently closed his eyes, transforming that clump of spiritual power into a bridge connecting to his brain. THUD! A muffled sound resonated, and Wang Lan saw stars. His mind felt as if a stick had been thrust into it and then violently stirred. "Found a learnable Basic Skill. Spend one point to learn it?" Wang Lan’s mouth fell open, his heart pounding. Did I just trigger some incredible feature? Have I discovered something terrifying? Without hesitation, Wang Lan hurriedly selected Yes! In the Basic Skills panel, a new skill appeared: Primary Spiritual Exploration, Black Iron LV1 (0/1). Is this the golden finger among golden fingers? He promptly allocated ten skill points to Primary Spiritual Exploration. BOOM! A torrent of knowledge about Spiritual Engraving surged into Wang Lan’s mind, as if spontaneously multiplying. The skill advanced to Bronze rank, its name changing to Intermediate Spiritual Exploration. It was now capable of exploring the memories of others (provided they were completely willing and fully cooperative). "That student over there, why is your mouth hanging open like that? Does the content of my lecture surprise you, or do you perhaps hold a different view?" Professor Zheng Gong suddenly stopped lecturing, his eyes sharp as he looked into the crowd. WHOOSH. Countless gazes turned towards Wang Lan, awakening him from his shocked state. "I apologize, Professor Zheng. I deeply agree with your explanations. Your profound yet accessible teaching has been a true eye-opener for me, a moment of sudden, profound realization!" Wang Lan said, his expression one of feigned astonishment. The girls nearby immediately shot him impressed glances. This handsome guy is really something, they thought. Coming up with such a fresh and eloquent excuse for daydreaming in class! And to deliver such blatant flattery so smoothly, too! "Really?" Professor Zheng Gong gently pushed up his glasses. "Well then, let me ask you a few questions. I just mentioned the three main conditions for Spiritual Engraving. What are they?" "Powerful spiritual power, formidable control over that power, and its consolidation into a vast spiritual cloud. These are the three essential conditions, which are then applied through five distinct stages..." Wang Lan concisely summarized the key points Professor Zheng had just covered. Impressively, his explanation was even clearer and more structured than the professor’s own. Each step he outlined fit together with the precision and fluidity of a well-played game of Tetris. "Hmm, a good answer. It seems you were paying attention. You may sit down." Although Professor Zheng Gong’s expression remained impassive, he made a mental note of Wang Lan. He subtly glanced at the student roster. Throughout the rest of the lesson, Wang Lan didn’t pay much attention to the lecture; his mind was entirely absorbed by the system’s astonishing new capabilities. He had possessed the system for some time now, but it had never occurred to him that the criteria for learning skills through it weren’t limited to Star Martial Skills and combat abilities. The manipulation of spiritual power was indeed a skill for Star Martial Warriors, yet it wasn’t strictly a combat skill. But this ability was extremely useful. Take Wu Chao from the Tianjian Bureau in Suzhou City, for example. Due to his mastery of high-level Spiritual Engraving, he was fast-tracked into the Bureau as a technical specialist. Although Wang Lan knew the Tianjian Bureau was staffed with elites, Wu Chao’s primary role there was likely interrogation and intelligence gathering, rather than direct combat. How many other non-combat auxiliary skills could there be? Wang Lan dared not imagine. While the saying "one can never have too many skills" might not be entirely accurate for him, acquiring a few more Basic Skills certainly wouldn’t hurt. Wang Lan was caught in a whirlwind of inner excitement, so much so that he failed to notice the bell signaling the end of class. Professor Zheng Gong, who had been preparing to leave, glanced again at Wang Lan, who was still sitting motionless in his seat, seemingly lost in thought. Is that the look of someone who has just discovered their destined passion? A promising talent indeed. He must be given special attention. Even with just a spark of talent, such fervor could lead to great achievements.