Chapter 38: Dao Foundation Theory
The woman who entered the hall had eyes that looked impossibly bright and clear. Looking into her eyes, one almost felt like they could glimpse a world that was full of life, zeal, and passion!
Her eyebrows resembled a pair of swords, and her nose looked like a steep peak. Her lips looked tender enough to squeeze water out of them. The tip of a tongue was barely peeking out the slightly parted corner of her lips.
The woman hadn’t worn any make-up, and her hair was carelessly coiled into a bun and held in place with a single hairpin. Her attire was equally unconventional. Her bottomwear looked both like a pair of pants and a dress; the trouser legs flaring outward like a skirt. Her upperwear consisted of a form-fitting top with short sleeves that barely reached the elbow. It was decidedly unconventional compared to the typical attire of a female cultivator.
The woman walked over to the lectern and sat down gracefully. She then leaned back slightly and propped her chin on her hand. Her sitting posture naturally radiated an air of effortless charm, yet beneath that charm also lay an icy chill as ancient as time itself. She then cast a sidelong glance at the students and declared, “From now on, I am the instructor of the Dao Foundation Theory course. I will be instructing y’all on your cultivation. My name is Ji, Ji Liuli. Remember, my Liuli means ‘displaced’, not the ‘pure lustre of a gemstone’[1].”
A girl plucked up her courage then and stood up, asking, “But the course material clearly states that the instructor is Xu Henshui. Why the sudden change?”
Ji Liuli replied indifferently, “Forget him. I’ve tossed him out of the entrance gate, and it’ll be a while before he makes it back. Just give it up and attend my class!”
For a time, the students could only exchange speechless looks with each other. The newcomer gave off an incredibly strange presence. On one hand, her smile resembled a whole valley of spring flowers. On the other hand, her stern expression resembled a looming thunderstorm or encroaching tribulation. The students with particularly high perception especially felt as if they were facing a primeval beast, not a human. They instinctively trembled before her presence and could not bring themselves to say a single word.
Wei Yuan had learned poems, poetic essays, and songs from Zhang Sheng. He knew countless words and sentences that were used to describe a beautiful woman. However, none of them seemed to fit Ji Liuli at all. Was she not beautiful then? That wasn’t right either. None of the female cultivators he had encountered since entering the Palace of Absolute Beginning could compare to her.
Seeing that everyone was quiet, Ji Liuli nodded in satisfaction and declared, “If there are no problems, then let us begin our class. Oh right, you may address me as Teacher, Big Senior Sister Liu Li, Two Zhang Five Big Senior Sister, or whatever. Now then, I will explain exactly what a Dao Foundation is.”