The Geared Immortal

An Academy Life: 17

/*unedited*/

A small shadow stealthily darted from the top of the buildings of the academy. The seemingly inconspicuous shadow of a small girl blended through the afternoon sky. Since everyone in the academy is busy with their things nobody noticed this small figure as she approaches a building.

Ai Ji has already familiarized herself with the robe of the academy and decided to craft her robe to match those that she saw. She then copied the insignia on the robe and the jade plate hanging on their side which she can see from the students.

"I think that this is good enough as a disguise right?" Ai Ji thought as she excitedly jumped down from the roof and landed in a hidden corner.

When the two old men saw this, they both showed an awed expression.

"This little girl… her… her crafting skill is weird. I think her title as a 2nd tier artificer is not for show." The old man said with a proud smile.

He was the old man who officiates the artificer examination last time when Shin Jiao and Ai Ji took it. So when he saw Ai Ji, he suddenly remembers the famous artificer that's making a name in the city of Wu. But the old man knows that the young woman is a mortal and not a cultivator. Yet right now, he is looking at a spirit refining realm young cultivator.

So he is looking at her with a bit of suspicion in his heart.

Then the two old men saw Ai Ji began to wander all around the academy campus. As she walks she suddenly enters the alchemy campus.

Ai Ji was suddenly assaulted by the smell of different kinds of medicinal herbs. The smell of the herbs made her body feels calm and refreshed.

"The Qi in this place is very pure and warm, and the natural energies are really abundant… This is a great place to cultivate." Ai Ji thought as she immediately walks to an inconspicuous corner and sat like normal. She closed her eyes and began absorbing a large amount of Qi and natural energies in her surroundings.

The two old men immediately realized what Ai Ji is doing and just watched her with disbelief in their eyes.

"This is impossible! The amount of Qi she is absorbing is not compatible with her cultivation level. If she is really a spirit refining realm cultivator then she would have exploded already from the amount of pure Qi in the air." The principal said in awe.

"I can feel that she is not just absorbing the Qi in the air… Hmm… what is she doing? How can she cultivate like that?" the old man muttered.

As the two observe Ai Ji, her surroundings within a 20 meters radius began to form a steady cycle of whirlpool in which she is the epicenter. Because it is revolving in a subtle manner, the other areas of the campus were not affected, except for those who are sensitive when it comes to the flow of spirit Qi in the area.

Ai Ji is already smiling at this point as she has already absorbed enough spiritual energy and natural energy to form her 15th sphere. But before she can be happy, a group of people suddenly walks towards the building where she is cultivating.

Three men and two women are walking while chatting happily with each other. Suddenly one of them stopped and turns her gaze towards the corner where Ai Ji is sitting.

"Hey, I think someone is cultivating in there," said the beautiful young woman with short black hair, a cute nose, an oval face, and phoenix-like eyes.

With her words, the others with her also turn their heads towards the direction she pointed.

When they saw the small figure of Ai Ji in the corner the eyes of the men suddenly lit up. Even the two women also showed an awed expression upon seeing her face and figure.

Ever since Ai Ji began cultivating, her mortal like existence has already vanished and was transformed into a fairy-like existence. If she can have pointed ears then she would be described as one of those beautiful elves in the storybook.

This made her existence more dazzling in the eyes of many who saw her.

The group unconsciously walks towards her but showed a suspicious look in their eyes when they saw her wearing an alchemist robe.

"Excuse me!" suddenly the woman who first noticed Ai Ji said.

Hearing the foreign voice, Ai Ji's feeling of warmth and tranquility after absorbing the Qi in the air suddenly turned sour.

She didn't know how she was discovered but she is already prepared for this to happen, so she slowly opens her eyes and smile.

When the people saw her beautiful smiling face, they were all mesmerized.

"Hello! I'm sorry if I disturbed the seniors. I… I just had an inspiration and unknowingly began cultivating. Sorry if I did something bad." Ai Ji said with a little blush in her face.

The cute appearance of the small young woman made the hearts of the group skip a bit.

Even the two old men hiding in the corner also gulped down their saliva upon seeing her cute antics. Although they know that she is just acting, yet her pure naivety made them want to pamper her.

"No, no it's alright… Are you a freshman in our department?" one of the young women asked with a smile.

"Yes, but I… not only I just had an inspiration upon reaching this place… But also, actually I… I'm lost." Ai Ji cutely said adding more red hue on her face.

"Oh, so where are you going? We can help you go there." Suddenly the young woman who discovered her asked.

"I need to find my older brother in the crafting… department." Ai Ji said while thinking about the name of the place where she could possibly find Shin Jiao.

"Oh, well… we are about to go to class today so we can't help you. How about this… you come with us to the class and after the class, we take you to the crafting department… I too wanted to go there for a long time." one of the men said which seems to be the leader of the group.

The man exudes a leadership aura coupled with his handsome features. When he suggested that everyone suddenly showed a happy expression in their faces. They also didn't want to leave the cute girl on her own. So they decided to accompany her to the other department after their class.

Ai Ji on the other hand also showed interest in the aspect of alchemy. She has been crafting stuff ever since a kid, now that she has a chance to learn other things, she felt a little excited.

So the group enters the building with Ai Ji in tow. As they walk many students who are discussing something in the corridor would suddenly stop as their attention would be attracted to the group. This is not only because of the group's figures and appearance but also their background.

Unknown to Ai Ji, these five people belong to the five great families in the city of Wu. The five of them are considered as one of the geniuses of their clan or families when it comes to alchemy. So whenever their group appears everyone would show them a mix of envy and awe. This is because not only do they belong to great families; they are also good when it comes to alchemy.

In the clans and families, there are two main professions that gain more prestige and that is an artificer and an alchemist. These two professions would always gain great respect and honor in every clan or family in the cultivation land.

That is because; an artificer and an alchemist can help a cultivator improve their fighting prowess and survivability when it comes to fighting. Plus, they can also help improve the lives of the members of any clan or family they belong to.

Though an artificer or an alchemist seldom becomes a patriarch or the head of a family, yet they have the highest right in this aspect. If one can gain the support of an alchemist or an artificer then one can gain the head of the family. So the status of an alchemist is very important.

Hence the five people have one of the highest positions in their individual families.

"Hey, who's that beauty beside them?"

"Is she a new addition to the group?"

"She is cute and beautiful… ah… I like her!"

"Yeah… I think she belongs to one of the noble clans in the city."

The students suddenly began to clamor when they noticed the presence of Ai Ji along with the group.

The five didn't bother with the student as they walked towards their classroom. Suddenly one of the boys remembers something and said.

"Ah… we… we forgot to ask the name of this little sister. By the way, I'm Haoyin Fu," one of the young men with a small stature, square-faced, having a tall yet attractive nose, and small eyes.

"Oh right, I'm May Wu and she is my best friend Xun Ye."

"And these two are Men Tang, he is our leader… hihi… and this gloomy fellow is Zhan Xiemen." May Wu said as she introduces the rest of the gang.

With a nod Ai Ji smiled and gave them a polite bow.

She felt elated as this is her first time knowing someone inside a prestigious school.

And so she decided to befriend the group as they seem to be very friendly.

The group continues walking as they chatted.

"So what is this little sister's name?" May Wu asked with a smile.

"Oh, right… I'm Ai Ji. Nice to meet you guys." Ai Ji said.

"This is my first time having friends out…" suddenly Ai Ji stopped talking upon finding that she is actually walking ahead of the group.

When she turns her head around she saw the five people following him having a stupefied look on their faces their reaction is as if they just discovered something incredulous.

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