Chapter 009: The Corona and the Umbra
Summer Interface said: "Therefore, my current title in the realm of Yin and Yang Sorcerers should be that of a Triple Crown Yang Diadem Level 8 Master of the Fire Element, while Teacher Autumn's title is that of a Triple Crown Yin Diadem Level 5 Master of the Fire Element. Today is your first class, and that concludes our discussion on theoretical knowledge. Now, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask, and both Teacher Autumn and I will provide you with answers." As he spoke, both he and Autumn retracted their magical powers, causing the Yang and Yin Diadems to disappear.
The Crown Star represents the basic level of our Yin-Yang Sorcerers, divided into ten levels, from 1 to 10. You must remember that one Crown Star does not represent level 1, but rather level 2. For instance, my sun crown has four Crown Stars, which means I have reached level 8 in my current title. I possess three Crown Peaks that bear the flame imprint symbolizing our Fire Element, known as the Three Crowns. The number of Crown Peaks with such imprints indicates the number of crowns. Whenever we cultivate the Crown Stars to five, which corresponds to level 10, we can attain one crown through a special cultivation method. Similarly, our Yin-Yang Sorcerer title will also change.
Ji Dong followed closely behind Xia Tian as they exited the classroom. After leaving, Xia Tian led him directly upstairs without saying a word or looking back at him. Ji Dong felt a stir in his heart; it seemed that this teacher Xia Tian had a decent impression of him, Bi Su, and Karl when they were punished to run in the morning. Now, however, he appeared to harbor some resentment. Could it be related to him?
Xia Tian remained silent, her expression still one of indifference, which was somewhat strange. She reached into her bosom and pulled out two items, presenting them palm-up before Ji Dong. Upon closer inspection, Ji Dong discovered that they were two uniquely shaped gemstones: one white and one black. They resembled the ones previously released by the teachers Xia Tian and Qiu Tian, but were merely one-hundredth of their size, only as large as a gold coin. The white gemstone emitted a faint red glow, while the black gemstone radiated a soft blue light, truly resembling miniature versions of the Yang and Yin Crowns of the Bing and Ding fire systems. Upon further scrutiny, Ji Dong noted that these two gemstones were indeed special, with the same appearance as those released by the two teachers earlier, but again, they were significantly smaller. The only difference was that the aura surrounding these gemstones did not have the golden halo seen in the illustrations, but rather a gray one. This single distinction set them apart from the Yin and Yang Crowns previously released by the two teachers.
Red light and blue light converged above the heads of two teachers, with a crown appearing above each of them. At the moment the crowns appeared, they instantly became the centers of their own magical power release
However, in response to the disdain from Xia Tian that had persisted from earlier until now, Ji Dong's pride was also ignited as he coldly remarked: "Teacher Xia Tian, since this is something given to me by the dean, it seems that the wastefulness of it has little to do with you, does it? Furthermore, I have not bribed the dean with any family connections as you suggested; I am merely an orphan. As for why the dean chose to give me such a precious item, you may inquire with him directly. You are a teacher, and I respect you, but is it appropriate for you to undermine a student's fragile spirit in this manner?"
Upon hearing Ji Dong's question, Xia Tian and Qiu Tian both changed their expressions simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, recognizing the surprise in each other's eyes. Xia Tian said in a deep voice: "This is something you do not need to know right now. If in the future you have the ability to become a true Yin-Yang Mage and gain admission to a higher institution for further study, the teachers there will inform you."
Surrounded by a red glow, and with the blazing flames on his palms, Xia Tian appeared as if the fire god had descended. His already formidable appearance looked even more intimidating, with a hint of red in his eyes. He said: "You see? This is the complete battle state of a Yang Fire Mage of the Bing element and a Yang Fire Mage of the Ding element"
With a cold snort in the summer, he said: "No wonder your stamina was so poor when you were punished to run in the morning; it turns out you came in through the back door. I really don't know what the dean is thinking, where he found such a peculiar person like you, and still wants to invest all his efforts in nurturing you"
Ji Dong still did not speak; any guarantees or explanations hold no practical significance. What truly matters is having the strength and achieving results.
On the other side, the crown on the teacher's head in autumn was the first thing Ji Dong had seen. The crown was entirely black, adorned with golden edges, and featured nine pointed spikes. However, each spike had a blue bead on its tip, and three of the spikes bore a flame pattern, though they were also blue. The star-shaped imprint on the circular band below was composed of two halves.
"Teacher, what is this?" Ji Dong asked curiously
Those of you who have just begun your cultivation journey, or those who have not yet condensed the Yin-Yang Crown, are collectively referred to as apprentices. For those in the Bing Fire category, you are known as Bing Fire apprentices; for those in the Ding Fire category, you are Ding Fire apprentices. Once you have your own crown star, you can prefix your title with a level. For example, half a crown star would denote a Level 1 Bing Fire apprentice or a Level 1 Ding Fire apprentice. When you reach the status of a Five-Star Level 10 apprentice and condense your own Yin-Yang Crown, your title will change accordingly. At that time, you will possess one crown, and the five crown stars will disappear. Only after you cultivate to Five Crown Stars Level 10 will you advance again to achieve two crowns. The titles of Yin-Yang Sorcerers change according to the number of crowns, ranging from low to high: Apprentice, Bachelor, Master, Grandmaster, Patriarch, Great Patriarch, Celestial Scholar, Celestial Master, and Celestial Venerable, which are exclusive titles.
Ji Dong followed the instructions and sat down opposite Xia Tian, whose large, bell-like eyes sparkled as they stared intently at him. A typical ten-year-old boy would surely feel flustered under such a gaze, but Ji Dong did not flinch even in the presence of Dean Yang Bingtian. Although Xia Tian had a fierce appearance, he could not shake Ji Dong's resolve.
As he spoke, Summer raised his hand, and the crown above his head floated down, landing in his palm. He said: "The Ten Systems of Yin and Yang Sorcerers, five belong to Yang and five belong to Yin. What I am releasing now is the Yang Crown of the Bing Fire System, while what Teacher Autumn is releasing is the Yin Crown of the Ding Fire System. Whether it is the Yang Crown or the Yin Crown, both are the sources of power for Yin and Yang Sorcerers. The ability to condense the Yin and Yang Crowns is also the most fundamental requirement for testing a Yin and Yang Sorcerer."
After listening to Xia Tian's words, Ji Dong couldn't help but secretly admire. Yang Bingtian was indeed a man of his word. He had promised to do his utmost to help Ji Dong become a Yin-Yang Sorcerer, and he had actually produced such a precious item. It seemed that Ji Dong really needed to showcase some skills and prepare a few exquisite drinks to truly repay him for his assistance.
In the summer, bringing Ji Dong to the second floor of the Fire Department teaching building, they entered a classroom that was not very large. The classroom had no desks or chairs, covering an area of about thirty square meters, and there were only ten mats on the floor. On the door of the classroom, there was an imprint of a phoenix pattern symbolizing the Fire Department.
The first to raise a question was Ji Dong, an ordinary ten-year-old child. Being in a new environment for the first time, it is natural to feel somewhat timid. However, such a situation clearly would not occur with him, whose psychological age exceeds thirty. As soon as Xia Tian finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand to ask: "Teacher Xia Tian, I have three questions. First, regarding the ten titles of the Yin-Yang Sorcerer you mentioned earlier, what is the last exclusive title? That should only be attainable after reaching nine crowns, correct"
"For the sake of the dean, I will give you this opportunity. However, I must warn you in advance that if you do not demonstrate certain achievements within a year, I will not hesitate to expel you from the Fire Department, and even the dean will not be able to stop it"
Ji Dong had been observing carefully. With his extraordinary powers of observation, he noticed that when he mentioned the golden edge, both Xia Tian and Qiu Tian's expressions became somewhat unnatural, their eyes seemingly filled with a hint of excitement and a faint trace of fear. What could this possibly mean? He was genuinely curious. Since they were unwilling to speak, he decided to ask Dean Yang Bingtian about it when he returned in the evening
Ji Dong nodded and said, "My last question is, although both of you belong to the Bing Fire and Ding Fire systems, I just noticed that there is a commonality when you release your Yang and Yin crowns. Whether it is your Yin and Yang crowns or your magical power, a faint golden edge appears around you. What is that?"
The crown atop Teacher Xia's head resembles that of Dean Yang Bingtian, being entirely white with a golden edge, featuring nine pointed spikes that stand upright. Each spike is adorned with a red bead. The only distinction lies in the flame patterns on the spikes and the number of stars on the front of the crown. Teacher Xia's crown has red flame imprints on only three of the front spikes, while the stars and books on the circular band below amount to as many as four, which is half a star more than Dean Yang Bingtian's.
Xia Tian was momentarily taken aback and then chuckled, saying: "You young lad think far ahead, the Nine Crowns are merely a legendary existence, the ultimate goal that all Yin-Yang sorcerers aspire to. To be frank, you really don’t need to know about it, but since you asked, I can tell you that the top-level Nine Crowns for the ten types of Yin-Yang sorcerers have different exclusive titles. Our Bing Fire type's exclusive title is—Gong Cao, and the Ding Fire type's exclusive title is—Tai Chong. As for the other types, I am not very clear either."
He held his own crown in one hand and pointed to the five-centimeter-wide circular ring beneath it with the other, saying: "Whether it is the solar crown or the lunar crown, the whole is divided into four parts. First, the circular ring you see is called the crown ring, which is the foundation of the solar and lunar crowns. Each crown ring has nine peaks, which we refer to as crown peaks, represented by the nine triangular tips above. They come together to form the most basic solar and lunar crowns. You can see the four stars on my crown ring, which are called crown stars, as well as the flame imprints on the crown peaks, which we call crowns. These all represent the rank of the solar and lunar sorcerers."
"Going through the back door?" These three words, when applied to himself, indeed give Ji Dong a somewhat strange feeling. However, in reality, he can be considered to have entered the Li Huo Academy through such means. Unable to refute Xia Tian, he could only remain silent, and there was no sign of dissatisfaction on his face.
Ji Dong looked at Teacher Qiu Tian with some surprise. In his memory, the Southern Bing and Ding Fire had another name, which was the Southern Vermilion Bird Bing Ding Fire, just like the Eastern Azure Dragon Jia Yi Wood. This meant that, in his recollection, the guardian beast of Bing Fire and Ding Fire should be the Vermilion Bird, which is also known as the Phoenix. The shadow behind Xia Tian and Dean Yang Bing Tian was undoubtedly that of a Phoenix. But why, as a Yin-Yang Mage of the Ding Fire system, did Teacher Qiu Tian have a large blue snake appearing behind him? Moreover, this snake seemed to have a pair of very light-colored wings.
In the summer, he pointed to a central mat and said, "Sit down cross-legged."
In autumn, the teacher also took the crown from his head into his hands, continuing the conversation from summer, saying: "Regardless of which school of yin-yang sorcerers it is, both I and the books share the same classification of levels, with different titles according to our cultivation levels"
Ji Dong's eyes revealed a hint of contemplation as he said: "My second question is, both you and Teacher Qiu Tian just had an illusory light and shadow appear behind you. Behind you is a large red bird, while behind Teacher Qiu Tian is a large snake that seems to have wings. What is going on?"
Looking at those two gems in the summer, a hint of desire flickered in his expression, but more so was a sense of seriousness. He said: "You do not need to know what they are; you only need to understand that they can help you more easily open the door to the cultivation of Yin-Yang sorcery. This is the principal's personal collection and has nothing to do with the academy. I truly do not understand why the principal values you so highly. What benefits has your family provided to the principal? How could he possibly present you with this pair of crystal crowns? Although they are of the lowest quality, each one is worth at least a thousand gold coins, and they are still hard to come by. To give them to you, a waste with a balanced Yin-Yang constitution, is truly a squandering of resources!"
Summer Dao: "Alright, that's all I will teach you today. The remaining time is for free discussion. If you have any questions, feel free to come up and ask. Ji Dong, please step outside with me." After saying this, he took the lead and walked out of the classroom, while Teacher Qiu Tian stayed behind to answer various questions from the students.
You..." Summer looked at Ji Dong, who was confronting him with his chest out and head held high, with a strange expression. Suddenly, he felt a sense of amusement. In this Fire Academy, he had always been regarded as a fierce and intimidating figure by the students. At least more than one-third of the students had been punished by him. Even those upperclassmen who had already condensed their Yin-Yang Crowns trembled in his presence. Yet here was a boy, no more than ten years old, who had just been punished by him that morning, confidently speaking in front of him and pointing out his faults. It was quite interesting. Even those upperclassmen who had already condensed their Yin-Yang Crowns trembled in his presence. Yet here was a boy, no more than ten years old, who had just been punished by him that morning, confidently speaking in front of him and pointing out his faults. It was quite interesting.
This time, it was Teacher Qiu who answered his question, saying: "Ji Dong, you are very observant. However, as the saying goes, one cannot chew too much at once. Your question is also something we will discuss in our next class. The content of our second class will be the role of the totem of our department and the Yin-Yang crown. By then, you will understand."