A Soul Energy Skill worth around two million Alliance Coins, given away so casually upon their first meeting. Setting everything else aside, just as a "greeting gift" from an elder, it was more than generous enough.
Thanks to his system, Li Heng could see the detailed information on the Waterfall-Climbing Footwork. He realized this technique was far more precious than Dean Wen’s "estimate" suggested!
It created a displacement effect!
It also allowed one to walk on water!
And it responded to one’s water affinity. In a way, it could be considered an element-based Soul Energy Skill.
These points alone were enough for Li Heng. And most importantly, this was a Body Technique, a type of Soul Energy Skill!
He had previously spent 1.5 million Alliance Coins to purchase the Snow Patterned Flying Knife, which also had a high requirement for snow affinity.
But Li Heng kept this understanding to himself and showed no sign of it. He didn’t even immediately use his system to learn and master Waterfall-Climbing Footwork. He simply glanced at his classmates, who were still poring over the bamboo slips.
"You have one semester to learn this Waterfall-Climbing Footwork. Comprehending it within your first freshman semester is considered a bare pass, with no credit reward. Mastering it within that time will earn you one hundred credits. If you still haven’t comprehended it after one semester, don’t go around telling people you’ve taken my class. It’ll be as if I never taught you at all."
As the six students flipped through the bamboo slips, Wen Muyi offered a "reminder" from the side.
After the six had spent ten minutes quickly looking it over, it was time for questions and answers. If any of them had parts of the Soul Energy Skill they didn’t understand or had doubts about, they could ask Wen Muyi.
Wen Muyi answered each of their questions. Li Heng, for his part, had no questions at all. After all, with the ace up his sleeve, learning Waterfall-Climbing Footwork was just a matter of a single thought.
But he still put on a little show, pretending he found parts of it difficult. To top it off, Li Heng asked, "Dean Wen, regarding this Waterfall-Climbing Footwork, what’s the fastest you’ve ever seen someone comprehend it? And how long did it take them to master it?"
The reason Li Heng asked was simply to gauge when it would be appropriate for him to use his cheat.
"I won’t bother with distant examples. Take Gu Qingwu, a junior in this very department. I recall she comprehended it in a single morning and completely mastered it in less than a week."
Mastering a Body Technique, a Soul Energy Skill, in less than a week!
The six students reacted differently to the name Gu Qingwu, depending on their familiarity with her. The flat-chested loli, however, looked directly at Li Heng. Seeing his nonchalant expression, Bai Shasha simply lowered her head slightly and didn’t say another word.
Upon hearing this, Li Heng had a better idea of what to do. ’Gu Qingwu took less than a week. It wouldn’t be too unreasonable if I took a little longer than a week, right?’
"Although Gu Qingwu is a genius, the six of you here are no slouches. In fact, one could say Li Heng is every bit her equal. So, I’m very much looking forward to seeing... how long it takes you all to earn those credits! As for how we’ll test whether you’ve comprehended and mastered this footwork... Students, watch closely!"
After answering all the students’ questions, Wen Muyi smoothed back his dry, split-ended hair and had the six focus their attention on him.
They saw Wen Muyi’s feet instantly become enveloped in a faint blue light, as ripples of blue energy pulsed outward from the soles.
"Once you’ve mastered Waterfall-Climbing Footwork, you can walk on the surface of water!"
Once the blue ripples formed at his feet, Wen Muyi began walking toward the lake where the waterfall crashed down, the six students’ eyes following his every move.
’Walking on water with chakra, just like in Naruto? This is something else!’
In truth, Li Heng had felt a sense of familiarity when his system first showed him the water-walking ability. But now, seeing Wen Muyi demonstrate it in person, he was hit with an overwhelming Naruto vibe.
Li Heng recalled how much trouble Naruto had learning that skill. His thoughts strayed to the anime for only a moment, however, before he refocused on Wen Muyi.
Dean Wen, a Half-Step Soul Venerable, walked on the lake’s surface as if it were solid ground. It was just like a normal stroll; the possibility of his shoes getting wet didn’t even exist.
After strolling across the lake as if it were solid land, Wen Muyi came to a stop at the base of the waterfall, only about two meters from the cascade. The six students, meanwhile, were about fifteen meters away.
"Walking on water is just the test to see if you’ve learned it. Climbing this waterfall with your own two feet, however... that means you’re halfway to mastering it!"
The waterfall was deafening, but Wen Muyi’s voice seemed to pierce right through the roar, reaching the six students’ ears with perfect clarity.
And so, after hearing Wen Muyi’s words, the students watched as his feet, still emitting those blue ripples, stepped onto the cascading water of the waterfall itself!
’Gravity? The potential and kinetic energy of the falling water? It was as if all of it was just being ignored. If Newton saw this, he’d probably climb right out of his coffin. This shows zero respect for the laws of physics!’
Wen Muyi began to walk straight up the face of the waterfall, right on top of the cascading water!
This sight left the students dumbfounded. Even Li Heng was taken aback. He knew about walking on water, but to see that the Waterfall-Climbing Footwork literally allowed someone to climb a waterfall... the impact of witnessing it firsthand was still quite something.