Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 441 - 425 Selection

Chapter 441: Chapter 425 Selection

But coming back to it, the detours Lu Yun took over the years were not in vain, precisely because she had to rely on herself to figure things out. Her foundation was particularly firm, which greatly helped her on the road to leveling up later on.

In the transition from Apprentice Pharmacist to first-grade Pharmacist, the people of the Plant Clan in Lu Yun’s space were an exception. For most people, this transition would take decades, but for the Plant Clan, a few months were enough. However, the price they paid was that their achievements were limited to this for the rest of their lives.

These thoughts flashed through Lu Yun’s mind in an instant, and she looked at Shitou with a smile, "But becoming my true apprentice isn’t that simple, you have to really appeal to me."

"Okay, I get what you mean, I’ll relay your thoughts to Grandpa exactly as you said," Shitou nodded.

"Let’s go inside and take a look. It seems that this place is going to be an exclusive Pharmacist training base in the future." Having completed a full circle, they were back at the entrance, and Lu Yun and Shitou approached it to take a thorough tour inside.

There wasn’t much extraordinary about the interior of the Pharmacist training base, aside from the fact that it looked like a typical school building, except the location was unique and hidden, being five or six thousand kilometers under the sea.

"Apart from serving as a training base for Pharmacists, half of this place is designated for other purposes. Furthermore, more advanced research facilities will be added to the surrounding area later on," Shitou said on their way back to the shore from the seabed.

"That sounds about right. Otherwise, it would have indeed been a waste to have such stringent security measures in place," Lu Yun finally let go of the last bit of doubt in her mind.

A few days later, Shitou came back to Lu Yun and said, "The candidates for the first cohort have been decided. There are a total of sixty official students, all of whom are Psychic Power Talent bearers of A-grade or above and are under ten years of age.

In addition, there are sixteen auditors, whose ages vary widely, as does their Psychic Power Talent. The chairman has personally written a note for your Pharmacist school, appointing you as the first principal."

"So you mean to say that there are a total of seventy-eight people, including official students and auditors? What exactly is the deal with these auditors?" Lu Yun was taken aback. She didn’t give much thought to being a principal, but the number of students was indeed more than she had expected, and what’s with the sudden inclusion of auditors?

"Well, the official students are self-explanatory. As for the auditors, in plain terms, they are individuals who were desperately squeezed in despite not meeting the selection criteria. The higher-ups said, since they are not officially being taken on as apprentices, but just students, why not admit a few more? It makes no difference whether you’re herding one sheep or a whole flock," Shitou said with a wry smile. He was also quite surprised by the outcome, particularly the rationale, which seemed almost like "robber logic," but he definitely didn’t believe there wasn’t a good reason when even Grandpa had cast a favorable vote.

Checking Lu Yun’s expression and seeing that she wasn’t angry, just surprised, he continued, "However, if you can’t accept it, you don’t have to force yourself. There’s always the tactic of quoting a high price and then bargaining down."

"The number does seem large, but it’s not beyond what I can accept. As long as the supply of herbs for practice is not a problem, we can go ahead with this. Having more people is actually good. Not everyone with a Psychic Power Talent can become a Pharmacist. Interest in and comprehension of herbs are far more important than Psychic Power Talent. So there will inevitably be a certain rate of elimination as we go along," Lu Yun added after thinking it over and guessing that Pei Qingyuan must have approved this outcome as well. She figured it wouldn’t be easy to reduce the numbers, so she decided to accept the current count.

Anyway, she was just giving a lecture. She didn’t need to provide resources for cultivation; her unified teaching would depend on everyone’s own aptitude.

"A master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual."

However, the thought that there might be some high-status individuals among the auditing students made her worry that she could be nitpicked at later or even that some might blame their own lack of talent on her, claiming that she had held back secrets. So, she decided to set expectations straight from the outset.

"But you need to speak with the higher-ups for me first. Learning to concoct elixirs is a long process, and the vast majority relies on everyone’s persistent practice. Therefore, the method of instruction will inevitably differ from ordinary schools. Aside from the initial frequent lectures, later I will only come periodically to help them resolve their problems in unison. Don’t let anyone blame me if they can’t learn well because of their status."

"You don’t need to worry about that at all. Although you are the only lecturer, don’t forget that you also hold the title of principal. Not to mention, Grandpa and I have your back. Really, when it comes down to it, your status isn’t lower than anyone else’s. Would you truly let yourself be subject to people’s talk or be pushed around?"

When Shitou heard Lu Yun’s concerns, he couldn’t help but laugh: "Besides, even if you retreat one more step, considering the principle of respecting one’s teacher alone, what does it matter even if you did keep secrets? If someone really dares to step forward and question you without using their brain, I would actually be impressed."

Lu Yun glared at him but then reconsidered and found his points reasonable. She couldn’t help but laugh, essentially agreeing with Shitou’s words.

"Rest assured, just go ahead and teach however you see fit. Even if we only give one lesson a month, that’s fine. Other than the teaching that requires your presence, there will be others responsible for the management and daily life issues concerning the students," Shitou declared confidently.

"I got it. It won’t come to teaching just once a month at the beginning. Do they have another way to get here? So, do they get holidays? Or are they trapped underwater until they complete their training?" Lu Yun asked.

"Of course, they will have holidays, but it’s unlikely to be as long as the winter and summer breaks typical in regular schools. Once everything is set up on your end, they will come straight over in submarines at the earliest opportunity. First, because it’s the most convenient way given the large number of people, and second, because we don’t have enough protective suits for underwater," he explained.

"It has been so long and the protective suits for underwater use still can’t be replicated—is it a problem with the materials? Could it be that all these years, no alternative material has been found?" Lu Yun immediately surmised where the issue lay.

"Yes, after so many years of searching, we have yet to find the same materials, so I suspect that these materials might not exist on Earth at all."

Shitou was privy to more classified information due to his position, so he had a better understanding of the internal affairs. Some secrets he naturally wouldn’t divulge to Lu Yun. However, much of it didn’t have such restrictions since Lu Yun herself also had a high level of clearance and was entitled to know most of the secrets.

There were things that Shitou wouldn’t normally bring up, but since the conversation had reached this point, he naturally revealed the bottom line: "Indeed, because of the material issue, so far, the underwater protective suits have not been perfectly replicated. The most successful attempt using alternative materials wasn’t satisfactory in all aspects. After testing, the best version could only allow a person to dive around 800 meters deep at most. Any deeper and the pressure of the sea would cause them to burst."

"I see." Lu Yun was only asking casually and naturally had no interest in delving deeper into the topic with Shitou.

The next day, Lu Yun’s official appointment as the first principal of the "Capital City Pharmacist Academy" was issued, and the speed of it surprised her beyond expectation.