"But what would happen if they fought people from the advanced adept cla.s.s?"

"We wouldn't stand a chance," stated Oli. "We only managed to injure those bullies because we had much better control of our essence and they underestimated us, giving us openings to attack."

"I agree with Oli," added Netra.

Ania shrugged. "So, cla.s.s, as you can see, it's possible to bridge the gap between planes in such circ.u.mstances. But know this. Those same circ.u.mstances rarely occur in real life."

"The higher in plane you go, the higher the average cultivator's affinity is. So adepts and novices are filled with people that have low affinity or mid affinity, maybe even early affinity. Once you enter the elder plane, the average affinity levels are mid affinity or high affinity, with peak affinity being uncommon."

She scanned over the cla.s.s as she continued, "Once you enter the divine cla.s.s and become a perennial, then the average affinity is peak affinity, with perfect affinity being uncommon. And it's almost unheard of for anyone to enter the king plane without already having perfect affinity."

Everyone in the cla.s.s was rocked with emotions swelling in their hearts. Most admired the lecture, but some felt an aching pain in their heart when they realized that they don't have peak affinity and may never enter the perennial plane.

"If you're worried about your own affinity, the only solution is to increase your affinity," stated Ania, startling most of the cla.s.s and rendering them speechless.

"Most cultivation techniques allow you to grow and the best techniques, like perennial grade techniques, will help you raise your affinity over time," explained Ania.

"The reason you need strong battle arts is to help you develop your essence nature. If you can find a battle art that suits your essence nature, that gives you a way to enhance your essence to a great degree. Also, it helps you build more control over your essence and can help you increase your affinity if it pairs well with your cultivation technique."

Ania continued, "So, your goal should be to grow little by little and somehow get your hands on a perennial grade cultivation technique."

"Teacher, how can we get one of those?" asked a wildebeest near the front.

"That's easy." Ania chuckled, lightening the mood and easing the tension the students felt. "The easiest way is to earn one here in the academy. You can get one by becoming one of the top three seats and gaining access to the third floor of the library."

"You mean…"

"Yes, Yeter, the entire third floor is dedicated to perennial grade cultivation techniques and battle arts. And if you think it's impossible to beat any of our current first, second, and third seats, what about after they advance to the adept plane and leave their seats open for you to fight over?" added Ania.

"Also, at the end of every semester there will be a tournament to test the students and rearrange the rankings," stated Ania with all eyes glued to her. "After this fourth moon, we'll spend the first few suns of the fifth and final moon of the semester on a school field trip. Then, after that, we'll come back here and prepare for the semester tournament."

"Wait, there's a field trip?!" asked Yeter. "Where are we going? Is the whole school going?"

"Yup, the whole school, other than Headmaster Vloz, will be going to the northeast region of the territory. There, you all can be tested by facing wild beasts with degenerate bloodlines," explained Ania. "Typically, a beast is considered wild if its bloodline is only at the novice level or not even strong enough to cultivate, like the boars that we gorillas are starting to raise."

"Ohhh…"

Another student raised his tail and asked, "Teacher, are we going to the same place as the adept cla.s.ses?"

"Yes and no," answered Ania. "As you all know, the Northeast portion of the territory is the thickest portion of the jungle we have. We'll be at the northern edge of the jungle while the adept cla.s.s goes deeper. We won't be too far apart, but that way both cla.s.ses will be able to find opponents near their level and won't get in each other's way."

"So," continued Ania, "During this moon, all of you will be busy practicing a battle art. For those of you that haven't yet chosen one, you can go to the library and find one suitable for yourself."

"But, Teacher, how can we practice battle arts?" asked Karos, finally intrigued by something going on inside the cla.s.s.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll have dummies set up for you to use as you wish. The reason we made these cla.s.srooms so big was so you could spar or practice with dummies and still have ample room," replied Ania. "So, maybe you three may want to stay here for the next moon and use your cultivation rooms after school."

"Thank you, Teacher. I'll do just that." Karos bowed his head. "Teacher, will we get to spar with others too?"

"Most likely not. But we will be doing a lot of sparring starting next semester, now that you all know the basics. Who knows, maybe we'll even do some weapon training next semester if you're all good students."

As the cla.s.s started to wander off in thought, Ania added, "Tonight, make sure to tell your parents about the field trip next moon. With that, I think we'll end the cla.s.s early today. You're welcome to stay here and cultivate if you want, but you're welcome to leave as well."

Finished speaking, Ania sat down and closed her eyes as she started cultivating.

The students all stood up in excitement. They would finally do something other than just sit and cultivate all day.

Remembering what Ania mentioned about battle arts, Karos stared at Oli, who was getting ready to leave with Netra and Yeter.

The lynx smiled. It wasn't cold but filled with excitement.