49 Apocalypse Rules

The only difference between online and offline learning was that online students couldn’t ask the instructors questions in person or receive specialized tutoring.

Guan Tong didn’t rush to watch the videos. Instead, he first looked at the academy’s faculty.

A list of the academy’s staff was publicly displayed on the official website.

The dean was Zhou Qinfeng, formerly the president of a renowned university. He had been transferred to serve as the academy’s dean, bringing a wealth of experience.

Next were the three main lecturers, each corresponding to one of the three major courses.

Philosophical Reflections on Psychic Power, taught by lecturer Ouyang Shanyue.

Research on Psychic Power Power Items, taught by lecturer Zheng Kexue.

Psychic Power Flow, taught by lecturer Shi Jingyi.

Besides the three major courses, there were also others, such as Disaster Survival Science, Analysis and Research of the Fire Thieves, Apocalypse Psychology, and so on...

If the other courses were like electives, then the three major ones were core requirements—classes that were mandatory to attend.

Although Guan Tong hadn’t gone to the academy, it was only because he disliked that kind of environment. He was still willing to learn from a good course or two.

He didn’t start with Shi Jingyi’s Psychic Power Flow class. Instead, he went in order and began with the first lesson of Ouyang Shanyue’s Philosophical Reflections on Psychic Power.

Ouyang Shanyue had originally been a philosophy teacher. After the Apocalypse Rules descended, he had shifted his focus to researching Psychic Power.

Now, in the first lesson, he stood on the high lecture platform and posed a pivotal question.

"What is the essence of Psychic Power?"

Some students said it was a "special energy," others said it was the "power of the Fire Thieves," and still others suggested "dark matter."

After listening to them, Ouyang Shanyue offered his own viewpoint.

"I believe the essence of Psychic Power is the essence of this world itself—that this material world is created by our minds, or our consciousness, and Psychic Power is the medium that facilitates the conversion within it."

The moment he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in an uproar.

A student immediately challenged, "Isn’t that a classic idealist argument?"

"Yeah. How is that any different from ’the universe disappears when I close my eyes’?"

"Consciousness determines matter? Isn’t that concept a bit outdated?"

Facing the many doubts from his students, Ouyang Shanyue didn’t get angry. Instead, he patiently waited for the classroom to quiet down before continuing.

"Students, I used to think the same way you do, that the idealist viewpoint was untenable. But after Psychic Power appeared and I personally experienced its uses, I arrived at an entirely new perspective."

"This perspective is that while the world’s essence is indeed idealist, our human minds are too weak to interfere with it. ’Psychic Power,’ however, has strengthened this faculty of ours and, by acting as a medium, has given us the potential to change reality with our consciousness."

"The main curriculum of this course revolves around this core concept, continually digging into the essence of Psychic Power."

At this point, a student stood up and asked, "Ouyang, I’d like to know the point of taking this class. Even if your viewpoint is correct, how does it offer any practical help to us?"

Hearing this, Ouyang Shanyue smiled and asked, "May I ask, student, how long does it take for you to naturally recover 1 point of Psychic Power?"

"Uh, about fifteen minutes, I guess. Is that important?"

Ouyang Shanyue said, "It takes me three minutes to recover 1 point."

A stir went through the classroom.

A chorus of astonished cries filled the classroom, and in front of his laptop, Guan Tong’s face also showed surprise.

’Three minutes to recover 1 point?’

Guan Tong himself recovered one point every five or six minutes on average, and he had thought that was fast enough. He never expected this Ouyang Shanyue’s recovery speed to be almost twice as fast as his.

The student who had asked the question was even more stunned, saying in disbelief, "Th-three minutes to recover 1 point? That’s five times faster than me..."

Ouyang Shanyue waved his hand, gesturing for the student to sit. Then he said, "I believe that the more thoroughly you understand the essence of Psychic Power, the faster your recovery speed will become. It’s like solving a math problem; once you’ve thoroughly grasped the key concepts, your speed at solving it will naturally increase... Therefore, I hope all of you will study diligently."

"No problem!"

"We’ll definitely study hard!"

The students’ motivation was instantly ignited. Recovering 1 point of Psychic Power in three minutes—that temptation was greater than anything else!

Even Guan Tong decided he would watch the online courses whenever he had free time. Perhaps he could improve along with them.

He then watched the other two major courses.

Zheng Kexue’s Research on Psychic Power Power Items class primarily covered the analysis, categorization, and in-depth study of various items. The goal was to help students better equip themselves according to their situations.

Guan Tong watched for a while and felt the content of this class gave him a sense of déjà vu, like "customizing a character’s gear loadout in an online game."

It was definitely useful. The academy was backed by the government and possessed a vast database of items. If nothing else, watching more would at least allow him to learn about the effects of many more items.

Finally, he watched Shi Jingyi’s Psychic Power Flow class. Unlike the other two lecturers, the moment Shi Jingyi entered the classroom, she drew a series of low gasps from the students.

It was no wonder, as Shi Jingyi was an exceptionally rare type of beauty, one with a heroic, gallant aura. This, combined with the distinct temperament from her years of martial arts training, her extremely tall figure, and a long braid that reached her waist, created a powerful visual impact when seen in person.

Soon enough, however, the students began to groan endlessly. Because right at the start, Shi Jingyi displayed a "human acupoint chart" on the large screen and stated clearly, "If you want to accomplish anything in my class, first memorize these several hundred acupoints!"

Guan Tong couldn’t help but give a wry smile as he watched. ’Memorize several hundred acupoints right from the start... No wonder Shi Jingyi said her class required ’patience’ before she left...’

After finishing the three major courses, Guan Tong shut his laptop and lay down.

’I can do my own strengthening during the day, and at night, while I’m resting and waiting for my Psychic Power to recover, I can watch the online courses and learn a thing or two,’ he thought to himself, without any desire for entertainment.

Guan Tong found this strange himself. When the rules first began, he would still play games and read novels, but now he spent the entire day grappling with everything related to Psychic Power, and he didn’t even feel tired.

「The night passed without incident.」

The next day, Guan Tong was woken by the RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE of an excavator.

He went outside the residential complex to take a look. The urban redevelopment project that started after the fifth rule was continuing, and the demolition work had now reached the street where his complex was located.

’Looks like they’ll be demolishing my complex next month...’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The thought of having to find another place to live was a huge hassle for Guan Tong.

He really wanted to take out the [Wordless Book] and write something like "shelter" to manifest a place for himself to live—it might actually work, but it was definitely not something he could accomplish with his current level of Psychic Power.

’I probably won’t have to move before the competition... Hmm, I’ll figure out where to go after it’s over. For today, I’ll start by adding words to the second page of the Wordless Book.’