The young teacher stepped behind the podium. His eyes merely swept across the students, and the room immediately fell silent.
"My name is Wu Zhangkong," he said calmly. "For the next six years, all of you will be my students."
"First thing I want to clarify—just forget everything that Director Long Hengxu said earlier. Even if you're all a bunch of useless trash, I will still make you the strongest of your generation. Unless you drop out, this will be your goal for the next six years."
These arrogant words, spoken in a flat tone, instantly caught the attention of every student in the room.
"Now begin your introductions—name, martial soul, soul power rank, and your goal as a Soul Master. Start."
No fluff. No warm-up. Just straight to the point.
"Hello everyone, my name is Yun Xiao—Martial Soul: Star Disc. Rank 12 soul power. My goal is to become an intelligent support-type Battle Soul Master."
The first student in the front row introduced herself with a slightly trembling voice.
"Tang Wulin, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, Rank 11... My goal is..."
Tang Wulin paused for a second.
"...I don't have one yet."
Someone muttered under their breath from the back:
"No surprise there. Trash martial soul—of course, he has no goal."
Whizz! A piece of chalk shot through the air like a guided missile and landed squarely in the mouth of the student who'd spoken.
"Ack—ugh!" The chalk was imbued with a spiral force, driving straight into his throat and making him gag on the spot.
Wu Zhangkong's cold voice rang out:
"In this world, there are no useless martial souls—only useless people. If you're calling someone else trash, ask yourself first what kind of garbage you are.
If you weren't trash, would you be in Class Five?"
His icy dominance instantly silenced the entire class.
"Continue."
"Xie Xie, Martial Soul: Light Dragon Dagger, Rank 18. Agility-type Battle Soul Master."
The moment the number 18 came out of his mouth, it caused a wave of shock throughout the room.
Eighteen soul power at nine years old—that was a true genius. Just two more ranks, and he'd reach the level of a Soul Grandmaster. Anyone who achieved that before age twelve was already considered a prodigy.
"Nan Fusheng, Martial Soul: Worm of Time, Rank 13. Goal: Control-type Battle Soul Master."
Nan Fusheng's turn came quickly. But because he followed Xie Xie, his soul power level didn't attract too much attention.
Other than Xie Xie and Nan Fusheng, Yun Xiao's Rank 12 was among the highest. Most others barely had Rank 11—the minimum to qualify for enrollment—and their martial souls varied wildly, with few strong ones in sight.
Of course, Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass still ranked as the weakest. That seemed like an iron law by now.
"Starting tomorrow, classes begin officially. My teaching style differs from other instructors. If you're afraid of pain, hardship, or exhaustion, either transfer or get out.
Those who stay—prepare yourselves. Dismissed."
Wu Zhangkong turned on his long legs and strode out of the room, his posture proud and upright. The class instantly erupted into chatter, most of it centered on how cold—and how handsome—this teacher was.
Meanwhile, Nan Fusheng noticed Tang Wulin and Xie Xie leaving one after the other. No doubt they were headed toward their little "battle in the park."
Nan Fusheng had no intention of interfering. Instead, he left the classroom and returned to the dorm to cultivate. After all, Wu Zhangkong had said classes wouldn't officially begin until the next day.
The Next Morning
"Rank 14 already… Having living batteries makes a difference."
After finishing his cultivation, Nan Fusheng couldn't help but sigh at the power of his Parasitism ability. The only downside was the limit—he could only maintain nine shallow-level parasites at once.
If he wanted to initiate a deep parasitism, each one would cost the equivalent of three shallow ones. So he'd have to choose targets very carefully.
Shallow parasitism could be ended at will, but deep parasitism wasn't so easily undone.
After washing up, Nan Fusheng took his three roommates to the cafeteria. As soon as they entered, they heard a dramatic voice:
"You've already insulted my body. I won't let you insult my dignity. What I promise—I always do!"
Huh? These kids are really into drama these days… Nan Fusheng glanced over.
Oh, it was just Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.
"Yo, Wulin. Long time no see."
Nan Fusheng grabbed a Set B meal, paid, and walked over to their table.
"Hey, it's been a while, Fusheng."
Tang Wulin greeted him warmly. He had wanted to talk to Nan Fusheng ever since they ended up in Class Five together. After all, Nan Fusheng was the only familiar face he had in this strange city.
But right after class yesterday, Xie Xie had dragged him into a duel. They both ended up knocked out and only returned to the academy late in the evening.
"Nice to meet you," Nan Fusheng smiled at Xie Xie. "I'm Nan Fusheng. You could say I'm Wulin's hometown friend."
"...Xie Xie."
Xie Xie responded coldly and said nothing else. His face was dark, and he was not in a good mood. No surprise there: Tang Wulin had already eaten nearly twenty Set A meals, and it was Xie Xie who had to foot the bill.
Nan Fusheng ignored Xie Xie's attitude and instead chatted with Tang Wulin for a bit, asking about how things had been. The moment he brought it up, Tang Wulin began pouring out all his frustrations.
He talked about how he got into a fight with his roommate as soon as he arrived, how he got fined, and then how Na'er had left… The more he talked, the sadder he got. His eating speed doubled, transforming grief into appetite.
Later that morning, Wu Zhangkong arrived at class.
Today, he wore a simple outfit: grey, black, and white plaid pants with a crisp white shirt. The clothes were ordinary, but on his tall, slender figure, they looked perfect.
Just standing there, he exuded a cold and severe aura that silenced all of Class Five.
"Classes start officially today. Most of your courses will be taught by me.
Everyone, stand."
The students stood up immediately.
"Follow me."
Hands in his pockets, Wu Zhangkong walked out. The students followed, still too new to form neat lines, so the group looked a bit chaotic. But no one dared raise their voice under Wu Zhangkong's intimidating presence.
He led them to the training field.
"Line up in pairs. Stand properly."
Then, in a deep voice, he said:
"Your first lesson—demonstrate your strength. We'll begin combat drills immediately. I will serve as referee.
Single elimination. I want to see what you've got."
One timid girl raised her hand.
"Teacher Wu, I'm a Tool Soul Master… Do I have to fight too?"
"What, you think your enemies will let you off just because you're a Tool Soul Master?
First pair—start."
He pointed casually, and it landed on Tang Wulin and another student.
"Great! Let's test our strength. I don't believe you're stronger than me!"
The student, Zhou Changxi, was Tang Wulin's roommate. There seemed to be some bad blood between them.
Tang Wulin didn't respond. Wu Zhangkong gestured for the rest of the class to form a circle around the battlefield.
"Begin. No rules. Win by any means necessary."
This instruction was directed at the whole class.
The outcome was clear: challenging Tang Wulin to a contest of raw strength was a terrible idea.
Zhou Changxi was thrashed so hard he began to question life itself—and Tang Wulin hadn't even used his martial soul.
"Why didn't you use your martial soul?" Wu Zhangkong asked coldly.
"He said he wanted to compare strength," Tang Wulin replied.
Wu Zhangkong's eyes narrowed:
"If he told you to eat shit, would you do it?
Treat every battle as if you're on a real battlefield.
Your only goal is victory. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.
Never give your enemy a single chance.
You advance. Wait for your next match."
Lose and you're eliminated. Win, and you still get scolded.
The pressure on the students skyrocketed.
In the following matches, only Xie Xie ended his fight with a clean instant win. Everyone else? They were verbally torn apart by Wu Zhangkong.
You. And you. You two—next.
That's when Nan Fusheng found himself facing off against his roommate, Zhao Xiao.