First Arrival

Several hours later, the carriage entered Spirit Hall's territory, but instead of entering Spirit City, it took a detour toward the outskirts.

The Central Academy of Spirit Hall Academy was situated on a mountain in the outskirts of Spirit City, known as Angel God Mountain.

The place was under completely closed-off management. Zhou You lifted the carriage curtain and saw numerous knights and guards stationed along the road. Security was exceptionally tight.

By the time the carriage reached the school gates at the end of the road, a number of people were already waiting there. Adults and children stood in two rows.

All they needed was a banner, and the whole thing would have the right vibe.

These people hadn't come for Zhou You, though. He knew he didn't merit such a grand reception. Most of them had probably come out of respect for She Long, a Titled Douluo.

As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, a middle-aged man hurried forward, covering three steps in two.

"Elder She, thank you for your hard work."

She Long shot him a glance and said irritably, "All I did was pick up a little kid. What hard work? What's all this about?"

The middle-aged man chuckled. "It's not every day you come to the academy, Elder She. Everyone's missed you. As soon as they heard you might return today, they craned their necks waiting for you."

Zhou You glanced at the middle-aged man. He was obviously flattering She Long, yet he didn't make it annoying. That was a skill in itself.

She Long looked disgusted. "I'm sick of this act of yours. Can't you do something proper for once, instead of going on like this all day?"

Zhou You noticed that although She Long spoke with disdain, his manner was not actually cold. Clearly, he and the middle-aged man were already well acquainted.

"For a student, this is proper business!" The middle-aged man didn't mind She Long's cold expression. He kept smiling, warmth and familiarity evident in everything he said.

Perhaps noticing Zhou You's gaze, the man turned to him, and his eyes lit up.

"Oh, this must be the child you brought back from Hadrian, Elder She? He looks sharp! Child, my name is Yang Tianxiong. I'm the director of the academy's academic affairs committee."

"Hello, Director Yang. My name is Zhou You." Zhou You was very polite, but his answer was brief.

"A child with quite a personality." Yang Tianxiong smiled and paid it no further mind.

He had intended to continue chatting with She Long, but unexpectedly, the latter suddenly looked down and spoke to Zhou You.

"Don't be fooled by this brat's frivolous manner. He's actually a level 84 Power Attack System Soul Douluo. His strength is passable."

Yang Tianxiong grimaced. He wasn't yet sixty, and he considered his current cultivation quite respectable.

Only a Titled Douluo like She Long would dare say his strength was merely passable.

"Oh, right. I taught this brat when he was young, so strictly speaking, you should call him senior brother."

Zhou You immediately understood and called out, "Hello, senior brother!"

"Huh?" Yang Tianxiong was dumbfounded.

"Wait, Elder She, you mean..."

She Long raised his head and looked at him sidelong. "You're not deaf. Can't you understand? I took this brat as my student on the way here. From now on, he's your junior brother. If the little fellow loses so much as a hair, I'll twist your dog head off and use it as a ball!"

Yang Tianxiong froze on the spot, his expression turning somewhat vacant.

It had to be said, a level 84 Soul Douluo making such a goofy face was rather comical.

Zhou You heard someone snort with laughter. He turned and saw people behind Yang Tianxiong trying to hold back their laughter. There was more than one, and some were obviously students.

One of them was a female student who didn't look much older than Zhou You. Compared with the other students, she laughed particularly "unrestrainedly."

She evidently noticed him looking and immediately shot him a provocative glance.

Zhou You ignored her. He thought the atmosphere at the academy was probably all right, not nearly as strict as he had imagined.

Since Spirit Hall was the villain in the book, he had originally thought this place would be a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. Looking at it now, it seemed all right?

"All right, I've brought him to you. I have to return to Spirit Hall and report back. I'm off!" With that, She Long turned and left, giving Yang Tianxiong no chance to ask him to stay.

Yang Tianxiong watched the carriage disappear into the distance, feeling somewhat regretful. He had wanted to invite his teacher into the academy for a while and ask him some questions about cultivation.

Otherwise, would they have been standing around waiting here because they had nothing better to do?

The chance to receive personal guidance from a Titled Douluo was exceedingly rare!

Yang Tianxiong had rarely seen this teacher since completing his training. After all, Titled Douluo had to cultivate too; they weren't there to babysit their students.

The Douluo World had no custom of "passing on knowledge, helping, and guiding," and the relationship between teacher and student was far from as close as that of father and son.

If one had to compare them, teacher-student relationships here were closer to those between medieval knights and their squires. How close they were depended entirely on how they got along.

Clearly, Yang Tianxiong and She Long got along quite well, so Yang Tianxiong took the task She Long had entrusted to him seriously. He looked at Zhou You with a gentle expression.

"Come, Zhou You, let me introduce you. This is Liu Suxin. She'll be your instructor from now on. Teacher Liu looks young, doesn't she? Guess how old she is this year. Here's a hint: Teacher Liu is also a Soul Douluo..."

Before this senior brother he had acquired could finish, Zhou You suddenly sensed a surge of killing intent rushing toward him. He whipped his head around and discovered that its source was none other than Teacher Liu.

The smile on her face was still gentle, but the target of her killing intent was unmistakable: it was aimed straight at Yang Tianxiong.

It was as if frost had suddenly fallen in June. The surrounding air turned cold, and the students lined up nearby visibly shivered.

Zhou You sucked in a breath of cold air.

He quickly stepped back and said with a serious expression, "Director Yang, I don't think it's very polite to discuss a lady's age like that. Let's talk about something else!"

Yang Tianxiong seemed a little oblivious. He looked at Zhou You in surprise. "Why are you calling me director again? Weren't you just calling me senior brother?"

I'm afraid I'll get caught in the lightning when it strikes you!

Without changing expression, Zhou You said, "You're overthinking it, Director Yang. I'm showing you respect. In public, it's more appropriate to address you by your position."

At least for the moment, he had to draw a firm line between himself and Yang Tianxiong!

He understood that a distant magistrate mattered less than the official directly in charge. Senior Brother Yang might have a high position and a powerful background, but Teacher Liu would be Zhou You's immediate superior for some time to come.

Of course he would support his own instructor unconditionally.

So he went up to Liu Suxin and obediently greeted her, "Teacher Liu."

The killing intent around Liu Suxin vanished instantly, and a slender, fair hand gently ruffled Zhou You's hair.

"Good child, you have good manners. From now on, stay away from that unreliable thing. He'll only contaminate you."

"Suxin, that's a bit too much!"

Liu Suxin ignored Yang Tianxiong's shouting and continued with a smile, "If you run into any trouble in your life or studies from now on, you can come to me.

"You have Innate Full Soul Power, so you need to choose your First Soul Ring carefully. I can help you with that."

Now that he was here, Zhou You saw no need to hide it, so he said,

"Thank you, Teacher Liu, but there's no need. I already have my first Soul Ring."

"Huh?"