Chen Chu reluctantly pulled his pants back on and went to open the door. Outside stood a young woman in a light purple dress, holding a blue-covered booklet. She looked to be in her twenties or thirties.
"Teacher Lin, coming over so late at night must have been hard on you." Chen Chu stepped aside to let her in and casually poured her a cup of hot tea.
Lin Xi accepted the cup. Looking at Chen Chu's nearly bare upper body, her cheeks reddened slightly. "Not at all. Director Li told me to deliver this to you as quickly as possible. He was worried you wouldn't have time to read it tomorrow morning. The students of Heavenly Micro Class One are all listed in this booklet. Pay special attention to the last page when you read it—there are several students you'll need to keep a closer eye on.
"One is named Yu Tianheng. His martial spirit is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and he is a level twenty-four assault-type Battle Soul Master. He is very talented and also the direct heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"There is also Dugu Yan. Her martial spirit is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, and she is a level twenty-three control-type Battle Soul Master. She is Poison Douluo's granddaughter.
"However, neither of those two is especially troublesome. The one you need to pay the most attention to is this little girl, Ye Lingling. Her martial spirit is the Nine Heart Begonia, and she is a level twenty-two support-type Tool Soul Master. The Nine Heart Begonia is passed down through a single line, so she should be the sole heir of her generation. Both the academy and the Empire place great importance on her."
Chen Chu opened the roster and, sure enough, found several names on the final page marked in red ink. Just as he was about to ask for more details, Lin Xi suddenly stood up. "It's getting late. I need to hurry back to the Academic Affairs Office. If you have any questions, just ask Director Li tomorrow." With that, she hurriedly left.
"Hey, you—" Before Chen Chu could react, she had already vanished, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
After Lin Xi left, Chen Chu looked through the roster for a while longer. Heavenly Micro Class One had thirty-six students in total. The oldest was fifteen, while the youngest was only twelve. Most had Soul Power Levels between nineteen and twenty-two; only Yu Tianheng had reached level twenty-four.
"These little brats are only twelve or thirteen now. That means Tang San is probably not even ten yet, still in his little demon phase. Looks like I have plenty of time."
Learning Tang San's age was mainly to gauge the progression of the world's major events—things like the Palace Coup, soul hunting, and obtaining Immortal Herbs.
"Forget it, I should rest first." After flipping through the roster for so long, Chen Chu found it rather boring. They were just a bunch of little kids, unable to stir his interest. He took off his clothes and lay comfortably in the hot spring.
The night passed without incident...
Early the next morning, Chen Chu quickly finished breakfast and headed to the Academic Affairs Office with the roster tucked under his arm. As soon as he reached the second floor, he saw Li Mo bent over his desk writing something, with several thick books piled atop it.
"Perfect timing." Li Mo looked up when he saw him and handed over a green-covered lesson plan. "This is the basic teaching syllabus for the Tianwei Class. It mainly covers Soul Power circulation and the use of basic soul skills. Since it's your first class, don't be too nervous. If you can't keep the students in line, go next door and ask Teacher Zhang Zhuo for help. He's taught the Tianwei Class for three years, so he has experience."
Chen Chu accepted the lesson plan and flipped through a couple of pages. "Thank you, Director Li. By the way, are there any particular things I should watch out for in class regarding Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling from the roster?"
"You're quite attentive." Li Mo smiled. "Yu Tianheng is arrogant, and his family background is powerful, so it's best not to get too hung up on things with him. Dugu Yan is thoughtful, but she's somewhat wary of strangers. Just don't keep bringing up her grandfather. As for Ye Lingling, she's the least troublesome of the three. She's just frail and timid. I hope you can look after her a little more."
Chen Chu nodded at that and headed toward the teaching building with the lesson plan in hand. Heavenly Micro Class One was at the easternmost end of the first floor. Before he even reached the door, he heard noisy chatter from inside, mixed with the scraping sounds of desks and chairs being moved.
He pushed open the door, and the classroom instantly fell silent. More than thirty students sat at their desks, all eyes turning toward him at once.
Standing on the podium did not make Chen Chu feel much of anything. After all, he had once spent a long time beside podiums himself. Though this was a different world, the familiarity felt much the same.
Chen Chu swept his gaze across the room, adding a trace of killing intent from Divine Slaughter's Domain, before beginning his introduction.
"Hello, everyone. I'm the new teacher for our Heavenly Micro Class One. My name is Chen Chu."
With that, Chen Chu picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard.
After finishing, Chen Chu set down the chalk. A silver-green radiance lit up behind him as King Sagros's scythe-like forelimbs rose faintly at his sides.
The students below instantly sat up straight at the sight, cold sweat involuntarily appearing on their foreheads.
"This is my martial spirit, Sagros. Assault-type." After the introduction, Chen Chu withdrew his martial spirit and swept his gaze over the class. "Today, I'll teach you Soul Power circulation and practical combat techniques. If there's anything you don't understand, ask at any time. Don't hold back, and don't be embarrassed. We'll discuss it together."
The moment he finished speaking, a tall boy in the back row suddenly raised his hand. His blue-purple hair stood out beneath the sunlight. It was Yu Tianheng.
He raised his brow, his tone carrying a hint of defiance. "Teacher, why did you only mention your martial spirit and not your Soul Power Level? We're curious what level you are."
With a troublemaker appearing, murmurs immediately spread through the classroom. Dugu Yan, seated beside Yu Tianheng, quietly tugged at his sleeve, her eyes carrying a hint of warning.
Yu Tianheng ignored her and continued staring straight at Chen Chu, waiting for his answer.
Chen Chu gave him a puzzled look. This little punk was actually this brazen—no wonder he had driven away the previous teacher.
"Whether I say it or not is my business. It has nothing to do with you. You're only a level twenty-four rookie and have no right to question my level. Besides, that questioning tone of yours is deeply disrespectful. Failing to respect your teacher and disrupting classroom order is unacceptable. Now, get out and stand by the window to listen."
The instant those words left his mouth, the classroom fell completely silent. The defiance on Yu Tianheng's face froze. He had not expected a Heavenly Micro Class teacher like Chen Chu to be so forceful. After standing stunned for several seconds, his face reddened as he said, "Why should I go outside? You're just a newly arrived teacher. What right does a mere Heavenly Micro Class teacher have to punish me?"
"Because I'm your teacher." Chen Chu's tone remained even, but his eyes turned several degrees colder. "Either go out yourself, or I'll have you thrown out!"
Sagros's silver-green glow flickered behind him again. The phantom of its scythe-like forelimb lightly scraped across the podium, producing a faint screech.
Yu Tianheng looked at the forelimb glinting with cold light and felt the terrifying aura Chen Chu gave off. He also recalled what the elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had told him: "When outside, submit to the strong."
He gritted his teeth unwillingly, but in the end, he stood up, shot Chen Chu a fierce glare, and slammed the door as he walked out.
Dugu Yan remained seated, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes as she looked at Chen Chu with a few traces of curiosity in her eyes.
Ye Lingling lowered her head even further, clutching her pen tightly, looking utterly frightened.
Chen Chu paid no further attention to Yu Tianheng outside the door. Looking at the students below, he continued, "A class has rules. Respecting teachers is the bare minimum. Disrupting order will be punished, and I alone define that order."
Before you continue