Long Xiuyuan

Grade One Class Three, Situ Xuan's class, was neither good nor bad.

In theory, Situ Xuan's Innate Soul Power level should have made it impossible for him to enter Class Three. But perhaps because of the uniqueness of his Body Martial Soul, the Intermediate Division Academic Affairs Office of Eastsea Academy considered him worth investing in and allowed him to remain in Class Three.

Sunlight slanted into the Grade One Class Three classroom. When Situ Xuan pushed open the back door, thirty-five pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison before swiftly looking away. Like a beast entering a herd of deer, he made the air in the entire classroom stagnate.

"Attention, everyone!"

A boy with a glossy slicked-back hairstyle stood at the podium, his right hand resting on the homeroom teacher's nameplate. "I'm Lin Yao, Innate Soul Power Level Seven. Until the homeroom teacher arrives, I'll be temporarily responsible for maintaining order in the class."

Situ Xuan ignored him completely and headed straight for an empty seat by the window.

"Student, I can arrange a seat for you..."

Watching Situ Xuan do as he pleased, Lin Yao instinctively wanted to say something, but Situ Xuan had already sat down.

Lin Yao's temples throbbed. He had clearly seen several girls in the front row unconsciously tighten their grips on their pens as Situ Xuan passed the podium, their knuckles turning white. The whispers of several troublesome boys in the back row had abruptly stopped, as if cut off by a blade.

This guy who had ignored his authority had stolen the entire class's presence with a single encounter.

But before Lin Yao could make any move, a young teacher walked in from outside.

Just as Lin Yao was about to say something, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

A faint smell of seawater mixed with the scent of rain-soaked earth wafted in first. Then, a man in a dark navy stand-collar uniform strode inside. A silver wave insignia of Eastsea Academy was pinned to his cuff, and three embroidered ripples decorated his collar—marks of an intermediate-level teacher.

"Everyone's here."

The young teacher's voice was like waves washing through reefs, low and beyond question. By the time he reached the center of the podium, Lin Yao had obediently stepped aside. Still, Situ Xuan noticed the model student's fingers twisting tightly around the register behind his back.

The young teacher casually set his lesson plan on the podium. When the chalk dust shook loose, it formed tiny beams of light beneath the sun. He turned and wrote three bold, forceful characters on the blackboard—Long Xiuyuan.

The screech of chalk against the blackboard made several students instinctively shrink their necks.

"I'll be the one in charge of you little brats this year."

Long Xiuyuan curled his knuckles and tapped the blackboard. A few grains of chalk dust fell from the final stroke of "Yuan." "Remember these three characters. For the next five years, I'll be your homeroom teacher. I'll lead you through systematic study of Soul Master knowledge and train you so that you can stand on your own in the future."

Quiet gasps rose from the back of the classroom.

Situ Xuan narrowed his eyes—the calluses on this teacher's tiger's mouth had an unusual shape. They did not seem to have come from ordinary weapons, but rather from the long-term use of some unconventional barbed weapon.

"Now."

Long Xiuyuan suddenly clapped his hands, startling the seagulls perched outside the window into flight. "Starting from the first row, state your name, Martial Soul, and Innate Soul Power level. I hate nonsense. Simple and efficient—that will be Class Three's rule from now on."

The freckled girl in the first row sprang to her feet in fright. "Mo, Mo Xiaoyu, Green Vine Staff Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power Level Four!" She spoke so quickly that it sounded as if she were running for her life.

"Zhou Tianyang, Iron-Beak Sparrow, Level Five!" the boy in the red jacket reported immediately afterward. He

When it was Lin Yao's turn, the model student paused for half a second with perfect timing. "Lin Yao, Golden Scale Deer Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power Level Seven." He deliberately let the final words linger in the classroom. "My current goal is to become Class Three's Class Monitor."

Long Xiuyuan glanced at Lin Yao, but his emotionless face remained unchanged.

"Situ Xuan, Body Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power Level Three."

Situ Xuan rose to his feet and gave his introduction simply.

Innate Soul Power Level Three?

A trace of disdain flashed through Lin Yao's eyes. In his mind, he had already removed this possible rival from the list of people worth being wary of.

Long Xiuyuan, however, looked at the youth, who was clearly two heads taller than the other students, in surprise.

His face was resolute and his build strong. Long Xiuyuan could already imagine the iron-blooded physique hidden beneath that simple school uniform.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, powerful legs...

He was good material for the military.

Perhaps sensing Long Xiuyuan's gaze, Situ Xuan, who had already sat down, fearlessly met his eyes. Calculation and fighting spirit flickered in his gaze.

It was as though the person before him was not a teacher deserving respect, but a target he could challenge.

Long Xiuyuan raised his wrist and checked his mechanical watch. The hour hand pointed to exactly ten in the morning. He closed the roster in his hand, and its metal clip gave a crisp click.

"All of you," he said, striding toward the door and rapping the podium with the knuckles of his right hand. "Assemble at the training ground."

The students looked at one another. A few quick-witted ones had already stood up and headed outside.

Situ Xuan was the first to rise. His movement dragged his desk with a grating screech.

Lin Yao froze for a moment before realizing he needed to follow.

After passing through two corridors paved with anti-slip tiles, Long Xiuyuan pushed open a metal door marked "B3 Training Area."

A cold wind carrying the smell of the sea rushed at them. It was a semi-open circular venue, its floor laid with specially treated black volcanic rock and several equipment racks positioned around the edges.

"Pair up freely and spar."

Long Xiuyuan leaned against the wall with his arms folded. "You may only use Martial Soul enhancement. No Soul Skills." He paused. "Stop before anyone gets hurt."

The students quickly spread out, their murmurs echoing through the grounds.

Situ Xuan did not move. He stared at the line of Long Xiuyuan's shoulder joint beneath his uniform—muscle bulges formed through long-term weight-bearing training.

"You're not going?" Long Xiuyuan suddenly turned, his gray-blue pupils locking onto Situ Xuan like a sight.

Situ Xuan's jaw tightened. "I want to spar with you, Teacher."

The training ground abruptly fell silent.

Zhou Tianyang, who had been forming a team, stumbled and nearly crashed into an equipment rack.

Lin Yao's mouth twitched. He was certain he had just heard something outrageous.

Long Xiuyuan unfolded his crossed arms. His uniform cuff slid down, exposing old scars on his wrist. "Why?"

"They're too weak."

Situ Xuan's gaze swept over his classmates, who had fallen silent in fear, before fixing itself on the teacher's face. "I can't test my level against them."

The metal equipment racks trembled faintly in the sea breeze, while seagulls cried in the distance.

Long Xiuyuan suddenly undid the top button of his uniform, revealing a simple undershirt and his already muscular physique.

"Three minutes. No Soul Power."

Long Xiuyuan hung his uniform jacket on the rack. "The loser runs twenty laps with weights."

Situ Xuan's knuckles cracked like popping beans. He tore off his school uniform jacket and tossed it to the ground, the shoulder blades beneath his black tank top resembling two unsheathed blades.

The always indifferent youth revealed a satisfied smile, his blazing gaze fixed on Long Xiuyuan.

Situ Xuan spread his feet slightly apart, his toes sinking into the ground like a sharp blade driven into stone. His breathing became slow and deep. With every rise and fall of his chest, it seemed as though an invisible force circulated through his body.

Long Xiuyuan stood where he was, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, though his eyes narrowed slightly. He had seen plenty of arrogant students, but Situ Xuan was the first who had dared challenge him at only ten years old.