Principal Flender's First Lesson

"Is this Young Master Chu? He certainly looks impressive. Don't worry, Boss Chu. With your son here, I'll make sure he grows into someone capable."

In Tianxing Academy's principal's office, Flender smiled as he sized up the father and son before him, his tone gentle.

The father was named Chu Heng, a famous foreman in Suotuo City. It was said that he had worked on buildings of every size throughout the city, whether constructing houses or making repairs. He was highly skilled at both, with a muscular build and dark bronze skin.

His son, Chu He, was the complete opposite—fair and clean, dressed in fine clothes, clearly someone who had been raised with great care.

"Haha, of course I trust in Principal Flender's abilities. Xiao He, hurry and greet the principal."

"Hello, Principal."

The round-cheeked boy stepped forward and earnestly greeted Flender. He was very well-mannered.

"Good, good."

Chu Heng's face was full of smiles. He was a rough man and felt he had already lived a life worth living. The only thing he could not stop worrying about was his son.

That boy had been spoiled since childhood and was simply not suited to taking over his father's trade. Yet his Martial Soul had awakened into such an odd, useless thing.

Jade only looked pretty. In Chu Heng's eyes, it was not even as useful as glass.

Chu Heng dearly hoped that his son could make something of himself, preferably by finding a path as a Spirit Master. Unfortunately, he had stumbled right at the beginning. As his father, all Chu Heng could do was exhaust every effort to provide him with the best possible conditions.

Suotuo City occupied an excellent location and was known as the granary of the Baroque Kingdom. Because of that, its public administration was especially strict.

Within all of Suotuo City, aside from Spirit Hall, Suotuo City Academy was the only place capable of properly educating children.

But Spirit Hall had no interest in his son, while at Suotuo City Academy, he would simply disappear among the masses.

It was only after Chu Heng learned that Flender and the others were quite formidable and already had a reputation that he looked into their disciple Qin Ming. He discovered that Qin Ming was far stronger than himself, even giving him a feeling comparable to the Spirit Masters of Spirit Hall.

The only drawback was that the academy had only just been founded, and everything was extremely crude.

But as the saying went, better to be the head of a Rooster than the tail of a phoenix. Rather than bury himself in books at Suotuo City Academy, it was better to take a gamble on these Spirit Masters.

Chu Heng had already instructed his son that his purpose in coming here was not merely to study. He also needed to choose a teacher carefully and truly become that person's disciple.

Flender could more or less understand what was in Foreman Chu's heart. Parents everywhere shared the same love for their children.

It did not take long for Chu Heng to say his farewells. His son stayed behind, and the transfer procedures had already been completed when he decided to take the gamble. The same went for his dormitory supplies.

The academy was not far from Suotuo City. That boss could come visit whenever he wanted.

Flender led Chu He to the academy gate to see him off. The boy looked somewhat nervous, but he was calmer than anything else.

Children on this continent matured early, both physically and mentally. At six, they could already live at school or even work as scholarship students.

Flender patted the boy on the shoulder. When Chu He looked over, Flender gave him a slight smile.

"I'll take you to meet a few friends. By the way, what is your Soul Power Level now, boy?"

"Level six, Principal," Chu He answered obediently.

"Level six? That's very good. You should be the senior disciple of this class."

"Huh?"

Chu He froze. With his cultivation, he was only ordinary at an academy.

His Soul Power had increased by two levels in a year. His innate Soul Power had probably been more than level four, perhaps just a little higher. Still, that was enough. Cultivating low-level Soul Power was fast.

"That's perfectly normal. I've only just opened this academy, so there aren't many students. Other than you, there are only three, and they're all children from this village.

"The highest innate Soul Power among them is only half a level. They don't even qualify to enter the city. You're the strongest here, so remember to take good care of your junior brothers and sister."

"Y-yes."

Chu He nodded blankly. He had just become the senior disciple? Hadn't his father said this place was full of experts?

As Flender spoke, he led Chu He into a classroom and had him sit down properly.

"Wait here. I'll go call your classmates."

With that, Flender tapped off the ground and vanished from Chu He's sight in an instant.

The seven-year-old blinked in confusion and looked around the clean, modestly sized classroom. A sudden feeling of panic rose in him. Could it be that I'll be taught one-on-one?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a loud bang rang out beside his ear.

"Hey! You brats, come to class! Today I'll be teaching you your first lesson."

Then came another burst of miscellaneous noises.

"Fourth Aunt, class is starting! Tell your boy to get to school already."

"Second Girl, stop playing with bugs and hurry to school."

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle! Have you seen my boy? School's starting, and I don't even know where he ran off to."

"..."

All kinds of voices went on without end. Only after quite a while did Flender reappear, followed by three little children.

There were two boys, one skinny and one stout. The remaining child was a girl, with two trails of snot hanging from her nose that looked impossible to wipe clean.

"Find your seats and sit properly. This is the first lesson since the academy opened. The seats you choose will be where you sit from now on, so choose carefully."

Standing at the podium, Flender took in the entire room. The three children hurriedly sat down and focused with all their might.

Their fathers and mothers had all told them that being able to study now was a blessing earned over several lifetimes. In the future, they could become Lord Soul Masters, so they absolutely could not fall asleep in class.

Chu He looked at the motley bunch beside him. After thinking for a moment, he first committed their appearances to memory, then turned back to Flender and sat upright.

He would listen to the lesson first. Any conversation could wait until later.

"Very good." Seeing the children paying attention, Flender gave them an unusually generous word of praise.

"Your principal will be teaching your first lesson today. You've all learned more or less about the basics before, so we won't discuss those for now. Instead, let's talk about something vital to your futures—the first Spirit Ring."

"The strength of Soul Power and the quality of a Martial Soul are innate. They can be altered to some extent after birth, but that is still far too distant for you.

"Spirit Rings are different. They are acquired later, and they not only concern your soul skills, but also the evolution of your Martial Souls.

"We won't discuss the classifications of Martial Souls and Spirit Masters. Let's talk about you instead. Why are most of you judged to have useless Martial Souls? Because no future can be seen in them.

"Jade is fragile and not durable. It's only a tiny piece, with no potential for growth and no attribute enhancement whatsoever.

"A handkerchief is decent for a life-type Spirit Master; at least it can be used to wipe things clean. But there are no life-type Spirit Masters above level forty, and even those in their thirties are exceedingly rare. Its future has a clear limit.

"Pig feed is even less worth mentioning. It's a food-type Martial Soul, and people can eat it, but there are so many other food-type Martial Souls to choose from. It has no additional effect, and its future is bleak.

"A sickle is the only Martial Soul among you four with a clear direction for development, because it possesses offensive power. There are also quite a few good weapon-type Martial Souls to choose from, so at least the road ahead is visible. But the strength of Soul Power determines everything. With only half a level of innate Soul Power, you generally won't be able to go very far."

Flender gave them a simple, blunt assessment. Spirit Hall's evaluation was almost entirely correct. It was not impossible to make these useless Martial Souls useful, but there was no need to do so.

Rather than waste resources on useless Martial Souls, it was better to give them to more outstanding geniuses and maximize their value.

After Flender finished speaking, the children lowered their heads. It was not that they did not understand the reasoning, but they could not help harboring hopes in their hearts.

"As principal, if it were me, I would also favor talented children in order to ensure the greatest educational results. After all, pitying useless Martial Souls and giving them resources would instead be unfair to them."

"But there is one resource that every Spirit Master who has awakened Soul Power can obtain.

"That is the first Spirit Ring. If Soul Power at the awakening of a Martial Soul determines whether someone can become a Spirit Master, then the first Spirit Ring determines how far a Spirit Master can go."