Teacher Career Day One Part 1 (2/10)

Watching the old man leave, even Hals had to admit that the old fellow lived lightly and young.

Once the old man's figure disappeared, Hals turned around, pulled out his key, and unlocked the door.

Unexpectedly, the room wasn't dusty at all—it was spotless. The house wasn't just a single room; entering first revealed the living room, modestly sized at twenty square meters. A tea table sat in the center, surrounded by a circle of sofas. Behind the sofas was a window; push it open, and you could see the babbling brook.

Hals only gave the living room a cursory glance before walking deeper in. Passing a small corner, the bedroom appeared before him.

Pushing the door open, a large bed big enough for three people dominated the space. To the right of the bed was a desk, with a bookshelf beside it.

Hals stepped inside, casually took off his robe, tossed it onto the bed, then walked over to the desk and sat down. Reaching out, he took a book from the shelf and placed it on the table.

Gazing at the exquisite book cover, Hals rubbed his left hand over it. He had never studied. As a child in the circus, the grueling daily performances left him no time to read, even though his longing for books was intense.

The circus owner wouldn't spend money to teach the circus children to read—after all, they were just merchandise. Later, after he escaped from his "father" and joined Spirit Hall, his days were filled with meditation and cultivation. Even later, he only taught himself a few characters for the sake of some missions. At the time, he probably never imagined he would one day become a teacher, even if it was also because of a mission.

Opening the book, Hals carefully wiped his hands on his trousers, then began to read word by word, earnestly. The childhood craving and love for books slowly revived. He was like a dry sponge, desperately absorbing the knowledge within.

He didn't know how long had passed. When Hals wanted to turn another page, he realized it was already the last one. A bit dazed, he looked up at the window beside him. A crescent moon hung in one corner of the sky, casting moonlight like plain gauze.

It was already this late. Hals murmured to himself.

The Soul Flame in his eyes not only constantly sublimated and refined his soul but also passively granted him night vision.

Gently closing the book, Hals carefully returned it to the shelf, then stood up and walked to the bed.

Pulling up the latch and pushing open the window, Hals felt that his body, strong enough to rival a Soul Beast in strength, was somewhat tired. Perhaps it was the sudden relaxation after prolonged tension. Hals didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he stood before the window, bathed in moonlight. He wanted to close his eyes and listen to the valley's night sounds with his ears, but unfortunately, he couldn't close his eyes. So he just stood there by the window, staring blankly.

Suddenly, Hals sensed something off. In the house across the stream, a blazing soul fire appeared. Someone was there?

Perking up, Hals focused on the soul fire inside the house. After a moment, his expression turned strange.

He recognized the owner of that soul fire—it was Yu Xiaoya, the Academic Affairs Director of Star Luo Royal Academy.

Why was she living here? Hals wondered. If it was her, then Song Gongran, who was close to her, would definitely know. So why did Song Gongran tell Hals he didn't know? Had Yu Xiaoya noticed something wrong and come to keep an eye on him? Or had even Song Gongran sensed something off, and the two were just putting on an act to stabilize him?

No, impossible. Hals shook his head, dismissing the thought. Yu Xiaoya's strength was no match for his. A wise man doesn't stand where danger threatens; as a high-ranking member of Star Luo Royal Academy, Yu Xiaoya wouldn't put herself at risk.

But he had already observed the surroundings. There were no other human soul fires in the valley, so there couldn't be any backup. Then what was the reason?

Many questions lingered in Hals's mind, stirring ripples in his once-calm heart.

Closing the window, he forced himself not to dwell on these incomprehensible matters. Without undressing, he lay down on the bed. The bed was very soft, which made Hals, who had slept on a hard board for over a decade, uncomfortable. He tossed and turned, eventually got up, grabbed a thin blanket from the bed, walked to the corner, propped his right leg up, sat down, and draped the blanket over himself. Only then did he find a bit of familiarity. Shifting a little to find a slightly comfortable position, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow, I have to throw out the mattress on that bed...

Hals pulled his mind back and "woke" up. He casually tossed the blanket onto the bed, stretched out his right hand to push himself up from the floor, and flexed his body. Last night, he had slept soundly for the first time in a long while, which put him in a good mood.

Raising his right arm before his eyes, he looked at the translucent, emerald-green soul arm. Hals sighed inwardly. He didn't know when he had gotten used to this arm's existence, no longer struggling to control his strength like at the beginning.

He slowly clenched his fist twice, then glanced out the window. The sky was only showing a faint fish-belly white. It seemed he had woken up quite early. Pushing open the window, he took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, then pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down, staring blankly. At this time, he would usually be preparing breakfast for his master. But now that he had left Spirit Hall, he found himself with nothing to do.

Thinking like this, Hals couldn't help but miss and worry about Bibi Dong's situation. Had she eaten? Was anyone giving her trouble? How was her cultivation going?

"Tch." Hals let out a helpless sigh, his expression darkening. Damn that Qian Xunji...

But with his right arm on Bibi Dong, he could at least be somewhat reassured. For now, the most important thing was to infiltrate the Star Luo Empire, develop his own power, and then go back and kill that damned Qian Xunji. But all of this required strength, and he couldn't rush it...

Pushing aside the trivial matters of Spirit Hall, Hals suddenly remembered that Yu Xiaoya had said yesterday that someone would deliver his qualification certificate and explain his duties. But he hadn't noticed anyone coming by yesterday.

After a moment's thought, Hals picked up his robe from the bed, shook it out, and draped it over himself. Pushing open the bedroom door, he walked out.

Since Yu Xiaoya was right across the way, he might as well go ask her now.

Outside, the air was a bit damp. Hals locked the door, channeled his soul power, and crossed the stream to Yu Xiaoya's door. He raised his hand and knocked, then waited in silence.

"Creak."

The door opened. A woman with slightly disheveled hair and rumpled clothes poked her head out through the crack, her eyes still hazy with sleep.

Seeing Hals standing at the door, Yu Xiaoya was momentarily stunned, then suddenly snapped to attention.

"Ah!"

With a shriek, Yu Xiaoya slammed the door shut with a bang, cutting off the words that had already reached Hals's lips.

"..." After a moment, the door opened again. Yu Xiaoya's face was a bit red, but her hair and clothes were now neatly arranged. "Yu, Yu Hun, g-good morning," she stammered.

Hals's face under his hood was expressionless. "Morning. I came to ask about my qualification certificate and what I need to do today."

Yu Xiaoya let out a breath of relief and opened the door to let Hals in. "Come in and talk."

Stepping into Yu Xiaoya's room, Hals glanced around casually and noticed that her room had the same layout as his.

Yu Xiaoya gestured for Hals to sit down, poured a glass of water for herself and one for Hals, slid his glass toward him, and then sat across from him, holding her own cup.

Taking a sip of water, Yu Xiaoya's crisp voice rang out. "Mm, I thought yesterday that since I live here too, I'd bring your certificate over on the way and also tell you about today's matters."

As she spoke, she took a badge from under the tea table and handed it to Hals, continuing, "This is the certificate. When I went to your door yesterday, it was already too late. I was worried you might have rested, so I planned to come find you today."

Taking the badge, Hals flipped it over in his hands, then pinned it onto his robe. He looked up and continued listening to Yu Xiaoya.

After a long while, Yu Xiaoya, her throat dry from talking, downed the rest of her water in one gulp and squinted comfortably. Then she realized she wasn't alone—there was a man sitting right in front of her. Her face reddened again, and she tried to change the subject. "Mm, I happen to need to head over to the teaching building today too. If you're not in a hurry, I'll go change clothes, and we can go together in a bit?"

Hals nodded. "Mm, sure."

Yu Xiaoya seemed a bit flustered. She casually set her cup down on the tea table and hurried toward the bedroom. But whether intentionally or not, she didn't close the door behind her...