The New Student Was Actually...

Tribbie was the first to step through the door, her skirt lifting in the wind before settling again.

Once she had stopped, she gave Ye Qiong a slight nod, then turned aside to clear the way.

Wang Sheng followed, striding through the door.

"Ha-ha-ha! I'm back!" The moment he emerged from the teleportation portal, Wang Sheng bellowed at the top of his lungs, excitement ringing in his voice.

But when he noticed Ye Qiong, Phainon, and the others looking over from the plaza, he scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish laugh. "Dean, Xiao Bai, you're all here."

Jiang Zhu came out behind him, carrying a cloth bundle in both arms. She bowed slightly to Ye Qiong. "Teacher, we're back."

The others also stepped through the door.

The five of them stood in the plaza, each wearing a different expression.

Anaxa had been standing quietly beside the fountain. He had been holding a booklet, but now he had closed it.

His gaze fell on Tribbie, and a glimmer flickered in his single eye.

This must be Teacher Tribbie, the one the dean mentioned earlier. Seeing her in person, she really was extraordinary.

Ye Qiong didn't rush to speak. Instead, he opened the system and checked each of their information in turn:

[Name: Wang Sheng. Martial Soul: Fire-Pattern War Tiger. Power Attack System. Level: 31.]

[Name: Jiang Zhu. Martial Soul: Healing Scepter (Enhanced). Support System. Level: 32.]

[Name: Jing Ling. Martial Soul: Skeleton (Mutation · White Bone Spirit Pupil). Agility Attack System. Level: 32.]

[Name: Huang Yuan. Martial Soul: Berserk Wolf. Power Attack System. Level: 32.]

[Name: Bai Chenxiang. Martial Soul: Sharp-Tailed Swift (Mutation). Agility Attack System. Level: 34.]

After looking over the information, Ye Qiong smiled slightly, dismissed the panel, and nodded to them. "Not bad. Looks like that trip to the Star Dou Great Forest was worth it."

Wang Sheng puffed out his chest. "Teacher, you have no idea how fierce the fighting was over there."

Jiang Zhu gave him a light smack. "We only managed thanks to Teacher Tribbie."

"Right, right," Wang Sheng said, nodding repeatedly.

"We nearly got into trouble a few times, and Teacher Tribbie was the one who pulled us out."

Bai Chenxiang added, "But we did kill two Soul Beasts ourselves."

Ye Qiong waved a hand. "Did everyone absorb their Soul Rings successfully?"

"We all did, Teacher," Huang Yuan replied.

"My third Soul Ring came from a two-thousand-year-old Shadow Wolf. It specializes in speed."

Ye Qiong gave a quiet hum and looked over their faces.

"Good. You've all worked hard. Go rest for now, then meet at the plaza this afternoon. I have a new plan for you."

They answered and began making their way toward the dormitory buildings in twos and threes.

Phainon remained where he was. He glanced at Anaxa beside the fountain, then at Tribbie, but didn't move.

Ye Qiong beckoned to Anaxa.

Anaxa walked over at an unhurried pace. His single eye swept over Tribbie and paused for a moment.

Ye Qiong turned slightly and introduced him to the others.

"This is Anaxa, a student who enrolled two days ago."

Anaxa gave a slight nod without saying anything.

Wang Sheng turned around and looked him up and down. "Hey there! I'm Wang Sheng."

Anaxa merely nodded, his gaze already moving away from Wang Sheng's face.

Wang Sheng froze for a moment, then pulled back his outstretched hand and glanced at Jiang Zhu.

Jiang Zhu pressed her lips together but said nothing.

Huang Yuan, on the other hand, sauntered right over. "Anaxa, right? What's your Martial Soul? What level are you?"

Anaxa tilted his head and gave him a cool glance. "You'll find out in time."

With that, Anaxa turned away.

Huang Yuan was caught off guard by the reply. He scratched his head, his smile a little stiff.

Seeing this, Ye Qiong hurriedly spoke up. "That's just Anaxa's personality. He only pays attention to things he finds interesting. Don't take it personally."

"Oh, is that so?" Wang Sheng scratched his head.

Ye Qiong changed the subject.

"All right, go get settled. Come back this afternoon for training."

"Yes!"

Wang Sheng and the others hurried toward the dormitory area as if they'd been granted a reprieve.

Anaxa stayed where he was, his gaze fixed on Tribbie.

Ye Qiong noticed and turned toward her.

"Teacher Tribbie, I have something to ask of you."

Tribbie nodded slightly.

"Go ahead, Dean."

Ye Qiong pointed at Anaxa.

"He wants to pursue research. For that, I've prepared an empty room at the academy for him and you to use as a laboratory. You can take him to have a look. As for how you teach him, I'll leave that to you."

A hint of surprise flashed through Tribbie's eyes, but she soon nodded. "All right."

Anaxa's single eye lit up at once.

"A laboratory?" He took half a step forward.

"Does it have equipment?"

Tribbie looked at him and smiled.

"If the dean called it a laboratory, then it should be more or less ready."

Anaxa fell silent for two seconds. Then he suddenly raised a hand and pushed up the black eyepatch over his left eye, revealing a pale green eye.

"There's something I've always wondered."

Tribbie watched him patiently.

Anaxa spoke slowly and solemnly.

"What exactly is Soul Power? Why does it exist only within living beings, yet resonate with the power of heaven and earth outside them? Is its essence a form of energy that can be quantified and deconstructed? Could it even be the fundamental law of this world?"

Tribbie blinked, then her smile deepened.

"That's a fascinating question."

"Come on. I'll take you to the laboratory, and we can explore it together."

With that, Tribbie turned and took a few steps away.

Anaxa followed without another word, moving twice as fast as before.

After a few steps, Tribbie looked back at Ye Qiong.

"Oh, right, Dean, that training plan..."

At her words, Ye Qiong slapped his forehead. He had only just remembered. He looked at Tribbie.

"I've finished writing it. You can send it to the students later and have them follow it."

As he spoke, he tossed her a ring.

Tribbie circulated her Soul Power, caught the ring, and tucked it into her pocket.

"All right. I'll take a look when I get back."

Then Tribbie called Anaxa over, and they headed to the laboratory.

After they had left, Ye Qiong looked up at the sky. It was nearly noon, so he turned and headed for the administrative building.

He pushed open the office door.

Ye Qiong took off his coat and walked over to the window,

ready to replace the dried-up flower on the windowsill.

But when he looked outside, he froze.

A carriage had stopped outside the academy gates at some point.

A snow-white Horned Horse was hitched to it.

There were no guards beside the carriage.

Ye Qiong narrowed his eyes, keeping his gaze fixed on the carriage.

As he watched, someone suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain from inside.

A moment later, two purple-haired girls stepped down from the carriage.

The moment Ye Qiong saw them,

his breath caught in his throat.

"No way. It's them..."