New and Old, Ever Forward

The lingering warmth of the grand graduation ceremony had yet to fade when Heavenly Phoenix Academy welcomed a new semester. The melodious bell awakened the campus after more than a month of silence. Students from the Intermediate Division and Junior Division returned like fledglings to their nests, bringing tales from their holidays and hopes for the future as they once more gathered in this fertile ground for Soul Masters to grow.

At the beginning of the new semester, subtle changes had quietly taken place within the academy. Most noticeably, many familiar faces were gone, while a new batch of young students had arrived, ready to begin the next twelve years of their academy life.

Advanced Division, First-Year Classroom.

Li Xuansheng sat by the window as sunlight filtered through the lattice, scattering mottled patches of light over him. As a new student in the Advanced Division and the young master of his family, his presence was undoubtedly the strongest. The students around him, whether Li Xuanmeng, Li Xuanzhong, and others who already knew him, or students transferred from other classes, all looked at him with reverence and curiosity.

"Xuansheng—oh, no, Young Master..." A newly promoted student from the Hua generation awkwardly tried to strike up a conversation.

Li Xuansheng smiled warmly and interrupted him. "At the academy, just call me Xuansheng. Class monitor is fine too. We're all classmates, so there's no need to stand on ceremony." His calm attitude instantly eased the other student's tension.

The first lesson was Advanced Soul Power Fine Control, taught by Li Lexuan, the newly appointed deputy head of the Instruction Department. Her cool voice echoed through the classroom as she explained how to condense Soul Power into threads for more precise manipulation. This was crucial for using complex soul skills in the future, and