"Mmm..."
Zi JI let out a soft murmur, utterly enraptured.
For the past two days, she had always been the one to kiss Gu Yunxiao first. Now that she had finally gotten her wish, her heart held nothing but indescribable joy and tenderness.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Gu Yunxiao left for Shrek Academy.
Watching his retreating figure, Zi JI immediately tidied herself up and dressed. With a flicker, she vanished.
She followed in the shadows, silently protecting him.
"Zi JI."
Suddenly, a voice steeped in jealousy sounded beside her ear.
Zi JI turned to see Bi Ji staring at her in obvious displeasure, unable to conceal the jealousy on her face.
"Bi Ji, the bed you made... was very comfortable." Zi JI gave a wicked smile.
"Zi JI!"
Bi Ji's chest heaved with anger.
Not only had Zi JI beaten her to the punch, she had even used the bed Bi Ji had made herself. And afterward, she actually had the nerve to say it was comfortable. It was enough to drive her mad.
"Don't be so petty." Zi JI smiled and leaned close to Bi Ji, whispering, "Next time, I'll make the bed for you and keep watch."
"...Hmph!"
Bi Ji snorted and ignored her.
Zi JI said nothing more. Instead, she gazed tenderly down at Gu Yunxiao, secretly beginning to look forward to her next "punishment."
Classroom 102, in the gray teaching building.
This was the Soul Tool Department's Freshman Class Two. Including Gu Yunxiao, it had only twelve students.
When Gu Yunxiao walked in, every pair of eyes turned toward him, filled with both surprise and curiosity.
There were only four girls in the class. The moment they saw Gu Yunxiao, their eyes lit up and sparkled.
As for the other boys, they showed varying degrees of hostility.
Gu Yunxiao chose a seat at random, took a book out of the desk drawer, and began carefully reading through it, page by page.
"Hello, my name is Liu Ruyan."
At that moment, the two girls sitting side by side in front of him turned around, and one took the initiative to greet him.
"Mm."
Gu Yunxiao glanced at her and nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing that Gu Yunxiao had no desire to chat, the two girls turned back around and exchanged a glance, inwardly grumbling, He's so cold and aloof.
Neither of them was bad-looking. How could Gu Yunxiao remain so unmoved?
Tap, tap, tap...
Just then, footsteps sounded at the doorway. They were so faint that only Gu Yunxiao, with his powerful spiritual strength, noticed them.
He instinctively looked toward the door as a middle-aged woman walked in.
Her gaze was sharp, and she carried herself with a heroic air, exuding the bearing of a woman who yielded to no man.
Judging by her features and demeanor, she must have been beautiful in her youth as well.
At the sight of her, everyone immediately fell silent and sat up seriously.
They all knew that she was Xian Lin'er, dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Xian Lin'er, and I'm your homeroom teacher."
"As many of you probably know, the Practical Soul Tool Department is a new class established within the Soul Tool Department this year, primarily to help Soul Masters learn to use soul tools."
"Since this class was only established this year, our first intake is small. But that doesn't mean we'll lack students in the future."
"That's because soul tools will become the mainstream of the future. This is an unstoppable tide, and it cannot be changed."
Xian Lin'er introduced herself first, then gave a general overview of the Practical Soul Tool Department.
Hm?
Gu Yunxiao keenly noticed that, since entering the room, Xian Lin'er had let her gaze linger on him no fewer than five times.
Without a doubt, he had already attracted the attention of Shrek Academy's upper echelon.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
"Let's all introduce ourselves and get to know one another."
Xian Lin'er smiled faintly and looked at a boy in the front row. "We'll start with this young man."
The boy she called on was a little shy, but he still stood up, visibly nervous. "Hello, everyone. My name is Xu Kun, a rank-sixteen One-Ring Soul Master. My martial soul is the Screaming Bird."
The others obligingly applauded to encourage him.
"Mm."
Xian Lin'er smiled and nodded, motioning for the boy to sit down.
Then the next boy stood up, looking just as nervous. "Hello, everyone. My name is Yu Xiaogang, a rank-fifteen One-Ring Soul Master. My martial soul is the Thunder Drum."
"Bai Yueshan, a rank-sixteen One-Ring Soul Master. My martial soul is the Moon Spirit Cat."
"Liu Ruyan, a rank-seventeen One-Ring Soul Master. My martial soul is the Golden Willow Leaf."
"..."
The class's average cultivation was rank sixteen, barely above Shrek Academy's admissions threshold. Those who had managed to enter all had family connections.
Their innate soul power was low, so they had chosen the Soul Tool Department.
Soon, it was Gu Yunxiao's turn.
Under everyone's curious gazes, Gu Yunxiao spoke slowly. "Gu Yunxiao, a rank-thirty-seven Soul Elder. My martial soul is the Extreme Dust Ice Bow."
His words fell.
The entire classroom remained silent for a long while. Everyone stared at Gu Yunxiao with wide eyes, unable to believe it.
The four girls covered their mouths in utter shock.
For a moment, their fondness for Gu Yunxiao grew stronger and stronger.
Everyone was shocked and puzzled.
With cultivation that high, why had Gu Yunxiao come to the Soul Tool Department instead of the Martial Soul Department?
"Yunxiao is exceptionally gifted, and he's very interested in soul tools. That alone shows that soul tools are the tide of the times and the mainstream of the future."
Xian Lin'er smiled, added that remark, then motioned for the students after him to continue their introductions.
Before long, all twelve students had finished introducing themselves.
Everyone was still caught up in the revelation that Gu Yunxiao was a rank-thirty-seven Soul Elder, unable to recover for a long time.
Xian Lin'er looked at Gu Yunxiao and suggested, "Yunxiao, why don't you serve as class monitor?"
"No, thank you."
Gu Yunxiao shook his head and offered an excuse. "I don't know how to manage people."
He had no interest in becoming class monitor and managing others.
He had come here for one purpose alone: to learn how to use soul tools. Everything else was entirely unnecessary.
"All right. I won't force you."
A glimmer flickered through Xian Lin'er's eyes as she turned to Liu Ruyan. "Ruyan, would you be willing to serve as class monitor?"
"Yes!"
Liu Ruyan accepted at once, her thoughts springing into motion.
With that position to her name, she would have plenty of reasons to approach Gu Yunxiao.
"Let's begin the lesson."
Xian Lin'er smiled and began teaching.
The first lesson of the term was simply an introduction to the basic theory of soul tools, followed by hands-on practice with a few small, lightweight ones.
Everyone tried activating and using them.
Gu Yunxiao was no exception. In fact, he was more attentive than anyone else.
Xian Lin'er was very pleased by what she saw.
Soon, the hour-long lesson ended, bringing the day's classes to a close as well.
That was the Practical Soul Tool Department: simple lessons, and few of them.
After all, they were only learning to use soul tools. Unlike those who made them, they did not need to understand all sorts of principles and materials.
"The Practical Soul Tool Department offers a relatively flexible schedule, but don't slack off. After class, you can visit the Trial Grounds more often to familiarize yourselves with other soul tools."
"Of course, don't neglect your own cultivation either. Only with higher cultivation can you use higher-grade soul tools."
"All right, class dismissed... Yunxiao, come with me for a moment."
Xian Lin'er glanced at Gu Yunxiao.
Gu Yunxiao nodded, stood up, and followed Xian Lin'er out.
Before you continue