Wang Yan: Research papers were beckoning to me!!

"Students, my name is Wang Yan. I'll be your homeroom teacher for this next little while."

In the classroom of Freshman Class One, a bespectacled man who looked exceptionally kindly introduced himself.

"I'm deeply sorry for the harm Teacher Zhou Yi caused you."

Wang Yan bowed his head to the students below the podium and spoke sincerely.

"The academy will also send Healing System Soul Masters to examine and treat you, doing everything possible to ensure your injuries won't hinder your future development or the upcoming Freshman Assessment."

Wang Yan and Zhou Yi had entirely different styles.

Before long, the students of Class One, whose expressions had still been grim and whose eyes still held traces of worry, formed an initial impression of this kindly teacher.

It looked as though they no longer had to worry about corporal punishment...

Quite a few students secretly breathed sighs of relief.

Among them, Wang Dong was particularly happy.

No more running or training myself to death!

Awesome!

So thought the lazy bum at heart.

"Since I've only just taken over, I'm not very familiar with your cultivation levels or specializations."

"Please introduce yourselves so I can plan your groups for the upcoming Freshman Assessment."

"If possible, please introduce your Martial Souls as well. Of course, that isn't compulsory."

Seeing that the children below were no longer so hostile toward him, Wang Yan felt the great stone weighing on his heart fall away.

He adjusted his glasses and pointed to the first student in the front row by the window. "You there, let's start with you."

"My name is Zhuang Jian. My Soul Power is rank 24, my Martial Soul is the Feather Sword White Eagle, and I'm in the Agility Attack System."

Starting with him, the students introduced themselves one after another in an orderly fashion.

"Wang Dong, rank 28. My Martial Soul is the Light Goddess Butterfly, and I'm in the Power Attack System."

The boy with pink-and-blue hair spoke with a hint of arrogance.

"I'm Xiao Xiao. My Soul Power is rank 24, and my Martial Soul is the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. I suppose I'm in the Control System..."

The petite girl with dark teal twin tails spoke somewhat shyly, her gaze drifting toward El as she talked.

"Hey."

The boy happened to look over as well. When their eyes met, El raised a hand and greeted her.

Stare...

Huo Yutong's gaze kept darting between them.

Tch!

She clicked her tongue inwardly.

After two more students, her turn soon came.

"I'm Huo Yutong."

She paused, sweeping her gaze over all her classmates, especially the girls.

Surely, after hearing about that recent Soul Fighting match, few people in the outer academy would fail to recognize her name.

She was staking her claim!!

"My Soul Power is rank 28, my Martial Soul is Spirit Eyes, and I'm in the Control System."

Almost all the energy from the many immortal herbs and spiritual treasures she had consumed had gone toward strengthening her body's capacity to bear power. Even so, the remaining medicinal potency had raised young Miss Huo's cultivation by more than ten full ranks.

"Spirit Eyes?"

Wang Yan froze at the podium, then asked with a touch of excitement.

"Your eyes?! A Body Martial Soul?!"

For someone who researched Martial Souls, Body Martial Souls were among the rarest and most difficult to study.

That was because the Body Sect had essentially monopolized the stronger Body Martial Souls.

Now, someone whose Body Martial Soul was her eyes had appeared right in front of him. How could Wang Yan not be excited?

New knowledge! New material!

And besides...

This student, Huo Yutong, also had an intense, icy feeling about her.

Combined with the changes in her hair and eye color since enrollment...

With Wang Yan's knowledge, he naturally knew that some powerful Martial Souls could affect a Soul Master's appearance.

That meant Huo Yutong probably had an ice-attribute Second Martial Soul!

A genius!

He just didn't know what quality of Martial Soul it was...

Wang Yan held an inexplicable fervor for all knowledge concerning Martial Souls.

Still, all that could wait for now...

Wang Yan looked eagerly at the final student.

Here came the big one!

The black-haired, red-eyed boy stood up and spread his hands, a casual smile on his face.

"I'm El. I'm sure everyone knows me."

"My Martial Soul is Alatreon, and my Soul Power is rank 36."

"As for my specialization..."

He paused and smiled.

"Obviously, it's the Power Attack System."

Alatreon!

A supreme Martial Soul that had never appeared on this continent before!!

Looking at that beautiful boy, Wang Yan's breathing grew a little heavier.

Of course, he wasn't a priest.

He simply saw new research papers beckoning to him!!

"On the Inheritance and Potential Mutations of the Alatreon Martial Soul"

"The Properties of the Alatreon Martial Soul"

"What Peculiar Habits Might the Alatreon Martial Soul Impart to Its Possessor?"

All sorts of paper titles flashed through his mind.

Whether his name would go down in history depended on this!

Still, class was in session...

Remembering where he was, Wang Yan's fervor cooled slightly.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat, then pointed toward the classroom door and said:

"Students, thank you for your introductions."

"I now have a general understanding of your circumstances, but to put together the best possible teams for the upcoming Freshman Assessment, I'll still need you to demonstrate your Soul Skills in the Soul Fighting Arena."

"Come along, students. Let's head to the Soul Fighting Arena first."

"Yes!"

The students began leaving the classroom in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, Wang Yan spoke to El, who was trailing at the back of the group.

"El, the academy has made separate arrangements for you."

"You don't need to come to the Soul Fighting Arena with us. Dean Yan wants you to report directly to the Academic Affairs Office."

"Is the academy rigging things to give me a free pass?"

At that, El spoke with a grin.

"Making you compete against them would be the real rigging."

Wang Yan shook his head at the joke and replied with a smile.

"After all, with your strength, quite a few teachers probably wouldn't be a match for you, let alone them."

He pointed to the students ahead, who had turned back.

"Isn't that right, students?"

"That's right!"

The students answered in unison.

Although they were very grateful to El for getting rid of Zhou Yi for them, if they really had to compete against a monster like him...

Was this a joke?

They'd die!

"All right, then. I'll go see what special arrangements the academy has made for me."

"Shunned" by the entire class, El shook his head in disappointment and headed toward the Academic Affairs Office.

Yes, even Huo Yutong didn't want El to take part in the Freshman Assessment with them.

Even though, if El participated, he would most likely be on her team.

Because...

She, too, wanted to know how she, now reborn from the inside out, compared to the others her age around her.

And just how great was the gap between her and El?

Those were questions that could only be answered through battle.

And also...

"Dai Huabin..."

Thinking of that figure who had led servants in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, treating the abuse of her and her mother as entertainment and directly causing her mother Huo Yun'er's death, Huo Yutong couldn't suppress the hatred that surfaced in her eyes.

When it came to avenging her mother, she really did want to do it herself...