Jiang Mingyuan took a small knife from his Storage Soul Tool and shaved off a small piece of soul silver. Even without releasing his martial soul, a scarlet spark flared at his fingertips.
The soul silver melted immediately. Thanks to the [Elemental Affinity] he had picked up from Na'er, Jiang Mingyuan shaped the molten silver into a little ball.
The ball changed shape at his fingertips, becoming a bird one moment and a flower the next.
Qin Yu, standing beside him, was dumbstruck.
How had this little fellow achieved such precise control at his age? Qin Yu thought Jiang Mingyuan was using soul power to forcibly shape the molten silver. It would never have occurred to her that someone in this world could control every element at once.
Jiang Mingyuan's cultivation of [Elemental Affinity] had only reached this level, too. Anything more intricate was beyond him.
Soul silver really isn't suitable for making Soul Tools. They'd break after just a few uses. But what if I only used them once?
Its low hardness and excellent ductility meant this metal could be kneaded like modeling clay. Taking a different approach, he could use [Elemental Affinity] to shape the soul silver into whatever he needed, then control his soul power to inscribe the required Core Array onto it.
He could keep the soul silver on his person, make whatever Soul Tool he needed on the spot, and reclaim it after use.
But that required a solid foundation of specialized knowledge. Jiang Mingyuan's current approach to studying was breadth rather than mastery. If he had focused exclusively on one field, he might already have become a third-rank Designer.
"President Qin, how much does this soul silver cost? I'll pay the full price." Jiang Mingyuan took out his bank card.
"Hehe. While this metal isn't exactly common, its peculiar properties mean it has never fetched much on the market. Just consider it a back-to-school gift from your big sister."
Jiang Mingyuan could feel Qin Yu's goodwill. He would remember this kindness.
"Thank you, President Qin."
Qin Yu teased him lightly. "Why do you only ever call me by my title?"
"Then, thank you, Sister Qin."
"That's more like it."
After enduring one of the tortures of student life-the principal's speech-the new semester finally began.
On the sports field, the five first-year classes stood in their respective formations.
The five homeroom teachers each walked over to the class they would be teaching.
The homeroom teacher standing before Class Five was 1.9 meters tall, with bright eyes, handsome features, and a striking bearing. His long, pale-blue hair hung loose to his waist, and his long legs drew the gazes of quite a few students and teachers.
This was none other than Wu Changkong-the Wu meaning "dance."
In Jiang Mingyuan's opinion, Wu Changkong was the most normal of the teachers who accompanied the protagonists through their growth in the Douluo series.
In Douluo I, Yu Xiaogang had indeed placed all his hopes in Tang San, but many of his actions were genuinely baffling.
In Douluo II, Huo Yuhao had no teacher who stayed with him throughout his growth. Zhou Yi was even worse than Yu Xiaogang. Mu En and Xuan Ziwen had only taught Huo Yuhao knowledge in certain fields. Electrolux's time with him had been far too brief; he had not even had the chance to teach Huo Yuhao how to conduct himself.
As for the little Dragon God, perhaps his teacher was Gu Yuena? That name alone was heavyweight enough. All he could say was that Douluo IV had few normal people.
Wu Changkong had taught Tang Wulin when he was weak and sheltered him as he grew. Once Tang Wulin had grown strong, he had taught him responsibility by setting an example himself.
Although he had flaws in his personality and had been influenced by Shrek Academy, those blemishes did not dim the jade's luster. He deserved to be called a teacher.
"Follow me." Wu Changkong's tone was icy. After calling out to Class Five, he turned and walked away.
Cold as ice-that was every student's impression of him.
The classroom held thirty sets of desks and chairs.
Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin sat together, while Xie Xie and Yun Xiao gathered beside them. It was worth mentioning that although Zhou Changxi had woken up, he still needed a few days of quiet recuperation in the infirmary.
The academy's disciplinary ruling had also come down. Zhou Changxi had brought the trouble entirely upon himself. Jiang Mingyuan owed him no compensation; instead, Zhou Changxi was supposed to apologize to Jiang Mingyuan.
As for Xie Xie, Jiang Mingyuan had healed him on the spot, and Xie Xie had forgiven him.
Wu Changkong stepped up to the lectern. His icy gaze swept across everyone, and the classroom immediately fell silent.
"My name is Wu Changkong, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the next few years. I have only one goal for you: to become the strongest among your peers."
Xie Xie glanced at Jiang Mingyuan and thought, He doesn't need to become that. He already is.
"Now, introduce yourselves. Your name, martial soul, soul power level, and goal for the future. We'll start with the first student on the left."
Yun Xiao happened to be first. He stood and adjusted his glasses.
"Hello, teacher. Hello, everyone. My name is Yun Xiao, my martial soul is the Star Chart, and my soul power is rank twelve. In the future, I want to become an intelligence-oriented support-type Battle Soul Master."
Yun Xiao probably was not used to speaking with everyone's eyes on him. He stumbled over his words, and there was even a slight tremor in his voice.
Xie Xie was next, and he stood confidently. As long as he was not being compared to Jiang Mingyuan, he was a genius among his peers.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Xie Xie. My martial soul is the Light Dragon Dagger, and my soul power is rank eighteen. In the future, I will become the strongest Agility-Attack Soul Master on the entire continent."
The students broke into applause. Rank eighteen at nine years old-he fully deserved to be called a genius.
Soon, it was Tang Wulin's turn.
He stood, some unpleasant memories surfacing in his mind. They were from when he had first enrolled at Red Mountain Academy. If Jiang Mingyuan had not helped him, he might have spent all three years being mocked by his classmates.
Jiang Mingyuan tilted his head, covered his mouth with one hand, and quietly offered him encouragement.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Tang Wulin. My martial soul is blue silver grass. My soul power is rank eleven, and my dream is..."
Before Tang Wulin could finish, a burst of laughter rang through the classroom.
"Blue silver grass? Isn't that a trash martial soul? Hahaha! You can cultivate with something like that?"
Smack!
The student had barely begun laughing when Wu Changkong threw a piece of chalk with the speed of thunder striking before one could cover one's ears, sending it straight into his mouth.
"Urgh!"
Chalk dust scattered inside his mouth, sticking to his palate and the root of his tongue. His body's reflexes immediately made him retch.
Wu Changkong stared at the student with icy eyes. Even the temperature in the classroom seemed to drop.
"There are no trash martial souls, only trash Soul Masters. Before you mock someone else, ask yourself whether you have the ability to back it up."
Remembering his homeroom teacher's reaction when he had first entered Red Mountain Academy, Tang Wulin could not help feeling a little more favorably toward Wu Changkong.
"All right. The next student may continue introducing themselves," Wu Changkong said coldly.
Jiang Mingyuan stood and looked around.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Mingyuan, my martial soul is the Phoenix, and my soul power is rank twenty-eight. I don't really have a dream for the future. Or rather, living through each day in peace is my dream."
The moment Jiang Mingyuan finished speaking, the classroom fell completely silent. The other students stared at him, their eyes wide and mouths agape.
Half a minute passed before the student who had eaten the chalk could no longer hold back. "What rank? Twenty-eight!"
Even Wu Changkong could not help giving Jiang Mingyuan another look. Yesterday, the dean of students, Long Hengxu, had come to see him. He had said that Wu Changkong's class included a child with quite a personality, one with exceptional talent who had nevertheless insisted on joining Class Five.