The first thing that came into view was a middle-aged man standing on the teaching platform. He had unremarkable looks and wore robes that marked him as a member of Spirit Hall.
At the sight of the ferocious giant crocodile on Tian Chen's silver robes, his expression shifted slightly, but he quickly reined in his emotions and smiled gently.
"You're Tian Chen, correct? The Second Worship has already spoken to me. Find yourself a seat first."
Yet that single remark from the teacher stirred towering waves in the classroom.
Everyone sized him up while whispering to the companions beside them.
Many of them had powerful backgrounds, but those clearly still could not compare to the Second Worship of the Worship Hall.
He truly stood beneath only one man, answering solely to the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu. Even the current Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong, had no authority to order him around.
When they noticed Tian Chen looking their way, the students all gave him friendly smiles.
They might have been young, but that did not mean they were fools. Having received an excellent education from childhood, they understood the ways of the world quite well.
They would befriend Tian Chen if they could, and even if they could not, they must not come into conflict with him.
This was also the way of survival their elders had taught them.
Tian Chen, however, had no interest in paying attention to these people. He took a long look at the three people seated in different postures in the front row, then withdrew his gaze and casually found somewhere to sit.
If his guess was correct, these three were Spirit Hall's Golden Generation: Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena.
Yan was easy to recognize, with his short, fiery-red hair and unruly bearing. Even after learning Tian Chen's identity, he showed none of the desire to curry favor that the other students did. Instead, he shot Tian Chen a disdainful glance, snorted, and continued talking to the siblings, Xie Yue and Hu Liena, beside him.
All three belonged to the Supreme Pontiff's faction, so they would not fear his grandfather, the Second Worship.
As for Xie Yue and Hu Liena beside Yan, they merely gave Tian Chen an appraising glance before looking away. Clearly, neither thought Tian Chen's talent could surpass their own.
Even the current Supreme Pontiff had lavished praise on their talent, and Hu Liena had been accepted as her direct disciple. Naturally, they had their own pride.
Tian Chen was no simp either. He would not do something as pathetic as pressing a warm face against a cold backside. His expression calm, he withdrew his gaze, found a seat, and sat down.
Go ahead and put on all the airs you want. When I slap your faces later, we'll see how much they hurt.
Although Hu Liena was beautiful, it was not as though he had to simp for her. With his talent and background, he only needed to crook a finger, and plenty of girls would be willing to have an in-depth ♂ exchange with him. Wouldn't being a simp just disgust him?
Besides, at his current age, he could not do some of the things he wanted to do.
Only after the class settled down did the middle-aged teacher on the platform clear his throat and begin introducing himself.
"Hello, new students. My name is Li Yuan, and I'll be your instructor for the next few years. You are all elites of Spirit Hall. Work hard on your cultivation over the coming years and strive to enter the advanced class."
"Those of you who have just joined us, introduce yourselves first. Make it quick; we still have a practical combat class later."
"Li Kai, let's start with you."
Li Yuan addressed an ordinary-looking little boy seated not far from Tian Chen.
He had his own selfish considerations too. Li Kai was his biological son, and he was doing this in the hope that Tian Chen would form a good impression of him.
It was simply impossible for a major power like Spirit Hall to have no factions.
Li Yuan and his son belonged to Golden Crocodile Douluo's faction.
Tian E had lived for over a hundred and twenty years. Although he had taken few disciples, he would occasionally offer guidance to Spirit Hall's young students when he had the time.
Li Yuan was one of those who had received Tian E's kindness.
Li Kai was rather shy. He walked awkwardly to his father's side and began his introduction with a hint of nervousness.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Li Kai. I'm six years old, my Martial Soul is the Black-Horned Mountain Boar, and my Innate Soul Power is rank seven."
At those words, Tian Chen came back to his senses and glanced at Li Kai. He had not expected this boy to be one of the future members of the Spirit Hall Team.
Next came the introductions of several other newly enrolled students who had only just awakened their Martial Souls.
Their Martial Souls and talents were all fairly good, and their Innate Soul Power was all above rank five.
Still, none of those seated there found it surprising. After all, these people could only be considered average, and most of the others had similar talent.
Tian Chen was the last to go up and introduce himself. By then, the entire class had their eyes on him.
They were also very curious about Tian Chen's talent. Even Xie Yue and the other two looked toward him. Of course, theirs were merely scrutinizing looks. Having already obtained their first Soul Rings and advanced to Soul Masters, they felt a slight sense of superiority over these new students.
Tian Chen took in everyone's expressions and scoffed inwardly.
The same old showing-off-and-face-slapping routine.
Tian Chen swept his gaze around the room and walked toward the platform, one step at a time. With every step, his imposing presence grew stronger.
By the time he reached the platform and turned around, his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul had already possessed his body.
A layer of fine golden scales covered his entire body, his hands had become sharp claws, and a thick layer of keratin had formed over his originally short golden hair.
Most astonishing of all was the crocodile tail behind him, covered in thick bone spikes and scales. It had reached a startling two meters in length.
A bright yellow ring of light emerged beneath his feet. Looking at the astonishment on the three faces, Tian Chen bared his white teeth and chuckled.
"Tian Chen. Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile King. Rank eleven Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
He did not reveal his true rank. Although he faced little danger within Spirit Hall, he had always been cautious and still had no intention of exposing the fact that he possessed a Soul Bone before he had the strength to protect himself.
If he said he had already reached rank fifteen, he believed anyone with a functioning brain would guess that he possessed a Soul Bone.
He did not want others coveting what he had.
Tian Chen said nothing more. Effortless showing off was the deadliest kind.
Under Li Yuan's delighted gaze, Tian Chen returned to his seat, leaving the platform to Li Yuan once more.
"Ahem, ahem."
Li Yuan gave a light cough and pressed both hands downward in the air, signaling the students with disbelief written all over their faces to come back to their senses.
"All right. Today is the first day of school. Get ready, then head to the No. 1 Beast Fighting Arena for today's practical combat class. I'll score your performances to determine your rankings."
With that, Li Yuan gave his son Li Kai a meaningful look and left the classroom, his face radiant.
Inwardly, however, he was working out how to properly instruct his son and how to get him to cling to Tian Chen's thick thigh.