"Hello, everyone. My name is Ling Yu. I'm almost ten, my Martial Soul is the soul, and I'm rank twenty-three." At the support department's Monday assembly, Ling Yu stood on the platform and introduced himself.
"That can't be right, can it?"
"Rank twenty-three at ten? Does he have innate full soul power?"
"He's that young?"
"So handsome~!"
"What kind of Martial Soul is the soul? Can you even cultivate that?"
"No matter how talented he is, he's still just in the support department."
"Aren't you in the support department too?"
The students below the platform clamored. The girl in a black veil sitting in the back row gave Ling Yu an indifferent glance, then looked out the window again.
"All right, all right, quiet!" A tall, slender middle-aged woman with her black hair tied up clapped her hands. She habitually wore a moon-white instructor's robe edged in silver. She was Wen Lingxi, the support department's director, and her Martial Soul was the snow lotus.
"Ling Yu's identity has been verified by His Highness Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, and His Majesty Xue Ye has also conferred upon him the title of Viscount Nuoding. Don't cause trouble." Wen Lingxi's words not only dispelled doubts about Ling Yu but also pointed out his backing, lest some student without eyes provoke him.
At those words, the room immediately grew much quieter. Many eyes scrutinized Ling Yu, some with jealousy, some with curiosity, and some with adoration...
"Ling Yu, Board Member Meng Shenji has assigned you to Class One. As for your courses, your homeroom teacher will explain them shortly. Go to the Heavenly Arc Support Class One section first."
"Oh, and since you're joining midyear, you won't be assessed at the end of this year for now. But please work hard to catch up on the required courses. It's difficult to graduate without passing them." Wen Lingxi explained this to Ling Yu with a kindly expression.
"Thank you, Director Wen!" Ling Yu bowed and headed toward the Class One section.
Seeing Ling Yu approaching their class's section, the members of Class One grew somewhat animated.
Wen Lingxi then began addressing the departmental assembly. There was not much to cover, but her final sentence rather surprised Ling Yu-
"A true powerhouse doesn't necessarily have to defeat the enemy with their own hands, but they must be able to hold up the entire team."
After the assembly ended, the members of Class One welcomed Ling Yu into their classroom.
"Ling Yu, can you show us your Martial Soul?"
"Are you really not ten yet?"
"How did you build those muscles?"
His classmates chattered over one another, but none dared crowd up against Ling Yu.
"Don't gather around here and trouble Ling Yu. You're all classmates; you'll find out in time." A woman in a plain-colored long dress walked in, her bearing gentle. She was Lin Qing, Class One's homeroom teacher, whose Martial Soul was the healing begonia.
"Ling Yu, take the empty seat in the back row," Lin Qing instructed.
"There isn't much to discuss at today's class meeting. I'll first explain the school's situation to Ling Yu."
"Our school is divided into the combat department and the support department, but required courses are taken together. Required courses are held in the mornings, Monday through Friday: Soul Beast studies, general studies, Soul Master history, basic physical techniques, and practical combat."
"I'll bring you your textbooks, student ID, and the like shortly, and I'll mark out the material covered by this year's exams. Still, I hope you'll read everything carefully. Come see me when you feel confident, and I'll arrange your exams."
"Afternoons are for electives, including free arena combat, simulated battlefield combat, wilderness first aid and survival, poisons, mineral identification, and so on. You can also take combat department courses as electives. I'll give you the full timetable later, but every course has an enrollment limit, so this year you'll only be able to choose some less popular courses."
"Most importantly, you must apply to use the Mimicry Training Ground. Your place in the queue is determined by your year-end score. The same goes for electives."
"You don't need to worry about food and lodging. They're included in your tuition. As for the rest, you'll learn once you've spent some time at school."
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Lin!" Ling Yu stood and bowed. Lin Qing nodded, then turned to the class meeting.
After it ended, Ling Yu collected his things and went to the large lecture hall for class. The lecturer was none other than Wen Lingxi, the support department director from that morning-
"Today, we'll discuss how to choose healing-type Soul Beasts..."
"As we all know, Soul Beasts are generally divided into plant-type Soul Beasts and animal-type Soul Beasts. There are also special, rare varieties such as elemental Soul Beasts and spirit-body Soul Beasts..."
"Plant-type Soul Beasts are relatively uncommon. After all, they cannot move in their early stages, so it's difficult for them to grow. Once they do grow, however, they become particularly troublesome to deal with."
"The Soul Skills produced by plant-type Soul Beasts mostly act upon themselves, whereas healing-type Soul Skills need to be shared with teammates."
"That's why we generally choose animal-type Soul Beasts when adding Soul Rings to healing-type Martial Souls, even plant-type Martial Souls."
"Next, I'll introduce some known Soul Beasts that yield healing Soul Skills and explain how to identify them..."
Wen Lingxi drew an illustration on the blackboard.
"The healing spirit turtle is green jade in color all over, covered in natural life patterns. It has a mild temperament and is the best choice of Soul Beast for healing, enhancement, and defense types."
"A hundred-year healing spirit turtle has a pale green shell, a thousand-year one has a green jade shell, and a ten-thousand-year one has a golden-green shell. To determine its age in the hundreds, examine the main patterns on its back. Each represents one hundred years. For the thousands, examine its limbs and tail; one golden marking appears for every thousand years. For the tens of thousands, examine the spiritual marks on its head. Each additional mark represents ten thousand years."
Ling Yu listened attentively, and before he knew it, class was over.
Using the excuse that he needed to return to his dormitory to put his things away, Ling Yu politely declined his classmates' invitation to eat together. They were far too enthusiastic, after all, almost pressing themselves against him.
That afternoon, Ling Yu used the timetable to sign up for mineral identification, Soul Beast material identification, poison identification, medicinal substance identification, and wilderness survival and first aid. Fortunately, these courses were all unpopular, so he did not have to scramble for a spot. He had one class a day, lasting two hours.
"It's like university. Being a student really is bliss, even with the assessments." After class, Ling Yu stretched, rested his face on the desk, and closed his eyes to relax for a while.
Then he put away his notes, got up, and headed to the library to begin cramming his textbooks. Setting up the research laboratory would still take some time, so Ling Yu was in no hurry. Xue Qinghe had also promised to collect more discarded Soul Tools for his research.
After having his student ID verified, Ling Yu entered the library. His current student grade only allowed him onto the first floor. The second required heavenly supreme level, and the third required Heaven Dou Grade. The remaining four floors required teacher access privileges and permission from the education board.
He had only been seated for a short while when faint footsteps reached his ears. Looking up, he saw a girl wearing a black veil over her face, her blue hair falling like a waterfall. Her icy-blue eyes were cold and clear, like a lake frozen over in winter. Though clear enough to see to the bottom, they carried an aloofness that warned strangers away. Her black robes concealed her entire figure in tranquil shadows.
The girl glanced at him, then paid him no further attention and went straight upstairs to the second floor. Ling Yu also withdrew his gaze and continued reading and taking notes.
Night fell, and the library reached closing time. The librarian rang the bell to remind the students to leave, and the teachers on every floor began making their rounds.
As Ling Yu stood to gather his things, his eyes met those of the black-veiled girl coming downstairs once again.
As the two left the library, the same thought surfaced in both their minds-So hardworking.