"Teacher, I decline the position of class monitor."
Chen Junting's refusal was blunt and immediate. He had zero interest in the role. Of course, he didn't deny its usefulness—but before Mujin could even ask why, he turned to Ning Tian beside him.
"I recommend Ning Tian instead. She's far more suited to be a leader than I am."
Mujin's gaze shifted instantly to Ning Tian.
As homeroom teacher, she'd already been briefed on both students by the academy: one was the future sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; the other, its future Guardian Douluo. And as a fellow Soul Grandmaster, Ning Tian had always been on her shortlist anyway—so Mujin simply nodded.
"Then from today onward, Ning Tian is Class Nine's monitor."
The announcement sent ripples through the classroom.
If it had been Chen Junting, no one would've objected. But now that the position had shifted to someone else, several ambitious freshmen began flexing their fingers, ready to challenge for the title.
But Mujin's next words silenced them instantly.
Her eyes swept the room. "Ning Tian is Class Nine's second Soul Grandmaster. Her martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and her soul skills can amplify any soul master's abilities by 40%. As a support-type soul master, she cannot accept direct challenges from classmates. Therefore—" Her gaze landed on Chen Junting. "—any student wishing to contest her position will face Chen Junting instead. Do you have any objections?"
"No objections," Chen Junting confirmed with a slight nod.
At that, the would-be challengers fell utterly silent.
Beyond Ning Tian's astonishing feat—reaching Soul Grandmaster at eleven as a support-type soul master—there was the sheer weight of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's legacy… and the crushing pressure of Chen Junting as their gatekeeper. No one here believed they stood a chance against him.
Satisfied, Mujin moved on. She pulled out a stack of student records and waved them before the class.
"These are the forms you submitted during registration. But in my view, they're far too superficial. As I mentioned earlier, you'll face a freshman assessment in three months—and until then, your schedule will be dominated by training. Before we begin, I need a real understanding of your capabilities."
"Everyone, follow me."
She slapped the podium and strode out of the classroom.
The class hurried after her—only to find Mujin standing in the corridor, gazing toward the distant plaza. There, a white-haired old woman watched with icy indifference as students ran morning drills.
"Heh." Mujin let out a cold laugh. "Since the plaza's occupied, we'll postpone endurance testing." She turned sharply and headed in another direction.
Class Nine exchanged glances. It was obvious their teacher and that white-haired woman were at odds.
'So that's Zhou Yi,' Chen Junting mused. 'Without Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in her class… how many of her students will even survive her training and the three-month assessment?'
He dismissed Class One from his thoughts. But as he tracked Mujin's path, he realized—they were heading straight for the Soul Engineering Testing Zone.
…
Soul-Guided Device Testing Zone
Mujin led Class Nine to a halt before the gray building. Seeing the sign overhead, students immediately began murmuring.
"Why are we at the Soul Engineering Department?"
Wu Feng scratched her head, baffled. "Ning Tian, do you know?"
"Probably to use soul-guided testing instruments," Ning Tian replied, recalling intel from the sect. "If I'm not mistaken, the Sun-Moon Empire uses these."
"Soul-guided testing instruments?" Wang Dong leaned in, skeptical. "Are those things even accurate?"
"At least the Sun-Moon Empire's are," Chen Junting affirmed with a nod.
This wasn't just knowledge from his past life. In this world, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's trade networks spanned both Douluo and Sun-Moon Continents. Unless blocked by the Mingde Hall, nearly all soul-guided tech intelligence flowed back to the sect.
"While the Sun-Moon Empire may lag behind our Three Great Empires in soul master cultivation and peak combat power," he added, "they've left us in the dust when it comes to soul-guided technology."
"So what?" Wang Dong scoffed. "Even the best soul-guided device can't match a true soul master. Besides, those things…" He trailed off—but Chen Junting's group clearly saw the deep-seated disdain in his eyes.
As the six conversed—
BOOM—!
The metal doors before Mujin slid open. Out stepped He Caitou, whom they'd met just yesterday.
"Teacher Mujin—you're here again," he said, respectful on the surface but inwardly groaning.
He knew full well about Mujin's feelings for his teacher, Fan Yu. But Fan Yu already had someone—Zhou Yi—even if Caitou thought she was unworthy of him. Still… it was complicated.
"Ah, Caitou," Mujin said, a faint, girlish blush coloring her cheeks at the mention of "Fan Yu." Only Caitou noticed.
"He's inside. Please bring your juniors in," he said, stepping aside.
As he guided them through, he gave Chen Junting's group a cheerful wave—but with timing being poor, no further words were exchanged.
Soon, they stopped in a designated area.
There stood Fan Yu, waiting beside four massive soul-guided devices.
Just as Ning Tian had predicted, Mujin had brought them here to use soul-guided instruments for testing.
Truly keeping up with the times.
Spotting Mujin and Caitou, Fan Yu's expression remained neutral. "These are the soul-guided diagnostic devices you commissioned half a year ago. Built to your specifications."
Without another word, he turned to leave.
Mujin's face paled. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched his retreating back, biting her lip. "Won't you at least explain how these devices work?"
Fan Yu paused, frowning slightly—but didn't turn.
"Caitou knows everything. He'll handle it. And… Teacher Mujin, we're merely colleagues. Building these was just an academy assignment. Nothing more."
With that, he vanished.
Mujin quickly vaporized the moisture in her eyes with soul power and turned to her students with a practiced smile.
"Next, two students step forward to collect testing forms."
She flipped her wrist—a stack of papers appeared. After handing them to the front row for distribution, she nodded to Caitou. "Caitou, I'll leave the rest to you."
Chen Junting took his form and scanned it. At the bottom was a blank six-dimensional chart, measuring:
Endurance, Strength, Physical Toughness, Technique, Reaction Speed, and Combat Experience.
Today's focus: Strength and Physical Toughness.
But right now—most students were still whispering about the awkward scene they'd just witnessed.
And of course, Wu Feng was no exception.
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