Ch.13: School Days...
The morning sunlight spread over Qinglong City, painting the rooftops in pale gold.
Dew still clung to the training fields, and the faint hum of distant spirit beasts echoed beyond the city walls.
Lu Sheng adjusted his uniform and stepped through the main gates of Qinglong Academy, a place both familiar and different now.
The academy wasn't large, but it was elegant and alive.
Ancient stone corridors lined with glowing lanterns, wide courtyards where students sparred or meditated, and the faint scent of spirit herbs drifting through the breeze. It had the same quiet dignity as the Nuoding Academy from old tales, but warmer, brighter—filled with laughter, arguments, and the sharp energy of young ambition.
Groups of students in crisp blue uniforms practiced soul techniques or trained beneath the spirit-infused trees, their voices overlapping in a lively hum.
Today, however, something was different.
The moment Lu Sheng stepped in, the air shifted. Dozens of eyes turned toward him, and a wave of whispers followed.
"That's him… Lu Sheng, right?"
"The one with innate level nine soul power?"
"I heard both his martial spirits are top-tier!"
"No wonder the young lady took him as her disciple."
He could feel the weight of their stares, curiosity, admiration, envy—all tangled together.
Usually, those eyes carried a different edge. Mockery. Pity. Contempt for the orphan living off the city lord's mercy.
But today, it was awe.
Publicly, he was the genius with twin top-grade martial spirits and innate level nine soul power.
Privately, the truth was far beyond that—innate full soul power and divine-grade spirits, a secret carefully buried by the Zhou family.
Even the watered-down version was enough to shake Qinglong City.
In the city's long history, only one person had ever been born with innate level ten soul power, Zhou Yueling, the young lady of the Zhou clan.
Before Lu Sheng, the highest talent recorded was a level eight from two years ago.
Before that, level seven had been the ceiling for an entire century.
To everyone watching, Lu Sheng was a miracle.
The next pride of Qinglong City.
The disciple worthy of being part of the city lord's family even if its adopted one.
He walked forward through the parted crowd, his steps echoing lightly on the stone floor.
And yet, for all their admiration, he felt awkward.
Praise was far harder to deal with than scorn.
At least mockery was predictable; this silent reverence made him uneasy.
Then he spotted her.
Standing by the courtyard fountain, sunlight pooling around her like water, Li Yao.
A small, doll-like face, delicate features, eyes bright with quiet warmth.
"Lu Sheng!" she called, waving energetically.
He couldn't help smiling.
"Yao Yao…" he greeted, walking over.
Li Yao, another orphan raised under the Zhou family's care, one of the few who had never treated him differently.
"Morning!" she said with a grin.
"Congratulations on your martial spirit awakening! You're famous now."
"Seems like it," he said dryly.
She pouted. "I'm jealous. My awakening's next month, and I still don't know what I'll get."
"You'll definitely have something good," Lu Sheng replied with a confident nod.
"Maybe even level ten innate soul power. Or twin martial spirits."
Her eyes flickered briefly, a glint of something unreadable behind her smile.
Her gaze dropped, and her fingers toyed with the edge of her sleeve.
"…What if it doesn't happen?"
"Hm?"
"What if I awaken a weak martial spirit? Or have no soul power at all?"
Lu Sheng frowned.
"No way. Don't think like that." He bent down a little, trying to catch her eyes.
"You should dream big, Yao Yao. Believe you'll awaken something amazing."
She still didn't look up. Her hands twisted together, fingertips tapping nervously.
"What if I still can't have any of that…?" she whispered, barely audible. "Will you still support me?"
The wind carried away half her words.
Lu Sheng, thinking she was teasing again, waved dismissively.
"Yes, yes," he said with a small grin. "Whatever you say, Your childhood friend will be a big man in the future, supporting one extra mouth to feed is no problem at all."
For a second, she just stared at him.
Then she puffed her cheeks, turned sharply, and ran ahead.
"Lu Sheng's an idiot!" she shouted over her shoulder, her voice bright again, playful.
He watched her go, her small figure darting through the morning light, dark hair bouncing as she ran.
He laughed, almost involuntarily. "Hey—wait up!"
And then he chased after her, boots tapping against cobblestones, weaving between students.
The scent of dew still lingered in the air, warm and clean.
...
The classroom buzzed faintly with chatter before the first bell.
Lu Sheng sat near the window, second row from the back, his preferred spot.
The sunlight filtered through the glass, falling over his desk in soft stripes.
Outside, spirit birds nested on the trees lining the courtyard, their faint calls blending with the low murmur of students.
To his right sat Li Yao, quietly doodling in her notebook.
Her brows were drawn together, probably still annoyed from earlier.
Before he could say anything, the door slid open with a light creak.
A middle-aged woman stepped in, carrying a stack of papers.
Her plain brown robe and simple hairpin marked her as a civilian teacher, one of the few who had never awakened a martial spirit.
The class immediately straightened up.
"Alright, everyone," she began, her tone calm but brisk.
"Before we start, a reminder about your final written exams. They'll be held ten days from now. And as you already know, there will be no classes starting tomorrow."
She paused, scanning the room.
"Which most of you remember…" her gaze settled squarely on Lu Sheng, "…but some of you might not."
A few chuckles rippled through the class.
Lu Sheng scratched his cheek and avoided her eyes, glancing sideways at Li Yao, who huffed and turned away, her ponytail swaying.
The teacher sighed, then waved it off.
"Anyway, if you have questions, ask now before I continue."
A few hands shot up.
One student asked about applying to Qinglong's civilian academy.
Another asked what options existed for people who hadn't awakened a martial spirit or had too little soul power to advance.
The teacher nodded patiently. "For those with no soul power or below level one, spirit master academies won't be practical. You'll need years before you can safely hunt a spirit beast for your first ring. Instead, consider civilian or trade academies, alchemy, agriculture, blacksmithing, administration. All are respectable paths."
A few more exchanges happened with students actively asking questions regarding related topics, and teacher also answering each of them patiently.
It can be seen that the higher authorities have paid special attention when selecting teachers.
She let her gaze sweep across the class again. "Any questions about the exams?"
No one raised a hand.
Her lips curved slightly. "Oh? So everyone's already mastered the entire syllabus?"
The atmosphere froze. A few students coughed nervously.
Her eyes narrowed, scanning for a target. Then—
"Nie Li, stand up."
An orange-haired boy jerked upright, face pale. "Y-Yes, teacher?"
"Tell me," she said crisply, "what are the three developmental phases of martial soul cultivation?"
He hesitated, stammering, "Umm… this… teach… I—I don't know."
Her frown deepened. "You don't even know this? It's basic theory, not advanced history or spirit beast ecology. How will you ever become a qualified spirit master if you can't remember fundamentals?"
"Teacher, I—"
"Sit down," she said sharply. "And review after class."
The boy nodded weakly and slumped into his chair.
Then, a boy in glasses raised her hand.
"Yes, Karl?"
Karl stood confidently.
"The three phases of martial spirit development are: first, Spirit Trainee to Spirit Elder, zero to three rings. Second, Spirit Elder to Spirit Sage, three to seven rings. And third, Spirit Sage to Title Douluo, seven to nine rings."
The class broke into applause.
"Excellent reply, Karl. As expected of our model student," the someone said, giving rise to more more voices.
"Way to go, Karl!"
"You're the best again!"
Teacher also nodded, after all which teacher does not like hyperactive students?
Lu Sheng leaned back, unimpressed.
For some reason, everyone adored that smug, sharp-chinned boy.
He never understood why.
To him, Karl's politeness always felt practiced, too polished to be sincere.
Only Li Yao, himself, and a few other orphans stayed out of his circle.
They didn't dislike him; they just didn't see what made him worth idolizing.
The teacher's approving smile faded as she turned toward Lu Sheng. Her gaze flicked to the window for a moment before resting on him.
"Alright, Lu Sheng," she said.
"Tell me, why are martial spirit development phases divided this way? What makes each phase important? And what happens during each transition?"
Her tone was calm, but the weight of the class's attention shifted again.
Every student turned toward him.
Lu Sheng exhaled quietly, closing his notebook.
The sunlight caught in his black hair as he raised his eyes to meet hers.
It was his turn.
"Lu Sheng…" Li Yao whispered, trying to mouth him the answer.
But he only smiled softly before standing, straightening his back, and meeting the teacher's gaze.
"The phases of martial spirit development," he began evenly, "is a topic drawn from a book authored by the City Lord and Lady Li Xueya. The title is 'Martial Spirit Evolution and the Path to Achieve Them.' To date, there are eleven published volumes. This particular subject appears in the introduction of the third volume—first printed in the nineteenth year of Qinglong City's founding, about seventeen years ago."
The entire class went quiet. Even the sound of pages rustling stopped.
"This section explains the fundamental characteristics martial spirits share during early development," he continued, "how mutations occur, and how to control or stabilize those mutations so that a spirit can safely evolve later."
He spoke calmly, his voice steady but filled with quiet confidence. The teacher froze mid-breath.
"The first phase," Lu Sheng said, "is about establishing a foundation strong enough to bear future evolution. It focuses on consistency—on ensuring the first three spirit rings match the martial spirit's essence. For instance, both the White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat obtain their first three spirit skills from spirit beasts of similar type and age. Doing this solidifies the martial spirit's core, minimizes the risk of unwanted mutation, and maintains purity of essence."
He paused, eyes briefly thoughtful.
"Of course, this limits early evolution potential, but as the City Lord wrote, stability always precedes growth. Though alternate paths for it were found in the following volumes, but that is not our focus today."
His classmates blinked at him, blank and dazed.
"The second phase," he went on, "builds upon that foundation. It's about supplementing the martial spirit with compatible beast essence. If the first phase is structure, the second is refinement. Done correctly, the synergy between rings can lead to breakthroughs, new abilities, changes in existing abilities, gaining new traits or even martial spirit evolution at the Spirit Sage realm."
He shifted his weight slightly, hands behind his back, speaking almost like a lecturer.
"The final phase focuses less on lineage and more on strength itself—enhancing existing abilities with powerful spirit beast essence. By this stage, the martial spirit's core is stable enough to absorb less compatible energies. The foundation laid before allows the spirit to harmonize even divergent essences. Though later volumes revised this approach, the third volume defines it as the most balanced path for sustainable growth."
When he finished, silence stretched across the room like a drawn blade.
The teacher stared at him, mouth slightly open.
The students didn't even look confused, they looked lost.
Even Li Yao, who had spent most of her life beside him, stared like she was seeing someone else entirely.
Lu Sheng blinked once. "Teacher?"
"Eh? Y-yes?"
"Did I answer correctly?"
"Y–yes… yes, you did. Correctly. Please… sit down."
She fumbled with her words, still in disbelief.
He nodded politely and sat, sliding into his seat with the same calm expression as before.
For a few moments, there was complete silence. Then—
"What the—was that really Lu Sheng?"
"He was just a normal student! No way he knew all that!"
"Does awakening a high-grade martial spirit make you smart?"
"Idiot! Those details aren't even in our syllabus!"
"So he was a genius this whole time?"
"Did he stop hiding it now?"
The whispers grew louder, a mix of amazement and bewilderment.
The truth was, Lu Sheng had always been sharp. But he'd never shown it.
Not once in class, not once during exams. He'd always blended in—an average student, unremarkable, polite, invisible.
No one knew that his nights were spent in the restricted wing of the city library, reading ancient treatises and research journals far beyond his level.
The Qinglong central library privileges were usually reserved for high level executives of the city.
But as a member of City Lord's family, he had unlimited access, and an endless curiosity to match.
He had hidden that curiosity, afraid of standing out.
Afraid of being mocked if his martial spirit turned out weak.
But that was before.
Now, things were different.
Now, he was a genius acknowledged by the city itself, a disciple of Zhou Yueling, the future City Lord.
He no longer needed to hide behind mediocrity.
For the first time, as sunlight streamed in through the classroom window, Lu Sheng leaned back, letting the faint hum of awe ripple through the room.
He could afford to stop pretending.
Qinglong City was his playground now, and if he made a few ripples, someone powerful enough would be there to steady the waves.