The length of a night was different for everyone.
For a person like Bai Xiaofei, who fell asleep upon touching the pillow, a night was something that passed by in the blink of an eye.
But, to ordinary people like Mo Ka and the others, this night absolutely the longest night of their young lives!
"Big Brother Fei, it's time to get up!" Mo Ka shook Bai Xiaofei lightly. Having been unable to catch a wink of sleep, he had already become a panda. Si Kui and Wu Chi hadn't faired any better.
"Eldest mother, I'm going to sleep for awhile longer...." Bai Xiaofei's sleep talking caused a drop of cold sweat to come from Mo Ka. Luckily, Bai Xiaofei had called out eldest mother instead of something else, otherwise, he would be absolutely terrified...
"Big Brother Fei, it's me, Mo Ka. We ought to go to class!" As he shook Bai Xiaofei slightly harder, the latter finally awoke from his hazy state. Upon seeing Mo Ka's face so close, he was shocked to the point of literally jumping out of his bed.
"F*ck! You're going to scare me to death!" Bai Xiaofei looked at the Origin Stone Clock on the table as he flicked Mo Ka's forehead his finger..
"What are all of you anxious about? It's only eight." Bai Xiaofei leisurely got dressed as he spoke.
Mo Ka swallowed before shamefully speaking. "Big Brother Fei, our class starts at 8, we're already late…".
Being late on the first day of class was absolutely a step towards being targeted by the teacher, yet they didn't dare leave Bai Xiaofei behind. Afraid that they would be targeted by Zhang Qingshan and the others, suffering the fate of being cursed at together was their only choice.
Now, all three of them just hoped that the words, 'the law excuses the masses,' would hold true…
However, reality was cruel. Xue Ying, who had a frosty expression, was waiting for them at the entrance of the classroom when they rushed in.
"Tsk, tsk. I truly admire the four of you. You dare to be late for the first class. Even though this is the first time I'm a head teacher, I dare guarantee that there isn't a single soul as brave as all of you in this entire academy!" Xue Ying's words were an immediate death sentence, the last vestiges of their hope vanishing like smoke.
"Big Sister Xue, have you…."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear any flattery or explanations." Bai Xiaofei hadn't even finished speaking before Xue Ying immediately stopped him. The difference in her attitude from yesterday was like night and day.
"I don't have time to make small talk. Get to your seats right now! All of you will get double the work in today's class!" Contrary to Bai Xiaofei's expectations, Xue Ying didn't lecture them at all. For the time being, everyone had subscribed to the misconception that Xue Ying was hard on the outside and soft on the inside….
"Thank you, Big Sister Xue!" Bai Xiaofei grinned as he led the way into the classroom. As soon as he arrived at his seat, Lin Li, who sat beside him, revealed a relaxed expression before pulling on the corners of Bai Xiaofei's clothes.
"Dormitory…. So noisy…." Lin Li mumbled, causing Bai Xiaofei to blush with shame.
If it was in terms of noisiness, then there ought to be no one that could compare with room 807 yesterday….
"It was slightly noisy, but wasn't it extremely interesting?" Bai Xiaofei chuckled. Playing with so many others of the same age was something that was unimaginable in the Gorge of Heroes.
"Yes…." Lin Li replied softly, her slightly stiff face revealing a trace of a smile.
It seemed as if being able to come into contact with so many people of the same generation was something new to Lin Li as well, something that could be discerned from her obvious expressions.
"I'll be starting the class now that everyone is here." Standing behind the lectern, Xue Ying still carried the same icy cold demeanor as before, her expression refusing to reveal the slightest emotion.
"First, I want to stress one thing. If anyone dares to be late again, I'll make sure that person suffers!" As she spoke, Xue Ying's gaze swept past Bai Xiaofei and the other's, causing an unprecedented feeling of embarrassment to flood into Bai Xiaofei's heart.
"Of course, the four from today can't escape either. I won't allow it a single time! That said, even if I haven't specifically mentioned it, so long as anyone does something to make me unhappy, they will suffer the consequences!"
Xue Ying intentionally exerted a shapeless pressure on every student in the class. Even Lin Li, who was at the Master Rank, felt a trace of discomfort.
That said, Bai Xiaofei and Lin Li had already experienced much worse, and weren't greatly troubled by it.
"Alright, now I need someone to answer my first question. What's the most important quality to a puppet master?" As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Ying's gaze began scanning over the entire class. Besides Bai Xiaofei and Lin Li, everyone else was deep in thought.
"Chen Hui, you answer it." Chen Hui immediately stood up when being named by Xue Ying, leaving him to reply with a solemn expression. "The essence, energy, body, spirit, mind, and origin energy determine a puppet master's strength. Whereas, the spirit is the root, the origin energy is the foundation, and the mind is the core. So, I think these three things are the most important to a puppet master." A trace of confidence had already appeared on Chen Hui's face when he finished speaking, because it was impossible to find a problem with an answer like this. Why was that? Because it was common knowledge!
"Well done. But, this isn't what I want to teach all of you today." Xue Ying had suddenly disappeared and arrived in front of Chen Hui before her voice entered their ears, and a dagger that had suddenly appeared in her hand lay horizontally on Chen Hui's throat.
For a time, everyone was frozen in their seats, whereas Chen Hui started shaking uncontrollably.
As she slowly put the dagger away, Xue Ying started to move around in the classroom; and no matter who she passed, she would tap the dagger on that person's table.
"No matter how formidable your puppets are, they are useless if you don't have the chance to utilize them. How to utilize puppets is something your new teachers will pass down to you after you've been divided into faculties. I however, only want to pass down a single thing to all of you." Xue Ying had already walked back to the lectern when she stopped moving, the dagger in her hands suddenly sinking into the soft wood before she spoke.
"Survival!" As soon as this word was spoken, everyone in the classroom was stunned. Even Bai Xiaofei, who was accustomed to departing from established practices, had never imagined that there would be such a statement.
But when he thought about it carefully, there seemed to be nothing wrong with what Xue Ying had said.
"If a puppet master wants to survive in the complicated conditions of battle, then they must counter an innate weakness — the weakness of their own physical body!" Xue Ying started to expound on her unique idea; an idea that, at the very least, was certainly not being brought up with the other new student classes. Besides Xue Ying, all the other teachers of new students were speaking about the utilization of puppets, and how to decide on the type of puppet one would choose in the future.
"In the following three months, no matter if it's in the classroom or in practical training, my teaching will revolve around this single core idea. The deciding factor in all of this will be your physical strength!" As soon as she finished speaking, the corners of Xue Ying's mouth curled into a slight arc. Bai Xiaofei, who she was staring at, had a sudden bad premonition...