The five members of the team didn't even glance at the other students as they walked to their seats, radiating an air of arrogance.
To be fair, they had every right to be proud. Their talents were among the best at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, especially Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling.
Yu Tianheng, a prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had already reached the level of Soul Elder. He could have easily moved to the advanced Heaven Class but chose to stay in the Tianzhi Class to remain with his teammates.
Ye Lingling, on the other hand, possessed the rare Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, a one-of-a-kind healing martial soul that stood on par with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. While the latter was considered the best for amplification, Nine Heart Begonia reigned as the top healing martial soul.
Whether healing or amplification was more important often depended on the situation, and Nan Feihuang believed that neither was inherently superior to the other. They each served different purposes.
The five paid no attention to Nan Feihuang or anyone else, which wasn't surprising. They rarely interacted with other students, preferring to stay within their own small group for training. Consequently, they hadn't even realized that Nan Feihuang and Xun Yu were new to the class.
Shortly after, a sharp-looking man with a book in hand walked into the classroom just as the bell rang for class to start.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy offered theory lessons on martial souls, focusing on topics such as the direction of martial soul development, which types of spirit rings to absorb, and how to identify the characteristics and ages of spirit beasts.
"Everyone, take your seats," the man said, before turning his attention to the two new faces sitting by the window. "You two must be the exchange students from the Gulei Kingdom. Welcome. I'm Qin Ming, your class advisor. Why don't you come up and introduce yourselves?"
"Thank you, Teacher Qin," Nan Feihuang said, standing up.
He walked to the front of the classroom, eyeing Qin Ming with respect. Of all the people associated with Shrek Academy, Qin Ming was one of the few he held in some regard.
Many people had called Qin Ming ungrateful for leaving Heaven Dou Royal Academy to follow Flender. However, Nan Feihuang admired his decision precisely for that reason.
Qin Ming hadn't truly pledged allegiance to Heaven Dou Empire; he was merely working as a teacher. His immense talent had earned him treatment just below the Academy's three board members. But even with all that, it was still just a job. And who could fault someone for quitting a job?
Moreover, his departure wasn't because he was poached by a better academy, betraying his roots for personal gain. Instead, Heaven Dou's own Prince Xue Xing had insulted his former school and told Flender, his mentor and father figure, to "scram." For any student who respected their teacher, this kind of humiliation was intolerable.
Nan Feihuang knew that if anyone dared to say such a thing to his own mentors—like Nantian Chen or Lan Xue—he might endure it for now due to his lack of strength. But once he grew strong enough, he would ensure the offender paid for it tenfold.
If Qin Ming had stayed at the Academy to enjoy the benefits while his former teacher was humiliated, Nan Feihuang would've looked down on him. Leaving was the only honorable choice.
Qin Ming's only regret might be how his departure affected the three board members who had always been kind to him. But even their kindness couldn't outweigh the care and guidance Flender had given him over the years.
Qin Ming had left the Academy on his own, without taking any talent or resources, so his decision didn't harm the school in any material way.
And in the end, Qin Ming had died defending his students from a Titled Douluo. That, more than anything, had left a deep impression on Nan Feihuang.
While he respected Qin Ming, they were destined to walk different paths. Nan Feihuang wasn't sure whether he would eventually become enemies with Shrek Academy or Tang San. But one thing was certain: he had no interest in becoming friends with Tang San. Any friendship between them would be nothing more than an act, Nan Feihuang putting on a false front to deceive Tang San. There would be no genuine trust or friendship.
Therefore, though he showed Qin Ming some respect as a teacher, there was no need to forge a deeper connection.
"Teacher Qin, classmates, hello. My name is Nan Feihuang, a level 28 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. This is Xun Yu, a level 27 Battle Soul Master. His martial soul is a bit unique, so it's hard to categorize his type," Nan Feihuang introduced.
"Level 28 and 27?" Gasps filled the room. Two kids this young, yet their levels were so high?
Everyone had assumed that since they were placed in the Tianzhi class, they must be above level 25. But most had thought these two were barely at that threshold, possibly relying on their backgrounds to be placed in the top-tier class rather than the third class.
No one expected them to be this strong.
Their talents far surpassed those of Yu Tianheng at the same age. When Yu Tianheng was around ten, he had only just broken past level 20.
Even Yu Tianheng himself was momentarily stunned, eyeing Nan Feihuang and Xun Yu. So these were the two who had taken the spots of the defense-type soul masters from his team.
"Excuse me, I have a question," a flashy-looking boy with black hair, Osler, raised his hand. "Why did you drag out your friend's name like that when you introduced him?"
Nan Feihuang smirked. "Try saying his name without dragging it out, and you'll understand."
Osler scoffed. "What's the big deal? It's just a name, right? Xun-Yu—" He tried to say the name but immediately stumbled. "Wait, what? Xun…Yu…Xun-Yu?"
"Osler, what are you doing? Can't even pronounce a simple name? It's just Xun…Yu…" Yufeng began mocking Osler, but suddenly realized he couldn't pronounce it either.
One person mispronouncing the name could be chalked up to a brain slip, but two people? Clearly, there was something strange going on.
Soon, the whole class was trying to say it.
"Xun…Yu?"
"Xun-Yu? Wait, why can't I say it right?"
"This name has to be cursed!"
Xun Yu stood there speechless, watching the scene unfold. Were they serious? If they couldn't pronounce it right, they should just stop trying. Did they have no sense of decency? What's with this constant yelling of "Xun Yu"? How was he supposed to feel about this?
Just as he was about to shout at them, a cold, clear voice cut through the noise: "Xun Yu!"
The words immediately silenced Xun Yu, and even Nan Feihuang looked over in shock.
Did he hear that correctly? Did someone just pronounce "Xun Yu" perfectly?
Not even Nan Feihuang, or Lan Xue, a Titled Douluo, had managed to say it right before.
All eyes turned toward a white-clad girl. Xun Yu, looking both stunned and excited, stammered, "Uh, excuse me… Could you… could you say that again?"
Ye Lingling glanced at the class, then looked back at Xun Yu. "Why? Did I say it wrong? Isn't your name Xun Yu?"