Lucian: "..."
What should I do if I get caught slacking off during visualization practice?
Online and waiting, very anxious!
He swallowed nervously, preparing for the scolding he thought he'd receive from the beautiful, but strict, headmistress.
However...
The red-robed woman only glanced at him briefly before looking away, seemingly unconcerned by his behavior.
"That scared me half to death."
Lucian let out a breath of relief.
Even with Heroic Power, which essentially made him a superhuman, capable of smashing tanks with one hand or leaping a hundred meters in a single stride, he knew such abilities were a joke compared to the Celestial Cloud Dream.
The number one beauty in Moonshadow City.
The strongest individual in the city.
The current headmistress of Imperial High School.
There were countless rumors about the Celestial Cloud Dream.
She had come to Moonshadow City just last year. The previous headmaster was her grandfather, who had retired and passed the position on to her.
Upon her arrival, she made an immediate impact.
She fired one dean and several teachers right off the bat. For years, Imperial High School, like other schools, had accepted donations and sponsorships from major companies, organizations, or religious orders. This was an unspoken "rule" in the education system.
When schools identified a promising student, they would subtly guide that student to a particular organization, creating goodwill and encouraging them to join it.
This wasn't outright coercion, so it didn't technically break any laws.
All parties appeared to benefit—the organizations gained fresh talent, the school administration gained resources or wealth, and the students gained opportunities to enter influential circles.
But Cloud Dream didn't care about these so-called "benefits."
As soon as she arrived, she ruthlessly uprooted these practices, tearing apart the system.
It's said that in her first week, blood literally rained over Moonshadow City. Terrifying entities fell, and the world wept at their demise.
Afterward, no one in Moonshadow dared to defy her commands.
The only time she had ever backed down wasn't because of pressure from a powerful organization, but because of protests from students and their parents. That was during the so-called "investment contract incident."
She was truly a paradox. A woman who could kill without mercy but was willing to bow her head for her students.
Many couldn't understand her.
Why go to such lengths for a bunch of immature, self-indulgent kids? Why confront powerful organizations and risk so much?
But Lucian admired her.
Not just for her beauty, but for her unwavering character.
In his sixteen years in this world, Lucian had seen many remarkable people.
Some were gods, and some were otherworldly beings. He'd crossed paths with truly extraordinary figures by chance.
But the Celestial Cloud Dream was the first person he had genuinely respected.
"To top it off," Lucian mused, "she's absolutely stunning. A face and figure like hers would drive any man crazy."
He couldn't help but glance at her again, his thoughts wandering, causing his heart to race.
The red-robed woman seemed to sense something. Her elegant brows furrowed ever so slightly.
Since entering the lecture hall, she'd been watching Lucian closely.
After all, he was the student bold enough to send her an "invitation."
But as she observed him, something about him seemed off. His aura was oddly calm, even while visualizing the Divine River.
It was clear he had reached a high level of mastery in River Visualization, far beyond what she had expected for a recently promoted Level 11 lord.
"Has he already surpassed Level 11?"
She speculated that he must have used a large amount of void source stones to quickly ascend.
Her expression softened slightly, but her curiosity deepened.
After a while, the students completed their visualization exercises, each gaining some level of insight.
The red-robed woman said a few parting words about the importance of River Visualization, and the students began to disperse.
Lucian hesitated for a moment. Noticing that she was preparing to leave, he hurried over.
The red-robed woman turned to him, her gaze cold yet serene.
"Headmistress," Lucian said, his voice steady. "I have a question."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Before he could reply, a cloud of mist enveloped him.
When it dissipated, he found himself in the office of the headmistress.
She was seated on a grand chair, legs crossed, her fingers resting lightly on the armrests. Her head tilted slightly as her piercing eyes studied him.
Lucian took a deep breath to steady himself, then voiced his confusion about career transitions.
"Changing careers?" The red-robed woman nodded slightly. "How many career change tokens do you have?"
"Three," Lucian replied. "But the books don't explain much. They only mention that the quality of the token doesn't matter much. Why is that?"
"It's not that it doesn't matter," she explained. "It's just replaceable.
"For example, if you use a common-grade mage token to transition into a mage, and later obtain a green-grade mage token, you can use it to replace the previous career."
"So, you don't need to stress over the quality of the token. Use what you have."
Lucian nodded in realization. "That makes sense."
"However," she continued, "there's an important caveat: it must be within the same system. A high-grade warrior token can't replace a low-grade mage token."
Lucian nodded again, absorbing her explanation.
"Worlds differ," she elaborated. "In some low-magic worlds, a mage might only be able to destroy a small mountain. But in a high-magic universe, mages can rewrite the laws of reality and create stars. The difference is immense."
"So even among tokens of the same quality, the abilities they grant can vary greatly. If you don't have a specific goal in mind, my advice is to start with a basic, common-grade career token."
Her detailed explanation, peppered with anecdotes and practical advice, gave Lucian a new understanding of career transitions.
"Thank you, Headmistress," he said sincerely.
She hesitated for a moment before responding. "Sit here and visualize the Divine River again."
"Huh?" Lucian blinked, caught off guard.