The next day!
Wang Li woke up early in the morning, walked out of his room, and stood in the second-floor corridor. He saw Qin Ming already waiting in the living room on the first floor, sitting on the sofa with several food containers placed in front of him.
Noticing that Wang Li had come out, Qin Ming nodded to himself. At least the boy hadn't slept in. Then he said,
"Go wash up first, then come eat. After that, I'll take you to meet the others."
Wang Li responded,
"Alright, Teacher."
At this moment, he was already wearing the uniform of Tiandou Royal Academy. The pale yellow uniform, whether in material or design, would be extremely valuable outside. Even the simple version meant for daily wear was strikingly elegant.
After washing up, his half-long hair was combed into a slightly tousled style. Wang Li's appearance was actually quite decent, with well-proportioned features, thick eyebrows, and bright eyes. Since he was not from a noble family, he lacked the refined elegance typical of nobles, but instead carried a confident, upright air.
This had much to do with his experiences. Setting aside his previous life and speaking only of this one, he was the son of a farmer who had put down his hoe, awakened his martial soul, attended Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, then Lijia Intermediate Soul Master Academy, and finally arrived at Tiandou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy.
It had to be said that this was a kind of comeback story, except there was no one who could prompt him to shout that classic line:
"Don't bully a poor youth!"
Among his peers, there was no one who truly forced him to go all out, and this caused his confidence to radiate from the inside out.
Even though he had once been a farmer's son who worked the fields, now dressed in expensive attire after leaving the farmland behind, he felt no awkwardness or discomfort at all. Every movement was calm and composed.
Upon reaching the first floor, before eating, Wang Li politely asked,
"Teacher, have you eaten yet?"
Qin Ming's face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, but his voice softened slightly.
"I've already eaten. Go ahead and eat."
Wang Li said nothing more. He opened the food containers and took out steak, milk, bread, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. The table was quickly filled with a wide variety of food, rich and nutritionally balanced.
One ate while the other watched. Qin Ming saw that Wang Li ate quickly but not ravenously, so he said nothing. Proper chewing was beneficial for digestion and nutrient absorption.
Only after Wang Li finished eating did Qin Ming speak again:
"After eating your fill, it's not good to sit for too long, nor is it good to exercise immediately. Walk with me first, and only then can you start training."
Wang Li stood up and followed him, asking,
"Alright, Teacher. May I ask what today's training will be?"
Qin Ming walked ahead and replied,
"Running."
Wang Li: (ー_ー)!!
…
By the time the sky was fully bright, they were inside the academy at the training field.
Qin Ming stood there with his eyes closed, resting his mind. Wang Li stood beside him, bored, looking up at the sky and silently counting the time.
Strangely enough, in the first minute, there was not a single person on the field besides the two of them. In the next minute, numerous students from Tiandou Royal Academy began gathering from all directions.
About twenty or so people arrived. After reaching the field, they looked at Qin Ming with a hint of awe, while their gazes toward Wang Li were filled with curiosity.
Wang Li was simply too young. Even though his height and build had grown quickly, his youthful face always gave the impression of extreme youth.
The students present ranged from sixteen or seventeen to eighteen or nineteen years old. None were under fifteen.
Only then did Qin Ming open his eyes. Nine o'clock, right on time again. This level of efficiency existed only because of the authority he commanded.
Tiandou Royal Academy was a noble academy. Those who could enter were either descendants of nobles, offspring of powerful individuals, or children from major sects or influential forces. The only exception was someone like Wang Li, who could enter only with the recommendation of a dean at the Soul King or even Soul Emperor level and by passing the assessment.
Although it did not truly admit only nobles, anyone without backing had no chance of getting in. This meant that most students here, while generally talented, tended to be relatively lazy in temperament.
That said, the Tiandou Royal Team Reserve Training Camp, with the support of three education directors, had existed for less than a month since its establishment.
Qin Ming, hailed as the academy's most likely candidate to become the next Tiandou-level instructor, was a top-tier teacher known for his strict teaching style. He was both the instructor of this class and the future leader of the Tiandou Royal Team.
He was confident that within the next five years, he could train these students into the Tiandou Royal Team he envisioned, ready to compete in the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
At this moment, Qin Ming's expression was cold and stern. He decided to let these students understand what it meant that there was always someone stronger. He glanced at Wang Li and said,
"The student beside me will be the newest member of our Tiandou Royal Team Reserve Training Camp. Wang Li, step forward and introduce yourself."
Wang Li was not nervous. He stepped forward and said,
"My name is Wang Li. My martial soul is a mutated Blue Silver Grass. My soul power is level twenty-five. I am a two-ring control-type battle soul master."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned. A soul power level of twenty-five was nothing special among them, as none were below that level. But what was that martial soul?
A mutated Blue Silver Grass? No matter how it mutated, how could it possess such talent?
A smile appeared in Qin Ming's eyes. He knew the effect was taking hold, and he decided to strike them even harder:
"Many of you may be curious about Wang Li's age. I can tell you clearly that he is only nine years old."
"Outstanding talent is a prerequisite for becoming a strong individual. But only when outstanding talent is paired with diligent cultivation can that talent be fully realized."
"This child is exactly like that. Extraordinary talent combined with extraordinary effort is what made him who he is today. Which one of you can say that at nine years old, you had level twenty-five soul power?"
"What I least want to see is any of you being surpassed one by one by a nine-year-old Wang Li in your future training. If that happens, you will only be eliminated!"
As his words fell, the students who had previously been indifferent immediately tensed up. Being surpassed by a nine-year-old was no joke. It would be utterly humiliating.
Qin Ming was extremely satisfied. Wang Li's arrival would surely stimulate these students' motivation to cultivate. He continued,
"Wang Li, return to the ranks. Next, we begin today's training. Run twenty laps around the campus. No using soul power. Warm up first, then proceed to combat training."
Note that this meant running twenty laps around the campus, not around the training field. Tiandou Royal Academy was built within a mountain range.
Running twenty laps around the campus meant running around the mountains twenty times. Wails immediately broke out across the field. This was Qin Ming's training method: harsh and strict, infamous throughout the academy.
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