Ge He led Xiao Feng through several tree-lined avenues, where many students wearing Cannon Academy uniforms could be seen along the way.
When they noticed Instructor Ge He leading an exceptionally young child toward the inner depths, they couldn't help but cast curious glances.
Eventually, the two stopped in front of a simple and ancient pavilion.
Calming his excitement, Ge He straightened his robes, took a deep breath, and then stepped forward to knock gently on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in!" A gentle yet dignified voice drifted out from the room.
Ge He pushed open the door and led Xiao Feng inside.
The room was simply furnished. An elderly man in grey robes, with white hair and a kind face, sat behind a desk, watching the two enter with a smile.
"Ge He, instructor of profound tier class two, greets the Vice Dean!"
The moment he saw the old man, Ge He excitedly bowed in greeting.
Beside him, Xiao Feng curiously sized up Vice Principal Hu Gan. Had he not read the original work, he would never have associated this kind old man with a Peak Dou Huang.
"No need for such formalities." Vice Principal Hu Gan smiled slightly, then shifted his gaze to the young Xiao Feng. He didn't mind the boy's scrutiny. Sensing the Four-Star Dou Practitioner cultivation within him, a sharp light flickered in his eyes, and he said warmly:
"Little fellow, you must be Xiao Feng, right? Not bad, not bad at all. To have reached the Four-Star Dou Practitioner stage at only ten years old—you truly are a little monster!"
Hearing Vice Principal Hu Gan's praise, Xiao Feng snapped out of his observations and bowed as Ge He had. "Junior Xiao Feng greets the Vice Dean. You flatter me, Vice Dean."
Vice Principal Hu Gan chuckled and waved his hand. "There's no need for modesty. To reach the Four-Star Dou Practitioner stage at ten years old, you certainly deserve such praise!"
Xiao Feng rubbed his head awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.
Should he just nod and accept it?
That would make him seem insufficiently composed.
But shaking his head and continuing to be modest would seem somewhat hypocritical.
Vice Principal Hu Gan was an old fox; seeing Xiao Feng's expression, he immediately understood what the boy was thinking. Finding it amusing, he shook his head and sighed, "You... you really don't act like a ten-year-old child!"
Little did he know, those words were the literal truth.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng didn't think Vice Principal Hu Gan could actually discover anything. After all, he had been reborn from the womb; his soul and body were a perfect match. Combined with the concealment of his cheat, even if Hun Tiandi himself came, he wouldn't sense the slightest issue.
Furthermore, on this Fighting Qi Continent, those with extraordinary talent were mostly somewhat mature.
Thus, Xiao Feng's current demeanor actually appeared normal in Vice Principal Hu Gan's eyes.
Vice Principal Hu Gan looked at the youthful Xiao Feng and sighed inwardly; such temperament was truly worthy of such talent.
He thought of his own granddaughter, who was a few years older than Xiao Feng but was still stuck at the Third Stage of Dou Disciple, yet acted as if her nose was in the clouds.
He hadn't thought much of it before, as his granddaughter did indeed have the capital to be proud.
But now, seeing a monster like Xiao Feng, Vice Principal Hu Gan made a silent comparison and couldn't bear to look.
Sighing in his heart, Vice Principal Hu Gan secretly resolved that he must strictly urge his granddaughter to cultivate hard when he returned. He didn't expect her to catch up to Xiao Feng, but he just wanted her to increase her speed a bit.
Xiao Feng, however, had no idea that because of him, someone's life was about to become a living hell.
After encouraging Xiao Feng, Vice Principal Hu Gan looked at Ge He and said, "You deserve great credit for recruiting a student like Xiao Feng. Go to the Alchemy Department and claim a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill."
In the Jia Ma Empire, the formula for the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill was only held by the Alchemist Association. However, for the deeply-rooted Cannon Academy, it was just one of the many formulas in their collection.
Ge He quickly bowed and said gratefully, "Ge He thanks the Vice Dean!"
A high-grade Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill had the chance to increase a Great Dou Master's cultivation by about three stars. If consumed, it could save him several years of bitter cultivation.
Vice Principal Hu Gan waved his hand. "This is what you deserve. Our Cannon Academy never lacks rewards for those who have rendered service."
Vice Principal Hu Gan offered a few more words of encouragement before letting them return to handle their own affairs.
After all, new students had just enrolled, and as the instructor of profound tier class two, Ge He still had matters to attend to.
Xiao Feng also needed to collect daily necessities like bedding.
Before they left, Vice Principal Hu Gan asked Xiao Feng to come by once he broke through to become a Dou Practitioner. Xiao Feng had a faint suspicion and nodded in agreement.
Watching their departing figures, Vice Principal Hu Gan smiled and asked the empty space beside him, "Well?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a ripple appeared in that space. In the next instant, an old man in black robes appeared out of thin air.
"Not bad, a little monster indeed. It seems our Cannon Academy has a successor!"
A smile creased the wrinkled cheeks of the black-robed old man, his tone carrying a hint of gratification.
Hearing the black-robed old man's words, Vice Principal Hu Gan was somewhat surprised. One had to know that the black-robed old man was a Dou Zong; for Xiao Feng to earn such praise from him was remarkable.
Vice Principal Hu Gan said with a hint of jealousy, "Old fellow, isn't that a bit much? I admit Xiao Feng is indeed a monster, but surely he can't carry the future of our Cannon Academy on his shoulders yet?"
Su Qian shook his head, somewhat speechless. "What was your cultivation level when you were ten? Did you even have the six Stage of Dou Disciple?"
Vice Principal Hu Gan laughed it off, but upon further thought, he realized just how monstrous Xiao Feng was and couldn't help but feel a bit horrified.
When that old fellow Su Qian first told him to call Xiao Feng over, he had thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Thinking carefully now, he finally understood the key point.
It wasn't that Cannon Academy lacked geniuses, but none of them could reach such a cultivation level at Xiao Feng's age!
This included both himself and Su Qian before him.
The reason the two of them could reach where they were today was largely due to their own talent, yet they still couldn't compare to Xiao Feng!
What did this mean?
It meant that the bottlenecks of Dou Huang and Dou Zong would likely be no problem for the future Xiao Feng!
As for Dou Zun?
Vice Principal Hu Gan hadn't even considered it. After all, even those two in the Library Pavilion had been stuck at the peak of Dou Zong for years, unable to break through.
Only the legendary Principal, whose whereabouts were as elusive as a divine dragon, was at that level.
Seeing that Vice Principal Hu Gan had understood the key point, Su Qian shook his head inwardly.
Having traveled through the Central Plains, he knew that Xiao Feng's talent was top-tier even there.
If any power learned of this, they would likely fight to snatch him up.
Cannon Academy was truly lucky to have recruited Xiao Feng at such a young age!
Vice Principal Hu Gan quickly recovered from his shock and asked Su Qian, "Then how should we arrange things for Xiao Feng?"
Su Qian stroked his long beard and pondered for a moment before saying, "Let nature take its course. For a monster like Xiao Feng, too much interference from us might actually be counterproductive."
"However, cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, and cultivation resources are indispensable. With such talent, it would be our sin if his cultivation were delayed by such trivial matters!"
Vice Principal Hu Gan nodded thoughtfully.
Walking along the road, Xiao Feng was unaware of the conversation between Vice Principal Hu Gan and Su Qian in the pavilion behind him; otherwise, he would probably wake up laughing from his dreams tonight.
This was also because he had underestimated his own talent, never expecting to elicit such a strong reaction from Su Qian and Vice Principal Hu Gan.
Ge He first took Xiao Feng to collect his daily necessities, and after bringing him to the door of his assigned dormitory, he walked briskly toward the Alchemy Department with a face full of joy.
Once Ge He's figure disappeared, Xiao Feng finally withdrew his gaze and stepped into the dormitory.
The dormitory was a single room, slightly simpler than his residence in the Xiao Family, but it was fully equipped with all the necessary facilities.
Xiao Feng seemed completely indifferent to the simplicity of the dormitory.
After making his bed, he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged to begin practicing.
...
On this first night at Cannon Academy, nothing happened.
The next day, after the long and tedious opening ceremony ended, Xiao Feng and the other freshmen of the profound tier class two followed Ge He into a classroom.
Seeing everyone find a seat and sit down, Ge He propped his hands on the podium and said loudly:
"My name is Ge He, and you can also call me Instructor Ge He. In the coming days, I will be explaining knowledge related to cultivation, as well as the appearances and habits of various magical beasts!"
"Of course, actual combat is also essential!"
Hearing this, the faces of the freshmen couldn't help but turn bitter.
Most of those who could meet the admission standards of Cannon Academy were children of prominent families.
From childhood to adulthood, while they might not have lived in total luxury, most of them had never experienced much combat.
Asking them to engage in actual combat was truly making things difficult for them.
Ignoring the bitter expressions of the crowd below, Ge He officially began his lecture.
Xiao Feng sat below, listening with great interest. In his previous life, he had also sat below a podium as a student, and revisiting that experience now had a unique flavor to it.
As he listened, a familiar wave of sleepiness washed over him; from the podium, Ge He's words seemed to turn into a lullaby.
Xiao Feng's eyelids flickered, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and start to doze off.
On the podium, Ge He explained the habits of the Crimson Ice Snake, his gaze scanning the crowd below.
When he saw Xiao Feng dozing with his eyes closed, he couldn't help but frown.
Just as he was about to wake him, he thought of the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill in his storage ring, which he had just received from the Alchemy Department yesterday.
After some thought, he gave up on the idea of waking him.
Perhaps Xiao Feng was like this because he had practiced too hard last night?
'That's right, it must be so!'
Ge He thought silently to himself on the podium, then continued explaining the habits of the Crimson Ice Snake.
Seeing this scene, the others who were dozing with their eyes open all showed looks of joy.
Before long, the sound of snoring echoed throughout the classroom.
Veins popped on Ge He's forehead as he clenched his fists.
The classroom was instantly thrown into chaos. Except for Xiao Feng, every single person who was dozing off was called up to stand and listen to the lecture.
Ge He nodded in satisfaction and continued lecturing on the habits of the Crimson Ice Snake.
Those standing below felt extremely aggrieved, their gazes resentful as they looked at the young figure sleeping in the corner.
...
"Alright, that's all for this class. We'll have an actual combat class this afternoon, so go back and get prepared at noon."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of noise erupted from below.
Ge He's expression remained unchanged as he calmly walked out of the classroom.
'How did I fall asleep?'
Awakened by the noise, Xiao Feng slowly raised his head and couldn't help but rub his eyes.
Looking around and seeing that the figure on the podium had long since disappeared, Xiao Feng felt a bit guilty.
He swore he didn't fall asleep on purpose.
Somehow, while listening to the lecture just now, it felt as if he had returned to his previous life, listening to a teacher's chatter in class.
A physiological response developed over more than a decade caused him to doze off involuntarily.
Xiao Feng silently apologized to Ge He in his heart, stood up, and intended to return to his dormitory to practice.
Feeling the resentful gazes of those around him, Xiao Feng was somewhat puzzled.
'Could they be jealous of me?'
Walking out of the classroom, Xiao Feng pondered in his heart. He was just a bit younger, had a bit better talent, and his cultivation was a bit higher than his peers. What did he do wrong?
'As expected, being too outstanding is sometimes a burden!'
Xiao Feng thought somewhat narcissistically.