The next morning, Ling Xiao woke up early.
Today was the official start of classes at Spirit Hall Academy, and truth be told, he was feeling a bit excited. After sharing a quick meal with Xu Yu at the cafeteria, the two headed toward the teaching district.
He and Xu Yu happened to be in the same class.
At this time, the doors of the freshman teaching building were already wide open, and a large number of freshmen in school uniforms were filing inside. Once Ling Xiao and Xu Yu entered the building where their class was located, they quickly found the classroom on the first floor.
Stepping inside, Ling Xiao noted that the classroom was fairly large, with enough seats for about fifty people. However, less than half the students had arrived so far. While Ling Xiao was observing the room, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
He looked toward the sound and was surprised to see that Hu Liena was also in this class. Hu Liena was sitting in the middle of the first row. Next to her was an equally striking girl who gave him a polite nod when she noticed his gaze.
Hu Liena pointed at two empty seats beside them, signaling for them to sit there.
Ling Xiao smiled. Being in the same class would certainly make things more convenient. He checked with Xu Yu to see if he was okay sitting there, and after receiving a nod, they walked over together.
"I didn't expect you to be in Class 1 as well. I forgot to ask you before, but it's good to see you again," Ling Xiao said to Hu Liena after taking his seat.
"Hmph."
Hearing Ling Xiao mention it, the smile on Hu Liena's face faded. She gave a cold huff and said, "I was planning to tell you back then, but you didn't even bother to ask."
Seeing Hu Liena looking a bit miffed, Ling Xiao scratched his head in embarrassment, feeling somewhat helpless.
Sitting next to Ling Xiao, Xu Yu watched the scene like someone enjoying a good show. He was still a young boy, after all; though he had been restrained at first, after spending a few days with Ling Xiao, the two had grown close.
Seeing Ling Xiao so flustered was quite amusing to him.
"Cough, cough." Ling Xiao coughed a few times, intending to change the subject before he put his foot in his mouth again. He introduced Xu Yu to Hu Liena.
"This is my friend, Xu Yu. His Martial Soul potential is quite good."
"Hello," Xu Yu said to the two girls.
Seeing Ling Xiao deliberately shift the topic, Hu Liena didn't call him out. She regained her composure and greeted Xu Yu in return.
Ling Xiao looked curiously at the girl sitting next to Hu Liena, wondering who she might be. Even with his knowledge of the Douluo Continent from his previous life, he didn't have any recollection of her.
"Hello, my name is Tuoba Yu'er. I'm Nana's friend. It's nice to meet you," Tuoba Yu'er said with a smile. Her voice was soft and pleasant, and she seemed to be a very gentle young girl.
The surname Tuoba... I remember that in the later stages of Spirit Hall, there was a Titled Douluo with the surname Tuoba. I wonder if she's a descendant of that clan, Ling Xiao thought to himself.
While Ling Xiao was lost in thought, the classroom filled up with the remaining students.
Soon after, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.
A woman dressed in a green dress walked in. She appeared to be nearly thirty years old with a mature, full figure and long, jet-black hair.
A warm smile graced her beautiful face. She walked up to the podium, scanned the room, and said softly to the students, "Hello, everyone. I am your Martial Soul instructor, Xu Lin. From now on, I will be teaching your courses in this building."
Her voice was gentle and moist, possessing a quality that was almost intoxicating.
Ling Xiao couldn't help but find the teacher's voice very pleasant to listen to.
Soon, the school bell rang.
Looking at the wide-eyed children before her, Xu Lin smiled and officially began the lecture.
"Children, today's lesson is primarily about Martial Souls. I hope you can all gain a deeper understanding of them."
"Every person on our Douluo Continent can awaken a Martial Soul at the age of six. Martial Souls are incredibly diverse. Broadly speaking, they are classified into two categories based on their use: Battle Martial Souls and Support Martial Souls."
"If we classify them by type, they can be divided into Beast Martial Souls, Tool Martial Souls, Plant Martial Souls, and certain Special Martial Souls. Plant Martial Souls are somewhat unique; in form, they are similar to Tool Martial Souls, but they differ significantly in their nature, which is why we list them as a separate category."
From his seat, Ling Xiao found the lecture a bit boring.
It wasn't that he lacked interest in Martial Souls, but rather that none of this was new to him. Given his previous life's knowledge, listening to the basics made him feel like taking a nap. He glanced left and right.
Xu Yu, Hu Liena, and Tuoba Yu'er were all listening quite intently. However, with so many students in the class, not everyone could be a dedicated student like them. Sure enough, Ling Xiao noticed many others whose attention was drifting.
They were looking around restlessly, and he even spotted one student who was on the verge of nodding off. Ling Xiao was speechless; he hadn't expected students in the Douluo Continent to behave just like students in his old world during a lecture.
On stage, Xu Lin gave a few examples of Martial Soul classifications.
Seeing the various states of her students, she sighed inwardly.
Every new class was the same.
Most children only enjoyed hearing about combat-related content and didn't value the theoretical understanding of Martial Souls. To put it simply, they cared more about how to use a Martial Soul to fight, treating the fundamental knowledge as something to be glossed over.
"Alright, students. I've finished the general classification of Martial Souls. Next, I will talk about the different cultivation directions for a soul master during their journey. I imagine you'll all be quite interested in this!"
Xu Lin was well-prepared for their lack of focus and wasn't annoyed.
She said gently, "By the way, student over there, please tap your neighbor; he's about to fall asleep."
Seeing the students' interest piqued, Xu Lin stepped down from the podium and began to walk among the desks.
"Let's first talk about the cultivation of a Battle Soul Master. In our soul master world, Battle Soul Masters generally follow four directions: Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, Defense System, and Control System."
"Among them, the Power Attack System is the most adept at offense. They possess outstanding frontal combat strength. Generally, they have both single-target and area-of-effect attacks, and their defense is usually quite good. It is the direction that pursues pure combat power the most."
"The Agility Attack System is different. Compared to the Power Attack System, they also possess extremely high offensive power, but their attacks are mostly single-target and rarely cover a large area."
"Furthermore, in battle, a Power Attack System soul master engages in a frontal assault, defeating the opponent with direct force. An Agility Attack System soul master, however, utilizes their extreme speed and high burst power to engage the enemy in high-speed, complex combat."