Read up to 15 chapters ahead on Patreon - patreon.com/Light_lord
-----
The Next Day, Early Morning
The sun had yet to rise. The sky hung in a dull gray, thick with fog.
It looked like a dense, dark cloud, but Lin Jin suspected it would vanish the moment the sun came out.
He held onto that thought and glanced down at the gong in his hands.
Without hesitation, he raised the stick in his right hand and struck hard.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The booming sound echoed across the small campus.
Lin Jin shouted, "Get up! Get up, all of you!"
Not content with just that, he continued to pound the gong with enthusiasm—dong, dong, dong, dong—letting the sound ring out with power and energy.
Honestly, he was doing a pretty good job of it.
From the dormitory building on the left side of the playground came a sudden commotion—beds creaked, doors slammed, and somewhere, a faint groan followed a thud on the floor.
"What are you doing up there? You act like it's such a chore to get out of bed!"
Lin Jin hollered up at the dorms, his voice reaching full volume.
"It's the first day of training—don't show up all bruised and battered!"
"People will think I've been abusing you!"
The dormitory building was modest, with just two floors. Girls lived upstairs, boys downstairs.
With five rooms per floor and eight beds per room, there was more than enough space for the new students.
In fact, there were even spare rooms—one of which was reserved for Dai Mubai, who had the luxury of living alone.
After all, he was Tianxing Spirit Master Academy's star student. Special treatment was only natural.
Before long, a group of bleary-eyed children stumbled downstairs, yawning and swaying.
A few clutched their heads dramatically, expressions twisted in sleepy pain.
Lin Jin's eye twitched as he watched them. Good thing I didn't give you all bunk beds, he thought.
'At this rate, I'd have half of you injured before training even starts.'
"Line up! Everyone, get in line!"
"Boys in the back, two rows! Girls in front! Tall on the left, short on the right! Get moving!"
His instructions were clear, but he was talking to children after all. The girls were shy and cooperative—still too young for defiance.
The boys, on the other hand, were a chaotic mess, scrambling around like a troop of panicked monkeys.
"Peng Fan! You're in charge of the boys. Get them sorted—now!"
The moment Peng Fan stepped up to organize the group, things started to come together.
As the son of a noble family, he carried a certain presence that was enough to impose order among his peers.
With someone to lead, the boys finally fell into formation.
Lin Jin looked out at the three rows of students now standing in front of him, a flicker of pride rising in his chest.
He was now the head of the academy. Even if it was more like an elementary school, he was still a Dean—a teacher. That meant something.
As he met the curious eyes of the children before him, a sense of responsibility settled on his shoulders.
He had officially stepped into the world of education. He almost felt like he was glowing with righteousness.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, let me say a few words."
Funny enough, he suddenly realized how much he sounded like the leaders he used to hear in his past life.
Maybe their speeches had rubbed off on him. Or maybe some things just come naturally with authority.
Either way, he pushed the thought aside and turned serious, giving his first official speech.
"Since your parents have entrusted you to me, I promise I'll do everything I can to train you well. I won't lie—compared to those with extraordinary talent, your starting point is a bit lower. But that doesn't mean you can't catch up."
Many of the children looked discouraged—it was clear they understood what he meant.
"But... I won't give up on any of you."
Lin Jin's tone shifted, his eyes burning with determination as he looked over the group.
"As long as you give your effort in this academy, the academy will reward you in return. So during this period of training, you must persevere. I'll be keeping a strict eye on all of you."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "Of course, I'm not the Lightning Dharma King or anything. I'm not going to do anything extreme, so don't worry."
Just as he finished, a small voice piped up from the front row.
"Dean, who is the Lightning Dharma King?"
Lin Jin glanced over—it was Shen Xin who had asked the question.
He smiled mysteriously. "The Lightning Dharma King… that's a terrifying figure. He can summon thunder and lightning from his hands. His favorite thing is… smiting people."
"Ah?!"
A few of the younger kids screamed in surprise, clutching each other with wide eyes.
Lin Jin chuckled, realizing he may have gone a little too far.
"Don't be scared! The Dean is a good person—I promise! I don't electrocute children."
From the sidelines, Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes.
Can this guy be a good dean? He was beginning to see clearly—Lin Jin had a mischievous streak.
After teasing the kids for a bit, Lin Jin turned serious again and got back on track.
"Alright, let's talk about your curriculum."
"Our academy has three main courses. First, Spirit power cultivation. This takes place from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and again from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. During the transitions between day and night, the energy between heaven and earth is at its peak. Cultivating during this time is twice as effective with half the effort."
"Second, basic combat knowledge. These classes will be held in the morning."
"Third, our pioneering class. This is in the afternoon and focuses on martial spirits—analyzing their traits, strengths, and weaknesses."
"Today's the first day, but becoming a spirit master is no easy path. You can't afford to slack off—not even for a moment. So, we'll start right away."
"Head to the back mountain. Face the east and try to awaken your spirit power for practice. If you don't understand something, ask Shen Xin. And if Shen Xin doesn't know, wait for me."
He turned slightly. "Mubai, come with me."
With that, Lin Jin led Dai Mubai toward the office building.
Dai Mubai, now a Spirit Master of over level 20, required a different training regimen than the other students.
In truth, if he enrolled in an advanced Spirit Master Academy, he'd already meet the graduation requirements.
From what Lin Jin understood, most Spirit Master academies across the continent followed a six-year schooling system.
Starting from around age six, it took 18 years to progress through the basic, intermediate, and advanced academies.
That meant most graduates from advanced academies were around 24 years old.
In terms of power levels:
-Graduating from a junior Spirit Master academy meant reaching Spirit Master level, at least level 11.
-Intermediate graduates were around level 17.
-Advanced graduates were expected to become Spirit Grand Masters.
Of course, the standards varied depending on the academy. Even schools at the same level had vastly different conditions and resources.
For example, Heaven Dou Royal Academy was leagues ahead of a typical senior Spirit Master school.