Chapter 13: Academy Life
The Junior Spirit Academy was one of the earliest institutions established after the founding of the Spirit Hall. Its purpose was simple — to cultivate the next generation of elites for the Hall.
Many of the Spirit Hall's official members chose to send their own children here for education and training.
After receiving direct orders from Qian Daoliu, Lin Beiya arrived that same day at the academy located on the southern side of the Spirit Hall complex.
Just like the rest of the Spirit Hall's architecture, the academy wasn't built to flaunt luxury. Its design leaned toward solemnity and discipline — a place made for molding soul masters, not pampering nobles.
After entering, Lin Beiya made his way straight to the principal's office. Inside, an elderly man with graying hair greeted him with a kind smile.
"You must be Lin Beiya. The Grand Worship has already informed me. You'll be placed in the First-Year Elite Class. I'll personally take you there in a moment."
"If you encounter any problems or have special requests during your studies, feel free to bring them up with me."
Lin Beiya raised an eyebrow, secretly amused. So this is what it means to have connections.
No matter how great one's talent was, before fully maturing, a genius was still just a junior — and the Spirit Hall had seen plenty of fallen prodigies over the years. The principal's polite attitude was clearly because of Qian Daoliu's personal intervention.
Even though the former Pope had long since withdrawn from the center of power, his prestige still lingered.
Perhaps only when Bibi Dong completely consolidates her authority will people truly forget that man once called "Sky Invincible."
"Thank you, Principal. If I encounter any difficulties, I'll be sure to ask."
"Good. Come with me. You've arrived just in time — enrollment has only just ended, and today is their first official class."
Lin Beiya nodded and followed the principal toward the classroom area.
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The term elite class was self-explanatory — it consisted of the most gifted students from this year's awakening ceremony.
If his guess was correct, that chubby kid from the orphanage, Shi Nuo, should also be in this class.
A tall and a short figure appeared at the classroom entrance, immediately drawing the attention of the teacher and nearly thirty students inside.
The instructor, a middle-aged man around forty, clearly had been notified beforehand. He didn't look surprised, simply smiled and nodded to both the principal and Lin Beiya.
The students, however, reacted with mixed emotions — some with shock, others with disdain, and a few with genuine excitement.
Among them, the one waving enthusiastically was none other than Shi Nuo, the chubby boy from the orphanage. Possessing the Vigorous Demon Bull Martial Soul and innate soul power of rank eight, he too had earned his place in the elite class.
"Beiya! Over here!"
The seat next to Shi Nuo happened to be empty. With permission from both the principal and the class instructor, Lin Beiya made his way toward it — the so-called seat of kings among students.
But just as he was about to sit down, the teacher raised a hand to stop him.
"Lin Beiya, before you sit, why don't you give the class a short self-introduction? Your classmates don't know you yet."
Lin Beiya wasn't particularly interested in socializing, but neither did he intend to stand out as a troublemaker. With a brief nod, he stepped up to the podium.
"Lin Beiya. Martial soul — Stone Statue. Soul Master, rank twelve."
The moment he finished, the classroom erupted into chaos.
Even the instructor looked helpless, sighing inwardly as Lin Beiya calmly walked to his seat beside Shi Nuo.
That short introduction was like a thunderclap.
None of the other first-years had even obtained a soul ring yet — and this new transfer student was already a Soul Master!
Whether or not a Stone Statue Martial Soul was powerful didn't matter. The fact that he had reached rank twelve already made one thing clear — his innate soul power must have been full.
"No way…! I thought my innate soul power of rank seven made me a genius. But he's already got a ring?!"
"Yeah, did he repeat a few grades or something?"
"That's gotta be it… right?"
Whispers filled the air as curiosity and disbelief spread through the classroom.
People always love to speculate about things they can't understand—or refuse to believe.
Within just a few minutes, rumors had already spread like wildfire, and Lin Beiya had been firmly nailed to the so-called pillar of shame as a "repeat student."
As the chatter filled the classroom, a boy sitting mid-row, with sharp eagle-like eyes, slowly turned around. His gaze was filled with disdain as he looked at those gossiping classmates.
"Hmph. Just because you're weak doesn't mean everyone else is. Lin Beiya's first soul ring was hunted under my father's supervision. He awakened his martial soul at the same time as us—no repeats, no tricks."
The moment the boy spoke, the classroom fell into awkward silence. No one dared to refute him.
After all, no one wanted to offend the son of a Platinum Bishop.
That boy was Yu Quan, son of Yu Lin, one of the Spirit Hall's Platinum Bishops. Having seen Lin Beiya's potential firsthand, Yu Lin had already told his son to treat this young genius with respect. Building a good relationship with Lin Beiya might one day shape his own future.
So, when the opportunity arose, Yu Quan immediately stepped up to clear the rumors. Then, he turned toward the back row and smiled politely at Lin Beiya.
The sudden friendliness caught Lin Beiya off guard. Still, he wasn't one to refuse goodwill, and so he returned Yu Quan's smile with a calm nod.
Sitting beside him, Shi Nuo—who had been fuming moments ago on behalf of his friend—tilted his head curiously.
"Beiya, you know that guy? Why'd he speak up for you?"
"No idea," Lin Beiya replied with a shrug. "I came later than you did. I don't know anyone here."
"Weird. He's the son of a Platinum Bishop! There's no reason for him to help out a commoner like you."
"Hmm?"
Though Lin Beiya hadn't caught Yu Quan's words earlier, Shi Nuo's brief explanation made everything click.
A Platinum Bishop's son named Yu…
There was only one possibility—this must be the son of that middle-aged man who helped him hunt his first soul ring.
So it's Yu Lin's kid… No wonder he's being friendly.
Even though Lin Beiya hadn't revealed much during that hunt, his displayed talent alone was enough for people like Yu Lin to take the initiative in forming ties.
"His father helped me get my first soul ring," Lin Beiya explained casually. "That's probably why."
"Ah, I see!" Shi Nuo nodded, then grinned.
"Still, you're insane, Beiya! You're already a Soul Master! I'm still struggling to reach rank nine!"
Lin Beiya couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's envious expression.
"Relax. You'll get your first ring soon enough. No need to rush."
"Heh, true! I already picked out my target soul beast from the library's compendium — the Blackstone Giant Bull! Sounds pretty awesome, right?"
Lin Beiya gave him a side glance, lips twitching slightly. As if choosing a soul beast were that easy…
Still, he didn't want to crush the chubby kid's enthusiasm. Who knows? Maybe Shi Nuo's luck would surprise him.
The first day of class passed quickly.
To Lin Beiya, everything felt new and refreshing. The teacher didn't immediately dive into martial soul cultivation, but instead spent the morning explaining the academy's rules, schedules, and the structure of the curriculum.
At Junior Spirit Academy, mornings were generally for theoretical lectures—introducing the different development paths of martial souls: Control, Power Attack, Agility Attack, and Support.
Afternoons, however, were left free for students to train their soul power.
After all, soul power was the foundation of every Soul Master.
When classes ended, Lin Beiya followed Shi Nuo on a tour of the academy, familiarizing himself with the various facilities before heading to the dormitory.
Compared to the crowded barracks-style dorms of Nuoding Academy, the Spirit Hall's facilities were leagues ahead.
Especially for the elite class, each room housed only two students.
Shi Nuo already had a two-person dorm, and by some convenient twist of fate (likely thanks to Old Qian's influence), the second bed had just been left vacant — waiting perfectly for Lin Beiya.
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End of Chapter