Volume 1: Chapter 3 – My Teacher
Feeling accomplished, I returned home and see that mom has already prepared dinner.
“You’re home! Were you good today in class?”
“I was very good! Right, mom today I picked the major and minor magic elements I want to study.”
“Ah! Come quickly husband, our son has picked his major and minor magic elements!”
“Really? Son did you choose wind magic?”
Hearing the news, dad quickly ran over.
“Definitely not, obviously our son chose to study water magic, right son?”
With eyes brimming with hope mom looked at me.
My mom is an intermediate water element mage and dad is an intermediate wind mage. Since the moment I have been born, they have been arguing about what magic element I should choose as my major.
Watching their eyes brimming with hope, ah, what am I going to do? I had forgot all about them. My small brain thought quickly on how to answer them.
“No, no, not at all. The major magic element I chose was neither the wind element nor the water element.”
“What?” The two of them looked at me with surprised eyes.
“Then what did you choose? Did you choose the earth element or the fire element? Either of those is unbefitting of my son. You didn’t even consult me or your mother of choosing your magic element. This month you’re not getting an allowance!”
“Is your ass itching for a beating!?” Dad said with a threatening look.
“No, no. It’s not like that. Mom, dad don’t be upset. I didn’t choose the fire element or the earth element, I chose the light element. I chose it for your sakes!”
“What? Because of us?”
“Yes, of course it’s because of you two, but also for our family’s harmony. It is like this, think about it, if I chose the water element, dad would be upset. If I chose the wind element, then mother would have certainly killed me, so I didn’t choose either of them. Fire magic and mom’s water magic mutually suppress each other, so for my gentle, beautiful and kind mom, I couldn’t possibly choose it. Earth magic and dad’s wind magic also mutually suppress each other, so for my handsome, charming and powerful dad, I couldn’t possibly choose it either. So I chose the light magic which doesn’t oppose anyone else’s magic in the family. Because I was thinking about our whole family’s happiness, this is what I chose!”
As I said this I looked at mother and father with eyes brimming with tears.
Looking at the teary eyed me, mother couldn’t help but come and comfort me.
“Our Zhang Gong is such a good son, doing this for the sake of his parents.”
Father also came and embraced us. I really like this loving and harmonious atmosphere but I did not expect some nonsense and two tall hats would have fooled them into uniting. Ha ha.
“Zhang Gong, in the future you must study properly. You must at the very least become an advanced rank mage!”
“Yes father, I definitely won’t disappoint you two.”
Mom looked like she suddenly remembered something. “Zhang Gong, light spells in the elementary rank and intermediate rank didn’t have any attack magic right since people rarely study light magic.”
“Don’t worry, you two can be assured that I will definitely become an advanced mage.”
I’ve become so clever. If I wanted to work hard, I wouldn’t have picked light magic. Haha, I’ll trick them first then worry about it.
“Well fine, let’s eat and celebrate our Zhang Gong’s choice.”
A night without words.
The next day, in the morning working up by both the sun and mother’s call. I eat some breakfast and Ao De is already here.
“Zhang Gong it’s time to go to school. Today the classes will be divided.”
“I’m coming. Let’s go!”
Just like yesterday, we step into the classroom.
The old witch walked in.
“Enough, quiet down students. We’re going to start dividing the classes. In this group of 5 classes, everyone has already picked their major and minor elements to study. All 5 classes will be rearranged into new classes according to the element that was chosen. Three classes for fire, two classes for water, two classes for wind and one class for earth. Now I will announce the classes each of you will be in. As I read off the classes, go to the class you have been assigned.” There’s no need to question the fire element’s attack power.
Impossible, how come there isn’t a light element class? A huge question mark is produced in my mind.
“Tang Di, fire element class one. Li Cha, fire element class one….. Ao De, water element class two…..”
Except for me, all of my classmates have been assigned their class and one by one they left to for their assigned class. After the last student leaves for their class.
“Zhang Gong, follow me to see your teacher. Since there are only 10 light element mages in the world the academy has specially arranged for a teacher to give you a specialized tutoring.”
Oh no! Specialized tutoring, it must be a temperamental teacher. My death is assured now. (I can’t suffer this old witch’s pain!) While thinking this, I walked with teacher out of the classroom.
Arriving at the teacher’s office on the third floor, isn’t this the principal’s office?
“Go on Zhang Gong, come in with me.” seeing me hesitating, the old witch gave me a pull.
“Oh, good, teacher.”
Entering the principal’s office, I see the principal behind a big office desk smiling at me.
“Teacher Lin, is this the Zhang Gong that chose to study the light element in your class? Let me introduce myself, I am a Great Mage with my major element being spatial and my minor element being light. My name is Xi Yu Xiu, but call me teacher Xiu.”
My eyes followed the principal’s hands. Ah, this is going to be my teacher? A 50 year old man? Looking him from head to toe, he looks like a spotless purple robed mage shaking with energy. On his chest is a mage badge with four stars. (A mage’s rank can been seen by the number of stars on his badge. Each rank risen corresponds with an additional star while an apprentice mage has no stars.) Wearing a serious face, he seemed quite ominous.
“Hello Teacher Xiu, please look after Zhang Gong.”
“Teacher Lin, no need to be courteous.”
“So you are Zhang Gong. Hey, you better study magic properly under me. I’ll have you know I’m very strict. I hope you will study hard as I will try my best to impart my knowledge onto you.”
What can I say? My eyes had already lost hope. How could I have overlooked this? I’m going to become cannon fodder! So miserable! God of Creation, you treat me so unfairly!
“Thank you teacher. I will put in great effort.”
It seems from now on I am going to have a hard time.
On the way home, Ao De asked me who my magic teacher was. In order to save face, I boasted that I had a very benevolent teacher. Ao De enviously told me that his class’s teacher is extremely fierce. How could he possibly be fiercer than Teacher Xiu? I could only hope that Teacher Xiu has a heart attack tonight and becomes unable to teach me.
Right as Teacher Xiu was eating dinner, he sneezed and thought ‘Who’s cursing me?’
Later, historians records of Xi Yu Xiu (Teacher Xiu) show that: If there hadn’t been the Great Mage Xi Lu Xiu to build the foundations in to the Child of Light when he was still a child, then there wouldn’t be the Child of Light as we know it.
Laying this so-called solid foundation had such a great effect that the Grand Magister, known as the Child of Light, trembles at the name of Xi Lu Xiu even thirty years later.