As I walked out of the tower, I found brother Huang waiting for me.
"Hello Shen Bao, how was the class?" he asked.
"Interesting to say the least," I replied.
"Wei Lei didn't cause you any troubles did he?" he asked.
"Not much really, his father seemed pretty stern and subjective, he treated everyone the same, and explained the whole lesson equally without bias. Pretty cool dude," I said.
"What is a dude?" asked Huang.
"Oh, never mind that, it's just an expression, anyway, why are you here? Waiting for me?" I asked.
"Yes, the curriculum has been made, I'm here to give it to you, these are the classes that have been assigned to you, make sure to be present to every one of them. They're time adjusted to work in a way you can't have two classes going at the same time," he said.
He handed me a piece of parchment where I read the content.
"Inscription Class, Alchemy and Receptarism, Practical Combat Class, Weapon and Treasure Class, And Body and Soul Cultivation Class," I muttered.
"Yes, these are all the classes you'll be attending. Also for the Body and Soul Cultivation Class you have an interesting Teacher," Huang said smirking.
I looked at the name but didn't recognize it.
"Who is this Mu Yoon?" I asked.
"That's one of the Great Elders a black robe is actually teaching this class. And you probably met him, he was the one that came to your Pseudo Ascension", Said Huang.
"Oh, interesting that should be fun," I said.
"Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that, he hadn't taught anything in the Heavenly Academy for over a thousand years, he just took the mantel of a teacher recently. And from the rumors he is a very strict one, but I hope you can learn as much as you can, it's a chance not many can have," he said.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"The Class the Grand Elder I hosting is reserved for Red and Purple Robes only, not anyone else, you're the only exception, not even that girl," he said as he pointed with his chin.
I looked back and saw Yu-Yu standing there.
"Not even her, who was admitted through the request of the Wind Realm can attend his class, only you. And you alone, so make sure to learn as much as you can. Anyway, I think it's time for your Alchemy and Receptarism class, it should be held until the midnight, you should head out," he said.
Behind the scroll he handed me was a map of all the classrooms and the Alchemy and Receptarism class was not that far away from here.
"Yu Yu, what class do you have right now?" I asked.
"Mental Cultivation," she replied.
'Hmm, we don't have the same classes,'
"If you're wondering why you didn't have the Mental Class, it's because Master Rain said that you don't need it. Though I find it hard to understand, it seemed that Master Rain was pretty vehement and insisting that no one tries to probe around your brain,"
'Oh, perhaps of my soul power, or the thing that's currently acting as my soul. Master Rain wanted to keep it hidden.'
"I'll have to trust Master Rain on that then, I'll be heading out, Yu-Yu see you later," I said.
She nodded my way and I left toward the Alchemy and Receptarism class direction.
After a few minutes I arrived to a different tower, this one smelled of herbs and medicine. It also had massive amounts of smoke and vapor rising from every floor.
Students walked up the tower and headed up to their respective classrooms while I followed the letter's direction and ended up arriving once again at the top of the tower where this time it wasn't an open area but an enclosed one with a single hatch of an opening.
The room I was in was pretty spacious, it had more than two dozen large cauldron sitting comfortably on respectfully the same number of daises.
One seat however was higher than all of the other seats and the cauldron on it was dark instead of the bright gold of all of the cauldrons in the room.
There were many students here, people I've never met before they were all sitting in a lotus position next to their cauldrons waiting.
I looked around and found that only one cauldron was not occupied, it seemed that I was the last to arrive.
And when I headed to the cauldron I realized why no one took it.
It had a wide crack going through it.
Just as I was about to ask about the fracture on the cauldron, a Purple Robed Elder walked in. It was a woman of a fairly young looking age. One would think she was in her early thirties or late twenties. She was wearing a velvet red dress and seemed to be exuding a charming aura that would cause anyone to immediately fall under her spell.
She looked around and I could swear that most male students had heart-shaped eyes now…but I rubbed my eyes and realized that it was probably just my imagination.
The woman however, knew she was beautiful and made sure to make it known, she fanned herself slowly and grinned behind her fan when she saw that everyone was 'salivating' at her.
"Good to see you all here today," she said. "Well continue our class from last time…" she said then came to realize that the unoccupied cauldron was now occupied.
"You must be Shen Bao," she said to me.
I nodded.
"Good, that cauldron has some damage on it, we'll ask the academy to get a new one, you can still use it for this class, and you don't need to worry about the result, none will be accounted for due to the furnace's damage if you fail to make today's pill," she said.
Pretty attentive.
I clasped my hands towards her, but I could almost see a flash of dissatisfaction on her face that disappeared the moment it appeared.
'What's wrong with this woman?'
"Good now, let's start, last time we worked on Soul Pills, I trust you all now know how to make ones with at least seventy percent purity?"
"Miss Ryoon, Miss Ryoon!" someone spoke.
Looking at the person speaking, he almost looked like a puppy wiggling its tail for his master, "I made this!" he said proudly.
Looking at the pill it was a Soul Pill.
The Elder walked up to him, took the pill and inspected it.
"Eighty Percent Purity, not bad, not bad," she said to the guy. "I'll have to reward you for your perseverance now," she said smiling at the man.
The other guy almost fainted, "No need your kind words are reward enough!" he said.
I almost facepalmed, good god man, get your shit together…it's just a pill.
Almost immediately she snapped towards me.
She saw my derisive expression at the absurdity of the situation right now.
"Shen Bao," she said.
"Yes?" I said.
"You seem to be conflicted about something, why don't you share your opinion, you almost feel like you're not respectful to your classmate's result," she said.
"I mean…is that soul pill something to take pride in even?" I said.
This caused everyone in the room to look at me with hate I've never seen before.
"Shen…Bao," she said. "You talk big, do you have what it takes to make something of similar quality? If not better," she said.
I didn't even need to make them, I pulled my holding bag and placed a bottle of pills right in front of me.
The woman approached and opened the pill bottle, she then poured some of them in her palm.
Her eyes widened for a moment, "Pill Veins…they all have Pill veins…how?" she said as she turned to me.
This caused everyone in the room to gasp. Pill Veins were not something you can see every day, and I had a bottle of Soul Pills full of Pill Veins…
"Those are not his!" one of the students said! "He must have bought them and he is here to show off his wealth not his skill."
"That can also be true, are these yours Shen Bao," she said.
"Well, they are in my holding bag so they are mine, but if you're asking did, I make them, yes I did," I said.
"You're talking a big game, Shen Bao, as a teacher here, I'll need to see you prove your words. Make a pill, you don't even need to make a Pill Vein Soul Pill, just anything above eighty percent quality and I'll believe you, but if I find out that you're a liar, I'll have you kicked out of my class!" she said.
"Why do I have to prove myself, what do I have to gain?" I said.
The woman frowned, "You gain the right to stay here in this class!" she said.
"Huh…and what do I gain from that, from what I just saw I fail to see how you're any better nor even at the level of my master," I said.
This caused the woman's face to change into an ugly scowl.
"You're saying that your master knows more than me in matters of Alchemy! Such a great boast,"
"It's not a boast, it's reality. How about this, what's the hardest Pill you can make?" I asked.
She frowned "I'm a Saint Cultivator, I make Pills that have the power to topple worlds, you think you can make something like that?" she asked.
"That would be bullying wouldn't it, I can't harness Saint Qi yet, how about what's the best Pill you can make under the saint stage, if you make one better than me, then I'll drop on my knees and beg you for forgiveness, if I make a pill that's better than yours, then you'll have to drop on your knees and ask my master for forgiveness," I said.
"Impudent little twerp!" she said, "Just because you look a little bit handsome, and have deep pockets doesn't mean you get to disregard a Purple Robe!" she said.
"You didn't answer my question, would you take the bet or no?" I asked.
"Right I'll take it, and I'll make you eat your words!" she said and immediately a surge of crimson fire rose up from around her.
"Oh, the new student is so dead, he probably doesn't even know that that's a Heart Flame she is using…"one of the students said.
"Ah he put himself in such an unenviable situation just for some attention, what a fool," others said.
I smiled "Oh, Heart Flame, pretty ironic," I said then immediately a surge of baleful green flames rose from around me. "I have one of those too," I said in a grin.