Chapter 310: Invitation


    Shout-out to TheMightofTheMaster and SagaKanonfor joining my patron! Thanks a lot!!


    ***


    Nik was officially recruited and even if his martial arts weren''t exined properly, it was deemed a good addition to the lesson n to all the sses. Nik was tasked with the responsibility to divide hid own techniques so that the most basic training was provided to the Apprentice sses while the intermediary, advance, and genius sses were given more attention.


    Nik was even provided with a schedule. Unlike what he imagined, the most burdensome subjects were forced onto the Genius sses. Essentially, even when the kids in this world are allowed to awaken their spirits at the age of six, most of them are restricted to get their spirit rings. The elders of the Glory City had unanimously decided that before each and every youth had received a basic form of education in the subjects that civilize a human being, they are not allowed to get a spirit ring.


    For this, all the students who clear the apprentice course of the Holy Orchid Institute are given the pass to hunt for spirit beasts. Of course, this policy was only formed after a slight mishap in recent years. The mishap was only mentioned and never got discussed in detail.


    So, in essence, while the Genius sses were the most technical, the students were smart enough to understand most of it. Meanwhile, the Apprentice sses had the most basic of sses but the number of students was extremely high and the failure rate of themoner students was quite great, too. Anyway, many of them had long lost their hopes to be a great spirit master.


    Nik also went through the basic concepts discussed in the sses once again. While he was approved to teach the students, Ye Sheng had to appoint Nik with a teacher and it was only after Nik''s concise demands that he was ced with Shen Xiu.


    Who else could he want to be paired with? She was the only fox he knew.


    "Hmm... the ssification of spirits... alright. The ranks of spirit masters... easy. The great legends? Meh. The inscription patterns... scarlet ming- ugh...


    Oh, yeah," Nik muttered up and closed the book drawn up to guide newbie teachers and took out another book ced within the drawers of the table in the corner of his room.


    "The basics of alchemy... alright. So we just put all the leaves and boil them..."


    Nik went through the contents with interest. Inscriptions never caught his eyes but alchemy did. Shinobu and Shizuka used to speak on many topics rted to medicine in great lengths and Nik always felt slightly short-speeched whenever the duo started to chat about their interest.


    s, he wasn''t a medicine man, he knew that after fifteen minutes of reading. The premise of alchemy was based on trial and error. In essence, most of the concoctions invented are constructed out of luck while the remaining were born out of pure genius. Closing the book on alchemy, Nik opened the lesson ns that contained the pointers regarding the main historical events of the Glory City when his door was knocked on.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Nik stayed silent and waited. If it was something important, the person would knock again.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Nik frowned. There was no one else supposed to be within the school aside from a few teachers. A day had already passed after his demonstration and nobody had contacted him. So, if it was something really, really important, his door would be knocked again.


    *Bang* *Bang*


    "Damnit! I know you are in there! Open up!"


    It was Shen Xiu. Nik frowned for a moment. If it was Shen Xiu... was it really important? Though beautiful, Shen Xiu had a temper. And Nik was just about to start dissecting his techniques so that he can teach the kids.


    "Open up!"


    Shen Xiu''s yell resounded within Nik''s room once again as Nik finally stood up and unlocked the door. It had been a day since he met the mboyant Shen Xiu and Nik had to admit that in a day, she was able to change her entire demeanor through a slight tweak in her clothing.


    "Yes?"


    Nik remarked Shen Xiu informally while his violet hues nailed her down. Shen Xiu was a tall woman and she easily reached Nik''s cheeks. Unlike the clothes before, she wore a slightly more decent dress. The round cors covered the base of her neck before outlining her b.r.e.a.s.ts and sticking to her smooth abdomen. The slit of her dress near her legs was still there. From her thighs, Shen Xiu''s lower limbs were exposed. Nik now easily attributed this fashion to her battle techniques.


    "I was just informed that I am supposed to be your introductory teacher. Why?"


    "I suppose that a rash person has made a lot of mistakes and being a teacher, that person may try to make amends."


    Nik spoke up as Shen Xiu frowned further, "I am not a brash person."


    "Your defeat states otherwise."


    Nik was relentless. If he even gave a single inch now, Nik knew that he would have lost his chance to hook up with the hot redhead in front of him. And as Nik predicted, Shen Xiu''s temper red once again. She crossed her arms under her melon-sized b.r.e.a.s.ts and spat coldly, "I did not lose. I could still fight."


    "If there was some spirit beast instead of me, your ass would have been punctured by now."


    Nik reminded and leaned down slightly, "Now, if you want to say something, speak. Either way, I will be the one to judge if you are a brash person or not when the sses start."


    His hot breaths impacted her face. His rude words made her stomach feel the butterflies and his impudent gaze made Shen Xiu feel hot and boiling. Just not in rage this time.


    "You!"


    "I am going to close this door," Nik spoke somberly, "Next time you knock, be sure to have a proper sentence prepared beforehand."


    Nik moved swiftly and closed the door, mming it shut in front of Shen Xiu''s face!


    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    Shen Xiu instantly banged on the door once again,pelling Nik to open it. The two matched each other''s gazes for an entire minute before thedy spoke up.


    "I am not a brash person. You will see."


    Nik wished to point out that she took an entire minute before forming that sentence, but why ruin the mood when he could extend thepanionship with Shen Xiu. With a smirk, Nik stepped forward, making Shen Xiu take a step back with slight hesitation forming on her expression as Nik closed the door behind him.


    "Then let''s go. You are my introductory teacher, right? I know nothing of the spirit rings or the stuff. Teach me. Let me see how you would teach our students first hand."


    Shen Xiu frowned at Nik''s words.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, let''s put it to test if you are a brash person or not. The sses will start after three days, right? So I will apany you these days and even in the sses until we conclude anything."


    Nik didn''t dare expose his toothy grin, not after hooking Shen Xiu so deeply.


    Shen Xiu couldn''t help but grow gloomy. Since when was she supposed to prove others of what she was and wasn''t?


    "I am not interested."


    "Of course you are."


    Nik countered and pointed at her b.r.e.a.s.ts without any hesitation, "Your clothes are different, your arms are covered and even the boots cover your calves. I don''t mean to be presumptuous, but these changes are because of me."


    Nik took a step back, dodging the p flying towards him and frowned, "I am saying this for thest time. If you don''t want me to learn how to teach from you, then fine. I only chose you because you have guts."


    ''And b.o.o.b.s.''


    Nik spoke seriously and waited for Shen Xiu''s reply.


    The redhead''s expression changed continuously. She never experienced such a strange feeling coursing through her body and the worst part was, she wished to resort to violence to confront these feelings only that she could not even strike the person in front of her!


    ***


    "So, your mom gave you this hairpin?"


    Nik inquired as he focused on the light-brown hairpin that held a part of Shen Xiu''s hair. From her hair to her boots, Shen Xiu has presented herself as a fashion-savvy cultivator and even if she was ufortable with her cleavage exposed, the same did not apply to her limbs. It was only the strange wooden-metallic hairpin that did notplement any aspect of her clothing.


    Shen Xiu remained silent and continued walking towards the main gate. She had nothing to prove to Nik, she just thought that it might be a nice idea to show another member from one of the seven Middle-level Aristocrats around the western half of the Glory City.


    "You know, even if that hairpin is not from your mother, I can bet that it is a keepsake from someone important."


    Nik ced both of his arms behind his head and adopted a carefree gait while following Shen Xiu out of the Holy Orchid Institute. When Nik did not hear any reply from Shen Xiu, he shrugged internally and continued, "So, who do you think will be removed from the apprentice ss this year?"


    "Themoners, of course," Shen Xiu snapped a reply as Nik nodded. The youngsters from the middle-level aristocrats and the High Nobles were ced into the apprentice ss for the sake of formality. After the half-yearly exams, most of these kids will be ced into the Genius Block while the COmmoners with exemry grades would be ced into the Senior sses. It is only after passing the senior sses with an exemry grade that the kids from themon background can enter the Genius block.


    "You seem to hatemoners."


    Nik remarked as Shen Xiu halted her steps in the middle of the street and turned back to face Nik, "What''s there to like about them? They have no background and no resources. Even the talented ones s.u.mb to the backing of the ruling families. So? Why should I take them seriously?"


    Nik pursed his lips. Shen Xiu wasn''t wrong. But of course, her arguments stemmed from personal history that Nik wasn''t aware of.


    "What about themoners who do not s.u.mb to a backing?"


    Nik inquired in amus.e.m.e.nt as Shen Xiu smirked coldly and turned on her heels, "They then s.u.mb to their deaths. It''s not like they are forced."


    The surrounding citizens turned their heads and averted their gazes as Shen Xiu passed through them. As big as the Glory City was, Shen Xiu was already well renowned in every part of the City. There weren''t many beautiful redheads with the backing of a great family named the Sacred Family in the Glory City. Although, many of the same descriptions did die whenever connected to the Sacred Family.


    For the next two days, aside from training, Nik shamelessly apanied Shen Xiu to get a better hang of the city and the various political interests while also enjoying the fierypany of the woman when suddenly, one day before the start of the sses, Nik found himself in the possession of a card.


    ''The Snow Wind Family cordially invites you to the auspicious asion of the beginning of Ye Hong and...


    Ye Ray.''


    Nik spat the wine within his mouth.