Old Teacher

Karni called up Qin Ming. "Let's see. I have only one question. Does the complexity of the things you draw affect how strong they were?"

"How'd you know?" Qin Ming wrote on his tablet.

"It was a hunch, nothing more." Karni waved his hands. It really was only that. But he did get a sixth sense for these things with more experience.

"Your task will be simple. You will draw ten pictures for me every day. You will time yourself. A 10-minute picture, 9-minute, 8-minute, so on all the way to 1 minute. Make them as detailed and as fast as you can. You'll be bringing these to me to check at the end of each day. When I deem it suitable, we'll shorten the timeframe. Every other time, you'll be cultivating. No distractions. Study, draw, cultivate. No working as a Mecha Designer in between. Right now, you need a solid foundation. After you have it, you can continue with studying Mecha Design. Understand?"

Qin Ming nodded, but he looked a bit dispirited. It seemed like the kid had a passion for designing.

"Qin Ming. After you finish in a year, if you give yourself a solid foundation, you will progress much faster in the field you enjoy. It's how our line of work works. If not for a solid foundation, I would not have become a 6-Star Designer when I was a Soul Ancestor. You're already above your peers, but you'll fall behind if you don't fix things now."

This seemed to light a spirit under Qin Ming. The boy nodded and already went to the side to draw the first picture. Good kid.

"Nan Genji." Karni called and the girl hopped on over. "I'll be honest, nothing much to add. You have solid foundations, what you need is experience in battle. Your control is great, you know what your abilties do. Your cultivation is more than adequate, as is your Spiritual Power." Karni did not dismiss her and instead called over Lan Meixiang, and the Qiang siblings. He looked over to Siduo, who nodded. They were on the same wavelength.

Siduo began. "You three will be doing mostly what you've already be doing. We can tell that Teacher Ye trained you. What you need is more pressure. I, personally, am already eager to train with you. You'll have a lot of one on ones with us, but especially with me. Nan Genji will join us. Outside of that, you four will also need to perform well in the Spirit Ascension Platform. It will be your number one priority. Especially you, Nan Genji. Your rings are weak. We need to strengthen them."

Karni added at that. "We have a classmate back in Shrek who started with a single White Ring like you. When he returns from his training, he will be the current leader of the Shrek Seven Devils."

Nan Genji blinked at that. And Karni smiled. "You will have a bit of a challenge because you have three Spirit Souls, but if you play your cards right, they might become part of your strength in the future as well."

Siduo nodded from the side. "However, this is all for general training. For more in-depth training, Lan Meixiang and Qiang Ruoye, you guys will be mostly under my wing. You have aggressive and fast styles, just like me. We will hone it."

Karni nodded back at that. "And I'll be taking a closer look at Qiang Enru and Nan Genji. Defense and agile, fast and smart movement of control. You guys resemble parts of me."

Karni took a breather. "Overall, however, you guys will be training under this."

Karni's Soul Skills shone. Three Black. The third one activated. A field of Blooming Loti grew.

The kids immediately felt the pressure increase. Qiang Enru commented under his breath. "Just like gravity of Teacher Ye."

Karni nodded. "If Teacher Ye breaks through soon, we'll be adding that as, well, especially to Nan Genji who didn't experience it. Your body is strong, but it's not on their level. It's only because you're a defence type that you can compare."

Nan Genji nodded.

"Unlike Gravity, Qiang Enru, my field gives Spiritual Pressure instead. Hopefully it will help make all of you surpass the Spirit Sea Realm by the end of the year. Qin Ming, you'll do this as well!" Karni yelled to the boy, who nodded.

"And you too, Xu An." Karni turned to look at the last member of the new Special Class.

Karni walked over to her. "You'll be playing music under my constant suppression. And you will not stop playing until I am satisfied." Karni cringed a bit on the inside. He felt like the elitist musicians back on Earth. But here it was mostly due to the character of the girl and the difficult bet she made.

"You'll also be playing music within this field. Where your mind is constrained."

The girl nodded. She did not have any complaints left.

"Hmm. Teacher Wu? Anything to add?"

Siduo nodded. "Vector boy. Those moves you pulled on yourself were great. I'll be testing those more often than you think. Karni will take care of your effects on others."

"Okay." Qiang Enru nodded.

"Oh!" Karni clapped, thinking of more stuff. "Qiang Ruoye, I have to ask. What's your plan for your next Soul Ring? What's your Spirit Soul?"

"Eh? Well, whatever my Spirit Soul gives, I guess. It's an Apple Tree."

"A regular one?" Siduo couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, uh, no… I think it's the Black Apple Tree?" She looked to her brother.

Her brother sighed and nodded. "Our father gave us our first Spirit Souls… we don't exactly get along with him and my sister doesn't like listening to him…" He side-eyed her. "Even when she should."

"The Black Apple Tree…" Karni thought. He decided to ignore the family drama for now. It didn't interest him, nor did it concern him, unless it affected their cultivation in a negative way.

"Your next Soul Skill could be supportive. I don't think that's exactly useful to you. From what I saw, your first Soul Skill multiplies your Martial Soul, while your second makes the leaves. And if my guess is correct, those are the reason for the potent toxicity?"

"Wow, teach, you're really good at seeing what we do."

Karni's eyebrow twitched. "It's my job. Which means I have to pay attention to you guys."

He shook his head. "Anyway, you want to be an Assault system, right? In that case the Black Apple Tree won't do you good."

"Oh?"

"Teacher Wu, can I bother you to look into what would be best for her? You know more about Assault types then I do."

"I started thinking about it when she mentioned her Spirit Soul already. I have a few ideas on what to look for already."

"Perfect. I don't have to worry about that then. Alright! Let's get to practice. Go into the Lotus field."

"Teacher Val, I'll take over this section. You should focus on the troublesome one." Siduo winked and went in.

Karni smiled a bit. They've decided to be professional inside the school. It felt a bit weird, but that wink suddenly gave him motivation for no apparent reason.

He turned to Xu An. "Let's start those music lessons, shall we?" He said with great enthusiasm.

… … …

"Again." Karni said. "Those two keys need to have perfect frequency."

Xu An strung them again.

"Better. Still not there."

"What is 'there' exactly?"

"Listen and hear. You need to know that."

"Ugh." She played the keys again while grumbling, but she played them with utmost seriousness.

"Mm. Okay."

"Okay?" She looked with flames in her eyes and played again.

Karni snapped his fingers. "Perfect."

"Yes!" She jumped up.

"Now do the previous two in a row and finish with this one. If one is wrong, you need to restart."

"Okay."

Next to that, Qin Ming was drawing. But not the practice Karni gave him. He was drawing in the field. Karni made him do live practice as well. The daily tasks he gave him were to be done outside of school or during rest hours.

The Blooming Loti field looked like chaos, but Siduo saw the beauty in it. In just a week, the kids were already looking better in their teamwork. They still couldn't force her to use a Soul Ring though.

There was a person watching from the side as well. Karni and Siduo had been watching the man for a while. They didn't know him, but they felt the power. He was stronger than Karni and Siduo individually, though not by much.

Siduo had also noticed that the Qiang siblings have been intense since he came. Not in a good way where they wanted to show their worth, but in a distracted way.

"Enough." Siduo said. She slapped the siblings into the ground. "You two are not focused. What's going on today?"

"You dare?!" The man screamed and jumped into the arena, intending to slap Siduo away.

Siduo turned and took the punch heading her way.

She stayed still. The man was pushed back. His eyes went wide. This kid just won against him in power?

His Martial Soul lit up. Literally lit up. It shined. His muscles grew, fur appearing.

"The Light Gorilla." Karni commented from the side, very calm. He was calm, because the dude was a Soul Emperor. Karni and Siduo could handle Soul Emperors.

"I wouldn't do that." Siduo's voice was low. Five Soul Rings appeared on her. Three Purple, Two Black. She was still suppressing her Soul Rings so they wouldn't evolve. The Soul Emperor had Four Purple, Two Black.

Immediately, Siduo brought out her Battle Armour. Tiger.

Her Aura Exploded. The man actually took a step back just from that.

"Dad. Fucking stop." Qiang Ruoye said with hostility.

"But they hurt you-"

"Just shut the fuck up!" Qiang Enru screamed, which was very unusual for the usually emotionless child.

"Okay." The man's shoulders slumped.

Karni was amused from the side. For such a seemingly overbearing person, he sure had a weakness for his children. What was up with that exactly? No parent would allow their child to speak like that to them. Complain maybe, maybe even listen if the kid had a really good argument. But curse them out? Telling them to shut up?

Siduo put away her armour. "Explain." She looked to the Qiang siblings.

Their dad answered instead. "I'm Qiang Guang. I'm their father."

"So? They showed an opening. We punish that, or they won't learn. It's not like we inflict injuries on each other."

"But still." The dad turned moody.

Karni decided to join. "They're aiming for Shrek. Everything we do is to strengthen them. We don't take aggressive shortcuts."

"Stay out of this. This is between me and her." His Light Gorilla glowed a bit.

"I could go for a warmup before my match with Teacher Wu if you want." Karni smiled and summoned his Five Black Soul Rings.

Qiang Guang's eyes widened. These two were both monsters.

"I swear to gods. Did you not hear our new teachers come from Shrek? They were meant to be part of the Shrek Seven Devils! It's around the whole fucking school!" Qiang Ruoye was angry at her dad.

"Language, young lady." Siduo said. "Staying calm while facing assholes is part of being a Soul Master as well… hmm. Teacher Val, any idea for training to keep them calm?"

"Oh, a bunch. Just yap on them endlessly. You're good at riling people up when you want to."

Siduo grinned. "Yea I am." She looked at the kids. "Be ready next time."

"But that's not fair. He's… He's our dad! There's no way we can stay calm!" It was, to their surprise, Qiang Enru who argued that.

"Alright enough. It's a conversation for another time." Karni stopped this before it went further. "The match is starting in half an hour anyway. Take the rest of the day off and watch closely. Teacher Wu and I will be going all out today. We'll talk to each of you about what you noticed after it."

"Yes." The whole group nodded and went off. The Qiang siblings didn't dawdle around.

The father stayed behind though. He sighed. "Yet another group of teachers where I can't protect my children."

"Look. I don't know how you perceive it, but we're not torturing them. They can drop out if it's too much. They know our goals anyway. They're trying to get more than 90 points on the Shrek Exams you know?"

"Phah. As if. They're talented, but not that talented."

"Wow." Siduo said. "You're a shitty dad. They have the talent. And they're being taught by two people who got over 90 points. Kiki had a full score."

The man looked a bit differently at them, not even registering the insult. Among all Soul Masters, Shrek really was the holy land. The father took their claims seriously. "Why didn't you two become Shrek Seven Devils?"

"Because we wanted to come here. The academy tried to throw the bait at us so we wouldn't. But this way, we can be with my family a bit. And I get to hang out with my little bro." Siduo smiled.

"Now excuse us, but we also have to prepare. Even people outside of Star Luo City are coming to watch. Half of them probably don't believe it's real, so we need to be in our best states."

"Right." The dad said dejectedly.

The two went off, but Karni stopped.

"Oh, um. Mr. Qiang?"

"Yes, Teacher Val?"

"It's about your daughter. Would you be willing to get a suitable Spirit Soul for her?"

"Of course. But why? She still hadn't gotten herself a third Soul Ring."

Siduo heard the conversation. Karni nodded to her. "Teacher Wu, if you will." He said.

"She has developed greatly as an Assault type." Siduo began. "She has the instincts for it as well. Unfortunately, the Black Apple Tree Soul Beast is not exactly an Assault type. Her current skills certainly aren't. But she managed to develop them in a unique way with imagination. She can't do that forever. It's better if she gets what she's skilled in."

"Mm. I understand. You suggest she gets the next Spirit Soul now."

"Yes, but the one I found to be most suitable for her is a bit difficult."

"Say it. I'll find it no matter what. I owe it to the children. You see, I…"

"No need to. We're not interested." Karni immediately shut him down.

But the man didn't listen. He seemed to be engrossed. He yapped for whole 5 minutes before he seemed to finally be nearing the end.

"…and I really did love both of their mothers. I did. They were both my girlfriends. I should have told them." He started crying. "They were both pregnant, with only a month of a difference between them. Who would have thought they'd be put in the same hospital room."

Karni and Siduo rolled their eyes. The man was a cheater, and he got them pregnant at the same time? "Please." Siduo said. "We need to-"

"They found out not long after and took the kids. They even became friends and live together. The kids grew up together. But the one thing they have in common, me, could only watch from the sidelines. They even inherited their mothers' Martial Souls." He sniffed.

Karni and Siduo were not impressed. They had no empathy for cheaters. Let alone a stupid one.

The man was about to continue, but Siduo tried again. "Smoking Pistol Shrimp. I want you to find a Thousand-Year-Old Smoking Pistol Shrimp."

That seemed to get the man's attention. It was regarding his kid after all. "Oh? I'm familiar. Why?"

Siduo cursed under her breath. "Fuck's sake. He knows it, and can't make the connection?" She then cleared her throat. "The Smoking Pistol Shrimp has incredibly fast water attacks, and he can make smoke. Two things your daughter utilises through Soul Tools. The smoke her bombs create make for a deadly area attack, while the water makes her poison more potent."

"Good. I'll get it. And for my son?"

"Your son?" Karni asked. "He doesn't need a different Spirit Soul at the moment. The pure Spiritual one you got him is perfect for him. Whatever skill he gets next should be suitable. I already told him to aim for amplification. The only thing he might need is a good Soul Tool that he can fight with. Like a weapon."

"Perfect. I'll fund it."

Karni blinked, then suddenly smiled. If the guy funded it… Karni had just the perfect idea for the type of Soul Tool that would suit Qiang Enru. The kid saw the vectors. He didn't just control them. One could say the kid had a bit of foresight due to that as well. The analysis type. He could even move objects similar to telekinesis, it just wasn't very efficient. If there were no vectors, if someone stood still, he wouldn't be able to control them.

The only constant force in the world was gravity. If someone stood still, the only vector he could manipulate was one of gravity, but due to it being a natural force, it was everywhere, hence it was the hardest to control as well.

Either way, the vectors reminded Karni of a certain Science Fiction power system. The most popular one from Earth. And he planned to make the kid a suitable weapon to go with it.

The problem was the development was likely to be expensive, and Karni already had plans to do a lot of engineering this year. He wanted to make a Black Mecha to have backup once they confront the police of this city; he wanted to complete the Greatsword; Siduo also needed a proper weapon—one of those whip-types. She had yet to fully explain it to him. It would already make him waste a lot of money. And he was worried about how to best bring out Qiang Enru's abilities. Now he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Now if you'll excuse us. We really do need to catch a match." Siduo nudged her head toward the exit and started leaving.

"Hey, you might as well come and watch." Karni added and followed Siduo.

… … …

Karni and Siduo were about to walk into the arena, before they noticed one final group coming into the arena. Kids from the Junior Academy were walking in.

"Sis! Sis!" A boy came running from the group. It was Jianyu.

He ran up to Siduo and jumped into her lap. Another girl came running from behind. "Jianyu! Stop embarrassing us! Senior we are sorry!"

"Eh? He is my little brother though."

"He is?" The girl looked bewildered. Then a chatter started between the whole group.

"See?! I was always telling the truth!" Jianyu smiled proudly. "I told you, Chao." He looked at the girl.

"Hm? Who's this. Your girlfriend? Kiki, my brother's got game!"

"She isn't! Big brother, don't listen to her!"

"Who is she then?" Karni decided to play along.

The girl blushed a bit. "I'm Wang Chao. I only transferred this year."

"Listen, listen. She's amazing. Her Martial Soul has these strong amazing vines that live in the sea. They can even channel my electricity!"

"Durvillaea?" Karni asked.

The girl's eyes widened. "How'd you know? It's Blue Durvillaea. It's a variant. It is more connected to electricity than most."

Siduo whistled. "Ho. Those algae are already good at conducting electricity. And you have a variant that can do it better than most?"

The girl nodded slightly.

"Now, now. What are you two doing questioning my students. You might be the people of the hour, but you cannot go interviewing my kids like that." A man walked over with a smile.

Karni and Siduo looked at him and bowed. "Teacher Yi. Long time no see."

"You two have grown up well. I never would have thought you'd become so strong, though I suppose I've yet to see the extent of it. But tell me. Is it true you guys almost made it into the Shrek Seven Devils?" Yi Lan smiled.

Yi Lan. The man who found Karni. The man who taught him and Siduo during their Junior Academy days. He was their teacher before Mo Qing was.

"We did make it, actually. We rejected the position." Karni said.

"Rejected? Why?"

"To go here. We wouldn't have been able to otherwise."

Yi Lan frowned. "Well, that seems a bit unwise. Isn't getting into the Shrek Seven Devils the most prestigious thing you could do? Think of the cultivation resources you'd have."

Siduo shook it off. "It would be the same. I'm the disciple of the Vice-Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion while Kiki here is the disciple of the Pavilion Master himself. Besides, we have some unfinished business here."

Yi Lan was silenced. "I don't know what to say to that, I will be honest."

Running footsteps interrupted the group. When they saw Siduo and Karni, they stopped. "Thank god, we didn't miss it! What would you have done if we missed your daughter being all cool?"

"Mom? Dad?" Siduo was confused. "You're late!"

"We know! Oh Jianyu, sweetie. How are you? Are you excited?"

"Of course he is!" Siduo yelled and hugged her brother. "He'll be rooting for me, won't you?" She turned to him.

Jianyu smiled. "Ye- Yea…" He looked to Karni. He felt guilty all of a sudden.

"Oh, come on! I'm your big sister!"

"But he's my big brother! I know him just as long as you." The boy pouted.

Siduo was stricken with shock while Karni laughed at her. "Thank you, Jianyu. I am brimming with confidence now."

"Oh, you're so asking for it." Siduo stared holes into Karni.

"That's what we're here for, aren't we? Besides we should get going."

"As should we." Teacher Yi said. "Actually, if you two ever want to be guest hosts at my class, I'd welcome you both. I think the kids would be excited."

"Sure." Siduo agreed immediately. "Now you guys go. We need to get prepared as well."

The parents and the class ran along, while Siduo and Karni walked to the arena entrance.

"You know, why are you so attached to your little brother. It's more than most people." Karni wondered. He had wondered this for a very long time.

"Well, he's cute. Do I need a reason?" Siduo shrugged.

"No, no you don't. But you have memories of a past life, don't you?"

"Hmm. I suppose you're right." Siduo looked nostalgic. "I used to have a brother in my past life too." She looked sad. "He died for me. He saved me, so I could live."

"Sorry. Shouldn't have brought it up."

Siduo shook her head. "It's fine. It's more than a hundred years ago for me now. I've been in the Divine Realm after that, then I've been here for another sixteen years… I never forgot it, but my wounds have healed. It's funny though. Little Jianyu is nothing like my brother. He's sweet, while my brother was a bit… arrogant. Haughty. And definitely not a hugger." Siduo couldn't help but laugh. "But he cared for me, and I cared for him. And that's what mattered… the odd thing is, despite the two being so different… someone interfered and reincarnated my brother into Jianyu as well. Their Aura is similar when they're serious…"

She looked to Karni who wore a soft smile. "Sounds a bit crazy, no? The coincidence would be quite big."

"I mean, you know me somehow, no? And you and I met again in this life. So maybe someone did interfere?"

Siduo nodded. "I know someone did, actually. Getting into the Divine Realm even once gives one a different level. It's a magical place Kiki. We cultivate Soul Power here. Every world has its own powers. Its own qi. But the qi there is of another level. Of a different quality. Immortal Qi. It heightens your senses. Transforms them. Hell, most gods could even reincarnate with their inheritance intact due to it."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because the thing that brought me here is that golden flow. It's not the typical way of reincarnation. That place used what Immortal Qi I had and stripped it. But with this odd way of reincarnating, I also gained senses. Comprehension into reincarnation itself for example. I can… feel people I know from the past. You, my brother… my mother and father."

"Woah, woah, woah. What?! Your parents have reincarnations?"

Siduo laughed. "Yep. It was probably the happiest I'd been when I came here. I've always been an orphan, despite having a brother. The two people who adopted me also turned out to be my parents."

Karni's eyes were wide. He once thought he had a good theory on who Siduo could have been in her past life. His guess was Ma Xiaotao. It all added up. Comprehension of Fire, knowing about the Evil Fire Phoenix. Being in Huo Yuhao's generation. One of the symbols on the Cosmic Instruments… But now he felt completely blind. Also, he was feeling a big headache right now. If this was before Star Luo Continent, he likely wouldn't have been able to hear it all.

"My comprehension in reincarnation is something I treasure. I remember I wished for those I loved to come with me. It was painful to reincarnate all alone. And I succeeded."

"We're all here." Siduo patted his shoulder. Karni was almost sure they were lovers in the past life, but he didn't have any memory of it, just like her family.

She looked at him. "Actually, you were a mistake. I didn't have any control over you, because you reincarnated through the flow and my family did not. I influenced their reincarnation, yes, but I influenced their regular one."

Karni was silent. "You were the one that interfered with them… but not with me."

Siduo nodded. "I can't influence the flow. If anything, I think the flow influences me at times."

"I think it's the same with me actually." Karni thought about it. What with the whole Cosmic Instrument thing? How he got here? It made sense to him. "However, I don't think I would talk about myself in third person. Oh, look at me, someone interfered." Karni imitated her.

She punched his shoulder in laughter. "Oh shush. Let me be a bit mysterious, you know-it-all."

The two laughed, relaxing a bit, but Siduo was still somewhat thoughtful. "But the times have changed compared to ten thousand years ago. Even if we reach the pinnacle, Godhood, we'll only be false gods. With Divine Realm gone, there is no Immortal Qi we can consume. We'll either need to learn how to create a Divine Realm or go searching for the old one. Without Immortal Qi, we're very limited when it comes to sensing that golden flow. We'll need to figure out how to return you to your family as well." She turned toward the stadium.

"I have some ideas in regard to that actually. But we'll need the help of Wulin and Gu Yue." Karni revealed some thoughts of his own. There was much to be done.

"Well, we are star-crossed lovers. We'll figure it out. One thing at a time, love." She made a cheeky smile. "Oh, but don't let all of this hold you back. I know more than just the power of Reincarnation… Fire and Ice…. Be ready. The Sun is hot, and the Moon is cold. And you know what my recent Spirit Souls have been." She gave him a soft kiss and parted to her side of the arena while only saying the obvious.

"You better watch out and come out swinging." She waved him goodbye.

Karni grinned. "Oh, I will come out swing. Don't you worry." For now, he would let loose and see if he could get any ideas about his new battle style.

The two entered the arena. It was full. All of Star Luo City came to watch. Shrek alumni were about to battle!