Chapter 22: History Lessons

At 4 in the morning, in the darkness of the villa's front yard, Xue Sha could be seen doing push-ups under the soul pressure of the skilled butler. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his muscles trembled with each movement.

"97... *ahh*... 98... *ahh*... 99... *ahh*... 100..." With one last effort, Xue Sha collapsed to the ground, exhausted, while trying to catch his breath. The skilled butler, with a look of respect and concern, withdrew the soul pressure.

After a few minutes of rest, Xue Sha slowly got up. "Now, squats," he ordered, his voice firm despite the fatigue. The skilled butler reapplied the soul pressure, and Xue Sha began doing squats, each one more difficult than the last.

Once the squats were done, Xue Sha prepared to do sit-ups. "Let's go," he said, and the skilled butler once again applied the soul pressure. Xue Sha began counting aloud as he performed the exercises.

"87... *ahh*... 88... *ahh*... 89... *ahh*... 90..." Suddenly, Xue Sha shouted, "Increase the pressure to level 40!" The skilled butler, with a look of concern, obeyed and increased the pressure.

When the pressure reached level 40, Xue Sha, his face red with effort, attempted one more sit-up. "91..." he murmured with difficulty, but his body couldn't handle it. He immediately passed out, collapsing to the ground without strength. The skilled butler, alarmed, quickly stopped the pressure and rushed to Xue Sha.

He carefully checked him and, relieved, saw that he had only fainted from the effort. Gently, he picked him up and carried him inside the villa, ensuring he was comfortable and safe.

"Young Master," the skilled butler murmured, "you must be more careful. Your determination is admirable, but you shouldn't risk your health."

With care, the skilled butler picked up Xue Sha and carried him inside the villa. He opened the bathroom door, where Yi Sheng was stirring the green water in the bathtub with a focused expression.

The skilled butler asked, "Yi Sheng, is the medicinal bath ready?"

Yi Sheng looked at the mixture, stopped stirring, and nodded. "Yes, it's ready. You can put the Young Master in."

Carefully, the skilled butler placed Xue Sha in the bathtub and stayed beside him, watching attentively, waiting for him to wake up.

A few minutes later, Xue Sha slowly opened his eyes. Seeing his caretakers, he said in a weak but firm voice, "You can leave, I'm going to shower."

Both bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Xue Sha pulled the plug from the bath, letting the green water drain. He removed his pants and underwear, tossing them aside, and stepped into the shower. After soaping and rinsing himself off, he dried with a towel, combed his wet hair, and, while looking at himself in the mirror, murmured to himself, "Maybe I should buy a necklace. If I have time, I'll go today."

He left the bathroom wrapped in the towel, went to his room, and dressed in his usual white clothes.

Xue Sha headed to the dining room and sat in the main chair. Gradually, the other household members arrived and took their seats. When everyone was present, Xue Sha said in a serene voice, "You may eat."

Breakfast consisted of rice, fried egg, and vegetables. Before starting to eat, Xue Sha drank two glasses of milk, feeling his energy return.

After finishing the meal, Xue Sha got up and, accompanied by his bodyguard, left the villa. They headed to the building where he was to give his first class of the day.

Upon entering his class, Xue Sha noticed there were only about 15 people. Each desk had the name of its occupant. Xue Sha found his seat and saw that next to him was a blond boy with blue eyes and an effeminate appearance. He sat in his chair, and the blond boy introduced himself with a smile, extending his hand.

"Hello, my name is Xue Feng. Nice to meet you."

Xue Sha shook his hand and replied, "Xue Sha."

Xue Feng wanted to keep talking, but just then the professor entered, so he gave up.

The professor walked to his desk, sat down, and looked at the students. "Today we're going to talk about the continent's history. Does anyone know how long we have historical records?"

No one responded.

"We have records from about forty thousand years ago," the professor continued. "Today we'll just do a general review."

He took a canteen from his backpack and drank some water.

"Forty thousand years ago, we lived in tribes, and beasts constantly threatened us. It was then that the ancestor of the current emperor of the Tiandou Empire successfully absorbed a soul ring. He discovered that people were dying because they tried to absorb soul rings that were too powerful for them."

The professor paused, and Xue Feng raised his hand. "Teacher, how did the emperor awaken his martial spirit?"

"Good question," the professor replied. "Normally, an artificial awakening is needed, but some achieve it naturally. You can ask your teachers at the Advanced Academy for more details."

"Let's continue," he said, clapping once. "After many generations and sacrifices, forty thousand years ago, the Tiandou Empire conquered the entire continent. However, ten thousand years later, evil soul masters emerged, using human blood to advance. A sect master, whose son was killed by one of them, decided to eradicate them. His martial spirit was an angel. Over time, he became a god, though it's said there was another god in the sea. Ten thousand years later, the vassal kingdoms rebelled, and that's how we reached the current situation, with the continent divided into two empires."

The Master was about to continue his explanation when the bell rang throughout the school. He paused and looked at his students.

"I guess our time is up," he said with a slight smile. "And I was also going to talk to you about how the current vassal kingdoms of the Tiandou Empire were created. What class do you have now?"

The children looked at each other until Xue Feng raised his hand and answered:

"Teacher, it's etiquette class."

The Master nodded, gathering his books and notes from the table. He stood up and walked toward the door.

"See you in the next class," he said as he left the classroom.

The children stood up in unison and, with a chorus of enthusiastic voices, bid farewell to the teacher:

"See you next time, Teacher!"