43. Bai Yan’s first soul skill is weak

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The Second Day of School

The second day of school also marked the second class of the semester.

It was another bright and sunny day.

On the podium, Teacher Bai Yan stood, delivering her lecture with her usual authority.

However, Quan Yi was engrossed in a book he had borrowed from the library, flipping through its pages with great interest.

Seated beside him, Huo Wu noticed his distraction and felt a surge of anxiety.

After yesterday's battle, she had developed a deep respect for Teacher Bai Yan's strength. That alone was enough to keep her focused—she wouldn't dare slack off in her class.

But to her surprise, Quan Yi was blatantly reading instead of paying attention.

He's too bold!

Huo Wu admired his courage, but she couldn't help feeling worried that Teacher Bai Yan would call him out in front of everyone.

Yet, as the lesson progressed, Bai Yan never once scolded Quan Yi—she didn't even glance his way.

This finally allowed Huo Wu to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, she had completely misunderstood Quan Yi.

He wasn't distracted at all—he was practicing his Distraction technique.

While his eyes were on the book, his ears were fully attuned to Bai Yan's lecture.

From the previous day's class, Quan Yi had already realized that most of the lessons covered foundational knowledge—concepts he had already mastered.

To make the most of his time, he decided to self-study while refining his ability to multitask.

This way, he could absorb new knowledge while also being prepared to answer any sudden questions from the teacher.

A true two birds, one stone approach.

After Class

"That's all for today's lesson. Class dismissed."

With that, Bai Yan announced the end of the lecture and promptly left the classroom.

Before exiting, she gave a meaningful glance toward Quan Yi and Huo Wu, silently reminding them about the afternoon training session.

The moment the teacher was gone, Huo Wu immediately turned to Quan Yi, her face filled with disbelief.

"Xiao Yi, you're too reckless! You actually dared to slack off during Teacher Bai Yan's class?"

Quan Yi smiled slightly and responded truthfully.

"I wasn't slacking off—I listened to everything she said."

But Huo Wu clearly didn't believe him.

Seeing her skepticism, Quan Yi didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he stood up and stretched.

"Let's go. We have to train at noon. If we finish early, we'll have more time to rest before afternoon practice."

Huo Wu sighed in defeat.

"Fine, let's go."

Noon Break

After lunch, the two headed toward the large tree beside the training field.

Quan Yi sat in the shade, quietly reading a book, while Huo Wu took a short nap, leaning against the tree trunk.

Since their afternoons were fully occupied with training, Quan Yi had very little time left for studying.

That was why he had come up with the idea of reading during class.

Even though daily training was exhausting, Quan Yi refused to neglect his studies.

Reading wasn't just a hobby—it was an important way to understand the world.

As scheduled, Teacher Bai Yan arrived at the training ground.

She stood before them and spoke, her voice firm.

"Before we begin, I have an announcement regarding our future combat training schedule."

"From now on, we will have combat training five times a week during this time slot."

"It's not excessive, but I expect both of you to give it your all in every single session."

"Understood?"

"Yes!"

Quan Yi and Huo Wu answered in unison.

Bai Yan nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"Before we start today's training, I want to hear your thoughts on yesterday's battle."

At those words, Huo Wu's expression wavered slightly, her eyes darting away.

Bai Yan, ever observant, immediately noticed.

"Huo Wu, you go first."

"Ah, okay..."

Huo Wu cursed her luck inwardly.

She quickly replayed yesterday's battle in her mind, knowing there was no way out. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to speak.

"First of all, I've realized my biggest weakness—I lack close-combat abilities. If it weren't for Quan Yi, I probably wouldn't have lasted even a single exchange."

This was, without a doubt, the biggest lesson Huo Wu had taken away from the battle.

Bai Yan nodded approvingly.

"Good. It's clear that you haven't let victory blind you. However, you don't need to worry too much about close combat. Your specialty lies in the control system. As you progress, you'll naturally develop various ways to handle close-range threats."

Bai Yan understood Huo Wu's current limitations.

Right now, with only one soul skill, it was natural for her to struggle against situations outside her expertise.

Then, she turned to Quan Yi.

"Quan Yi, I'd like to hear your thoughts as well."

Unlike Huo Wu, Quan Yi had already spent time analyzing his strengths and weaknesses—he had even begun working on improving his shortcomings.

Thus, when Bai Yan asked the question, he remained calm and answered without hesitation.

"Teacher, my strengths and weaknesses are obvious. My melee combat abilities are exceptional, but I lack long-range attacks. Also, my speed is not on par with Agility-Type Soul Masters."

Bai Yan smiled slightly—this was a student she never had to worry about.

Earlier that morning, she had noticed Quan Yi reading books during class. At first, she had disapproved, but upon taking a closer look, she realized he was studying advanced materials beyond their coursework.

Because of this, Bai Yan chose to let him be, rather than reprimanding him.

Now, she spoke up again.

"Your analysis is very accurate. But I want to remind you—your Martial Soul aligns with the Power Attack System. The weaknesses you mentioned aren't unique to you—they're common to all Power Attack Soul Masters.

"That's why your main focus shouldn't be on compensating for weaknesses, but on maximizing your strengths."

Quan Yi was momentarily stunned.

Focus on developing strengths rather than making up for weaknesses?

Before he could respond, Bai Yan continued.

"You remember my first soul skill, don't you?"

Huo Wu nodded immediately—it was that very skill that had drained all her soul power during their battle.

"Did either of you notice anything… unusual about it?"

Bai Yan's question made Huo Wu hesitate, but beside her, Quan Yi's eyes gleamed with thoughtfulness.

"There was something unusual…"

Bai Yan's words had triggered something in Quan Yi's mind.

After a brief pause, a realization hit him.

Bai Yan watched with interest, while Huo Wu grew impatient to hear the answer.

"Xiao Yi, don't keep us in suspense! Tell me already!"

Under their expectant gazes, Quan Yi finally spoke.

"Teacher, please forgive my bluntness, but in my opinion… your first soul skill is too weak."

His merciless criticism stunned Huo Wu, her eyes widening in shock.

"What did you just say?!"

Panicked, she grabbed Quan Yi's arm and shook him urgently.

"Quick! Apologize to Teacher Bai Yan!"

To Huo Wu, Quan Yi's words sounded like outright provocation.

Afraid of offending their teacher, she immediately turned to Bai Yan, trying to explain.

"Teacher, please don't misunderstand! Quan Yi didn't mean it that way!"

But before she could say more—

"Hahahaha!"

Bai Yan suddenly burst into laughter, catching Huo Wu completely off guard.

Huo Wu was utterly confused.

Shouldn't Bai Yan be angry?

Why was she… laughing?

Still chuckling, Bai Yan turned to Quan Yi.

"Very sharp observation, Quan Yi. And Huo Wu, you don't need to be nervous—he's right."

Huo Wu was dumbfounded.

"Wait… weak? But Teacher Bai Yan's first soul skill is so difficult to deal with!"

She had faced Bai Yan's attack firsthand—it had overwhelmed her completely!

So why were Bai Yan and Quan Yi both calling it weak?

A deep sense of confusion filled Huo Wu's mind.