Volume 1, Chapter 12 — “The Team of Seven Thunder Beasts”

Volume 1, Chapter 12 — "The Team of Seven Thunder Beasts"

"Haо Bu... haah... what do you want?" he asked.

Tang Hao stepped forward and said:

"Didn't you get it? Let the girl go and walk away."

"Are you kidding me? — Hao Bu snorted. — She's my future wife! You two better stay out of our business!"

"What kind of girl would fall in love with a stick like you?" — Xiu Li said with a smirk.

Hearing that, Hao Bu burst into rage:

"What?! How dare you?! You want me to show you your place?!"

Tang Hao stood in front of Xiu Li protectively and calmly replied:

"Try me."

"Argh, you! First spirit skill — Dragon's Breath!"

A fiery pillar burst from Hao Bu's mouth, rushing straight toward Tang Hao.

Seeing this, Tang Hao used his first spirit skill. Vines shot forward and clashed with the flames.

A powerful explosion shook the area.

Hearing the blast, Liu Yao ran toward the sound.

"Enough!" — a girl's voice rang out as she stepped between them. — "Stop this fight!"

Tang Hao and Xiu Li froze, confused.

"But we were just trying to save you from that fatty..." — Xiu Li muttered.

"You didn't need to save me. Hao Bu is a good guy... but we're just not meant to be," — she said, covering her face and running away.

Hao Bu watched her go, a gloomy expression on his face.

Liu Yao arrived and asked:

"What's going on here?"

"These two interfered in my personal matters," — Hao Bu said, pointing at them.

"So, you got into a fight with the fat one, huh?" — Liu Yao muttered.

"He started it!" — said Xiu Li.

"I started it?!"

"You should've warned us!" — she retorted.

"You little—!"

"Alright, enough," — Liu Yao cut in. — "This is Hao Bu, one of the three senior students of our academy."

"So there were three of you already?" — Tang Hao asked.

"Yes. Now come on, the Headmaster is waiting."

"Understood."

They walked to the center of the village, where the rest of the students were already gathered. The new arrivals lined up and waited.

"Brother, I wonder who the Headmaster is?" — Xiu Li whispered.

"We'll find out soon," — Tang Hao replied.

In the distance, two teachers appeared. One of them was Bo Lin… and the other—

"Brother! That's the same charlatan from before!" — Xiu Li hissed.

"Xiu Li, quiet! Don't say that out loud."

"But why does Teacher Bo Lin's face look so beaten up?"

Everyone noticed the bruises on Bo Lin's face.

The teachers approached and stood before them.

"Students," — the man said, — "my name is Xin He. From today onward, you are official students of the Thunder Academy. You're not just geniuses — you're monsters. Remember, in other academies, students graduate when they reach the rank of Intermediate Mage. But not here. You'll only graduate when you become High Mages."

"Whoa… we have to reach High Mage to graduate?!" — Xiu Li gasped.

"Headmaster, what if we don't reach that level?" — Lu Hin asked.

"Good question," — Xin He said with a stern gaze. — "Then you'll be expelled."

The seven students looked disheartened.

"Alright. Let's get started," — Xin He continued. — "Lu Hin, Chan Li — three laps around the village."

"What?! Why? We're support-type mages!" — Lu Hin protested.

"And what of it?" — Xin He stared at her coldly. — "Being a support mage doesn't mean you shouldn't train your body."

"No! I'd rather train my spirit than waste time running!" — she snapped.

"Haa… what will you do if the enemy uses a mana-sealing artifact? You'd become dead weight to your team."

Furious, Lu Hin raised her voice:

"I'm one of the strongest here! My spirit is the Heavenly Flower! I'm the daughter of the Clan Leader of the Heavenly Flower!"

With a sly grin, she added:

"If I tell my mother about this, you won't be able to keep this pathetic academy running!"

"One of the strongest?" — Xin He scoffed. — "You're the weakest one here."

He began listing:

"Xiu Li — attack mage, level 24.

Tang Hao — control mage, level 25.

Liu Yao — attack mage, level 27.

Hao Bu — attack mage, level 24.

Hua Li — agility mage, level 22. Her level may be lower than yours, but at least she respects her elders."

"And what about Chan Li?" — Lu Hin asked desperately.

"You also reached only level 10 upon awakening, just like Chan Li," — Xin He said, glancing back.

Lu Hin clenched her fists, but had no words to reply.

"So yes — you're the weakest one here. Clan of the Heavenly Flower or not."

In Lu Hin's mind, Xin He's words echoed over and over again:

"You are the weakest one here…"

She couldn't take it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned and ran toward the girls' dormitory.

Watching her go, Xin He said calmly:

"She's the daughter of the Heavenly Flower Clan. She's been spoiled since childhood. She'll come to her senses… eventually."