54: Chapter 54 The Five Monsters of the Vermilion Bird

The pens in the hands of Teacher Shen Yao and Teacher An Nuolan hit the floor with a "clatter."

Only then did they snap back to reality.

They exchanged glances, both seeing embarrassment in each other's eyes.

Then, looking at Lin Mo's matter-of-fact expression, they felt both annoyed and amused.

"You kid... you really think of yourself as an instructor, don't you? You actually gave us a lesson."

Lin Mo chuckled: "I got a bit carried away. It's mainly because I've been holding these thoughts in for too long, and there was no one to talk to about them."

Teacher An Nuolan rubbed her forehead, feeling that the tone of the day had completely gone off track.

"Teacher Shen, please don't take it to heart. This kid is just like this; his head is full of strange and bizarre things."

"No." Teacher Shen Yao picked up her pen, her eyes shining.

"I actually think what he said makes a lot of sense! Especially the part about the Soul Skill slot capacity limit. I've felt that many places in the 'Ten Great Martial Soul Competitiveness Theories' published by Master Yu were off."

"Some people clearly have an S-rank Martial Soul, yet they can't awaken Earth-rank Soul Skills no matter what. Now that I think about it, it might be because their physique and Martial Soul strength haven't kept up!"

Her gaze toward Lin Mo had completely changed, filled with curiosity and appreciation: "These theories of yours... did you figure them out yourself?"

"Yeah, just something I thought about in my spare time." Lin Mo didn't elaborate.

He couldn't exactly say that these were compiled by the AI in his head.

Lu Mengmeng leaned in and patted her chest: "My boss is amazing! Back in high school, he used these 'twisted theories' to drive all the teachers to the point of social withdrawal."

"Go away, go away. What do you mean 'twisted theories'? These are theoretical insights!" Lin Mo knocked her on the head, annoyed.

Teacher Shen Yao laughed: "Whatever they are, I feel like you could organize these theories. They might just provide new ideas for the academy's Martial Soul research."

Teacher An Nuolan looked at the notes she had just taken, her brows furrowed.

The theoretical points Lin Mo proposed were actually quite reasonable when thought about carefully.

Especially the fact that none of the Soul Skills the three of them awakened were Yellow-rank; this meant that every time they awakened, they precisely controlled it to the limit of their Soul Skill slots.

"No wonder you got full marks in liberal arts and theory; it turns out you really have your own unique insights."

Teacher Shen Yao carefully folded the notes and put them into her pocket, her gaze toward Lin Mo carrying a bit more scrutiny and anticipation.

This kid might just be material that could grow into a top-tier master.

"Alright, next one, Lu Mengmeng."

When it was time for the skill-showcasing segment, Lu Mengmeng immediately straightened her small frame, her eyes sparkling, clearly unable to hold back any longer.

After the five of them finished their introductions, Su Xiaoxiao was considered standard; the two Soul Skills she awakened were Yellow-rank High-grade and Profound-rank Mid-grade, with two more Soul Skill slots waiting to be awakened.

Mu Liuli, however, wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Her A-rank Martial Soul actually seemed a bit "at the bottom" in this team.

Among her three Soul Skills, two were Yellow-rank Mid-grade, and one was Profound-rank Mid-grade, with three Soul Skill slots still unawakened. The Wind Blade she used yesterday was already her highest-grade skill.

Before this, she had felt that she was somewhat of a little genius.

But now, compared to Lin Mo and the other two, her standard was really nothing to brag about.

A trace of embarrassment appeared on her cold face.

"Very good, I've noted everything down." Teacher Shen Yao closed her notebook, a satisfied smile on her face.

"After we go back, I will conduct a positioning analysis based on your strengths and weaknesses, and starting tomorrow, I will arrange team combat training."

As she spoke, she handed the notebook to Teacher An Nuolan, then stared at Lin Mo for a moment, her gaze seemingly profound.

Teacher An Nuolan took the notebook, flipped through a couple of pages, and looked up at the five of them: "Teacher Shen has a very sharp eye; she will surely be able to bring out your respective strengths."

"Understood!"

"Alright then, I heard that you three also have two combo Soul Skills. Can you use them and show me?" Teacher Shen Yao smiled and looked at Lin Mo and the other two.

"No problem!" The three of them readily agreed.

And just as Lin Mo's five-person team was honing their tactics in the training hall, far away in the western suburbs of Donghai City, at Vermilion Bird Academy nestled in the Vermilion Bird Mountain Range, a special lesson was taking place in a corner of the drill ground.

Master Yu Daruan, a top-tier master in the Dragon Kingdom, stood with his hands behind his back.

His black athletic wear accentuated his tall, upright stature, and his gaze was as sharp as a falcon's, sweeping over the three men and two women before him.

These five were all outstanding students among the current freshmen at Vermilion Bird Academy, their auras steady, their eyes revealing a sense of arrogance.

"From today on, the team formed by you five will be named 'Vermilion Bird Five Freaks,' also known as the Vermilion Bird Five Freaks team."

Master Yu Daruan's voice was not loud, but it carried a power that pierced the air.

"At the same time, you will also be the last disciples I, Yu Dajuan, will ever take in my life."

Upon hearing this, all five were shocked, and immediately, uncontrollable excitement welled up on their faces.

To be able to become the closing disciples of this legendary master was an opportunity many dreamed of.

A short-haired youth standing on the far left stepped forward, his tone respectful yet unable to hide his sharpness: "Disciple Tang Shan will definitely not fail Master's expectations!"

Master Yu looked at Tang Shan and nodded in satisfaction.

This Tang Shan was a possessor of twin Martial Souls.

One was an S-rank plant "Purple Jade Solitary Bamboo" Martial Soul, and the other was an SSS-rank tool Martial Soul, the "Overlord Soul-Devouring Spear" Martial Soul.

His innate Soul Power was level 10, and his current Soul Power was already level 28.

He was truly a top-tier genius in the Dragon Kingdom this year.

Back then, to prevent others from coveting it, he had Tang Shan hide the other SSS Martial Soul early on.

What was registered in the association was also the S-rank "Purple Jade Solitary Bamboo."

And this time, when he came to Vermilion Bird Academy, he conveniently poached him along.

The other four also responded one after another, fighting spirit burning in everyone's eyes.

Besides Tang Shan, there were three other geniuses with SSS-rank Martial Souls and one with an SS-rank Martial Soul.

And if Lin Mo were here, he would definitely recognize the girl with the SS-rank Martial Soul.

Because she was Lin Mo's high school class monitor, Qin Ran, who possessed an SS-rank beast Martial Soul.

Being selected by Master Yu Daruan was not just an honor, but also meant a future.

Master Yu Daruan nodded slightly, his gaze landing on the stone tablet engraved with runes in the center of the drill ground:

"From today on, daily training will start at seven o'clock with Soul Skill sparring, at noon we will study tactical deductions, and in the afternoon, we will climb Vermilion Bird Peak with weights."

"Especially you, Qin Ran."

Master Yu Daruan's gaze landed on the girl in green on the right side of the team, his tone becoming a bit heavier.

"Among these five, while your Martial Soul aptitude is not the worst, your progress is the slowest. You need to work twice as hard from now on."

Qin Ran was called out in public; her cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously clenched her sleeves.

But inside, she was holding back a sense of resentment—in her view, that boy named Tang Shan was the one at the bottom, just relying on the reputation of his S-rank Martial Soul.

Master Yu Daruan seemed to see through her thoughts and snorted coldly:

"I know what you are thinking. Do you think Tang Shan is the one who should be reprimanded?"

"Report to Teacher, this disciple does not..." Qin Ran defended herself with a stiff neck, but her eyes were somewhat evasive.

"No need to make excuses." Master Yu Daruan's voice suddenly became severe.

"In my eyes, there has never been a useless Martial Soul in this world, only useless Soul Masters! Tang Shan possesses an S-rank Martial Soul, yet he was able to cultivate to level 28 in just a few short months."

"What about you? Holding an SS-rank Martial Soul, yet you are only at level 21 now. You tell me, where exactly does this gap lie?"

These words hit Qin Ran's heart like a heavy hammer; her face instantly turned bright red, her lips quivering, but she couldn't say a single word.

Could it be... that she really was a waste, unworthy of this talent?

The two men and one woman beside her also showed expressions of embarrassment.

They were all proud children of heaven with SSS-rank Martial Souls, yet they were only around level 21 now.

Compared to Tang Shan's progress, they seemed somewhat inferior.

The master's words were like a mirror, making their faces burn.

Only Tang Shan's mouth turned up slightly. A flash of pride appeared in his eyes.

"Alright, enough said."

Master Yu Daruan retracted his gaze, his tone returning to calm.

"Start training. Three days later, I will take you to the arena for combat practice. I hope you will not disappoint me."

"Yes! We guarantee we won't disappoint Teacher!"

The five of them shouted in unison, their voices filled with a bit more heavy determination.