"Teacher Wang."
Su Zhan kept his gaze fixed on Doberman as he spoke each word deliberately: "Right now, I have no interest in these things."
Wang Mingyuan followed his line of sight and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll help resolve this matter. If you had an A-rank or lower soul, Doberman would just serve a few years in prison. But now..."
"What's the price?"
Su Zhan didn't even turn his head.
There were no free lunches in this world - everything had its price tag.
Wang Mingyuan's smile gradually faded. He hadn't expected his student to see through things so clearly. With a serious expression, he said: "Simply join the official Awakened organization. In Daxia, we have many ways to deal with traitors, but towards heroes, we've always been generous."
"You mean the Aberrant Purge Division?"
Su Zhan frowned slightly.
"Yes and no."
Wang Mingyuan explained: "The Aberrant Purge Division maintains internal stability in Daxia. But the external threats facing our nation far surpass internal ones. The organization that resists foreign invasions is naturally the military..."
"Just tell me directly what you want me to do."
Su Zhan had no patience for this explanation - he only wanted Doberman punished immediately.
Wang Mingyuan didn't take offense. Glancing at the crowded surroundings, he said patiently: "This isn't the place for such discussions with so many eyes and ears around. But I promise you, I will ensure Doberman receives the punishment he deserves."
Su Zhan turned to meet Wang Mingyuan's gaze.
All he saw was sincerity.
"Let's go."
After one last cold glance at Doberman, Su Zhan left the scene under Wang Mingyuan's escort.
Yet even after his departure,
the crowd remained unsettled.
"Damn, he rejected such favorable conditions? I would've agreed immediately!"
"Haha... With an SSS-rank, he could go to Awakened academies in the capital or Demon City. Why stay in a small place like Jiang City?"
"Exactly! All the talent flows outward, leaving Jiang City's Awakened weaker each year. No wonder Aberrants grow more rampant - that villa incident proves it. Sigh..."
"People gravitate towards higher places, water flows to lower ground. Human nature."
......
Teaching building.
Rooftop.
"Teacher Wang, you're quite interesting - liking rooftop meetings like this."
Su Zhan gazed at the scenery below while teasing.
"What kind of person am I?"
Wang Mingyuan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with a smile.
"A seemingly ordinary teacher who's actually a deep-concealed Awakened."
Su Zhan turned around, cutting to the chase: "Teacher Wang, tell me - who are you really?"
He'd asked this question before.
Back then, Wang Mingyuan hadn't answered.
But now, with his SSS-rank soul awakening, everything was different.
"Have you heard of Daxia's Four Great Awakened Academies?"
Wang Mingyuan avoided answering directly, posing this question instead.
"Daxia's Four Great Awakened Academies?"
This was Su Zhan's first time hearing the term: "You mean... the Capital's First Awakened Academy, Demon City..."
"Wrong."
Wang Mingyuan waved his hand, expression turning grave: "Fifty years ago, the Western Great Wall was breached by the Mist for the first time. Back then, most of Daxia's Awakened were concentrated in the capital and Demon City. The western garrison desperately sent distress signals, but when reinforcements arrived..."
He paused: "Three entire military fortresses with eighty thousand soldiers had already become nutrients for the Mist. When the Mist invades, it won't stop until everyone within its range is dead, and the territory becomes permanently lost! Meaning those three fortresses were forever claimed by the Mist!"
Su Zhan noticed Wang Mingyuan's hands trembling slightly.
"The cruelest irony? The capital was hosting a grand banquet at that very moment."
Wang Mingyuan gave a cold laugh: "Some were clinking glasses while others were plugging breaches in the wall with their flesh and blood. After this painful lesson, Daxia realized Awakened are national treasures that mustn't cluster in prosperous cities. Like chess, the strongest pieces must be placed where most needed. Thus the Five Great Awakened Academies were established to recruit talents."
"Though with restrictions - northern academies recruit northerners, southern academies recruit southerners, western... But not entirely. Daxia doesn't want compartmentalization but proper division of labor. So while the five academies prioritize local recruits, it's not due to restrictions but optimal allocation. An SSS-rank like you would initially be assigned to Vermilion Bird Academy. Once stronger, you'd be deployed based on national needs."
"The five academies are named after Daxia's mythological beasts: Azure Dragon of the East, White Tiger of the West, Vermilion Bird of the South, Black Tortoise of the North, and Kirin of the Center. Daxia won't repeat past mistakes - this is the purpose of the five academies."
Wang Mingyuan's eyes shone with pride as he continued:
"Azure Dragon Academy guards the seas, having repelled 217 deep-sea Mist beast tides in thirty years. White Tiger Academy holds the deserts, having just destroyed a Mist nest last year. Vermilion Bird Academy continuously supplies talents to secure the southern borders. Black Tortoise Academy still reinforces the Northern Great Wall day and night. As for central Kirin Academy - though not in warzones, they adjust deployments wherever Awakened are needed."
"What does this have to do with your identity?"
Su Zhan's gaze remained impassive.
Was it inspiring?
Yes.
Did he feel moved?
No.
As someone who'd already envisioned his darkest possible future,
he couldn't empathize.
Wang Mingyuan lifted his shirt, revealing a vicious scar on his waist.
The scar bore an eerie blue hue, as if corroded by some inhuman force.
"I was originally a southern border guard. When severely wounded ten years ago, the military gave me two choices: retire to logistics or screen potential talents at grassroots schools."
Su Zhan now understood his identity.
And Daxia's five-academy system.
With a bitter smile, he asked: "Do I have a choice?"
"No choice."
Wang Mingyuan's gaze turned piercing as he enunciated each word:
"For fifty years, Mist creatures have grown stronger while devouring our borders. Daxia has no retreat left. A decade ago, the southern fortress I guarded only faced seven or eight small Mist tides monthly. Now? Dozens assault it each month."
He exposed the sinister blue scar again:
"Back then, frost-devourer wounds like this were rare nationwide. Last year alone, Vermilion Bird Academy treated eleven students with identical injuries."
Su Zhan silently studied the scar.
Had the Mist's offensive grown this severe?
Beneath its calm surface, Daxia was far from secure.