"Silence! All of you!" Miss Shurong barked, silencing the class once again. Her voice was like thunder.

The room became deathly silent, save for a small whimper from one of the boys.

"You're all cowards. Cowardice is the enemy of progress. As long as you stay afraid, the monsters will continue to hunt us. You need to learn to fight back against the fear."

Miss Shurong stepped out from the shadows and revealed herself.

"Calm down. I am no monster. I was merely revealing my Virah's ability." She smirked. The entire class was speechless.

Not because the situation seemed impossible or unbelievable, but simply because none had ever seen such a thing before.

"That was so cool, Miss Shurong." One boy cheered, clapping his hands together.

"Yes, it was. Now, if someone could tell me what type of Virah that was, I'll be happy to reward you."

It was quiet in the silence. Everyone was staring at Miss Shurong.

"Knowledge is the key to unlocking our potential," She smiled as she walked over to the podium, "Let me show you the next lesson."

Miss Shurong waved her hand, and several books flew across the classroom, landing on desks. They were ancient texts that contained information about the Virah and Cultivation method.

"I'm sure some of you might feel intimidated by my power, however, fear does not equate to weakness. I suggest that you all remember that. Otherwise, you may end up regretting it later on."

The class was still frozen in fear but slowly started to recover as the tension faded away.

"This is the strength of the Virah, the greatest monsters that roam the world. And as Cultivators, you will learn how to harness that strength."

"Yes, Miss!" they cried in unison, nodding their heads.

Miss Shurong then turned her gaze back towards the main entrance of the class.

"Now, let us begin. Today, we will be learning the basics of cultivation. Who can tell me the type of class that exists at the Institute?"

No one responded as it took a lot of courage to raise their hand and speak in front of the teacher.

"Very well, then-" but right before she could continue, a girl spoke out.

"There's the Soul, Core, and Arch Masters."

"Very good." Miss Shurong nodded approvingly.

"Now, I'd like to explain what each term means." She paused, waiting patiently until she could get everyone to listen.

"A soul master is a cultivator that has mastered the use of Virah's soul, which they can manipulate and transfer into their core. As you can imagine, this takes a great amount of skill to perform. It requires so much concentration and effort that it often results in the death of the cultivator."

"Wow, that sounds dangerous."

"Indeed. It is also very difficult to find a suitable host for a soul. The more powerful the soul, the harder it is to match.

At the back of the class, a group of students was listening to Miss Shurong attentively except for a boy with short, brown hair. He wasn't paying attention at all.

As Miss Shurong continued her explanation, he looked up at the ceiling, bored.

"Sigh, I would give anything to just be home and sleep." He mumbled quietly, leaning against his chair.

"What is wrong with him?" asked a girl next to him.

"He's probably homesick," said another student.

"Yeah, he's a noble student, you know," added a third. "They're well off whether at the school or back at their manors. Isn't that right, Rihan?"

Rihan didn't reply, he only shrugged it off.

"I don't really care about this crazy instructor. I would rather be at home sleeping." Rihan sighed again.

"You know, you shouldn't say that. You have a duty to your family, don't you?"

"I suppose."

"And besides, I bet you're just saying that because you're scared of being chosen for the trials."

"That's true," he admitted reluctantly. "But I can handle myself. I'll show you just how strong I am."

"Good luck."

"Yeah, you're gonna need it."

Soon they returned to Miss Shurong's lecture, where she continued explaining the basics of the three different classes.

However, Rihan continue to look around the room, lost in his thoughts."You should try to pay attention," the boy sitting beside him whispered in his ear.

Rihan turned towards the voice and saw a young boy with black hair and blue eyes. His name was Sung Li, and he hailed from the village of Jing'Er, located deep inside the mountain range.

"Why should I? I already know everything." Rihan replied.

"What if crazy Shurong asks something you haven't heard yet?" Sung Li asked.

"Then she can ask me."

"You should at least pretend to be interested in her lesson." Sung Li shrugged.

"Fine, whatever," he grunted.

The two were friends since they were little kids. They grew up together, went through the same training, and were in the same year at the school. They became really good friends in childhood.

"You seem distracted today," remarked Sung.

"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda tired," replied Rihan.

"Maybe it's because you've got something on your mind. Maybe it's that girl you like," suggested Sung. "She's cute isn't she?"

"Shut up! I told you already, that I have nothing going on."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Sung Li smirked while turning around.

***

The class ended, and Miss Shurong walked over to the boys.

"Well done today. You both did quite well. However, your lack of focus during the last part of the class was disappointing."

"Yes, Miss," they replied in unison.

Miss Shurong smiled. "It seems that you are not the only ones that have something on your mind. Perhaps you wish to talk about it to me. Is that correct, Rihan?"

"No, miss,"

Miss Shurong raised an eyebrow. "Is that so. Well, then, perhaps you and your friend here can come with me. We have a few matters to discuss in my office."

"Gulp…"

Miss Shurong led them to a small corridor, and the pair followed Miss Shurong to the instructor's chamber.

"What happened to them?" a girl whispered to her friend.

The other girl shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Maybe she caught them doing something they weren't supposed to," the first one guessed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I hope that doesn't happen to me," muttered one of the students.

"Don't worry, you won't be getting punished anytime soon."

"I dunno, maybe she found out about their secret rendezvous and decided to punish them."

A few girls giggled as the class continues their lesson, as they watched them go.

A young boy with black hair sat at the front of the class and stifled a yawn as he gazed at the instructor, Miss Shurong, walking away from the classroom.