"An aura of a Heavenly King? Isn't that rating too high?"
From official Spirit Tamer (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) to Elite, to Master, and then to Heavenly King, the span between each level is immense! A Heavenly King-level Spirit Tamer is already a strategic asset, a high-ranking figure in a province.
Instructor Xiong chuckled. "I just think Su Hao has that potential. What surprises me most is that he comes from an ordinary family, yet he's achieved results that many descendants of Spirit Tamer families couldn't manage.
"However, his spirit is still at the uninitiated level, and the resources we can invest are limited. So Su Hao can lead at Ancheng No.1 High School, and even compared to top students from elite high schools, he's not far behind.
"But once he reaches the initiated level, some descendants of Spirit Tamer families or heirs of schools will have their spirits heavily supported by resources. By then, it'll be hard for Su Hao to stay in the lead.
"Besides, truly established Spirit Tamer families and schools have their own unique techniques and tactical systems, all honed over decades by many senior Spirit Tamers.
"Whether Su Hao can reach the Heavenly King level in the future depends not only on his own efforts but also on luck."
Yes, luck!
Hearing Instructor Xiong say this, Old Chen and the other teachers sighed with emotion.
The higher a spirit's level, the more massive the resources needed for cultivation.
Old Chen had been a top student in high school, got into a key spirit university, and in her freshman year, her spirit broke through to the initiated level. Yet, after all these years, she still hadn't reached the Elite level.
Su Hao might have the potential to become a Heavenly King, but... it's only a faint glimmer.
"Regardless, with students like Su Hao, Li Songting, Gu Lingyao, and Liu Ren in this cohort, at least in the joint practical training of the five schools..." Old Gu thought for a moment and said, "We can achieve a not-too-bad result."
"Especially Su Hao. Just his Little Fire Crow is at the level of a top student from Yunhua Affiliated High School. His Silkworm should be at its spiritual power limit... It's a pity. If his Silkworm could break through to the initiated level, even competing for the top three would be hopeful."
"It's already good. Think about previous years..."
In previous years, there was no field practical training.
But there were inter-school exchanges and spirit battles.
The top students from Ancheng No.1 High School who participated in exchanges were completely reduced to supporting roles, only showing up on stage, while the spotlight remained on Yunhua Affiliated High School and Yunhua No.1 High School.
"This year, our Ancheng No.1 High School can at least give Xingyuan High School and Pingcheng No.1 High School a huge shock!"
Old Gu thought about it, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
...
Su Hao didn't stay long at school.
Originally, he went to the battle hall to gauge the average level of his peers.
Then he realized he was overthinking.
At Ancheng No.1 High School, there wasn't a single one who could fight.
But as for the levels at Yunhua Affiliated High School and Yunhua No.1 High School, watching his peers battle couldn't give him a clue about those two schools.
Better not to watch.
Spend the limited time on the limitless... training of spirits.
Su Hao arrived at the Spirit Square, bypassed the public battle area, and walked further in to a hall.
"Hello, please open a beginner training room for me."
The staff member, scrolling on their phone, looked up and saw Su Hao's young face. Instinctively, they said, "Sorry, the training rooms here require a formal... formal... Ah!!"
They saw the Spirit Cultivator qualification certificate Su Hao handed over.
Out of professional instinct, they immediately picked it up and swiped it through the machine.
"Beep, Beginner Spirit Cultivator Card."
It was real!
"Hello, the training room is in Room 4. Also, you still have thirty hours of free usage time this month."
Su Hao took back the card, and with a Silkworm on his head, he walked toward the training room without looking back.
A Little Fire Crow cawed as it flew, closely following behind.
Only after Su Hao's figure disappeared around the corner did the young staff member look away and murmur, "So handsome."
...
The beginner training room was a large space covering over a hundred square meters, made of special materials that even an initiated-level spirit would find hard to damage.
The training room was also equipped with various training equipment, all free to use!
Su Hao wasn't here for the first time. He skillfully called up several targets.
After the big rocks at the back mountain, the training room's sturdy and durable targets had become Su Hao's first choice.
The only downside was the limited free time.
"Little Fire Crow, keep practicing Flame Claw and Wing Attack...
"Silkworm, start practicing fancy Energy Balls."
Su Hao stared at the panel.
Originally, he had planned for Little Fire Crow's main techniques to be Feather Needle, Fire Feather Needle, and Fireball.
The goal was to train Little Fire Crow into a long-range artillery platform.
Flame Claw was just a backup, giving Little Fire Crow some defensive capability when engaged up close.
But unexpectedly...
Little Fire Crow's claws ignited with flames, forming a fiery claw larger than its body. Like a child swinging a giant hammer, it moved with surprising agility, circling the target and tearing at it with each swipe.
Technique: Flame Claw (Modified) Modification Direction: Improved stability of Flame Claw, increased technique duration.
"How did Little Fire Crow turn into a close-range mage?
"It must be the Silkworm's fault!"
But although Little Fire Crow wasn't a durable spirit, it had Feather Substitute as a life-saving technique. Combined, it was like a high-attack, high-evasion warrior. This development path wasn't impossible.
Su Hao let it be.
He also designed two sets of tactics for Little Fire Crow.
One was the standard type, focusing on long-range bombardment with Feather Needle and Fireball.
The other was the burst type, centered on Flame Claw, supplemented by Wing Attack, with Feather Substitute used to ambush opponents in close combat.
"The Silkworm's fighting style is more stable, balancing offense and defense."
It condensed a soccer-ball-sized Energy Ball but didn't throw it immediately. Instead, it formed a second, then a third.
The several Energy Balls remained very stable. The Silkworm juggled them like a circus act, balancing them on its head, moving them to its tail, and then suddenly whipping them out.
The Energy Ball shot out with a whoosh, hitting the center of a target and exploding with a bang.
The Silkworm then stood upright, its tiny left and right legs each guiding an Energy Ball. The two balls were thrown simultaneously, spinning rapidly, curving in semicircles from left and right, and both struck the target's center at the same time.
The target buzzed and vibrated continuously.
Spinning Energy Balls weren't a modified technique, just like Little Fire Crow's spinning feathers—they were a skill in spiritual power application.
Like putting spin on a ping-pong ball.
But to play fancy tricks with unstable Energy Balls required an extremely, extremely, extremely high level of energy control.
Seeing this, Su Hao was fairly satisfied with the Silkworm.
Although it occasionally slacked off reading novels, watching shows, playing games, or doing something mysterious, it always completed—no, finished ahead of schedule—the training tasks he assigned.
Su Hao had nothing more to say.
Among the techniques the Silkworm had mastered, whether it was fancy Energy Balls, modified Charge, or the advanced version of Roar, Intimidation, each could serve as a trump card.
Besides that, there was...
Su Hao stared at the panel.
There was another modification, turning a support technique into a lethal one.
Technique: Silk Spinning (Modified) Modification Direction: Sharpness.