Douluo Dalu: 1st Cycle: Dancing Panda

"Next." Karni said. The kids here really were not too naturally gifted, however they have also quite disappointed him in terms of their sense for battle. That wasn't on the kids. It was on the school and the teachers. It looked like Teacher Ye really was overworked; these children were not well trained. Karni didn't really expect to lose the bet, but he did expect to find a hidden gem between them, by at least understanding their limits.

He'd gone over two thirds of the kids now, and none of them satisfied him. He didn't really expect to find someone with the potential to join the Special Class, but he at least hoped to find someone decently gifted, whether in their natural endowments, or their instincts for battle. It was rare to find no one who could be considered talented in one way or another.

Usually, there were at least 20 percent of decently gifted children. There were thirty kids in this class. He had only 10 to go through. Li Teng could have been considered one of these, but his mentality was weak, and his sense for battle was also superficial. He did not look like someone who truly learned his family's swordsmanship. Karni had seen it in action many times, even before Li Tai refined it, and this was not it.

It almost looked to Karni like Star Luo City suddenly suffered a shortage of geniuses… or maybe just the academy.

Another boy came in front of him. He bowed to Karni and announced. "Ke Shu."

"Ke?" He looked to the homeroom teacher, who nodded.

"He's my son."

"I see. Come then, Ke Shu."

Ke Shu summoned forth his Martial Soul. Finally, after a bunch of below average students, another Soul Grandmaster. There was not a single Grandmaster until now, not counting Li Teng.

That's what Karni found so odd. These kids were eleven. In the best academy in Star Luo City. At least a third of these kids should have a second Soul Ring by now.

Karni could hear that as Ke Shu ran toward Karni, there was a small crowd of cheers from his fellow students. It looked like Ke Shu was the leader of the class. Not just due to power, but likely due to his father as well.

Armguards were on Ke Shu. His Martial Soul. The design of the Armguards featured waves of water.

Ke Shu's first Soul Ring shone, and the Armguards got a thin layer of water on them.

Karni met them with his Sound. And finally, the kid could take some of his hits. Liquid was decent for resisting him until he adjusted the frequency to be in line with the waves of the water.

But his skills did not bring enough water forth, not enough to resist Karni's Sound. Karni could see some potential here, but it was not Special Class worthy. No unique movement, clear overreliance on the power of the Armguards, no attempt to adapt and try something unique. Once Karni easily disabled the kid's Soul Skills, Ke Shu panicked and failed to set up even a simple defence.

He lasted 10 seconds. He could have gotten to at least 20 if he had a bit more experience, or if he tried something different. At the very least, that was Karni's judgement. Wulin struggled at the beginning of his path as a Soul Master, but he made up for it be honing his battle senses and thinking outside of the box. None of the children here had anything unique to them. Shallow battle sense, a lack of inner talent, and their imagination was rigid.

"Next." Karni said, while looking at the teacher, who seemed a bit sad. Of course, the parent wanted for his kid to succeed. Which parent wouldn't?

Karni sent a little message to the teacher through Sound. "Your son has some decent potential. But he lacks experience. If he had some, his skills would likely jump in quality. This class is a bit weak in talent, I don't think anyone here other than maybe Li Teng can give him a challenge. Perhaps that is part of the problem. Your son does not feel challenged, and he fell into the trap of comfort."

Ke Shu was surprised that Karni was willing to give advice to him. He bowed slightly in Karni's direction in thanks. Even though Karni was young, he was clearly more experienced than him.

Another child approached. They bowed and were defeated in three seconds. And so was the next one… and the next one.

"Next." Karni said, not showing any signs of his mild disappointment.

"Nan Genji." The girl with an unusual name bowed. She seemed a bit on the shy side.

The girl summoned her Soul Rings. Three… Three?? Karni was surprised. Two White and a single Yellow.

Her first and third Soul Ring shone. A little layer of substance Karni could not identify formed over her clothes, barely visible, but there was nothing else… until Karni looked closer. Her clothes were bulging a little more than before as well.

Karni struck at her clothes and felt the Sound almost losing itself. It was similar to how it felt when he fought against that slime in the Bamboo Oasis. It was what Ke Shu had almost succeeded in doing just before.

He struck a few more times, but the girl just held her arms close.

Then he struck at her exposed fist and immediately felt the Sound travelling through her body freely. That was… an unusual opening. Karni was slightly confused. This looked like an odd Martial Soul. He couldn't figure out what it was.

He disabled her other arm as well, before hitting her head, because she could not protect it anymore.

Twenty seconds. By far the best so far. But Karni was feeling some suspicion. Just a White and a Yellow ring were already able to keep her going for so long.

He removed the Sound. "Why didn't you use your second Soul Ring."

The girl was caught off guard. "B-Because it… wouldn't be useful."

"Hmm."

"What is your Martial Soul?"

He heard the class start snickering behind. The girl heard it as well. She seemed to shrink a little.

"Silence."

Karni's voice was heard over that whole area without Karni moving. The girl did not hear him. The class looked at Karni with a bit of fear. Their voices were forcefully taken away.

He stood up and spoke normally. "I do not understand why you would mock the most talented among you so far. The rest of you could barely last three seconds."

"But teacher." One girl said. "She has white rings."

"Two out of her three rings—one White and one Yellow—enabled her to last twenty seconds. She is better than Li Teng and Ke Shu in that. I did not hear those two laughing. She lasted twice their best time."

The class looked at those two. Li Teng and Ke Shu decided to stay out of it. They only looked thoughtful. They were taking Karni's words seriously.

"Fine, since none of you want to explain anything... Nan Genji. Return for now."

"Next."

… … …

Karni finished testing all of them, and just sent back the last participant, who only lasted five second. A girl with a defensive Martial Soul that didn't know how to utilise it, yet another case where, if she used it efficiently, she might have lasted up to 15 seconds.

Karni clapped, releasing a wave of Sound before the kids could continue chatting. "Next, we'll be seeing how you do as teams. You may distribute yourself as you wish. You need to find at least one partner, the most there can be in a team will be seven. A note: you will not be trying to beat me this time. I will be looking at how well you cooperate. If there are seven of you who give me a decently hard time because you just throw abilities at me, it will only show me that you do not know how to work in a team. Those that opt for this method will get harder lessons in the future. Though even if you do try it, you cannot succeed. My Martial Soul is good at dealing with crowds. Work with those you are most familiar with."

Karni smiled widely as most of them nodded. He only looked at their skill. However, some noticed the little challenge he gave them. He told them they will receive punishment for going the brute force method, but then said they could not win with it.

Karni wanted to test their mentality. Would some be overtaken by pride, or would any figure out that the key is to work together and try to beat him. Luckily, they either took his warnings to heart, or at the very least started thinking about his words.

After everyone finished sorting, there was only one seven-man team, and these guys looked to be familiar with one another.

But that girl that confused him before, Nan Genji, was left alone. Hm. Oh well, for now he'd let it be. He was testing teamwork. Forcing her to work with someone will help no one. She was clearly the odd one out in the class, Karni just did not know why yet.

"The rules are simple. I am allowed to use a single movement technique of mine. I will show it to you now, so you can try thinking ways around it."

Karni used the Drunken Ghost Dance, and the kids were both in awe, yet at the same time holding back laughter.

Karni smiled. "I know, I know. Looks a bit goofy, does it not? It's why I named it the Drunken Ghost Dance. It uses both a foot technique and my body core to transfer the weight. That's why I look a bit illusory, yet also like a drunk man dancing."

The kids chuckled a little bit. Karni was stern, but he clearly did not mind taking jabs at himself. Nothing worked better to relax people than to make fun of oneself a bit.

"I will also fight back more actively. I will use… both of my hands." Karni wiggled his fingers. And to Karni's relief, some of the kids chuckled at that too.

"Alright then. You four, closest to me. You start. The rest, get in a row as you please."

… … …

Karni was smiling. He just fought the last battle. While the kids were a bit lacking in talent and experience, those who teamed up did seem to actually have some teamwork. Karni could see the teachings of Teacher Ye in there.

"Alright then, one final thing before we stop for today. Everyone come around me. It doesn't have to be in a circle, just do not go too far away from me."

The kids scattered around, and yet again, he noticed that a few kids avoided Nan Genji. He got a bit frustrated on the inside. He would just ask, but… a shy kid like Nan Genji… Karni was a teacher now. This meant he had to consider what was best for the kids. He had to guide them. That was the role of a teacher. Even if it was his first day, Karni knew that much.

But how to do that… that was much harder to answer. He couldn't just say they should start hanging out with Nan Genji. That would never work.

"Alright then class, sit down and meditate. I am about to start putting pressure on you. You will not have the time to focus on the others, so I suggest you genuinely meditate with resisting the force I'm about to put on you as number one priority. I will start slowly, so you can get an idea of this, then I will increase the pressure. Everyone understands?"

The kids nodded. Karni smiled. "Okay. Here I go."

The Royal Bamboo Panda was summoned, and the third Black Soul Ring shone. The kids looked with awe as this was Karni's first time activating a Soul Ring.

He pressed his palms to the ground. Blooming Loti sprouted all around them.

The kids soon understood what Karni meant. A constant, yet weak Spiritual Pressure was released upon them.

This skill was a defensive control skill. Those within the Loti Karni considered enemies would get pressure of his Spiritual Energy released upon them, and those not would feel refreshed. Furthermore, any attacks from the outside that were considered Spiritual would get weakened a lot.

The more Karni constricted the area, the more control he had over the pressure and refreshment. That was why he often used it as a clutch shield. It didn't really shield him, but it was a strong disturbance through pressure. For now, he could only control it to such a degree with Lily's help.

When Lily contributed, he could sprout a single Lotus from his palms, a strong and powerful Lotus, that had all of it condensed into one. It was able to act like a powerful Shield, that was subpar at blocking physical attacks, and fantastic when blocking Spiritual Ones. It was also great to release sudden pressure onto whoever crashed into it.

This was yet more reasons as to why he had to calm down and figure out how to do things efficiently. He had to refine the control of his skills one by one. He had to go back to the starting line.

The training field thus became surprisingly beautiful.

 The pressure increase very slowly. Karni was starting at one percent. Every five seconds, he raised it by half a percent. Most of these kids were only One Ringed Soul Masters, and his abilities were quite potent for them.

Two minutes later, a few of the kids were getting tired. Karni walked around and analysed everyone, while slowly increasing the pressure.

The weakest kid passed out ten seconds later, and Teacher Ke was about to take him out, but Karni just shook his head. "It will do good for his Spiritual Energy if he stays here."

After being completely exhausted, Karni changed the pressure into refreshment. It would only benefit the children to go through such a process. The child might stay passed out, but his spiritual energy would be soothed.

It was one of the main aces in Karni's skills when it came to raising another monster generation within the Special Class. Their training regimen was going to be a bit more intense.

As the minutes passed, more and more kids started passing out. At 5 percent, only ten remained. At 10, only three. Li Teng, Ke Shu and Nan Genji. Karni looked at Nan Genji. He knew it. That child was talented, but her mentality seemed very weak. If she was so talented, why was she letting the others treat her that way? Or was she intentionally keeping to herself? Whichever case it was, neither were good, but one of them was easier to solve than the other. With her strength, she should be able to gain acknowledgement if she showed it somewhat. This was the world of the strong after all.

Li Teng passed out at 12 percent of the Blooming Loti's power, Ke Shu just a bit later at 13. But Nan Genji stayed till 15 and was beginning to really struggle now.

Karni decided not to increase things anymore. Instead, he introduced another element. Any more than this might become dangerous. His bloodline started circulating, and he freely released Relaxing Aura. But he did not just release it; he infused it into the skill.

He discovered he could easily infuse Relaxing Aura into all his panda skills. It made sense. Relaxing Aura belonged to the Royal Panda Bloodline after all.

He learned a lot in the Bamboo Oasis. What was Relaxation? There was a reason he called it that and not Friendly Aura. It relaxed people. It did not just make people friendly; it made it so people would relax around Karni, which gave an illusion of friendliness. But Relaxation was so much more than just being friendly.

To relax was to feel comfortable, to relax was to calm down. Only relaxed could one fall asleep. That was why Karni could always easily fall asleep. He could relax instantly, leaving his mind free to sleep.

This combination of Relaxing Aura and Blooming Loti became Relaxing Loti, as the aura infused directly into the Lotuses, and spread everything around. When the Spiritual effect of the Blooming Loti combined with the Relaxing effect, Karni could bring awaken a want to sleep in others. It could even be said he was forcing them to feel sleepy.

Soon, everybody was sleeping with ease… except this Nan Genji. She continued to struggle, despite her body starting to relax. She was overwhelmed by the want for sleep, her muscles felt so comfortable. Karni slowly increased the effectiveness of his Aura as well. A full release could knock everyone around him asleep if he wanted to, as long as they were within the area of the Loti.

He sat down next to Nan Genji and knocked on her head. She immediately regained her senses, feeling wide awake, the pressure disappearing. She was surprised to find out that she was the only one awake.

Karni showed the scene. "See this? You're the last one standing. The only one who kept struggling."

Karni saw genuine amazement on her face.

"So. Are you going to tell me what is going on with you?"

The girl looked embarrassed. "It's due to my Martial Soul. It's hideous. It makes me look ugly."

Karni was a bit surprised, though he didn't show it. "So what? What does it matter how it looks? Just beat the shit out of them."

"Huh? Just… what?"

"Nan Genji. I can see that this is a source of insecurity to you, but you are a Soul Master. The Martial Soul is part of our very being, part of our Soul. There is a reason why Martial Souls often show one's character as well. Take Li Teng as an example. The Cloud Sword. He is as aloof as the clouds, and his personality is sharp like the sword, but there is also a sense of freedom and confidence. It suits the Cloud Sword, no? Except he did not refine himself or his Martial Soul, hence why the bad aspects stand out. I know because his cousin Li Tai is my friend. He is just as aloof and confident, and he likes to feel free, but he learned to separate arrogance from aloofness." Karni smiled.

"And your Martial Soul. You call it hideous. You hide it. But it is a part of you. And you focus only on its appearance. But have you asked yourself what it is on the inside? What you are on the inside?"

"But it's a slug!"

Karni nodded, in thought. "Hm. That does make sense. A soft defence. No wonder you could resist the lowest level of my Sound and stay standing for so long."

"Huh?" The girl was baffled. That was what the teacher thought of when she said slug?

"My second Martial Soul is similar in characteristics to yours, actually. I know the strength of such Martial Souls. Come with me. Step out. We'll do that exercise again."

"That exercise? The first one?"

Karni nodded. "Use all of your abilities. The only one who can see you is Teacher Ke and I. No need to feel embarrassed. Use your full power."

"I… fine."

She summoned all of it.

With the first skill, her muscles changed. Her skin turned wrinkly and brown and moist, just like that of a slug.

Karni decided to attack with one hand, and the girl activated her third Soul Ring. The yellow one. He could see as a bunch of mucus came out of her pores and a thick, very visible mantle covered all of her clothes. It was yellow and slippery.

His first attacks were blocked. She shielded her head with her arms. Then her second Soul Ring shone, and her eyes grew out, like tentacles. The girl now managed to position herself in optimal spots so Karni's hits would not be effective—so he could not attack her fists as easily as before. Her fists were one of the few spots not covered by the slug-like skin.

If Karni wanted to beat her now, he would have to break the rules. Either he had to use a movement technique to get close, or use an underhanded trick, which was not the point of this exercise.

Thirty seconds passed, and the girl was panting.

"Congratulations. Here." Karni gave her the Oasis Bottle.

"I… can I really?"

"Not just that, I have something more in mind. If you fight Li Teng and Ke Shu in front of everyone and win, I will recommend you to be transferred into the Special Class."

"What? But I only have White Soul Rings?"

Karni nodded. "That's exactly why. You can handle my Sound with only White Soul Rings. Despite the quality of your rings, your cultivation seems steady, and what's more, your control over your Martial Soul, the fact you could repress to such an extent that I couldn't tell what it was in our first fight, is far, far above your peers. I honestly do not understand why the school hasn't recommended you for the Special Class yet." Karni said and looked to Teacher Ke.

Teacher Ke was in shock, not because Karni questioned him, but because of what he just saw. "Of course the school didn't! We knew she was a Soul Elder, but we have never once seen her do… any if this! We thought what she showed before was the most she could do!"

Karni nodded. "That explains that. You've been hiding. Is it due to your Martial Soul being a Slug?"

The girl turned downward, questioning her whole life. "Yes." She could have entered the Special Class with this… this Martial Soul? She had a hard time believing it.

"So how about it. If you defeat Li Teng and Ke Shu in front of everyone, I'll get you there."

"Does it have to be in front of everyone?" The girl shrunk back.

"Yes." Karni said firmly. That was most important. She needed to get over that insecurity fast. He couldn't just tell her to get over it, but he could affect her motivation to stand up for herself. Luckily, he believed that was possible. She was still young. If she realised her own potential and internalised it, it should give her a big confidence boost.

"I'll give you until tomorrow to decide. If you decide not to, then forget it."

"I'll do it!" The girl suddenly screamed, while her eyes were shut tight.

Karni smiled, holding back a chuckle. "In that case, let's wake everyone up and get this over with."

"Eh? Now? But you said tomorrow!"

"I said you have until tomorrow to think. I see no reason why we cannot do it now since you decided so fast. Are your Soul Power reserves low?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah, they're only at fifty percent."

"Then drink this." Karni threw her what looked like a bottle filled with pure energy. It was a modern version of Milk Bottles from Ten Thousand Years ago. It was essential equipment for Soul Masters above the Soul Elder rank. It was forbidden during most tournaments though, and most of the times, if the battle was intense, a person couldn't use it. But still, everyone had it with them, due to their sheer convenience.

The girl grabbed it and recognised it. Karni could see her fizzle out. She hoped her lack of Soul Power could move the whole event to tomorrow.

Like hell Karni would allow that to happen. If she could get over this now when she least expected it, it would be that much more effective.

The class woke up. Karni quickly explained that Nan Genji would fight Li Teng and Ke Shu one after another. But he did not explain why. He did however mention that she was the last one standing. Quite a few of them had a change in their expression when they heard that. It ranged everywhere from doubt to amazement. Li Teng and Ke Shu were especially amazed, but they were more surprised about the challange.

The girl did not only win the physical test, which was essentially what the first test was, but also the Spiritual one. Karni was aware of the girl's Spiritual Prowess. She was around the 400 points mark, which was very impressive for a Martial Soul that did not have Spiritual Aspects in it. Karni guessed that practicing control over her Martial Soul, as well as all the hiding she did, served for a great training regimen of her Spiritual Power.

But it also affected her negatively. She advanced faster due to being alone, but with her current insecurities, she would have a hard time breaking through the Spirit Sea Realm in the future. Spiritual Power did not equal the stability of the mind.

Karni was familiar with it as well. Any sort of long lasting frustrations and insecurities could affect a breakthrough negatively. It was only after he released all of his frustrations that he broke through the Spirit Abyss Realm. He believed he would have broken through earlier otherwise. Most likely in battle against Lin San when he combined Disordered Drumstick Resonance and Resonant Spiral Force into Disordered Spiral Resonance.

Karni took to the field as the ref. He quickly prepared the space for battle. "Li Teng vs Nan Genji. You can go all out. I will stop any major injuries from happening prematurely."

Karni showed his Cosmic Instrument. The fourth Soul Ring shone. He spun the Staff and reappeared in the middle of the field. "I can teleport you to safety. Which means you do not have to be afraid of hurting one another, as even if it's at the very last moment, I will make sure you stay safe."

Both groups nodded. One of these parts was meant for Nan Genji, the other for Li Teng and Ke Shu. Li Teng and Ke Shu would not need to worry about holding back, while Nan Genji could confidently try out some risky things.

Usually, a Soul Elder vs a Soul Grandmaster was a guaranteed win for the Soul Elder, but not when the Soul Elder's Soul Rings were White, White, Yellow. That was three Spirit Souls. Not only were the Soul Skills of low quality, but the future achievements of such a Soul Master would usually stop at the level of Soul Ancestors, as they could not advance after that.

Someone with two Yellow Soul Rings had a Martial Soul with a much higher quality, and that quality usually guaranteed a win over someone with two White Soul Rings and a single Yellow one.

Not to mention that the girl seemed to have only just broken through to the rank of Soul Elder. This fight would be much closer than expected.

Or so most of the class thought. Karni expected something very different.

He counted down for the start of the battle. The match started.

Li Teng rushed forward, while Nan Genji, thankfully, decided to take this seriously. Her White Soul Ring fully released itself. Her whole body went through a change, becoming wrinkly brown.

There were some "ews" heard from the girls watching, but Karni did not block the Sound. Nan Genji needed to grow some thick skin regarding people's comments about her.

Li Teng attacked; both of his Soul Rings fully activated. He was about to strike, when Nan Genji's third Soul Ring shone, enveloping her in a mucus mantle.

The sword struck and… Nothing happened. Nan Genji and Li Teng looked at each other, both were surprised. When she only partly released the Soul Skills, he could always cut through them.

Karni nodded in thought. 'That's right. Realise just what you have been suppressing. So, what if your Soul Rings are weak, your Martial Soul is not so simple. You are a Soul Elder.'

Li Teng slashed a few more times, jumping around from one direction to another, but he couldn't slash through.

Then the girl decided to finally strike back. Karni was actually surprised at what he saw. Her muscles moved like some squishy waves. From her shoulder down the arm, the wavey muscles become bigger and bigger, before reaching her fist, and being four times the size of her normal hand.

The attack connected with Li Teng, who had never even seen it before, and knocked him on the ground.

Everyone waited for him to stand up, but he didn't. He was knocked out cold.

Karni Shifted next to him, just in case the attack was stronger than he anticipated and sighed in relief. He really was just knocked out. It seemed like his brain got jumbled up a little. He tapped his head, waking him up. Sound was great at both relaxing and disturbing people. He only gave Li Teng a little shock.

Li Teng woke up and looked around. He realised he had lost.

Karni didn't announce anything. He let the results speak for themselves. "Continue. Next is Ke Shu vs Nan Genji."

That last attack was no Soul Skill. It was Nan Genji's own control. This is what Karni considered her biggest strength of it all. She had immaculate control over her body and muscles. It actually reminded him of the Body Sect techniques, except she developed this control on her own. Lacking in ability to get suitable and strong Spirit Souls, she focused on her technique. And Karni valued that above all else. Without technique, his own Cosmic Instrument would not have been anything special.

The attack just now also explained why her fists were exposed. It was a point of body not protected by the wavy slug skin, because it could be used for a powerful strike instead.

Karni announced the start of the next battle. Nan Genji and Ke Shu were in a close-range fight as soon as the fight started. Ke Shu's Soul Rings shone. His first Soul Ring applied a layer of water on the Armguards that he could shape into weapons or shields. Nan Genji could easily deal with this. The attacks were weaker than Li Teng's.

But the second Soul Ring gave her some trouble. The second Soul Ring created waves the size of humans. It was not exactly an attack, but control that moved one around. A push and pull. Ke Shu did not even get the chance to truly use this ability against Karni.

The waves might not hurt her, but they were knocking her around. They were too strong for her to resist. This very skill was the main reason Ke Shu was the leader of the class. If one got caught inside the waves, they would almost never be able to get out.

And while one was caught, Ke Shu attacked with his first Soul Ring freely. This was the combo of Tidal Chaos and Forming Waves.

Even if the attacks didn't really damage Nan Genji, there was only so long she could face the attacks head on.

Her second Soul Ring shone. Karni smiled. That Soul Skill was what morphed her body most. She didn't use it against Karni when they were watching at all. It looked to be her biggest insecurity.

Her eyes became tentacle eyes, and even more "ewws" were heard. She looked like a humanoid Slug, and unfortunately, children this age liked to judge by appearances.

But the "eews" quickly vanished when Nan Genji broke free. She broke free and even started anticipating what was going to happen. Karni was already thinking it in the 30 second test, but now he had confirmed his suspicions.

The extended eyes seemed to increase her senses and sensitivity to the world. She could see things clearer, and from what Karni saw, likely in an increased field of vision to that of a normal human.

Soon she found the opportunity for that same attack she did on Li Teng. Her whole body twisted, and the power came from the whole swing with a built-up strike. But Ke Shu managed to put his Armguards up soon enough. He was knocked back and was about to attack again, but she already jumped.

She also expected that he would expect it, because she knew Ke Shu and his observational skills. They've been classmates for years after all. She did not give him time to breathe. Mid-air, she spun with another swing, another built-up force, with a wavy, powerful strike at the end. He barely managed to defend this one, but his defence wasn't properly put up, and the third hit Nan Genji opted for a shorter and faster swing, one which ended with her hand being only twice as big instead of four times as big.

It was enough. Ke Shu was knocked on the ground, still conscious, but had difficulty breathing.

"Nan Genji wins." Karni announced it this time.

The rest of her classmates were silent. They looked at her with a variety of eyes. Some were mad, some positively surprised, some were scared.

Karni announced to everyone. "Congratulations Nan Genji. And welcome to the Special Class. First class is today at 12. Don't miss it."

"Y-Yes!" She was ecstatic and even did a little victory dance, not caring that others were looking. Girls who used to mock her looked especially jealous, while others looked with regret.

"This is all for today. If any of you manage to impress me over the next three years, I will consider adding you to the Special Class as well. Nan Genji, get some rest. Your curriculum will change from now on, so no need to see the rest of it today. You can blame me if any teachers come asking questions."

With that he said his goodbyes and went to his next class. After he finished with the regular classes today, he would have to report that he found a talent to the Headmaster so the transfer could be completed.