After the introductory class, Nik and Shen Xiu brought the students to the martial field. Their section was allotted the time from 11:00 to 12:00 in the noon for the students' practical training. Standing on the center of the field, Nik regarded each of them calmly before adding a short note to his mind to ask them to bring a change of clothes tomorrow while speaking out loud.

"All right, your practical training will cover up the basic fighting techniques. These techniques have more advanced versions which I will be teaching to the Intermediary classes and Senior classes, too. So, be sure to pay attention when I teach those techniques to you."

Nik clapped his hands and smiled warmly. Many students averted their eyes while their neck felt hot as he continued, "All right, before we begin, I want all of you to jog around this martial field one time," Then, with a somber expression, he looked at Nie Li and Shen Yue, "It is a simple task. If some of you won't even do that like sincere kids, I will throw you out of my class."

As he got the kids running along the martial field, he finally turned his head towards Shen Xiu and smirked, "Did you hit your head before coming to the class?"

"Shut up."

Shen Xiu matched Nik's gaze before sighing softly and puckering her lips up.

"Whatever. After this, you will be alone when you teach the inscriptions. Don't try to emphasize that the commoners won't be able to do anything in their lives."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Shen Xiu snorted and gazed at her nephew.

"Just a piece of advice. If you don't want to follow it, you do you."

Nik shrugged and looked at Nie Li. On Nik's hand was a parchment that described each one of his students. For the sake of his main quest, he was already selecting candidates that held potential within themselves.

'Nie Li... he awakened a tool spirit— Garden Hoe— a spirit the Heavenly Marks family that Nie Li originated from. He only had a total of 5 points of spiritual force when he awakened his martial spirit.'

Nik sighed and turned to another candidate. She had a better physique than most of the students present. Just like Nie Li, she also had orange hair. Unlike others, this girl was already present in clothes befitting a martial artist rather than the young daughter of the patriarch of a powerful family.

'Xiao Ning'er... she awakened a beast spirit— Lightning Wings Dragon. During her awakening ceremony, she had an astounding amount of 9 points of spiritual force.'

Most of the members of the Wing Dragon family possessed powerful beast spirits that allowed them the strength of dragons! Of course, if that were true, they would have been leading Glory City and not the Snow Wind Family.

Next, he analyzed the most obvious genius who seriously lagged on the physical front. Accompanying the recently engaged Ye Ray ran Ye Ziyun.

'Martial spirit— Nine-Headed Ice Phoenix, innate full power body and to top that off, the backing of the city lord.'

There was no doubt in Nik's mind that he had to make her his disciple. After all, the only known innate full power body spirit master is the retired City Lorde, Ye Mo. The living legend of Glory City.

In their rights, Du Ze— the brown-haired kid that left a fading impression on Nik— and Shen Yue— the impudent nephew— were quite the talents, too. Of course, Nik had to reluctantly remove them from his list of candidates. Don't get him wrong. He would do everything in his power to help them grow stronger and wiser if they came to him for his assistance. It's just that... he won't go out of his way to initiate any contact with the two.

As the entire class finished the single lap that Nik assigned them to complete, he made all of them stand separately based on their genders. Nik, of course, wasn't discriminating anybody. he had divided his techniques in two. The stronger and fiercer approach for the girls and the defensive approach for the men. Even if he wasn't discriminating based on gender, Nik would be damned if someone used his techniques to harm any innocent women out there. Only he had such a privilege.

The training of his technique soon began. He jotted down a few points that only Shen Xiu could help Nik express to the girls and then showed them the entirety of the basic technique that they will have to finish. Nik continued performing the moves for fifteen minutes and the more the girls saw, including Ye Ray, the wider their eyes grew. Shen Xiu and the boys waiting for their turn were the same.

With Nik's single skill now holding at least several dozens of martial arts, some on a rudimentary level and some on a level that scratched the surface of mastering them, it was an understatement if even the foundational techniques that Nik devised weren't monstrous enough.

"Are you sure you want to teach this to them?"

Shen Xiu inquired with a drop of sweat rolling down her chin. To demonstrate a few points, even Shen Xiu had to come forward. But these few points were straining enough to make her short on breath. This was due to Nik incorporating a single aspect of his stretching exercise into the technique. Since these were foundational moves, Nik had devised them to build the core strength of the users. Anyone who follows the routine every day will find their control over their body increasing slightly.

Nik nodded plainly, "This technique would benefit you, too. Of course, there remains a chance that this might be the technique that may give you the upper hand if we spar next time."

Nik smiled as his words deeply impacted Shen Xiu.

"Listen! all of you!"

Nik attracted the girl's attention and took a stance in front of them before punching out deeply. The sound befitting a sword splitting through the air rang without Nik's fist hurting visibly followed by a rough gust of wind that made a few maidens grab the hem of their skirt-robes.

"You complete my training on time, and this is the minimum you can achieve."

Nik thought for a while before speaking up once again, "If anyone would like a list of complementary diets that can fit your corresponding budget, then please meet me after two days of practice."

Nik turned on his heels and let Shen Xiu take over the training and made his way towards the boys.

Unlike girls, the boys were already showing eager looks as they admired Nik's form. Before he could even begin with the techniques he had tailored for the boys, one of them spoke up. He was the one who sat next to Nie Li. Honestly, Nik wished that girls asked him more questions than the boys.

"Do we have to train in this technique every day?" The difficult expression on the boy made Nik understand that he did not have any need to ask his name.

"If you want to enter the next grade, you just have to perform the same techniques to a satisfactory level. If you can achieve that level in a day, then no, you do not need to train every day."

Nik spoke calmly as a troubled expression touched the boy's face before he nodded with a sigh. Once again, Nik started the technique but none could point out the slight deviations that put the men into a defensive position when compared to their female counterparts except for a single boy.

'That's strange...' Nei Li observed silently as his body moved with a forgotten raggedness. It was as if Nei Li had lost all his skills, even his ability to move his body the way he wanted. But his observation skills did not fail him as he found slight deviations in the technique. The deviations were hidden enough to fool many, but not a reincarnated master like Nie Li. There was a slight rotation of Nik's fist that was now omitted and even the position of hips was lower than usual.

Unable to make any head or tails about the situation, Nie Li soon found out that this technique strained his muscles, pulling even the ones that were left untrained until now. Instantly, Nie Li let go of his previous hesitation to learn the technique and poured his heart into achieving basic proficiency in the technique.

Finally, the class could not even keep standing after twenty minutes in and they hadn't even finished the entire routine. Slumping on the ground, the class huffed with frustration clear on their face. Only now did they understand that Nik's muscles weren't without their merits.

Taking this chance, Nik decided to preach on the few topics that might reduce the friction of a few students within the class due to their opposing martial spirits or the difference in status.

"Do you all know that I have yet to absorb even a single spirit ring?"

Nik's words made the class frown before the realization settled in.

"Eh?"

"For real?!"

"Holy Glory Shit!"

"Teacher, he used the city's name in his curse!"

"Hey, why would you be a snitch now?!"

A girl asked her best friend as the blonde girl averted her eyes in embarrassment while her cheeks flushed. How can she openly proclaim that she just tried to gain Nik's affection?

"Yeah!"

Nik smiled and sat on the ground to level his gaze with the students.

"It is true. I still haven't absorbed a single spirit ring," He grinned and informed the obvious, "So, in the eyes of the city, I am no more an apprentice spirit master as all of you are. And the best part is,"

Nik guffawed, "I can beat spirit masters even without summoning mine! So, if you think that status or money can be good leverage in front of me, you are wrong! So, work hard to pass the exam in six months to learn the techniques that can put you in the same shoes as mine."

Nik wasn't joking this time. If it hadn't been for the incentive of completing his spirits and unsealing them, he wouldn't even have bothered to awaken his spirits. There were many martial secrets hidden within his muscles. After all, [Tome of Battle] wasn't ordinary.

As Nik dismissed the class while observing obvious changes in the looks he received, he was approached by Shen Xiu.

"Did you really mean that learning your technique can defeat spirit masters of higher calibers?"

"With an appropriate strategy, of course."

Nik grinned confidently.

After Shen Xiu nodded and left, Nik waited on the ground and demonstrated high caliber techniques to the students of intermediary classes and the Senior classes whilst browsing through the list of potential candidates. The Senior class caught Nik's attention. After all, every single senior student was a grown adult with higher talents.

Finally, after demonstrating the entirety of his basic technique that he had divided into multiple forms for the other three classes, Nik dined on the staple meal and found his tired body longing for bed.