In the class, Nik took the reigns and finally started an introductory session. He made each one of the students stand from their seats and introduce themselves alongside their martial spirits and their aspirations.

"Let me start and give a demonstration," Nik smiled. He crossed his arms and supported his chin with his thumb and index while mulling with an audible 'humm', "Got it!"

Nik grinned and spoke up, "My name is Nik. Unfortunately, I lost my right to keep my surname when I left my family. My martial spirit is a tool spirit. I like to call her Lilith.

I aspire to become a teacher that you guys will remember for the rest of your life... in a good manner, of course."

Nik then pointed at a kid named Chen Ji from the Divine Family sitting right in front of him and made him start with the introductions. After Chen Ji, the girl who has bee trying to get his attention by sitting right next to him stood up and introduced herself. She aspired to become a great mother and of course, she gazed at Chen Ji bashfully to indicate whom she wanted to father her kid with.

Nik's lips twitched! They were just a bunch of fifteen-year-olds! Why would they even think of getting pregnant now?

"I am Du Ze and my martial spirit is Tremendous Eagle. I aspire to become a spirit master who can protect my family and the city."

...

"I am Nie Li. My martial spirit is a Garden Hoe and I aspire to become a legendary Titled-Douluo and marry the most beautiful girl!"

Nie Li exclaimed while winking in Ye Ziyun's direction. The purple-headed girl instantly turned her head with a strange face while Ye Ray also raised his eyes in amusement. It was Nik who felt distressed. The most beautiful girl wasn't Ye Ziyun. If he was in Nie Li's shoes, Nik would have winked towards Shen Xiu.

"I am Xiao Ning'er. My martial spirit is Lightning Wings Dragon. I wish to become strong."

She spoke plainly before sitting down.

Just like her, others started introducing themselves and Nik now felt slightly familiar to them. After the introductions were made, Nik finally stepped back and let Shen Xiu handle the rest of the class. This time, whenever Shen Xiu was about to remark when the case study of a commoner who contributed to the CIty's development appeared on the texts of the parchments, she bit her lips softly and stopped herself from ridiculing.

Today's lecture was slightly rigid. But Nik did not care. The information was passed down clearly and not a single kid tried to fool around during the lecture. Finally, after the class was concluded, Nik asked the students who weren't in the proper training clothes to sit out while deducting their points out of their daily grades due to the kids not heeding to his words. Many girls pouted in displeasure, Ye Ziyun being one of them. They knew that Nik had asked them to bring an extra pair of clothing but there had already been too many incidents where a pervert tried to peep on the girls changing their clothes using various strategies and spirits.

And the girls were honestly unwilling to wear coarse pants to classes just due to exercise their butts off!

"Teacher Nik! This is unfair!"

Shen Yue was one of the kids who did not wear or bring training clothes.

Hearing the sudden yell filled with indignation, Nik observed Shen Xiu for a moment. While many students failed to heed to his words, there were still quite a few who were in the mood for training and also wore training clothes.

Xiao Ning'er was one of them.

"How is it unfair?"

Nik inquired calmly.

"Teacher, you aren't wearing clothes befitting training. How cannot blame us to the same."

He spoke with a smug smirk while many nodded.

'Hmph! Sacred Family loves to point out the problems and push blames. Teacher Nik is already teaching such a great technique and instead of valuing his efforts, Shen Yue is trying to defame him. Truly, the Sacred Family is filled with bad seeds.'

Nie Li's face turned gloomy. He had reincarnated after he died three hundred years in the future. In his previous life, Glory City was destroyed by the invasion of the hordes of Spirit Beasts. While the aristocracies joined their hands to defend the city, the Sacred Family fled. Even commoners like Du Ze had talents that made them attain 5 spirit rings but they all died in the end. Nie Li did not know much about Nik in the past but seeing his martial talent, Nik must have too, perished in the invasion of beasts.

Just as Nie Li was about to rebuke Shen Yue and publicly humiliate him and his so-called Sacred Family, Nik guffawed loudly. His loud laughs rang throughout the student's block as he made his way towards Shen Yue, who visibly trembled as he felt the pressure from Nik's physique. Shen Yue was thinner than a chopstick in front of Nik.

Instead of a grand beating the other kids expected, Nik patted Shen Yue's shoulders and smiled warmly, "Thanks, kid."

Next, Nik slipped out of his tunic in front of everyone and rotated his shoulders.

"All right! Just like Shen Yue said. If you wanna join in on the training, wear the clothes befitting the session or wear nothing and join in!"

At Nik's words, Du Ze instantly walked forwards and removed his tunic, too. His thin physique was exposed to everyone but the brunette did not feel a shred of shame and joined the rows of the boys and took his stance. Nik nodded seeing that and looked towards Shen Yue in anticipation.

Even Shen Xiu and Nie Li were surprised by Nik's actions. Ray also contacted Nik.

[That was... quite sensible.]

Ray praised and sat down. He wasn' going to strip for the training. He would just wear training clothes from now one. Nik's actions had allowed Ray to see a completely new side of him.

Alas, Shen Yue only snorted gloomily as Nik sighed and then looked at the kids in front of him. A total of five girls and eleven boys. Three of the boys had their torso exposed.

"All right, you guys. Let us begin the training. This time, teacher Shen Xiu will fully assist you girls and I will focus on you troublemakers."

Nik smiled and then made the kids start their routine. He, of course, knew of the multiple gazes lingering on his body. His physique boasted muscles with high vascularity. His back was ripped and every single movement emanated into multiple shifts of his muscles, making him a visual treat to the girls that had an interest in mature men, including the engaged boy out of the group.

"Man Ni, punch out like this," Nik corrected a youth and showed him the movement. He was truly enjoying the feeling of teaching others. His face was practically aglow when he demonstrated the foundations of his basic techniques to the kids who kept making minor errors. After a glance towards the five girls, he noticed Xiao Ning'er's pained expression and made his way towards the five girls. Noticing Nik's arrival, the girls quickly averted their eyes except for Shen Xiu.

"What? Did I forget to teach them something?"

Shen Xiu inquired with a frown as Nik shook his head and stood in front of Xiao Ning'er. His physique was towering when compared Xiao Ning'er's and he had to kneel on one knee to level his gaze with her,

"Did you rest yesterday?"

Nik inquired while noticing the obvious look of exhaustion and the eye bags under her eyes. Startled with the sudden question, Xiao Ning'er matched her golden hues with Nik's and nodded hesitantly. She was lying. Whatever the reason, Xiao Ning'er barely slept yesterday. With a sigh, Nik curled his lips and spoke up.

"You should sit this one out. I won't deduct your internal grades. And if you feel like sharing something, you can always consult Teacher Shen Xiu or me."

Nik spoke warmly as he observed the look of reluctance on Xiao Ning'er. Finally deciding that it might just be the right time to take in his second disciple out of the many he would tutor in the future, Nik thought for a while and whispered, "Rest now. Teacher Shen Xiu and I will train later in the evening... you can join us then."

Xiao Ning'er's eyes widened as she gazed at Nik with astonishment and her tiny mouth parted slightly.

But in a moment, recalling something, she nodded quickly, "T-thank you... Teacher Nik."

Nik nodded. Xiao Ning'er wasn't a talkative girl and silently listened to the lecture. Her determination to training even with the backing of one of the seven middle-level aristocracies made Nik realize that she might be going through something difficult.

"You can meet me outside the teacher's block after all the classes are finished."

She nodded and averted her gaze when came face-to-face with Nik's smile before turning around rigidly. In the next twenty minutes, the students trained slowly while feeling their entire body stretched. Meanwhile, two boys finally couldn't help but stand up and take off their tunic, too. They both were commoners and they couldn't help but fear that the slight of their internal grading alongside the progress of their peers might dig up a wide chasm in between them and the rest of the class training.

Nik's expression grew bright at the initiative and he personally monitored the duo's progress while the other students finally collapsed on the ground weakly.

***

The apprentice class left under Shen Xiu's command shortly and Nik soon instructed the kids of various ages once again. He also decided to invite the potential kids from all the classes, be they commoner or not and asked them to meet him after two hours once the classes are over. He only had two years and most of the kids under his radar did not even have a single spirit ring. It was unacceptable.

***

A/N:

Xiao Ning'er

https://tales-of-demons-and-gods.fandom.com/wiki/Xiao_Ning%27er#Current