18 Four Years Later

After the day Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang fought and Song Weihan told Sheng Feilong about the Spirit Heart Doctrines, almost 4 years had passed.

Sheng Feilong was currently walking down the pathway on the academy grounds towards his classroom. He had grown considerably taller, reaching a formidable 135cm in height with quite broad shoulders. His temperament had also changed significantly due to him cultivating the Spirit Heart Doctrines. While he still had the usual youthful playfulness to him, he also had a kind of calm and soothing aura to him which made him seem easy to approach.

Even though he appeared calm on the outside, Sheng Feilong was incredibly nervous. Today he and his classmates would graduate from the Primary Academy and either leave or join the Intermideate Academy. As he already talked to his father about that and the latter went through all necessary paperwork, Sheng Feilong just had to give the application for the Intermediate Academy to a teacher.

As he was thinking about what to do and what would happen today,a large hand suddenly pat shoulder. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had caught up to him and Jian Wang was the one to pat him on the shoulder.

"Feilong, you're early today. Nervous about our graduation?"

Jian Wang laughed as he looked down on Sheng Feilong, literally. Jian Wang had become a huge fellow these last few years. Reaching a staggering height of 157cm and shoulder as broad as most adult men at the tender age of ten, he truly fit the image of a hulking Power Attack Spirit Master. Or at least he would, if it weren't for his big, round belly. Sheng Feilong seriously wondered what his father fed him for him to get this big while still maintaining his plump figure.

Jian Wang continued to tease Sheng Feilong about his nervousness along the way. While the latter still replied in a refined way at the begin, he cracked up and some point and both, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang, started loudly bickering after a while, causing a few other students to throw them amused glances from time to time. Jian Shiguan followed behind them with some distance, but could only sigh at their antics.

Jian Shiguan had also grown up considerably. She stood at a height of 129cm, half a head smaller than Sheng Feilong, but had a slender build and delicate face. Paired with her straight black hair that casually lay on her shoulder and the huge blue scarf wrapped around her beneath the hair, she had the qualifications to be entitled a little beauty. The most obvious change, however, was her personality. The shy little girl that only spoke in a meek voice had developed into a poisonous tongue and Jian Shiguan just said whatever was on her mind, so much so that sometimes, it was hard to tell if she was being brutally honest or honestly brutal.

The three of them made their way over to the classroom that was already filled with students and went to their seats. By now, the seating arrangements had been changed and they sat together at the left of the classroom in two rows with Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang in front and Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun directly behind them.

Su Liyun already sat at her place, talking with a classmate besides her. When she saw Sheng Feilong and the others take their seats, she quickly greeted them with a smile. Su Liyun hadn't changed much in the last years apart from her height. She was now just slightly shorter than Sheng Feilong, reaching 133cm in height. She still just wore the plain, standard uniform at school without much personalisation, though she changed her hair recently. Apparently her Spirit Soul, the Fairy Vine, influences her body in the way that her hair was changing colour from time to time. About a year ago, when she broke through rank 10 and became a Soul Master, the blonde strands in her hair changed to a light purple colour, which Su Liyun herself really didn't like, so she usually tied her hair into a dutt.

"You guys are late. Everyone else is already here." Su Liyun said with a grin. Looking at her friends, who all seemed confused by her words, she chuckled before explaining the situation for them.

"Don't you remember? Yesterday after classes, all of us students promised to come early today since we will graduate today. Most of the others have been here for about an hour already and a few teachers had also come by to talk to the class."

Sheng Feilong looked at her strangely. According to Su Liyun's explanation, it really sounded like they were late, but after taking a quick look at his Soul Communicator, it's clear that he, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had come 20 minutes before school even begins. They weren't late in the slightest! Sheng Feilong crossed his arms in front of his chest before sneering at Su Liyun.

"Well, even so, that just means that all of you just got here way too early! We might be the last to come, but there's still about 20 minutes until classes begin. Sure, we said we'd come early, but hanging around in the classroom for over an hour? No, thanks!"

Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan were shocked for a moment as they didn't expect Sheng Feilong's reply, though they quickly turned around to look at Su Liyun, smug smiles on their faces. Su Liyun stared at Sheng Feilong, rendered speechless by his rebuttal. After a moment, she sighed and looked at Sheng Feilong with an expression of disgust.

"You're as shameless as ever, 'Class President'. Where's your solidarity in times like these?"

The grin on Sheng Feilongs grew wider and his eyes displayeda spiteful glee.

"An hour before school starts? Usually in the living room at home, eating breakfast in delight. Got a problem with that, Lady Su?"

After his reply, Su Liyun turned back to the classmate she was talking to earlier, refusing to say another word to Sheng Feilong. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had also turned around, pretending not to know him as the student around them, who clearly heard Sheng Feilong's earlier words, were looking at him in disgust.

The 20 minutes flew by in a breeze and the teacher walked into the room the second classes were supposed to start. After a mandatory speech to the class, their teacher brought them to one of the gyms where rows and rows of chairs were placed in front of the stage. A few hundred people soon flooded the gym, mostly students of the senior year or their parents, and the Academy's Principal, Su Wan, held a long-winded speech, before passing the baton to another teacher, who than also proceeded to hold a speech. In total, about 10 different people held speeches, lasting about 3 hours total, before Sheng Feilong was asked to hold a speech. As the Class President of the senior year, that much was natural.

Sheng Feilong held a short speech, thanking the teachers for all their effort, how nice and valuable those past few years were for all of the student and other pretentious stuff that would be expected to be said. After the ceremony ended, all of the students were handed their graduation papers and the crowd slowly began dispersing and the students were dismissed for today. Sheng Feilong went to the secretary's office of the Intermediate Academy and handed the lady there his application papers. As they were already signed by his father, he could leave shortly after and found Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and Jian Wushuang already waiting for him.

A few days before, Sheng Lingtian had already asked Jian Wushuang if he could take Sheng Feilong to the Spirit Pagoda after the graduation ceremony, since he himself couldn't leave his post. Jian Wushuang agreed as he was planning to fetch both, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan, anyways. Boarding Jian Wushuangs car, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang shared the back seat while Jian Shiguan took the front seat. None of them thought too much of the graduation since the three kids would attend the Intermediate Academy together after summer break. They casually talked while driving to the Spirit Pagoda.

"Say, Feilong, what do you plan to do during summer break? Any plans for travelling with your father or Master, or something?" Jian Wang asked with a curious expression. Sheng Feilong, that friend of his, never really seemed to do anything exiting outside of his daily routine, though they would sometimes spend the weekends together, Sheng Feilong never really took the initiative.

"Not really. I'll probably be training with Master most of the time. Or maybe I'll go visit the Sheng Clan again with father. Our family still lives there, after all." Sheng Feilong replied with a nonchalant expression. The light in Jian Wang's eyes diminished and he instantly seemed bored at the mention of training.

"You're always just training. Why don't you ever do something fun or exciting?"

Sheng Feilong looked at him and sneered.

"That attitude and laziness is the reason you're still stuck at rank 18 while I'm already midway into the Soul Grandmaster stage." Hearing that, Jian Wushuang could help laughing. Even Sheng Feilong would berate his son because of his laziness! Jiang Wang never listened when he said that, but now it's a fellow who's the same age as him. That ought to hurt!

Just as Jian Wushuang predicted, it really hurt Jian Wang's pride. He leaned back into his seat and just grumbled.

"Of course you have a higher cultivation level, you have a good Master and high talent, while I have to learn from father, who's forcing me to learn blacksmithing as well..." Jian Wushuang face darkened.

"What was that about a good Master, you ungrateful brat?! There's tons of people begging me to teach them!"

Jian Shiguan and Sheng Feilong giggled. Though, before Jian Wang could answer, Jian Shiguan spoke up.

"Uncle, don't be to hard on Brother Wang! It's his fault for having low talent and being an idiot. You're a great teacher! Ah! The Spirit Pagoda, we're there."

Jian Wang was speechless, while Sheng Feilong continued to giggle and Jian Wushuang had a gleeful expression. At least his little niece knew how to appreciate him! Parking the car near the Spirit Pagoda, they saw Song Weihan standing near the entrance. He hadn't changed much in the last four years, appearance wise, though, his aura had changed. His usually calm aura had become deeper and contained a certain solemness in it that commanded respect.

Seeing him there, Sheng Feilong was the first to run over and greet him. The Jian Family members only shortly behind him, stood besides each other about 3 meters away from Song Weihan and bowed.

"We pay our respects to senior Spirit Flamingo Douluo!"