Most people realized something and began to silently step back, while a small portion became more excited, wanting to see what would happen next.
In everyone's sight.
Lin Guang's black hair moved without wind, and he spoke softly: "Just breaking the defense, right?"
Vishdair showed a ferocious smile: "Am I being underestimated?"
The two of them looked at Yu Haidong together, and Lin Guang said: "So, teacher, you won't dodge, right?"
Yu Haidong looked at the increasingly bright muzzle, and his Ether Perception clearly told him about the power of that skill. The smile on his face began to stiffen.
The next moment.
Boom!!!
After gathering strength, a ping-pong ball-sized light bullet streaked through the air with a bright red line, hitting Yu Haidong.
Flames shone, explosions roared, sparks, smoke, and impact spread, engulfing him.
Exclamations began to rise and fall—
"Holy crap, that's intense! What happened!"
"Oh no, the teacher wouldn't be beaten to death, would he!"
"No way... he's a Three-Star Spirit Master."
"Damn, Lin Guang didn't use his full strength when he fought with He Shenghuang at noon."
"If this move had hit Thunder Bull at noon, the school cafeteria would have to serve roast beef in the evening."
Amid the students' clamor, the smoke quickly dispersed.
Only to see Yu Haidong still standing intact at his original spot, with a crystal-clear hemispherical Light Shield flickering in front of him.
"Two-Star Spirit Rune Secret Technique: Barrier."
His tone was relaxed, his expression natural as he looked at the students, discreetly recalling the slightly wilting Earth Guard doll under his feet, forcibly calming his accelerated heartbeat, and looking at Lin Guang composedly: "That was indeed a very powerful strike, I guess it's a Green Grade skill."
"Back to the main topic, this is the first lesson I want to teach you."
He suddenly said solemnly: "For you, or rather for all new Spirit Masters, survival ability is the most important thing."
"Living gives you a future, dying leaves you with nothing."
"I know you are all elites and geniuses and may look down on soldiers like me who even have to comply with higher-ups' orders on the type of Contracted Spirit Beasts, let alone talent and major Spirit Beasts being White Grade."
"But here I have some statistics from the Spirit Master Association."
"Each year, an average of 2.5 million high school students nationwide join combat classes. Official statistics show that from freshman to senior year, every class has 2%, nearly 5,000 students who die in the Wilderness and Secret Realms, with college students even higher, reaching 5%."
Facing the cold mortality rate statistics, regardless of usual seriousness or how shocking the recent battle was, everyone's eyes turned serious.
At this time, Yu Haidong's tone also turned cold: "In other words, if you participate in every Wilderness exploration you can from high school until college graduation, according to the data, the survival rate is only about 76% or even lower."
"And at that time, you're just graduating. If you want to keep moving forward, the future dangers will only be greater compared to your school days."
"I'm 39 years old this year, and barring any accidents, reaching the pinnacle of Three-Stars in this lifetime is a problem, let alone progressing to Four-Stars. Spirit Beast potential and personal talent indeed can't compare to you, but at least I once served on the front lines as a military Spirit Master for over twelve years, while many geniuses I knew fell before me."
"Many people were stronger than me, but they still died—because they thought they were strong and didn't need to respect anything."
"So, the first lesson I'm teaching you is to respect danger. In the Secret Realms and perilous Wilderness, those massive creatures like natural disasters, those lurking catastrophes, even malicious fellow humans won't spare you because you're young or a student."
"All of you have good partners with infinite potential and are the future of Great Xia. I hope you don't perish halfway."
The sincerity in his words was evident, and anyone could hear it. The students couldn't help but put away their contempt and began to acknowledge Yu Haidong's position as an instructor.
Seeing this, Yu Haidong also heaved a slight sigh of relief, returning his gaze to Lin Guang and Vishdair. The latter, having exhausted all the ether from his body, was leaning weakly on Lin Guang, but a satisfied smile hung on the corner of his mouth, and he used the last shred of strength to give him an internationally friendly gesture.
It's only been three days since the contract, and there is such absolute trust?
How did he manage that?
"I lost," Yu Haidong admitted honestly, "Just now, the Earth Guard doll alone indeed couldn't withstand it."
Speaking, Yu Haidong took out a colorless, transparent crystal from his arms, about the size of a palm, with intricate Spirit Patterns engraved inside.
"This is a Visualization Crystal engraved with the Two-Star Attribute-less Spirit Pattern [Barrier]."
Upon hearing Yu Haidong's words, a flash of envy appeared in the watching students' eyes.
Attribute-less Spirit Patterns are inherently more precious than Attribute Spirit Patterns due to their universal applicability, and this Spirit Pattern Crystal contains the immensely important [Barrier] Spirit Pattern.
The Barrier series of Spirit Patterns can be said to be the most important among all Spirit Patterns and are in the highest demand because they can be used simultaneously on both one's self and Spirit Beasts, providing Spirit Masters who have little self-preservation ability with great tactical options.
A Two-Star Spirit Master without a Barrier Spirit Pattern could be gunned down by a few machine guns, but with a Barrier, even rockets and grenades could be easily resisted, creating a gap between Spirit Masters and ordinary people.
The learning of Spirit Pattern Crystals is one-on-one, more efficient than school instruction and external Spirit Pattern Meditation Halls.
Lin Guang still remembered seeing a [Barrier] Spirit Pattern Crystal in the black market earlier, thinking it was too costly, and unable to verify the authenticity, gave up on purchasing it. He never expected to receive one in school.
Receiving the crystal from Yu Haidong, he hadn't had time to examine it closely before Yu Haidong said: "Logically, you would have to become a One-Star Spirit Master and possess a Tier One Spirit Beast to possibly receive it from me. The comprehension of the Spirit Pattern is related to the soul's total and remaining capacity, and you have not yet become a One-Star Spirit Master, while this Visualization Crystal is Two-Star in level. Even for a One-Star Spirit Master, comprehending the Spirit Pattern within two weeks is almost impossible, so my suggestion is not to unseal it yet. After the initial use, even if you don't use it to comprehend, over time, the Spirit Pattern Imprint will blur and fade. It's best to wait until you're Two-Star to use it, so that even if comprehension fails, it won't be too far off."
Saying this, Yu Haidong directed his gaze to the first class students not far away and said loudly: "Your class has a quota of 3 Barrier Visualization Crystals per semester. These are resources distributed by the school, and I decide which students who perform well in combat classes will receive them. Of course, the assessment criteria may not necessarily be offense-related; speed, endurance, control power, and so on might all be possibilities. I hope you're ready to earn these Spirit Pattern Crystals from me."
These words made the students, already almost filled with envy, clench their fists, with an intense light passing through their eyes.
Even Lin Guang couldn't possibly do it all, obtaining all the crystals from the teacher.
"..."
"Hmm, what's wrong with you?"
Vishdair, having somewhat recovered his strength, stood up on his own and saw Lin Guang in a thoughtful state.
"Nothing." He shook his head and put the crystal in his arms.
If Lin Guang remembers correctly, after unlocking the "Warrior" talent tree, he would gain a talent called "Power of Whole Heart and Soul."
One of its effects was to accelerate the comprehension of Spirit Patterns.