"Is that so?" Leland said coolly. "Then how do I interpret your foot being on Walter's head? That's just messing around too?"
"This..." Shawn was left speechless, only able to mumble incoherently.
Leland glanced at Walter's sorry state, then waved his hand. "Scram. Get out of my sight."
"Right away! We're leaving now!" Shawn's face lit up with joy. He grabbed his two lackeys and hightailed it out of there.
"You okay?" Leland asked.
"Thank you for saving me, Boss Leland. I'm fine," Walter bowed deeply, clearly grateful.
Leland nodded. "I can only help you this once. If work-study students want to stop being bullied, you'll have to rely on yourselves. My position is special—I represent the academy. I have to stay neutral and can't offer you more help. I hope you understand."
"Yeah, I get it," Walter nodded.
"Good. I'll be going then." Leland patted Walter's shoulder and turned to leave.
There was only so much he could do about work-study students being bullied. After all, as the headmaster's son, his words and actions reflected the academy. Showing too much favor to work-study students would anger the noble students, which would be bad for the academy's stability.
Even though he disliked how the noble students acted, openly opposing them to help the work-study students just wasn't feasible.
For work-study students to truly stop being bullied, they first needed to grow strong themselves. That would probably change once Tang San and Xiao Wu enrolled.
Lost in thought, Leland walked on toward the Master's wooden hut.
The hut was small, but the surrounding environment was lovely—shaded by green trees, quiet and perfect for scholarly work.
The door was slightly ajar. Leland knocked gently; it was basic courtesy.
"Come in," a firm voice called from inside.
Creak—Leland pushed the door open and saw the Master taking notes.
The Master was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with close-cropped hair and a stiff expression. His eyes held wisdom, and he sat with a straight back—a true scholar.
"It's you, Leland. Come, sit," the Master said, a faint smile crossing his face. It wasn't exactly a pleasant smile, but it was there.
Instead of sitting, Leland walked over to look at the thin book in front of the Master. "Records of Peerless Spirit Avatars. What's this?"
The Master handed him the book. "It lists some powerful and rare spirit avatars on Douluo Continent. Some have long since gone extinct."
"Oh?" Leland's interest was piqued. He took the book and flipped through it.
"Peerless Section"
"Six-Winged Angel: Inherited by the Qian family of the Spirit Hall. The spirit avatar closest to a god on Douluo Continent, a divine messenger—sacred, noble, and inviolable. Those with this avatar not only have full innate soul power but full innate twenty-level soul power. Thus, it ranks first."
"Golden Holy Dragon: A pure dragon spirit avatar with powerful light energy. A legendary avatar that naturally suppresses all evil. Its wielders always have full innate soul power. It once appeared on Douluo Continent but is now lost. It ranks second.""Dark Demon Evil-Eyed Tiger: A soul beast mutated from a white tiger with evil energy and blessed with light energy. If it existed as a spirit avatar, it would be on par with the Six-Winged Angel. To date, no such spirit avatar has appeared on Douluo Continent. It ranks third."
"Haotian Hammer: The inherited avatar of the Haotian Clan, the top assault-type weapon avatar in the world. Renowned for its overwhelming explosive power, with unmatched dominance and destructive ability. It ranks fourth."
"Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus: The inherited avatar of the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Clan, the strongest beast avatar on the continent. It combines the power of thunder and the tyrannosaurus's immense attack power. It ranks fifth."
...
"Evil-Eyed White Tiger: Inherited by the royal family of the Star Luo Empire. King of all beasts, with great attack and defense capabilities and no obvious weaknesses. It ranks tenth."
After reading through the Peerless Section rankings, Leland nodded slightly. The Master's rankings were mostly accurate for current Douluo Continent. Considering his limited strength, it was impressive that he knew so much. This list would stand up to scrutiny even outside the academy.
"Legendary Section?" Leland paused when he saw those words later in the book.
"Legendary Section: Compiled from legends and my own speculations. No solid evidence exists. The existence of these avatars is unconfirmed. Rankings are as follows."
"Golden Dragon: Ancestor of power, with the attribute of ultimate strength! The strongest metal-attribute avatar, and the strongest beast avatar across the continent. In terms of quality, it's on par with—if not surpassing—the Six-Winged Angel. It has unmatched physical strength and the power to destroy everything. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks first."
"Jade Qilin: Possesses the attribute of ultimate life. An adult qilin is comparable to a true dragon, king of all beasts. It has unparalleled life force and recovery abilities. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks second."
"Celestial Emperor Hammer: A legendary avatar of the Haotian Clan, with the attribute of ultimate destruction. Said to be an evolved form of the Haotian Hammer, the true pinnacle of weapon avatars. No solid evidence exists. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks third."
"Azure Dragon Avatar: Leader of the four divine beast avatars, with the attribute of ultimate wood. Born with control over all wood elements and thunder power. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks fourth."
"Sacred Beast White Tiger Avatar: The divine beast of war in the west, with the attribute of ultimate light. Holy and extremely powerful in attack. Said to originate from the Star Luo Empire. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks fifth."
...
"Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda: Evolved from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Undoubtedly the strongest support-type avatar. A legend among the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Clan. Existence unconfirmed. Ranks tenth."
Leland closed the book after finishing the Legendary Section rankings. The Master's rankings made some sense. The Peerless Section included avatars he was certain existed or had existed—even the Dark Demon Evil-Eyed Tiger, a soul beast, was real.
The Master's bold conjecture that, should such a soul beast transform into a spirit avatar, it would be on par with the Six-Winged Angel was a well-founded hypothesis.
Compared to the well-founded rankings in the Peerless Section, the Legendary Section was more intriguing. Everything here was unknown, a compilation of legends from various countries and factions.
Their accuracy was uncertain, but the avatars in the Legendary Section were incredibly powerful. Leland couldn't help but wonder what kind of spirit avatar he would awaken.