At first, Xiao Wan hadn’t thought too much about it. He sat through a few culture classes and found that the teachers here explained things in more detail than those in the Seventeenth Heaven. They were older and knew more, naturally. He took careful notes and often borrowed extra books from the library after class to take home and read.

After breaking through to spirit practitioner, the cultivation methods and requirements started to differ depending on one’s element. So it was only natural to split into separate classes. Xiao Wan’s elite class was also divided into smaller groups by elemental affinity. When he enrolled, he cautiously hid his fire-type talent and only showed his wood-type, so all his classmates were wood-type too.

Their spiritual power levels were about the same—around spirit practitioner—but they were all over ten years old. Compared to them, Xiao Wan was just a tiny little thing, always seated in the front row.

He wasn’t much of a talker. Always buried in his books. But his talent was so exceptional, people couldn’t help but talk about him. So from time to time, Xiao Wan would hear whispers and gossip behind his back.

On the surface, his background seemed pretty simple. His school admission file had been dug up, and word that he was from the Seventeenth Heaven wasn’t a secret anymore.

Xiao Wan didn’t see the point in hiding it. So what if he came from the Seventeenth Heaven?

But apparently, his classmates thought differently.

Starting from the Fifteenth Heaven, people began to take “background” and “family status” really seriously. Talent was important, sure, but the resources and connections you had access to during your cultivation journey were often seen as even more critical.

Some classmates seemed to latch onto this “flaw” in the suddenly-appeared genius like it was a lifeline. It helped them feel balanced. When Xiao Wan placed first in the first little quiz, the classmate who had always been number one—now knocked to second—gave him a cold look and sneered, “You’re not that great. Just some brat from a garbage-tier place. How long can you stay on top?”

Xiao Wan: Huh? I never said I was that great, though.

That second-place student was a ten-year-old girl with a cute and dainty face, but her words were anything but polite. Xiao Wan didn’t even know her name until he saw the results board—she was called Luo Yinyin. He had no idea why she’d suddenly treated him like an enemy. He always minded his own business, stayed quiet, and even deliberately held back some of his talent to keep a low profile. Still, it didn’t help.

Xiao Wan had never met anyone like her before. Back in the Seventeenth Heaven, even if some classmates weren’t thrilled about him being first, no one ever expressed it with open hostility.

Xiao Xueman, of course, knew a bit about what was going on. He picked his son up every day and cared deeply about him—there was no way he wouldn’t notice.

“If they go too far, Xiao Wan doesn’t have to be afraid. Daddy’s here,” Xiao Xueman told him gently. “But the world is like this—only the mediocre aren’t envied. Stay calm, keep your heart steady. There’s no need to be agitated.”

“Life in that little town of the Seventeenth Heaven was simple, but Xiao Wan… we were never going to live there forever.”

Xiao Xueman had seen a lot in his life. Though he pampered his child, he never planned to raise him in a glass bubble. Every kid had their own life to live, and sooner or later, Xiao Wan had to learn that not everyone he met would be kind.

“I’m not hurt,” Xiao Wan held his daddy’s hand and answered honestly. “It just feels kinda pointless.”

He’d come to school to learn useful things, not to deal with passive-aggressive drama. Thankfully, the school had strict rules, so that girl and her followers didn’t dare do much. At most, a few snide comments here and there. Xiao Wan just acted like he didn’t hear them.

Xiao Xueman wanted to be a reasonable, understanding parent—but his kid was still young, so he couldn’t truly let go. He often went to the school to check in, worried Xiao Wan might be getting bullied and not say anything at home.

He’d seen that arrogant little girl before. After asking around, he learned she was the daughter of the Frostwind City Mercenary Guild branch leader. Her family background was impressive. Before Xiao Wan arrived, she was considered top of the class. Spoiled from a young age, her pride was only natural.

While Xiao Xueman taught his son to remain calm and grounded, he was petty and super protective at heart.

“Verbal abuse is still abuse. If it gets out of hand, it’s a problem,” he said seriously to Shen Guan after getting home. “Even if Xiao Wan doesn’t care, I can’t just stand by.”

Shen Guan had taught many kids in his clan before—but those weren’t his own. He didn’t really bother with childish squabbles. As long as it wasn’t serious, he never got involved. Getting worked up over that just made an adult look petty.

But with Xiao Wan? Whole different story.

Just like Xiao Xueman, he was completely biased. United in spirit, he even spoke with righteous seriousness: “So what do you wanna do about it?”

But before they could do anything, someone from the school came knocking—apparently, Xiao Wan had gotten into a fight.

A fight? Xiao Wan??

Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan exchanged looks, both visibly shocked.

Xiao Xueman was especially surprised. He’d raised Xiao Wan himself. The boy was obedient and self-disciplined—he’d never laid a hand on anyone. He rushed to the school immediately and found his child in the teacher’s office.

The other student’s parents were already there. Before Xiao Xueman even entered, he heard the voices from inside.

“Who knows what kind of parents raised a kid like that? No manners at all! With a student like this around, how is anyone supposed to focus on learning?”

Xiao Wan sat in a corner, silent. There were burns on his arms and cheek—clearly fire-type injuries. They’d been partially treated by the school medic, but the healer wasn’t very strong, and the wounds still looked bad. Still, Xiao Wan didn’t cry or complain about pain. He just sat there quietly, lips pressed together, cold and expressionless. When he saw Xiao Xueman come in, he finally relaxed a little and reached out for a hug.

Seeing his kid like this, Xiao Xueman’s rage surged—and even Shen Guan, standing beside him, clenched his fists.

People with real power didn’t get angry easily. There just weren’t many things in the world worth getting angry over. But now? They were both absolutely livid.

Xiao Xueman first carefully checked Xiao Wan’s injuries. Thankfully, the protective shirt he’d made using Shen Guan’s clothing had done its job—his heart and vitals were safe. The other wounds he quickly healed with spiritual power, and the burns visibly began to fade.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked gently.

Xiao Wan shook his head and leaned his face against his daddy’s, murmuring, “She started it. She said mean things first. She’s the one who was wrong.”

After treating his son, Xiao Xueman turned toward the other parents—who suddenly went silent.

Wood-type was known for recovery, water-type for healing, but the difference was huge. Xiao Wan had been burned by fire—normally, water-type healing was most effective. But the green glow at Xiao Xueman’s fingertips was clearly wood-type. And yet, the treatment worked.

Right now, Xiao Xueman couldn’t care less about hiding his abilities. When no one messed with him, he was warm and easy to talk to. But now that someone had crossed the line—and in the worst way—he was done playing nice. Time to make someone pay.

The teacher, realizing things were going south, quickly stepped in to explain.

Xiao Wan’s opponent was none other than that ten-year-old second-place student, Luo Yinyin. She stood behind her parent, covering her mouth with tears on her face. Before the teacher could even finish, she shrieked.

“He started it! He threw stuff at me!” she screamed, her twisted expression turning her dainty face ugly. “Damn garbage breed!”

The teacher had been trying to smooth things over—and admittedly had a bit of bias. Luo Yinyin, after all, was the Mercenary Guild branch leader’s daughter. Spoiled, bossy, and even a bit cruel—no one ever dared challenge her. But that last sentence crossed the line, even for the teacher.

“Garbage breed” was a vicious insult used for those who had climbed up from the lower heavens. It was one of the worst slurs you could throw at a spirit practitioner. Hearing it was practically an invitation to fight—no one would blame you.

Yes, it was Xiao Wan who’d struck first—but Luo Yinyin had provoked him with her words.

In fact, this wasn’t even the first time she’d used that slur. Xiao Wan hadn’t been fazed before—just thought she was jealous and ugly inside. But then she saw his dad at the school gate.

“He’s your daddy, right? I saw him,” she’d said. “How did he even bring you up here from the Seventeenth Heaven? With that pretty face of his? Such a flirt—what, did he sleep his way in? Tell me!”

She had more insults ready, but for the first time, Xiao Wan turned to look at her.

The rest of what happened was witnessed by the teachers outside. Xiao Wan had used spiritual power to lift everything on his desk—from textbooks to pencils—and hurled them one by one, dead-on, at that foul mouth.

He moved so fast, even the teachers couldn’t react.

“Speaking evil?” Xiao Wan had stood up, stared at her, and said coldly, “Then your mouth deserves a beating.”

All the students in that class were newly advanced wood-type spirit practitioners. Most of them could barely use spiritual power properly, and wood-type wasn’t good at combat. In both grades and fighting, Luo Yinyin was completely crushed by Xiao Wan, who had trained far longer.

But this girl had plenty of fanboys. Xiao Wan didn’t hold back, and her face burned with pain. Her mouth was red and even had tiny cuts—looked really pitiful. She screamed and ran off, returning later with backup.

She came back with an upperclassman—almost graduated, fire-type, one of the top students in school. Fifteen years old, Spirit Practitioner Tier 9, just a step from spirit knight. When he arrived and saw his “opponent” was a five-year-old, he was stunned.

He had some decency, and knew that bullying such a small kid would look bad, even if the girl was hurt. Besides, Luo Yinyin’s bad temper wasn’t exactly a secret.

“I’ll get a healer for you, don’t worry. It’s just a scratch—it’ll heal soon,” he said while trying to comfort her. Then he glanced down at the little guy and—despite himself—felt a bit of pity. Still, his tone was lofty. “Just bow to Yinyin three times and apologize. If not, then kneel. Do that, and this ends here. I won’t bother with you.”

But if Xiao Wan was the kind of person who would bow his head, he wouldn’t be Xiao Wan.

“If you want to fight, then fight. I won’t apologize,” he said. “She should apologize to me.”

That made the boy look bad. Luo Yinyin kept urging him, and in a moment of heat, he attacked.

Even injured, Xiao Wan didn’t just stand there and take it.

That upperclassman stayed quiet, but there was a red line on his neck—he’d been treated, but still looked shaken. Who would’ve thought a five-year-old would fight back—and with deadly precision? The cut had been made with a pencil knife Xiao Wan grabbed before leaving the classroom.

That girl was still cursing, spewing filth. Xiao Xueman thought his son was angry about being called “garbage breed,” but instead, Xiao Wan just glared back fiercely.

“You shouldn’t talk about my daddy like that,” he said. “If you say it again, I’ll hit you again. Doesn’t matter who comes.”

Luo Yinyin shrieked like a chicken that just got its foot stepped on. “You little bastard!”

Her parent, however, wasn’t nearly as aggressive anymore. After seeing Xiao Xueman’s healing, he gave him a hesitant, unsure look. When she shouted like that, he even tried to hold her back a little.

But it was too late. The words had been said. Xiao Wan’s injuries were plain to see. Both Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan had seen and heard everything. This wasn’t going to be brushed off.

“Xiao Wan’s right,” Xiao Xueman’s face was calm, but the calmer he looked, the angrier he was. “Such a young age, yet spouting filth with such cruelty and no discipline. Someone needs to teach her a lesson.”