Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

In his twenties, let alone becoming the dean of the Imperial Academy, even becoming a teacher requires exceptional ability. The dean's rise to power was legendary. But that didn't stop him from indulging in frivolous pursuits and abusing his power for personal gain after taking office.

He has stated on several public occasions that his life's dream is to collect all the generals in the game "Time and Space Kill". If you meet him at school and he initiates a conversation with you, there's a 99% chance his first question will be, "Want to play cards?"

"A rare guest indeed! What brings you here? Want to play cards?"

Jiu Yi glanced at Nephalem, then calmly began organizing his general cards.

“You should at least pay a little attention to school matters. I heard that two more teachers from the Martial Arts Department have recently resigned, and the department head is swamped with work.” Nephalem and Jiu were old classmates who graduated from the Royal Academy together. Nephalem naturally pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. “And with the midterm exams approaching, I’m afraid you don’t even have enough teachers to lead the teams.”

"Then let him do what he wants, there's no use in me being anxious." Jiu Yi said calmly, "Besides, he said he's already contacted someone who will come for an interview in a few days, and he's still missing one... What, are you going to introduce me to someone?"

Nefertari said, "Not bad."

"...You should know the requirements our Imperial Academy has for teachers."

As an intermediary agency, Anguo Company actually lacks truly top-tier talent in the industry—in fact, this is the case for most intermediary agencies; it's impossible for truly top-tier talent to seek employment through an agency; they're the ones being begged to join. And unfortunately, the Imperial Academy has a very high demand for teachers.

“Heh…” Nephalem couldn’t help but laugh when he said this. He swept the table and pulled out one of the general cards.

"What if I said... the guy I'm going to introduce to you is this guy?"

Jiu Yi squinted and looked over.

The general cards in Time and Space Kill are divided into three eras: the Age of Gods, Ancient Times, and Modern Times.

Ninety-five percent of the warlords are from the Age of Gods and ancient times—because modern people are prone to causing various disputes. However, some warlords with special power, status, strength, and battle record can also be selected, such as... this one.

In the card, the sky is dark, and the ground is covered with countless blood and bones. A man dressed in blood-stained clothes holds a broken sword in his left hand and a broken knife in his right hand. He is facing away from the screen, confronting a vast army.

[God? The Unyielding Hero of a Fallen Nation]

Era: Modern.

Stamina: 4

【Investiture of the Gods】: A universal locking skill for all divine generals. All of a divine general's skills cannot be ignored, imitated, learned, stolen, or rendered ineffective.

[Undefeated Legend]: Upon death, discard all your cards, flip your general card face down, reveal your identity card, and that identity is considered dead. If the game has not ended while you are flipping your card, flip it back after one turn, recover three health points, and draw three cards.

【As long as my heart remains, the nation will not perish】: Awakening Skill. When the lord dies, reveal your identity card. If you are a loyal subject, exchange identity cards with the lord.

The maximum stamina is increased to 12, 12 health points are restored, 12 cards are drawn, and the following skills are obtained: 'Peerless', 'A Thousand Armies Repel', 'Overlord of Southern Qin', and 'Undying Will'. During the flip, the player is considered dead, and the skill is not triggered if the player dies.

【Peerless】: When you play a Kill card, the opponent must play two Dodge cards. Enemies who are dueling with you must play two Kill cards.

[Thousands of troops retreat]: The user's red kill and duel can designate any number of targets.

【Southern Qin Overlord】: When you are damaged, draw two cards from the source of the damage and deal one point of damage to it.

【Unbreakable Will】: When your hand size is below x, replenish your hand size to x, where x is the amount of health you have lost.

(I am still alive, so my country... has not perished!)

There is a male general with four health points and many skills, including an awakening skill. Awakening this skill is very difficult, and before awakening, he is easily left as a blank slate. He greatly needs red kills and duels. One health point is his strongest state. That's right, he is Sun...

It is my Qin Pass that I have won!

The famous 'Loyal Minister' general card was originally designed to be a character who would 'avenge his lord's life and avenge him,' but the result was... extremely absurd.

—He wanted to kill his lord even more than the rebels.

The loyal ministers who drew this card all roared, "As long as my heart remains, the country will not perish," and then turned around and slashed at their lord.

My lord: Loyal, damn loyal.

Although almost all the divine generals are from the underworld, there's only one underworld divine general whose identity conflicts with yours. Awakening it once is a joy for a year. But unfortunately, in 99% of cases, it will be targeted by the entire game. The traitor will know that they can't win as soon as they see this card, so they will just give up and kill the lord together, making it impossible for this thing to awaken. Therefore, it is called the "Nan Qin Whiteboard".

Of course, what matters now is not whether this general is in the underworld or not, but... at this very moment, Nephalem drew this card.

Jiu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "The Empire has decided to release him?"

“That’s an exaggeration,” Nephalem couldn’t help but laugh. “It makes it sound like the Empire actually has the power to imprison him…”

He paused, and the smile on his face vanished.

"Besides, such a knife, such a peerless knife... it would be such a pity if it were left to gather dust."

"It's like the lord being killed during the flipping process?"

"A good example."

Chapter Three: Let him go for the martial arts department interview tomorrow!

“His fighting prowess is indeed very impressive, but this is a school, not a battlefield. I have a responsibility to the teachers and students here.” Jiu Yishi refused, saying, “He’s too strong.”

"No, no, no, don't say that. His emotions are very stable... or rather, he's like a lazy bum. Think about it, what bad thoughts could a social outcast like him have that he can sleep until noon?"

“It’s not a matter of whether he’s willing or not; he has the ability.” Jiu Yi patted the military general card on the table and said, “He’s been deified.”

Time-Space Kill is a board game, strictly speaking, just a game. But they take the concept of "God Generals" extremely seriously. It's fair to say that the lifelong wish of most people is to be included in the Time-Space Kill card pool after death. This is because it represents the world's recognition of your achievements and strength. Although there has been a trend in recent years of developing various skins to make easy money, the God General card pool has always maintained its unique purity.

The Divine General Card Pool can be said to be the highest honor in this world, with each one being a pinnacle of their respective field.

If there is even the slightest controversy surrounding a card, it cannot be considered a divine general. It's like the arguments in the streets—whether so-and-so can be considered a divine general.

—When this kind of conflict arises, then that person doesn't deserve to be called a divine general.

"The Time-Space Killer includes almost all the heroes and great figures from the past four thousand years. Fourteen of them were deified: two were strategists, three were magicians, one was an emperor, two were alchemists, one was a mathematician, two were from other races, and the rest were martial artists. That is to say, there are only three martial artists who were deified. And the remaining two could each have their own biographies in historical records..."

"And this guy, how many people in the entire empire know his name? This means that without any reputation to back him up, he became a god entirely through martial prowess. Based on that alone, I dare not say that there will be no one like him in the future. But in the past four thousand years, he has absolutely never been before. Such a monster of strength... I cannot allow him to enter the Imperial Academy."

He relied entirely on force, with almost no reputation to his name, and became a legend in one battle.

"I understand your concerns."

Nephalem nodded and said, "Indeed, the destruction he can cause is immense, but... you should understand, Jiu Yi, his fate is not my decision; it is the Empire's will."

Jiu Yi's face turned cold, and she said, "This is my school, and here I am... the only one."

He swallowed back some of the words that might have been considered outrageous.

“Jiuyi, you should understand that having the opportunity to hold such a knife requires more courage to refuse than to accept.”

Although Jiu Yi's face was gloomy, he had to admit that Nephalem was right.

There are some things you may not need, but you can't be without them, and when something is "unique," you absolutely cannot give it up.

“The Empire doesn’t expect to control him, that’s impossible, but we hope to make him feel a sense of belonging to the Empire.” Netflix said sincerely, “The Imperial House is a good place, and young people are always the most lovable.”

Jiu Yi's expression softened considerably. He sighed, shook his head, and said, "Even so, I cannot let..."

"He also likes to play cards, though he's bad at it but addicted."

"Have him go for an interview at the Martial Arts Department's Academic Affairs Office tomorrow!"

-

The next day, the Imperial Court.

"Hey, Nephalem, are you really okay?"

Ying Qin Guan changed his clothes—once he was released from prison, he naturally couldn't wear prison clothes all the time anymore. He lazily followed behind Nefertiti, his back slightly hunched, yawning from time to time, looking completely listless.

"I'm a prisoner, a criminal, a criminal, for goodness sake! If someone like me becomes a teacher, wouldn't that be misleading students, especially since it's the Imperial Academy..." Ying Qin Guan shamelessly berated himself, "So he suggested that I just take a salary and not go to work, so that I won't lead the students astray."

"The Royal Academy really hit the jackpot." Nefertari sighed and said, "It's alright, not many people know about you, I guarantee your file is clean."

"This is not something a government official should say..."

"Don't act innocent after you've already gotten a good deal," Nefertari muttered, looking around with a somewhat confused expression.

Damn it, he only graduated from the Imperial Academy a few years ago, how come the buildings have changed so much... Where is the Martial Arts Department again?

Ying Qin Guan suddenly spoke up, "No one's lost, right? No one's going to get lost at their alma mater, right?"

"The Imperial Palace covers more than 9,000 acres, and the Alchemy Department is building new buildings every day, with architectural styles changing every year. What's so strange about getting lost here?" Nephalem readily admitted to getting lost without any psychological burden.

After failing to defeat the Yin-Yang Master at Ying Qin Pass, Ying Qin stared with dead fish eyes and sighed, "Chatting with someone like you is so boring..."

"I think you're quite interesting, on the contrary." Nephalem glanced around and quickly chose the person he was asking for directions. "Hey, go ask for directions."

"Why should I go?"

"...This is your job search, not mine. I only came with you because I'm afraid you'll tear down the Imperial Palace. Besides, if you need someone else to do things like asking for directions, why don't I just collect your salary for you? Where did you come from, you piece of social trash? Stop talking nonsense and get going!"

Nefertari pointed to a pavilion in the maple forest of the Imperial Academy. Inside the pavilion sat a woman drinking tea. Drinking tea at this time of day meant she must have a lot of free time, much better than the other students who were rushing around. Nefertari was like a mother hen, not only coming to the Imperial Academy with Ying Qin Guan, but also finding him a good place to ask for directions.

Completely unable to comprehend his mother's deeper meaning, the social outcast Ying Qin Guan reluctantly walked towards the pavilion.

The maple forest in the Imperial Palace has been specially adjusted so that it remains red for nine months of the year, creating a poignant and resolute beauty. Several pavilions have been specially built in this maple forest to make it easier for couples to enjoy the autumn foliage.

Ying Qin Guan walked into the pavilion and looked at the woman sitting inside.

Before, we were far away and couldn't see clearly, but now that we're closer, we can finally see each other's faces.

The woman looked young, but her demeanor didn't resemble that of a student. She was lithe and slender, with narrow, almond-shaped eyes and a beauty mark at the corner of her left eye. Her gaze held a subtle, playful quality. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, without a single flaw. Her long hair cascaded down her back, its silky smoothness comparable to milk chocolate.

She was wearing a long black dress, holding a black and white folding fan in her hand, and slightly crossing her legs. It was a rather unrefined gesture, yet it gave her an extraordinary and elegant air—perhaps this is the effect of good looks.

She noticed Ying Qin Guan, turned her head slightly, opened her folding fan with a swish, and smiled gently, "What is it?"

Being stared at like that by a stunning beauty would make any ordinary virgin blush. But Ying Qin Guan didn't care. He had been playing cards for ten years, and his lord was killed every time he flipped his own general card. His heart was as cold as his sword.

"Do you know how to get to the Martial Arts Department's administration office?" Ying Qin Guan sighed. "The Imperial Academy is huge..."

The woman slightly raised her chin and said, "If you want to get here... look up at the tower, walk a hundred steps to the end, where you will see the civil and military officials, with their golden seals and purple ribbons. Follow the winding path through the Kan and Xun directions, and enter from the place where the phoenix perches. Then you will find the answer."

"..?"

Chapter Four: He Wanted a Beating

What is she saying?

I was asking for directions, wasn't I? What did she say in response?

? ?

Who am I? Where am I? What did I say? And what did she say in response?

Ying Qinguan stood still, unable to advance or retreat.

Seeing that he didn't move, the woman raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled, "Could it be that you can't understand what a woman is saying?"

Although Ying Qin Guan considers himself a social failure, he is not like a Nephalem who can simply admit to being lost. In some ways, he is like a platypus reincarnated. Every time he loses a card game, he slams down his cards and starts arguing.