Doubts In The Teacher
1975 Words
Bowing deeply, heart filled with gratitude, she whispered:
“Thank you, teacher…”
Jack waved it off. “Now that your hip’s healed, train properly. If anything else happens, come find me.”
Then, more casually: “Send Jennifer in next.”
“Yes, teacher!” Emily’s voice rang out, no longer timid. It was strong. Clear. Confident.
She turned and stepped lightly, almost floating, out of the room.
"I intend to withdraw from his lessons later. Anyone with me?"
Inside the classroom, after Emmett, Jennifer, Liam Drake, Zane Hawthorne, Zara Vale, and Tessa Graves had briefly introduced themselves to one another, Liam suddenly spoke up.
His frustration was palpable.
Despite ranking in the top hundred of the entrance exam, a prestigious position by any standard, he had ended up here, in the class of Jack Reed, the academy’s lowest-ranked teacher. Not by choice, but as the result of some ridiculous bet between instructors.
The injustice still made his blood boil.
No matter what, he was determined to withdraw from this class today. Even if it meant leaving Astoria Academy altogether, he wouldn’t waste his potential on a joke of a teacher.
Emmett and Jennifer, however, both shook their heads.
“I’m interested to see what he’s capable of,” Emmett said simply.
“That first lesson was... unexpected,” Jennifer added. “It opened my mind to things I hadn’t considered. I’m willing to give him a chance.”
“I... also want to drop out,” Tessa muttered under her breath. “But if Jack Reed gets mad, who knows what he might do…”
“Mad? So what if he gets mad?” Liam scoffed. “What could he possibly do? I’m not about to risk going berserk from his flawed guidance. That herb-picking stunt this morning? That was clearly just an excuse to make us do his foraging.”
“Go berserk?” Zane looked over, frowning in confusion.
He had heard plenty of rumors about Jack’s low rank, but nothing about his students suffering cultivation backlash.
“It’s true,” Liam insisted, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Just wait. When Emily Wright walks out of that room, she’s going to look like she got scammed. I’ve already heard all kinds of stories about Jack Reed’s so-called 'teaching.' If he had real talent, he wouldn’t be dead last on the rankings, sneered at by the entire faculty.”
Jiyaaa!
The side door creaked open just as Liam finished speaking.
Emily Wright stepped into view.
And she was glowing.
Her face radiated joy, her posture lighter than before, her every movement brimming with energy.
“...Huh?”
Liam blinked, stunned. His words died in his throat.
He had expected her to come out with a blank stare, maybe even limping in frustration. Instead, she looked like someone who had just seen a miracle.
The others stared, equally confused.
Whatever had happened in that side room... it clearly hadn’t been a scam.
This kind of elation, pure and unfiltered, was hard to fake.
Even among the academy’s top instructors, few could evoke that level of visible gratitude after just one session.
Could it be...?
Could the most ridiculed teacher in Astoria Academy actually know what he was doing?
“Jennifer, Teacher says it’s your turn!” Emily called cheerfully as she returned to her corner of the room to resume training.
Jennifer rose with quiet confidence and entered the side room, her steps graceful and measured.
Inside, Jack Reed looked up from a set of notes and gave her a calm nod.
“Show me your punching routine.”
Jennifer didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and unleashed a precise, fluid strike.
Woosh!
The Vault of Eternal Insight activated.
Jennifer Jade
Origin: Jade Family, HeartFlower City
Cultivation: Warrior 1 – Breath Initiate
Technique: Serpent Veil Arts – a rare and feared whip cultivation technique rooted in fluid motion, deceptive rhythm, and hidden force. Practitioners channel Hayki into the whip, moving it like a phantom serpent through mist.
Combat Arts: Shadow Coil Lash (Novice), Twin Fang Strike (Expert)
Flaws (10):
The whip’s fluidity relies on constant Hayki flow; longer fights quickly drain reserves without expert control.
A misaligned strike, especially when infused, may cause recoil injury or disrupt the user’s meridians.
Precision is vital; misjudging angles may cause missed attacks or self-entanglement.
Jennifer lacks the correct weapon; whip crafting knowledge was lost when her ancestral clan was destroyed.
Martial styles based on rooted strength (e.g., spear, shield) can counter her misdirection techniques.
(Additional flaws omitted for brevity)
Jack stroked his chin, intrigued.
“Interesting. What weapon do you use?”
“I don’t use one,” Jennifer replied. “The technique was passed down through memory after my family’s clan was wiped out. All I have are these books, written by scattered survivors.”
She flicked her wrist. Around fifty old, worn volumes appeared in a tidy stack.
Jack nodded, impressed. “I’ll borrow these for now and read through them while you continue training with your current technique.”
He handed her some quick adjustments to improve her flow and motion, then added, “By the way, send Liam in next.”
“Yes, teacher!” Jennifer replied brightly, walking out of the room with a noticeable bounce in her step.
Liam’s eyes twitched. First Emily, now Jennifer? Could it be that Jack Reed wasn’t entirely a fraud after all?
Still, he gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, “Fine. Let’s see if he’s got anything worthwhile. If not, I’m done here.”
And with that, Liam Drake entered the room.
Liam may have received guidance from Jack earlier, but he still didn’t truly believe in the man’s ability. In his mind, Jack had just gotten lucky.
After all, telling someone to switch hands during a punching routine wasn’t exactly profound insight.
Deep down, Liam still looked down on the so-called “worst teacher in the academy.”
“Teacher,” he greeted upon entering the side room, offering a half-hearted bow and a voice full of indifference.
Jack, unfazed, gestured casually.
“I’ve seen your combat forms before. You’ve trained Soaring Flower Fist to beginner level and Dragon Inch Fist to expert. Not bad.”
Liam’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“What? You… how do you know I’ve been training Dragon Inch Fist?”
He nearly stumbled back.
To most, his current strength level suggested he should only be working on basic techniques, Soaring Flower Fist, or something similarly simple. But Dragon Inch Fist? That was a Mortal-tier advanced art, far more demanding.
Liam had kept his training in it secret, even from his own family. He’d never demonstrated it in public. What Jack saw earlier had clearly been the Soaring Flower Fist.
And yet… this man had seen through it in an instant?
“There are traces of Dragon Inch Fist hidden in your Soaring Flower movements,” Jack said calmly, deliberately keeping any mention of the Vault of Eternal Insight to himself.
“To anyone who knows what to look for, it’s obvious.”
“You figured that out… just by watching?” Liam’s voice dropped to a whisper, still reeling.
Even his former mentor, Cole Xander, one of the more esteemed instructors, hadn’t noticed anything.
But this man had?
Before Liam could recover, Jack continued:
“Reaching expert level in Dragon Inch Fist gives you solid explosive power. But I’m guessing you’ve started feeling aching under your armpits, and a burning or itchy sensation near the Sentinel acupoint?”
Liam froze.
The Sentinel. The point near the base of his neck was exactly where the irritation began every time he practiced.
“How do you know that?” he asked, stunned.
“Because you’re forcing an advanced technique on an unprepared body,” Jack said flatly.
“If you continue like this, you’ll cripple yourself. You’re already showing signs. Your body sometimes stiffens at night, doesn’t it? Random spasms? Fatigue?”
Liam’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
Those symptoms, he thought they were from overtraining. He never imagined they were the warning signs of long-term internal damage.
Jack’s tone remained level, but firm.
“Dragon Inch Fist treats your body like a coiling serpent every inch matters. But at Warrior 1, Breath Initiate, your Hayki can’t support that kind of strain. You need to be at least Iron Belly to endure the feedback. You’ve been pushing it. That’s why your left arm is stronger than your right despite being right-handed. You’ve overused your dominant side and weakened it. If you don’t stop, you won’t even be able to hold a sword within three years.”
Liam trembled.
Everything Jack said matched what he had felt but hadn’t understood. It was like being blind his whole life, only for someone to flip the lights on.
This wasn’t luck.
This was mastery.
He bowed his head, voice cracking with desperation.
“Teacher… please help me.”
The arrogance that had defined him evaporated. He had been so sure Jack was beneath him, yet none of the top instructors, none, had seen what Jack had in mere moments.
Jack folded his arms, voice cool and decisive.
“First, stop using Dragon Inch Fist. Focus on strengthening your foundation through cultivation. As for the damage… I’ll find a way to repair it.”
“Yes, Teacher!” Liam bowed deeply, eyes filled with sincere respect.
Jack gave a slight nod.
“Good. Now go tell Zara it’s her turn.”
“Yes!” Liam responded, standing quickly and hurrying out with the urgency of someone who had just glimpsed salvation.
The moment Liam stepped out of the room, he was met with the sharp, expectant gazes of Zane, Zara, Emmett, and Tessa.
“Did you drop out of Jack Reed’s class?” Tessa asked anxiously.
“Drop out? Why would I drop out?” Liam scoffed, waving a hand with exaggerated bravado. “A teacher who guides me for even one day is like a father for life! I, Liam Drake, am not the kind of man who turns his back on his teacher. What kind of people do you take me for? Do you think I’m that shallow? Honestly, all this talk about quitting, don’t you feel even a little ashamed?”
“...” Zane, Zara, and Tessa exchanged long, silent stares.
Off to the side, Emmett shook his head and smirked.
Shameless. Absolutely shameless.
This was the same Liam Drake who, just minutes ago, had been ranting about ditching Jack Reed’s class. And now? Now he was preaching loyalty like a sage monk. His skin must be thicker than armor.
“That teacher must really be… something,” Zara thought, her gaze lingering on Liam’s uncharacteristically admiring expression as he walked away.
Her own resolve had wavered after hearing Uncle Harmon’s harsh warnings. But then again… Jack Reed had diagnosed the strange imbalance in her body, the one she had never told a soul about, with terrifying precision.
It had given her something she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in a long time:
Hope.
The condition wasn’t something she could explain to others. It was too personal. Too delicate.
She took a breath and stepped into the side room.
“Sit,” Jack said without looking up.
Zara obeyed quietly.
“Teacher… you said you could cure my condition…” she began softly, her voice hesitant, a faint flush coloring her cheeks.
“Mm,” Jack nodded. “It’s not so much a condition. Just a mismatch between your cultivation and your physique.”
In truth, her issue wasn’t an illness, it was an incredibly rare trait.
Zara possessed what was known as the Pure Moon Body, a physique so rare and powerful that countless cultivators dreamed of having it.
- Writer
