Heaven's Eyes

Mocking Shadows

She wasn’t hopeless. Far from it.

Then the next page flipped:

Flaws: 18 in total.

No. 1 — The Ancient Cosmic Meteorite Bloodline in her body has yet to be awakened.

No. 2 — Foundational techniques are poorly aligned with her constitution.

No. 3 — Movement forms unrefined.

No. 4 — No proper guidance received.

Jack’s breath caught for a moment.

“Meteorite Bloodline?”

He read the entry again, slower this time.

After merging with this body’s memories, Jack had come to understand just how critical innate constitutions and bloodlines were in this world. A person born with one and trained properly could progress at a terrifying rate. Their potential was often limitless.

There were many types of innate bodies: Pure Flame, Celestial Ice, Golden Vigor...

But bloodlines were even rarer, and vastly more powerful. Many were descended from divine beasts, long-lost clans, or ancient gods. Among them, Ancient Bloodlines stood at the top of the hierarchy.

The Meteorite Bloodline was one of those rarities.

According to the Vault, if awakened, it would transform the bearer’s body into a living fortress, immune to blades, impervious to techniques. A true juggernaut.

And this absurd, teary, overeager girl had that?

Jack studied her again.

To other teachers, she was just a clumsy body, a forger. Her defense was noticeable, but nothing that screamed greatness. They’d all passed her over without a second thought.

But she’d already been instinctively training along the exact path her bloodline required, without even knowing it existed.

“Her instincts are aligned. That alone is rare enough.”

Jack's fingers twitched at his side. His voice remained calm, but inside, his excitement was rising fast.

This girl was a hidden gem. A rough, absurdly loud gem, but a gem nonetheless.

“I have to recruit her.”

He nodded, then said aloud, “Not bad. I’ll take you on. Come, acknowledge me as your mentor.”

Jack tossed her an identity token, suppressing the grin trying to creep across his face.

The girl froze in disbelief.

“Teacher... really? You’re really taking me?”

She looked like someone who had been kicked every day of her life and suddenly told she was royalty. Tears welled again, but this time with joy. She pricked her finger without hesitation and let a drop of blood fall onto the token.

It shimmered briefly, then dulled.

The bond was sealed.

Just then, a cold, mocking voice sliced through the air.

"Tch. As expected. A garbage teacher taking in garbage students."

Jack turned.

A young man was approaching, arrogance etched into every step and smirk. At his side walked a stunning woman with flowing jet-black hair, porcelain-pale skin, and sharp, intelligent eyes. Her every movement held the poise of nobility, yet there was a steely confidence beneath her grace.

“Blake Vazqes. And that must be Serena Blue Lin,” Jack recalled, memories stirring from the mind he now inhabited.

Serena Lin, Astoria Academy’s rising star. Despite lacking noble lineage, she had already surpassed many veteran instructors. Her talent and beauty had earned her the title “Ice Rose of Astoria.”

Admired. Respected. Coveted.

Dozens of instructors had tried to court her. All had failed.

The former Jack, before his soul merged with this world, had been one of her silent admirers. But with his humiliating exam record and shattered self-worth, he’d never even dared to speak to her.

Blake Vazqes, however, was a different story.

The grandson of Elder Vazqes, one of the academy’s high council members, Blake used his status like a sword. Serena was his obsession, and Jack, unfortunately, had long been one of his favorite targets.

And now he was here again. Predictably.

"Still pretending to be a real teacher, huh?" Blake sneered. "Taking in this walking boulder like she’s some kind of hidden treasure?"

"Who are you calling garbage?" Jack replied coolly, turning to face him.

"You, obviously." Blake gave a mock sigh. "Trash recognizes trash."

Jack raised an eyebrow, sniffed theatrically, then waved a hand in front of his face as if warding off a foul stench.

"Oh... so that’s where the smell was coming from. Yikes."

“You…!”

Blake’s smirk vanished as his face flushed red. Laughter rippled faintly through the nearby students. Being mocked like this…by Jack, of all people, was more than he could stomach.

And then, to Blake’s horror, Serena Lin smiled.

It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

In a world where sharp insults were rare and blunt pride ruled, Jack’s quip came off as unexpectedly clever. Serena clearly found it... amusing.

Blake’s pride crumbled a little more. His face went from red to pale, then back again. Still, with Serena watching, he reined himself in, forcing a brittle smile.

“What? Something wrong with what I said?” he asked, his voice sharp with forced arrogance. “Everyone at the academy knows your level.”

He turned to Tessa and scoffed.

“This blob came to my class once. Looked like a boulder, fought like a pillow. All defense, zero offense. Her best punch barely hit fifteen kilos! She probably scraped the bottom of the entrance exam. If that’s not trash, I don’t know what is.”

Since he couldn't attack Jack directly, he turned to ridicule by association.

Jack glanced at Tessa, suddenly curious.

“Bottom of the entrance exam?” he asked. He hadn’t checked her ranking yet; he’d been too preoccupied with the shock of her bloodline. “Tessa?”

She puffed up her chest proudly.

“Who said I was at the bottom?!” she barked defiantly. Then, after a beat, her voice softened. “I was only... ranked 9,997th!”

Jack almost staggered.

"Only?" he repeated under his breath.

Astoria Academy accepted 10,000 students annually, and that number was usually padded with withdrawals and disqualifications. Ranking 9,997th was practically dead last.

And yet, she looked as if she’d just claimed a spot in the top hundred.

Jack resisted the urge to facepalm. Her confidence was... terrifying.

Then Blake turned his sneer toward the quiet figure beside Jack.

“So you really just take in anyone with a student badge, huh?” he said, eyeing Emmett. “What about you, string bean? What was your ranking?”

Emmett looked up, unbothered. “Me? I was the 10,000th.”

Jack nearly tripped over his own feet.

Did he have to make himself sound even worse than her?!

This was too much.

“Well, I guess it fits,” Blake laughed, loud enough for the crowd to hear. “Bottom-tier teacher, bottom-tier students, what a match!”

He flicked his sleeve with dramatic flair.

“Unlike some people, I have standards. I don’t take anyone ranked below 500.” He pointed casually at Jack. “You, the guy who scored a perfect zero on the Teacher Qualification Exam, teaming up with Miss 9997 and Mr. 10000? It’s poetic. Pathetic... but poetic.”

"Are you done talking?"

Jack Reed simply shook his head at Blake’s mocking tone.

"Now that you’ve finished running your mouth, you can leave."

Earlier, Jack had already assessed Tessa Graves using the Vault of Eternal Insight. A wandering cultivator with no formal instruction, her techniques were rough, raw, and unrefined. Understandable, given her background.

But with her dormant Ancient Cosmic Meteorite Bloodline, once activated, her potential would ignite like wildfire. Explosive growth. Near-unbreakable defense. She was anything but trash.

"You..."

Blake Vazqes stared, jaw tightening.

Anyone else would’ve been rattled by his taunts, angered, embarrassed. But Jack hadn’t even blinked. Every insult had slid off him like water on stone.

Watching that composure only deepened Blake’s frustration.

"Hopeless," he scoffed. "Like trying to carve rotten wood."

Turning away, he addressed Serena Lin.

"Come on, Miss Lin. No point standing around with this kind of garbage. Stay here too long and you’ll start smelling like failure."

His voice dripped with condescension.

But Serena didn’t follow.

Instead, she turned toward Jack, a slight crease forming between her brows.

"Mr. Reed."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear, melodic, and steady. The kind of voice that made those nearby instinctively quiet down.

Jack blinked, surprised. He hadn’t expected Serena Lin, Astoria’s most admired instructor, to address him at all, let alone directly.

"Hm?"

Serena’s expression was calm, sincere.

"Although you didn’t do well on the last Teacher Qualification Exam… don’t give up on yourself," she said softly. "If you work hard, you’ll see results in the long run."

Her tone held no mockery. No hidden barbs. Just genuine encouragement.

From her perspective, Jack’s choice to take in students like Tessa and Emmett, ranked near last and dead last, seemed like he’d given up on chasing greatness. Like he’d settled.

And while Serena had never returned his former affections, she bore him no ill will. She didn’t want to see someone she once knew spiral into irrelevance.

"Thank you for your advice," Jack replied, his voice polite. He could tell she meant well.

But he wasn’t done.

"This student," he added, glancing toward Tessa, "might not look like much now. But under proper guidance, she could outshine many others. Appearances can be deceiving."

Serena paused, studying him for a breath.

Then she gave a small nod.

"I see."

Without another word, she turned and walked away.

She didn’t believe him.

To Serena, Jack’s comment sounded like a convenient excuse. Tessa Graves, at her age, with her size and lack of core cultivation, was unlikely to achieve anything remarkable.

And that quiet boy who stood silently at the back? He didn’t seem like much either.

"Damn it!"

Blake Vazqes’s composure snapped.

Watching the woman he obsessed over speak kindly to the academy’s most ridiculed teacher, encouraging him, felt like a slap across the face. His expression twisted, barely masking the fury simmering beneath.

He glared daggers at Jack before storming off after Serena.

"Serena, it’s better if you don’t associate with people like him," he said, voice tight. "It’ll only hurt your reputation…"

"Mr. Vazqes," Serena cut in, not even looking back. "I’m tired today. I’d like to be alone. Please don’t follow me."

Before he could protest, she walked off without another word.

Blake stood frozen.

"Damn it. Damn it!" he hissed, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

His eyes never left Jack.

"Jack Reed, just wait. You’ll pay for this."

Serena’s silhouette vanished into the crowd, but the fury in Blake's chest only grew.

In his mind, this was Jack’s fault.

If it weren’t for that loser showing up, stealing her attention, Serena would’ve accepted his invitation. She wouldn’t have walked away.

And for that?

Jack Reed would pay.

After the pair from earlier left, Jack turned his attention to the stocky student still lingering nearby.

"Since you’ve acknowledged me as your teacher," he called out, "you should at least know where my classroom is!"

"Yes, sir!" the student stood up quickly, a broad grin spreading across her face.

"Now that I’m your student… could you tell me… who exactly are you again?"

Jack rubbed his forehead.

This girl… she really just begged the first teacher she saw without even knowing who he was.

"I’m Jack Reed," he said flatly.

The girl froze.

"Jack Reed? The Jack Reed who scored… last place in the Teacher Qualification Exam… with a zero..."

Her voice trembled. Her lip twitched. Her eyes looked dangerously close to tearing up.

"That’s me," Jack said, utterly unbothered.

"Ah… uh, Professor Reed!" she laughed nervously, scratching her head.

"You know, I’m weak, not that bright, and kind of heavy… maybe you should just, you know… remove me from your class?"

Jack: "..."

"Teacher, I’m serious," she continued, looking genuinely distressed.

"The other teachers said it too. If you don’t drop me now, your reputation might be ruined. I don’t want to drag you down..."

"I’m not worried about my reputation," Jack said simply. "Besides, now that we’ve bound your identity token, you’re stuck with me. You’ll live as my student… and die as my student.” Jack narrowed his eyes, then continued lightly. “So stop with the nonsense."

"I..."