3 Studying can really kill

Instructor Office, Miss Shurong's room

Miss Shurong's office was small but well decorated. A large desk sat in the middle, surrounded by several chairs placed around it.

There was a shelf filled with books on the wall behind it, along with a painting of a Great Ancient King who ruled the Shu Kingdom long ago.

Miss Shurong closed the door as she entered her room alone with her students. As she moved towards her desk and took a seat, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, staring straight ahead with her piercing red eyes.

"Now, let us start with the reason why I called you all here today."

Rihan and Sung Li were silent as they waited for her to speak.

"I noticed that you two were not paying attention to the class, and I believe you would prefer to stay here instead. Am I wrong?" She asked, without taking her eyes off of them.

"No, ma'am."

"Very well then."

"Miss?"

"Let us begin by discussing the difference between a Soul Master, a Core Master, and an Arch Master. I would also like to hear what you think of these differences."

Then began a long lecture about what exactly each class entailed. The entire time Miss Shurong kept her gaze fixed upon them, never blinking once. She made sure to make her points clear and precise, leaving no doubt about what she was teaching.

The two poor souls had no choice but to listen to the lecture, attentively, without even batting their eyelids.

After a while, however, they became too uncomfortable to sit in silence any longer. So, they started to exchange glances, trying their best to communicate.

"Ma'am, may we leave?" Sung Li finally asked.

"No. You will listen to me until the end."

"But the class has ended, Miss."

"And so, it will continue. Now, let us return to the subject." Her eyes were still focused, and her tone remained firm.

"Yes, ma'am," they replied in unison.

"Now, let us begin again. What is the main difference between Soul Masters, Core Masters, and Arch Masters?"

"Um…well…"

"You know, both of you are not worth my time."

Both of their faces flushed, and they stared down at the floor.

"I am disappointed in the way you act. You may consider yourselves lucky that I don't decide to expel you immediately. You have shown disrespect to the teacher, and you have not paid attention to the lesson. This is unacceptable, and it is not the kind of behaviour that will be tolerated at this Institute. Do you understand?"

"We apologize, Ma'am!" they cried out, bowing their heads.

"Very well. But, I warn you, do not disappoint me again. You can be expelled from this class, or worse, I can report to the High Elder."

"I don't think there's anything worse than this thought" Rihan muttered to himself.

"Are you sure?" Miss Shurong glared at him.

He gulped, before replying: "Ugh, no. No Miss!"

"Good. Then, continue with the lesson," she ordered, turning back towards her desk before she started her lecture all over again.

And so a long day passed, and Miss Shurong continued lecturing while Rihan and Sung Li's souls is slowly drained away into the ground below them.

Rihan never imagined that such as day would exist. He was completely exhausted, his body felt heavy. The odd sound of Miss Shurong lecturing him and Sung Li continued to echo in his ears, like a constant drumbeat.

He wanted to close his eyes and just sleep. He wished to be anywhere else, except for where he was.

Rihan looked at Sung Li and could see that he was suffering just as much.

"Sung, how are you holding up?" he whispered.

"Not good," Sung replied, looking around nervously. "This is making it hard for me."

"I know. I could see Nirvana just now. It's like it's right in front of me, but it's just beyond my reach."

"Hmmm!?" Miss Shurong interrupted their conversation. "Are you finished with your discussion? Good, then I would like to continue with our next topic."

Both of them could now feel the energy draining from their bodies, and their vision blurred.

"This….this is the end for me. Is this how my end comes? I'm afraid," said Rihan in panic.

His mind began to reel inwards, and darkness enveloped him.

"No! I don't want to die yet. I don't want to go to the underworld yet." His voice sounded distant to himself, and he tried to move his hands, but he couldn't.

His soul floated above his body, watching the world fade to blackness and suddenly, another soul came floating up in his place.

Right above Rihan's body, two souls came face to face slowly drifting further from the body until they finds themself in an unfamiliar empty void.

Rihan feels like he knows the other soul. It was a man, and he seemed oddly familiar.

"Wh… where am I?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" Rihan said, and he realized that he knew the voice

"No, it's impossible. I've died. That means that I should be dead. I should have no recollection of the past. And yet, I remember you. You're…"

The memories flooded his head. Memories of his life. Of his family and friends.

Of his childhood.

Of his training.

Of his adventures.

Of his love.

And he remembered his death. How his body had been crushed to bits, how his blood splattered across his face.

"Why can I remember everything? What are all these new memories?" Rihan wondered aloud as he stared at the white-haired old man before him.

He looked like an ancient sage who'd seen many years pass by in one lifetime. His skin was wrinkled and tanned from sun exposure, but there wasn't even any gray hair on his head.

"You know me?" he asked with fear.

"Yes," replied the other soul, "I know you."

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am your future self," his future self replied solemnly, "I died five hundred years in the future."