Reincarnation Of The Strongest Spirit Master

"That's not an issue then," William didn't take the meaning behind these words to his heart. Instead, he countered back by adding, "I have a much higher rank than yours in the Forging department."

"Oh! You already applied there?" Kong's eyes shone brightly when he heard that. He said his last piece just to tease William, never thought that William already decided to join the Forging department.

Kong wasn't stupid. He knew all the disciples and masters in the Forging department. Yet he never met, saw, or heard about William's name before.

Not to mention the weird and novel techniques William used in forging these arrows and spears back then.

William said it himself; he got a formidable master by his back. And Kong was quite sure such master wasn't part of the academy, at least not part of the Forging department.

His thought drifted actually towards the kingdom, thinking that this master belonged to a big family or clan there.

"I'm already higher than you in the Forging department," William puffed his chest, acting in a fake arrogant attitude that was clear to all around him, even the little kids.

"How so?!" Kong was puzzled now more than ever, "what's your rank there?"

"I heard I got to be the Forging department honorary disciple or something like that," William once heard this title before, but didn't get what it really meant.

But he was sure it was much higher in position than Kong's current place.

"This… This… Are you trying to scare me here or what?" Kong's reaction was more intense than what William thought.

His face paled slightly out of his immense shock.

"That's what I heard," William shrugged, "but I know nothing about what such a title really means."

"It means… It means a lot!" Kong clenched his fists before adding in weird excitement, "the clan had no honorary disciple for many decades! The honorary disciple is the one who is supposed to lead us in the upcoming spirit master big competition."

"Lead who? What competition?" William asked in doubt and confusion. He never thought big about such a title that he got out of the blue. He thought the Forging department was trying to protect him against the dark spirit master traitors in the academy using such a title.

But he never expected such a position would come with such weird responsibility. In his past life, he was too low in the pyramid of power in the academy to hear such grand things as the big spirit master competition.

"What are you doing here?" And just before Kong would spill out the beans about this competition, a deep voice came from behind, making Kong's face change.

He wasn't the only one who showed such a reaction, Lang and even the kids showed the same look, before they turned around and saluted the one who spoke in deep respect.

"Third elder!" They said that in greeting to the middle aged man who walked out from a nearby street.

William turned and saw someone who didn't look as if he belonged to the clan at all.

First, he didn't have the same familiar eye or hair colour, or face features of the clan members William met so far.

This dude was slightly fat, with a belly and fat instead of muscles in his arms. Yet he looked quite strong!

His short hair and eyes were black with a tinge of silver in them, giving William a weird feeling about this dude.

He wasn't part of the clan, that was a given fact. But he was someone who was referred to as the third elder.

William met Berry's father and uncle and spoke with the fourth elder before. If the former two held the titles of first and second elder, then this dude here was the third one in such a bunch of elites in the clan.

"You are?" This was the first time for William to meet him, and he couldn't recognise his clan or relation to any family William knew from his outer appearance.

"I'm Fang, the third elder of the Long clan," the middle aged man stopped almost ten metres away from the group, not moving his eyes off William for a long minute before adding:

"I was outside when the clan got hit. And when I returned in a hurry, I received the great news about how you managed to help the clan in that battle. Great job!"

He spoke as if he was speaking to a real kid, and that slightly annoyed William. The latter questioned such an attitude deep inside. It was as if that third elder didn't hear everything about what William did or was just faking ignorance.

"Thanks for the senior's kind words," William cupped his hands before adding, "I was just saying my farewell to my friends in the clan before leaving."

"Then follow me," Fang gave the kids serious gazes, like a warning or promising them of something, before turning around as he added, "as you are ready to move out, let's go out right away then."

"But…" William knew he got interrupted in his sneaking operation, and he would never get another chance to speak with these kids until they'd return to the academy.

Yet that wasn't what made him frown. The old man told him that an elder would be dispatched to accompany him and Berry towards the academy. He felt little weird about Fang's words until the latter explained further without turning his back:

"I'm the one who is going to lead you to the academy. Hurry up, I hate those who slow me down."

Fang's steps were light and fast, not matching his seemingly heavy body at all. William got a moment to get what was going on here.

'So, you saw what I did and sent the man responsible for seeing me out to get rid of me this fast? Nice move!' William thought to himself before saying his true farewell to Lang and Kong, and the other kids as well.

Then he led Lina and Tina to follow Fang.